Throwback Thursday- Princess Caraboo (1994)

We all want what we cannot have. Whether it is love, money, fame or status, we try to reach for the brass ring, even it means fudging the truth a little.

The 1994 movie, Princess Caraboo is about reaching for the brass ring, even if it means fudging the truth a little.

In 19th century Bristol England, a young woman (Phoebe Cates) speaking an unknown language is being tried for begging. Then a man steps up claiming to speak her language. He states that she is a foreign princess named Caraboo. A family of local aristocrats invites her into their home in hopes of improving their social standing. But a reporter quickly becomes suspicious. Is Caraboo really a foreign princess or is she a con artist trying to escape the law?

This movie is interesting. Part traditional BPD (British Period Drama), part social satire and part mystery, the film asks it’s audience if reaching for the brass ring is better than being themselves.

Do I recommend it? Yes.

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Throwback Thursday-Honey I Shrunk The Kids (1989)

To a human being, the backyard is not a scary place. But what happens when the backyard is a scary place?

In Disney’s 1989 film, Honey, I Shrunk The Kids, Wayne Szalinski (Rick Moranis) could be the mad scientist next door. His newest invention is a machine that can shrink anything. Unfortunately, Wayne forgets to forewarn his family about his latest invention. When his kids and the kids next door are  shrunk and somewhere within the backyard, Wayne and the kids must find each other before it is too late.

For a kid in the late 1980’s, this movie was high entertainment. Was it the best movie of it’s time? No. But when your that age, things like that don’t matter in a film.

Do I recommend it? Yes, but only for nostalgia’s sake.

Throwback Thursday- Enough (2002)

Spousal abuse is a worldwide epidemic. The numbers are staggering.

• In the United States, 3 women are killed every day by a current or former partner.
• 38,028,000 women have experienced domestic/spousal abuse in their lifetimes.
• Women with disabilities are 40% more likely to experience abuse from their partners than women without disabilities.
• 4,774,000 American women will be physically abused by their spouses or partners every year.

The 2002 movie, Enough is about domestic abuse and one woman’s fight to protect herself and her child from her abusive husband.

Slim ( Jennifer Lopez) has just met the man of her dreams. Mitch Hiller (Billy Campbell) is everything she is looking for in a man. They do what many couples do and get married. But Prince Charming is not so charming. When Mitch becomes abusive, Slim takes her daughter, Gracie (Tessa Allen) and tries to hide with the help of an old boyfriend, Joe (Dan Futterman). When Mitch becomes relentless in his search for his wife and daughter, Slim knows that there is only one way to save them both: she has to kill her husband.

Is Jennifer Lopez the best actress in Hollywood? Not by a long shot. Is this the best movie ever made: No. But it does shed light on a subject that is sadly all too commonplace.  One of the film’s redeeming qualities is that Slim does take a stand. Instead of cowering in the corner, she fights back. While this film is about one woman’s journey, Slim represents every woman who has ever been abused by their partner.

Do I recommend this film? Sure.