Pee Wee...He'll Be Baaaaack!!!!!

I am thrilled. Word on the street is that he is working on a new, feature length film!

Pee Wee's Playhouse was this mommy's BOM diggety. He just "gets" the way kids think. And he entertains without talking down to them. Pee Wee's show really changed the course of children's television. Before Pee Wee, much of children's programming was good but often patronizing and fairly literal in it's presentation. Pee Wee, on the other hand, credited children with the ability to enjoy off-beat, subtle humor and to appreciate diverse and truly eccentric characters. Most importantly, he spoke to children the way they actually speak to one another.

And no I don't care about his run-in-with-the-law several years ago. His transgression, while not admirable and decidedly not advisable, was adult in nature and in no way involved harm to a child. Or harm to anyone else really. And he's made his apologies. So let Paul Rubens do what he does best.

Come on back Pee Wee. We could all use a little of that unbridled optimism right about now.

Bee Movie

It's cute. The kids and I enjoyed it. Much of the humor escapes small children but that's OK. The animation is incredible with some of the richest, most vibrant hues I've ever seen on the screen. That alone captures the shrimps' attention. There are a few nods to environmental issues but nothing too preachy or over-the-top like Happy Feet. More than anything, you really get the impression that Jerry made this movie with children in mind. Yes, he does some Seinfeld- like shtick and there are a few very mild, adult-type references but by and large, it's just a lighthearted little movie. I wasn't dazzled but I also wasn't offended. By all means, take the kids and don't worry about editing for inappropriate content. They could rescript one or two lines of dialog and this movie qualifies as rated "G".

I recommend.

I Could Watch It 100 Times

...and I would never tire of American Beauty. Arguably one of the best films in the last twenty years or more. The dialog from the last scene always brings me to tears. Always.

Lester:

I had always heard your entire life flashes in front
of your eyes the second before you die.
First of all, that one second isn't a
second at all, it stretches on forever,
like an ocean of time...

For me, it was lying on my back at Boy
Scout camp, watching falling stars...

And yellow leaves, from the maple trees,
that lined my street...

Or my grandmother's hands, and the way
her skin seemed like paper...

And the first time I saw my cousin Tony's
brand new Firebird...

(In BLACK & WHITE: A door opens to reveal
4-YEAR-OLD JANE, dressed for Halloween in a
Princess costume, holding a lit
SPARKLER aloft and smiling shyly at us.)
And Janie...

(A younger Carolyn sits across from us
in one of those SPINNING-TEACUP RIDES,
laughing uncontrollably as she twists
the wheel in front of her, making us
spin even faster.)
And... Carolyn.
I guess I could be pretty pissed off
about what happened to me... but it's
hard to stay mad, when there's so much
beauty in the world. Sometimes I feel
like I'm seeing it all at once, and it's
too much, my heart fills up like a
balloon that's about to burst...
...and then I remember to relax, and stop
trying to hold on to it, and then it
flows through me like rain and I can't
feel anything but gratitude for every
single moment of my stupid little life...
        (amused)
You have no idea what I'm talking about,
I'm sure. But don't worry...

(Fade to black.)

You will someday.



--Taken from American Beauty Script/Screenplay by Alan Ball

Hairspray - Loved It!

Ethan has been asking about this movie for the past month or so. We all went today and it was sooo good. Jim is not a big fan of musicals and even he loved it. The kids were singing and bouncing along with the WONDERFUL soundtrack. John Travolta is amazing and every bit the Edna Turnblad that Divine was in the John Waters' original. In fact, I actually like the new Hairspray better . The Ricki Lake version was good mind you. But it was campy and had an underground, tongue-in-cheek vibe. And I found it just a little bit dark for some reason. The new Hairspray is a stage production made for the screen. I had that same wanna-get-up-and-dance-feeling like I had with Mama Mia. It's positive, it's fun. And that's just fine by me.


There were a couple of mild, suggestive gestures that the kids could have done without but oh well. And a wee bit of crude humor but nothing too over-the-top. The PG rating was fitting. Still, the tone of the film is so optimistic and upbeat that the few, fleeting detractors I mentioned are well worth enduring. I can't forget to mention that the new Tracy Turnblad, Nikki Blonsky--she's perfect for the role. Great voice, great dancer. I'm glad they took a chance on an unknown instead of picking a skinny starlet and trying to doctor her up with extra weight. Tracy had to be the real deal and is she ever.

We all left the theater with smiles and the kids were dancing their way back to the car. We bought the soundtrack on itunes as soon as we got home!

I totally recommend. Four stars from this Wheaton mommy.