Do You Believe?

Family Movie Night

 

What is it with stories about fairies and goblins and dwarves that make people want to believe?

 

We want to believe these things are real, just like we want to believe in ghosts. I have heard people talk about seeing a woman and son walking down Guertin Street, dressed in Victorian clothing. I have heard tales of ghosts hanging around the town pond. Just about every church I have ever visited – in this state and others – has a story of mysterious foot steps or strange noises.

 

We want to believe.

 

Image from IMDb.com

I was thinking about this as the kids and I watched The Spiderwick Chronicles the other night. The story is about a boy who finds a special book and reads it, not knowing he is unleashing a world of destructive ogres and captivating wood sylphs. Until he proves what he knows, no human chooses to believe him.

 

Ah, belief. That special ingredient. In this movie it took a special glass or the spit of a weird creature for the human characters to see the goblins and fairies and other creatures that were all around. No one, even the mom, wanted to believe.

 

Why?

 

Partially, because it was coming from the kid who caused the most trouble in the family. The other half is that these things seem too mystical, too impossible to exist. Brownies cannot be real until it allows you to see him.

 

It was a rousing good time with non-stop action. Towards the end, my youngest became a little scared but it was a scary part, I will give him that. I know we will watch this movie again.

 

Image from IMDb.com

Another movie that asks you to believe in the unbelievable is Narnia. Seriously, through a closet you can go to another world that is always winter but never Christmas? And in this world there are fauns and talking animals and a witch able to turn any creature into a statue?

 

Perhaps the most amazing part is that four siblings ranging in age from 10 to 16 years of age are the ones who must save this land. That is how C.S. Lewis wrote the story and it is triumphantly put to screen.

 

Lastly, a movie that we truly love in this house is Peter Pan.  I do not mean the animated version by Disney but the live-action film made in 2003 that stars Jason Isaacs as both Mr. Darling and Captain Hook. Apparently, that is how it is written for the stage play and to me it is a stroke of genius.

 

Image from IMDb.com

We know the story of the boy who never grows up, who lives in Neverland, spending his days fighting pirates and hanging with a little tiny fairy. Who would not want to believe in such a thing for none of us ever truly wants to grow up and become overly serious.

 

Well, maybe some people do as there is a need for someone to run things.

 

Most of us, however, are simply trying to get through each day of going to work and paying the bills and hanging with the kids if you have any at home. Some of it is fun and some of it is drudgery. Yet Peter holds out the hope that life will not stay that way, that a clapping of hands can save a dying fairy.

 

Remember that scene in E.T. when the mom is reading Peter Pan to a young Drew Barrymore? It was magical because we believed in it whole-heartily like a five-year-old.

 

That is what makes all of these family friendly movies so perfect. For the time of the movie, we believe in that which is normally hard to believe.

 

Until next week, see you in the rental aisle.

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McAvoy Marathon? Oh Yeah!

Family Movie Night

I realize I do not always talk about movies I have seen recently in the theaters.

Truthfully, I do not get out to see enough movies as far as I am concerned. However, this past week our 4H group had a pizza and movie night.  

James McAvoy and Emily Blunt in Gnomeo and Juliet, picture from IMDb.com

We went to see Gnomeo and Juliet. This delightful bit of animation had the 3D thing going on and was totally UNNEEDED. Added nothing to the experience. But what really made the experience wonderful was the use of Elton John/Bernie Taupin songs as incidental music and full length cuts.

The story is essentially Romeo and Juliet by Shakespeare with gnomes, those adorable garden figures. Not that I have any in my yard but that is another story for another day. The rivalry occurs between Blue gnomes (Gnomeo) and the Red gnomes (Juliet).

Emily Blunt was wonderful as Juliet. But I really loved James McAvoy as Gnomeo. He had the right amount of everything to make it work. But then again, I have enjoyed McAvoy’s work for sometime now.

As Mr. Tumnus in "Narnia," picture from IMDb.com

We first saw him as Mr. Tumnus in the first Narnia movie in 2005. Then he turned head around the world with his role in The Last King of Scotland (2006). We also saw him as the young man who woos Christina Ricci in Penelope (2006). Suddenly, McAvoy was everywhere. He was Robbie in Atonement (2007) with Kiera Knightly, Tom LeFroy in Becoming Jane (2007) with Anne Hathaway, Wesley in Wanted (2008) with Angelina Jolie.

As Charles Xavier in "X-Men: First Class," picture from IMDb.com.

How could you not fall in love with him with those blue eyes and intensity of character? This spring he will play Charles Xavier in the latest X-Men movie and I cannot tell you how excited I am about this! I have already watched trailer and I get thrilled watching him and Michael Fassbender as the two men who will be leaders in the mutant world.

It is amazing watching him in a minute’s worth of film, it is amazing watching in a full length feature. I have watched him pull out romantic scenes as well as intense anger or fear. And if I hear that McAvoy is going to be in a movie, I want to see it because he makes it worth my time to watch.

James McAvoy in "Wanted," picture from IMDb.com

So plan a McAvoy marathon. You can go with romantic, action or serious movie themes. I guarantee, you are not going to be disappointed. 

Until next week, see you in the rental aisle.

Let the world know about your latest pick for Family Movie Night and drop a note below.