The Projector #53: More Newslettering About Parenting and Films (Patreon)

by Keith Phipps

We like to address feedback from readers on the show, so it makes sense to respond to some feedback on bonus episodes here, right? So, in that spirit, Kevin writes: 

Thank you for the recent bonus episode discussion around sharing movies with your kids. My son is almost three-and-a-half, so we haven't been watching too many movies yet, but he's definitely starting to follow longer stories and more complex ideas beyond his favorite shows so I really appreciated the discussion. Sometimes what kids lock in with seems random, and you realize they're just figuring it out as they go (like all of us, I guess). What Scott and Keith said about knowing your kids and what they can and can't handle makes so much sense, and thankfully for me as a horror fan he seems to like being scared sometimes.

A few months ago I gave him a poseable Godzilla toy that I had when I was a kid (I think it was promotional for the Godzilla 1985 film) and he loves it, so one day he wanted to "watch a Godzila movie." I didn't think he'd sit through the black & white original, so we watched the much more colorful and kid-friendly Son of Godzilla, featuring a clumsy baby Godzilla that falls down a lot, makes faces, and gets chased by giant bugs. We have somehow watched this movie in its entirety at least three times.

You never know where their interests are going to take them, and sometimes they might turn you on to something new that surprises you too. It's a journey I'm looking forward to taking with him as much (or as little) as he wants.

Thanks as always for the show and the work, and I'm glad you're all hanging in there as best you can. Here's to a better 2021 and more great movies.

Thanks, Kevin. And I think you’ve got the right attitude about this. When it comes to Godzilla, I remember my attempts to watch them as a kid both compelling and confusing. I couldn’t have been more excited to check out King Kong vs. Godzilla, only to wonder why I had to sit through so much stuff that wasn’t, well, King Kong fighting Godzilla. And, honestly, that was still pretty much my reaction when I revisited the original series last year. But I’m also glad I have those early, confused memories to draw upon and I’m surprised by how strong they are. The stuff you see when you’re young gets under your skin, whether you realize it or not. (Also, Son of Godzilla is a trip, and watching it as a grown-up I really appreciated it for its depiction of Japanese latchkey kids.)

So, I guess to expand on the thoughts of the podcast, I think the worst sort of film to show a kid — factoring out stuff with inappropriate material, obviously — is something that leaves them indifferent and feeling like you’re wasting their time. Movies should be an exciting alternative to another game of Roblox or whatever, not an obligation that takes them away from what they’d really wish they were doing.

Okay, that’ll do it for the newsletter proper this week. We’ve got some exciting bonus content coming up this week, so be sure to look for it. As for the main show, we hope you enjoyed our recent episode on Boys State (and enjoyed Boys State; it’s a good one). 

Finally, some items you might want to read:

• What’s it like to spend eight hours straight in the DC Fandome? Keith Phipps wrote about it for The Ringer.

• Also for The Ringer, Scott Tobias spoke to director Peyton Reed about the 20th anniversary of Bring it On.

• SNL used to be a movie star-making machine. What happened? For Polygon, Jesse Hassenger investigates.

• What does the Jody Hill-directed, Seth Rogen-starring Observe and Report have to do with our current debate about policing? Quite a lot, Nick Allen discovered for Polygon.

• And for Vulture, Rebecca Alter spoke to the great Eugene Levy and Catherine O’Hara about Best in Show.