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mortilyn
Reviews
Diverted (2009)
excellent for TV movie
I watched a documentary a year after the 9/11 disaster that shared the story of Maritime airport roles on this day. It gripped me as I had been to the Maritime region within a month of 9/11 flying in and out of Boston, and later, by Manhattan on towards my home--pointing out the Trade Center to a tween boy sitting next to me. Recently, I was trying to find that documentary and stumbled across this film. I thoroughly enjoyed it. The human element shows up despite it being a secondary movie. The acting is done well and hones in on the highlights and the heart of the Gander people--save the poor "Italian children" who probably know one Italian word, "Si." There are a few things that do not totally add up timing and props--see other reviews which gripe on these matters. Nonetheless, this film captures the heart of the Gander people, the fear of the whole situation, family members who deal with missing loved ones, the scare of stereotyping Muslim people, and why not add potential love to the mix though I do think it necessary for the air traffic controller to sleep with the girl from London. It is a film that I have now shared with several friends/family, and watched numerous times myself. Kudos to Canadian filmmakers!
What Katy Did (1999)
another movie leads to good classic book
Megan Follows is why I picked out the movie in the first place. It was her Anne of Green Gables series that lead me to my favorite literary heroine, and this seems to be the same. The backdrop of the Canadian countryside is splendid as in the Anne films, assuming the Ontario countryside. I look forward to reading the books soon. I wish I had found these when I was a girl... a new favorite to discover. I know sometimes movies never do books justice, but at least they open a door to a new literary world... not sure how I missed Katy.
I do feel like they could have done a bit more with character development and historical context. I would think depending on the child and their circumstances, age 8 would be appropriate to share. It does have challenging, realistic themes, but I do believe it might lead to "teachable" moments and good conversation.