Movie review: Cinderella (2015)

 

Movie Review: Cinderella (2015)

Once you get over the fact Ella's eyebrows don't match her hair colour, you will be mesmerised by the beauty of the movie. It's true to the classic, which in modern times is a brave move by Disney.

Ella stays in the household of her stepmother and two stepsisters. She slowly becomes subject to their bullying and becomes servant-like in the household while upholding her mother's final words- to have courage and be kind. It's these morals which leads her to finding her true love.

My psychological perspective:

Finally, kids get to see the kind of morals I was bought up with. Good outshines evil.

For the first time, I was able to empathise with the step-mother. Is she truly evil? Or has she been psychologically damaged by grief for her first husband, and the lack of love she perceives from her second husband? Cate B does a great job in the subtly in her eyes to show this pain. And slowly, this pain turns into something more bitter and revengeful.

Topics to talk to your kids about
Love, forgiveness, courage, kindness, step-families

My Christian Perspective:

It's hard to have courage and be kind. In spite of suffering, be able to offer kindness. It is certainly easy to be nice to a stranger once off. It's much harder to be kind to someone who doesn't treat you nicely day in and out. There is some lessons that children can learn about kinds from this movie- kindness to animals, strangers and most importantly those who don't treat you well. After all, God asks us to be both courageous and kind in bible. 

My overall rating: 

Good
This resource maybe useful and maybe a decent use of time.

I love a disney family movie. This is one to keep on the dvd shelf, it's one adults will enjoy watching with their kids whilst laughing at the undertones within the film. 

It's now available to buy on DVD and blu-ray on amazon.com and all good retailers. 

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Book review: Claude at the beach (2014)

Brief Book review: Claude at the beach (2013)

My psychological perspective

I love a good picture book. This is no exception. Not quite a standard children's picture book though, with only a few shades of colour. 

Words are a bit difficult for those who haven't started school yet. I would recommend reading this with your primary school child. Yes, it's a little silly, and I laughed out loud when Claude was being creative with sticky tape. It's going to be a bit scary for some- don't want to spoil it for you but a great big SHARK makes an appearance!

Things to talk to your children about

sunsmart, safety in the water, self esteem

My Christian perspective

Going for a short beach break with the family after reading this book will really boost relationships with your children. 

Available at all good retailers including Amazon.com.

My overall rating: 

Good
This resource maybe useful and maybe a decent use of time.

 Another good little book to keep around the clinic and for parents to connect with their kids.

(Please bear with me, the next couple of reviews will be of picture books, I'm on the lookout for books for my clinic to read with some of my child clients. I have a rule, I don't EVER watch or read things with clients without having watch them first and made sure the material will be therapeutically beneficial). 

I was provided a copy of this book for review but there was not influence on my review. 

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Movie review: Cloudy with a chance of meatballs 2

Movie Summary: Cloudy with a chance of meatballs 2

I was wowed by the first movie. This movie was comparably a disappointment. This movie is really focuses on a far younger market, a market that may not have watched the original movie at the cinemas when it first came out. Endless pun after pun after pun is thrown with enough pause for kids to laugh. the group of kids I took to the movie really enjoyed it. They were copying the foods and retelling the funny bits.

*Spoiler alert* This story picks up from the first movie.  (and since most of us don't remember much, they review the first movie within the first 5 minutes). And our main character is once again tasked with "saving the world" by recovering the machine he created. Little does he know, this is more complicated than he thinks. His band of trusty friends try to help him every step of the way.

As an adult, I found deeper themes than kids will ever learn to appreciate. Large parallels with a famous "fruit" and "web search" innovation company where made. But after watching the movie, I am wondering to myself, if even vegetables had feelings, what on earth are we left to eat? But then I remembered, than even in the new twisted reality portrayed, even the foods ate each other suggesting that the ecosystem balance is preserved.

My psychological perspective:

Suitability for children: 

I believe that this movie is suitable for most of the family. Kids any younger than 10 should really have parental guidance as the action scenes can get a little scary. It's a fun little film for the family, but more suited for DVD release than a cinema. I can see kids watching this film again and again and again. Primarily because the storyline wasn't the main attraction, but the cuteness of individual food types. Hopefully, this film doesn't put kids off eating particular food groups - meats, vegetables or fruits. The main themes for a kid is the understanding of the importance of friendships, and putting aside personal success for your friends. 

Things to talk to your kids about:

Eating different types of food.

Things to talk to your teens about:

Importance of friendships and trust. Not judging a book by it's cover.

My Christian Perspective:

The themes of friendship is very well valued from a Christian perspective. From my own personal Christian perspective, I am a little worried that a machine can give birth to life, and not just vegetation and food, but life, including all it's emotions and attachments. It's the same argument some people use to combine the big bang theory and God, perhaps God created the big bang theory. From my own personal perspective, both God and the big bang theory could not coexist. Because that suggest that God didn't create the world in 7 days.

But at the end of the day, this is an animated film and even kids know it's not real. They are much more concerned about the cute little foods. I was surprised though, that on our way home, some of the kids asked me about Adam and Eve, and things to do with Creation, based on this film, so be prepared with answers. 

My overall rating: 

Good
This resource maybe useful and maybe a decent use of time.

The only reason why I've scored this so highly is because it's released perfect for bored kids during Christmas school holidays, and it's got enough stuff to keep adults and children occupied.

The sunday school class I took to this really enjoyed it, and I laughed heaps. This was thanks to Reading Cinemas at Harbour Town for $1 movie tickets. Legendary!

#cloudywithachanceofmeatballs2 @sonypicturesAUS

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Book Review: The Carousel (2011)

Book Review:  The Carousel (2011) by Ursula Dubosarsky

If theme park rides could talk and dream, would wooden horses like to escape?

It's nearly Christmas, and it's time to pick up gifts for kids. Picture books are great keepsakes for young ones who don't seem to mind the repetition.

This is a heavy weight book with lots of pretty pictures, more suitable for girls than boys. This book can encourage young people to follow their dreams and not conform to set norms about who them must be.

My psychological perspective:

Suitability for children: 

Children love spending time with their caregivers. Reading is a great way to spend time with them. Allow them to fill in the blanks with familiar words, talk to them and ask them what they think would happen next. This is a cute little book for young children and would be good for any waiting room.

For children:

I think for young kids, simply listening to their parents reading and just looking at the pictures is a real enjoyment. While reading, you may notice deeper themes within the text. At least on one level it's teaching kids to break free from the mundane.

My Christian Perspective:

There are different religions in the world that believe in cycles. In the asian tradition, when you die, you will reencarnate. But Christians believe that this cycle doesn't occur. We are all bound to one destiny- eternal death. That is unless we decide to break free from this destiny by accepting Jesus Christ as our personal lord and savior.

My overall rating: 

Good
This resource maybe useful and maybe a decent use of time. 

My first thought was, this is a heavy picture book. Yes, both in weight as well as in thought. It was beautifully illustrated and can be interpreted at many different levels. Would be a great gift for little ones 8-10, or a good waiting room book.

I was provided with a signed copy from the author- Good reads

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Movie Review: Despicable Me 2 (2013)

Movie Summary: Despicable Me 2 (2013)

My sunday school kids had been talking about this since last year. And so I caved and finally watched it. Despicable Me 2 follows on from the original movie. Gru is no longer a villain and is bringing up girls based on his business ventures as a single parent. However, his help is needed to save the world. And an unlikely uncoordinated female agent becomes his partner in crime *um... *I mean partner to save the world. 

My psychological perspective:

Suitability for children: 

I believe that this movie is suitable for most of the family. There is a fair bit parents can digest with children. Kids any younger than 13 should really have parental guidance as there is a fair bit of silliness in the movie as well as comical violence. There is a lot of focus on kids dating and dating of single parents which will require discussion.
It's a seriously funny movie and the minions are cute as always.

Things to talk to your kids about:

Good vs evil. 

Things to talk to your teens about:

Dating. Single parents.  Deception/ betrayal.

My Christian Perspective:

My other concern was the way dating was introduced into the movie but this is probably not the time or place to discuss my views. There is a little article on this matter at http://www.cbn.com/family/youth/burns-teens-dating.aspx. The article talks about radical respect for the opposite sex because Christ is in us.

If you are in need of an activity. This film is a worthwhile laugh.

My overall rating: 

Good
This resource maybe useful and maybe a decent use of time.

It was funny, but I was left wanting more. The original film was so successful because there were so many new creative ideas. The trouble with this sequel is that it's predictable and there were no additional elements in the characters. But that being said, kids love repetition, so your kids will love this. 

Despicable Me 2 is currently screening at cinemas near you. And I've heard good things about the happy meal toy. 

#despicableme2 #pixar #moviereview @despicableme

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Book review: Attachment-based clinical work with children and adolescents (2013)

Book Summary: Attachment-Based Clinical Work with Children and Adolescents (Essential Clinical Social Work Series) (2013)

This book gives a comprehensive run through of attachment from birth through to adolescence. There is a balance of research and clinical case examples. Reading the book gave me a good reminder of undergraduate psychology courses as well as a few ideas for clinical practice.

My Psychological Perspective:
Understanding attachment became exceedingly important when I began to work with children and adolescents in the public health sector. Some areas were well described by the authors, for example, Transmission gaps, that are discussed explores to when attachments don't match between child and caregiver. But other areas were muddy.
I remember learning about these theories surrounding attachment (e.g. separation-individuation, object constancy, attachment styles) years ago, but the book was able to summarize quite well using references to well known research studies, examples and case studies.
There are also things I would definitely consider more of in clinical practice after reading the book including: the use of video recording to review interactions, viewing trauma through an attachment lens, giving a traumatic event a narrative, and investigating systems more.
The authors gave brief introductions to a range of therapies including circle of security, trauma focused attachment psychotherapy. I have my reservations regarding Dance therapy/ wilderness therapy/ group play therapy, which I don't have much knowledge of but the authors were able to illustrate the use of these techniques for a basic overview.

My Christian Perspective:

At various points in the bible, God is referred to as an attachment figure. For example, Isaiah 66:13  talks about how God will comfort us just as a mother comforts a child. While this analogy works well for those with a secure attachment, those with disrupted attachments can be quite uncomfortable with this. I think the book is also useful for those of us who are trying to figure out our relationship with God. We can somewhat try to understand within the attachment framework how and why we respond to God in different ways.

My overall rating: 

Good

This is a reasonable resource I would expect in any university library but certainly not a reference I would need to turn to frequently. I thought the book was a hybrid to match the needs of an early academic (undergraduate) and clinical audience. The mix of research evidence and clinical case studies provided greater insights into the understanding of attachment in adolescence and childhood. However, this is certainly not a book that can be digested in one setting, it's wordy, and in a few chapters, the key themes were lost among citations. It would teach you how to do attachment therapy, but it will certainly wet your appetite. 

Attachment-Based Clinical Work with Children and Adolescents (Essential Clinical Social Work Series) is available now through Amazon and  Springer.

I was provided a review copy of Attachment-Based Clinical Work with Children and Adolescents (Essential Clinical Social Work Series) by the publisher but was in no way paid for writing this review.

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