Labyrinth

At the risk of creating great division the most important question we need to get out of the way before we discuss Labyrinth in more detail is "who wore the pirate shirt better?  Jennifer?  Or Bowie?"  The next important question being "why did pirate shirts date badly in real life but not in fantasy movies?"  Oh the dilemmas.

I loved Labyrinth as a kid and wanted to pass this love onto my kids so last rainy Sunday afternoon we settled in.  We didn't do our usual Friday night thing because we wanted number 2 kid to join in.  She watched it all the way though with her fave bits being the baby crawling all over the M. C. Escher inspired stairs and the dog riding the dog.  I know, it's a fox but number 2 is four so I'm going to let it go.  Number 1 kid tapped out about half way through and went and did something else, occasionally turning round to see bits she liked and when asked for her review she said it got a bit boring in the middle and kind of lost the plot.  Plot was less important to me as a child!

Labyrinth tells the story of a teen who gives her baby brother to the Goblin King by mistake and then has to navigate the King's labyrinth to rescue him.  Along the way she gathers a small group of unlikely friends and meets many strange and unusual creatures.  The Jim Henson puppetry and creativeness is breathtaking, almost as breathtaking as Bowie's hairdo.

Rating: Maybe for the younger kid who is less concerned with story and just loves being immersed in a magical world as I did.  We will watch Labyrinth from time to time.

Naughty bits: If you have no objections to numerous fart jokes and other mild potty humour, you will enjoy Labyrinth.  However there are some scenes which might frighten more sensitive kids (a little dark and spooky with "jumpy" bits).  And then there is Bowie's codpiece...

Snacks: Peaches and cream

Family In-quotes: "Who do?" "You do!" "Do what?"  "Remind me of the babe"

Related Goodies:
10 Things you didn't know about Labyrinth 
Jemaine Clement does excellent Bowie 
It's not related, but the Labyrinth board game is a lot of fun

The Truman Show

We weren't sure if the kid would be into this one.  We remembered a lot of talking and not so much action but after hearing quickly what it was about she wanted to give it a go and we were glad we did.  The Truman Show was Jim Carrey's first serious role and showed he could actually act!

Truman Burbank lives an idyllic life on an island off the coast of the United States but little does he realise that his life is lived inside a huge TV set and planned meticulously by a producer who streams his life 24/7 to the world.  The movie depicts what happens as he figures out his life is a lie.  There are moments of heartbreak and quite a few moments of comedy (hey!  It is still Jim!) and it had the kid on the edge of her seat trying to work out how it was all going to end.

There are interesting themes in The Truman Show about the nature of reality, big brother, the ownership of people and deception.  It sparked many jokes in our house about hidden cameras everywhere.


Rating: We rate The Truman Show as a modern day classic.  It is an amazingly crafted movie with a great plot and fascinating characters.  We will watch this again sometime for sure. 

Naughty bits: There is one allusion to sexy times and some mild violence but nothing to worry a kid over 9 years old.  Kids under 9 might find the movie a bit boring though as the themes are a bit over their heads. 

Snacks: Hot Chocolate

Family In-quotes: "Good morning, and in case I don't see ya, good afternoon, good evening, and good night!"

Related Goodies:
Jim Carrey's other standout serious role in a great movie: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (not for kids though!!)
Another movie exploring reality TV which came out a similar time: Ed TV (also not for kids)

Star Trek: The Motion Picture

There are a couple of things we all think of when we think of the 1970's; psychedelic randomness and tight pants.  Star Trek: The Motion Picture does not disappoint on both counts.  We being more a Star Wars than Trek family were new to this universe and went into this movie with fresh eyes knowing little about the characters or setting.  Well I can now see the appeal of Captain Kirk; he was utterly fabulous.  The movie, not so much but was entertaining enough and has rounded out our pop culture education nicely we feel.

Captain Kirk comes out of bureaucracy to captain the Enterprise once again amidst some tension between himself and the new captain.  Despite this they shoot off into space to head off a massive threat to earth where danger and the unknown lurk.  *Spoiler Alert* they do save the day but I missed the last 20 minutes [sleeping] which kind of gives you an idea of the slowness of the proceedings.


Rating: We enjoyed this movie enough but it is quite slow and seemed longer than its 2hr 10min running time.  We wouldn't watch it again but we might try other Star Trek products.  We enjoyed Galaxy Quest (the parody) much better.

Naughty bits: This movie is as clean as Captain Kirk's tennis inspired outfit but there is a disturbing scene early on where the transporters catastrophically fail and you see the people die screaming horribly.  Not too gory but we all knew what was going on.

Snacks: Freeze Dried Icecream

Family In-quotes: "Any show of resistance would be futile, Captain."

Related Goodies:
StarTrek official site
StarTrek wiki