VACATION 2017: WEDNESDAY movies

The drive in (iconic Mission Drive In theater on southside San Antonio Texas) Taken by Joe Diaz on December 13, 2015; from flickr.com CC 2.0 license. https://www.flickr.com/photos/blackroompictures/23105587094/

EARNED RUNS 2017 VACATION. LET’S ALL GO TO THE MOVIES. Last year Earned Runs featured science fiction movies as a fun option for Science Friday activities. There were several lists of SciFi films judged by various review sites to be the BEST over the decades, starting on some lists in the 1930’s.  If scary movies appeal to you check out the VACATION WEEK 2016 post.
 
THIS year ER is suggesting that Wednesday, clearly falling midweek and not occupying a potential weekend date slot, is a great day to see a classic kid flick that even adults can enjoy. There are a number of lists with a delightful title that goes something like, “movies to watch before you turn… (fill in the age) 12, 13, 14.”  These lists seem to be an improvement on the “bucket list” versions that focus on what to do before life’s end.
 
Of the lists that came up in an internet search (see other links below), the one from Parenting Magazine is the most original. There are more than a few films on it that don’t appear on any other compilation.  It may be difficult to find these older films with living actors however.  The other lists are often populated almost entirely by animated feature films well known to most movie-goers.
 
Viewing options include:
1. Seeing movies in a theater or a big screen. Local theaters and chains may have summer specials aimed at entertaining the younger set and their older chaperones at reduced prices. Cities and vacation towns may do this by sponsoring outdoor movie nights. Go out of your way to find a drive-in theater!
 
2. Playing a hard copy on your own equipment. Public libraries might have some hard-to-find/hardcopy titles but a library card is needed to check them out. Best to search local libraries before getting on the road if traveling to a vacation spot. Secure the appropriate equipment for viewing tapes or DVD’s too. It may be possible to find some of the older movies at a video rental brick-and-mortar store.
 
3. Downloads from online sites. This option provides less of a throwback experience than the others. However, some movies might only be found in this manner. Check out the IMDb.com website if this method will work best for you.
 
One reason to watch these movies with kids: “going out to play’ is demonstrated in those which are not cartoons. Children have an opportunity to see what parents mean about how much fun it can be to go outside, assemble the neighborhood gang, dream up an exploration or play a physical game. Boredom is oftentimes the stimulus for the best movie adventures, NOT A SMARTPHONE APP GAME.  These movies also show that, in a group of social ‘misfits’, everyone is able to contribute to the fun.  The Parenting Magazine (PM) list includes films with people of diverse backgrounds, a potential learning device.
 
One reason to watch without children: adults can re-think our grown-up lives.  Perhaps there are opportunities to re-charge that kid movies can model for us.  Maybe we can learn again how to look for and find magic in everyday life. Encountering magical forces in unexpected places is a plot-line of many most-loved kid movies.
 
Enjoy the movies, and even some popcorn and candy treats on vacation; escape from everyday worries, if only briefly.
 
RUN AND VACATION HAPPY!
 
20 Best Movies for Families by Parenting Magazine (at a glance; click the link former info)
http://www.parenting.com/gallery/best-movies-for-families

Goonies (10+)
Pollyanna
Land Before Time
Newsies
The Ghost and Mr. Chicken
Akeelah and the Bee
The Point
The Sandlot
Spirited Away
The Gods Must Be Crazy I and II
Are We There Yet?
Blank Check
The Watcher in the Woods (safely spooky)
Little Manhattan
The Time Machine
Harvey
Wall-e
Chicken Run
Triplets of Belleville (French but not dialogue!)
Selena

A few that didn’t make the PM list that are personal favorites: BIG (1988); Wizard of Oz (a bit scary; 1939); American Tail (1986), Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001).

https://celebrationcinema.com/freekidflicks
 
https://www.commonsensemedia.org/lists/50-movies-all-kids-should-watch-before-theyre-12
  
https://www.intofilm.org/msm