Preschooler Extras

by Jeffrey Wells and Jett Wells

Jeff says: Both my sons were huge fans of T2: Judgment Day. Some parents, I realize, may consider this an odd choice for tots, but I disagree. It's got a lot of action, yes, but it's a video-game movie, i.e., it's not "real." And it has, in fact, a well-grounded moral streak ‑- it's about preventing violence and doing the right thing. It was the first film I took the kids to in a theatre that they really responded to. I remember their excited conclusions about who the bad and good guys were, and of course I could feel their enjoyment of the action and power-pulse editing.

Jett was also hugely into Lawrence of Arabia when he was in preschool. He called it "Camels," and used to sit through the entire three hours and 47 minutes. He and Dylan also loved the first 15 minutes of 2001: A Space Odyssey, which, of course, they called "Monkeys." They also loved The Wizard of Oz, which is mostly about homegrown values. Great films deliver great bounties.

Jett says: It's been 11 years since I last saw "Camels," so the story's a little fuzzy, but I do remember a traumatic scene involving a howling entity sinking into an abyss of sand. I respected the flick for its sincerity. And my dad doesn't lie about my 15-minute attention span for "Monkeys." I loved those primitive antics of apes prowling around up until the moment when the femur is tossed into the air. After that my interest subsided. Back then, I mean.

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