Agenda-Free Kid Movies?
April 15, 2008 | Filed Under Politics, Movies, Family | 3 Comments
Lately it seems some filmmakers are really living up to the Parental Guidance rating. And not in the way that you’d think. It used to be that movies for children were generally a safe bet. It was rare to have one of the main characters lose someone close to them, or encounter violence that warranted a stronger warning. Today, those events are commonplace, and nearly every kid movie has some underlining theme or ultra liberal* subtext. I’m surprised just how political the movies are, some with strong messages. Case in point: Seinfeld’s Bee Movie. We rented it about a month ago.
Now I think Seinfeld is a funny guy and still like watching reruns from his show. But the Bee Movie, in my view, is not an agenda-free movie. It was great about a third of the way through, then spirals into something else. It starts off with the main character unsatisfied with his life, but ultimately twists into some bizarre “Bee rights” battle that includes everything from lengthy courtroom drama, SWAT-like crews pinning down an elderly woman, and snipers shooting Winnie-the-Pooh. Crude humor in some circles, but not for my boys. In my view, it’s just another advocacy group planting seeds.
This isn’t the only film that prompted Brighton to ask questions as to why something was in the movie. I took him to the theater to see “Over the Hedge” when that came out, and again, it was very disappointing. The “moral” of the story? Little creatures should stay put, because there are angry, violent White people in suburbia who drive around in huge SUVs that hire stupid, male exterminators to kill them. It should have been called, “Over-the-top.” Nearly every movie out there now that is marketed toward children, either as cartoon or computer animation, turns out to be some Left-wing agenda bent on schooling my kids on a warped perspective.
My main problem with it is that it is specifically targeted to kids. Want to make a statement? Go right ahead. And Hollywood does it everyday. And a lot of the time they find it doesn’t penetrate certain markets. So they make a so-called kid’s movie. The studios make deals and arrange promotions, and the kids buy the stuffed animals and the Happy Meals and the games. And all the kids know the lines. But they’re not movies for children.
There are some good films out there, though, made for kids. And Pixar has made some good ones, like “Finding Nemo,” for instance. And I’m not one of those parents who think they need to stop having kids because the world is such a dark and evil place. My hope is that because my kids are in the world, it will become a better place. It just seems some studios are trying harder on the younger ones with some movies.
I’m finding that it’s easier to simply rent movies that I know are good, because I grew up watching them, and don’t have to screen them. Stuff like “Honey I Shrunk the Kids,” may seem cheesy to me now, but Brighton saw it recently, and thought it was great. Just like I did back then. No agenda included. This post is probably a little too politically charged for a family blog, right? Maybe. I know some of you will think I’m just being paranoid or exaggerating, but really I just tire of having to preview a seemingly harmless movie to determine what’s really the motive of its creators.
Is there a V-Chip out there to block indoctrination? Because that’s how I see it.
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*I’m a registered Independent…
Which means I’m not a “choose the lesser of two evils” voter…
Which also means I’m likely not voting for any of the 3 “candidates” this year. 
Just On My Mind…
July 30, 2007 | Filed Under Politics, World, Church | 3 Comments
This blog doesn’t really touch much on politics, (that’s not really it’s purpose), but…our family is unique in its ties to Asia and so we keep up a bit on Taiwan and China and that whole mess from time to time. Without delving into it too much on this site, let me just make a few points.
First off, hat’s off to Jimmy Wales, founder of Wikipedia for his position on access to media in the world. I think any group that doesn’t bow down to the censoreship that China imposes, is good in my book. For more thoughts on the firewall on information there, read on.
As members of the Church, naturally we hope that the gospel will thrive in China sooner rather than later, and there are encouraging signs that eventually the Communist government there will fall, (long overdue in my view) allowing that to happen more quickly. Meanwhile, Taiwan is a lighthouse, along with Japan and Hong Kong (even in transition at the moment) in that part of the world.
When we visited Taiwan last, I soon found out that discussing politics was a hot issue, with Kuei’s family and friends. And I know some of you guys read up on this blog too, (so I’ll try not to encite you too much to flame this entry!) But…
All interpretations aside, wouldn’t it be an interesting strategy during the Olympics next year, say…opening ceremonies….if Taiwan “officially” declared (or in some circles..restated) its independence? Ha! 