Change Your Image
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Reviews
Monster House (2006)
Worrying trend?
This film was recently screened on Australian television. I quite liked it although as a person who is obese I felt uncomfortable about the villain being an enormous woman. But what concerned me the most was the cynicism and throw away comments by children about (1) the police and (2) the government. I am very much aware that some people in the USA perceive the government as the enemy and the government is responsible for all possible ills. I found amazing the response by some to the proposed changes to health care - the hysterical outbursts and cries of give us back our country. So I was disturbed that during this children's film one of the characters states words to the effect of 'you cannot count on the police' and then 'I hate the government' and 'the government never helps you'. I should imagine most thinking and intelligent people would advise their children to seek out the police if they are in situations which are dangerous and most thinking and intelligent people recognise that in a highly industrialised and complex society government is vital to assist in management of resources of to ensure that individuals do not exploit the weak and that vulnerable people are taken care of. I hope the writer of this film gets to read this comment and takes it on board. Do we really need to put biased and cynical opinions into the mouths of children in a children's film? I think not!
The Glittering Prizes (1976)
Period piece, lives of Cambridge University graduates
I found it interesting; particularly as in the 70s when it was made, the Women's movement was just gaining momentum yet the women feature as full participants facing the choices women had to make - career vs marriage, abortion, being sexually active, wanting an active life wanting a quiet life and working. The gowns were compulsory in Cambridge for undergraduates living in digs. My parents ran a University boarding house and the young men in our house wore the gowns constantly and needed to get them laundered and ironed and so on. The discussions about religion and politics then as now were full bodied and challenging. One of our students listened to recordings of Hitler for his degree in History, the students argued fiercely about social class and politics and helped me with my homework.