Our Friend Martin
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VHS Movie Reviews of Our Friend Martin
Movie Review: Dr. Kings' Movie
Summary: 5 Stars
I was so happy to replace this movie. It reaches children of all ages. Greay buy. Good for family night.Movie Review: 5th Grade and up, PLEASE!
Summary: 2 Stars
I have just withstood this movie, with a group of confused and bored, 1st graders, in the school I substitute teach in. Our lesson plans this week have included a broad range of activities and simplistic essays on getting along with others, diversity, tolerance and doing our part to make the world a better place, in honor of the work of Dr. Martin Luther King. The grand finale was the gathering of all of the classes to watch this educational video.
ANIMATION QUALITY: Poor. Think Josie and the Pussycats or Scooby Doo.
LANGUAGE: Degrading, tense scenes of whites calling children "colored" or "negroes". Children using inappropriate slang, "butthead","stupid idiot", "dumb" and other words we are instructed to tell our students are "bad words".
VIOLENCE: Think of the classic black and white imagery during the horrible struggle of the 60's: cross burning, KKK, vicious police dogs attacking young men, fire hoses blasting protesters, police clubbing men and women, Dr. King's house burned by arsonists. Also in the movie: a morbidly obese white child physically assaulting an african american child, a school bus driver intentionally trying to run down a child, physical threats of violence between characters.
CHARACTERIZATION: I do not recall any white characters with redeeming values. The main character who is african american has a white best friend, who has an exagerated Forest Gump-type accent and I.Q. All others are bigots, with the exception of the aforementioned, incompetent school bus driver. The main antagonist, the obese, white, bully, wears a heavy-giggle evoking midriff cut tee shirt, that exposes his bosom and pants that expose his derriere.His offensive behavior was enough, without these visuals.
CONTINUITY: The storyline involved time travel, a clever device when done well. With all of the big names in the credits, they would have done well to be consulted by Spielberg. There is one critical jump that utterly confused most of the children; especially when the characters who transported changed their personality, in Jekyl and Hyde style.
I wish this had been a better movie, though I believe it might have some merit with an older, more prepared group, perhaps 5th or 6th graders. It's unfortunate that a better storyline could not have been worked out, considering all of the star power that was cast as voice talent. The end of the movie shows sweet images of diverse groups hugging and playing; this would have been much more appropriate for the young group I was in charge of today. My heart sunk, when a diminutive,young girl came up to me when we were getting ready to go home, and asked me,"Why are white people so mean?"
Movie Review: Great!
Summary: 5 Stars
My kindergardener watched this in class and loved it. He begged the teacher to play it on multiple days. I purchased this for him and he watched it twice in one night. A great way to help children learn! What a great all-star cast!Movie Review: Excellent kids' movie about Martin Luther King Jr.!
Summary: 5 Stars
I borrowed this movie from a colleague at work to show to my class of special needs students. After viewing it with them, and seeing their reactions, I had to buy it. It teaches values that are so vital to humanity. The movie provides first hand accounts with actual footage and cartoon characters. I would recommend this item to share with any child to teach tolerance, acceptance, forgiveness, and to teach about the great Martin Luther King Jr. I would even recommend it to adults, who sadly, in the 21st century continue to be hateful.Movie Review: A great elementary school video about a great man
Summary: 5 Stars
This video was shown at my daughter's elementary school today. She enjoyed watching the cartoon version of this and thought the characters in the movie are cool. The challenge of making history seem real and meaningful to young people continues to be a big one. Even the greatest of names are difficult to bring to life when they aren't associated with someone who is living today.
In this fantastic story we have two friends, one black and one white, learn about King during a school field trip, and soon find themselves traveling through time to meet King in his youth and then follow him through history, up until the day he was killed in 1968. In the process, they learn a lot about racial segregation and King's role in working to bring down the barriers in the U.S. south. At times, the shift from cartoon to news footage seems a bit forced, but it works most of the time. Although the story lacks substance, this is not a major problem since King's own story is so compelling.
The cast of voices is impressive, with 16 recognizable names, including leading African American performers such as James Earl Jones, Whoopi Goldberg, Oprah Winfrey, Danny Glover, Samuel L. Jackson and others. The film was made in co-operation with the King family, with Yolanda and Dexter also lending their voices to the production. While there's no attempt here to provide a complete picture of King's life, the major events of the civil rights movement are covered off quite well. The combination of animation and real footage was up to par and I recommend this movie to everyone.