I don't talk from experience as I don't have kids and I plan on keeping it that way but parenting is not easy. You can read books, you can ask people, but the truth is you'll never be prepared enough to be a good parent. But at least most try. For this week's Thursday Movie Picks, the weekly series hosted by Wandering Through the Shelves, we are looking at parents who do not try or if they do try, they fail miserably.
Carrie (1976)
Based on Stephen King's novel of the same name, De Palma's movie tells the story of Carrie (Sissy Spacek), a shy 17-year-old whose classmate constantly makes fun of. Things get a little out of control when she gets her first period.
Bad parent: Margaret White, Carrie's religious fanatic mother who constantly tries to save her daughter from moral and spiritual corruption without realising she's doing more damage than good.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)
The Guardians are now recognized as heroes but after stealing some extremely valuable batteries, their spaceship is attacked and they crash on a planet. There they meet Ego (Kurt Russell), a man who claims to be Quill's father, and they soon find that they are up against a devastating new menace.
Bad parent: Ego. He abandoned his son as a child (but at least he didn't chop off his hand) and then, once he's grown up and all, he plans on using him to conquer the world. And when Peter learns that, Ego tries to kill him.
Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
After the rebels are overpowered by the Empire on the ice planet Hoth, while Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) begins his Jedi training, Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher), Han Solo (Harrison Ford) and Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew) are pursued by Darth Vader.
Bad parent: Darth Vader, duh. As if leaving Luke (and Leia) to join the dark side was not enough, he goes as far as chopping off his son's hand and after that, he reveals that he is his father. He is quite possibly the worst father in the universe.
I love that you went with Ego and Darth Vader. Those were inspired picks! 100% agree on Carrie too.
ReplyDeleteThanks! They are the first that popped into my mind.
DeleteI still have to see Galaxy 2 but..yikes! Carrie is a great choice and that mother is nutso. I almost used Star Wars and glad you did. He redeems himself (I guess) in the 3rd film but when Luke finally takes off Darth's helmet, I was so looking forward to seeing what he looks like only to see Uncle Fester! Truly, I thought Darth looked like Uncle Fester. Remember i saw this in the theatre when it initially came out:)
ReplyDeleteI never thought of that. Now that I think about it, he actually looks like Uncle Fester haha
DeleteYes the mother in Carrie is a deranged psychopath!!! Piper Laurie does such a fantastic job with the role. Astonishing really if you've ever seen any of her early work where she was always a very demure porcelain doll-that all changed with The Hustler but still the go for broke lunacy she imparts on the character is jolting.
ReplyDeleteI've only seen the first trio of films and I don't love the Star Wars films but Darth Vader is a perfect fit for the week!
I haven't quite gotten around to the second Guardians yet but I'll kept an eye out for that piece of it.
Quite the reverse of last week there were many choices for picks this week.
The Manchurian Candidate (1962)-At the Korean War’s conclusion a group of American prisoners return home including Captain Marco (Frank Sinatra) and Sergeant Raymond Shaw (Laurence Harvey) who though thoroughly disliked by the men is hailed by them as a hero for vague reasons. Upon his arrival Raymond is met by his mother Eleanor Iselin (a mesmerizing Angela Lansbury) a political dragon and completely soulless monster who has internecine plans and has had Raymond brainwashed as an unknowing assassin to accomplish them. Marco senses something foul is afoot and tries to intervene before it’s too late.
The Anniversary (1968)-Though widowed a decade ago Mrs. Taggart (Bette Davis) insists on her three sons and their families commemorating the event at the family mansion where she proceeds to shred their self-worth by taunting them with secrets she has discovered and savagely holds over them to hold them in her thrall. Bette as the one eyed Mrs. Taggart (she has designer eyepatches in colors matching her outfits!) has a whale of a time raising hell and chewing scenery right and left.
Matilda (1996)-Adaptation of Roald Dahl story of Matilda Wormwood (Mara Wilson), a brilliant young girl plagued by her crude, coarse often vicious father (Danny DeVito) and mother (Rhea Perlman). On top of that Matilda is also tormented by Agatha Trunchbull (Pam Ferris), the evil principal of her school, a terrifyingly strict bully. When Matilda realizes she has telekinetic powers the tables turn and she begins to defend her friends from Trunchbull's wrath and fight back against her unkind parents.
I haven't seen any of these but I've been meaning to watch Matilda. I keep putting it off though because I'm afraid it's going to be some stupid kid movie.
DeleteEgo & Darth Vader... yeah, they were pretty awful dads. Great choices.
ReplyDeleteYes to Darth Vader...I didn't even think of it.
ReplyDeleteI have a huge Darth Vader action figure on my desk, he was the first that popped into my mind.
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