11 august 2003.11:25 pm

3 fun for the whole family movies everyone should see:

  1. "the journey of natty gann," 1985. i watched this movie a few days ago, and i cannot believe i forgot how much sweet hobo action transpires in this film: there are hobo fights, hobo knives, hobo singin, hobo train jumpin, hobo setting garbage cans on fire for warmth, hobo eating baked beans out of a paint can, BEAUTIFUL. the basic plot concerns a teenage girl who treks across the country, hobo style, to find her dad, who is a lumberjack in seattle. along the way she gets a hobo dog [she calls it a wolf, but its really just white fang] and she falls in hobo love with john cusak in what is probably his greatest role ever, as a young streetwise hobo named harry. best hobo movie ever.

  2. �charlotte�s web,� 1973. one time cody and i watched this at 3am, completely sober, and we both agreed that its the best musical about a talking pig [isnt that a whole new genre now?] ever. cartoon voices by debbie reynolds, danny bonaduce, and my personal hero, paul lynde. the best song is the one about smorgasbords orgasbords orgasbords.

  3. �mr rice�s secret,� 2000. this wonderful canadian cinematic nugget is probably the best kept secret in the history of family film. its about owen, a young boy with cancer and his special relationship with his neighbor, mr rice. mr rice dies but leaves behind an elaborate scavenger hunt that involves breaking into his estate and [i swear to christ] digging up his dead body to grab something out of his coffin. after owen goes through the overly elaborate scheme, he discovers mr rice�s secret: mr rice is ACTUALLY 400 years old! he�s a mystical being and he leaves owen one vial of the glowing blue potion that will make him live for 100 years! what is owen going to do with it now?!

    now, im sure that youre completely entranced by the magical plotline, but what really makes this movie fabulous is that mr rice is played by DAVID BOWIE in various plaid flannel shirts, and he appears to be taking the whole thing very seriously. this is the sort of movie you have to suspend disbelief for, as in the disbelief that there are parents who would actually let their children form a close, intimate relationship with david bowie... i love you, ziggy stardust, but i wouldnt want you hanging out with my preteen sons.