Publisher Description

In For Kids of All Ages, members of the National Society of Film Critics celebrate the wonder of childhood in cinema. In this volume, original essays commissioned especially for this collection stand alongside classic reviews from prominent film critics like Jay Carr and Roger Ebert. Each of the seven sections in this collection takes on a particular aspect of children's cinema, from animated features to adaptations of beloved novels. The films discussed here range from the early 1890s to the present. The contributors draw on personal connections that make their insights more trenchant and compelling. The essays and reviews in For Kids of All Ages are not just a list of recommendations—though plenty are included—but an illuminating, often personal study of children's movies, children in movies, and the childish wonder that is the essence of film.

Author Biography

Peter Keough writes frequently on film as a correspondent for the Boston Globe. He was the film editor for the Boston Phoenix from 1989 until the publication's demise in 2013. His writing has also appeared in the Chicago Reader, the Chicago Sun-Times, the Chicago Tribune, Chicago Magazine, Sight & Sound, Boston Magazine and numerous others. Keough has been a member of the National Society of Film Critics since 1992 and his writing has appeared in several of their anthologies. He is the editor of Flesh and Blood: the National Society of Film Critics on Sex Violence and Censorship (1995) and Kathryn Bigelow Interviews (2013).Keough lives in Boston, MA

Table of Contents

Introduction1. From Child to Critic From Toddler to Auteurist: A Film Critic, the Early Years by Gerald PearyChildren of the Hydra: The 7th Voyage of Sinbad (1958) and Special Effects Master Ray Harryhausen by James VerniereHow Seeing Airport (1970) as a Kid Grounded My Critical Sensibility by Charles TaylorRevisiting Old Yeller (1957) and Yellow Submarine (1968) by Peter KeoughLight in Auggie: In Wonder (2017), a Deformed Child Isn't the Only Flawed Character by J. R. JonesThe Many Kinds of Movie Wonder by Jonathan RosenbaumInfant Cinema in Querelle enfantine/A Childish Quarrel (1896) by Robert Horton2. Adventures in Animation The Ageless Wonder of Bambi (1942) by Michael WilmingtonRaising the Art of Animation to a Higher Level in Up (2009) by Peter KeoughOf Eternity and Beyond: Toy Story 3 (2010) by John AndersonSpinning Gold from Plastic in The Lego Movie (2014) by Andy KleinThe Spirit of the West Is Alive and Well in Rango (2011) by Michael WilmingtonWeirdness for Both Kids and Adults: The Triplets of Belleville (2003) by Gerald PearyBear Meets Mouse in Ernest & Celestine (2012) by Michael SragowUnderground Comedy in The Boxtrolls (2014) by John AndersonIdeals Crash to Earth in The Wind Rises (2013) by Michael SragowThe Red Turtle (2016) Is a Myth in the Making by Peter Rainer3. Beast FablesInto the Wild: Four Variations on The Jungle Book by Michael SragowAn Ape Shall Show the Way: Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014) by Michael SragowLong Live the King: King Kong (1933) by Jay CarrNo Reining in White Mane (1953) by David SterrittIn Babe (1995), a Pig Shows the Way by Carrie RickeyAccidental Tourist: Babe: Pig in the City (1998) by Stephanie Zacharek4. Dreams, Fantasies, and NightmaresThere's No Film Like Oz: The Wizard of Oz (1939) by Michael WilmingtonThe Animated Enchantment of Song of the Sea (2014) by Justin ChangA Dream of Evil in The Night of the Hunter (1955) by Robert HortonCareful What You Wish For: The Red Shoes (1948) by Sheila BensonBetween the Fantastic and the Mundane: The Curse of the Cat People (1944) and Poltergeist (1982) by David SterrittFauny Girl: Innocence Finds a Way through Pan's Labyrinth (2006) by Peter KeoughBeauty and the Beast Within: Four Versions of Beauty and the Beast by Peter Keough5. Well Adapted (or Maladjusted)The Three Ages of Little Women: 1933, 1949, and 1994 by Carrie RickeyA Consummate Christmas Carol (1951) by Michael WilmingtonDancers Bring to Life Tales of Beatrix Potter (1971) by Sheila BensonEnchantingly Blunt: A Little Princess (1995) by John AndersonMartin Scorsese Pays Tribute to Cinema and Childhood in Hugo (2011) by Emanuel LevySmart Times at Beverly Hills High in Clueless (1995) by Kenneth TuranHenry James's Dark Screwball Comedy: What Maisie Knew (2012) by Gerald PearyFrom Neverland to Shadowlands: Hollywood's Romance with Children's Book Authors by Peter KeoughMary Poppins Returns, and She's Closer to the Feisty Original by J. R. Jones6. Matters of Life and DeathChildren of War: Germany Year Zero (1948) and Forbidden Games (1952) by Morris DicksteinA Search for Hope in the Ruins: The Search (1948) by Emanuel LevyInnocent Bystanders: Five Films about Kids Growing Up in an Unforgiving World by Jay CarrPolitics Makes for Poor Parenting in A World Apart (1988) by Peter RainerIran's Child-Centered Films by Godfrey Cheshire7. Ordinary HeroesPunk Heroines in We Are the Best! (2013) by Sheila BensonDancing "By Myself " in The Band Wagon (1953) by Stephanie ZacharekGrowing Up Female in Lady Bird (2017), The Fits (2015), and Leave No Trace (2018) by Robert HortonPerverse Conversion in The Miseducation of Cameron Post (2018) by Robert HortonBoys Will Be Girls in Ma Vie en Rose (1997) by Nathan LeeFlower Power: The Blossoming of Maximo Oliveros (2005) by Godfrey CheshireUneasy Rider by Peter Keough8. Extraordinary HeroesTerror Tactics in Batman Begins (2005) by Peter KeoughBlack Panther (2018) Makes Superhero History by Peter TraversWonder Woman (2017) Enters the Pantheon by Michael SragowChildren's Crusades by Peter KeoughSuperpowers Run in the Family in Incredibles 2 (2018) by Michael Sragow9. Home MoviesThe Family Values of Paddington (2014) and Paddington 2 (2017) by Peter KeoughBearing the Burden of Growing Up in Christopher Robin (2018) by Michael SragowA Family Melodrama without the Drama in A Soldier's Daughter Never Cries (1998) by David SterrittNot Such a Merry Little Christmas in Meet Me in St. Louis (1944) by Emanuel LevyLife without Father in The Railway Children (1970) by Sheila BensonA Child Is Lost in Loveless (2017) by Peter RainerA Child Is Found in Our Little Sister (2015) by Robert Horton10. From Critic to ChildWhere the Kids Are: Howl's Moving Castle (2004) by Jonathan RosenbaumHip Heroes: Elf (2003) and Shrek (2001) by Kenneth TuranBeing a Grown-Up Is Fun in Hatari! (1962) by Charles TaylorBorderline Taste: Crossing Generations with The Russians Are Coming! The Russians Are Coming! (1966) and ¡Three Amigos! (1986) by Peter KeoughAll of the Feels: Inside Out (2015) by David FearE.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) by Roger EbertWatching Boyhood (2014) with a Boy and Eighth Grade (2018) with an Eighth Grader by Mary PolsAppendix: MPAA RatingsPermissionsIndexAbout the Editor and Contributors

Review

Contrary to what Hollywood would have us believe, there is a whole world of movies (for all ages) outside the confines of animated blockbusters (for the whole family). This thoughtful, entertaining collection introduces parents and children to all kinds of movies, from all over the world, from Meet Me in St. Louis and Germany Year Zero to The Rider and Paddington 2. -- A. S. Hamrah, Film Critic, n+1, author of The Earth Dies Streaming: Film Writing, 2002–2018
As a film critic for French Review at the Cannes Film Festival between 1978 and 1981, I, like Peter Keough and all the other critics in this scintillating collection of essays, worshipped at the altar of cinema. Their earliest encounters on the silver screen paved the way for these writers to look at movies about children in a more critical manner as adults. Their connections with their youthful viewing triggers our own memories as we relive our own dreams and sometimes our nightmares conjured up on screen. From the first souvenirs of a Lumière Brothers ground-breaking home movie to the literally uplifting narrative of an animated UP these film essays speak to the eternal child within us. -- John Michalczyk, film professor and historian, and documentary filmmaker

Long Description

In For Kids of All Ages, members of the National Society of Film Critics celebrate the wonder of childhood in cinema. In this volume, original essays commissioned especially for this collection stand alongside classic reviews from prominent film critics like Jay Carr and Roger Ebert. Each of the seven sections in this collection takes on a particular aspect of children's cinema, from animated features to adaptations of beloved novels. The films discussed here range from the early 1890s to the present. The contributors draw on personal connections that make their insights more trenchant and compelling. The essays and reviews in For Kids of All Ages are not just a list of recommendations-though plenty are included-but an illuminating, often personal study of children's movies, children in movies, and the childish wonder that is the essence of film.

Review Quote

Contrary to what Hollywood would have us believe, there is a whole world of movies (for all ages) outside the confines of animated blockbusters (for the whole family). This thoughtful, entertaining collection introduces parents and children to all kinds of movies, from all over the world, from Meet Me in St. Louis and Germany Year Zero to The Rider and Paddington 2.

Feature

Contributors include John Anderson, Sheila Benson, Jay Carr, Justin Chang, Godfrey Cheshire, Morris Dickstein, Roger Ebert, David Fear, Robert Horton, J. R. Jones, Peter Keough, Andy Klein, Nathan Lee, Emanuel Levy, Gerald Peary, Mary Pols, Peter Rainer, Carrie Rickey, Jonathan Rosenbaum, Michael Sragow, David Sterritt, Charles Taylor, Peter Travers, Kenneth Turan, James Verniere, Michael Wilmington, and Stephanie Zacharek.

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