"New Moon," the latest movie in the "Twilight" series, is out. And despite some negative reviews, teenage girls are expected to flock to it this weekend.
This story from the Vancouver Sun says a study of "Twilight" fans shows that girls are actually attracted to the series because it celebrates a "traditional romance" in which the principal characters don't have sex.
Kristen Stewart, who plays Bella, feels her character is a good example for girls.
Do you?
I've been waiting and waiting for the movie version of "Where the Wild Things Are" to come out. But I was surprised to learn that the only person interested in seeing it with me was my husband.
My kids have certainly seen the trailer plenty of times. They even correct my husband when he proclaims: "Let the wild rumpus begin!" (It's "Let the wild rumpus start, Dad," says my 8-year-old.)
Yet when we offered to take them to the movies last weekend, the kids voted for "Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs," a film it's best not to discuss any further.
My daughter said "Wild Things" looked like it was only for boys. My son, a dead ringer for the actor who plays Max in the movie, just acted bored by the whole subject, even though he liked the Maurice Sendak book.
Turns out that lots of people who have seen the movie say adults are, indeed, shaping up to be its primary audience. Warner Brothers reports that the movie's opening-weekend success came largely from those over 18, not kids.
This mom and film writer, who did take her kids to the movie, got a similar reaction from them. And she explains why very well. We adults experience the free-spirited, fantastical world of the wild things through the rose-colored glasses of nostalgia, but to a kid, imagination gets taken for granted.
I have another (sad) theory: While adults of a certain age remember vividly the time they spent exploring in the woods and daydreaming adventures, kids today rarely get to venture beyond their backyards unsupervised. They're not used to feeling like wild things.
Have you seen the movie?
(AP Photo/Warner Bros. Pictures, Matt Nettheim)
We don't plan much beyond the weekend ahead here at Charm City Moms, but over at Consuming Interests, there's a great list of opportunities to see free and cheap movies in the Baltimore area all summer long. Many of them are kid-friendly, and some are outside (and some are in the air-conditioned comfort, if you prefer, of libraries and theaters).
Print out the list and save it; I know I will.
I woke up to find out it's Star Wars Day because ... wait for it... it's May 4th. As in, May the 4th be with you. Har har.
Don't you love that there's a day for everything?
I wouldn't bother with this "news" except that it brings up a question I've been pondering lately. When is a child old enough to see "Star Wars"?
I loved the movie when I was young (I was 11 when it was released in theaters). But I still remember the scene when Luke Skywalker finds that the uncle and aunt who raised him have been killed by stormtroopers as somewhat scary. And Darth Vader was very scary. So my 5- and 8-year-old have not seen it yet.
But some of their friends have seen all the "Star Wars" movies, and are big fans, with no apparent ill effects.
Should I let them watch, and watch with them? Wait a while?
My kids didn't get to stay up to watch Slumdog Millionaire win best picture, but they did get a glimpse of the movie's adorable child stars on the red carpet. I was curious about how they became part of this much-heralded movie, and found this YouTube video that explains. Looks like they earned their communal Oscar...
I got a press release recently about a new DVD of Beverly Cleary's The Mouse and the Motorcycle, coming out from Scholastic this month. It reminded me of all the time I spent during summers with Beverly Cleary books as a young reader, eating up the antics of Ramona the Pest.
Now lots of classic tales are being presented as DVDs, and I'm wondering what effect that might have. On one hand, if kids are going to watch "TV," it might as well be a great, educational story with themes to help them grow. On the other, does this make them gravitate to the DVD at the expense of the book? Or could an argument be made that it might it get them interested in reading the book, too, when they might not have otherwise?
I'd love to know how your kids have reacted to classics on DVD, and how it has affected their interest in reading the stories.
(Photo courtesy of Scholastic)
Baby Mama, the new film about a single woman who hires a surrogate mother that stars Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, opens today. Our critic Michael Sragow gives it a C. Here's his review, along with a trailer of the movie, if you haven't seen that yet.
Even before Sragow weighed in, I wasn't very hopeful for this movie, even though both Fey and Poehler can be wickedly funny. Fey plays Kate, a single, "Type A-plus" (according to Sragow) businesswoman who commissions a baby from the character played by Poehler, who is less moneyed and more fertile.
I've had enough friends suffer through fertility problems that I know there's really nothing funny about it, so that colors my view. What do you think about making fun of this subject?
Web-surfing Sunday is taking a break this week so that I can bring you some old-media ways to learn about Ireland with your children.
My all-time favorite movie about Ireland -- and pretty much my favorite children's movie in general -- is The Secret of Roan Inish, a 1995 John Sayles film. The lead character is a strong-willed, whip-smart girl named Fiona, who's all about reuniting her family with a lost baby brother. (Warning: the scene when baby brother is "lost," while not violent, may be upsetting to some children, and even generate a tear in soft-hearted parents. But it's worth it in the end.)
The soundtrack is also wonderful, and never fails to get my daughter dancing.
The Parents' Choice Foundation, a national resource in Timonium that reviews a range of children's toys and media, has compiled a short list of classic Irish books appropriate for children.
I'd like to know about your family's favorite books and movies for learning about Ireland and celebrating St. Patrick's Day. Please tell us about them below.
Baltimoresun.com's school closings database is designed to provide up-to-date, easy-to-access information in the event of inclement weather.
