By Jacob Sahms
Here at Dove, we know families always look for films to share with the whole family. While the output of films looks to be slowed for awhile, we’ll be publishing a weekly set of films you can stream to entertain and encourage your family in these strange times.
“Don’t stay away too long.” That was the last line in the original Mary Poppins as Bert watched her sail off into the London horizon. We’d all agree it’s been too long! My gushy heart actually leapt, and I wept, when Mary Poppins returned. From the onset, this film felt thrilling, delivering a wonderfully nostalgic and delightful jaunt down Cherry Tree Lane. Lin Manuel-Miranda is perfect. The whole opening sequence begins with painted scenes of the story, setting us up for a feast of new and old wonderfully mixed together.
When young Bastian borrows a mysterious, ornately-bound book, he never dreams that turning a page will draw him into a shimmering fantasy world of racing snails, hang-glider bats, soaring luck dragons, puckish elves, a Childlike Empress, the brave warrior Atreyu and a slab-faced walking quarry called a Rock Biter.
Threatened with being kidnapped and taken to Moron Mountain by the Nerdlucks, Bugs Bunny and the Looney Tunes characters propose a winner-take-all basketball game. Confident that their ringer, NBA mega-star Michael Jordan, will ensure their victory, Bugs and Co. are surprised with their foes’ ability to “absorb” talent from other earth-bound hoops stars.
The film is imaginative with a capital I! The story focuses on a young woman named Casey Newton (Britt Robertson) who is given a small pin from the 1964 World’s Fair. When she touches the pin it whisks her into the future. Casey tries to make sense of how the pin ended up in her hands. Her search leads her to Frank Walker (George Clooney), who was a boy genius/inventor and holds a major key to Casey solving the enigma of the pin. This futuristic film deals with a corrupt government that designs a fatalistic future so the world can begin again. Casey and Frank embark on a major adventure, although quite accidental, to try to save the future.
Stay tuned next week for another batch of family friendly fare.
