SALT LAKE CITY — If the man of the house quotes Clark W. Griswold on road trips and your toddler runs around shouting, “To infinity, and beyond!” it’s likely your family has their own list of top 5 movies.
A great family movie has endearing characters, humor and a life lesson, all rolled into an original and memorable story. When an entire family can sit down and enjoy the same movie together, it’s a cinematic success.
But you need more than a great family film to have an enjoyable movie night. Choosing a theme and adding a little extra entertainment can go a long way. Here is a list of five more current family films, and ideas for snacks and activities to make movie night more enticing.
1. Fairytale Night
"Enchanted" is a fairytale gone awry. In the movie the evil queen, Narissa, pushes the beautiful princess, Gisele, out of the animated world of Andalasia. The princess finds herself in modern-day New York City, communing with street rats and dirty pigeons instead of animated forest animals.
The fairytale feel and catchy soundtrack will appeal to younger family members, while mom and dad will appreciate the playful jabs at traditional happily ever after stories.
Since the evil queen’s henchman (the fabulous Timothy Spall) spends the entire film trying to trick Gisele into biting the poisoned apple, it’s only fitting to serve candied apples with this movie night. An easy recipe for Pip's candied apples can be found at www.mommybistro.com.
For an older fairytale classic, “The Princess Bride” is another family favorite worth watching.
2. Superhero Cinema
“The Incredibles,” one of Disney-Pixar’s most original animated movies, is the perfect choice for a superhero movie night.
After the Superhero Relocation Program forces the supers into hiding, Mr. Incredible finds himself restless in suburbia while working as a disgruntled insurance salesman. But he’s called back into action and duped by the evil villain Syndrome. His family of supers comes to the rescue, and they pull together to show how incredible they really are.
“The Incredibles” is devoid of princesses or talking animals. It’s rare when an animated film has characters with real depth, as well as hilarious dialogue that adults and children can both enjoy. The computer graphics are great, but they’re nothing compared to the smart humor and story that makes this a stand out family movie.
Parents may find themselves identifying with this line from Mr. Incredible: “No matter how many times you save the world, it always manages to get back in jeopardy again. Sometimes I just want it to stay saved! You know, for a little bit? I feel like the maid; I just cleaned up this mess! Can we keep it clean for... for 10 minutes?!”
Even though the seamstress to the supers, Edna, declared, “No capes!” after many death-by-cape mishaps, it’s probably safe for your family members to sport one on the couch. Recycling old t-shirts into a superhero cape is fun and easy. You can find simple instructions at the Kelleigh Ratzlaff Designs website. Decorate them during the movie while munching on a superhero sandwich from allrecipes.com.
3. Bon Appetit Theater
While most family films put a lot of emphasis on big laughs and musical numbers, "Ratatouille" has subtle charm and wit.
Remy, a rodent with a passion for the culinary arts, prefers French cuisine over garbage. Determined to be more than the average sewer rat, he leaves his family and follows his nose to Paris where he hides out in Gusteau's Parisian restaurant. He becomes an unlikely team with Linguini, an untalented heir to Gusteau's legacy, by manipulating his every move in the kitchen with a pull of his hair.
The moral of “Ratatouille” is voiced by Peter O’ Toole, the feared food critic: “Not everyone can be a great artist, but a great artist can come from anywhere.”
Remy's ratatouille fondue is délicieux. Follow an easy recipe at Mommy Bistro's website.
Having paper toques (chef hats) for the family to color and decorate is an easy activity for young chefs.
Food-inspired films like “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” and “Cloudy with a chance of Meatballs” also hold a lot of potential for a fun movie night.
4. Sports Night
What better way to kick off fall than by having a football-themed movie night?
Mark Wahlberg stars in “Invincible,” the true story of Vince Papale, who went from being a fan of the Philadelphia Eagles to an actual team member. In the spirit of “Rudy,” “Invincible” is all about an underdog who achieves his dream through pure grit and determination; the perfect recipe for a family sports movie.
“Invincible” is rated PG and has a moving story, but it’s probably best suited for audiences 12 and up.
Providing game day snacks can make this movie night feel like a Super Bowl party. Follow the recipe for twice “blitzed” potatoes or kick-off kabobs with easy instructions from pittsburgh.about.com. Wearing your faorite team's football jersey only adds to the fun.
“A League of Their Own” or “Rudy” could be great picks for future sports-themed movie nights.
5. Fright Night
This theme can be tricky, so take into consideration the age of your family members and plan accordingly.
It might seem like a safe choice, but “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban” would make for a great movie night. There are so many recipes and activities on the Web that would add to the fun of the film that it shouldn’t be passed up.
The third film in the Harry Potter series, “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban” is a bit darker in comparison to the first two films. The plot revolves around Sirius Black, an Azkaban escapee who was blamed for the death of Harry’s parents and who is now hunting down Harry. New characters and creatures are introduced, like Professor Lupin and Buckbeak. The dreaded Dementors add to the suspense and fright factor making, it just scary enough but not too scary for a family movie night.
There are some bloody brilliant recipes on the Web for foods inspired by the Harry Potter films. Serve up Butterbeer in about 3 minutes by using the recipe from food.com. The site also hosts a recipe for Cauldron Cakes, a Hogwarts favorite.
Jelly beans can be set out as Berttie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans, and acid pops are easy to duplicate with lollipops and Pop Rocks. Try the easy recipe www.britta.com.
Other fright night movie contenders are “Monsters Inc.,” “The Nightmare Before Christmas” or a great '80s classic like “Ghostbusters.”
No matter what the theme, you can also hand out invitations made from free templates at Invitations and More, so family members will set aside time for movie night.
Nicole Pollard currently resides in Canyon Country, Calif.
No comments:
Post a Comment