Sesame Street’s TLC Series for Military and their Families

Posted on May 19, 2008 at 8:00 am

B+
Lowest Recommended Age: All Ages
MPAA Rating: NR

Sesame Street salutes the members of the United States Armed Forces with a series of DVDs and other educational materials and resources to help friends and families cope with absence, loss, and change. This bilingual (English and Spanish) multimedia outreach program is designed to support military families with children between the ages of two and five who are experiencing deployment, multiple deployments, or a parent’s return home changed due to a combat-related injury. These materials are available at no charge to military families through OneSource.
Adults who are caught up in their own concerns may not realize that children have fears and misunderstandings about what is going on or know how to help them most effectively. Materials for both adults and children encourage communication and important reminders that sad and happy feelings can be scary and complicated and that even absence, loss, and change do not affect the love we have for each another. As Memorial Day approaches, this tribute to the military and their families sends a powerful message about the sacrifice so many families are making and the importance of letting them know how much we appreciate all they do.

Related Tags:

 

DVD/Blu-Ray Pick of the Week Movie Mom’s Top Picks for Families

The Great Debaters

Posted on May 12, 2008 at 6:00 pm

Great%20Debaters.jpg In 1935, the debate team from a tiny all-black college took on the top white team in the country and they won. This is that story, Oprah-fied to be sure (Winfrey’s company produced the film), but powerfully told by director Denzel Washington, who also stars as the team’s coach, distinguished poet Melvin B. Tolson.

(more…)

Related Tags:

 

Drama Genre , Themes, and Features Inspired by a true story Reviews

Gregory’s Girl

Posted on May 12, 2008 at 8:00 am

B+
Lowest Recommended Age: Middle School
MPAA Rating: PG
Profanity: None
Alcohol/ Drugs: None
Violence/ Scariness: None
Diversity Issues: A theme of the movie
Date Released to Theaters: May 26, 1982

Gregory (John Sinclair) is a gangling but amiable Scottish teenager who is mildly befuddled by just about everything, especially Dorothy (Dee Hepburn), who takes his place on the soccer team. In contrast, the girls he knows, including his ten-year-old sister, seem to understand everything (except why boys are so fascinated by numbers) in this sweet, endearing comedy with a great deal of insight and affection for its characters.

Related Tags:

 

DVD/Blu-Ray Pick of the Week For Your Netflix Queue Movie Mom’s Top Picks for Families Rediscovered Classic

P.S. I Love You

Posted on May 7, 2008 at 12:00 pm

gerard_butler7.jpg Hillary Swank does not have the chin for romance or the rhythm for comedy. Her two Oscars were for earnest, androgynous roles (“Boys Don’t Cry” and “Million Dollar Baby”) that made the most of her strong jaw and lanky figure. Romantic comedies, even bittersweet ones about perky young widows learning to go on with their lives, need twinkle. Her character wears twinkly dresses and does twinkly things, but Swank delivers her lines as though she is still slamming into that heavy bag.

(more…)

Related Tags:

 

Based on a book Drama Genre , Themes, and Features Reviews Romance

The Red Balloon

Posted on April 29, 2008 at 2:09 pm

B+

red%20balloon.jpgTwo recent films showed the influence of this classic French film about a little boy befriended by a red balloon and now the original is available on DVD for the first time. “CJ7” from China and “The Flight of the Red Balloon” from France (with a Taiwanese director) both make direct visual references to the 1956 short film, the only Oscar-winner for best screenplay without a single line of dialogue.

The Red Balloon is the story of a lonely boy (Pascal Lamorisse, son of writer/director Albert Lamorisse) who finds a large red balloon on the way to school. It has a mind of its own, following him to school like Mary’s little lamb, waiting patiently for him outside his bedroom window when his mother will not allow it in the house. The balloon is an imaginative and playful friend. When it is attacked by bullies, it seems that Pascal’s friend is lost. But an unforgettably joyous ending reminds Pascal of the power of friendship.

Related Tags:

 

DVD/Blu-Ray Pick of the Week For Your Netflix Queue Movie Mom’s Top Picks for Families Rediscovered Classic
THE MOVIE MOM® is a registered trademark of Nell Minow. Use of the mark without express consent from Nell Minow constitutes trademark infringement and unfair competition in violation of federal and state laws. All material © Nell Minow 1995-2024, all rights reserved, and no use or republication is permitted without explicit permission. This site hosts Nell Minow’s Movie Mom® archive, with material that originally appeared on Yahoo! Movies, Beliefnet, and other sources. Much of her new material can be found at Rogerebert.com, Huffington Post, and WheretoWatch. Her books include The Movie Mom’s Guide to Family Movies and 101 Must-See Movie Moments, and she can be heard each week on radio stations across the country.

Website Designed by Max LaZebnik