Monday Moments - Barbie

 I watched previews of the Barbie movie and was not convinced. It looked silly. I think the ads were designed to lure more kids.  But to me this is NOT a kid movie. Greta Gerwig (a genius director) has created a movie that is very FUN, ENTERTAINING, WELL DONE, CLEVER, and hits so many social issues with the right amount of oomph. Genius writing and humor. 

Huge thumbs up from me. I laughed out loud several times. And I shook my head a lot because she nailed women issues without hitting one over the head. 

per Barbie herself who's perfectly cast, Margot Robbie, "  This is not a Barbie puff piece." 

Ryan Gosling as Ken is stupendous - he obviously has a sense of humor and brings it to  the roll. He's the perfect foil.  Frankly the whole cast  of Barbies and Kens are so damn good.  Plus Skipper,  Alan (oh, yeah Alan. He was discontinued. Thanks Michael Cena  for such great humor) and so much more. 

And shout  out to Kate McKinnon as Weird Barbie (trust me, it's a thing. I was the kid who cut my dolls hair.  Not  great ). She brings a lot of impromptu wacky at just the right moments. I love her and she absolutely cracked me up. 

I could go see this film again and pick up on so many great lines. Kudos to Greta and  Noah for a fabulous script.  Her  directing  and  vision was spot on.  This  is (in my humble opinion)  a film for the ages. 

Wordless Wednesday - Almost

 Christmas highlights - I got a Super Spirograph. I always ask for stuff that we can keep here and play with kids. I loved Spirograph as a kid myself. My father liked. it too. What a hit. If I'm in the mood to do something artsy, I'll be playing with my new toy.

 I don't think you can have Christmas and little girls without the appearance of Barbie. And her hair already looks like a tousled mess from her Corvette ride.

Music - here's the key - bang the maracas on the tambourine....try it.  (That gift left our home!)

Yes, we are brilliant and evil.....

Happy Wednesday

Be a Doll

Here I am with Dolly. Apparently she was a favorite friend back in the day. But after those very early years, I was not infatuated with dolls or remember playing with them much. I was certainly not a collector.

I remember Thumbelina. She had a wind-up key and from the commercials she should have been kicking her legs and practically rolling over and standing up. False advertising and major disappointment when mine on Christmas morning barely stirred.

Most of my dolls ended up with bad haircuts. I was not handy with scissors anyway. I cut what I knew. Looking in the mirror, all I saw were crooked bangs. I cut 'em, as I saw 'em. My mother wasn't pleased.

As for Barbie, I probably owned one, but it's not memorable. She did not influence my life. Thus I read the 2/8/16 issue of Time Magazine with curiosity. Barbie is on the cover and there's a whole discussion about American beauty, culture attitudes (now there's curvy, tall, and petite sizes), and the message being sent to impressionable brains by a doll.

But, face it  - Barbie means bucks for Mattel Corp. If she ain't pulling in the dough, she has to be put out to pasture or reinvented.

And for kids today...do they care about the tangible product or.....is there an app for that?

So - what are your thoughts on Barbie? Were you a doll (or action figure) connoisseur?  Any favorites?  And how many of you flung your toy from a catapult or had it careening in a toy car off a ramp you created?