Category Archives: Writers On A Limb

Writers letting words go out on a limb … a collection of thoughts on a page.

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MaurifullFrozen – Review

Anna: I don’t even know what love is.
Olaf: That’s okay. I do. Love is putting someone else’s needs before yours.

This is one of the lessons that Olaf (the snowman) teaches Anna in the movie Frozen. This Disney juggernaut ran away with the box office raking in a staggering $400 million domestic and another $713 million worldwide for a mind-bending $1.1 billion overall.  Not bad for a children’s movie that opened #2 to Hunger Games: Catching Fire with a healthy $67M, and then went on to also pick up a shiny new Oscar for Best Animated Feature Film.  This all begs the question, what was the appeal?

Well, to begin, it’s a clever musical adaptation of Hans Christian Anderson’s “The Snow Queen” fairy tale; although you would never notice with all the memorable musical numbers and state of the art animation.  It also boast many timeless sequences that will be watched on Blu-ray for years to come, I’m sure.  But the true magic, in my opinion, is the enduring sisterhood story that girls of all ages just can’t resist.  Even though Disney tried hard to sell it as an action-filled movie, presumably to attract boys as well, they knew that the heart-warming princess fairy tale would win the day.  How do I know?

“Kids, you want to watch Frozen?”
David: “No way! That’s a girl movie!”
Dayana: “Yes, yes, please!  I love the songs!”

Yet both sat and watched every moment with equal delight.  That is the value of skilled story-telling – indeed, a culmination of Disney’s efforts to blend a good fairy tale with modern appeal.  One of the main building blocks was the success of another well-known fairy tale turned Disney film – Tangled.  I would hazard to guess that the producers of Frozen kept those Tangled production notes very close by.  Both are a welcome change from the toy-selling, in-your-face commercialization of the Toy Story franchise.

So what is it about?  Once upon a time there were two princess sisters who loved each other growing up.  That is until the older one, Elsa discovers she has a knack for freezing things (a classic Disney curse).  So as to not hurt her sister, she runs away.  Her beloved younger sibling, Anna, spends the rest of the film trying to save that sisterly bond that they both cherished.  Along the way, she has to leave her suitor-turned-villian, meets the irresistibly charming snowman, enlists the help of the a hunky mountain man-turned love interest, battles a snow monster – all the ingredients in place for an epic adventure in a spectacular frozen wonderland.  Cue the music…

Disney made sure to top off the film with their trademarks: goofy talking animals (in this story, a snowman and a reindeer) who help and teach the protagonist along the way, memorable songs and a lesson learned.  Add a pinch of a love story and a villain and there you have it – a Disney Classic straight from the pages of literary masterpieces (see Cinderella, Snow White, Aladdin, Tarzan, Sleeping Beauty, Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan, Pinocchio, The Jungle Book, the aforementioned Tangled, etc,etc.)  It is Disney at it’s best.

If you have any reservations about grabbing the Blu-ray for the kids … “Let it go, let it go…”

By Mauricio Bonifaz

For continued reading about the important life lessons in Frozen, look at these great links:

5 moral lessons from Disney’s ‘Frozen’
Top Five Lessons ‘Frozen’ Taught Us
5 Life Lessons Every Collegiette Can Learn From Disney’s “Frozen”

Reflections of a Favourite Childhood Movie

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gooniesThe Goonies:  Join the Adventure
Written by L.C.

Experiencing the 1980s as an elementary-age child, I was not alone in wanting to be a Goonie.  Many of us did.  The first time I saw the film, I was 9 and a friend had just got the movie on VHS which was cool then.  It was a rainy day and – because there just wasn’t anything else to do – we watched.  And I was mesmerized.

The Goonies is a thrill and a half.  A group of children find a forgotten map and some clues, and set out on a treasure hunt in hopes of finding riches – the means to save their small seaside neighbourhood – from land developers.

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Amanda’s fans comment …

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Thank you for the wonderful feedback on my recent post: Amanda Martinez in Toronto. 

Read Amanda’s Post

Lora

A night to remember … Amanda Martinez in Toronto

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There is something quite remarkable about the way music moves us; the way it takes us back in time, inspires us, awakens us, lifts our spirits, and at times even helps us lament in our sorrow.

This past weekend, I attended a concert by a beautiful Mexican singer for a friend’s birthday (at the Winter Garden Theatre).  Though I had never heard of Amanda Martinez prior to this night, the prospect of hanging out with the girls and deviating from the typical Saturday night routine, was quite welcome.  Little did I know I’d be a new fan at the end of the night.

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Light it up Blue

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Light it up Blue
by Julie
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Growing up, kids with special needs of any sort weirded me out. They seemed strange to me; different. Sometimes even scary.

But when I was ten, that changed. I saw kids with special needs in a whole new light.

They say that you can’t criticize something until you understand it. And you usually don’t understand things until it becomes personal. And that is what it was for me.

Of course, it’s easy to read about autism and sympathize, think you understand it, and spread awareness. Especially on days like today (technically yesterday), where there’s an autism awareness day, people “lighting it up blue” – it’s quick to jump to the thought that you may understand what it’s like.

You don’t.

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There’s a Monster In My Bed

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There’s a Monster In My Bed
By Cindy (age 8)

There's a monster in my bedmonster-buddy
     He made me bump my head
He followed me to school
     I told him it ain't cool
I begged him to go home
     To a cozy place in Rome
He jumped up on my chair
     And then he pulled my hair
I pushed him to the ground
     He landed with a frown
There's no monster in my bed
     I shooed him from my head

Creative Commons License
There’s a monster in my bed by Lora Rozler is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Chicken Cacciatore … for the single guy

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chicken cacciatoreChicken Cacciatore for the Soul
by Mauricio Bonifaz (former single guy)

 

So you want to impress that cute girl from the accounting department, but the last recipe you made was macaroni and cheese … from the box.  Just because mom is not around doesn’t mean you have to eat substandard food, especially if the object of your affection will be looking for your cooking skills.  Here’s a sure-fire recipe to make the right impression.

First, turn the TV off, get off your butt and drag it to the nearest grocery store and grab the following:

  • 1 can of diced tomatoes (get the Primo or Unico, don’t be cheap)
  • Grab a sweet onion and a Spanish onion
  • Next a garlic bulb
  • A small can of sliced olives
  • Now the important part – grab a package of skinless chicken thighs
    (make sure it’s skinless, especially if your girl is health conscience)
  • While you’re in the spices aisle, grab some oregano, basil, Italian Spice and cumin.
  • White vinegar – you won’t need this for the recipe, but you’ll need it to clean that filthy bird
  • Also, get some long grain rice
  • A bottle of Shiraz and you are set my friend

Pay the cashier and make you way home (hopefully not your mom’s house – wince).
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I Write…

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writing-with-penI write. A lot of the things I write are silly stories a five year old could put together and yet, I write. It puts me in my happy place. Even if I am outraged about what I’m writing, it makes me happy. It empties my constantly filled mind that prevents me from sleeping at night due to endless thoughts. These endless thoughts frustrate me so I yell ‘shut up’ endlessly and then I can’t sleep due to the fact that all I hear in my head is the phrase ‘shut up’ and countless variations of it. Before you read on, I’d like to forewarn you that I ramble a lot and plenty of the things I say only make sense in my head most of the time. 

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You want to share

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Lora-Mauricio - 0018Hello friends. I started this blog to provide a space for people to discuss and share opinions on writing, which is a passion for many of us.  In the spirit of this intention, I’d like to invite writers to showcase their work on my latest tab – Writers on a Limb, a home for poems, stories, opinion pieces, parenting experiences, reviews or even helpful guides for parents and teachers.

If you would like to share your talent, leave a reply on this post or contact me at wordsonalimb@bell.net.AuthorCoffee

So go on, get out your laptop or dust off an old piece and let your words go out on a limb.

When he’s ready…

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Mauri Avatar“He will when he’s ready.”

My common response to: when will he sleep over, a question directed at me by everyone from my family to my hairdresser years ago.

I’ve been separated and ultimately divorced for the better part of 12 years now. When my son was a couple of months old, his mom and I had to decide whether to raise him in a family where mom and dad were genial to each other, or in a situation where he can see the full extent of loving adult relationships. I’m glad that we chose the latter. The decision, although unpopular initially among our families, has provided my son with a much more vast life experience, albeit, in a less than popular circumstance.

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