Avatar Review: NOT Family Friendly

I did something last week that I haven’t done for a long time. Thank heavens for anonymous blogging, or I’d be too embarrassed to admit it:

I walked out of a movie!

Went to see Avatar*, and was completely shocked at how much graphic nudity that film was able to show with a PG-13 rating. It made me so uncomfortable that I walked out (without asking for a refund; I won’t blame the theater for my standards).

• Yes, the nudity was animated, but I don’t think animated child pornography should be legal (and it is, because it is “just a cartoon”), so I’m trying to be consistent here.

• Yes, the film portrays an indigenous people, so it is like National Geographic images, but UNLIKE National Geographic, this film’s women ALL had perky, 15 year-old bodies (even the aged medicine woman) as opposed to National Geographic’s portrayal of authentic women’s bodies.
• This movie also features a sex scene between two of the indigenous people, which is also something you wouldn’t see in National Geographic.

I loved the stunning visuals and exciting, fast-paced plot of this movie. But I was uncomfortable with all of the nudity, and left because I don’t want to support movies that use uncovered women’s bodies (either in animation or real-life) as objects of big-screen entertainment. I write this review not to brag or scold those who liked this movie–I just felt that I had better warn parents out there who might be considering a trip to see Avatar.

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*Note: this movie review reflects my standards as a mother and a Christian. I am certain that there are many people out there who loved Avatar–I do not think less of them, do not look down on them, and won’t be reviling them or calling them “sinners.” I’m just trying to warn parents with standards like mine, before they waste their hard-earned money, like I did!

Helping Fathers and Sons Reconnect

This precious parenting message pretty much says it all in a one-minute video; I hope everyone who sees it will pass it along to friends and family who care about family togetherness and the role of a father in the lives of his children:

Get Imaginative with Your Kids!

This darling parenting tip is priceless! I’d love to write more about it, but I’m signing off to go and spend some quality time with my children, as modeled by the father in this video:

A Message for Women

To all the women out there who think they don’t have talent, please watch this one-minute film and learn the truth!

Do You Know the Muffin Mom?

This is the most AWESOME baking blog! Check it out at http://themuffinmom.wordpress.com/

This is bad–VERY BAD

Oh dear; the Baking Bites blog has a recipe up for HOMEMADE GIRL SCOUT COOKIES.

I bake–a lot. I am in SO much trouble now!

Crockpot Meatless Sloppy Joes

We made these DELICIOUS sloppy joes yesterday and they were a hit! My kids even ate them! 

Rather than meat, this recipe calls for brown rice and beans. However, I think I would like to substitute wheat grains next time, because when they puff up, they resemble ground beef more than rice and beans do!

 

Ingredients:

1 tsp canola oil

1 chopped onion 1 chopped green pepper

1/2 c. shredded carrots

1.5 cups brown rice

2 cans navy beans (or smaller beans), drained

3/4 cup hickory BBQ sauce

1 bottle chili sauce

4 cups water

Optional: 1 cube beef bullion (for beef flavor)

Sautee oil, onion, carrots, and green pepper in a skillet until crisp-tender. Combine remaining ingredients in crock pot; add vegetables from skillet. Cook on low for 8-9 hours. Serve on buns, crackers, or alone.

 My kids liked their sloppy joes on buns; I preferred to eat mine on crackers, because I don’t do white flour anymore. These tasted great!

 

 

P.S. If you don’t want to buy ready-made chili sauce, here’s a recipe for you to make your own:

2 cups canned tomatoes
1 onion, chopped
Dash of cayenne pepper
1/8 teaspoon cloves
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 cup vinegar
2 tablespoons chopped green pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt, approximately

Instructions:

In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine the tomatoes, onion, cayenne, cloves, cinnamon, sugar, and vinegar. Simmer, uncovered, for 1 hour. Add the green pepper and simmer 30 minutes more. Add salt to taste. Chill before serving.

Yield: 1-1/2 cups

*Need more healthy recipes? Visit the Muffin Mom at http://themuffinmom.wordpress.com/ 

MIYM Tortillas!

Thank you, Frizzlefry, for teaching me how to make the most delicious melt-in-your-mouth tortillas! If everyone knew how to make these, the tortilla manufacturing business would be done for!

http://melissaastle.blogspot.com/2008/05/tortilla-tutorial.html

My Twilight Movie Review

My blog readers already know how I feel about the Twilight series books (for those of you who do not, you can read about it here.)

I forgot to mention that I was at the midnight premiere of the Twilight movie, then saw it two more times.

Here is my movie review:

As a mother:I heartily approve of the movie’s clean content. No sex, swearing, or gore. Some slight scariness, but was actually less violent than Harry Potter (remember Wormtail cutting off his arm? ick!). I disapproved of Bella wearing those boy shorts/underwear things in the one kissing scene, but the camera thankfully cut them out for the most part, showing her from the waist up. My age group recommendation: ages 12 and up.

As a fan of the book: I love how they stayed so true to the book; the only changes made were necessary to help save time, but the most important elements and scenes were there.

As a movie buff: I didn’t really approve of the “indie film” look of the movie at the first viewing. I had been expecting that high-tech, Lord of the Rings-style cinematography and effects, so the cheap “indie” feel of the sound and picture was jolting at first. But after reading interviews with Stephenie Meyer, I learned the following:

This movie was made low-budget because the big budget studios all wanted to veer way off the actual story line: they wanted to make Bella a track star, they wanted the vampires to have fangs, and they wanted the teens to have sex. Stephenie Meyer refused to let studios change her story in this way, and since Summit was willing to leave the story as is, she sold to them. Unfortunately, Summit didn’t have the big bucks to do Lord of the Rings quality, which is unfortunate. Still, the baseball scene, the car crash scene, and the big vampire fight at the end were very well done, notwithstanding budget issues, so I was happy!

Best part: The chemistry between Edward and Bella. This book *is* after all a love story and NOT a vampire story (as many mistakenly think). The movie really reinforced this point! And that kissing scene–wow!

Worst part: In the movie, Edward honks his car horn for Bella to come downstairs so he can drive her to school. EXCUSE ME?! Edward is a most chivalrous gentleman in the book (he was born in the early 1900’s), and would NEVER honk the horn for Bella. In the book, he waits quietly for her to come outside or comes to the door and knocks. He doesn’t honk!

My recommendation: To any of you book fans who did not like the movie, try watching it a second time. That first viewing was only the opening of your mind to a different perspective on S. Meyer’s book, and may have been painful for you. Now try watching it a second time, and you will find that *any* perspective on this book, no matter how cheaply made, is a good one! The genius of Stephenie Meyer’s storytelling shows through, and the movie is a delight to watch with every subsequent viewing!

A GREAT Book Club Idea!

Are you looking for a great read for your book club? Or maybe you are just an avid reader, wondering what to read next?

I heartily recommend that you try this fabulous title, which I recently recommended to my sister-in-law’s book club!

The Lost Ravioli Recipes of Hoboken: A Search for Food and Family

 

 

Laura Schenone’s book is hard to categorize. Certainly, it is a foodie’s delight: the story of her adventures as she travels to Italy in search of her family’s authentic ravioli recipes. Yet this book is more than a cooking chronicle; it is also a touching memoir, one so real, so well-written, that the reader just cannot put it down (I sure couldn’t!).

If I had to write about my life or family, I would want to write it like this! It is a fun, delightful, inspiring, and at the same time instructive book. I have recommended it to several friends and family members, who all reported back to me that it was the best book they had read in ages!