Cinema Sundays: My Picks of Great Flicks: PLAYING THE GAME

Posted on March 20, 2011 by viviankirkfield

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Last night, my husband and I watched “PLAYING THE GAME”, a 2009 romantic comedy starring Andy Griffith as an 80+ year-old grandpa who has recently lost his beloved wife and is now living in an assisted-living facility. Paul Campbell plays his concerned grandson, a player of women who wants his grandfather to start enjoying life again. When Paul meets Maria Sokoloff, his player days are numbered and when Andy meets Doris Roberts (of Everybody Loves Raymond fame), a resident of his senior home and grandmother of Maria, he finds a new reason to live again.

Some people may be offended by the sexual scenes (you never really “see” anything) and by the blatant sexual desires of some of the “older” folks (and some may be sad to see Andy Griffith, icon of morality in the Mayberry RFD series, taking Viagra and enjoying the sexual favors of one of the older women at the home for seniors)…but I think it was a realistic depiction of how life is for some elderly people…defined in their youth by sexuality, they feel if they can’t “perform”, then life is not worth living.

Andy Griffith does provide some wonderful advice to his grandson…advice we might all benefit from:

Defining a “real” companion, he says, “You’ll know when you meet her and you’ll know when you lose her.”
Asking his grandson about his relationship with his love interest, he says, “Are you a player or were you just playing.”
Telling his grandson to stop his step-by-step procedure that gets women to fall for him, he says, “To win the game of love, you have to stop playing games with women.”

If you are looking for a light-hearted romantic comedy and won’t be turned off by seeing some elderly people looking forward to sexual pursuits, PLAYING THE GAME is for you.

The movie also highlighted how we need to pursue our dreams and goals and not get sidetracked by just “working for the money”. The grandson had put aside his dream of working in the health-care field and was earning a LOT of money, selling cars in his father’s dealership…but he was very unhappy and hated what he was doing. When he becomes involved with Maria, he realizes that he needs to quit his job and go back to helping people. How many of us put our dreams aside because of money…either because we don’t think we have enough for our needs or we just think we need more?

This past Thursday, I met with two 4^th grade students who wanted to “job shadow” an author…the advice I gave them was to follow their dream and never give up on what they believed in…hard work and persistence do translate into success! During my years as a teacher, daycare provider and mom, I accumulated lots of ideas and experience…and I was able to use those when I finally wrote my book last year for parents and teachers of preschoolers. If you are interested in picking up a copy of this unique resource of picture book suggestions and easy fun-filled educational activities, please visit my website at www.positiveparentalparticipation.com where you can take advantage of the half-price sale and enter to win a GREAT PRIZE for your preschooler.

I hope you’ll stop by tomorrow for Make-A-Meal Monday. Based on today’s movie pick, our theme for the week is Companionship.

Quotable Timeless Tuesdays: Friendship…Japan or New Jersey…It’s Not The Where, It’s the Who!

Posted on March 15, 2011 by viviankirkfield

“The friendship that can cease has never been real.” –St. Jerome

How long have you known your best friend?

“My best friend is the one who brings out the best in me.” –Henry Ford

I’ve know my best friend for 62 years. We lived in the same apartment house when we were toddlers and, although she moved “across the water” from New York City to New Jersey when we were in the second grade, we have continued that special friendship through snail mail, phone conversations, email and occasional visits.

“It is not so much our friend’s help that helps us as the confident knowledge that they will help.” – Epicurus, Greek philosopher

“Without friends, no one would choose to live, though he had all other goods.” – Aristotle

“The bird a nest… the spider a web…. man friendship.” – William Blake

The above three quotations give us a good idea of why we even need friends. They are our support in times of trouble and our companions in times of joy.

“Friendship is the only cement that will ever hold the world together.” –Woodrow Wilson

With the recent tragic events in Japan, there has been an outpouring of news coverage and blog posts expressing concern and offering help to those affected. I’ve been struck by how easily and quickly people can become friends during times of disaster…and equally amazed at how many of those friendships hold fast long after the tragedy happened.

Being a good friend does not always come naturally. It is a skill that can be learned and it is an important one to teach young children.

So what advice would I give parents regarding teaching young children about friendship?

The following three quotations contain advice from wiser minds than mine.

“Never injure a friend, even in jest.” – Cicero

“Friendship with oneself is all important because without it, one cannot be friends with anyone else in the world.” – Eleanor Roosevelt

“If you judge people, you have no time to love them.” – Mother Teresa

Please stop by tomorrow for WHAT’S IN YOUR CHILD’S BOOKCASE WORDY WEDNESDAY. I’ll be reviewing one of the 100 recommended titles in my book that highlights friendship. If you visit my website, you can take advantage of the half-price sale AND enter to win a FREE Crafty Easter Basket, filled with craft supplies for your preschooler.

Cinema Sundays: My Picks of Great Flicks: VIVA CUBA

Posted on March 13, 2011 by viviankirkfield

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Most countries and communities have emergency plans in place, but the earthquakes and tsunamis in Japan and their far-reaching effects on the rest of the world are natural disasters on such a large scale that they were impossible to plan for. Japan, and the other areas affected, will have to accept help from many different countries and organizations in order to provide what is needed for the survivors and to make the cities habitable again.

Perhaps that is the silver lining in this cloud of disaster…perhaps, as Dr. Robert Schuller used to say, this is an opportunity for heroes to step up to turn “scars into stars”…a chance for neighbor to help neighbor and people who don’t know each other to become friends.

Friendship is my theme for this coming week…and my movie pick today is “VIVA CUBA”…a past winner of the Cannes Film Festival.

In VIVA CUBA, we have a modern-day Romeo and Juliet. Filmed in Cuba, the 2005 movie is in Spanish, with English subtitles. It tells the story of Malu, a young girl from an upper-class family and Jorgito, a boy whose parents are poor socialists, but proud of their family’s social standing.

When her mother decides to leave Cuba, Malu and Jorgita run away, trying to reach the other side of the island where Malu’s father lives. They hope that he will refuse to grant permission for Malu and her mother to leave Cuba, therefore enabling Malu and Jorgito to remain friends. When the children and all the parents are finally together however, the parents use the opportunity to continue arguing and fighting, ignoring the children and their concerns.

The film won 34 national and international awards and explores the question of emigration and the effects on children who have to leave friends and extended family behind. I don’t think this is a “family” movie…but it is definitely a movie for parents. In my opinion, this was the ultimate movie about friendship…but I think it is also a film with a wake-up call to parents who are separated, divorced or just not getting along. When children are involved, we need to make them aware of what is going on (they already know much more than you think) and give them the opportunity to voice their questions and concerns.

We need to encourage our children are to offer their opinions and voice their questions and concerns without the fear of being judged or yelled at. This builds their self-esteem and enables them to feel comfortable coming to us with their problems. For 99 other gentle parenting tips like this one, please check out my new book, now on sale for HALF-PRICE on my website. When you purchase a copy of the book, you are automatically entered in the drawing for a CRAFTY EASTER BASKET filled with craft supplies for your preschooler. If you’d like to enter to win with purchasing, just fill out the contact form on my website.