Wall-E a Must-C

SYNOPSIS: After hundreds of lonely years of doing what he was built for, Wall-E (short for Waste Allocation Load Lifter Earth-Class) discovers a new purpose in life (besides collecting knick-knacks) when he meets a sleek search robot named Eve. Eve comes to realize that Wall-E has inadvertently stumbled upon the key to the planet’s future, and races back to space to report her findings to the humans (who have been eagerly awaiting word that it is safe to return home). Meanwhile, Wall-E chases Eve across the galaxy.

GENRES: Kids/Family and Animation

TIME: 1 hr. 37 minutes

RATED: G

 

OUR THOUGHTS ON THIS MOVIE

(Recommended Age Group: all ages)

We really enjoyed this movie, however after seeing the obese humans on their hover couches, a few of us were thinking that perhaps a little exercise would do us some good. Although you can glean that message from the movie, (too much couch potatoing and computer chair potatoing can lead to obesity), that’s not the message of the movie.

The movie contrasts the love relationship between two hard working robots with the humans of the future who have become so linked into entertainment, social media and gaming that they’ve all but forgotten what it’s like to have face to face interpersonal relationships. Wall-E causes a woman’s holographic computer screen to disengage and she seems to see the world around her for the first time. The same happens with a guy named John and when the two of them meet and accidentally hold hands (something the screen writers use as a wonderful symbol of personal interaction and relationship), they look like they’re discovering something foreign but wonderful.

There are some great talking point opportunities in this movie. Here are a few:

Discuss how the movie is not saying that TV, gaming and the internet are bad, it’s saying that interpersonal relationships are better. Discuss why they’re better and what kind of balance we should look for.

Wall-E, after being alone for hundreds of years, recognizes the value of another person’s company, attention and love and he’s willing to put in the effort and work it takes to get it. Discuss how valuable the relationships in our lives can be and how we need to put time, love and effort in if we really want them to be rewarding.

Jesus said that the two greatest commandments are to love God and to love others. Discuss how since God is love and therefore completely unselfish, what he tells us is always for our own good not his. Therefore, the two things that he says are most important, must hold the two greatest blessings as well. Loving growing relationships with God and others (interpersonal relationships) are truly the greatest gifts and rewards this life has to offer.

The movie is a good reminder to us parents as well. Limiting and or nagging our kids about time in front of objects with screens is perhaps not as effectual as teaching them about the wonders of relationships and encouraging them to spend more face-to-face time. If your older kids tell you that they’re doing that through the internet, let them know that that’s great, but not the same. Like Wall-E showed us, if you can’t hold the other person’s hand (connect with them person to person) it’s just not the same level of relationship.

If your kids are very young and they don’t like being moved out from in front of their screened instruments, try drawing them away with some planned relational time with you. Young children learn the value of interpersonal relationships by experiencing the joy of hanging out with their parents and receiving their attention.

This movie is a keeper and would make a great Christmas present.

The soundtrack is also amazing and a recommended purchase for great family music. Here’s what Wikipedia says about the soundtrack.

“WALL-E is the soundtrack to the film of the same name, mainly composed by Thomas Newman and released on June 24, 2008. Orchestration is credited to Carl Johnson, JAC Redford, Thomas Pasatieri, and Gary K. Thomas. Newman previously scored Finding Nemo; almost all other Pixar films have been scored by Newman’s cousin Randy. The soundtrack features excerpts from “Put On Your Sunday Clothes” and “It Only Takes a Moment” (both sung by Michael Crawford) from the Hello, Dolly! soundtrack, and “La Vie en Rose” by Louis Armstrong, as well as an original composition, “Down to Earth” by Peter Gabriel. Also featured are the classical pieces “Also Sprach Zarathustra” and “The Blue Danube”, famous by their appearance on the soundtrack of 2001: A Space Odyssey. Neither Etta James’s cover of the song, At Last, nor Aquarela do Brasil which were used in the theatrical trailers appeared on the final cut of the film or the soundtrack.”

Kung Fu Panda

SYNOPSIS: When threatened by a evil Master Kung Fu snow leopard, the jungle animals call upon an inept panda to become their Dragon Warrior and save the Valley of Peace.

GENRES: Action/Adventure, Comedy, Kids/Family and Animation

TIME: 1 hr. 35 minutes

RATED: PG for sequences of martial arts action

 

 

OUR THOUGHTS ON THIS MOVIE

(Recommended Age Group: 4+ years)

Okay, we got sucked in by the Kung Fu vortex. This movie is a lot of fun. We don’t recommend it for very small children (3 and under) because of all of the fighting. The fight scenes are a nice combination of serious fighting and cartoon fighting where no one seems to actually get hurt, however they are still quite intense.

One of the Tweeples on our Twitter feed said that he thought that the movie was Star Wars (the force) meets the Matrix, meets cartoon animals. Which brings up a great discussion topic for your family.

The core of this movie’s message is as follows:

• Everyone has a destiny or purpose
• Don’t try and be someone else, or follow someone else’s idea about your purpose
• Your purpose can be discovered through your dreams and desires
• You have what you need to realize your purpose
• You must believe all of this and believe in yourself
• You should apply yourself to the training and/or education that will prepare you
• You should listen to people who want to help you and ignore those who try and demean or discourage you
• You should always remember that character is more important than achievement

Sounds good! However, in typical Hollywood fashion, the person of God and the idea of his involvement in our creation, purpose and lives is completely missing. Without the concept of a personal, loving and involved God, most of these lessons don’t even make sense. How can each person in the world have a special destiny that reveals itself in their hearts and in their circumstances unless God is orchestrating all of that? This is a good discussion question for your older kids. Ask the question and get them thinking.

Here’s the same list anchored in what the Bible teaches:

• God has given everyone a destiny and purpose for life, for God’s Kingdom and for eternity
• Don’t try and be someone else, or follow someone else’s idea about your purpose. Talk to God daily about his purpose for you and follow him. There’s no need to envy because God didn’t make anyone better than anyone else just different.
• Your purpose can be discovered through your dreams and desires because God gifted you and equipped you for what he destined you to be. (In other words if God intended for you to be a musician, then when he made you he would have given you the appropriate gifts, personality type, desires etc to match.)
• God gave you what you need to realize your purpose and as you submit to him and follow him daily he will guide you there step by step.
• You must believe all of this and believe that God made you well, loves you and will guide you
• You should apply yourself to the training and/or education that will prepare you. Education and training are God’s ideas and he wants us to diligently apply ourselves to furthering the raw talents he’s given us trusting him to help us learn and grow
• You should listen to godly people who want to help you and ignore those who try and demean or discourage you
• You should always remember that godly character and knowing and following Christ is more important than achievement and things

Grab anyone of or several of these ideas (depending on your children’s age and attention span and start talking. Discussions or devotions of this type can be much more effective when you have something like a movie to bounce your discussion off of.

Here are a couple verses to help your family discussion on these topics:

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand. When I awake, I am still with you. (Psalm 139:13 – 18)

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and shun evil. This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones. (Proverbs 3:5 – 8)

Enjoy your Movie Devotions!

Speed Racer

SYNOPSIS: Story of Speed Racer, who’s Mach 5 vehicle can jump, go under water and clear trees. When he’s not racing, he’s battling villians with his girlfriend Trixie, kid brother Spritle and pet monkey Chim-Chim.

GENRES: Action/Adventure, Science Fiction/Fantasy and Adaptation

TIME: 2 hr. 15 minutes

RATED: PG for sequences of action, some violence, language and brief smoking.

 

 

OUR THOUGHTS ON THIS MOVIE

(Recommended Age Group: 10+ years)

We watched the movie ‘Speed Racer’ thinking it was a kids movie. We are very glad to announce that there were no young children present when this movie was reviewed. It is NOT a movie for kids under 10 years of age. If you watch it with your tweens, we suggest that you make mental notes as you watch and talk with them about it afterwards.

We don’t recommend this movie for children for many little things. Remember, we as Christian parents need to look beyond the surface method of using amounts of violence, nudity, scary stuff and swearing to measure its suitability. Speed Racer contains many little scenes and comments that promote non Biblical ideals and taken together they add up to trouble. For example the youngest boy in the movie is constantly doing what he wants to do without regard to what he’s told. The writer’s portrait this behavior as normal and cute and make the dad look bad for expecting him to actually obey.

We’d normally go further and provide you with ‘What The Bible Says About That’ discussion topics for you to use with your children but since we’re recommending you pass on this one for the kids we’re going to take this another direction.

We actually will recommend this movie to you, parents and young people who will one day become parents. Why? Well first of all, for those of us who are old enough to enjoy a movie while ignoring Hollywood’s lack of Biblical morality and Christian world view, it contains a parenting lesson that we’d like to push a little further.

In the movie the dad, played by John Goodman, has three sons all born about eight years apart. When his oldest son is basically an adult, he makes a decision about his life that dad really opposes. When dad realizes that he is no longer in control and that the son is set on this particular course, dad makes a classic mistake in a last ditch effort to turn things around. He basically says, “If you walk out that door, don’t ever come back.” Ouch!

We won’t tell you what happens (no spoilers here) but the results of dad’s ultimatum are disastrous and he does learn his lesson (in a well scripted way) before the end of the movie.

When our children are young they need discipline, direction, training and consistent boundaries that are all (for the sake of our children) loving but authoritative. When our children become teenagers, our role as parents must change. We need to gradually stop being authoritative and progressively (as they prove responsible) hand our children the control of their own lives. If we do it right, by the time they are ready to leave home, we should be in a supportive and advisory role only.

We may claim that we would never give our child such an ultimatum, but if we seek to control them as oppose to guide them, when they get to an age where they need us to help them make their own decisions, the result is the same. We will push them away from us.

The Bible teaches that children must “leave their parents” and become responsible adults in their own right. We must let go. The best way to accomplish this is to do it very gradually helping our children to mature and take over small bits of responsibility at a time. The process should start when they’re tweens and hopefully be complete before they leave home.

Continuing to use an authoritative parenting method on teenagers will always result in head butting and possibly, in the end, a parting of ways.

Jesus said, “I will never leave you or forsake you.” Once we are God’s children, our Heavenly Father commits to walk with us and help us grow up no matter what. God will never give us an ultimatum that makes us reject him. Love never gives up on someone. So even if we find ourselves at odds with or even extremely against something our older teens or young adults are choosing, shutting them out and attempting to use our affections as a method of controlling them will not work and is not right.

We need to follow God’s loving example and never withhold our love and support. We may need to gently make it clear that we don’t agree and explain why but then move on to let them know that we love them and will always be there for them no matter what.

Enjoy the movie and watch what happens to dear old dad in the end. If you’ve seen the movie then post a comment, if not come back and do it after you’ve seen it.

If you watch this with your tweens and teens spend some time talking about the above parenting lesson. It may be a great opportunity for both you and them to talk about the gradual shift of responsibility and authority. Your kids will always feel like they don’t have enough autonomy. Help them understand that no one gets more authority and freedom just because they want it but because they show themselves mature and responsible enough to handle it.

Parents Movie Guide

The back of each DVD box at many movie rental places has a ‘Parent’s Guide.’ The guide generally has four categories: Sex/Nudity, Drugs/Alcohol, Violence/Scariness and Objectionable Words/Phrases. Following each category is a brief description of what could be objectionable.

The idea, of course, is to help parents judge if the movie is suitable or not. Although I appreciate having this information, it is not all I need to make a decision. As Christians, we need a few more categories like ‘The Moral of The Story’, ‘World View’ and/or perhaps ‘Worldly/Non Christian Ideas and Behavior Supported as Right and Normal.’

Take as an example the hit family flick that started Disney’s animated movie comeback, ‘The Little Mermaid’. Most parents of very young children scan the rating (also based on the above mentioned categories) and plug it in thinking that their job is done. There’s no swearing, nudity or drugs but wait, what is the movie teaching with its storyline and character development? In the original book version the Little Mermaid dies in the end and although that’s a bit of a downer, the moral of the story is abundantly clear.

In the movie version, Ariel disobeys her Father and does things she knows that she shouldn’t in order to get what she wants. Yet in the end she gets her ‘happily ever after’ and her Dad is the one who is painted with the brush of wrong doing.

Now I’m not saying don’t let your kids watch the movie but I am saying that we as Christian parents need to watch what our children are watching and talk with them about things that contradict and undermine what the Bible teaches.

So the purpose of ‘Movie Night Ideas’ on this website is to equip you with the tools and ideas you need to engage your children in meaningful conversation about the movies you watch. Sometimes we’ll take on new movies and sometimes we’ll talk about old favorites. Either way, we’ll try and be the Christian extension to the ‘Parent’s Guide’ on the back of each DVD box.

Please click on a below movie to read Christian Parenting Daily’s “Parents Movie Guide”.

Nim’s Island

Nim’s Island

SYNOPSIS: Based on the popular children’s novel of the same name by Wendy Orr, NIM’S ISLAND follows the adventures of Nim Rusoe, a spirited young girl who lives on a remote island with her scientist dad, Jack, and a host of animal companions, including an iguana, a sea lion, and a sea turtle. Nim’s idyllic life gets shaken up, however, when her father goes missing while on an ocean outing.

GENRES: Science-Fiction/Fantasy

TIME: 1 hr 36 mins

RATED: PG for mild adventure action and brief language

 

OUR THOUGHTS ON THIS MOVIE

(Recommended Age Group: all ages)

Nim’s Island is a very pleasant story that the whole family can enjoy together.

Although there’s nothing all that objectionable in the movie it’s perhaps what’s not in the movie that’s more important. Let me explain. This is a story where against all odds, amazing events collide and everything works out perfectly. Now we all know it’s just a movie so we can all agree to suspend reality a bit, right? Right, but the fairytale like storyline provides a wonderful opportunity to talk about what’s missing and that’s prayer.

Talk with your kids about the total absence of prayer in this movie. Point out that in real life things just don’t all magically work together for a happy ending . Life events, left to themselves tend to be very random and uncoordinated. However in Romans 8:28 the Apostle Paul tells us that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.

Even though this movie does not contain prayer, it illustrates the kind of things that can take place when we love, obey and trust God. Movies like this kind of infer that something like fate is lending a hand because this girl needs or deserves it. In truth, there is no impersonal power called fate that lends a hand to those who need it. However our very personal and loving Heavenly Father has promised to help us through rough times and work everything out as we love and follow him. And since he knows everything, is everywhere and can do anything, he truly is qualified and able to make every little detail of any real life story work out wonderfully.

When discussing this with your family, you might want to tell them about a time or two where you prayed and saw God work out the details.

As a bonus discussion, the movie has a Jonah like plot device that involves a blue whale swallowing someone. You could use the opportunity to talk about Jonah. Nim’s Island tells the story like it’s a children’s tale and obviously not meant to be factual. However the story of Jonah is actual history, it really happened. It is impossible for a blue whale to swallow something that large but the Bible doesn’t say that it was specifically a whale, it says great fish. There are a couple of sea creatures that God could have used. For information to fuel a great discussion with your kids check out these links.

http://www.answersingenesis.org/creation/v17/i2/jonah.asp

http://www.christiananswers.net/q-eden/edn-t004.html