Ruby Bridges on Disney+

Last night we watched Ruby Bridges as a family. It was a made-for-tv movie in 1998, rated PG, and only 96 mins long. All of my kids liked it. The movie is, of course, about Ruby Bridges and her experience being one of the first black children to integrate into a white school. Because Ruby is only six years old in the movie, my kids were interested in the events and problems she faced. 

While the movie is family-friendly, there are racial slurs and some yelling between adults as well as adults threatening Ruby which can be frightening for children. These situations raised questions for my kids which resulted in some great discussions during and after the movie.

Researching the film afterwards, I was surprised that it is fairly accurate for a biopic. Even some details that I thought were for dramatic effect were in fact true. I also was surprised how religious the movie was and how it showed the struggle between the family and not only the school but also with friends and the NAACP.  I appreciated Ruby's parents' perspective in the movie which I had never before considered. A major focus of the film is how children deal with stress. The way the movie explores it through Ruby, religion, and her psychiatrist is fascinating. 

My only complaint about the movie is how it ends. Usually a biopic shows pictures or footage of the actual individuals as they were and where they are now, which I would have loved for my kids to see and compare. But the movie ends with a few spoken sentences about a foundation that Ruby has set up. A lackluster ending in my opinion. Other than that, I really liked the movie, the dynamic relationships, and the questions it raised for my family to discuss. 

The Impossible

 

Lest you think I hadn't watch a biopic lately, here's one more review. LOVED the cinematography. Come to find out it was originally filmed for a Spanish (as in Spain) audience because the family that the movie is about is Spanish. However, the director cast the family as British with Naomi Watts as the mom and Ewan McGregor as the dad. Ewan McGregor was remarkably believable as the dad. There was only one scene that I thought he lost character, but overall wonderful acting. The kids were incredible actors too, especially the oldest. Wow. Can't think of what else Naomi Watts is in so can't really compare, but she did fine too. The film was originally filmed in English despite being for a Spanish audience so no subtitles.

Suspenseful, dramatic (in a good way), moving, and a little bit gory. See imdb's parental guide for specifics.
There are a couple spots where frontal nudity is shown. It is not shown for sensuality and it's true to life in a tragedy but not needed for the overall story per se. There is a reason for it, but not compelling enough to view it in my opinion. It comes right after "you see the back of a woman's leg is ripped open and the tattered, bloody wound is shown."


This movie made me aware of possible tragedies that some families face and grateful that my family has not had to experience such incredible disaster. Also took me a little back in time as I remember this tsunami in the news and the relief efforts taken in its aftermath. The movie focuses on how the goodness and sacrifice of others literally saves lives.

Gifted Hands

 

You're probably starting to catch on that I like to watch biographical movies. This one is about Ben Carson who is a pediatric neurosurgeon at John Hopkins. He developed some incredible surgical procedures. I wasn't sure if I would like this movie, not knowing if it would focus just on racism. Don't get me wrong -- there are great movies focused on that, but I wasn't in the mood for such a movie. I was pleasantly surprised. The movie was more about God, family, and work ethic than it was about racism. In fact, there were only two instances of racism and they added depth to Ben Carson's personality. Very, VERY clean movie. Super good and inspirational. 

The Conspirator

Quincy and I watched this movie from Netflix a year and a half ago. We just never posted the review that we started until now.

If you like political, historical, and/or law-related movies, you'll like this one. Don't know why it got such low reviews from Rottentomatoes; I really liked it. The only part that we felt was unnecessary was a scene of extensive stabbing. The event actually happened, but the graphic portrayal, we felt, was over the top.

Learned a lot about a part of history that I didn't know. The movie focuses on the trial of those suspected of conspiring to kill President Lincoln. Well-acted, but I may be biased as I really like James McAvoy as an actor.

Temple Grandin

This review is actually from Jen. Just had to share this movie as it is one of the best that I've seen in awhile.

This movie is a biographical film of Temple Grandin, whom Wikipedia describes as "a woman with autism who revolutionized practices for the humane handling of livestock on cattle ranches and slaughterhouses." Claire Danes plays Temple Grandin and Julia Ormond (played Sabrina in the modern version) plays Temple's mother. They gave amazing performances. The film creatively portrays how an autistic mind views the world while at the same time showing the conflicts, emotions, and reactions that come with interacting with an autistic individual.

Apart from learning more about the history of autism (ex. how people believed a mother's lack of touch was a cause of autism), I also learned a lot more about cattle -- from the view of an autistic individual.

This film gave me a new view of autism. It also reminded me how specific experiences, comments, and individuals move us to discover our strengths through our trials. An excellent movie. Also completely clean. Don't remember even one swear word.

The film was released in 2010 through HBO. Found the copy I watched at the library.