Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Just two random, completely not related thoughts for today.

When I was little, I remember getting "Where the Wild Things Are" out of the library all the time. I liked the pictures of the monsters.

When it was made into a movie, I couldn't wait to see it but never got the chance till today.

I'd heard that one should watch it before showing it to your kids due to some sort of dark emotional themes that might scare little ones. So I did. While I'm glad I got to see it uninterrupted, I'm not sure where this hesitancy comes from.

This movie was made for kids from a kid's point of view. Just because it isn't another digitally perfect, well rounded, colorful, safe "UP" or "Cars" (both great movies too) doesn't mean kids won't get it. We need to give our children a little more credit than that.

One criticism was that the monsters are dealing with severe emotional disorders that only adults would understand and that kids might worry why the monsters were so unhappy all the time.

Each creature was a kid. Children feel everything unfiltered and so much more intensely. When it appears that kids are being so cruel to each other, (and sometimes I agree, they are) I think they are just figuring out who they are and how they handle things. These "Wild Things" are a reflection of how kids feel and would behave in a world without structure/parents. Think Lord of the Flies but much more fun and much less violent. This teaches a nice lesson about not taking family for granted without shoving the idea down your throat like so many other politically correct cartoons and programs for kids today.

I thought this movie was refreshing and artistic. (I loved that the creatures were just guys in costumes with only their facial expressions digitally enhanced. Beautifully too.) And I think that you'll either get it or you won't. But I do know that my kids have seen the first half of it and they love it.

Also, I'm pretty sure they modeled Max (crazy "wild thing" boy) after Daniel. Some parts made me feel like I was watching a home movie.


Second (much shorter and not nearly as profound--because the above stuff is about as deep as I get) thought:

Yoga Pants. Where have I been? A mom for eight years and I've only worn super-stylish track pants made out of that meshy stuff the guys wore in the eighties with cut-off sleeves to look sporty.

I sought out these so-called "mommy pants" today as I'm in that in-between stage where my usual uniform of belted jeans are now uncomfortable and maternity pants are ridiculously too big.

As Christopher Walken put it so well in The Continental: "Wow! Wowie wow wow!"

These suckers are great. Not only do they make my butt look good (at least to me, half twisted around in the mirror) but I don't have to fuss with a belt and zipper for the million times I am now using the facilities every day.

So, as Martha Stewart would say, Wild Things and Yoga Pants: they're good things.

1 comment:

  1. Yes,that in-between stage is a pain to find pants that fit.Then you're years past that stage and you run into the same problem-different reason!!

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