I like to watch Archives - Don't Mind the Mess

Queue-Worthy Shows For Kids

Posted on March 13, 2013 by Jess • 15 Comments

If you let your kids watch TV, you have a really big learning curve to deal with. There are SO MANY SHOWS. Just on PBS you’ve got loads and loads. Sid the Science Kid, Dinosaur Train, Sesame Street, Curious George, Martha Speaks, The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That, etc. etc. etc.

If you get Netflix Instant Streaming, you not only have all those shows to deal with, you have this huge archive of shows you have never heard of anywhere. Shows from other countries, shows that have long since disappeared, and you never quite know what you’re getting into. So I’m sharing a little bit of what we’ve learned.

The Good

Harry the Bunny is a favorite that I’m always happy to let Graham watch. It has short segments, it’s geared towards young children, it addresses simple concepts and the bunny is cute. It’s pretty perfect for 3-year-olds and Graham has taken to repeating it. “Some apples are read and some apples are green!” (It also has him regularly requesting apples and carrots in his lunch. Score.) The makers of Harry also have several other offerings good for the littler folks that still entrance Graham, such as Color Inspirations, Art and Music and Eebee’s Adventures. (The last one is just babies playing. It’s full of great ideas for entertaining babies and toddlers.)

Taratabong: The World of the Meloditties is originally from Italy, and hopefully that explains the unfortunate title. But I find it charming. The characters are all musical instruments who do not talk but play music. It has a single speaking narrator whose voice is not irksome. The stories are short and simple and good for little ones.

Bo on the Go is originally from Canada and it’s basically a better version of Dora. It has all the talk-to-the-tv stuff, but Bo encourages kids to run and jump to give her energy. It’s got fun, fantastic stories but still has enough routine to it that it’s good for the littler set.

The Tolerable

Mighty Machines is another Canadian effort, this one from around 1990 or so, by the looks of it. It is not my favorite of this bunch and I can’t label it as “good,” but it’s perfect for kids with car/train/truck/vehicle/tractor/boat/etc. obsessions. There are annoying voices and such, but if you put it on mute it’s literally just vehicles doing stuff. Buses going down streets. Trains going down tracks.

Angelina Ballerina may have inspired Graham’s pink shoe obsession. While I find it just… I don’t know, weird, there’s not a lot out there featuring dancing mice in tutus. So it definitely fills a niche. There are several different episodes available.

The Bad

One of Graham’s new favorites that makes me kind of insane is Police Patrol, which is originally a Norwegian film. It’s about a talking police car, so of course Graham likes it, but it also has a super annoying otter, a plot that I still can’t really figure out and makes me kind of crazy.

Educational doesn’t equal entertaining. The LeapFrog videos (Graham prefers PhonicsFarm, but there are many more) have horrible voices and while they teach lots of letters and numbers and such, I find their songs to be the opposite of catchy and not terribly helpful. It’s hard to say no to education, but there’s got to be a better way.

The Little Engine That Could appears to be a straight-to-video release, at least I hope it is because I would’ve walked out of the theater if I’d paid for it. It doesn’t have the really terrible animation some of these others have, it’s just run of the mill boring, lazy and ugh.

The Wheels on the Bus defies explanation. We turned it on because it’s Graham’s favorite song. And it appeases him because they sing it in each of the 3 episodes. It has pretty low production values (a story with fairies in the 3rd episode appears to be put on by a local dance class, there are sock puppets, the animation is… well, it’s about what I’d put together and I am not talented). And yet it has Roger Daltrey voicing a giant plush dragon. WHY, ROGER, WHY? I would avoid this one if possible because it is like crack for your children and the songs are undeniably catchy. You do not want to find yourself singing them at all hours.

Fireman Sam was tolerable in its old claymation form. But the new horrifically computer animated ones are beyond the pale. It sounds Welsh, and I’d only recommend it if you enjoy annoying red-haired children, fire trucks and listening to Welsh accents.

The Ugly

I am sad to report the existence of a film called Bratz: Super Babyz. I did not turn this on for Graham the first time. But once someone did it now shows up in our Recently Watched queue and Graham has a bizarre thing for it. HATE HATE HATE HATE.

So, I know a lot of you have strong opinions on kid shows on Netflix and I’m sure there’s stuff I haven’t gotten to yet. Share the good and the bad, please!!

Tags: I like to watch, parenting • 15 Comments

Movie Review: Flight with Denzel Washington

Posted on November 2, 2012 by Jess • 1 Comment

While I was waiting for the screening of Flight to start, I was looking at the movie posters on the walls in the hallways at the theater. In particular I noticed Dances With Wolves. Remember that movie? Remember how huge that movie was? Everyone saw it! And it wasn’t really an action movie. There weren’t machines or robots or explosions or super heroes. But everyone saw it.

I thought to myself that they don’t really make movies like that much anymore. Movies that are long and meandering, that are more about internal struggles than external ones. But in the 90′s, man everyone loved those movies. Those big event dramas.

It turned out to be a relevant train of thought because Flight is a hybrid of sorts between that big-event drama of the 90′s and the big-action blockbuster of the 21st century. It’s not surprising that it’s coming from Robert Zemeckis, who also brought us similar big-event dramas like Forrest Gump and Cast Away. This definitely continues in the same vein as those movies, even though the subject matter is all light years away from each other.

If you like those movies, Flight is a good bet for you. If you are drawn to Flight because you’ve seen the pretty awesome plane crash stuff from the trailer, you’ll find yourself in a very different movie 30 minutes in.

The trailer for this movie isn’t exactly misleading. It does tell you what the movie’s about. But while the movie has incredibly powerful moments that are intense and visually incredible, the majority of the movie is a quieter story. “A human story,” the director said when he spoke about the film. And he’s really right.

Flight is about a plane crash. And it is about an investigation. But this movie is about the pilot as a man. He’s a terrible person who just happens to be a hero.

Let me tell you some of the things I really enjoyed about this film:

A strong performance by Denzel Washington. I like that he chooses a lot of different kinds of roles. This is a great choice: he gets to be “Denzel” and ooze charisma for portions of the movie, but he also gets to be the kind of sad sack I don’t remember seeing him as before. It’s also nice to see an actor getting older who’s not desperately trying to play young man roles anymore. With a different actor and without the big plane crash, this could’ve been a little melancholy indie about addiction. But Denzel makes you invest in and root for this guy even though you’re always angry and frustrated with him, too.

The entire cast is really strong and well put together. And I must say how refreshing and wonderful it is to see a cast with so many people of color in a movie that has nothing to do with race and never once mentions it. The movie business these days tends to feel like it’s divided into “black” movies and “white” movies too often.

It’s beautifully shot, some amazing visual sequences.

The plane crash is, well, intense. Really impressively done.

It was filmed in Atlanta, so I had several fun moments where I recognized a scene. (No, Nicole didn’t really work at Peach State Drugs or whatever it was called. But it was a Kroger on the South end of Buckhead in the same strip mall where I took my first knife skills class. And I’m pretty sure several scenes were shot in the Marriott Marquis downtown where Eric and I once had an anniversary dinner with some great steaks and a giant piece of chocolate cake.)

As for the stuff I didn’t love as much, it pretty much comes down to one thing which is something that I look for in film: Structurally I found the movie was off. When you start with a big huge set piece and then turn into a tiny little personal film, it’s disorienting. I feel like the crash would’ve worked better as the center of the film. It did feel like it dragged some as the story went on.

But, full disclosure, I’m one of those people who had similar feelings about those big 90′s dramas. I didn’t really like most of them. (Yes, that’s right, I said it.) If you did, this movie is probably a good fit for you.

A quick note on the rating: This is not a “hard R” in the way people typically think of it. But if you’re one of those people who’s not normally an R-rated moviegoer, I’ll let you know that the nudity is not just someone’s-butt-in-a-hospital-gown nudity (though there is that). There is extended full-frontal nudity. There is also a significant amount of drug use and language.

I attended a preview screening of Flight, which does not require a paid ticket.

Tags: I like to watch, reviews • 1 Comment

Rose Shmose

Posted on January 17, 2012 by Jess • 4 Comments

As I write this, I’m assuming The Bachelor is on. Because my Twitter feed is full of Bachelor tweets.

I understand the urge to watch really bad television. We all have our guilty pleasures. (I have started watching Grey’s Anatomy again after previously quitting it on more than one occasion, so it’s not like I can throw stones.)

Here is the thing I don’t get about this show:

I know we all know that the women on these shows are just fame-whores. We all can agree, yes?

But despite that, I have trouble believing that not one of them meets the guy and is like… meh. Not my type.

I imagine myself as one of those Bachelorettes, having 20 men to meet. Maybe they’ve seen my picture. Maybe they’ve been pre-screened to make sure they’re attracted to someone like me. Maybe they’re all desperate for some time on television.

But I simply can’t believe that not one of those men would be like, “This is fun and all and I get that they’re giving us free booze and you seem nice, but I’m just not feeling it.”

What do they do to get these women to stay? Is there some kind of indentured servitude involved?

And how does anyone feel ready to commit to someone who was dating other women up until the last minute of the show?

These seem to me less-than-stellar conditions.

And I get the reality-show-ness of it. But it’s not like people get handed a rose and then go on to fame and fortune.

Are these women brainwashed? Or from another planet? Don’t they realize they have a better chance of meeting a guy at the grocery store than they do on a tv show? And they know that whatever money they get, that they’ll forever be google-able as a desperate woman from a reality show?

These are the things I wonder.

And this is why I can’t watch TV dating shows. My brain asks too many questions.

Can you all tell that the boredom is getting to me? I just wrote a post about THE BACHELOR. What will become of me?

Tags: I like to watch, the horror • 4 Comments

You Will Like It Because I Said So

Posted on November 30, 2011 by Jess • 5 Comments

I have long believed that for most of us, parenting is just as much about ourselves as it is about our kids.

Long before Graham was born or conceived, long before I met and married Eric, long before I was anywhere near ready to have kids, I had already made plans for them. I knew what books I wanted to read to them. I knew what movies I wanted them to grow up watching. And they were, of course, all the things I loved when I was little.

When I was still in school I bought my pretty old-school hardcover copy of From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E Frankweiler because I am that crazy. It will be YEARS before Graham can read that book, and I’ve already had it for nearly a decade. During that same shopping trip I bought Adventures of Frog and Toad, which at least is a book for little kids. (I was fascinated with these books as a kid and I wasn’t surprised as an adult to find that these stories are used to teach children philosophy.)

I at least waited a little while before I bought a Little Bear book. I still need to get my absolute favorite, Little Bear’s Visit, which contains a story with a goblin that scared me to death but that I requested constantly anyway.

Since Graham was born we’ve freely indulged in buying books WE like, though we do occasionally cave and let him get something he’s interested in.

All this nostalgia stuff has been very close to the surface as I have watched everyone and their dog go see The Muppets this past week. We, of course, have not gone because that would require time and a babysitter and money. All things we are rather short on.

But I did take advantage of the reminder to watch a bunch of old Muppet videos and expose the Bug to them. Because he must love the things I love because he is mine. Right?

While perusing I found this video which instantly hit me right in the gut the way something you particularly cherished but whose existence is buried deep in your brain so you forgot about it does.

I’ve seen the movie Hans Christian Andersen that the song comes from. My parents had us watch all the Danny Kaye movies in the same way I suspect I will make Graham watch them all, too. As a child, the Inchworm song ran through my head all the time and it’s this particular version I would hear, not the one from the movie. Hearing it again was like, “Whoa.” It was like the time I caught this particular smell of wild blueberries and suddenly recalled being very very small and out berry-picking in a field. (I am still not sure if this is real. It had such a vivid yet hazy and sun-dappled quality that it could’ve been a very old memory or a dream.)

What is it that you love from your childhood that you intend to pass down to the next generation?

Tags: I like to watch, parenting • 5 Comments

Oh So DVR-Worthy

Posted on November 17, 2011 by Jess • 5 Comments

The world is a wonderful place, especially in terms of television these days. I’ve never watched so many shows, and they’ve never been so…. well… good. I no longer have to rely on crappy TV. It’s amazing.

Not that I don’t watch any crappy TV.

Nobody really took my advice from last season. Nathan Fillion still only plays one role on Castle. Foreman is still alive on House (and they got rid of Thirteen when I was FINALLY coming around to liking her). And I am THIS close to quitting Glee. I honestly don’t know why I watch it when there’s so much better stuff on.

american horror story17 Oh So DVR Worthy

Right now I am loving American Horror Story, which is hands-down the most bizarre television show ever and yet I adore every minute of it. And I’m not kidding about the bizarre part. I don’t think they follow any rules, there’s no continuity and things just happen cuz… well… they do. Twin Peaks watches this show and thinks, “Why didn’t I think of that?” (Although let’s give Twin Peaks its due for the backwards-talking little person. That was messed up.) If Jessica Lange doesn’t leave this season with an Emmy, something is so wrong with the world. The woman is EPIC. It’s some old school Joan-Crawford-style scenery chewing going on and I love it.

It’s also amazing to me that good shows are becoming popular. When did this start happening? 30Rock is still on the air!

Another example is The Good Wife, which I’ve watched devotedly since it first came on the air. There are lots of lawyer shows. And, well, I’m a lawyer, so I tend to be pretty picky. But this is my favorite. It’s not that it’s any more accurate. Their trials still happen within a week or so of arrest. Discovery rules seem awfully weird. What saves it is that they find cases that are INTERESTING and unusual. Little quirks of law. Civil. Criminal. International. Political. They manage to cover a variety of angles. And they get some stuff really right when it comes to working with judges and opposing counsel.

While I am not a fan of their new “sexy” marketing, I absolutely love their casting. They have the best guest stars around (or at least, they tie with American Horror Story, which isn’t too shabby either). Because law can be a small world, they cycle in some of the same judges and lawyers. Michael J. Fox plays an is-he-a-jerk-or-isn’t-he lawyer who uses his disability to get maximum pity from juries. Mamie Gummer works her ditzy-girl act like a charm to get judges wrapped around her finger until she unleashes some seriously amazing cross. And there is, of course, the fabulous Martha Plimpton who is about as cold-blooded and fierce as they come, even when massively pregnant. Oh, and adding Alan Cumming as a series regular was an excellent decision. I loved the episode with Parker Posey as his ex-wife.

100929 D0228b Oh So DVR Worthy

I recently read an article that claimed The Good Wife needed to lose the cases and stick to the drama. Which means they don’t get this show at all. The mix of procedure and story is done so well and they’re able to draw out some impressively long storylines. It keeps a lot of suspense going throughout the season.

Oh, and did I mention it also has Christine Baranski? And the guy who played Knox Overstreet in Dead Poets Society who will always be Knox Overstreet to me no matter what other roles he plays?

But enough dishing about The Good Wife, which I am thankful to everyone out there for watching so it stays on the air.

: I love you, Knox Overstreet!

Because I have a job for all of you. You need to watch Prime Suspect and you need to watch it now.

Am I a sucker for cop shows just like I’m a sucker for lawyer shows (and doctor shows)? Yes. But I will happily quit the bad ones and keep the good ones. And, plain and simple, Prime Suspect is THE best cop show on TV. The best by so far that it’s laughable.

I was skeptical. I was super skeptical. I’ve seen several of the BBC’s Prime Suspect runs with Helen Mirren. And Maria Bello seemed too pretty and cool for it.

20110923145737!Prime Suspect US promo Oh So DVR Worthy

But they’ve done a great job of keeping the basics but letting the show adapt on its own. Maria Bello’s Jane Timoney is lovably prickly and kind of a mess. She wears weird clothes. She doesn’t wear makeup. And she’s still dealing with the backlash from sleeping with one of her superiors. Her co-workers don’t really like her, and she doesn’t do herself any favors by regularly being standoffish and mean.

And yet she’s awesome. I love her. I love her individuality.

The show is more than Timoney, of course. The actors are all really good. The cops on the team are developing a dynamic where they are friendly and competitive and harsh and it works. The plots don’t have to be crazy or twisty. Sometimes the killer is the most obvious suspect. (Since when did you see that happen on a cop show recently?) The fun is watching the cops go through the process.

The show is wry and funny and I am pretty much always in the mood for it.

And it is DYING, you guys. It’s dying a slow death and there’s no word yet if NBC is going to keep it around. So go watch it. There are a bunch of episodes online and they are great. And I bet you will come around on Maria Bello and love her as much as I do.

What shows are you loving lately? What do you want everybody to get on board with? And how shall we all pass the time until Mad Men comes back next year???

Tags: I like to watch • 5 Comments

Elephants Never Forget, But I Do

Posted on November 2, 2011 by Jess • 9 Comments

One of the selfish joys of parenting is introducing your kids to stuff you love. You get to see something you love, you get to see your kid enjoy it… or you get to see your kid cast it aside as not worth their time.

The Bug’s earliest introductions to movies were all Pixar and Miyazaki. Yes, I am an animation snob. I love them, and if I have to sit through kid-friendly entertainment it might as well be something I enjoy.

Now that Graham is older and starting to branch out, he likes to have a wide variety to choose from. So I try to scout out things that will appeal to his current interests. Or things that will distract him from his current interests.

So I would love to tone down the trains. I hate Thomas. Not just because it’s all trains all the time, but because all the trains are big fat jerks who are all mean to each other. The simplest alternative is animals. The Bug can make all the animal sounds and is getting better at identifying animals by name.

It was with this mindset that I figured I’d try introducing the Bug to Dumbo. I’d grown up with it. It has all kinds of animals. And (bonus!) there’s a train. Oh, and there are lots of baby animals. We are really pushing “baby” right now. Since we’re expecting one and all. The Bug has learned that there is a baby in my belly and he will pat it and say, “Hi, baby.” He points at babies he sees and says, “Baby.” He has a baby doll and one of his programs in therapy involves hugging and kissing the baby doll. So Dumbo is perfect, right?

Not so much.

If you haven’t watched Dumbo recently, let me fill you in.

It’s only an hour long and it goes basically like this.

2 minutes of credits

1 adorable song with storks and all kinds of baby animals that is soul-meltingly sweet

5 minutes of stork delivering baby elephant to Mrs. Jumbo.

And then there’s far too many minutes of gut-wrenching awfulness.

Elephants are mean to Dumbo.

Black workers sing a song about working and then wasting their money. They don’t have any faces. Ah, Disney racism.

Kids are mean to Dumbo.

Dumbo’s mom is taken away.

Dumbo cries.

Dumbo destroys the elephant act at the circus and is officially rejected by the elephants.

Dumbo is sad.

Dumbo gets brought in to the clown act. The clowns are mean to Dumbo.

Dumbo visits his mother who is chained up and cannot see him. Mothers everywhere sob their eyes out.

More clown mean-ness.

Dumbo gets drunk and hallucinates for 10 minutes. (A BABY gets DRUNK. BABY! DRUNK!)

The hungover Dumbo meets some crows, who are yet another example of classic Disney racism. The crows are mean to Dumbo.

And then for 5 minutes Dumbo flies and is happy.

So basically, you’ve got maybe 15 happy minutes in a 60 minute movie. (And that’s a stretch.)

But I haven’t been able to cut the Bug off from Dumbo.

Because he calls it, “Baby.” It is too adorable. I must give in.

The moral of the story is don’t trust your memory. All I remembered of Dumbo was storks, babies, flying elephants, and a circus. You may want to invest a little time in those movies you remember so fondly to re-watch before you find yourself subjected to them constantly.

What have you introduced to your kids that you regretted?

Tags: Grammer, I like to watch, parenting • 9 Comments

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