films for kids
Apr 26 2006 22:47
We've had films on at the chalkboard and we get our regular kids coming in and then getting bored as we're watching documentaries.
So tonight we were talking about screening things that they'd enjoy too. They're mostly 10-12 years old. We'd like to show stuff that would not just catch their interest, but obviously it would be nice to also educate them about the world/poltics/self organisation at the same time.
So far the only suggestion is the cartoon Animal Farm which though I'm not that in favour off as I think its too sad, we'll prob show soon.
Any other ideas?
Apr 26 2006 22:52
#2
That was a joke, cos I think animal farm's not a great one.
Shrek and Shrek 2 are awesome... they probably will have seen them tho i guess.
Apr 26 2006 22:54
#3
I should also say that they quite enjoyed some of the riot porn images of running battles with cops
They're kids that we're working with on other things as well including a seedling of a campaign to get them a club of their own, and writing their own column in the local paper we've been making. We've got a quite good relationship with them - one of them even asked tonight when the next meeting was and if he could sit in on it again! He sat, insisting he wasn't bored, through a tenants meeting a few weeks ago and had brought another pal in today who now is also wanting to come to meetings! What monsters are we creating? Mwuhaha 
Apr 26 2006 22:58
#4
John. wrote:
Shrek and Shrek 2 are awesome... they probably will have seen them tho i guess.
Shrek as a metaphor for understanding capitalism... hmmm could just work!
Princess Moninoke (sp?) now thats a class cartoon.
Apr 26 2006 22:59
#5
Can't think of any kid's films that have much in the way of political ideas. All depends how old the kids are as well.
Out of the contemporary mainstream films, The Iron Giant has some interesting bits and takes place during the 50s with the 'red scare' and the threat of The Bomb. The bad guy is the FBI investigator, the good guy is the beatnik.
Old stuff, not strictly a kids film but... Charlie Chaplin's Modern Times (if these kids can cope with black and white and 'silent').
Apr 26 2006 23:05
#6
when i was a kid i loved all the Chuck Norris films, Rambo and Beverly Hills Cop.
I always felt abit weird when they had the strip club scenes (mandatory in eighties action movies BTW) though I never knew why.
Apr 26 2006 23:10
#7
Whoops I didn't notice the "world/poltics/self organisation" bit.
Chuck Norris did films??! I thought he only even did Walker: Texas Ranger. Which kicked ass. Dubbed into Italian anyway.
Hmmm politicaly films for kids... I'll have a think. I showed my nephews+niece This Is What Democracy Looks Like and crowd bites wolf + they really liked them.
How about political simpsons episodes? With Dirt First!, Homer's plant's strike, etc.. Or South Park.
Apr 26 2006 23:16
#8
political simpsons episodes is good.
All I can think of is battle royale 
ooh ooh, there's a nick broomfield documentary about a rent strike - I think divisive cottonwood linked to a torrent of it - it's got an amazing (AMAZING) scene in a school when they get the Gideons in then a policeman who makes himself look a complete cunt. One of the funniest things I've seen. link tomorrow, I'm off now.
Apr 26 2006 23:25
#9
I'd say either Scarface or A Clockwork Orange. Cocaine and a bit of the old ultra-violence. Great kids' stuff.
More seriously, get them March of the Penguins.
Apr 26 2006 23:28
#10
How about Cathy Come Home? Bit depressing and v. old but still a kickass social doc./film. Seen it raise serious awareness in teens.
Apr 27 2006 08:02
#11
My little brother loves Monty Python. Not extremely political, but they do make aristocracy, nobility and religion look plain ridiculous. Which is kind of political.
Apr 27 2006 10:06
#12
Apr 27 2006 10:11
#13
Kes It'll make you laugh (the football lesson with Brian Glover as the teacher), it'll make you cry (most of the rest). A kids' film shot from a working class kid's point of view.
Apr 27 2006 10:17
#14
Princess Mononoke.
Yeah anything by Miyazaki is good, Spirited Away, Howl's moving Castle etc - though they're quite 'soft' films, and traditional animation - no 3d tricks - so depends on the attitude of the audience I suspect.
For the very young, my neighbour Totoro is great.
NB// Porco Rosso is Miyazaki as well.
Apr 27 2006 10:19
#15
Saii wrote:
Princess Mononoke.Yeah anything by Miyazaki is good, Spirited Away, Howl's moving Castle etc - though they're quite 'soft' films, and traditional animation - no 3d tricks - so depends on the attitude of the audience I suspect.
For the very young, my neighbour Totoro is great.
yeah that was fantastic except i fucking hated Billy Cunt Thortons voice!
Is it wrong that i thought Wolf Girl was hot as fuck!
I think it was the blood... 
Apr 27 2006 10:20
#16
John. wrote:
That was a joke, cos I think animal farm's not a great one.Shrek and Shrek 2 are awesome... they probably will have seen them tho i guess.
And who can have missed the political allegory in Shrek 2, where the ogre is transformed into Gordon Brown and does battle with the forces of reaction in the shape of Charming (Blair) and the Fairy Godmother (Mandelson)?
Seriously, the Shrek films are good on several levels, not least about difference, plus they have loads of fart jokes to keep the kids happy.
Regards,
Martin
Apr 27 2006 10:24
#17
Quote:
yeah that was fantastic except i fucking hated Billy Cunt Thortons voice!Is it wrong that i thought Wolf Girl was hot as fuck!
Proper strong violence as well, peoples' arms getting sliced off with arrows within the first five minutes. He seems to have calmed the gore in the last couple of movies a bit, his early stuff rocked, Lupin III and the pursuit of Harimao's treasure has the wisecracking hero pitted against a woman-hating transvestite neo-nazi 
.
Yeah probly entirely wrong, specially as she wore fur, the bitch 
.
Apr 27 2006 10:24
#18
Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner
Apr 27 2006 10:27
#19
Not wanting to derail the thread (as it'd probably be a boring film for kids), has anyone seen Behold a Pale Horse with Gregory Peck, Anthony Quinn and Omar Sharif? It's supposed to be based on Sabate, isn't it? I saw it on telly when I was a kid, was bored by it, but would like to see it again now I'm all grown up.
Apr 27 2006 10:31
#20
Treasure of the Sierra Madre
I loved this film when I was a kid. I showed it to one of my sons when he was about 10. He really enjoyed it as well.
Apr 27 2006 10:46
#21
Hmmm in the Loach vein, maybe Riff-Raff might be okay. About building workers, with Ricky Tomlinson as a socialist trade union type. I found it preachy, not funny and stopped watching it, but kids might think it's ok
Apr 27 2006 10:53
#22
Raining Stones, as well -- although maybe not for young kids. It has the novelty value of Les Battersby as the male lead.
Apr 27 2006 11:01
#23
Serge Forward wrote:
8)
Apr 27 2006 11:12
#24
Jacque wrote:
I agree that Animal Farm isn't ideal for very young children, I would say that 10-12 years should be approaching an age where they could cope with it. I'm guessing that you're talking about the Animal Farm (1954) version? The 1999 version ends with social partnership with the bosses!
I got an audition for the 1999 version. 8)
Me as an actor:
(I look nothing like this, by the by)
Apr 27 2006 11:15
#25
oh yeah how about COOL RUNNINGS (nothing to do with my dreadlocks, in case revol is reading)
completely. fucking. brilliant.
8)
Apr 27 2006 11:15
#26
B. Traven innit. And his alter ego Hal Croves advised on the film and actually approved of the finished product.
"Badges? We don't need no steenkin' badges!"
On the subject of Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner, this film is instinctively anarchist in every sense. It had a big influence on me when I was a teenager and it prompted me to read the book (the first book I ever read - luckily it's very short).
Apr 27 2006 21:14
#27
I watched Animal Farm when I was really young, one of those films that I can't remember the first time I watched it... didn't do me any harm. although it did to my sister.
there's a disney musical about a strike called Newsies.
Apr 27 2006 21:36
#28
hey if you need to deconstruct mainstream kids movies after showing them go to a Maoist site(had a particular one in mind but can't find it) and download their critique, no matter what film they have reviewed it. Of course you will have to edit out the conslusion which is always that main critism is that the film makers didn't follow the wisdom of old mao.
Apr 27 2006 21:47
#29
Jason Cortez wrote:
hey if you need to deconstruct mainstream kids movies after showing them go to a Maoist site(had a particular one in mind but can't find it)
Apr 27 2006 22:18
#30
i loved 'The Crimson Pirates' when i was a kid. It has a real DIY feel to it, the pirates come up with some cracking ideas.
Other than that its all about how old they are to an extent and whether they can hold their interest in realistic stuff.
At some point they should watch Sweet Sixteen definitely - though i'd be interested to know what u thought of that anyway, being scottish.
I echo what others have said - anything from Studi Ghibli, it has real message of self reliance/kids independence. saw this the other day, was beautiful: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castle_in_the_Sky
Schindler's List? Old Yella? Il Postino?