Summer is here the kids are out of school. Stop. Wait. Back up. The kids have been home for the past three months.
Normally this time of the year we are excited about the weekend and our new summer movies. Summer camp has been canceled or changed to online. Theaters are not even running daytime oldies for summer campers or families to go enjoy for a couple of bucks.
It is said that come July theaters will be opening. At this point, I’ll believe it when I see it. Don’t get me wrong I want theaters back open. I’m dying to get back to going to premieres and doing some PR for Geek Vibes Nation. I’m just not holding my breath.
Like I said it’s been three months now at home with our kids. What’s left to watch? I’ve been trying to tackle this myself. My grandson has Autism, and he doesn’t always sit still through a whole movie. If it’s Pixar, he’s glued to his seat. Show him a live-action film like Dumbo, he left 15 minutes. I’ve had to get creative to keep him busy on rainy days or when I need to work. This is what I’ve come up with.
Young Ones
Some of us are Binge watchers. We have our favorite shows we just can’t get enough of. I’m working on watching one of my favorites “That’s 70’s Show” in the order they were filmed. From 4:30 to 7 p.m. and while cooking dinner that’s my groove. It got me thinking one day. Let’s do that with movies on a rainy day, which we had a lot of this spring.
Since my household is HUGE Pixar fans we started with my favorite series Monster’s Inc. Even though Monsters Inc, came out first we stared with Monsters University. Next up my grandson’s favorite Toy Story. Really this series ties in 1st place with Monsters Inc for me. This series has forever changed the way I look at toys. I can’t throw toys away and I never ever leave Jessie in a box (except for when we moved). The list is endless. Cars, The Incredibles, Wreck-it Ralph, and Shrek.
No time to sit for that many in a row. Just released over the COVID pandemic are some great movies. Onward is Pixar’s new’s release. My grandson has watched it ten times already. Sonic the Hedgehog is another great movie. Our own GVN writer Dillion Gonzales raved about in his review. DOLITTLE is another. Many of the critics didn’t like it, but my family LOVED it. Spies in Disguise with Will Smith even impressed my grandson, not often he sits through something animated.
Big Kids
Mom, I’m bored! My best friend Carol has grandkids 11 and up. We are planning a movie day together. Harry Potter ALL DAY, Hunger Games after that. Another friend of mine said her kids need to be reading this summer. I have an answer to that. Have them read the books first then compare the movies.
Artemis Fowl comes out on Disney + June 12th, 2020. I’m starting the book tonight. My hubby is even looking forward to this. Look for my review in the near future. I will be featuring an opinion on book vs film. Also, I’ll add in my husbands reaction who knows nothing about the book but thinks the series looks good. Holes with Shia LeBeouf is one of my very favorite book to film. Written by Louis Sachar and one of the few films that follow the book almost exactly. They added at the end, but I really loved what they added.
Oldies
You will find that I love all things nostalgic that includes my movies. If you haven’t already introduced your kids to the classics, The Goonies, Gremlins, Jumanji, Ghostbusters now is a great time to do that. The later of those have reboots that are good too. Our own Dom Fisher of GVN said Jumanji: The Next Level is: “Better, Funnier and Harder” than the first.
Recently, remade is the classic novel The Call of the Wild by Jack London. I will tell you NOT to read the book first. The book is a classic but a little too violent in my opinion for kids. But do check out my review. Disney did a great job and made this a film the whole family can watch.
Lastly
Be on the lookout for Drive In’s popping up around the country. Some malls have even taken to showing films in the parking lot. You can bring your own popcorn and snacks. Don’t have time to grab snacks, that’s okay. Some Drive In’s are offering door side delivery to your car because of the pandemic. We didn’t have that when I was growing up. This weekend we are going up to the Blue Ridge Mountains Drive-In to watch Jurassic Park and Jaws on the big screen. On the opposite screen is playing The Lego Movie and The Lego Batman movie. Something for all ages and a whole lot of fun.
My grandpa use to tell me “This too shall pass”. It will and soon enough we will have our theaters open. Until then let’s make the most of what we have.
Questions, comments, kids movie / TV suggestions hit me up.
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Mamma, Mimi, Michele, call out any one of those names and I will answer. There are several hats on my shelf. My passions are photography, being outside, movies, tv, pop culture and anything haunted or spooky. People are my other interest, I love meeting new people and socializing. When I lived in Savannah GA I worked as a tour guide both haunted and historical tours. I met people from all over the world, that was the best part of the job. All of this I can write about too, that’s the beauty of being a writer.