Movie Time

Some of the most notable movies we have seen recently, aside from Up,Diary of a Wimpy Kid which preempted my plans to read the series, and How to Train your Dragon (yet to see), are stop-motion animations that on the surface seem to be made for children, but really contain underlying observations of our true human behavior. I also find them very good even when they are marketed for kids, because unlike other films where parents have to sit down and suffer through them in the name of adult supervision, I myself really enjoyed them and don't have qualms if my children watched them over and over again.

Mary and Max

Very touching story about a lonely Aussie girl and her pen-friend, an obese New Yorker who suffers from Asperger's syndrome. Their friendship spanned twenty years through letters, how they made each other's lives less sufferable by discovering common grounds like a love for chocolates. The ending made me cry, but no spoilers here..

Coraline

Based on the Neil Gaiman 2002 novel, Coraline is a horror-fantasy film about a girl who wishes for something to take her out of her boring existence when she feels neglected by her writer parents. Being brave and curious, she discovers another world where The Other Parents seem to be much cooler and more attentive. Gab and Sophia were horrified with some scenes, especially about Other Mother with the button eyes, and so was I. This is a keeper though, I would not tire of viewing this again. And by the way, it's Coraline, not Caroline : )

Fantastic Mr. Fox

Even in animation, George Clooney (Mr. Fox's voice) proves to be hot, and a force to reckon with. The movie is based on the Roald Dahl classic book about a wily fox who returns to his old wily ways, two years after nearly losing his life when he and his wife Felicity (Meryl Streep) were once caught in a fox trap. The events lead up to his attempts to steal fowl and apples and alcoholic cider from three dimwitted farmers- Boggis, Bunce and Bean--and how they tried to outsmart him by not-so-smart means. Full of sarcastic humor, I was worried at first that it may not be appropriate for kids, but what do I know, they laughed and winced at the right moment. Lesson 101, never underestimate the kids' grasp of the english language. They may be young and little, but they get it. Got it? : ) Lots of laughs in this movie, and also something to learn about greed and over-estimation of one's self.

Relax, see a movie!