Monthly Archives: June 2020

Belly Laughs with Safety Last

Posted on by

I grew up assuming all black and white movies were boring. Fortunately, through my movie buff husband I’ve learned the error of my ways. I’ve now seen Sunset Boulevard, High Noon, Casablanca, and Arsenic and Old Lace to name a few, and enjoyed them all.

The biggest surprise delight for me was Harold Lloyd’s Safety Last!. I, of course, new Charlie Chaplin was a famous silent film star, but apparently there were loads more including Harold Lloyd.

Safety Last! is a cute romcom about a young man who leaves his small town for the big city. He wants to earn enough money to marry the sweetheart he left behind but finds that’s not as easy of a task as he’d hoped. My young son and I, both skeptics of an old silent film that was made nearly 100 years ago, watched it with my husband recently. We laughed out loud numerous times watching Lloyd’s antics. In fact, I’d never heard my son do deep belly laughs watching a movie. Listening to him and watching the movie was a double pleasure.

If you’re in need of a fun family movie, I highly recommend watching Safety Last!. A benefit of it being from 1923: it’s in the public domain! You can find it for free to view on YouTube:

 

Best Family-Friendly Flicks on hoopla Right Now

Posted on by

With all the streaming services popping up these days, there’s certainly no shortage of shows to choose from for family movie night. Yet one of the challenges of having so. many. options. is knowing what to choose.

Which titles are available on which platform? What’s streaming for free and what requires a paid subscription? Which options are family-friendly? And if something says it’s “family-friendly,” is it appropriate for your family?

GPL patrons with Evergreen accounts can stream thousands of titles for free using hoopla. If you’ve never used hoopla before, or you’ve used it mostly for audiobooks & ebooks, now is a great time to check out their available films.

Here are a few of the best family-friendly flicks you can access on hoopla right now. I’ve included the MPAA rating for each film, as well as Common Sense Media’s (https://www.commonsensemedia.org/) age rating, to help you determine whether a title is appropriate for your family.

Happy streaming!

It Takes Two – PG, 5+

Although Elizabeth, of Marvel Cinematic Universe fame, may be the better known Olsen these days, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen churned out a plethora of family-friendly flicks in the 90s, with this title being arguably one of their better offerings. It’s predictable, yet sweet.

 

 

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang – G, 6+

It doesn’t get much more wholesome than this silly, whimsical ride from 1968. Fun fact: The screenplay was written by beloved children’s author Roald Dahl.

 

 

 

Heidi – NR, 7+

This warm-hearted remake of the classic children’s tale is absolutely gorgeous to watch. Please note that this is a German production that is dubbed for English-speaking audiences.

 

 

Anne of Green Gables: The Good Stars – NR, 7+

Though this is the second film in a trilogy based on the work of L.M. Montgomery, you don’t have to have previous knowledge of the subject matter to enjoy this joyful, sweet film. Anne is a great role model for young viewers, and the fact that she has several mature, responsible adults to go to for advice is a refreshing change from most coming-of-age films. (The third film in the series, Fire and Dew, is also available.)

 

All Dogs Go to Heaven – G, 8+

As someone who loved this movie as a kid but hadn’t seen it in decades, some of the behavior (drinking, smoking, and a horrible, though thankfully brief, racist caricature) was shocking to see in a kids’ movie. Overall it’s still an enjoyable film, though, and these moments provide parents an opportunity to open discussions with children about what is and is not appropriate behavior.

 

Ella Enchanted – PG, 8+

A fun, fairy tale-inspired romp about a young woman cursed to do whatever she’s told. The star-studded cast and fun musical numbers should keep the whole family entertained.

 

 

The Black Stallion – G, 8+

The shipwreck that opens the film may be harrowing for young viewers. Otherwise, this tale about a young boy who befriends the horse that saved his life is as wholesome and heartwarming as the classic novel from which it was adapted.

 

 

Harriet the Spy – PG, 9+

This book-turned-movie has some tough to watch bullying scenes, some of which feature the protagonist herself as the perpetrator. But, by the end of the film, everyone has (mostly) learned their lesson. Plus, Michelle Trachtenberg is charming as Harriet, and many parents will find the 90s kid culture nostalgic.

 

 

If I Had Wings – PG, 11+

I was surprised by how much I thoroughly enjoyed this underdog tale about two unlikely friends overcoming a physical disability while navigating common problems kids face like bullying, strained parental relationships, and finding their identity. This film is better suited to older kids thanks to some language and allusions to racism.

 

13 Going on 30 – PG-13, 12+

This Jennifer Garner-led film is a delightful revisiting of the ‘kid in an adult body’ trope in the style of Big or Freaky Friday. Though there are some adult situations and innuendo you may not want younger viewers exposed to, it’s worth a watch with older kids for the soundtrack alone (and that “Thriller” dance scene).

 

 

For more info on how Hoopla works, check out our page (http://www.greenwoodlibrary.us/stream-hoopla).

 

 

Ways to Have a Better Conversation

Posted on by

We live in a very polarized society.  It seems like everyone has an opinion, and very strong ones at that about the social and political topics that have been in the news.  I found a great resource for how to engage with others, especially those that have differing opinions. Celeste Headlee, a journalist and author, gives a very short TED Talk, 10 Ways to Have a Better Conversation. It is from a few years ago but it is just as relevant today as it was in 2015.  Good conversation is key to all aspects of our lives, be it social, political or just every day relational.

Click here to view this video on the Ted Talk webpage.

If you’d like to learn more, check out Celeste Headlee’s book We Need to Talk : How to Have Conversations That Matter which we have here at GPL.

Re-learning History

Posted on by

As this insane year, which we are somehow halfway through, continues on its path of crazy, I have found myself searching for answers. Sometimes it can be hard to find the truth within the media and sometimes even within our history books. Perhaps it’s because I wasn’t paying enough attention in school, but there is so much about history that I don’t remember learning.

So lately I’ve been trying to educate myself with movies, documentaries, and of course books about the current climate we’re in and how we got here. Several digital platforms have made content available to stream free online for others like me who want to learn. Here are a few:

 

Netflix: 

13th

Strong Island

 

Criterion Collection: 

Cane River

Daughters of the Dust

Black Panthers

 

Amazon:

The Hate U Give

Marshall

Selma

Just Mercy

Ali

Harriet

 

Showtime: 

16 Shots

 

And make sure to check out Kanopy & Hoopla, free with your library card!

Kanopy & Hoopla:

I Am Not Your Negro

Toni Morrison: Pieces I Am

Who’s Streets

White Like Me

 

Most of these platforms have tons more to watch if you purchase their subscriptions, or get a free trial! And make sure to check out this list of Books on Race @ GPL for more learning opportunities!

Interactive Movie: Toy Story

Posted on by

Toy Story has long been one of my favorite Pixar movies.  There’s just something about the  toys coming to life and their endearing and hilarious friendships that offers a bit of magic.  That’s why we picked it for one of our virtual programs this summer!  While it would have been even MORE fun having everyone at the library for our interactive movie experience, putting together goody bags and scripts for an at-home adventure was exciting as well.

In case you missed the program and would like to recreate it on your own, here’s the props and prompts (with some alternative suggestions) we offered to the participants.

 

ITEMS

The list of supplies seems a little odd until you’ve read the script below.  I promise it will all make sense!  The bold face items are what we supplied for the program, but I’ve also included some suggestions that you might have sitting around the house as substitutes.

Kazoos (You can hum along, play a tambourine, use a pan as a drum, or any other fun musical instrument you can imagine!)

Cotton balls (Rolled up socks or handkerchiefs would work great too!)

Hand clappers (Just wave or shake your hands!)

Bags of chips (OR another potato item of your choice!)

Balloon (Make wings with your arms and run around the room!)

Birthday party hat (OR general festive headwear! You could also roll up a colorful piece of paper into a cone shape.)

Flying frogs (Wind up toys moving toward the TV screen would work as well!)

Paper Airplane (Any paper will do!)

Mini Slinky Dink (I can’t really think of an alternative for this one except maybe folding paper accordion style)

 

THE SCRIPT

There are two types of actions in the script :

RECURRING are actions that you’ll do EVERY time they occur in the movie, while ONE-TIME actions occur only once.  To make things easy, ONE-TIME actions are prompted in order by scene.  Words in ITALICS are from the supply list so get them ready!

 ** Note: It’s TOTALLY cool to skip through the scary parts!  Fast forward, take a time out for a snack, or have the kids brush their teeth for bed before continuing on with the movie!

 

RECURRING

 Mr. Potato Head speaks—Eat some chips

 Little Bo Peep speaks—Yell, “BAAA!” and throw a cotton ball in the air

 Slinky Dog talks – Play with your mini slinky dink

 We see army men marching — Stand and march around the room

 Buzz speaks— Yell, “To infinity and beyond!” and put arm in the air.

 We see Sid—Yell, “BOOO!”

 We see Scud the dog—BARK!

 

ONE-TIME

 When “You’ve Got a Friend in Me” plays— Play along on your kazoo

 During Andy’s birthday party scene—Put on your hat and play Happy Birthday on kazoos

 When Buzz flies around the room—Blow up a balloon and let it fly around the room

 When Woody asks, “Who’s got my hat?”—Yell, “I DO!” and throw your party hat at the screen

 When rock music plays at the pizza delivery car— Stand and play air guitar

 When we see the aliens in the claw machine—Repeat “THE CLAW” and “OOOOOO”

 When Woody tells Buzz to use karate-chop action—Stand and do some karate

 When Buzz flies off the railing—Throw your paper airplanes at the screen

 When Woody says, “…give me a hand!”— Shake your hand clappers

 When Sid is setting off the rocket—Countdown with Sid “10, 9, 8…”

 When toys begin to attack Sid—Send your flying frogs toward the front of the room

 During the Christmas scene—All sing Jingle Bells

 

Have fun!