Okay, if any of you out there are looking for an adorable, well-written, family movie to watch this summer-- you've just found it: Akeelah and the Bee.
Akeelah and the Bee is the story of a middle school girl, Akeelah, growing in a rough area of Los Angeles. Due to a love of language instilled in her by her now deceased father, she develops an aptitude for spelling. However, because of the bullying and abuse she receives in her school, she has little motivation to perform academically-- that is, until she stumbles up a broadcast of the national spelling bee on ESPN. Through this chance encounter, Akeelah becomes committed to the goal of becoming a national spelling bee champion. The story itself details Akeelah's struggle to overcome her own cynicism and doubt, and the joy she finds in the friendships that grow in her life as she climbs the various rings of the spelling bee elimination rounds.
Yeah, I know, there's nothing spectacular about the synopsis (mostly because, well,
I wrote it), but this really is a great movie. I plan to buy it when it's released to DVD, and those of you who have a chance to see it this Summer really should take the opportunity.
If, by any chance, some other CAAers have seen this movie, my favorite part was when Javier [spoiler]is stalling for Akeelah while she's talking to her mom and he says "Can you use the word in a song?"[/spoiler].
Maybe I like this movie, because I'm a nerd.
Every year in Uganda, innumerable children simply. . . disappear. These children all stolen under the cover of darkness from their homes and impressed into the guerilla armies of the LRA [Lord's Resistance Army]. In the deserts of Uganda, they are forced to witness the mindless slaughter of other children until they themselves can do nothing but kill.
Kill. These children, generally ranging from ages 5-12, are brainwashed into murdering in the name of the resistance and into stealing other children from their beds to suffer the same fate.
Because of this genocide of innocence, hundred and hundreds of children live every night sleeping in public places miles from their homes, because they know that if the do not-- they will disappear. They will become just another number in this genocide to which the international community has chosen to turn a blind eye. They will become, in affect, invisible-- Invisible Children.
But there are those who are trying to fight against this slaughter of Uganda's children. They fight to protect these "invisible children." Please, help them help a country full of children who know nothing by fear. Help save the innocence. For more information concerning how you can help and how you can get an incredible video about this horrific reality,
visit the Invisible Children home page.
