Matilda

We didn't want to spend Christmas evening watching something violent - we wanted to laugh and feel good - but we didn't want to get stuck watching Adam Sandler movies or somesuch at the same time. I remembered Matilda because it pops up a lot on Buzzfeed and Matilda herself - Mara Wilson - has recently written articles for Cracked and elsewhere. I was very touched by her recent story about her mother's death while the film was being made.

I would have been a bit too old for Matilda when it first came out, but I wholeheartedly would have loved it as a child because I loved reading and nothing thrills the wee folk like adults getting their come-uppance. I wouldn't have been able to appreciate it though on an aesthetic level however. I loved the tacky, trashy lives of her parents played with great gusto by Danny De Vito and Rhea Perlman and I loved the tons of detail put into the sets as well as the camera work. 80s and 90s movies have a really special feel about them with so much purposely designed that you don't see anymore. Maybe it was all the practical effects instead of whiz bang CGI. Anyhow, we really enjoyed it and still found a lot to laugh about :-)