Hello one & all...part of having a BLOG is the ability to reach a large number of people with your ideas and opinions. That's what I have for you today...strong opinions.
My 7 year old son loves Transformers. Plays with them from waking till sleeping, off and on. I allowed him to watch the first movie this past fall after watching it once myself. There was some mild sexual inuendo...all of it above his understanding and therefore, over his head. Yes, some violence but so are video games, Spiderman videos and Saturday morning Pokemon cartoons. A few wild scenes, robot on robot. Nothing over the top. Flash ahead with me to Christmas 2009. Santa brought the second movie in the series. I sat down to watch it with both older kids night before last...unbelievable. The first scene is robots squashing people (cavemen but still people) like little ants. This should have been my cue to turn it off but felt compelled to keep watching. First scene of the girlfriend rivals a Playboy calender...overlooked yet another sign. Fight scene, fight scene, suggestive scene, several drug references that my 11 yo clearly got and the final straw...a lovely girl transforming into an evil robot complete with a tongue that reminded me of the exorcist. 7 yo boy completely freaked out and refusing to sleep alone follows the immediate shut off of the DVD. I watched the rest after the kids went to bed and found that the storyline was hard to follow when it is so overshadowed by the violent action sequences and change of location. (On Earth, off Earth...) What bothers me the most is the obvious marketing to 6-10 year old boys...toys and such. This is clearly NOT a child's movie (Iknow, I know...PG 13) that came on the heels of a mildly high-tech, robot warrior prequel that will probably cause a lot of parents to misjudge THIS volumes content. These two films are on opposite ends of the PG-13 spectrum. If you must watch it with children, be prepared with remote in hand to fast forward and, possibly, hit STOP.
On a drastically different note, hubby and I gave the children a set of brand-new to the market DVD's. A series of 5 movies based on the book series "The Sugarcreek Gang." I cannot say enough GREAT things about these movies. They are touted as family entertainment ...this generally means my preteen will have nothing to do with them. In this case, however, every member of the family has watched and enjoyed. We have been watching a video per evening at bedtime and they are equally loved by all. They are set in the 50's and are centered around a small group of boys and one girls that have formed their own club "The Sugarcreek Gang." Beautifully filmed, surprisingly believable characters that both the 7 yo and the 11 yo can relate to. Great, suspenseful plots and, best of all, no swearing, no sexual references and no drug references. Reminds me of the feel good movies from the "Old Yeller" era. Given how much we have enjoyed the videos, I cannot wait to get the first in the series of books from the local library to read aloud with the children.
Those are my thoughts...I'll even add in a frugal one. Visit your local library and take advantage of videos and books for free. Pavilion Public Library recenty purchased both the video series and the complete book series. Pay them a visit...or request through the NIOGA system. Blessings, Eve
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