Monday, May 26, 2008

A Star (Wars fan) is born

Most Friday nights chez Party of 3 are pretty laid back. After the long school/work week (especially now that 2 week-night soccer practices are thrown into the mix), Fridays are all about kicking back and relaxing. We usually head over to Carp Video right after I pick the girls up from daycare and the girls choose a movie each and then after dinner and a trip to the playground (weather permitting) we change into PJs and watch a movie and eat popcorn. It's how we unwind.

And since we do this nearly every Friday, we've pretty well watched all the movies in the children's section of the store. We have our favourites -- Rae especially likes to rent the same movies over and over -- but Leah has been looking for something different. She really likes the Harry Potter movies, though they tend to be too scary for Rae.

So when I saw the ads for the new Indiana Jones movie, I had a brainwave. Maybe it was time to introduce the girls to Raiders of the Lost Ark. They were very excited. I remember loving that movie. I am apparently brain damaged, as I evidently had forgotten almost everything that went on in this movie -- the bloody impaled native guide, the poisoned monkey, the dessicated mummy corpses, the melting face/drying out and crumbling to dust face/exploding head during the finale, and all that other good gory stuff. Rae fell asleep before Indy reached the first jungle temple, which was probably a good thing. Leah....well, if Leah was an 8-year-old boy instead of an 8-year-old girl, she probably would have loved the movie. As it was, she had her eyes hidden for most of it. I kept offering to turn it off, but she'd say "No Mom, I want to watch." And by 'watch' she meant bury her head in the pillow she had balanced on her drawn-up knees while plugging her ears. Sigh. So Saturday, it went back to the video store.

I had another brainwave. Star Wars! Yeah, I bet she'd love that. And she did. I hadn't seen the movie in years, and I had forgotten how much I loved it too. But it was tucked away in the synapses. I started quoting dialogue along with the characters, "The Jundland wastes are not to be travelled lightly", "You've never heard of the Millennium Falcon? Should I have? It's the ship that made the Kessel Run in less than twelve parsecs.", "I have a bad feeling about this.", "This is some rescue. When you came in here, didn't you have a plan for getting out?". It was like seeing old friends again. And Leah's hooked. She's watched it three times already and is full of questions like "If Obi-wan is dead, how can Luke hear his voice?", "Why did Obi-wan let Darth Vader kill him?". She's impatient for next Friday, and The Empire Strikes Back.

Leah is just captivated by Obi-wan. Rae is more of a Luke Skywalker fan. Neither of them can quite understand their mother's preference for Han Solo.

(Oh, but you will, girls, you will. Someday.)

16 comments:

  1. We just started getting the trilogy out from the library this spring - Cass LOOOVES it and is impatient for us to get it again.

    (I'm with you. Indiana Jones - Cass wanted to love it, but it was a bit gory for his parents to let him see - much to his disgust!)

    And ohhh, Indy....

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  2. Some day they WILL get it. You don't think I'm going to see the new one for the action sequences do you?

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  3. Anonymous12:01 AM

    My girls just love Star Wars. They've only seen the first one, but they loved it, which is how we all ended up dressed as SW characters this past Halloween.

    No Indiana Jones yet, however, as the ending is just a bit too scary for even my big girl.

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  4. Anonymous12:33 AM

    You're a good mother.

    I just hope you didn't expose them to the horror that is Greedo shooting first.

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  5. I remember falling in love with Luke when my Daddy took me to see Star Wars in 1977. By the time Return of the Jedi was released in '83, I was all about Han Solo, though. (Saw it in the same theatre, made Dad stay home.)

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  6. Anonymous7:59 AM

    Han Solo is the best! I LOVE him!

    My boys adore the Star Wars movies. And the Indiana Jones movies, too. They're not much bothered by the gory stuff, surprisingly.

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  7. Anonymous8:38 AM

    Yeah, we "pre-watched" Raiders a few months ago and between the impalings and the face-meltings, we decided to hold off. Watched the Last Crusade last week -- it's a bit tamer if Leah wants to try again. FWIW, we also held off on Star Wars 2 and 3 (the newer ones) cuz they're pretty violent, too.

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  8. My kids love all the Star Wars movies--I will watch the original three with them, but don't have much interest in the newer ones...Han Solo isn't in them, why would I have an interest????

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  9. Never did understand why any of the girls liked Luke. I was Han all the way.

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  10. Oh yeah, I remember being afraid of the Indy series when it first came out, too! The third one is the most tame, but you'll have to warn her before the sewer scene and also at the end when the man's face melts off.

    We happened to catch some OLD (50's, maybe?) Nancy Drew movies in B&W ... hysterical stuff! Very tame. Don't know if you can get it at Blockbuster, tho.

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  11. If you want a real scary movie, get the new Indiana Jones flick and see 95-year-old Harrison Ford fling his grizzled old self around on the screen and all over hot young things

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  12. I just about choked on my popcorn when I read you were letting them watch Raiders. LOL!!! Oh, how we forget some of the 'details'.

    Wow, maybe I'll have to pull out some Star Wars for my son (he'll be 7 this year)...

    I LOVE your Friday night tradition. Seems to be something I should start. Thanks!

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  13. Whatever you do, do not rent the second Raiders movie. Nick loved the first... made us turn off the second. (Really. It was that dark.) I think we will try #3 this week.

    Nick really like Karate Kid. (If she's looking for another one.) Princess Bride, Spiderman with Christopher Reeve and E.T. all went over well.

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  14. WB loves the Star Wars and Indy.
    I....not so much. I can watch the Indy movies no problem but Star Wars makes me sleepy.

    Glad you guys had a good night though:)

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  15. My kids haven't seen the Indy movies yet, but hey love Star Wars. Its one of Ryders favorite movies. The girls don't like it quite as well so its usually just me and Ryder watching them, which he loves even more. Its our one thing that we do just us.

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  16. after the round of nightmares we went through this winter/spring, i am wary to venture very from Treehouse these days!
    my sister bought the girls a box set for christmas filled with chitty chitty bang, bang, mary poppins, cheaper by the dozen and a few others. awesome stuff, they love it!

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