Toys That Impair Imagination: The Over-Licensing of Children’s Toys

Posted on February 25, 2015 at 8:00 am

It’s always tempting to give children toys from the movies and television programs they love, and some of them are high-quality or even educational. But Melissa Atkins Wardy has a very good argument that the licensing of media tie-ins has just about obliterated any other kind of toy. We want children to have toys that help build their imaginations by giving them unlimited fantasy play, not toys that will just encourage them to replicate scenarios they have already seen.

This spells trouble for those of us looking for imaginative, open-ended toys that wait for the child to create the story line and character. Gender balance and diversity will leave much to be desired, as heroes are almost always white males and licensed characters come with easily identifiable gender roles. The negative, myopic influences from Hollywood are now packaged up for our kids. And the flip side is, we get less interesting, diverse media because a consideration for green lighting a series is “Can it sell toys ?” Play time should be an exchange of ideas from child to child, not Hollywood to child.

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Alternatives to “Fifty Shades of Grey”

Posted on February 10, 2015 at 5:09 pm

A lot of people will go see “Fifty Shades of Grey” this weekend. But if a story of bondage and submission is not to your taste, there are some alternatives. 50 Dollars Not 50 Shades is asking people to send the money they would have spent on movie tickets to help women’s shelters. And the faith-based film “Old-Fashioned” is opening this weekend, too, with a love story free of handcuffs and whips.

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Commentary

Why We Love Jimmy Fallon’s Lip Synch Contests: Fallon, Ferrell, and Hart Perform “Drunk in Love,” “Let It Go,” “All of Me” (Plus Drew Barrymore)

Posted on February 4, 2015 at 9:22 am

I always enjoy Jimmy Fallon’s lip synch competitions and this is one of the best, with Will Ferrell performing “Drunk in Love” and ‘Let it Go,” Kevin Hart going all out with “All of Me” and “Roar,” and Fallon rocking out to “Since You’ve Been Gone” and “Time of My Life” (with a guest appearance by Drew Barrymore). Hart and Ferrell were there to promote their upcoming comedy “Get Hard.” It is great fun to see stars show themselves as fans. They have to be more than performers to do these numbers — they have to truly love these songs and listen to them so often they know them inside out. Apparently, even enormously talented and successful performers are just like the rest of us when it comes to singing into a hairbrush and imagining ourselves rocking an arena like Beyoncé. I also think part of what makes it fun is the gender and racial fluidity. No one ever hesitates to take on a song by someone of a different race or gender. All three men do more than fully commit to performing songs by women; they embrace the opportunity to pretend to hit those notes with pure joy. Every one of the performers seems to love the chance to do something completely outside his or her normal range or physical type. Who can forget Emma Stone doing “All I Do is Win,” in my opinion the greatest lip synch yet!

Women Talk About Making Movies

Posted on January 27, 2015 at 3:55 pm

The New York Times talked to women in Hollywood about making movies. Some of the highlights:

“What’s wrong with bossy? It’s O.K. for a man.” Barbra Streisand, Director (“The Prince of Tides”)

It’s a conundrum: We can’t change it ourselves, but no one can change it but us.” Jennie Livingston, Director (“Paris Is Burning”)

“It was Gina Bythewood who told me, ‘If someone is just a pig to you on set, don’t deal with it behind closed doors, because you have to show the whole crew that you will deal with it and you will not have it.’ ” Ava DuVernay, Director (“Selma”)

This Week in Theaters: Two Lifetime-Ish Movies About Women Named Claire Played by Women Named Jennifer

Posted on January 21, 2015 at 9:47 am

Two of the movies opening this week are about women named Claire, played by women named Jennifer. And both are the kind of stories we often see in Lifetime movies. In “Cake,” Jennifer Aniston plays the survivor of a tragic accident who has become addicted to pain medication. And in “The Boy Next Door,” Jennifer Lopez plays a high school teacher who is at first drawn to a handsome teenager and then discovers that he is unstable and dangerous. Both movies were produced by their respective Jennifers as well.

I’ll be saying more in my reviews, which can’t be published until the release date. But it is intriguing to consider the choices made by two of Hollywood’s most successful actors.