Ice Age 2: The
Meltdown
Now, if we had an ounce of sense here at the Family Valued
Popcorn Counter, we’d be telling you how great the Rochester Children’s Film
Festival has been and will continue to be for the next couple of weeks. Problem
is, the younger members of our target-market family really wanted to see this
piece of perfunctory Hollywood stuff. Afterwards, we
grilled a member of the 8- to 10-year-old female demographic:
What was the movie?
You’re asking what the movie was?
OK, I know what the
movie was. What did you think of it?
It was a normal ‘2’ movie, you know? It wasn’t as good as
the first, but it was good.
Why aren’t normal ‘2’
movies as good?
I don’t know; they’re usually like… in the first movie, they
change, you know? But in the second movie, they don’t change.
I said something like
that yesterday.
I just found Ice Age 1 a little more entertaining.
What did you like about this one?
I thought the new characters that are in it are fun to be
with.
Like who?
Ellie, the mammoth, and… what were the two opossums’ names?
Oh, yeah, Crash and Eddie. Sid was as funny as usual.
Yeah, my favorite
scene featured Sid.
I would have liked them to use Diego more, ’cause he’s like
one of my favorite characters.
Anything
good besides the characters?
Unlike a lot of ‘2’ movies, this one has a good story. Like,
Hunchback of Notre Dame 2, I didn’t
find that a good story. Actually, I didn’t like the first much, either.
So, do you recommend Ice Age 2?
Yeah, I do. I think for all kids 2 and up, it’s funny.
But is it a
dollar-theater kind of movie, or a rush-out-and-see-it kind?
I think it’s worth seeing in the regular theaters. It’s
good.
— Adam Wilcox
Sex (education) is in the air
There’s a condom in our fruit basket. We picked it up at a
Planned Parenthood-sponsored talk. We arrived with 13 teens, ages 12 to 18.
Strangely, ours were the only kids there, although the evening’s topic was
teens and sex.
The speaker, Barbara Huberman of
Advocates for Youth, showed a 16-minute film entitled Teens & Sex in Europe: A Story of Rights, Respect &
Responsibility. The film grew from the encounters of Ms. Huberman and a group of American teens and adults on a
discovery tour through France,
Germany, and
the Netherlands.
The group’s goal: talk to European teens and adults about sexual culture and
attitudes. The film highlights conversations with teens, along with parents,
religious educators, youth workers, and teachers, all responsible for teen
sexual education. Amusing condom ads shown on European television are also
included.
Does candid sex education make European teens promiscuous?
Statistics say no. As one European adult observes, kids have sex more
conscientiously. As a result, they have sex later than their American counterparts
and usually within the confines of long-term relationships.
When European and American teens are asked separately about
issues around sex, the differences in attitude are striking. It’s
little wonder rates of American teen pregnancy, abortion, and STDs are much
higher than those in Europe.
This film is downloadable at
www.advocatesforyouth.org/rrr/video.htm or can be borrowed from the Planned
Parenthood library. As for that condom in our fruit basket, we’ll use it as
soon as I remember to buy bananas.
— Marjorie Sangster Rolleston
This article appears in Apr 5-11, 2006.
