Paper Towns: Not Really for Parents

Can you like a movie when you disagree with the behavior of the characters?

In Paper Towns (2015 PG-13), directed by Jake Schreier, a group of high school seniors search for a friend who left clues to her whereabouts.

I like seeing the depth of the friendship between the boys (from right) Quentin (Nat Wolff), Radar (Justice Smith), and Ben (Austin Abrams).  They have been together since they were little, and have an easy rapport.  Good acting, good dialogue when they are together.  At one point they break out in song, and although I have no idea what they are singing, the fun they have while singing it makes me happy for them.

As a parent, I couldn’t stand the other parts of the movie.

The Girls

Just because the girls are pretty, the boys do bizarre things for them.  I had to lean over and whisper to my teenage daughters several times and tell them never to act like that.  Yes, you can see someone roll their eyes at you in a darkened theater.

The Parents

Does it tell you something when I cannot find any studio photos of the parents in the movie?

The girl everyone is searching for (Cara Delevingne) has run away over the years, just for the adventure of it all.  She always leaves clues to let people know she is okay.  Her parents (Susan Macke Miller and Tom Hillmann) have a brief scene with the police where they say she can just stay away if she wants, because they are tired of her leaving all the time.  I completely agree, but the audience is supposed to think they are uncaring.

The other parents are barely there, and only cause embarrassment for their teens.

Are you a parent, or a teen?  Do you have to be a teen to like the movie?

Newsies: A Movie for Labor Day

Whatever your view on the current state of labor unions, you must agree that a century ago labor unions were essential in helping the little guy.

To celebrate Labor Day weekend, watch Newsies (1992, PG), a musical based on the 1899 news paper boy strike.

Yes, that is a young Christian Bale (with red scarf) as the star of this musical.

Watch the trailer below.  It conveys the drama and excitement of the movie quite well.

A generation of kids grew up watching Newsies.  They missed the great musicals of the 1950’s, such as Oklahoma and Singing in the Rain, but may have watched The Sound of Music with their parents on TV.

Newsies was their musical, in which kids just like them sang and danced and beat the grown ups.  These kids grew up, and ran dance studios, and had the next generation of kids performing to Newsies.

Wanna know where the cast from Newsies is today?  It’s all here.

What’s your favorite scene from Newsies?

War Room: The Power of Prayer

Gather your church friends.  You know, the ones who raise their hands and say “Amen”.  Go see War Room together.

I did.  So did everyone else in our theater opening weekend.  We talked to the screen.  We burst into applause several times during the movie.  Some quoted scripture along with the actors.  Many had tears in their eyes.

War Room (2015 PG) is created by Alex Kendrick and Stephen Kendrick, brothers who have released many movies for a Christian audience.  Each one gets better, with stronger acting, better dialogue, and higher production values.

Elizabeth (Priscilla C. Shirer) argues so much with her husband that she forgets about her daughter (Alena Pitts).

Tony (T. C. Stallings) spends more time at work than with his family.

This family is on the brink of crisis, until Elizabeth meets Miss Clara (Karen Abercrombie).  She guides Elizabeth on how to pray for her family.  Of course, it isn’t as simple as that, and the road to joy is not smooth.

Skip the trailer and just go see this powerful movie.