Good Media
CHOOSING DVDS AS GIFTS
Andrea Rock, contributing editor
I say it every year, as I’m sure you do: “I can’t believe that Christmas is almost here!” There’s a good chance that many of you may choose DVDs as gifts for children, but you may not know what to choose, given such a vast array of material. It’s a good idea to do a bit of homework, by finding a website that reviews films and deciding whether you agree with their worldview. Here are some of the websites that offer thoughtful reviews for your perusal (these are listed in alphabetical order, by category — not in order of any preference!):
http://www.commonsensemedia.org Commonsense media also includes reviews of books, websites, apps, TV, games, and music. It offers thoughtful articles on a variety of subjects that will further inform and enlighten parents.
http://www.kidsfirst.org Kidsfirst includes the opportunity for parents to become trained in media literacy so that you may become a “Juror” and start your own Junior Film Critics program in your neighborhood, school, scout or youth group.
http://www.parentstv.org/PTC/publications/moviereviews/main.asp I wrote a full article on the Parents Television Council last month!
For a Christian perspective, these are excellent:
http://www.crosswalk.com/movies This is a full Christian website, with many articles and resources beyond film and television reviews.
http://movieguide.org This also includes articles on a variety of social issues, in addition to film reviews from a Christian viewpoint.
For a Catholic perspective, try:
http://www.americancatholic.org/movies/default.aspx This is a Catholic website that includes some in-depth film reviews from that worldview.
I hope these will prove valuable to you, and that you will send us your feedback on any of them! As always, we welcome your suggestions of other websites that you find helpful in your parenting journey. A Merry Christmas to All!
