"Obsession" is a retelling of "The Monkey's Paw." In that famous story, a man wishes for great wealth. But the wealth turns out to be blood money--it's a corporation paying cash to cover up the death of the man's son. At the end of the story, the man wishes to have his son back. Fair. But the tapping on the door--is that a human being or a zombie? With "Obsession," young Baron wants the love of his old friend Nikki. He goes to a spooky voodoo shop and "gets" his wish. But Nikki's love seems problematic. Nikki begins screaming at random intervals. She tells lies about cancer. We reach a "crisis point" when Nikki cooks and eats a portion of Baron's dead cat. This movie has a little bit more on its mind. Baron's friend Ian has secrets--we're not sure we can trust Ian. Additionally, there is a colorful cameo at the voodoo store; the clerk is maybe not the helpful neighbor we imagine him to be. Beneath the layer...
My daughter is now at a stage where she states her questions aloud while watching a movie. I've learned that I do not have to answer the questions. She is just thinking out loud. Her questions are spot-on. They are the questions that any engaged viewer would want to explore. In his new book "Make Believe," Mac Barnett argues that kids are the ideal readers. Their minds have not atrophied. They do not grow impatient if a story "breaks the rules." They are comfortable with uncertainty--because their growing brains have not learned it's possible to *reject* uncertainty. (By contrast, in my old age, I don't have much patience for a novel if it fails to feature a detective. If I can't immediately sink into the standard detective rhythms, I get crabby and anxious.) Barnett suggests that 95 of every 100 picture books are very bad. But he says this is not alarming, because 90 of every 100 "adult" books are very bad. Barnett argues that many adult...