Because it’s summer and a hot and humid one at that, we’ve been to the movies an awful lot in the last few weeks. We saw CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY,which all of us, passionate fans of both Tim Burton and Roald Dahl, enjoyed thoroughly (critics be damned). We managed to avoid Herbie. And I actually enjoyed Madagasgar and The Fantastic Four (okay I was prepared to hate both and my expectations were rock bottom).
There were several films this summer that I wasn’t sure would be appropriate for my 8-year old daughter but actually turned out to be right up her alley.
BEWITCHED is good, post-modern fun. A trip down memory lane for me, my daughter enjoyed all those snippets of old Bewitched episodes. Plus Nicole Kidman. She loved it.
THE SISTERHOOD OF THE TRAVELING PANTS is a well-acted and entertaining look at four teenage girls that I found to be simultaneously fascinating, clawing, funny and tear jerking. Okay, we both loved it.
MAD HOT BALLROOM, a documentary about competitive ballroom dance teams in the New York City public schools delivers on every level: it’s a smart, feel-good film that’ll have you laughing, crying, thinking about social injustice, and enthralled by raw talent. We both loved that one too.
Perhaps you’ve reached the point where you’ve seen everything worth seeing that’s in the theaters and you don’t know which DVD’s to rent from Netflix anymore. My friend Nancy Graham has created an ever-expanding and useful blog site called Alternative Films for Kids. She describes it as "a browser’s guide to some independent films, world cinema and
animations that will add welcome variety to a Disney-based diet. Not
all were produced with children in mind, but all may be enjoyed by
children."
An expat Park Sloper, Graham is a writer and animator with a master’s degree in Cinema Studies from NYU, who really knows movies (both experimental and mainstream). She’s also a resourceful homeschooling parent who, with her husband, is bringing up two kids in a big house in upstate New York with as little contact with mass culture as possible. The kids make their own movies, read a great deal, and watch from a hand-picked selection of alternative films like those mentioned on her site.
And their taste in film is by no means boring or safe. NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS is a family favorite as are Ingmar Bergman’s MAGIC FLUTE and Cocteau’s BEAUTY AND THE BEAST.
Alternative Films for Kids includes reviews of: MARCH OF THE PENGUINS, The FILMS OF CHARLES AND RAY EAMES, THE PUPPET FILMS OF JIRI TRNKA, KIKI’S DELIVERY SERVICE, AND THE COSMIC EYE a collection by animator Faith Hubley.
Graham’s site will turn you on to films you never heard of, as well as films you may never have thought to share with your children. Her comments are always informative and thought provoking, even if you don’t hate post-1960 Disney as much as she does. There are recommended age ranges here, but Graham reminds parents to pre-screen for sensitive young viewers!
The site is being added to constantly and should grow into a large resource for parents in need of alternative viewing options. Graham went looking for a site of this kind on the web one day, couldn’t find one, and decided to start her own. Born out of need is the way a lot of good ideas happen. Luckily, Graham decided to act on it and Alternative Films for Kids is the result. Check it out.