Critics Corner

Well with good news, I'm here to report we survived the crazy storms from last week, alhamdullilah. Winds blowing at unbelievable speeds, loss of power, flooding, and of course the panic people tail-spin into when dealing with anything different than their ordinary daily routine. Truly, those of us that live in California live a pretty blessed existence weather-wise, and when the daily routine shifts to a slightly uncomfortable speed people become a little unglued. But again the long and the short of that tale is we survived, alhamdullilah.

During our isolation period.....lol we rented some movies to pass the time. Although I prefer to read over watching movies, reading children’s books can be taxing. Moreover, sometimes watching movies for Amira and I can be somewhat challenging as our attention span for each other's perspective movie selection is short to say the least.

The weekend started with Strawberry Shortcake Dress Up, which is a cute movie about friends accepting one another for the way they are even if they are different along with a story about dressing up. Dressing up is fun, but to remember it doesn't matter what you look like on the outside but rather the inside. Again sweet little film that wasn't too long.

We then proceeded to watch Happily Ever After (The Snow White Story Continues)----it was a sequel to the original Snow White movie. Again, it had a good message of friendship and how working together many things can be accomplished---even the forces of evil can be destroyed. I'm also rather surprised how darkness plays a part of most, if not all of Disney films. For instance, the evilness that takes place in Snow White, or the evilness that takes place in Sleeping Beauty, or the killing of Bambi's mother, and even the imprisonment of Dumbo's mother. It just seems too much for kids to watch. I recall as a child seeing Dumbo with my family and cousin and crying for days on end over that movie, and how could they take Dumbo's mommy away, etc. I can't imagine what my poor mom had to endear listening to me repeat the same thing over and over a gazillion times.

As for the 'grown up' movies I selected, I suppose in some ways Amira's movies may have been better. :-) The first movie I watched was called Rain, which is based on a novel written by V.C. Andrews, whose books I've gobbled up over the years. I have yet to see a film that follows that exact story line of a novel. More importantly, I've yet to see a film that captures my attention in the detailing like a novel does. Perhaps my mind is more alive when reading......who knows.

The next movie I watched was called La Vie En Rose which was based on the life of a famous French woman by the name of Edith Piaf. This was a pretty dark movie as well. Why does it seem that so many famous people have such depressing lives. This woman's life was really one of survival and struggle, like so many others I've heard about before. My life's struggles seem to pale in comparison to hers for I had my parents with me at all times living in a stable environment, alhamdullilah. She does fall in love, which I think may have been the only person she may have ever truly loved, a Moroccan who ends up getting a plane crash. :-(

The last movie I watched was The Kingdom, which had some good car scenes in it. It's an action film, which if you just leave the incorrect politics and perceived religious negativity out of it, isn't too bad. :-) I realize there's probably many that would have a hay-day depicting everything that was incorrect about a movie for the sake of being able to point them out, but on the other hand sometimes it's just nice to watch a movie for what it is......a movie. However, on the other hand, I should know better than to watch movies that may be anything other than a comedy because I usually find myself crying about something in them, which is true about all three movies I mentioned. :-) The only movies I didn't cry in were Strawberry Shortcake Dress Up and Happily Ever After---although I found the second one a little too dark for my taste. Although a little kids movie can go a looooooooooooooooooooooong way before you want to see another one. ;-)

So, all and all, I'm ready for the sun to come back out so we can go outside. :-)