 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
Children's Resources
Here are some wonderful nurturing resources for Children to enjoy.
Here are some wonderful nurturing resources for Children to enjoy.
Happy Feet
Rated: PG
November 17, 2006
Produced: Kingdom Feature Production
Growing up, for Penguins and Humans
A review by Erik Moore
Happy Feet is a fun movie with some valuable underlying lessons
that are worth taking home and talking about with your kids. One
of the big ones is that being different can be OK. The movie
addresses social norms head on, and represents how
entrenched authoritarian leaders can lock a society into one
interlocking set of values, practices, and social norms when these
things need to adapt to a changing environment in order to be
effective and to survive. The hero, Mumbles, can't sing like other
penguin's should, but he dances instead since the time he was
hatched. Yet valuing his own uniqueness and defying an authority
that tells him he's worthless is what ends up saving the whole
flock. Other good lessons abound. One is that personality cults
can be mesmerising but are often based on misleading
characterizations, and with kind and yet skeptical inquiry, we can
sometimes help even the charismatic leaders back to reason
instead of living and spreading lies. Environmental issues and
humane treatment of animals are a significant part of the framing
issues too. But, perhaps the most important lesson in Mumble's
journey is that we need to be diligent in both our efforts to really
learn about the world in order to uncover the knowledge that can
lead to effective action, even if this happens sometimes by
accident. All this is shared with a warm feeling that shows
through all the care and creativity that makes this film a treasure to
enjoy even if we're not looking for lessons.
Review © 2007 Erik Moore, all rights reserved.
Whale Rider
Warner Studios
Rated: PG-13
Released in US on June 6, 2003
Director: Niki Caro
Screenplay: Niki Caro
Starring: Keisha Castle-Hughes
Nominated for Oscars: Best actress in a leading role
Actively Inheriting Cultural Legacy
a review by Erik Moore
Little Paika, played by Keisha Castle-Huges, is a girl, the last heir
in a long line of chiefs. This means the end of the line to her
grandfather, but little Paika has spunk. She shows everyone how
to let tradition nurture without letting it limit one's thinking. She
trains secretly in the tribal ways that were formerly permitted only
to boys. She also fulfills tribal lore naturally without needing to
ascribe magic vision or miraculous fulfillment to them. She's just
a little girl who wants to please her grandfather and helps the
whole tribe move the responsibility of determining the direction
and interpretation of their traditions into the present as the tribal
way of life faces decimation in the face of modern global society.
The transformation that takes place in the tribe through Paika,
from mystical and fundamentalist followership to sensible use of
cultural inheritance, is a profound lesson that many religions and
tribal societies around the world need to learn to bring the value of
what they have into the present without turning their tradition into
an oppressive and mindless bowing to past directives that are not
relevant. She shows us that we make our traditions best when
we're thinking rationally in the present and focused on the real
world. There are a few moments of conversation that might not be
thought appropriate for the very youngest children, but watched
with parents, it is great at any age.
Review © 2005 Erik Moore, all rights reserved.
A Little Princess
Warner Studios
Rated: G
Released in US on May 10, 1995
Director: Alfonso Cuarón
Screenplay: Richard LaGravenese, Elizabeth Chandler
Based on the novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett
Starring: Liesel Matthews, Eleanor Bron
Nominated for Oscars: Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography
Wise Use of a Religious Story
a review by Talia Moore
Sara Crewe is a privileged little girl who is perceptive, sincere,
and respectful of traditional cultures. After her mother died her
father raised her in India where he was stationed with the British
military. When her father is called to active duty she finds herself
in a boarding school in New York that has a very different
perspective on life. She feels oppressed because the girls at the
school have no opportunity to express themselves or to imagine.
When an unexpected turn of events brings Sara near ruin, she
tells herself the Ramayana, the Hindu story of how prince Rama
falls in love with and must save princess Sita. This story taught
her many life lessons and kept her cheerful and hopeful even
through the most difficult events of her life. She told the story to
other children for entertainment, but never demanded that they
believe it because she did not believe it literally herself. Sara was
able to learn from the Ramayana and let it comfort her without
letting it dominate her, limit her, or rob her of her common sense.
This is not only a charming movie to watch because of the Indian
culture incorporated into it, but also because it is a story of the
great love between Sara and her father. This is a great movie to
see with your young or older children Superficially it looks like a
little girls' movie, but children of both genders can appreciate the
different intellectual levels, and compare Sara's stories to other
religious stories.
Review © 2004 Talia Moore, all rights reserved.
Rated: PG
November 17, 2006
Produced: Kingdom Feature Production
Growing up, for Penguins and Humans
A review by Erik Moore
Happy Feet is a fun movie with some valuable underlying lessons
that are worth taking home and talking about with your kids. One
of the big ones is that being different can be OK. The movie
addresses social norms head on, and represents how
entrenched authoritarian leaders can lock a society into one
interlocking set of values, practices, and social norms when these
things need to adapt to a changing environment in order to be
effective and to survive. The hero, Mumbles, can't sing like other
penguin's should, but he dances instead since the time he was
hatched. Yet valuing his own uniqueness and defying an authority
that tells him he's worthless is what ends up saving the whole
flock. Other good lessons abound. One is that personality cults
can be mesmerising but are often based on misleading
characterizations, and with kind and yet skeptical inquiry, we can
sometimes help even the charismatic leaders back to reason
instead of living and spreading lies. Environmental issues and
humane treatment of animals are a significant part of the framing
issues too. But, perhaps the most important lesson in Mumble's
journey is that we need to be diligent in both our efforts to really
learn about the world in order to uncover the knowledge that can
lead to effective action, even if this happens sometimes by
accident. All this is shared with a warm feeling that shows
through all the care and creativity that makes this film a treasure to
enjoy even if we're not looking for lessons.
Review © 2007 Erik Moore, all rights reserved.
Whale Rider
Warner Studios
Rated: PG-13
Released in US on June 6, 2003
Director: Niki Caro
Screenplay: Niki Caro
Starring: Keisha Castle-Hughes
Nominated for Oscars: Best actress in a leading role
Actively Inheriting Cultural Legacy
a review by Erik Moore
Little Paika, played by Keisha Castle-Huges, is a girl, the last heir
in a long line of chiefs. This means the end of the line to her
grandfather, but little Paika has spunk. She shows everyone how
to let tradition nurture without letting it limit one's thinking. She
trains secretly in the tribal ways that were formerly permitted only
to boys. She also fulfills tribal lore naturally without needing to
ascribe magic vision or miraculous fulfillment to them. She's just
a little girl who wants to please her grandfather and helps the
whole tribe move the responsibility of determining the direction
and interpretation of their traditions into the present as the tribal
way of life faces decimation in the face of modern global society.
The transformation that takes place in the tribe through Paika,
from mystical and fundamentalist followership to sensible use of
cultural inheritance, is a profound lesson that many religions and
tribal societies around the world need to learn to bring the value of
what they have into the present without turning their tradition into
an oppressive and mindless bowing to past directives that are not
relevant. She shows us that we make our traditions best when
we're thinking rationally in the present and focused on the real
world. There are a few moments of conversation that might not be
thought appropriate for the very youngest children, but watched
with parents, it is great at any age.
Review © 2005 Erik Moore, all rights reserved.
A Little Princess
Warner Studios
Rated: G
Released in US on May 10, 1995
Director: Alfonso Cuarón
Screenplay: Richard LaGravenese, Elizabeth Chandler
Based on the novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett
Starring: Liesel Matthews, Eleanor Bron
Nominated for Oscars: Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography
Wise Use of a Religious Story
a review by Talia Moore
Sara Crewe is a privileged little girl who is perceptive, sincere,
and respectful of traditional cultures. After her mother died her
father raised her in India where he was stationed with the British
military. When her father is called to active duty she finds herself
in a boarding school in New York that has a very different
perspective on life. She feels oppressed because the girls at the
school have no opportunity to express themselves or to imagine.
When an unexpected turn of events brings Sara near ruin, she
tells herself the Ramayana, the Hindu story of how prince Rama
falls in love with and must save princess Sita. This story taught
her many life lessons and kept her cheerful and hopeful even
through the most difficult events of her life. She told the story to
other children for entertainment, but never demanded that they
believe it because she did not believe it literally herself. Sara was
able to learn from the Ramayana and let it comfort her without
letting it dominate her, limit her, or rob her of her common sense.
This is not only a charming movie to watch because of the Indian
culture incorporated into it, but also because it is a story of the
great love between Sara and her father. This is a great movie to
see with your young or older children Superficially it looks like a
little girls' movie, but children of both genders can appreciate the
different intellectual levels, and compare Sara's stories to other
religious stories.
Review © 2004 Talia Moore, all rights reserved.
 |  |  |  |
