Home

Summer Movie Series

Mr. Guerra curates a series of films to watch with your family this summer!

Hey Warriors we may never tire of watching Frozen, or the latest Marvel adventure but this summer, if it is raining at the beach house, or you have a long journey on a plane, make sure to expose your OLMC family to these family-friendly movie classics! Studies show that watching films can sharpen a child’s literary skills, teach students story-telling, enrich their visual social cues and teach them to sit still for long stretches of concentration, not to mention be super entertaining!

Mr. Elliot Guerra

Movies are always fun but not every film is made the same, unlike many of today’s contemporary films made for children, these films, chosen by Mr. Guerra, are designed to be shown once a week this summer, offer a variety of storytelling techniques, not just visual stimulation, so while we hope these films are enjoyable, they may be challenging to some viewers who aren’t used to older forms of storytelling.

We love all these films, but like suggested reading not required for class, families should make their own independent choices when choosing what to allow their children to watch. Parents, as first educators, know when their children are ready for certain themes, language or visuals so we encourage you to follow all MPAA ratings guidelines and use parental tools like www.commonsensemedia.org. The films are widely available on popular streaming services and you can find your copy at the local library by searching for titles at www.bccls.org today!

Grab the popcorn, and enjoy!

The General (NR)
(1926) One of the most revered comedies of the silent era, this film finds hapless Southern railroad engineer Johnny Gray (Buster Keaton) facing off against Union soldiers during the American Civil War. Keaton’s spectacular version of the Civil War’s Great Locomotive Chase reveals his mastery of crowds and action, along with perfectly integrated comedy. “Its climax is the most stunning visual event ever arranged for a film comedy.” - Walter Kerr.
Kiki's Delivery Service (G)
(1989) “Leaving home at 13 to find her way in the world, plucky witch Kiki heads for a nearby port town with her cat Jiji and sets up a broomstick delivery company that’s an instant hit with the locals. So far, so sweet-but-predictable – if we were in Disney’s world, that’d be the extent of Kiki’s personal growth, and that’d be fine. But this is Miyazaki’s world, where things go a little deeper. So, following a bout of illness, Kiki struggles with depression, loses her powers and must search for a new purpose in life. As a story about how hard it is to make your own way in the world, Kiki’s Delivery Service is truthful and scalpel-sharp. That it manages all this while remaining consistently funny, optimistic and exciting – even for little ones – is a mark of Miyazaki’s genius.” – Tom Huddleston, Time Out
Creature from the Black Lagoon (G)
(1954) All of you horror fans get ready! Pre-Jaws underwater terror as intrepid scientists Richard Carlson, Julie Adams and Richard Dennings search the Amazon for clues to the Missing Link and his prehistoric past, but instead the eponymous 50s icon - variously described as a bipedal amphibian, a batrachian, or, simply, “The Gill Man” - equipped with both a nasty streak when his territory is invaded for “science” and a fascination with Ms. Adams.
Singin' in the Rain (G)
(1952) The switch to talkies proves a smooth one for Gene Kelly’s silent swashbuckler Don Lockwood (Dignity! Always Dignity!) he declares, after flashbacks reveal his low beginnings as Western stuntman and third-rate hoofer), but the nasal screech of his screen inamorata, Jean Hagen’s Lina Lamont, calls for dubbing by Hollywood hopeful Debbie Reynolds, while sidekick Donald O’Connor knocks himself out (literally) to “Make ‘Em Laugh” and Kelly and Cyd Charisse dance the Broadway ballet to end all Broadway ballets. Voted one of the 10 Best Films of All Time in a 2002 international critics’ poll, Singin’ in the Rain boasts more great song, dance, and joie de vivre (especially in the iconic title number) than just about any other musical.
Fantastic Mr. Fox (PG)
Fantastic Mr. Fox is a delightfully funny feast for the eyes with multi-generational appeal -- and it shows filmmaker Wes Anderson has a knack for animation.
John Lewis: Good Trouble (PG)
(2020) It's far more conventional than the life it honors, but John Lewis: Good Trouble remains a worthy tribute to an inspiring activist and public servant. A great way to get students interested in documentary film making and civic involvement.
Willow (PG)
(1988) Fans of fantasy books like "Wings of Fire" or kids who loved "How to Train Your Dragon" (a great movie!) will love entering the world of "Willow." Journey to the far corners of your imagination, to a land of myth and magic, where dream and reality live side by side ... to a place that never existed, a time that never was. It is a world where a young man named Willow lives out an adventure that explodes beyond the boundaries of his own hopes and fears.
Daughters of the Dust (PG)
(1991) Julie Dash’s groundbreaking Daughters of the Dust is set in the legendary Sea Islands off the South Carolina/Georgia coast in 1902. The film follows a Gullah family (descendants of West African slaves) on the eve of its migration to the North. Led by a group of women who carry with them ancient African traditions, the extended family readies itself to leave behind friends, loved ones and their insulated way of life. Can these women hold fast to their sacred religious beliefs and customs, or will they be swept into the race toward an era of science and industry? This richly costumed drama, structured in tableaux to reflect the art and icons of African tradition, testifies movingly to the secret celebrations and packed-away sorrows of African-American women. These vital images were introduced to a new generation on a massive scale, when the film was heavily referenced in Beyoncé’s visual album, Lemonade.
Little Women (PG)
(2019) With a stellar cast and a smart, sensitive retelling of its classic source material, Greta Gerwig's Little Women proves some stories truly are timeless. In the years after the Civil War, Jo March lives in New York and makes her living as a writer, while her sister Amy studies painting in Paris. Amy has a chance encounter with Theodore, a childhood crush who proposed to Jo but was ultimately rejected. Their oldest sibling, Meg, is married to a schoolteacher, while shy sister Beth develops a devastating illness that brings the family back together.
Crooklyn (PG-13)
(1994) “Semi-comic look at middle-class family life in Brooklyn, New York, in the mid-'70s written by Spike Lee and his siblings Joie and Cinqué. As well as hanging out on the stoop and battling with four idle brothers, ten-year-old Troy (Zelda Harris) - from whose point of view the story is told - witnesses the tensions between her mother (Alfre Woodard) and father (Delroy Lindo). Lee's customary visual style and sense of street vitality are much in evidence in this fond, semi-autobiographical evocation of a largely vanished lifestyle.” – Time Out.
Smoke Signals (PG-13)
(1998) Arnold (Gary Farmer) rescued Thomas (Evan Adams) from a fire when he was a child. Thomas thinks of Arnold as a hero, while Arnold's son Victor (Adam Beach) resents his father's alcoholism, violence and abandonment of his family. Uneasy rivals and friends, Thomas and Victor spend their days killing time on a Coeur d'Alene reservation in Idaho and arguing about their cultural identities. When Arnold dies, the duo set out on a cross-country journey to Phoenix to retrieve Arnold's ashes.
The School of Rock (PG-13)
(2003) Overly enthusiastic guitarist Dewey Finn (Jack Black) gets thrown out of his bar band and finds himself in desperate need of work. Posing as a substitute music teacher at an elite private elementary school, he exposes his students to the hard rock gods he idolizes and emulates -- much to the consternation of the uptight principal (Joan Cusack). As he gets his privileged and precocious charges in touch with their inner rock 'n' roll animals, he imagines redemption at a local Battle of the Bands.