movies about kids and ghosts

Lovers and Lollipops (1956): starring Lori March, Cathy Dunn, Gerald S. O'Loughlin, Directed by Morris Engel and Ruth Orkin
The second and final movie directed by Morris Engel and Ruth Orkin together, Lovers and Lollipops defies the traditional school of filmmaking to create something organic and naturalistic feeling. It feels like a documentary, looks like photo journalism, and is 100% guerrilla film-making. The lovers of "Lovers and Lollipops" are Ann and Larry, a pair of old friends recently re-united and looking to spark up an old romance. Their only obstacle seems to be Peggy, Ann's daughter by a previous marriage, who doesn't mind all Larry's presents, but would rather have her mom all to herself. There's so much to see here, and 1950s New York City is the co-star of the film. The three spend a great deal of the movie doing tourist-y things such as visiting the Statue of Liberty, Central park, and the Museum. The filmmakers use limited dialogue, choosing instead to tell the story through pictures and actions. When the lovers embrace for the first time, we witness it through the eyes of Peggy, as she peers through the crack of her open bedroom door. the scene closes as the door closes, until finally the screen is black. The little girl is a natural actor, and is able to steal away any scene she's in. The lollipops can be found on a trip to the beach, when Larry gives her a handful of them, but Ann tells her not to eat them all at once. Of course the little girl ignores her and sets about sticking them all in a row in the sand and licking them assembly line-style (sand and lollipops just CAN'T be a good combo). It's a slice of life from a movie that is just alot of little slices put together.
**** out of *****

Visages d'enfants (1925): starring Jean Forest, victor Vina, Arlette Peyran, Henri Duval, Rachel Devirys, Pierrette Houyez
Visages d'enfants is about the adventure of life as seen through the eyes of a child. The child in question is Jean, who as the movie begins, is attending his mother's funeral. A sensitive child, he is wrought with grief (to the point he imagines the portrait of his mother comes to life every night and comforts him). The father is a practical man, however, and decides to re-marry so that Jean and his little daughter Pierrette might have a proper upbringing. But Jean hates the idea of his mother being replaced by some interloper, and especially hates his new step-sister, whom he tortures with cruelty and teasing. It's not enough to say this film is beautifully shot, every frame could be made into a still photograph and hung in a museum. The film captures a mood and a setting just right, and being a silent picture, it almost becomes a graphic novel set to life (fans of Chris Ware will see the obvious influence this movie had over his work). The little artistic touches are fantastic: the little band at the harvest festival, the beds of the children, the bread and jam the kids eat for a snack. The swiss alps setting gives the movie an almost timeless feel, while the depth of the emotion on display makes it seem very modern. The child actors, in particular Jean, do a very grown up job of acting. You won't find alot of the over-acting typically found in silent movies here. Visages d'enfants had me from beginning to end, a sweet movie that has stood the test of time.
***** out of ******

Bunshinsaba a.k.a. "Witchboard"(2004): starring Gyu-ri Kim, Se-eun Lee, Yu-ri Lee
Koreans are weird. They like to pick on blind girls and gather themselves into torch-bearing mobs at the drop of a hat. Men call it seduction when they scream in a woman's face as they grab and paw at her. Not only do they find it completely plausible that their neighbors might be witches, but they encourage their other neighbors to burn down said neighbor's house in order to drive them out of town. So, yadda-yadda, some girls are getting picked on at school and summon a ghost to curse the bullies and of course the whole thing backfires and blows up in their faces (quite literally). While the plot is fairly intricate for this kind of movie, and while it's way better than the korean movie about the killer tree (Acacia), it's still not scary in the least. In fact, this might officially end my viewing of Korean horror movies for awhile.
** out of *****