This week I've been sitting crocheting (this is why I haven't posted much in the last few weeks - nothing to post about, I'm just sitting, crafting, not finishing things), and to keep myself from going completely insane, I've been watching dvd after dvd. It's a great opportunity to feel less guilty about watching some of my favourite movies for the first time in ages.
Yesterday I watched Swiss Family Robinson:
Stranded on a deserted island after an encounter with pirates, a storm, and then a rocky reef, the Robinson family settle in for what they think might be a long stay. They build a fantastic tree house (it's worth watching the movie just for this!) with indoor plumbing and a cool box; tame animals as varied as zebras, elephants, ostriches, and even catch a tiger; and wonder what to do next.
So the two eldest boys set off in one of the boats salvaged from the shipwreck to circumnavigate the island. On this journey they meet the pirates again, who have captured an admiral and a cabin boy to hold for ransom. Saving the cabin boy enrages the pirates so much that they seek out the family to get the boy back and restore their honour. However, they don't count on the initiative and resourcefulness of the family!
On Monday I watched Blackbeard's Ghost:
Blackbeard, the well-known and, in his time, universally-feared pirate is revered in the seaside university town of Godolphin and an Inn furnished with artefacts from his life, is run by his elderly descendents. Steve, the new coach of the floundering Godolphin Track Team, arrives at the Inn to find they are holding a fund raising event to aid in the payment of their mortgage. If this mortgage is not paid in time, the land will be sold to the local crooks who intend to open a casino there (based on an ambiguity as to which jurisdiction the land falls under).
Hoping to impress the head of the conservation committee, Steve buys an expensive bedwarmer, and taking it to his room promtly sits on it and breaks it. Within the handle he finds the spell book of one of Blackbeard's wives, and brings Blackbeard back to life. What follows is a very funny story about Steve's efforts to get Blackbeard off his back, save the Inn, and get the girl. If you need more convincing, there's a great scene where Steve shoots the gangsters with his finger *pew pew*... and it works!
Today I'm going to watch The Absent-Minded Professor:
Professor Brainard is brilliant, but completely unconnected to the real world. The film opens with him missing his own wedding because he is so caught up in his scientific experiments, for what is obviously not the first time. However, he has found something amazing - a substance that breaks the law of conservation of energy, which can be demonstrated by showing that a ball of the substance will bounce higher on its second bounce than its first. The Professor uses what he calls Flubber to make his university's basketball team fly through the air, his car fly (into government controlled airspace, no less), and finally to win back the heart of his fiance. It's a really sweet funny movie.
They don't make movies like this any more - ones that can appeal to children and parents because they are funny, full of action, and have great stories and characters. The only place you do sometimes see this these days is in animated movies like Shrek, and some anime. They don't talk down to children, but are still appropriate for them. They're not afraid to have some slapstick and groan-worthy moments; they're silly. "I like corny, I'm looking for corny in my life". Do you have any favourite movies from when you were a kid that you still love watching? Let me know!
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