If a child can watch Barney, can’t that same child also enjoy watching Charlie Chaplin or the Marx Brothers? And as they get older, w...
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reviews
Feb 09, 2009
Larissa
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Jul 10, 2010
Jonathan
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Wow, what a wonderfully fun book! Lots of great movies to expose the girls too, who already have a pretty good appreciation for B&W movies. They loved "The Kid", enjoy the 3 Stooges and really had fun with "Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein" (even if Burr disparages that classic).
Definitely going to show them "Bringing Up Baby" and "Meet Me In St. Louis" next. Wish more of these were available on demand as opposed to DVD rental, but hey, wha More...
Definitely going to show them "Bringing Up Baby" and "Meet Me In St. Louis" next. Wish more of these were available on demand as opposed to DVD rental, but hey, wha More...
Apr 10, 2009
Stacey
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I don't really like watching movies. I would pick a good book any day. I would, however, be interested in exposing my avid movie-watching kids to some classics--and reserved some at the library. We will see how it goes. I agree with the author when he says that the contemporary movie culture has become stuck in a rut and uses the same tools over and over (flatulance to get a laugh?!?).
Also, I like what the author says in the introduction in regards to teaching kids that old stuff i More...
Also, I like what the author says in the introduction in regards to teaching kids that old stuff i More...
Feb 07, 2010
Cathy
rated it: 
What a terrific book! More than just a list of movies to watch with kids, Burr gives us intelligent reviews and background on classic films that even cinemaphiles without kids in the house could appreciate. It's beautifully written and full of thoughtful commentary on what children get out of films, how a director's fingerprints show on the screen, and the value of black-and-white in a high-def full-color world. He missed a few of our family favorites (what, no True Grit?), but his recommendatio
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Jul 04, 2011
Terri Lynn
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My husband and I found this book in our favorite public library a few years ago. We enjoyed reading it because our family- all ages- loves and prefers old movies of all kinds. Ty Burr is spot-on in his belief that if you introduce children to good movies that they will enjoy a lifetime of quality entertainment and be more prone to choose well. This applied to our own family not just in movies but also in music, books, and food. This book has become a comfortable old friend and makes a fun read.
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Aug 31, 2007
thefourthvine
rated it:
Ty Burr definitely has the knack of making movies sound appealing; we read this book out loud, and when we were finished, we had added 100 movies to our Netflix queue. So, you know, fair warning: unless you've already seen all the old movies there are to see (and he does not focus on just the classics and the well-known ones, so don't think you're in the clear just because you have a substantial black-and-white collection already), you will probably end up watching a lot of old movies if you rea
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Jan 30, 2012
Rachel
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This book made me want to pull out some classics for my kids. Sadly, they are old enough that just throwing it in the machine and saying "Let's see what happens" won't work because they are old enough to get up and walk out. If they stay, duct tape is needed to keep the sarcastic comments behind closed doors. Sigh.
Jun 23, 2011
Jenny
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This book is rad! Go read it and then go watch an old movie with someone under the age of 50. I think this would be a good book to give as a gift or have on my bookshelf.
Apr 06, 2011
Very helpful and entertainingly written. Who would have known/remembered there's a pedophile storyline in a Shirley Temple movie? Or that there are films noir and gangster movies kids can watch, enjoy, and not be scarred?
Nov 09, 2009
Lynnea
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Love this. A ton of fun and great recommendations for getting your kids into old classics. Interesting little trivia here and there also.
Oct 05, 2008
Jill
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This was such a fun little read that I just happened to stumble upon while looking for something else in the library. Many of the movies I had seen before and forgotten about, but he had so many other good suggestions for classics I had never seen (I still can't figure out why not - I mean, it's Citizen Kane, after all). The greatest part was that he separated it out by age groups - at what age it would be appropriate to show children - and a little plot diddy so you would have an idea of the
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Jul 14, 2010
Gina
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This is one of my new favorites. Breaks down the movies by age group and cues "things to look for".
Mar 29, 2009
Robin
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Neat book for helping you decide which old movies to watch with your kids.
Apr 28, 2007
Moses Operandi
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I have always enjoyed old movies (and by that I mean black and white) but this book opened me up even more. On its reccomendation, we saw High Noon, with Gary Cooper and Grace Kelly, which was excellent. A truly gripping western, it took place in real-time, which made it all the more suspenseful. Anyway, I highly reccomend this book to everyone who is tired of the big-bugdet blockbusters of today.
Dec 16, 2009
Kristine
rated it:
The book contains recommendations sorted by age group and gives a synopsis of the movie, odd trivia, and areas for discussion with your kids. It's a pretty good book, and I've given it four stars for originality.
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