-
Blog /// The Best Summer Camp Movies
July 27, 2010 by Nell Minow for Beliefnet's Movie Mom blog
Nametapes ironed on? Bugspray and sunscreen packed? As kids depart for camp, it is fun to watch some classic movies about the joys and terrors of life among the bunk beds and color wars.Tags: beliefnet, movie mom, summer camp, films
-
Blog /// Movie Mom Review: The Sorcerer’s Apprentice
July 27, 2010 by Nell Minow for Beliefnet's Movie Mom blog
A pinch of movie magic makes this fantasy action movie a summer movie popcorn pleasure for kids and their families. The story goes back to an 18th century poem by Goethe that inspired a symphony by Paul Dukas a century later. But is best remembered as an animated chapter from Disney's "Fantasia," with Mickey Mouse in his most famous role, enchanting a broom to carry buckets of water and watching in dismay as things get very, very out of hand. -
Blog /// Movie Mom | Spellbound
June 25, 2010 by Nell Minow for Beliefnet's Movie Mom blog
In honor of this week's Scripps Spelling Bee finals, every family should see this m-a-r-v-e-l-o-u-s movie about the national spelling bee because it is about so much more. It is about the strength of American diversity and the commitment of this country to opportunity -- the eight featured competitors include three children of immigrants (one's father still speaks no English) and a wide range of ethnic and economic backgrounds. It is about ambition, dedication, and courage. It is about finding a dream that speaks to each individual.Tags: beliefnet, spelling bee, films
-
Blog /// Movie Mom| The Adventures of Robin Hood
June 25, 2010 by Nell Minow for Beliefnet's Movie Mom blog
Errol Flynn is the definitive Robin Hood in this glorious Technicolor version of the classic story, one of the most thrillingly entertaining films of all time. King Richard the Lion-Hearted, off fighting in the Crusades, has been captured and held for ransom. His unscrupulous brother John (Claude Rains) schemes to make sure Richard never returns, so he can take over as king. All of the knights offer their support but one, Sir Robin of Locksley (Flynn), who vows to raise the ransom money himself. He and his followers use Sherwood Forest as cover so they can steal from the rich and powerful to help the poor and raise the ransom money.Tags: beliefnet, films, leadership
-
Resources /// 11 Life Lessons from Animated Movies
Before we told stories through novels or sitcoms, we sketched our lives on stone columns and cave walls. For centuries, it was how society taught its truths and delivered its lessons. The pictures we made were extensions of us in an almost magical way. For over 70 years—-most recently with the release of "Shrek Forever After"—we've experienced a bit of that magic through full-length animated films. Whether they're drawn by hand, crafted by computer, or shaped through stop-action, these movies charm us, inspire us, and teach us lessons in ways that live-action films—-limited by the pesky shackles of reality—-sometimes struggle to do. -
Blog /// Movie Mom | An Education
May 24, 2010 by Nell Minow for Beliefnet's Movie Mom blog
Part of the charm of "An Education," a bittersweet coming of age story based on a brief memoir by Lynn Barber, is how much we know what its main character does not. Jenny (an incandescent Carey Mulligan) is a teenager in 1961 London, over-protected by her overly-cautious and conventional parents and eager to be independent and to have adventures. She is used to being the smartest one in the class and so even more than most teenagers, she is convinced that she understands many important things her parents cannot possibly comprehend. She is eager to grow up, to seem sophisticated -- to be sophisticated. She is innocent, filled with potential, willing to be taught -- and she has no idea how powerfully attractive those qualities are to a predatory older man. -
Resources /// Movie Time
May 20, 2010 by Nell Minow for Beliefnet's Movie Mom blog
"I know 'Cliffhanger' is rated R, but it's only for violence, not for sex, Dad!" The boy in the video store added that all of his friends had seen it and said it was no worse than several other gruesome titles he had already seen. His father sighed and gave in. The technology that has enabled new generations to have a range of entertainments broader than anyone could have imagined has created tough challenges for families.Tags: beliefnet, movie mom, films, parenting, exercise, challenges, communication, history
-
Resources /// Best Family Movies
May 20, 2010 by Nell Minow for Beliefnet's Movie Mom blog
Movies are our sagas, our myths, our touchstones, and our collective cultural heritage. They are also one way that we teach ourselves and our children about values. Of course, kids get their most important lessons from the behavior of their parents. But movies give us a chance to explain and expand on those lessons through a modern form of parables or Aesop's Fables. And like parables, stories in movies have the advantage of distance--it can be easier for kids to talk to parents about what's happening on screen than to talk about what's going on inside them. Those discussions are a powerful way for families to connect and communicate. I've selected 10 terrific movies in which characters show qualities like responsibility, integrity, compassion, and courage.Tags: beliefnet, movie mom, films, parenting, communication, trust, history, etiquette, tolerance, football, community, loyalty, learning, violence, peace, volunteering, charity, poverty, law, justice, values
Follow:
Share:
