King of Kong- A fistful of Quarters Documentary

Before there was Wii or Halo there was PacMan and Donkey Kong.

Just watched an exceptional movie, The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters. At first I didn’t see where ti was going but this was just excellent. It is a documentary that centers on the classic video arcade game, Donkey Kong and quest for the top score among gamers. . The movie is about the original record holder, Billy Mitchell a gaming rock star - of sorts-who dominates the gaming universe and and relatively new guy, Steve Wiebe who just can’t breakthrough and be accepted by the old guard.

The movie was quite touching. Steve Weibe is shown in his daily family life as his wife looks on just hoping he can get a break. She recognizes that he husband’s dismay have OCD and at some point he parents mention they have thought he may even have autism ( I suspect they mean Asperger’s Syndrome. I have actually met some world video game champions and most do live with Asperger’s) . Hi wife was actually more supportive than I thought she would be.

The old guard just won;t accept Steve’ scores and do everything that can to block his scores from being accepted at “verified”.
The old record holder, Billy Mitchel sort of comes across as the villain int he documentary- i am not sure how much of this was editing but it did seem like something no quite right was going on.

i won’t spoil anything - this is a good movie - has drama.,action and pathos If you get a chance to see- please do!

More Information on the movie King of Kong
Amazon : The King of Kong

Posted by Lisa - Unschooling Mom as Movie Recommendations, Video Games at 5:24 PM EST

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I heard Ricki Lake , of the FIRST Hairspray fame.. talk show host etc on the radio last week. I was never a fan- she is just a celebrity that is under the radar for me. However- I was surprised by a few things she said in the interview. She is out promoting her movie- a documentary called The Business of being Born, opening wide January 9, 2008. There are many pre-screening available- you can visit site to check.
The Business of being Born:

Birth: it’s a miracle. A rite of passage. A natural part of life. But more than anything, birth is a business. Compelled to find answers after a disappointing birth experience with her first child, actress Ricki Lake recruits filmmaker Abby Epstein to examine and question the way American women have babies. The film interlaces intimate birth stories with surprising historical, political and scientific insights and shocking statistics about the current maternity care system. When director Epstein discovers she is pregnant during the making of the film, the journey becomes even more personal. Should most births be viewed as a natural life process, or should every delivery be treated as a potentially catastrophic medical emergency?

Ricki Lake is executive producer of the film. I though “oh God.. here goes a celebrity telling people how to have a baby…” and prepared myself to be annoyed and hear the usual prattle about hospitals, nannies and bottle feeding.
I was quite surprised. This is what I heard in her interview.
- She is a BIG proponent of home births siting statistics about the dreadful infant mortality rate in United States. They have the 2nd highest rate of infant mortality in the world- Ricki Lake blames hospital germs, etc for this.
- She had a home water birth.
-she used a mid-wife
-because of breast reduction surgery in 1991 she bought she was not able to supply enough milk for her so- she used a milk bank. BRAVO!!!

- She was candid, SMART, funny and honest. I am now considering myself a fan and will make a point of seeing this movie and promote it as best I can. I am quite excited to see it.

Posted by Lisa - Unschooling Mom as Movie Recommendations, Reviews and Recommendations at 11:08 PM EST

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My Favourite- and one I use to “explain” what unschooling is about is School of Rock (Widescreen Edition). It shows how by appealing to a passion you can learn almost anything.

Some other favourites that appeal to homeschooling families:

The Secret of Roan Inish A wonderful movie I can watch over and over.

The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill My favorite movie of the year.

The Pippi Longstocking Collection (Pippi Longstocking / Pippi Goes on Board / Pippi in the South Seas / Pippi on the Run) Always seems to come when discussing homeschooling. Lots of fun for all ages.

Uncle Buck I saw this recently- I was bit taken aback by strong language that I notice is prevalent in 80’s kids movies- they seem to have a harshennes to them. Having said that- the movie has a lot of thems that fit in with unschooling and being yourself.

Ferris Bueller\’s Day Off - Bueller Bueller Edition

Never Cry Wolf This was a favoutie book when I was a kid- and the movie really holds up well.

Whale Rider A beautiful movie on so many levels

Please feel free to post your own suggestion and recommendations !!!

Posted by Lisa - Unschooling Mom as Fostering a Love of Learning, General Homeschool and Unschooling, Homeschool in the Press and Media, Movie Recommendations at 4:29 PM EST

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This is a good site to bookmark, http://www.kids-in-mind.com/ It rates movies in 3 different categories: sex and nudity/ violence and gore/ profanity. It is not a preachy site just lets you make informed choices.

For example I don’t really care that much about profanity but violence is a biggie. It gives a review of the movie and then ratings from each category on a scale of 1-10. I believe the sites is sun by rottentomatoes.com and not a political or religious group. Pretty much any movie you can thnk of there- as well as current releases.
I don’t lik to “censor” per se but realize that we censor all the time- I don’t sit down and watch the Sopranos at 11 am with a cup of coffee and my 9 year old. I don;t “refuse” to let my children watch anything- but on the other hand I don;t offer them the choice either. So this site is meant to help censor but to help parents make choices.. If you can follow the Big Brother doublespeeak :-).. I don;t censor- I make choices.

Posted by Lisa - Unschooling Mom as General Homeschool and Unschooling, Movie Recommendations at 6:36 PM EDT

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This List was compiled by group of girls in one of my homeschool groups. I will try and put links t these up- in the mean time you can go to www.imdb.com and look up movies, plots and ratings.

The Princess Diaries 1 and 2
13 Going on 30
Ice Princess
Mean Girls ( some older content)
School of Rock ( I like this one as it is good way to explain unschooling method of learning to people)
The Prince and Me
The Parent Trap ( both older Hayley Mills version and newer Lindsay Lohan version)
Clueless ( this has a fair amount of adult content)
Freaky Friday
Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants ( some older content)
Miss Congeniality
Ella Enchanted
Ever after
Never Been Kissed
50 First Dates
Now and Then (some older themes)
Legally Blonde

Posted by Lisa - Unschooling Mom as Fun Activities for Kids, Movie Recommendations at 10:23 PM EDT

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