Yes Yes I am a jerk, a bad man and a doofus who quite literally forgot to write in his blog. Yes, I know, you live for this stuff and my not being here throws off your whole week. All I can say is that in the past two weeks my life has been thrown off schedule and I will attempt to rectify that blog first. I will let my love life and family issues fall by the wayside to bring you what I owe to you, loyal reader.
So what movie did I see tonight? Oh Crapsticks! I didn’t see a movie tonight so I shall fall back on a stalwart movie that makes me smile, cry, laugh and tingle with excitement (in an innocent way, (pervy readers). I will now induct a classic of family entertainment to the Mr. Unhappy Hall of Fame... I give you...
The Neverending Story
I know what you are thinking because I thought it too. If the story is neverending, how could I not still be watching it? It is a stumper but since they made two sequels you can get probably close to 5 hours of constant neverending stories. Better than nothing.
The story opens with a small boy named Bastian who enjoys dreaming of unicorns and magic but whose father wants him to get his head out of the clouds and buckle down in school. School is not a fun place for Bastian who is bullied and tossed in a dumpster before he even reaches the front door. It is quite obvious that Bastian is a outcast probably of his own making. In a few years, Bastian very well may enter his school looking for those kids who tossed him in a dumpster with an AK-47. School is hard enough without being the weakling. So Bastian hides in a bookstore and runs across Mr. Koreander. He is reading a book called... wait for it... The Neverending Story. Despite it being “unsafe” as Mr. Koreander tells him, when the bookstore owner turns his back Bastian steals it.
Thus begins the neverending story, as Bastian narrates the story of a mysterious Nothing that is eating the land of Fantasia and it’s inhabitants are travelling to see The Childlike Empress to see if she can put an end to the story. Unfortunately, the Empress is sick and cannot help but she has sent for the great warrior Atreyu to travel to find the answers everyone needs. Atreyu arrives in the form of a little boy and everyone is dubious that he can find the answers themselves. I can’t say he inspired much confidence in me (especially since I could not tell if he was a boy or a girl. It gave the heterosexual in me pause.) Atreyu does go on the mission and the adventure takes him through Fantasia. The Nothing employs a wolf like Gmork to chase him down but with a luck dragon on his side, Atreyu does find answers. The nothing that is eating Fantasia is caused by the lack of dreaming in children and only a human boy can save them. The boy who is reading the story. Bastian himself.
What I love about this movie is that it made me feel OK with being a dreamer. It offered up that my dreams and stories could be keeping whole worlds alive. I think that is something important to teach children. It is important to go to school and begin the path towards life but at the same time, it is great to nurture the imagination. Let kids be kids while they still have time. Let them dream of creepy luck dragons or little people who watch over the southern oracle or Gmorks that chase down boys and kill them. It will not break them to have dark thoughts but will enliven them to the process of dealing with death. The story that is neverending is the stories we pass on to each other. Stories of Atreyu the boy warrior or a rock chewer or a guy who rides a racing snail.
I’ve found that in an age when even kids movies or books are all based on dealing with the psychological traumas of being a child, you need to encourage them to make up some things for themselves. Allow them to create and enjoy looking at a tree or the clouds for a few hours. Homework and reality will always be there but in the end, the story of working at a bad job will always be there when they come back from the clouds.
Mr. Unhappy Sez: When the time comes for children to not dream, the end of days will be near... sit and watch this movie again with a child or by yourself and let yourself dream a little.
Quotes
Falcor: Never give up and good luck will find you.
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Rock Biter: A delicious-looking limestone rock. Mmm! Mmm! Nice bouquet. Must be a real vintage year.
Night Hob: [laughs nervously] Yes, you're right. Those delicious rocks are the reason we camped here, all right.
[to Teeny Weeny]
Night Hob: Is he a nutcase?
Teeny Weeny: No, he's a Rock Biter.
Night Hob: A Rock Biter... A Rock Biter!
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Atreyu: What will happen if he doesn't appear?
The Childlike Empress: [sadly] Then our world will disappear - and so will I.
Atreyu: How could he let that happen?
The Childlike Empress: He doesn't understand that he's the one who has the power to stop it. He simply can't imagine that one little boy could be that important.
Bastian: Is it really me?
Atreyu: Maybe he doesn't know what he has to do!
Bastian: [shouts] What DO I have to do?
The Childlike Empress: He has to give me a new name. He's already chosen it. He just has to call it out.
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The Always Dreamin Golden Mr. Unhappies!
The Neverending Story - Sickest and Most Stuck In My Brain Opening Theme Song Award
Noah Hathaway - Cutest Girl Who is Actually a Boy Award
Tami Stronach - Cutest Girl Who is Actually A Girl Award
Most Childlike of Empresses Award
Gross Revenue : 100,000,000 (including video sales)
20,000,000 (In Theaters US)
Up Next:
Quick Hits:
A Nightmare On Unhappy Elm Street
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