Virtual Program Highlights:
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Y’Know, for the Kids
VIRTUAL REPERTORY SERIES
We at The Brattle love kids movies but you wouldn’t necessarily know it by looking at our regular programming. While we offer periodic family-friendly films and, of course, the annual Bugs Bunny Film Festival, it’s not very frequently that we focus specifically on movies for children. That changes now!
With the ongoing social distancing efforts happening in our community (and around the world), we know that many film fans find themselves at home with young children and other family members. With this ongoing series of selections for the young or young at heart, we hope to offer some ideas for films that you can watch with your whole family (or at least subsections thereof). We will try to be upfront about ratings and/or content warnings but we always encourage parents to look more closely at background info before sharing with younger children.
Date
TITLE
SteamingNotes
Vitals
Desc
Watch Trailer
Tuesday, July 7
CLASH OF THE TITANS (1981)
Streaming on Netflix, TCM; for rent elsewhere
1981 • dir Desmond Davis w/Harry Hamlin, Judi Bowker, Laurence Olivier, Burgess Meredith, Claire Bloom, Maggie Smith, Ursula Andress, Jack Gwilim, Burgess Meredith • 118 min
Watch Trailer
Tuesday, June 30
DAUGHTERS OF THE DUST (1991)
Steaming on Criterion and Kanopy; for rent elsewhere
1991 • dir Julie Dash w/Cora Lee Day, Alva Rogers, Barbarao, Trula Hoosier, Umar Abdurrahamn • 112 min
The first film widely distributed by a Black woman, DAUGHTERS OF THE DUST takes place during the turn of the last century and within a culture that few Americans are aware of – the Gullah people of the islands off of South Carolina and Georgia. Isolated from the mainland, the African roots of the slaves brought to this destination remained strong and, even after the abolition of slavery, they maintained a connection to their ancestors that faded slowly. Set in 1902, the film takes place during the days just before the multi-generational Peazant family are scheduled to leave their island home and head to a supposed new life in the North. Who leaves, who stays, and why are the questions that generate drama in the film – along with many interlocking issues of class, race, education, religion, and more. Dash creates a gently non-linear tapestry that reveals itself slowly over the course of the movie and is rich with material for discussion with your teen (or precocious tween perhaps). The film is rated TV-PG and contains very little objectionable content. Although there are discussions of slavery, rape, and violence that are intrinsic to the narrative threads, none of this is depicted on screen.
Don’t miss Coolidge Corner Theatre’s seminar on DAUGHTERS OF THE DUST with independent academic Kyéra Sterling, coming up on Thursday, July 16 at 8pm. Click here for full details and to RSVP →
Watch Trailer
Saturday, June 27
SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE
Streaming on Netflix; for rent elsewhere
2018 • dir Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, Rodney Rothman w/Shameik Moore, Jake Johnson, Hailee Steinfeld, Mahershala Ali, Brian Tyree Henry, Luna Lauren Velez, Nicolas Cage • 117 min
Watch Trailer
Saturday, May 30
KEDI (2017)
Streaming on Kanopy; for rent
2017 • dir Ceyda Torun • 79 min
Watch Trailer
Tuesday, May 26
THE SECRET OF ROAN INISH (1995)
Streaming on AmazonPrime; for rent elsewhere
1995 dir John Sayles w/Jeni Courtney, Eileen Colgan, Mick Lally, John Lynch, Susan Lynch • 97 min
Watch Trailer
Saturday, May 23
ESCAPE TO WITCH MOUNTAIN
Streaming on Disney+; for rent elesewhere
1975 • dir John Hough w/Kim Richards, Ike Eisenmann, Eddie Albert, Ray Milland, Donald Pleasence • 97 min
Watch Trailer
Saturday, May 16
RANGO
Streaming on Prime, Hulu; for rent elsewhere
2011 • dir Gore Verbinski w/Johnny Depp, Isla Fisher, Ned Beatty, Bill Nighy • 107 min
Watch Trailer
Tuesday, May 12
WHALE RIDER
Free on IMDB TV and Tubi; For rent elsewhere
2002 • dir Niki Caro w/Keisha Castle-Hughes, Rawiri Paratene, Vicky Haughton, Cliff Curtis • 101 min
Watch Trailer
Brattle Sneak Preview Premiere; April 2003
Saturday, May 9
THE PRINCESS BRIDE
Streaming on Disney+; for rent elsewhere
1987 • dir Rob Reiner w/Cary Elwes, Mandy Patinkin, Robin Wright • 99 min
Watch Trailer
Sunday, April 26
STEAMBOAT BILL, JR.
Streaming on Prime and Kanopy; For free on Tubi; For rent elsewhere
1928 • dir Charles Resiner w/Buster Keaton, Marion Byron, Ernest Torrence, Tom McGuire • 71 min
Watch Trailer
Saturday, April 25
WALLACE & GROMIT: THE CURSE OF THE WERE-RABBIT
Streaming on HBO; for rent elsewhere
2005 • dir Steve Box, Nick Park • 85 min
Watch Trailer
Thursday, April 23
A HARD DAY’S NIGHT
Streaming on Criterion and Kanopy; for rent elsewhere
1964 • dir Richard Lester w/The Beatles • 88 min
Watch Trailer
Monday, April 20 • Double Feature
THE MUPPET MOVIE (1979)
MUPPETS FROM SPACE (1999)
THE MUPPET MOVIE is streaming on Disney+; for rent elsewhere
Today at the Brattle, if we were open, we’d be hosting our annual Muppet Madness Marathon – always a highlight of our year – and we’re sad to have to miss it. Fortunately, you can stream these two Muppet films (plus several others) online. We’re even posting a lyrics sheet for THE MUPPET MOVIE so you can have your own singalong edition with your family. We were excited to revisit MUPPETS FROM SPACE in light of our (now delayed) “Year of Sci-Fi” programming so let us know what you think if you watch it again or for the first time.
MUPPETS FROM SPACE is streaming for free on IMDbTV; for rent elsewhere
Download a lyrics sheet for THE MUPPET MOVIE →
Singing along at home? Tag @brattletheatre in your Instagram story and we’ll share it with our followers!
Saturday, April 18
NANCY DREW AND THE HIDDEN STAIRCASE
Now streaming on HBO
2019 • dir Katt Shea w/Sophia Lillis, Zoë Renee, Mackenzie Graham • 89 min
Watch Trailer
Thursday, April 16
MODERN TIMES
Now streaming on Kanopy and Criterion Channel; for rent elsewhere.
1936 • dir Charlie Chaplin • 87 min
Watch Trailer
BONUS: Many of Chaplin’s short films are available on YouTube, some in restored versions. If you are lucky, you might find a copy of ONE A.M. in which Chaplin plays a hopelessly drunk man who is just trying to get home and into bed. A personal favorite of Brattle programmer Ned Hinkle.
Tuesday, April 14
DARBY O’GILL AND THE LITTLE PEOPLE
Steaming on Disney+; for rent elsewhere
1959 • dir Robert Stevenson w/Albert Sharpe, Janet Munro, Sean Connery • 93 min
Watch Trailer
Monday, April 13
SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN
For rent online from Google, iTunes, Prime, YouTube and more
1952 • dir Stanley Donen w/Gene Kelly, Donald O’Connor, Debbie Reynolds, Jean Hagen, Millard Mitchell, Cyd Charisse • 103 min
Watch Trailer
Sunday, April 12
PADDINGTON
Available for rent from Apple iTunes and Vudu
2014 • dir Paul King w/Hugh Bonneville, Sally Hawkins, Julie Walters, Nicole Kidman, Ben Wishaw • 95 min
If you want to go for a double-feature, the sequel is even better (and more rewarding for adult viewers) but is only available for rent online right now.
Watch Trailer
Saturday, April 11 • Double Feature
THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN (2011)
HUGO (2011)
Both streaming on Netflix; for rent elsewhere.
We don’t want everything we recommend to be hopelessly obscure! While these two adaptations don’t quite do justice to their sources, they are still fun in their own ways and will (hopefully) delight your more precocious kids. Steven Spielberg’s TINTIN is a full-on adventure movie in the spirit of his Indiana Jones films and, at its best, captures the same excitement. Scorsese’s HUGO adeptly adapts a beloved YA novel about an orphan and his connection to the birth of cinema. Though they were somewhat bad-mouthed upon release, both are well worth another look. Both are rated PG and have some intense scenes. There is plenty of swashbuckling action and violence in TINTIN so probably best for somewhat older children.
TINTIN: Watch Trailer
HUGO: Watch Trailer
Friday, April 10
POPEYE
Now streaming on Netflix; free w/ads on Sony Crackle; for rent elsewhere
1980 • dir Robert Altman w/Robin Williams, Shelley Duvall, Ray Walston • 114 min
Watch Trailer
Thursday, April 9
THE FRESHMAN
Streaming on Criterion and Kanopy; for rent elsewhere
1925 • dir Fred Newmeyer, Sam Taylor w/Harold Lloyd • 76 min
Watch Trailer
Wednesday, April 8
TO CATCH A THIEF
Streaming on Prime; for rent elsewhere
1955 • dir Alfred Hitchcock w/Cary Grant, Grace Kelly • 106 min
Watch Trailer
Tuesday, April 7
BLACKBEARD’S GHOST
Stream on Disney+; For rent elsewhere
1968 • dir Robert Stevenson w/Dean Jones, Peter Ustinov, Suzanne Pleshette, Elsa Lanchester, Richard Deacon, Jody Baker • 106 min
As a Disney film of the era, the film has nothing really objectionable in it except for cartoon violence.
Watch Trailer
Monday, April 6
APRIL AND THE EXTRAORDINARY WORLD
Streaming on Netflix; for rent elsewhere
2015 • dir Christian Desmares, Franck Ekinci • 103 min
Watch Trailer
Sunday, April 5
A LITTLE PRINCESS
Streaming free w/ads on Tubi; for rent elsewhere
1995 • dir Alfonso Cuarón w/Liesel Matthews, Eleanor Bron, Liam Cunningham, Rusty Schwimmer • 97 min
Watch Trailer
Saturday, April 4 • Creature Double Feature
DESTROY ALL MONSTERS (1968)
SUPER INFRAMAN (1975)
DESTROY ALL MONSTERS is now streaming on Criterion; free on Tubi; for rent elsewhere
SUPER INFRAMAN is now streaming on Prime; for rent elsewhere
Destroy All Monsters • 1968 dir Ishirô Honda w/Akira Kubo, Jun Tazaki, Yukiko Kobayashi • 88 min
Super Inframan • 1975 dir Shan Hua w/Danny Lee, Terry Liu, Hsieh Wang • 90 min
Bonus: Here’s one of the original Creature Double Feature promos!
Watch Destroy All Monsters Trailer
Watch Super Inframan Trailer
Friday, April 3
A TOWN CALLED PANIC
Now streaming on Prime, Kanopy; free on Tubi, Vudu w/ads
2009 dir Stéphane Aubier and Vincent Patar w/Stéphane Aubier, Jeanne Balibar, Nicolas Buysse • 75 min
Watch Trailer
Thursday, April 2
THE BIGGEST LITTLE FARM
Now streaming on Hulu; for rent elsewhere.
2018 • dir John Chester • 89 min
Watch Trailer
Wednesday, April 1
A BOY NAMED CHARLIE BROWN
[currently unavailable]
1969 • dir Bill Melendez w/Peter Robbins, Pamelyn Ferdin, Glenn Gilger, Andy Pforsich • 86 min
Watch Trailer
Tuesday, March 31
THE LIVING DESERT
Streaming on Disney+; for rent elsewhere
1953 • dir James Algar w/Winston Hibler • 69 min
Monday, March 30
STOP MAKING SENSE
Streaming on Amazon Prime and Criterion Channel; Free w/ads on Tubi, Vudu; for rent elsewhere
1984 • dir Jonathan Demme w/Talking Heads • 88 min
Watch Trailer
Sunday, March 29
THE COURT JESTER
Now streaming on Prime; for rent elsewhere
1955 • dir Melvin Frank w/Danny Kaye, Glynis Johns, Basil Rathbone, Angela Lansbury • 101 min
Watch Trailer
Saturday, March 28 • Ghibli-esque Double Feature
MARY AND THE WITCH’S FLOWER
Streaming on Netflix; for rent elsewhere
2017 • dir Hiromasa Yonebayashi w/Hana Sugisaki, Ryûnosuke Kamiki, Yûki Amami • 103 min
MARY AND THE WITCH’S FLOWER is the perfect film for kids who might have aged out of Kiki’s Delivery Service. A lonely girl, just moved to the countryside, follows a mischievous cat into the forest and unknowingly awakens a magical power. There is some magical violence that gets destructive but none of the action is much more intense than Spirited Away.
Watch Trailer
LUPIN THE THIRD: THE CASTLE OF CAGLIOSTRO
Streaming on Netflix; for rent elsewhere
1979 • dir Hayao Miyazaki w/Yasuo Yamada, Eiko Masuyama, Kiyoshi Kobayashi • 101 min
THE CASTLE OF CAGLIOSTRO is a delightful adventure directed by Hayao Miyazaki in his feature debut. The movie follows the dashing thief, Lupin on an escapade involving a kidnapped princess, an evil count, a lost treasure, a forbidding castle, and plenty of swashbuckling fun. Anyone remember the early ‘80s Dragon’s Lair-like arcade game called Cliff Hanger that drew its footage from the film?
Probably best for older kids as a bunch of the action can get a little intense. There is a lot of gunplay (though little blood) and one onscreen death. There’s also an extended sequence in a crypt full of skeletons but on the whole it’s still less explicit than, say, Raiders of the Lost Ark.
Friday, March 27
HARRIET THE SPY
Streaming for free on PopcornFlix; for rent elsewhere
1996 • dir Brownwen Hughes w/Michelle Trachtenberg, Rosie O’Donnell, Gregory Smith, Vanessa Chester, Earth Kitt • 100 min
Watch Trailer
Thursday, March 26
ASTERIX THE GAUL
Streaming on Prime; for rent elsewhere
1967 • Ray Goossens • 68 min
For those unfamiliar, Asterix is a diminutive Gaulish warrior during the 50 BC Roman occupation who, along with his oafish companion Obelix, vex their enemies with a combination of smarts, brute strength, and the liberal application of magic potions. While it’s still the most fun to read the wordplay of the farcical Roman and Gaulish names on the page, the comedy works surprisingly well in motion. It is a lot of fun!
There is a fair amount of violence but it is all very cartoonish. English language version.
Watch Trailer
Wednesday, March 25 • Double Feature
STAR WARS
Streaming on Disney+
1977 • dir George Lucas w/Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Peter Cushing, Alec Guinness • 121 min
THE HIDDEN FORTRESS
Streaming on Kanopy and Criterion; for rent elsewhere
1958 • dir Akira Kurosawa w/Toshirô Mifune, Misa Uehara, Minoru Chiaki • 126 min
THE HIDDEN FORTRESS is in Japanese with English subtitles so will require a certain level of sophistication from younger viewers. Both films have a fair amount of violence in them but nothing too gory or disturbing.
Bonus Brattle Trivia: The Brattle hosted the Boston premiere of HIDDEN FORTRESS on April 22, 1962.
Tuesday, March 24
CANDLESHOE
Streaming on Disney+; for rent elsewhere
1977 • dir Norman Tokar w/Jodie Foster, David Niven, Helen Hayes • 93 min
Monday, March 23
CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG
Streaming on Netflix; for rent elsewhere
1968 • dir Ken Hughes w/Dick Van Dyke, Sally Ann Howes, Heather Ripley, Adrian Hall, Lionel Jeffries, Gert Fröbe • 144 min
Sunday, March 22
A CAT IN PARIS
Streaming Kanopy; for rent from Apple
2010 • dir Jean-Loup Felicioli & Alain Gagnol • 80 min
As an extra feature you could also watch the 1973 CBS TV special of THE CAT IN THE HAT. This 30 minute version was written by Dr. Seuss himself and produced by two Looney Tunes veterans, Chuck Jones and Friz Freleng! Now streaming on Hulu.
Saturday, March 21 • Double Feature
JACK THE GIANT KILLER
Streaming on AmazonPrime; free w/ads on Tubi; for rent elsewhere
1962 • dir Nathan Juran w/Kerwin Mathews, Judi Meredith, Torin Thatcher • 94 min
JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS
JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS is available for rent on Google Play, Apple iTunes, Amazon Prime, and other services
1963 • dir Don Chaffey w/Todd Armstrong, Nancy Kovack, Gary Raymond, Laurence Naismith • 104 min
Friday, March 20
JOUR DE FÊTE
Stream it on Kanopy or the Criterion Channel; for rent elsewhere.
1949 • dir Jacques Tati w/Jacques Tati, Guy Decomble, Paul Frankeur • 87 min
In JOUR DE FÊTE, Tati plays a lazy French mailman who, inspired by too much wine and tales of the U.S. Postal Service, tries to put more zing into his delivery route.
Bonus Brattle Trivia: The Brattle hosted the New England premiere of the film on April 22, 1956.
As an extra feature you could also watch Buster Keaton’s 20 minute short ONE WEEK – where Old Stoneface builds a house for his new bride from a DIY kit with disastrous results. Available for free on YouTube with a recorded-live score by The Lucky Dog Picturehouse Ensemble.