ParaNorman

 

 

Me to my three contributions to the universe:  ParaNorman got really high reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, who's in?

Kenneth: ME!

Frances: NO WAY I don't do zombies...

Lowell: ME!

P: Are you sure? it’s going to be scary.....

L: I want to see the zombies....

Well, it is rated PG, how scary is it, really?

Fine... the boys and I go, and we do our thing...we know how to buy tickets in a line and we know to use the bathrooom and we know we don't play video games or ask for snacks...

Kick it up a notch:

So boys, what theater are we looking for?

Number 9....

we find 3, 7, 11.....I think they put them out of order to annoy me..

Finally...there is the 9, with a poster of our movie by it and.....

Lowell starts shaking like a leaf over the poster, not the movie, not a trailer, a poster. 

This kid sat through all kinds of Superhero and Transformer and Ben Ten whatever, but ParaNorman seems to be the limit.

Lowell: Ok mommy, I changed my mind I want to go home now.

It is such a bummer to be a third child, I really feel for them and thank God everyday I'm the oldest.

P: Um… I already bought the ticket.  The 3D tickets, we can't really just go home.  Why don't you try it?

Lowell:  I....I....

K: Really Lowell?  You can't watch zombies?  I can watch zombies...

Lowell  was suddenly  torn between wanting to run out the exit door and hanging with his older brother.  Not a good place to be.  We went inside with him holding on to me for dear life.

He perfected the watch and hide technique.  He would sit in my lap for some of it and then hide under his seat like a turtle.  Again, with the third child...I didn't wipe the floor off.

I did feel it was my obligation to tell him he was doing a diservice to the film.

P: Sweetie, you are missing really good dialogue-that’s when two people talk to each other…and whoever wrote it did a brilliant job...

Lowell: I don’t care

I tried one more time:

P: Angel baby, this is a really good special effect … we could make our own puppets and use the iPhone….

L: Mom, I’ll just hide under this seat, ok?

I'll give this to Lowell. Even under his plush red seat,  he laughed at the more intelligent jokes.  He still can't get over the humus bit.

All right, he is fine.

So I turned my attention to the other guy I was with. Why don't I do this in real life?

He was much more into it.

Kenneth: "Mom!  This is awesome!  Thank you thank you thank you!!!  See that zombie!  The judge.  He reminds me of William Shakespeare...

Now that's more like it.

I started whispering him about the movie and explained the references to other movies.

Such as:

Friday the 13th
The Exorcist
The Sixth Sense
The Others
The Uninvited
28 Days Later
all the Zombie films I never watched...

Kenneth: Awesome mom-how old do I have to be to watch those?

P: Ummmm I'm not sure, I know some people pushing forty that won't watch any of those now.  We'll talk as you get older.

Kenneth: Ok, but maybe we should quit whispering now.

Righto

As the movie progressed and the plot developed, Lowell climbed out from under his seat and cheered the hero/underdog on.  All types of kids who are different and misunderstood were represented.  One scene in that movie is going to annoy the hell out of certain conservative groups.  YAY!!!!

On the way home we discussed the movie and a little about the Salem Witch Trials which are referenced in the film.

Some parts of history just can't be grasped by six year olds:

Kenneth: The Salem Witch Trials- wait what?  In America? Really?

Must google book for children about the Salem Witch Trials-perhaps there is a Magic Treehouse....

Best things to come away with:

1) The boys want to hear "Little Ghost" by White Stripes over and over again right now. Stay for the closing credits.  Thank God I like folk music.

2) It's one thing for other people to be afraid of your differences, but your family should love you, support you,  and roll with it.

3) My mom reminded me that my children have no interest in Tim Burton's Frankenweenie coming out in October.

I asked them about it when we got home:

P: What’s deal with that boys?  ParaNorman yes, Frankenweenie, No?

Kenneth: We’re men-we mix our messages...

Lowell: Yeah-like my zombies....

Ain’t that the damn truth…

Enjoy your differences…let it roll.