As a teacher and librarian, I am often asked for book suggestions. Recently, a parent of a 6th grade student asked me for a top 10 of sorts—a list of books that most kids should read at some point.

Of course, that is a nearly impossible task. Fortunately, there are lots of different books for lots of different readers. But I did not want her to leave empty handed, so if push comes to shove, here are 10 books no child should miss:

Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt

Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis

Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo

From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle

The Giver by Lois Lowry (this one is generally best appreciated by 12 and 13 year olds)

Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson

Holes by Louis Sachar

The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare

Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White

What makes a good family movie? Is it wacky talking animals doing silly stuff? Is it a melodrama tackling issues that affect young people? Fun? Silliness? The answer is all of the above.

For me a family movie is not something aimed at kids that will only entertain them with childish humor, excessive pop culture references, and bright colors. For me, a family movie is something for everyone, something that will hold the attention of the kids, as well as the parents who pay to take them to the movie. This has to be accomplished with a combination of fun, comedy, well-written characters, and themes that every single person can relate, or at least feel for what the characters are going through.

Sadly, movies that fit this criteria are rare. These day, most live action family films are badly-written and too childish. Every time I watch something like The Pacifier or The Game Plan I can’t help but cringe. Yet, since they entertain their kids, parents eat them up, therefore they give Hollywood the chance to make more. But everyone that attends those movies deserve better.

Even then, there were a few of them that did fit the criteria. They weren’t a lot, but they were very good. Ten of those few are in this list.

Here are my picks for the best live action family movies of the decade:

10. Freaky Friday

Mark Waters | 2003

Before Lindsay Lohan started to do drugs and take on crappy roles, she was a promising actress that did justice to every role given to her. Such was the case in this fun and hearth warming remake about mother and daughter switching bodies until they learn to understand one another. Yes, there is some Disney fluff thrown in there, but the way the emotions are presented, the mostly-good script, and the great performances form Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis, makes this better than most Disney live action features (except for three others that rank higher on this list).

9. The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep

Jay Russell | 2007

Like most post-Potter movies, the advertisement of this movie focused on the fantasy element of the story. However, it is much more than that. Like E.T. the movie is about the friendship that is developed between a boy and a strange creature, about how the absence of his father affects him, and how the monster seems the only thing he can relate to. Just a truly great movie that left me in tears.

8. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Tim Burton | 2005

Many people dismiss this film because it is not quite like the movie that came out in the 70s with Gene Wilder. This is the reason why I like it so much. When you look deep into the books by Roald Dahl’s books the story is dark and takes on some not-so-kiddie-friendly themes. However, Burton’s take on the story does get that, and it is shown through the cinematography, sets, and Johnny Depp’s performance. Yes, the script is not very good, but every other element makes up for it and turns it into an entertaining delight.

7. Enchanted

Kevin Lima | 2007

Sometimes one performances goes a long way into making a film memorable (just watch most Meryl Streep movies), and this is one of those. Enchanted has a great idea, to spoof the Disney princesses. The script does fulfill that promise, until the end. In comes Amy Adams to save the project. Her performance here is so perfect that I can’t help but to love this movie enough to put in on this list. She turns the movie from possibly above average to simply great.

6. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Alfonso Cuaron | 2004

The last of the family-friendly Potter movies is also one of the best in the franchise. After two adaptations that were too close to the book Cuaron worked with writer Steve Kloves to make the series more character drive and less about the wonder of seeing a movie about a young wizard. They realized that Harry Potter was just another boy, with special abilities. This movie is the best thing that could have happened to the franchise.

5. Son of Rambow

Garth Jennings | 2007

Another story about friendship, except this one however bring two kids together because of the situations with their families and their love of film, particularly First Blood. This one is full of creativity and charm, which family movies rarely seem to have. Every actor gives it their all, and the script is full of funny and heartwarming scenes. It is also quite a good take on the hold religion seems to have on people and on children growing up neglected by their parents.

4. Millions

Danny Boyle | 2004

What happens when one of the most audacious, filmmakers whose whole career (well, most) up to that point was made up of deep and disturbing adult dramas decides to make a family movie? Millions is what happens. This movie takes on mature themes such as the death of a loved one, the economy, sexuality, religion, and the consequences of a crime that doesn’t alienate the younger viewers, but also doesn’t dumb it down enough for adults to roll their eyes. Plus, it is fun thanks to Boyle’s editing and Alex Ethel’s performance.

3. Holes

Andrew Davis | 2003

Had Disney ever taken on youth delinquency in the way it is  presented here before? Either way, I commend them for turning Louis Sachar’s great young adult novel into a movie and not censor it too much. Performances are great across the board, among them a young, pre-Transformers Shia LaBeouf, in what is quite possibly his best performance. However, I must point out Sigourney Weaver’s Warden Walker. She seriously turns this role that could have been overacted badly and turns it into one of the scariest villains in a long time.

2. Bridge to Terabithia

Gabor Csupo | 2007

Not many people would have the courage to pull off the final act of this movie. Oddly enough Gabor Csupo, the creator of Rugrats did and I’m glad he did. There was no other way to tell this story about growing up, loss, and belief in something greatesr than us. It also would not have been possible without the performances by AnnaSophia Robb (one of the finest this decade) and Josh Hutcherson. Also props for the great cinematography.

1. Where the Wild Things Are

Spike Jonze | 2009

This is what family films are all about. It has the right mix of drama, thoughtfulness, wackiness, and entertainment. This is all thanks to Spike Jonze’s vision. Without him this probably would have been just another crappy adaptation, full of pop culture references, “funny” voice performances, toilet humor, and loads of CGI. Because of Jonze we have a film that speaks to audiences of all ages that is among the finest crafted movies of the decade. It is also one of the top movies of the decade.

Honorable Mentions: Hotel for Dogs (2009), Kit Kittredge: An American Girl (2008), Speed Racer (2008), City of Ember (2008), Race to Witch Mountain (2009), The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe (2005), Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004), Marley & Me (2008), Cheapter by the Dozen (2003).

There you are, thanks for reading. Feel free to comment on my choices

It has been awhile.   The fall is a crazy busy time for me: teaching and learning…still reading plenty, trying to make time for blogging and reviewing.  Good to get back in the swing of things.

I’m also going to start reviewing some of the books I have been reading to my children, they will be fewer as we only read a couple chapters in the evening, but it should be a fun addition.  I became a reader because of a wonderful teacher I had in grade 5 that read chapter books and poetry to our class. I still vividly remember and treasure many of these books, so if you’re looking for one to spark a young person’s imagination, here is my shortlist:

The Witches by Roald Dahl

Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson

The Indian in the Cupboard by Lynne Reid Banks

Dear Mr Henshaw by Beverly Cleary

How to Eat Fried Worms by Thomas Rockwell

A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein

Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren

Movie Trailers are something I’ve had to learn to take with a grain of salt over the years. In learning that the director’s don’t generally make the trailers, I’ve learned they don’t always portray the movie in the way it’s supposed to be taken. And the fact that much of trailer’s footage is taken from deleted scenes makes me lenient to expect everything from a trailer to appear in the film itself. But there have been a slew of trailers that are just incredibly misleading, to the point where they make you think you’re seeing a completely different movie than you signed up for. In fact, a popular thing to do on youtube is to create ‘recut’ trailers for classic films making them seem like something else entirely, such as The Shining made to look like a comedy or Mary Poppins made to look like a horror film.

Here I’ve made a small selection of the ones I can remember being the worst offenders, whether they are misleading on purpose or just shitty marketing strategies.

10. The Road (2009)

This is a preemptive strike, as this film isn’t actually out yet. But as a fan of the book, I can tell you that this trailer is incredibly misleading (unless they stray from the book A LOT). The trailer makes this story out to be an action film rather than the slow, relationship driven story of a father and son in a post-apocalyptic world. It also has several shots of news reports, and the wife/mother of the story who, in the book, died long before the story takes place (I’ve heard those scenes are ‘flashback’ scenes but the trailer makes it seem like they are happening simultaneously with the father/son stuff). In addition there is a focus on explosions, gunfights and a Wilhelm scream so I wouldn’t be surprised if people go to see this movie in droves expecting another shoot em up and end up hating it. Which sucks because I think it will be a wonderful film.

Watch the Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbLgszfXTAY

9. Black Christmas (2006)

This is a more notorious example of a misleading trailer, something actually pretty common with trailers in general. It seems that the majority of what is shown in the trailer is actually not in the film at all. This happens all the time, in comedies especially, and usually it’s because the trailers are cut before the final version of the film is done (so footage for the trailer could still be cut before the release date). This trailer however is almost ENTIRELY absent from the film itself. So while the tone of the trailer is right, the footage is not, and it left a lot of people disappointed that some of the ‘cool’ shots were not in the movie.

Watch the Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2l2qxzJWKXs

8. Primeval (2007)

The trailer is pretty terrifying. It talks about one of the world’s most prolific serial killers, who has claimed over 300 victims, and is still at large. It was also ‘inspired by a true story’ which, while usually bullshit or stretching the truth A LOT, is kind of cool. Then of course it says that the killer is ‘not human.’ Woah. Shit. This sounds creepy. Some supernatural killer who still exists and has killed 300 people? Why isn’t this something I’ve heard of before?

Oh yeah, cause it’s a crocodile.

Yep, the ‘non-human serial killer’ is actually a regular old crocodile. Not as scary anymore huh? I guess that’s probably why they left that little tidbit out of the trailer. People went to this movie expecting Texas Chainsaw Massacre and instead got Lake Placid. It’s kind of a shame.

Watch the Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RARfk8cXPeg

7. Red Eye (2005)

This trailer actually starts out purposely misleading you. It shows Rachel McAdams and Cillian Murphy meeting each other, with a lighthearted music undertone, and it seems like it’s going to be a romantic comedy of sorts. Then it changes it’s mood and you find out it’s actually a suspense/horror film by Wes Craven! Which is all fine and good, except for some reason they digitally altered a shot of Cillian Murphy so that his eye glowed red (like the title! get it?). This does not happen at any point in the movie, and there are no supernatural aspects to this film at all. Cillian Murphy is a human being and it’s more of a suspense film than anything (and not a bad one, actually). But the combination of the glowing red eye immediately before Wes Craven’s name pops up (who is known for horror films, specifcally Nightmare on Elm Street) makes you think this is some supernatural thriller, and Cillian Murphy is a demon or something.

Watch the Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TAFDHyH8buQ

6. Snow Dogs (2002)

Here we have a very clear example of trying to draw in audiences with a misleading trailer, in this case children. Snow Dogs is about a Dentist (Cuba Gooding Jr.) who learns that he is adopted and goes to Alaska to find out about his real parents (and inherits a pack of sled dogs). The story is essentially about Cuba Gooding Jr. learning about his roots and his parents – but good luck finding that in the trailer. They name all of the sled dogs in the trailer, making you think the story focuses on them, and digitally makes them wink and raise their eyebrows throughout. Then at the end of the trailer it shows them all sipping drinks in beach chairs and talking – something that is actually a dream sequence in the movie itself. Most kids who saw the trailer assumed it was a ‘Look Who’s Talking This Time! It’s Huskies’ movie which, being Disney, wouldn’t have been surprising. How disappointed they must have been when there was NOT a jive talking dog, a sexy lady dog, and a heroic male lead dog they could buy toys of afterward.

Watch the Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EY6bEmVJefc

5. Gremlins (1984)

The studio doesn’t seem to agree with Steven Spielberg’s career choices. He started out doing suspense/horror films like Jaws and Close Encounters of the Third Kind, so when he made E.T. the trailer almost made it look like another scary alien movie. When that did well, and he produced this Joe Dante helmed film, they again messed up the trailer. They make it seem like another E.T. about a boy and his cute little pet Gremlin. In reality, this is a (admittedly very campy) horror movie with evil Gremlins that actually scared me as a kid, and if I had seen this trailer back then I would not have expected to be scared. Unfortunately, yet another marketing strategy is to play up to people’s love of previous films, as you’ll see in the next example.

Watch the Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h24CFZqSEAA

4. The Village (2004)

M. Night Shayamalan is very hit or miss with me. But I do appreciate that he’s actually made a pretty varied assortment of films, even if the trailers would say otherwise. After making it big with The Sixth Sense, and then Signs, his name became synonymous with ’scary’ and ‘twist ending.’ So just announcing that this is his film in the trailer automatically makes people think it’s going to be scary (when I saw Lady in the Water’s original teaser, there was a collective gasp in the audience when it showed his name). But this movie, which does have some suspenseful moments (he’s actually pretty good at suspense, at least until the Crap-fest The Happening) is primarily a love story – something the trailer gives very little indication to. There are actually several ‘twists’ in the story but they are revealed a lot less Sixth Sense/Signs-esque ‘Here is the twist now here are some clips from the movie that supports that twist’ and more methodical and paced throughout. I actually think the biggest reason people disliked the film was because of the misleading marketing campaign, which is too bad.

Watch the Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oB55bv4B8LQ

3. Kangaroo Jack (2003)

Like Snow Dogs before it, this trailer uses a very small part of the movie itself and plays it up heavily in the marketing and trailer in order to attract a younger audience. In addition to making the Kangaroo the title character, they include a dream sequence where the Kangaroo speaks and raps in a thick australian accent to make it seem like this is the main focus of the movie. In reality, the movie is a buddy comedy filled with sex jokes and things unsuitable for children, which makes it a much worse offender than Snow Dogs, in my opinion. Jerry Bruckheimer should be ashamed of himself.

Watch the Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kuhkz4iluSc

2. Man of the Year (2006)

Robin Williams movies seem to love misleading trailers. Bicentennial Man, Jack, The World According to Garp, even Patch Adams. All the trailers make it out to be a hilarious comedy filled laugh fest starring the zany Robin Williams, but turn out to be something completely different. In my opinion, this was the worse offender. It was about a comedian running for president and winning, and seemed like it could be funny. But it turns out it was a pretty slow moving drama about a corrupt voting system or something, and he wasn’t president for long and then the movie just fell on it’s head. It was pretty disappointing.

Watch the Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tX4tvZnnmt8

1. Bridge To Terabithia (2007)

I absolutely loved this book when I read it in school. I remember hearing they were making a movie of it and got pretty excited to see it. Imagine my disappointment when I saw this trailer, which was filled with CGI creatures and fantasy elements that I did not remember from the book. As it turns out, the fantasty element is very minimal in the movie and the film is grounded in reality much more than the trailer lets on. Now the director said he undersood the marketing decision, as it was done deliberately to draw in an audience who had not read the book, but for me it was something that stopped me from seeing it. I feel that in trying to reach a wider audience they alienated the fans of the book, which I guess I can understand, but it’s still kind of a shitty thing to do.

Watch the Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3SvqEIKP4t8

- Alan

Banned Books Week review of:

BRIDGE TO TERABITHIA

by Katherine Patterson

Author’s Website: http://www.terabithia.com/

Once again, today’s review comes from the ranks of the Newbery Award-winners. Katherine Paterson’s wonderfully-crafted Bridge to Terabithia was (like so many YA books of late) recently made into a film version, which, rather surprisingly, was quite a faithful adaptation of the book. Nevertheless, I stand by my firm belief that, 99.9% of the time, the book is better than the movie, and this is no exception. Paterson’s story is thoughtfully and poignantly told, and the digital fantasy animation of the film just doesn’t do justice to the nuance of Leslie and Jess’s imaginations….

Summary:

Growing up in rural Virginia, Jess Aarons’ greatest ambition is to be the fastest kid in the 5th grade. Jess’s life is not a happy one—he is mostly ignored at home, is bullied regularly at school, has few friends, and carefully conceals the fact that he loves art because of his reputation as “that crazy little kid that draws all the time”. All of this changes, however, when Leslie Burke comes to town. Leslie is unlike anybody else who has ever attended Lark Creek Elementary; she is tomboyish, talented, creative, and wise beyond her years. She is also faster than Jess, and beats him and every other boy in a playground foot-race on the first day of school. In spite of this inauspicious beginning to their relationship, the Leslie and Jess gradually become close friends, creating (with the aid of Leslie’s powerful imagination) the magical kingdom of Terabithia in the woods, where they reign as king and queen. One day, however, a terrible tragedy strikes out of the blue, and Jess must use everything he has learned from Leslie and Terabithia to come to terms with it.

I’m going to say it: this is the kind of book that can easily make you cry. This is not simply due to the aforementioned tragedy, but also because the entire story rings so true, and the ending of the book leaves you with a beautiful ringing that lingers long after you’ve closed it. I love this kind of resonance—it’s the feeling you get when you finish a book and know for sure that the author has done her job extremely well. The characters are wonderful, finely-wrought, and oh-so believable; trust me when I say that it is worth your time to read this book.

The main reasons this book has been banned so frequently are the use of “coarse language” by some characters and the devastating event that shapes the book’s ending so perfectly. Author Katherine Paterson explains the former thus:

“Jess and his father talk like the people I knew who lived in that area. I believe it is my responsibility to create characters who are real, not models of good behavior. If Jess and his dad are to be real, they must speak and act like real people. I have a lot of respect for my readers. I do not expect them to imitate my characters, [but] simply to care about them and understand them.”

Parents argued that the topic of death was inappropriate for middle-grade readers because it was not a topic kids should have to deal with. I could not disagree more—Jess’s experience, while hopefully one we would never wish on ourselves or our families, is as real as it is heart-achingly painful, and Jess’s reaction is utterly convincing (the story is actually based on the childhood of the author’s son, who, not coincidentally, wrote the screenplay). For kids who have experienced the tragedy of loss, this book is a confirmation that they are not alone in their feelings; for kids who have not, it is a window into that world. Finally, I have to emphasize that the book does have a positive ending, as the characters struggle and eventually come to terms with the event that has shaken their lives so deeply. Although Bridge to Terabithia is without doubt a sad book, it also offers the reader the gifts of courage, friendship, love, and hope.

I would recommend this book for ages 10 and up (but older readers and adults shouldn’t be put-off by the recommended age range or the age of the protagonists).

That’s it for Banned Books Week! I’ll be back soon to review some more great novels…in the meantime, happy reading!

Best wishes,

-Madeline

“If we don’t believe in freedom of expression for people we despise, we don’t believe in it at all.”

-Noam Chomsky

Tell me something you would like to create with your mom/ dad/ grandparent.

Vou postar pela primeira vez nesta coluna, que escolheremos sempre um artista, banda, diretor, ou seja, alguém que se destaque no meio do entretenimento!

Desta vez escolhi Zooey Deschanel, se fossem fazer um novo filme do Superman queria ela como Lois Lane, pois se parece muito com a personagem.

Uma observação pessoal: Em todos os filmes que faz, sua influência musical aparece nos personagens ou na trilha sonora.

Vamos lá:

Zooey Deschanel (Los Angeles, 17 de janeiro de 1980) é uma atriz, musicista e cantora estadunidense.

O nome “Zooey” foi inspirado pelo personagem de mesmo nome, da Livro de J. D. Salinger “Franny and Zooey”.

Ela fez seu primeiro filme, a comédia Mumford de Lawrence Kasdan (1999). Deschanel então apareceu como a irmã mais velha rebelde de Patrick Fugit na semi-autobiografia de Cameron Crowe, Almost Famous (2000), nesse momento começa a chamar a atenção, ainda vou escrever um post sobre esse filme, adoro este filme.

Seu papel seguinte foi em Maniac, um pequeno filme independente, em que Deschanel interpreta um paciente mental e no Big Trouble de Tim Allen. Depois ela co-estrelou o filme Abandon com Katie Holmes interpretando sua melhor amiga. Então representou a insatisfeita balconista de Drogaria no The Good Girl (2002) de Jennifer Aniston.

Seu papel seguinte foi no All The Real Girls (2003) como uma curiosa sexual virgem de 18 anos, com quem tinha um romance com um homen desorientado de 22 anos (Paul Schneider).

Pelo Papel, Deschanel foi eleita Melhor Atriz no Mar del Plata Film Festival e também indicada para o Independent Spirit Award 2004.

Deschanel filmou também com Will Ferrell na comédia “Elf” e o Papel principal no filme Eulogy (2004). Depois desse ano, Deschanel trabalho novamente com Ferrell, no escuro drama Winter Passing estrelado por Ed Harris que tem também conta com sua mãe no elenco. Ela também encarnou a personagem Trillian na adaptação do livro de ficção-científica de humor “O Guia do Mochileiro das galáxias” (da série de ficção científica (The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy) de Douglas Adams em 2005, o livro é bem melhor que o filme, já digo de passagem.

Ela atuou também em Failure to Launch (2006) como a neurótica amiga de quarto de Sarah Jessica Parker. Ela também apareceu como a senhorita Edmunds em Bridge to Terabithia (2007). Deschanel também dublou a penquim Lani Aliikai no recente Surf’s Up(2007). Mais recentemente, ela entrou no filme de M. Night Shyamalan, The Happening (2008), que será estrelado por Mark Wahlberg. Em 2009, Zooey interpretou Allison no filme “Yes Man” e (quando aparece no filme rouba a cena, cantando e interpretando de uma forma meiga); interpretando junto do Jim Carrey.Também este ano, Zooey fez o papel de Summer no filme 500 Days of Summer, que nós do Video and Noise Estamos loucos para ver!

Cena do filme: Sim, Senhor!

Exibir Álbum Completo

I’ve been thinking a lot about children’s books lately, and here’s why: one of my classmates is pregnant with a baby girl and will be having a baby shower in a few weeks, and all the guests have been asked to bring a book for the new arrival. Isn’t that a wonderful idea? I think every baby should come into the world with a library already begun! Anyway, in deciding what book to bring to the shower, I’ve started thinking about what books I liked as a kid and what books I’d want my kids to read.  My husband and I still aren’t sure we want kids, but, if we decide we do, here, in no particular order, are some books and authors I’d read them or encourage them to read for themselves:

1. The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams: This is probably my favorite children’s book of all time. I still read it myself sometimes! I would definitely read this to my kids, and I’d make sure they had the edition with the the beautiful William Nicholson illustrations.

2. The Sneetches by Dr. Seuss: Dr. Seuss is, of course, a genius, and I imagine I’d read my kids many of his books.  But this one is for sure.  It teaches kids the importance of respecting and valuing people who are different than they are, and it does so in the most inventive way imaginable!

3. The Amelia Bedelia books by Peggy Parish: I loved these books as a kid!  They were so fun, and I think they taught me, among other things, the tremendous joy of word games since it’s always a verbal misunderstanding that trip up the lovable Amelia Bedelia.

4. Shel Silverstein’s books: There’s no doubt in my mind that I would read my kids just about everything Shel Silverstein wrote–Where the Sidewalk Ends, A Light in the Attic, Falling Up, The Giving Tree, The Missing Piece, and the list could go on.  Shel Silverstein’s poems and stories are so fun and yet profound, and his line drawings are always clever! I think these books would be a good introduction to the fun and meaningfulness of poetry and art.

5. The Bible: Whatever you believe about God and religion, you can’t deny that kids simply won’t understand Western civilization unless they know the Bible.  I intend for my kids to know their Bibles very well.

6. The Iliad and The Odyssey by Homer: Like the Bible, though in a different way, The Iliad and The Odyssey are foundational texts in Western civilization you’ve got to know to be an educated person.  Besides, they’re just fun stories!  I still remember the first time my dad told me the story of the Trojan horse–I was fascinated.

7. Charlotte’s Web by E. B. White: Charlotte’s Web is one of the cutest, best-told stories I know.  E. B. White, the author of the classic The Elements of Style, is the master of good writing, and I think every kid should learn from his storytelling flair.

8. The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson: I used to read this book every Christmas, and it’s probably my favorite holiday tale.  It’s hard not to fall in love with the Herdmans and their antics and get sucked into the story!  I think this is a good book for teaching kids the true importance of the holidays too.

9. The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis: I grew up on these books and wouldn’t hear of not bringing my kids up with them.  The stories are just so mesmerizing, and they teach good lessons.  And hey, maybe if or when I have kids, all the movies will be out too!

10. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle: L’Engle’s books are some of the biggest reasons I decided to become an English major and study the interaction of religion and literature.  Her stories are so powerful.  I wouldn’t let my kids miss them for the world.

11. Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson: This was an immensely meaningful book for me when I first read it in the sixth grade, and I immediately went out and read all the rest of Paterson’s books.  I like that Paterson takes the tragedies and emotions kids experience seriously and, while not intruding on their childish innocence, gives them the dignity of adults.

12. The Harry Potter books by J. K. Rowling: I’ve actually just recently finished reading the last of this series, and I loved it.  These books are a lot better than I expected them to be–they’re so clever and well-told, and they teach kids about friendship, trust, and courage. A kid’s must-read!

Tonight I watched the movie Bridge to Terabithia. Took the kids to see it when it was in the theaters and really enjoyed it. Since on my journey to find myself I have been hearing and seeing and learning little bits of wisdom in the oddest of places. One such example is in the movie. This clip is one of my favorites. It is a good example of my past religious beliefs, and my current religious beliefs. And yes, I do have some beliefs, contrary to popular belief. I believe like this Leslie does…why would God damn you to Hell when he is too busy running all of this?

In addition to the video, I read an interesting article today. I stopped in to the office to pick up some papers and noticed this story on CNN.com about how a blog was turning things around for a homeless woman. (Notice, the common thread?) Very interesting read, and there was a link to her webpage as well. I’ve bookmarked it and plan to read some more.

So far I’m holding everything together, but being here still in the house with soon to be ex does get a little tense at times. I would much rather be out on my own. I’m aching to be on my own, really. But a strong combination of fear and lack of money are keeping me tied to this house for now. It is one of my biggest challenges at the moment. Well there are a lot of those.

Name: AnnaSophia Robb
Date of Birth: December 8th 1993
Age: 15 years old
Lives: Denver, Colorado, USA
Resume: Click here

AnnaSophia Robb was born on the 8th December 1993 in Denver, Colorado to Janet and Dave Robb. She was named after her maternal great-grandmother, Anna Sophie, and her paternal grandmother, Anna Marie. She began her career on a church stage in front of 500 people when she was just 5 years old.

5 years later and many auditions, she was seen on the big screen by millions on viewers when she was introduced to movie audiences as ‘Opal’ in the feature film ‘Because of Winn Dixie’. She also appeared on the small screen as ‘Liza’ in Nickelodeon’s ‘Drake and Josh.’ Suddenly, this little girl from Colorado was on her way to the bigtime, playing the title character in ‘Samantha: An American Girl Holiday’ and the major production of ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’ where she played Violet Beauregarde opposite Johnny Depp.

In 2006 AnnaSophia was busy filming a batch of films including ‘Bridge to Terabithia’ based on the much loved book. She recorded a song, “Keep Your Mind Wide Open”, for the film’s soundtrack, and appeared in a music video for the song that aired on the Disney Channel. In 2008 AnnaSophia got her first Critics Choice nomination for her role as Leslie Burke. Unfortunately she didn’t win the award. To add to the list, in 2007 AnnaSophia blew critics away in ‘The Reaping’ opposite Oscar winning actress Hilary Swank, ‘Have Dreams will Follow’ which in 2007 was premiered at the Rome Film Festival, and ‘Doubting Thomas’ which after a long time in post-production found a 2008 DVD release.

From January 2008 it was all go for AnnaSophia who was seen as the younger version of Rachel Bilson’s character in ‘Jumper’. AnnaSophia next debuted ‘Sleepwalking’ with co-stars Charlize Theron and Nick Stahl at the Sundance Film Festival and won much praise for her performance.

In March of 2008 AnnaSophia set off to LA and Las Vegas to film ‘Race to Witch Mountain’ a remake of the 1980’s classic. She had a fantastic time on set and for the first time since ‘Samantha’ could be seen with long hair. The film was released March 13th 2009 and was the first Disney movie to reach the No.1 spot at the box-office that year.

AnnaSophia will next be seen in ‘Dear Elenor’ leading the film as ‘Ellie Potter’ alongside Oscar nominee Abigail Breslin. The film is looking to start production Spring 2009 and hoping for a November release.

However, it’s not just acting AnnaSophia has a passion for. AnnaSophia has a special place in her heart for a group know as the ‘Dalits’ in India. During the Summer of 2008, AnnaSophia, her parents and friends flew half way around the world to bring supplies and helping hands to schools built for the poorest of the poor, the Dalits, the Untouchable of India. You can read her inspiring tale of her journey at her official site here.

As for her life at home in Colorado, AnnaSophia loves to dance. She won awards in Irish dancing as early as seven, and has excelled in Jazz, Hip Hop and Break-dancing. She has also competed in gymnastics since she was five, but quit once she started acting. She also loves singing, snowboarding, rafting, dancing, and reading, especially fantasy and historical fiction. AnnaSophia was once homeschooled but now attends a private Christian school in Colorado when she is not filming.

The future is looking very bright for this young Colorado girl.

MDA Reviews launches in spectacular fashion with two reviews. The first being for the movie game The Lion King, the second being the classic novel adaptation Bridge To Terabithia. Follow the links to read the reviews. Enjoy!

original Red Dawn cast

Jay A. Fernandez – HollywoodReporter.com

Tom Cruise’s son is among the newest Wolverines to join the remake of “Red Dawn,” the 1984 action movie about a group of teenagers who form an insurgency when their town is invaded — this time by Chinese and Russian soldiers.

Connor Cruise, 14, will join fellow new recruits Josh Hutcherson, Isabel Lucas and Edwin Hodge in the MGM/UA project. Already cast are Chris Hemsworth, Josh Peck and Adrianne Palicki.

Cruise is playing Daryl, the mayor’s son and best friend of tech geek Robert (Hutcherson, in the role originated by C. Thomas Howell).

Lucas is Erica, head cheerleader and the Peck character’s girlfriend whom he desperately hopes to spring from an internment camp. Lea Thompson played the character in the original. Hodge will play Danny, the coolest kid in school and star wide receiver who helps establish the resistance.

The young cast heads off in a few weeks for military training in an undisclosed location. Shooting will then begin in Detroit for a September 24, 2010 release. Dan Bradley is directing

Cruise debuted in December as the young Will Smith character in “Seven Pounds.” Hutcherson starred in “Journey to the Center of the Earth” and “Bridge to Terabithia.” Lucas recently appeared in “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.” Hodge has a recurring role on Fox’s “Mental” and recently appeared in the feature “All the Boys Love Mandy Lane.”

Jess, who have 4 sisters and living in the poor wood house. He no have any friends in school and keep being bully by others. The only thing he proud of is running. But his lead was taken by a new comer, Leslie.

They be a good friend and found a place where only two of them and named it as “Terabithia”. The place is where inside a jungle and need to cross a river with a single tiny rope.

In Terabithia, they found a house on the tree and they start to decorate and rebuild it. Leslie teaches Jess to imagine, ask him to open his mind wide and leave reality behind. And so, both of them had a amazing adventure.

But too bad, this is not a happy ending story. What happened? I think I should not mention here, scare to “bored” some interested reader.

2.5 out of 5

Why I gave so low? First, it’s a sad ending story, not my taste. And it quite a boring movie. Just my own opinion, no offense.

After watched the movie, and I was surprised by Leslie, Leslie is Annasophia Robb? She looks much different in “Race to the witch Mountain”.

Josh Hutcherson as Jess Aarons
AnnaSophia Robb as Leslie Burke
Zooey Deschanel as Ms. Edmunds
Robert Patrick as Jack Aarons
Bailee Madison as May Belle Aarons

There was a point, relatively early on in my courtship of Wife that we were watching “Roman Holiday”, the story of how a Princess visiting Rome (Audrey Hepburn at her most transcendent) is able to go incognito and enjoy life as it is lived by the passionate, animated and cliched folks of Rome’s lower orders, guided by journalist Gregory Peck. In the end, she turns her back on a life of selfish pleasure and freedom in order to return to the duties she was born to.

“NO!” bellowed Wife, when she realised that the photogenic pair would not end up together living in Gregory’s picturesque (but undeniably non-palatial) attic rooms.

She was furious, and quite deeply upset – her sense of cinematic justice had been wronged and she was spitting – to the extent that she demanded that I re-wrote (and draw key frames for) an alternative, “correct” ending in which the Princess turns her back on duty in order to live a life of pleasure. I obliged, and she professed herself happy: content that justice had been done, and that good had triumphed over evil.

So it was with a sense of deja vu that I witnessed Daughter’s reaction to the ending of “Bridge to Terabithia”. I don’t want to ruin it for you – but I’m going to (so look away now): one of the characters (a child) dies. Her role within the plot is to bring the concept of imagination and escapism through creativity to the attention of the hero (and ultimately, to bond him closer to his adoring, but snubbed, younger sister) – and once she’d done that, she goes to the big artist’s studio in the sky.

Daughter (not yet five years old) didn’t blink at that bit: she had seen films like this before and she knew what was coming.

Or she thought she did. As the final sequence began, with her brother-bestowed crown of twigs and wildflowers transforming into a (much nastier) silver crown and the wooden bridge over the stream transforming via the glory of CGI into a cross between one of those Art Nouveau Parisian Metro entrances and the hideous Queen Mother’s Gates in Hyde Park, a crowd of fabulous creatures emerged from behind the trees and came forward to meet their new Princess. BUT the dead child did not return from beyond the grave, with a laughing smile and unnaturally shiny hair to gambol once again with her play-mates – and that is where Daughter went ballistic. She HOWLED: “No! No! No! No! No!” and was inconsolable, with tears streaming down her face as she came to realise that this film had not ended right.

Of course, Wife and I assured her that the little girl HAD been there – she had been hiding behind a tree in order to play a game, but WE had seen her – but she was having none of it, and took a long time and, to be honest, bribery, in order to cool down.

So: two different films, two females with twenty five years’ age difference between them at the time of the critical “incidents” – but one reaction. And what lessons can we draw from this, gentle reader? Don’t let your young children watch “Bridge to Terabithia” (at least not if they are sensitive souls, Daughter’s twin brother reviewed the whole thing without so much as a furrowed brow…), and don’t let your wives watch “Roman Holiday”, unless you’ve got a flip book and a black marker pen  – and your imagination – handy.

So last night, I actually sat/laid down for a movie with my little sister.  Arguing that it was my turn to pick the movie, I quickly obliged and looked through my options in the plastic, highly dusty crate that I use to store my “extensive” DVD collection.  Out of nostalgia and flat-out not being able to remember correctly its plot, I chose the Walt Disney movie, “Bridge to Terabithia.”

NOTE: If you have not seen this movie, then please press the pause button on your web browser and go watch it immediately.  I may/will spoil the climax for you if you do not heed my advice.

Well back to my blog, the movie basically tells of the friendship between two young outsiders who develop a mutual relationship based on the shared interest of imagination and story-telling.  They seek refuge in a sanctuary perched high in a tree and corroborate a childishly clever plot to fill their leisure.  Their fancies are tried and true, until the boy skips out on his best friend to go an art museum and comes home to learn a valuable lesson about death/life.

The story is just so amazing and innocent, that no one can help but shed a tear and reflect on the great relevance of these two children to its audience, young or old.  Personally, the movie makes me realize that life is way too short for the BS that we fill it with. Everyone just needs to stop complaining, stop bitching, and most of all, stop saying that nothing is possible.  If everyone just gave up at any minor obstacle, we would not have the fantastic world we reside in today.

With the wise words of a young girl,

“Close your eyes tightly but keep you mind open, keep it wide open.”

I challenge you, the near nonexistent readers and myself, to just swing across that rope and conquer, achieve, and succeed in the world that we make.  And should you ever forget your sole mission in life, then pop “Bridge to Terabithia” back into the DVD player and have another good crying session.

I’ve been wanting to watch a super sad movie for quite some time, but nothing is really doing it. THEN I found this list on Comcast today, and I think I’ll check some out that I haven’t seen yet. 

1. Field of Dreams
2. Steel Magnolias
3. Philadelphia
4. E.T.
5. Brian’s Song
6. The Green Mile
7. Beaches
8. My Girl
9. The Notebook
10. Saving Private Ryan
11.  Old Yeller
12. Marley and Me
13. Bambi
14. Titanic
15. Million Dollar Baby
16. The Iron Giant
17. Life Is Beautiful
18. The Way We Were
19. Stepmom
20. The Color Purple
21. Bridge To Terabithia
22. Schindler’s List
23. Monster’s Ball
24. An Affair To Remember
25. Terms Of Endearment

Source: Comcast