TBnJ

We've watched several movies last weekend and this weekend. Last weekend was when Grandpa was here, so we watched movies during down time when they weren't running around town. This weekend, B is sick and J is fussy, so the movies are also providing some quiet time.

This post inspired me to check out Doctor Doolittle (the original, not the remake). I had never seen it, but it looked like it would be good for TBnJ. It was. The first scene with two supporting actors is a bit long and boring, but once the characters entered Dr. Doolittle's study slash animal hotel, the kids were hooked. T's response to all the animals in the house was, "COOL!" The kids were a bit scared by the abduction of the seal (so Dr. Doolittle could release her into the wild to find her husband) and the subsequent trial scene. The kids just didn't understand why the rest of the people thought that Doolittle had murdered a woman. J thought the Giant Pink Sea Snail was really cute which definitely wouldn't be my word for it.

My main complaint with the movie was that it just ended. It was like they ran out of money or someone accidentally tore the last few pages of the script off and no one noticed until it was too late. It was very abrupt. As I was having those thoughts while "The End" flashed on the screen, J turned to me and said, "That's it? We don't get to find out what happens?" So it wasn't just me who thought the ending was lacking. I also think the lead could have been better cast with someone other than Rex Harrison and his non-singing, frog-like attempts to chant through the songs. Most of the rest of the cast had great singing voices.


We also watched A Charlie Brown Valentine which I'd taped off of ABC. The kids loved that since Snoopy is very popular with them. Despite the fact that it turns out like it always does with poor Charlie Brown being the loser, they liked it. Their favorite scene was Snoopy stuffed in the mailbox waiting for valentines, but they thought it was even funnier when Charlie Brown was stuffed in there waiting.

The kids also watched Robin Hood which we own. They haven't watched that in a long time. Grandpa didn't remember ever seeing it. There are a few scenes in it that spook out the kids, especially at the end, but they all seemed to handle it well this time. Their favorite scene was at the archery tournament when Lady Kluck (the well endowed chicken who is Maid Marian's lady in waiting) is chasing the bad guy rhinos through the playing fields while hippos and elephants go flying off their feet and falling out of crumbling towers. They really found it hysterical.

Last night's movie was The Absent-Minded Professor, the original but colorized version, not the poorly rated remake called Flubber. The kids all really enjoyed this film, and it didn't really have any suspense that bothered them. I did have two kids on top of me and one next to me (or was that a beagle?), but for the most part, they just found the film funny. In the opening scene, the Professor makes several pieces of glass shatter using a trumpet. J wanted the science behind that one. Midway through the movie, B inquired again, "Why does sound make glass shatter?" I deferred that one to Daddy-o. J also asked at one point if the Air Force is like the Army. I'm sure her military male ancestors would have some strong opinions on that one.

This morning, J and I watched part of A Cinderella Story which was really pretty decent for a chick flick movie aimed at a preteen audience. I could have done without the father dying in an earthquake, but the rest of the movie as far as we got wasn't scary at all. Unfortunately, the DVD from the library was so scratched that it wouldn't even play the last third of the film. But it was good, and so we're going to get a different copy from Netflix so we can watch the end. None of the boys wanted to watch with us for some reason.

Labels: movies and tv