Movie review

Predictable is Underrated!

~ Elizabeth ~ Leave a comment

sing

Today three generations in our family went to see the movie “Sing.” The plot was absolutely predictable, so I don’t have to worry about a spoiler alert. (Unless you have never seen a happy kids movie before. In which case, this is a spoiler alert.) The basic plot involves a singing contest staged by a koala bear to save his theater from foreclosure.(If you don’t like anthropomorphized cartoon animals, avoid this film.) There is a motley crew of underappreciated singing animals who come together to save the theater. Of course there is a disaster when it looks like all is lost. IT ISN’T.

American culture is fixated on the new, the unpredictable, the cutting edge, the never-before-seen. Sometimes what we all need is a totally predictable, happy ending movie to restore our hope in things. All five of us, aged 7 to 69, left smiling, laughing and repeating, “That was a great movie.”

Hooray for predictability!

Pete’s Dragon

~ Elizabeth ~ Leave a comment

index

One of the many delights of having grandchildren is the excuse to go see “kid’s” movies. This afternoon we bought the family four pack of tickets, two huge waters and a tub of popcorn and watched Pete’s Dragon. Not in 3-D. Some things are too challenging with trifocals!

Robert Redford, who seems to have aged more than I have since Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, plays a curmudgeonly grandfather. Maybe that is redundant. Most grandfathers I know are curmudgeons. I think it comes with the territory of trying to keep up with little boys.

The movie was satisfying on many levels, entertaining two kids and two adults for an hour and a half. I even cried a little, to the surprise of the kids. They seemed very assured–correctly–that the movie would have a happy ending. I think I may stick with their choices from now on. I have had enough of “adult” movies of despair such as the much touted 45 Years. Give me a happy ending from here on!