In no particular order, over the last few months.
Father Goose. One of my wife’s family’s all-time favorites. I haven’t watched it in years. The kids thought it hilarious, and it’s a very, very good movie. Cary Grant delivers an excellent performance as a crusty and bitter drunkard suddenly surrounded by a very prim and proper teacher and her students.
Jingle All the Way. This was one of my family’s Christmas standards from the late 90s forward (it came out in 1996). My dad likes it because, as he puts it, any parent can relate to the last-second Christmas rush over the very hot, must-have toys (we’ve been fortunate in that regard, thanks in no small part to online shopping). Playing a down-on-his-luck mailman, Sinbad steals the show.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul. It’s pretty funny family fare that brought back a lot of fond (?) memories of family trips when I was a kid. It’s my first foray into the “Wimpy Kid” world, and I can see how these books and movies have shaped my nine-year-old’s worldview–and probably not for the better, honestly. I enjoyed it, though, I liked watching it with the kids, and it suggests to me that I should probably read the books. I think it also provides a pretty good basis for a conversation about the relationships between kids, adults, and electronics.
Disney Descendants, Disney Descendants 2. Fine, Disney. You can have my money. “Descendants” is a Disney franchise that launched a few years ago, and it follows the exploits of the children of Disney characters. The main characters are Mal (daughter of Maleficent), Evie (daughter of Evil Queen), Jay (son of Jafar), and Carlos (son of Cruella De Vil). There’s also a series of novels: The Isle of the Lost, Return to the Isle of the Lost, and our current read (as of 2-25-18) Rise of the Isle of the Lost. and as I’m sure you can imagine, a whole array of other books, toys, clothes, bedsheets, lunch boxes, trinkets, and so on. Last year my daughter and I made up our own descendants fanfic called “Revenge of the Isle of the Lost” over the course of a few dozen bedtimes. I have the outline in Evernote, and we might write it up and (try to) publish it somewhere.
Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Saw it in the theater twice. Loved it both times. Preordered the video.
Teen Titans GO! We own all four seasons (1, 2, 3, 4) and will occasionally watch some of our favorite episodes for movie night. They’re short, they’re funny, and they have a movie coming out. Here’s the trailer.
