Beasts of the Southern Wild

As my daughters (aged 6 and 8) get older it’s interesting to see how and when they graduate from “kiddie” material (as regards books, TV and films) to older, more complex stuff. Recently I’ve been trying out some films on them which aren’t necessarily targeted at them, but which they might appreciate. With that in mind, this weekend I took them to see Beasts of the Southern Wild.

Beforehand I’d checked out the “Parental Guide” page on IMDB to see if there was anything in the film I didn’t want them to see, but all they mentioned was a little mild profanity (“Shit” and “damn”), an intense storm scene, some animal carcasses, and a splash of blood. One user says there’s some nudity from behind, but that’s incorrect (although even if there were, I think they could stand the sight of a bare bum with being psychologically scarred). I was surprised to see that it’s rated 12A in the UK, as I think a PG rating is plenty, and my girls certainly weren’t disturbed by anything in this film.

Interestingly the film itself deals with growing up, as a five-year-old girl living in harsh conditions has to learn self-reliance, confidence and independence and trying to understand her place in the universe. For a supposedly adult film it’s told almost entirely from the small child’s point of view, complete with heightened perceptions and imaginary monsters. Initially my daughters were unsure about it, partly I think because it was so different in style and approach from the things they’re used to seeing. Halfway through one of them turned to me and said “I don’t want you to buy this film” [on DVD]. But by the end they’d changed their minds and had really gotten into it. They had a lot of questions, and we talked afterwards about poverty, people who live on their own and who don’t want help from outsiders, even when their health or safety are threatened, and about why the father seemed angry all the time and what “tough love” is.

On the whole I’d say it was a pretty successful experiment, and while they’re not ready to ditch Disney just yet, I’ll be keeping my eyes open for other alternatives to Hollywood CG cartoons in the future. Especially things like this which open their eyes to other cultures and ways of life.

The one thing you need to be aware of when taking kids to non-kid films at the cinema, however, is the trailers, which are likely to be for other, more “adult” films. My heart sank when the trailer for Quentin Tarantino’s violent (duh) western Django Unchained came on. Thankfully it was only a brief, non-violent teaser featuring plenty of shooting but no blood. The 6yo said “I don’t want to see that film. It’s all about guns”.

Spider Sematary

Some time back one of my daughters accompanied me down to the basement on an errand, and caught a glimpse through an open door into a small room we never use. As it’s pretty much abandoned the spiders have free reign, and the place is full of cobwebs. It obviously made an impression as she kept talking about “The Spider Room”, and her elder sister became envious and demanded to see it for herself (perhaps reminded by last weekend’s trip to the spider show at the African museum).

Today as I was working from home she asked again, so once she’d fulfilled her part of the bargain (finishing her homework) I took a ten minute break and took her downstairs for a look. In addition to the expected cobwebs and musty smell, after a while I spotted a spider. Or at least, what I thought was a spider. What puzzled me was that it was bright white.

I guessed it was an empty, dessicated spider corpse. But as I looked closer, I realised that the ceilings and walls were covered with these ghost spiders, just hanging there as if left behind by Miss Havisham.

The photos are a little misleading as in fact it’s almost pitch black in there, and only the magic of Photoshop allows us to see anything at all.

This is now probably the coolest room in our house.

Cycling to work

Update: now with video!

I cycled to work for the first time today.

When I was a child I probably cycled more than I walked or ran. Cycling was both practical and an enjoyable activity in and of itself, and I was quite the accomplished BMX trickmaster. I guess I stopped using bikes with any regularity when I left the country. The last time I remember using it was to cycle across London whenever I wanted to get from my flat in the far East End to the centre to see a film. Certainly I didn’t use it in Italy. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone cycling in Genoa.

When we came to Brussels we bought new bikes, ostensibly to use with the kids, but in reality we go out once in a blue moon, and we tend to walk/jog alongside them as there’s always one who’s small enough to require regular help of some form or another. I guess this will change over time and when they’re all big and independent enough we can go out en famille.

But today we moved office to another part of town, so instead of taking the metro I cycled. I managed it in 20 minutes, although I was puffing and slowing down considerably by the end. I’m lucky enough that my house and the new office are linked by a straight, flat section of Brussels’ “promenade verte“, a network of cycle/walking paths around Brussels, so I didn’t have to worry about traffic and could cycle in silence through forests and past lakes. This does mean that I lose about 30 minutes of reading time per day, but the physical and mental health benefits more than compensate.

Most of the ride looks like this:

Just don’t expect me to start covering myself head to toe in flourescent lycra.

Cinema weekend

Trips to the cinema, eh? None for ages, and then three come along at once, in the same weekend.

Friday: Magnifica Presenza

This was the opening film of the 12th Mediterranean Film Festival in Brussels. I’d seen a couple of the Turkish/Italian director’s films before (most recently the highly enjoyable Mine Vaganti) so I thought I’d give it a try. It’s an Italian comedy with a supernatural twist, which makes an interesting comparison with the 1961 film Fantasmi a Roma which I saw earlier in the summer. The Italian comedies I’ve seen tend to be a little broader than their French equivalents, but there were some good gags (I liked the snarky Pope joke), sympathetic characters, and some interesting darker undercurrents relating to the loneliness of big city life, gay-bashing, and wartime atrocities. Oh dear, I’m making it sound a bit depressing, aren’t I? Really, it’s lots of fun.

Less fun was the fact that we had to wait almost an hour for the film to start. As part of the “festivities” planned for the opening of the festival, an ear-splittingly loud Macedonian brass band (famously featured in an Emir Kusturica film) took to the stage and proceeded to blast us with their repetitive, tuneless parping for about half an hour, making it virtually impossible to converse with my friend, unless I fancied bellowing directly into his ear, nightclub-style. Then we had to sit through another twenty minutes of waffle from a TV presenter, several local politicians and a couple of random actors and directors who were in the audience and who felt the need to announce to us all how honoured they were to be present and to watch out for their new films due out next year.

Saturday: Le Jour des Corneilles

I took the girls to an afternoon screening on Saturday, while their brother was at a birthday party. I gave them the choice between two recently released French films. They’d already seen one of the Kirikou films, and so were open to the idea of seeing the third in the series, Kirikou et les hommes et les femmes, but in the end plumped for something new: Le Jour des Corneilles. It’s a fairly simple story of a boy and his father living wild in the forest, and of how the boy has to venture into the local village when his father is injured. I loved the look of the film, with what seemed to be visible pencil lines and brush strokes giving it a nice handmade texture. I guess this effect was probably replicated digitally, but still. There also seemed to be a bit of a Miyazaki influence, with the forest and some of its supernatural animal-headed denizens reminding me of Princess Mononoke. The girls loved it, and had no problem with some of the darker moments when the Ogre father’s past is revealed.

This morning I found this version of the trailer with subtitles, so it looks like it might get some kind of English language release.

Sunday: Skyfall

Ah, Mr. Bond. I was never the biggest fan, but I’m always open to the idea of action-packed international thrillers, and I liked the slightly more modern turn the series had taken with Daniel Craig. I still think the series as a whole is far too beholden to its own history and iconic status, and I wish they’d take more risks with it. I really don’t need endless references to earlier episodes in the series (Look, he’s driving an Aston Martin! Just like he did in one of the other films!) cluttering up the story. On the other hand there was a lot to like this time around, from the largely British setting to the more personal stakes involved, both for Bond and M, the efficient but not bloated action scenes, to the hugely enjoyable scenery-chewing performance from Javier Bardem as the villain.

Warning – LARGE SPOILERS HERE:

I was impressed that they’d managed to keep M’s death (and Ralph Fiennes replacing her as M) a secret, but I was slightly disturbed that, of the two main female characters, at the end of the film one of them was dead and the other, an apparently capable, intelligent and interesting field agent played by Naomie Harris, had volunteered to take what appears to be a glorified secretarial job and was revealed to be the new Miss Moneypenny. And people say that Bond is sexist…

End spoilers.

Films I’m hoping to make time for between now and Christmas include Amour, Dredd, Looper, Argo, Premium Rush, The Bay, and Beasts of the Southern Wild.

Lookey-likey

The other day I shared a link on a social networking site relating to Bat For Lashes. A friend commented on how much she looked like an older version of my second daughter, and I had to agree that the resemblance was striking. I showed a picture to the daughter in question and she seemed pleased.

Daughter number one, however, overheard and was keen for me to tell her which celebrity she resembled. Off the top of my head no one came to mind, so I mentioned Amy Adams (whom she’d seen in Enchanted, and liked), and that seemed to placate her.

However today, with a spare ten minutes at work, I looked online to see if there were any sites offering to match my daughter’s face to a famous actress or singer. I uploaded a recent photo and clicked to ask for matches. You can see the results below. I think I’ll stick with Amy Adams for the moment (unless you have any better ideas?).

Meme time

Kathleen tagged me for a meme, asking me to write about five topics of her choosing. I can give you five words if you ask in the comments.

Italy

First visited in January 1999. Lived in Genoa for nine months in 2000-2001. Got married there. Go back at least once a year. Have been to Liguria, Piedmont, Tuscany, Umbria, Lazio, Veneto and Sardinia. Need to get round to visiting the deep south some time soon. Speak the language, like the food, hate the politics. Favourite memory: sitting on the back of my wife’s Vespa, driving along the coast somewhere near Quarto, at sunset.

Children

Never wanted any. Now have three. Funny how things turn out, isn’t it? They’re amusing, and have taught me some things about myself (the limits of my patience, for example).

Career

No plan. Have drifted around from one thing to another. Current employment is safe for as long as I want it (assuming the entire EU doesn’t implode). CV? Freelance camera assistant on various film & TV productions, communications consultancy researcher, manager of digital department in a camera shop, teacher of English as a foreign language, EU affairs consultant, EU civil servant. They give me money, plenty of perks and time off, and unlimited high speed internet access, and regular opportunites to change job and move around, so I can’t complain.

Shoes

I wear slippers indoors. I never wear flip-flops. I can’t wear any shoe that doesn’t have a back to it: they just fall off. I have three or four pairs of nice shoes for work and formal occasions, a similar number of casual, a couple of pairs of sandals and hiking boots. When I went into a shop in Genoa to buy a pair of Fratelli Rossetti for my wedding the shop assistant took one look at me and said “Getting married, are we?”.

Contentment

What makes me content? The usual, simple things. Relaxing with friends and a drink. Book browsing. Watching the kids play, when they manage to do so without arguing. Toast.

Mechelen Toy Museum

A wet Sunday afternoon. The local Indonesian cultural event was a wash-out, so we were looking for some indoor fun. Friends had recommended the Toy Museum in Mechelen, so we headed over with our three kids and visiting friend. Our Technopolis season ticket got us a 50% discout here too, so we only ended up paying 17 Euro for three adults and two kids.

It’s a fairly unpreposessing building, but once you get up the stairs and into the exhibition space it really opens out and is packed with fascinating displays. So much, in fact, that I only have room here for a small selection of photos. You can see them all here.  It starts with 19th century dolls, which manage to be both inspirational in their elaborateness and attention to detail, as well as slightly creepy. I mean, look at this guy’s hair:

Even more creepy, this Neapolitan doll with a damaged eye looks like something out of a period horror film. The fact that these dolls were displayed behind a kind of wire mesh only served to reinforce the idea that they could come to life at any moment and lunge at you, drooling and moaning.

Around a corner things took a turn for the brighter and camper, as we discovered the endlessly amusing world of Barbie and Ken. Love the shorts.

This being Belgium there has to be a section dealing the colonies of the Dark Continent, and I was very taken with these South African dolls. Unfortunately the museum shop didn’t have any for sale.

I never owned a Viewmaster myself, but I remember trying them out every time I saw one in the local toy shop. Hours of fun, gazing at “3D” stills of Mork and Mindy.

The lego section has life-size replicas of Harry Potter and Hagrid, and R2D2 and Darth Vader (minus points for having given him a green lightsaber). And there was a bust of another children’s favourite: Belgian Prime Minister Elio Di Rupo.

After lego came various types of construction kit like Meccano, and this frighteningly austere and serious-looking set from Märklin.

Teddy bear land. Again, this is merely a detail. There were a lot of teddy bears.

I found this display revealing. Three different farm play sets from across the generations, and notice how much simpler, blockier and less detailed it gets.

Again, you can tell we’re in Belgium because the war toy section is dominated by an enormous recreation of the Battle of Waterloo.

On to the massive toy train section (by the way, Dad, we’re bringing you here when you come to visit next weekend). I liked these toy passengers.

And any time I see toy trains I immediately think of this sketch.

Board games, including the never popular Double Entry Book-keeping Game.

Moving up to the third and final floor there was a temporary exhibition on toy fads through the ages, which had plenty of nostalgia hits for all. I used to have an Action Man, although he was never as laid back as this guy in the dinghy.

Spirograph!

Simon! Ok, I never had one of these, but still.

As I said, this is only a taster of this vast and impressive collection, and I’d highly recommend it for anyone who was ever a child. I plan on going back without our little ones for a longer look some time soon.

De Efteling

De Efteling, in the Netherlands, claims to be one of the oldest theme parks in the world. Hard to resist a visit, when it’s a public holiday, the weather’s fine, and you have three children to entertain.

The entrance hall is suitable spooky and impressive.

Equally impressive is the interior of the construction.

This “flying” Pagoda was a good place to start, giving us a view of the whole park, and what strikes you immediately is how green the whole place is.

The attractions are integrated into a huge area of woodland, which not only creates an appropriate fairytale atmosphere, but also provides some much needed shade on hot days. Disneyland in Anaheim, good as it is, lacks this aspect and can at times feel like wandering around a large car park.

Many areas of the park feature strange little baroque buildings through whose windows you can peer to look at, for example, a class of schoolchildren supervised by a frankly terrifying teacher.

No wonder one of the kids has chosen to calm his nerves by surreptitiously taking hits from a bong.

Here’s one of the more distinctive characters, “Long Neck”. Can you guess how he got his name?

There is an interesting section on De Efteling’s wikipedia page about the extent to which Disneyland, which opened three years after the Dutch park, was inspired by it, and confirmation that the designers of Disneyland Paris paid a visit in search of cultural tips. But the influences run both ways: Carnival Festival is clearly a rip-off of homage to “It’s a small world”. Look, the peoples of the world greet you! The wine-drinking, can-can dancing French:

The beer-guzzling Germans:

The Japanese, who all wear glasses and have buck teeth.

And who take part in bizarre, Society-style body-melding sumo.

One of the rides, “Dreamflight”, featured some impressively imaginative and detailed models. Sadly I had neither the time nor the inclination to play with my camera’s manual shutter settings to get some non-motion blurred photos. On the other hand, I got some rather nice impressionistic effects.

The most recent and most spectacular addition is the half-hour show Ravelijn. I’d read about this on another blog last year, and was glad we could make time for it during our visit. Moustachioed, black-hatted villain captures a lovely maiden.

A brief video explains how (as expanded upon in the accompanying TV series) a group of children stumble upon the entrance to the town in an enchanted wood. Once through the portal they are magically transformed into five knights. Here they come!

Oh no, the villain has a secret dragon!

With several heads!

And wings!

And he’s turned one of the peasants into an evil Mini-Me Dragon!

Only by working together as one can the five knights defeat the dragon. Behold its death throes!

Victory!

And the damsel is reunited with her owl.

These are just a fraction of the attractions on offer. Give it a try if you’re in the area, even if you don’t have munchkins in tow.

Toy Story

The Nostalgia Toy Museum in the town of Godshill on the Isle of Wight was quite a trip down memory lane for me. I already knew about their impressive selection of Star Wars memorabilia. Look, the Cantina Playset (lightsaber-severed limbs not included)!

Look, both versions of Snaggletooth! (I used to have the red one, myself).

Ah yes, Princess Leia. Heroine and role model for a whole generation of girls starved of any other female characters in the Star Wars films. Experienced diplomat, courageous Rebel leader…oh wow have you seen what you can do with her hair?!

And then I noticed the non-Lucas items. I used to have one of these Superman dolls (“No, no, it’s an ACTION FIGURE!”). I remember accidentally breaking off one of his arms once (so much for his “invulnerability”) and being so pleased when my Dad fixed it that I left him a thank you note the next morning while he was having a lie-in.

I also had a Hulk, although I don’t think he had this shirt. Note the description “Full of loveable ugliness”.

I never had a Batmobile as far as I can remember. At least, not an Italian one.

Much less a Chinese train which makes an exciting whistle.

It could have been worse. I could have been stuck with having to dress up dolls in swinging ’60s clothes.

And doesn’t “Paul” look happy? Look closer at the booklet, where his ensemble is described as “Motorway Man”. Sounds slightly sinister, if you ask me.

Good old-fashioned entertainment

I recently introduced my children to Star Wars. All three enjoyed it, although my eldest daughter took to it most enthusiastically, bombarding me with questions and spending every spare moment with her nose buried in the Star Wars Visual Dictionary. So far the only criticism they’ve voiced is that there’s only one female character. Strangely they don’t refer to the films by their actual titles, but by their numbers: Star Wars 4, Star Wars 5, etc.  They’ve yet to watch the prequels, although they’re aware of their existence, and they’ll see them some time soon. I’ll be interested to see how they react. I’m sure they won’t complain as much as we first generation fans did.

I’m always slightly surprised when our children enjoy older films; not because I think they’re not as good, but because they’re often quite different from modern films in terms of pacing. Certainly the first Star Wars is amazingly slow and uneventful for the first hour, even in comparison with the other films in the series. This is somewhat reassuring as a parent, as it means that my children have a decent attention span and can cope with films which don’t feel the need to bombard them with something loud or flashy every two minutes.

Daddy, meanwhile, went this past weekend to see another fantasy blockbuster: The Avengers. Despite feeling a bit of superhero movie overload recently I was keen to see this one, mostly because it was written and directed by Joss Whedon, of Buffy and Firefly fame. I was expecting to enjoy it, and it has had good reviews, but still it surprised me with how sheerly entertaining it was, although this may be at least in part a comment on how low our expectations are these days for comic book spectaculars. The film offers FX-filled action on a par with anything in, say, the Transformers films, but manages to find the time to delineate characters and their motivations enough that you actually care about whether or not they make it out of the rubble. It’s also hilariously funny, with Hulk in particular getting some of the biggest laughs. While some comic book films strain for depth and “edginess” by cranking up the angst, violence and pretension, these recent Marvel films manage to be a lot of fun, without tipping over into outright parody.

A couple of small nitpicks, which are slightly spoilerish if you haven’t yet seen the film.

1) A couple of characters spend the first half of the film brainwashed and under the control of the villain. This hold over them is broken by…you guessed it: a blow to the head. Joss Whedon seems to be aware of the ridiculousness of this narrative shortcut, even acknowledging it in the dialogue. When [redacted] asks how [redacted] brought him back to his senses, she replies “I hit you really hard on the head”.

2) The climax uses the same trick as The Phantom Menace (never a good sign): once the mothership is destroyed, all the soldiers conveniently fall over, deactivated. Because the best soldiers are remote-control ones with no autonomy, right?