Movie Making

The girls were at it again making a new movie. This time, they invited their  friend J along with M.  He enjoyed getting all dirty, and creating. :)

 Alli and Erika, the Makeup artists.

 J was a good sport!

 The Whole Crew!

And here is the finished product. :)

Incredibly Loud & Extremely Close: A Movie Review

We never really heard of this movie, but it looked interesting, so we picked it up for 5 bucks.  It is rated PG 13, but it is intense and not for children.

The movie is from a little boy's perspective and how he views the world.  His name is Osckar. 
He is 11 years old and his father was killed in the 9/11 Twin Towers Terrorist Attack.

The director of this movie was BRILLIANT.   The movie was heart breaking and at the very same time when you couldn't take the sadness, it was profoundly funny.  

Why am I writing a post on it?  Because if you watch it carefully, you will see that Osckar is not an average little boy.  He is special.  He says several times he is full of fears, and that he is different.  He was tested for Asperger's Syndrome and "the tests came back inconclusive. "  But if you watch this movie through the lens of Autism Spectrum Disorder....it is a REALLY fascinating move about parents who LOVED their son and worked with him to make him the best he could be.

The movie shows the dysfunctional lives that Osckar encounters while trying to find the answer to a mysterious key.

It is intertwined with grief, strained relationships, humor, and a view on  we connect to each other as a society.

I found this movie to be an  amazing jewel.  It is a must see for parents who have children by birth or adoption, who have special needs, either because of trauma or because they are just the way they are.

Great performances by Tom Hanks, Sandra Bullock and the little boy did AMAZING in his first acting performance. 

****Warning, there is some language and there is a disturbing scene of him pinching himself to try to get rid of the pain and then there are scenes from 9/11. *****

I won't tell the end, but let's just say it is amazing.    

The Wizard Of Oz Remake

This is what Anna and Alli did while Erika, Sarah and I went to the prosthetist for new legs. :)

Behind The Waterfall Movie Review

Anybody remember "Radar" (Burghoff) from the old series M.A.S.H?   Well this is a movie starring Gary Burghoff in a very different role.  The movie is about 2 children who go to visit their Aunt and cousin for the summer.    The children's father died in a plane accident, 6 months before.    The movie is about how an Irishman full of Irish Folklore stories befriends them, and opens up a whole different way of looking at things.   
The children love the old man and in the end,  heal from the grief of losing their father.
All of our girls enjoyed it.  There are a few themes that could cause some kids to be afraid, but for the most part it is a clean fun movie.

All About Women

We watched Shanandoah last night for our Friday night movie.  The girls liked it a lot!.....

And that is the way it is, you see. :)

The Village Movie Review

Our girls are getting older. Erika is almost 14! They were asking to watch a movie that was not a kid movie, and one that was Scary!   I don't care for scary, but there is one we have in our closet that is both Scary and Valuable.
It is called, "The Village". 

The movie is fiction, but it is also very profound. 

The basic plot is:  A small group of people who have met through a counseling service decide to get away from the awfulness of society and create their own little world where everything is perfect and serene and they won't be hurt again. EVER AGAIN!
Each of them has been touched by awful trauma! Each has had a family member murdered.  That is why they were all in counseling.  And that is how they met.

So, they make a pact, to NEVER again go back into society.  It lasts about 25 years. (that is my best guess)
The movie is charming and eerie, because it is based upon FEAR.  There is FEAR and INNOCENCE mixed in.
As the plot develops, the VERY THING they left behind, happens again, within their own little community. 
A mentally ill child, who is now an adult, tries to kill another person out of jealousy.
The movie ends in an interesting way, but leaves MANY questions.

I think it has value because, it illustrates perfectly that MAN is sinful. You cannot get away from Sin.
They tried to create a perfect environment, yet there were the subtle sins of adultry of the heart. And in the end, they realized that pain is a part of life.

I would not recommend the movie to young children. It is SCARY.   However, there is so much good to discuss, I would recommend it to secure teens or pre teens. 
We did SKIP the one scene where the mentally ill young man stabs another person.   
There is no bad language.   But it is intense.

By the way.... The girls loved it, and loved talking about it after. :)

Kung Fu Panda 2 Movie Review

Last year when we went to camp, we were presented with Despicable Me. I blogged about the reasons I didn't like the movie here.

This year, we watched Kung Fu Panda 2.  We watched part one and thoroughly enjoyed it. Adoption was mentioned slightly in the first one, but in the second one, it was nearly the main theme through out the movie.
We LOVED It!

At first, I was a little wary, as the "you're not my real dad" thing came up. The difficulty of the father to talk to his son about how he came to be his son was apparent.  But did they ever do a good job for a silly kid comedy cartoon, of turning the message around!  It also covered PTSD, moments, as the Panda has flash back memories and loses his ability to focus.  The friends are concerned for him, but also supportive, trying to understand what is going on.
And in the end, he goes home and tells his dad, "I know who I am now. I am Po, and you are my dad".  It really did have a great message of healing and how there ARE issues to work through.  Adoption and Loss go hand in hand. 

All of our girls stayed for the entire movie.  Several children that go to camp are adopted children.  The little 5 year old girl in front of us told her mommy when the movie was over, "I love you mommy! You are my real mommy!"  :)  It made her mommy have some tears of joy. :)

I watched our Alli carefully too. She was sitting one row up with sisters and friends.
She took the whole movie in and loved it, and in the end, I got a  big hug too. :)

The difference between the two movies was night and day.  In "Despicable Me", the father is a con artist who's intent is to USE the children. They are also sent back to face the "box of shame" with the mean orphanage director. This movie was truly despicable!

But in Kung Fu Panda 2, the father is a wonderful father, provider, nurturer who never has any ill intent towards his son. He only wants what is best for him. 
There are HUGE differences between the two. 
One made FUN of adoption, and the other SUPPORTED it and revealed true issues  head on, even if it was a Bird and a Panda who were father and son. :)  
That is why I would recommend Kung Fu Panda 2.

Little Women

We watched "Little Women" tonight, and both Mike and I shed tears. It is really a fabulous movie.
The girls really enjoyed it and LOVED trying to compare themselves with the actresses. :)
Of course Alli totally identified with Amy. And Erika identified with Meg. Anna and Sarah were both between Jo and Beth at different times..... :)   And of course, I was Marmie. :)   
If you haven't seen this version, it is  REALLY a must see!

I LOVE ALL my little Women! :)

Jesus Of Nazareth

One of the movies we watch during Christmas and Easter is Jesus Of Nazareth.  This is a fantastic movie. It is LONG.... over 4 hours, so we break it up over several days. I love how they interpreted the account of Luke.
I remember watching this with the boys when they were younger too.  It is so fun to keep the traditions we had with the boys, for the girls. :)

If you ever have a chance to see it, I highly recommend it.

ANNIE The Movie

It was Sarah's turn to pick the Friday night movie last night. She LOVES musicals, and picked Annie.
Mike and I had never seen Annie before.  We had heard good things about it a long time ago.
The movie is Rated PG.  The little girls in the movie were VERY talented in song and dance.

The movie is about an Orphan child during the depression. It is about the hard life in the orphange, that is managed by an alcoholic woman played by Carol Burnette.  She remained drinking or drunk through out the entire movie.  She was verbally abusive to the children and also threatened physical abuse.
Because the movie is entertainment, the children didn't react to her, except to step on her toes a lot.

Annie is chosen to go to a billionaires house for a week, for an experience outside of the orphanage.
When she arrives, all the staff and servants are kind and full of song and dance. Then Daddy Warbucks shows up.  He is harsh and demanding and has no idea he is hosting anybody, especially not a girl.
He says to send her back.
Somehow, during her weeks stay, she turns him into mush, which is a very sweet part of the movie.
But when he gives her a necklace and wants to adopt her, she says no. She is waiting for her real parents to claim her. She has 1/2 of a locket they left with her.
He helps her try to find them by advertising.
Hundreds of people who are dishonest come to claim her for a 50,000 dollar reward.  In the end, it is the Orphanage director, Carol Burnette, and her brother and sister in law that scheme to get the money.  Carol Burnette withheld information that Annie's parents were dead, and she had all her private information, as well as the other half of the locket.  She and her brother agree to a 50/50 split of the reward money and her brother and a girl friend go and claim Annie.  as their own.  When they drive away, they pick up Carol Burnette and Annie sees that it is a plot.  She tries to fight them,but they hold her down and cover her mouth.

In the end, she climbs to the top of a bridge tressle and is dangling in mid air with a man in pursuit to try and kill her.
Then Daddy Warbucks helicopter and body guard come and rescue her.  She is back with Daddy Warbucks and lives happily ever after.

WHEW!  This is not a movie I would recommend for newly adopted children or children who are not secure.  It is full of triggers.

I was also abit surprised at some of the sauciness in the scenes and the political slant. Daddy Warbucks the billionaire was a selfish republican, and the president was  a soft hearted democrat.

 I checked on Alli a couple of times and she said she was fine. She was more interested in the song and dance and the dog. :) I'm glad we watched the special features that showed how the movie was made, how the parts were chosen and allowed the children to interact in some of the acting scenes. This made it VERY CLEAR that this was a fictitious movie and not reality.

Unfortunately, the circumstances in this movie WERE a reality for some of our kids.  They suffered from rejection, abuse and the results of alcoholism and extreme poverty.  I tend to cringe when those things are made light of.

While the movie is full of song, dance and talent.... I would not recommend it, even if there were no traumatized kids in the house. 

We Saw Dolphin Tale

 (sometime we need to get a picture with all of us at the same time) :)
We went to see Dolphin Tale at the theater today. :)  I mentioned the movie was coming out in  a post here.
I have to say, we REALLY enjoyed the movie. The theater was the largest one, and it was nearly sold out. It was full all the way to the front.  I am really happy that Hollywood made a decent family movie with a good message!
It was the message of "NEVER GIVE UP!" At the end of the movie there was a bit of film showing all kinds of people with various disabilities and amputations visiting Winter the Dolphin. It was really touching.
If you haven't gone to see it, I highly recommend it. 

waiting for the movie to start. :)

You can see Winter and Clearwater Aquarium here.

And now: a Special Review for kids with Trauma backgrounds:

The main Character in the movie is a little boy named Sawyer.  He is adorable, but his father had abandoned the family. His Uncle was going off to war and he was very sad.  The dolphin came into his life at just the right time, and his spirits were raised.
His Uncle came back from war, injured. He didn't have missing limbs, but had to wear a brace and couldn't walk at first.  He was more emotionally damaged than physically damaged, and Sawyers first visit with him was not good. He asked him to leave.  Sawyer very quickly said, "Your accident effects more people than JUST YOU!"  And it was done very well.
What is GOOD, is that his uncle wheels out to catch him and says that it wasn't Sawyer..... he just wasn't ready to see anybody yet.
Eventually Sawyer and his uncle are back to normal, or their new normal, and Sawyer give a public speech where he looks at his uncle and says, "Family is FOREVER!"  You don't give up on your family.
The other possible issue is Hazel's mother has died. She lives with her dad.  All of this is handled very tastefully.
I think, that because of these statements, a child with Trauma can get through this movie with a new understanding. But that is a personal decision. We all know our kids best.  Alli handled it really well.

I think the other great thing this movie has done is make an unitentional plug for amputees across America.  There was a little girl IN the movie who was missing a leg.  It also called attention to the FABULOUS job our prosthetists do for us, and the complications of fitting a limb.  The sock incidents were humorous to me, because we have had many of those.  :)  Also, the dolphin's reaction to the first prosthetic, reminded me of our son Tim, when he got his first braces.  He was MAD! He didn't want them and refused them......  Once they were fitted correctly and he became more confident, he was fine with them. :)

SO, would this movie be good for a kid with a trauma background. I think yes.

Dolphin Tale

There is an exciting movie coming to a theater near you!

DOLPHIN TALE .......
Sally Clarkson's Son is involved in this movie.  You can read about it HERE.
Pretty cool! A dolphin with a prosthetic tail! :) You can watch the trailer on youtube. :)
http://www.youtube.com/embed/Jdpg9NsgEaI

Soul Surfer

We watched this movie last night.  The girls had been wanting to see it. Now that it is out on DVD, we bought it for our collection.

It was really a good movie.  Being a mom to two girls with amputations, it was different watching this movie.  And our girls' reactions to the movie were different too.

Sarah has always had a leg missing and fingers missing. She doesn't really miss what she has never had. Even though limb loss complicates her life, she doesn't think about it much.  So when she watched the movie, she watched it through the lesns of "What would it be like to lose an arm?"  She identified with the movie more like Alli and Anna.

Erika however had a much more profound reaction to the movie.  Her feet were amputated at the age of 8. Even though her feet were painful and she couldn't walk with them very well,  every once in a while she will say something like,  "I miss my feet." Or "I miss my toes."

It is sorta funny..... I do too. I miss her feet and toes.  There was a loss. a BIG loss.  Yet there was a BIG gain!  I am thankful that she can walk today.

Limb loss, no matter the reason is still a LOSS.

One of the things we were told at camp this year was that the reaction of a person with limb loss is different if they were born with congenital limb loss vs. losing a limb at an older age. I believe this to be true.

So while Erika is thankful that she can walk, and is thankful for her prosthetic legs, she can feel the raw pain of loss.

Both girls liked the movie, even though it made Erika cry.   Her favorite part was the end, when she rides the wave inside the tube.
I think that may have been my favorite part too.  The freedom of riding a wave and seeing the Glory of God from the back side of the water, from the  inside of a waterfall. :)

Peter Pan

This was our Friday Night Movie..... It was really fantasic!  It was closer to the book, and the girls ALL enjoyed it very much.... There was some violence that was a little intense, but it is PG.... so it may not be for all audiences.... however we REALLY enjoyed it!

Our Twins

Alli and Sarah are both 11.  Tonight, when we went to see The African Cats, they wore their hair the same. :)  They are so close to the exact same size, they looked like twins from behind. :)
Here they are thanking Daddy for a GREAT NIGHT at the Movies! :)

As he will say: "I am one blessed Daddy!" :)

Going to See African Cats

We are taking the girlies to see this movie tonight. We sold a goat today and it covered the expense.
I think I might be even more excited than they are. :)
Review to follow....... :)

Ok.... just got back.  It was VERY well done, and simply amazing.  I give it a Fantastic!