‘Around the World in 80
Days’

Why did it take so long for
Disney and Jackie Chan to find each other? When I was a kid, Disney churned out
silly, mostly bad, family entertainment. There were the Herbie flicks, and all
those silly Kurt Russell vehicles. I’ll admit it: I liked them then, though I
have no desire to see them now.

ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย  The best thing you could say about those movies is that
they were unpretentious. These days, filmmakers seem afraid to make such
movies. Well, Disney, Jackie Chan, and director Frank Coraci (whose credits
include, um, two Adam Sandler movies), dare to be stupid in this new film based
on Jules Verne’s book. And nobody, nobody, nobody does stupid and appealing
better than Jackie Chan. It’s a marriage made in, well, Disney.

ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย  Continuity? Forget it. When Paris gets old (and it
doesn’t), we go to Turkey (with Governor Schwarzenegger as a prince with a hot
tub). Enough of that? How about an oddly clean train full of cute kids in
India? Ten minutes is plenty there, and it’s off to China for some
not-quite-vintage Chan action (complete with Sammo Hung). There’s also San
Francisco, New York, London, and the Wilson brothers in the desert.

ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย  Chan mugs incessantly, and we smile back. His face runs
into walls, statues, and people, and we laugh every time. Around the World in 80 Days is relentlessly good-natured, and a
very mild PG (we took all three kids, even two-year-old Oscar). Is it good?
Well, not really. But so what?

— Adam A. Wilcox

This week for families:

Cool
Kids Thurs, June 24, PanGaia Steel Band, 7-9 p.m. | Fri, June 25, juggling
festival and comedy, 7-8 p.m. | Sun, June 27, Cool Kids Party at the Farm
Market, Market St, 12-2 p.m. | Sagawa Park, Erie and Main Sts, Brockport, Free.
637-3984, www.brockportny.org.

City Summer Kids Club
Mon-Fri, June 28-Sept 3. For ages 6-10, various recreation centers, 9
a.m.-5 p.m. $50 per week. 428-6767, www.cityofrochester.gov

Elim Gospel Church
Camp TotalExcitement June 28-July 2. For ages 6-12, Elim Gospel Church,
1679 Dalton Rd, Lima, 12-4 p.m. $55. 624-5560

RMSC Strasenburgh
Planetarium 657 East Ave. A Trip to
Saturn and Pluto, Saturdays 1 p.m. | The Sky Tonight, Sat 10:30 a.m. | I
See The Sky, for ages 3-5, Sat 9:30 a.m.| Dave Matthews Laser, Sat 9 p.m.
| Reserve seats. Tix: $4-$7. See “Movies” section for large-format film
showings. 271-1880

Rochester Museum and
Science Center 657 East Ave. Surprise!
It’s Science, through May 2005. | Body
Carnival: the Science and Fun of Being You, ongoing. | Rochester’s Frederick Douglass, through Jan 2006. | Live Science
Demos, Wed-Fri 3:30 p.m., Sat 2, 3, 4, Sun 1:30, 2:30, 3:30. | Hours: Mon-Sat 9
a.m.-5 p.m., Sun 12-5 p.m. Tix: $5-$7. 271-1880, www.rmsc.org.

Seneca Park Zoo 2222
St Paul St. Sat, June 26, Tiny Glover, stories, 3 p.m. | Sun, June 27, Common
Folk Singers, 3 p.m. | Hours: daily 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tix: $5, $4 seniors, $2
kids. 467-9453, www.senecazoo.org.

Strong Museum 1
Manhattan Square. Making America’s Music,
through Sun, Sept 12. | Long-term exhibits include National Toy Hall of Fame, Can
You Tell Me How To Get To Sesame Street?, and Super Kids Market. | Hours: Mon-Thurs 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Fri 10 a.m.-8
p.m.; Sat 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Sun 12-5 p.m. Tix: $7; $6 seniors, students; $5
children. 263-2700

Volunteers of America
Universal Pre-K Programs Openings available, for 4- and 5-yr-olds, free to
city residents, 100 State St or 214 Lake Ave, 9 a.m.-11:30 a.m. 647-1344,
263-3103

You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown Fri-Sat, June 25-26.
Everyone’s Theatre Company, Victor Educational Center Auditorium, 953 High St,
Victor, 7:30 p.m., June 26 1:30 p.m. Tix: $10, $5 seniors, students. 415-4747

A
light in a dark house

I
wonder why teenagers aren’t morning people. There must be exceptions to the
rule, but I’m not one of them (it’s past midnight now). Even if I drag myself
out of bed at 8 a.m. and proceed, zombie-like, through my day, around 9 p.m. I
suddenly get a bit more energized.

ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย  Where
is the logic in this? Is it some sort of odd wiring of the teenage brain? What
is the point? We are entering the Preparing-For-The-Future portion of our
lives, and how does our body help us out? By deciding it prefers to be
nocturnal. This, in a world designed for early risers, seems like a backwards
step. High school starts terrifyingly early, so early it’s not fit to print,
and most jobs are about the same.

ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย  Of
course, there are things I like about being a night owl. It’s fun to be a tiny
light of activity in a house that is dark and sleeping. It’s the time when I
can think most clearly and be by myself. Sleeping late also makes a sunrise
seem particularly special, since I only see about one a year.

ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย  Sometimes
my nocturnal tendencies can be annoying, though… I’ll wake up at 10 or 11 a.m.
and find out that major events in the household have occurred while I slept!

—
Ellyn Rolleston, age 13

This article appears in Jun 23-29, 2004.