Don’t get bored this Easter

Don’t you just love holidays? That time when you can kick off those working shoes and relax in the comfort of your home! You can catch up on your sleep, get into that novel you have been laying aside or watch movies all weekend long. If you are the typical indoor person then there are lots of movies you could watch as a person and as a family. The most common movies for the holiday are of course the ones that tell us about Jesus’ death. There is this one movie that shows every Easter and is translated in almost every language known to man! It begins with the birth of Jesus, his childhood, all the way to his baptism, temptation, crucifixion and resurrection. It is something we have been watching since we were in diapers that was until Mel Gibson decided we needed a remake. The Passion of the Christ is directed by him and stars Jim Caviezel as Jesus, though it tells us more of the same thing as the others, it has been frowned upon as brutal and somewhat incorrect. This movie largely covers the final twelve hours of Jesus’ life beginning with ‘the agony in the garden’ and ending with a brief depiction of his resurrection. Flashbacks of Jesus as a child, as a carpenter, the saving of Mary Magdalene from being stoned to death and the last supper are included. The film’s dialogue is however reconstructed in Aramaic, Latin and Hebrew with English subtitles. In its initial theatrical release, The Passion of the Christ was a major hit, grossing in excess of $600 million. The film won 15 awards and ultimately became the highest grossing non-English language film ever. But this is not the kind of movie you would want to watch with the kids. Some critics said that “the graphic details of Jesus’ torture make the movie tough to sit through and if a grown person finds it that gruesome then how about the kids? If you are alone or just adults then by all means watch the movie. Maybe it could change you spiritually, you just never know. But it’s kind of hard explaining to kids why Jesus was tortured like that no matter how many times you tell them the story. So it’s best you pick out something more suitable. You could try a 1973 Andrew Lloyd Webber musical adaptation of the life of Christ called Jesus Christ Superstar. Who knew Jesus could sing? Apparently he did and songs include “I Don’t Know How to Love Him,” sung by a remorseful Mary Magdalene. You can watch it with Grade scholars and older kids who think a nontraditional take on religion is groovy. If you have toddlers and really feel like you need the Easter spirit, how about Yogi the Easter Bear. It’s a cartoon with Yogi doing his usual thing of stealing Easter baskets as his best buddy Boo Boo tries to reform him. It’s a classic that will surely rock the world of toddlers and pre-schoolers. Whatever you decide, boredom is out of the question because there is plenty to watch on television considering they will be showing these movies. And let’s not forget the video rentals that will surely help out where television can’t. cjanzi83@yahoo.co.uk