"ET phone home." Strange, when you think about it, that one of the most famous lines in movie history is spoken by a puppet. But ET: The Extra Terrestrial remains one of the classics of our time because Steven Spielberg made the simple story of a lost alien spellbinding, exciting, heart-rending and, crucially, completely believable. Eight-year-olds who first saw the film in the cinema back in 1982 now look forward to the moment when they can share the glory of this classic family film with their own children.
So last week's announcement that ET has been voted the Greatest Ever Family Film in a British poll of the readers of Radio Times magazine, is hardly controversial. After all, ET wasn't a word-of-mouth success: for 11 years it held the record of highest-grossing film. But it is pleasing, simply because ET is also an exceptional study of a real family.
It's interesting that ET only narrowly beat The Wizard of Oz to the top spot in the poll, a movie generally regarded as one of the very first family films. It's easy to presume that times and tastes have changed since 1939, when Judy Garland first followed the yellow brick road, and that kids these days are more excited by explosions, aliens and superheroes. But while the notion of films that families could watch together was still relatively new in 1939. If you watch The Wizard of Oz where it was meant to be experienced - in the cinema - it has the same sense of danger and miraculous journey that characterises ET. Both protagonists become lost in unfamiliar lands, and both films toy with the idea that it could all be a fantasy.
In fact, the history of children's cinema is one of cycles. The first golden age began two years before The Wizard of Oz, with Walt Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs - the first full-length animation in history and unusually, missing from the Radio Times' Top 10. It was followed by Pinocchio in 1940 and Bambi in 1942. A new Disney film became a major Hollywood event. But as live-action techniques improved, the thrill diminished. Mary Poppins did include some animation in 1964, but Julie Andrews was very much in the flesh. In the same 10-year period, The Sound of Music (1965), Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968) and Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971) enthralled family audiences with song and captivating capers. All are, unsurprisingly, in the top 10 of the most recent poll.
The Jungle Book aside, it suggested that the era of animation was over. But Beauty and the Beast in 1992 signalled a new dawn for Disney and the family film. It remains one of only two animations ever to be nominated for the Best Picture Oscar - and while that might be one measure of success, the fact that it was the first animation to make $100m (Dh367m) in North American box offices is another.
The other Oscar-nominated family movie was Up by Pixar, the groundbreaking studio that has done so much to make realistic computer animation de rigueur for the family film in the 21st century, and reignite interest in the genre. Pixar's success began with Toy Story in 1995 - No.5 in the Radio Times Top 10. But the reason why Pixar's films - The Incredibles, Wall-E, Finding Nemo - are so well loved (and so successful) isn't because they look good. It's because they marry their looks with beautiful - some might say old-fashioned - storytelling for young and old, based on emotions and wit. They transcend generations.
There is, of course, an inherent flaw in the Radio Times' list - it's a magazine for adults and it's doubtful its readership cast a quick poll among the younger members of their families before voting. Therefore, despite their brilliance, it's not surprising that more than half of the top 10 films are more than 40 years old: there's an element of nostalgia at play here. If you did ask kids what their favourite film of recent times is, they might tell you Toy Story 3, but they could just as easily cite Alvin And The Chipmunks: The Squeakquel. And in a way they'd have every right to: this is a slapstick 90-minute romp aimed directly at children. It's just all-out, good-natured, fun.
That, perhaps, is the difference between the throwaway nature of the pure children's film and the lasting family films of the Radio Times poll. So the reason why ET will still top polls such as this for decades into the future is obvious. It's not made specifically for children at all. It's made, happily, for everyone - for the child in all of us.
Company%20Profile
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THE BIO: Martin Van Almsick
Hometown: Cologne, Germany
Family: Wife Hanan Ahmed and their three children, Marrah (23), Tibijan (19), Amon (13)
Favourite dessert: Umm Ali with dark camel milk chocolate flakes
Favourite hobby: Football
Breakfast routine: a tall glass of camel milk
One in four Americans don't plan to retire
Nearly a quarter of Americans say they never plan to retire, according to a poll that suggests a disconnection between individuals' retirement plans and the realities of ageing in the workforce.
Experts say illness, injury, layoffs and caregiving responsibilities often force older workers to leave their jobs sooner than they'd like.
According to the poll from The Associated Press-NORC Centre for Public Affairs Research, 23 per cent of workers, including nearly two in 10 of those over 50, don't expect to stop working. Roughly another quarter of Americans say they will continue working beyond their 65th birthday.
According to government data, about one in five people 65 and older was working or actively looking for a job in June. The study surveyed 1,423 adults in February this year.
For many, money has a lot to do with the decision to keep working.
"The average retirement age that we see in the data has gone up a little bit, but it hasn't gone up that much," says Anqi Chen, assistant director of savings research at the Centre for Retirement Research at Boston College. "So people have to live in retirement much longer, and they may not have enough assets to support themselves in retirement."
When asked how financially comfortable they feel about retirement, 14 per cent of Americans under the age of 50 and 29 per cent over 50 say they feel extremely or very prepared, according to the poll. About another four in 10 older adults say they do feel somewhat prepared, while just about one-third feel unprepared.
"One of the things about thinking about never retiring is that you didn't save a whole lot of money," says Ronni Bennett, 78, who was pushed out of her job as a New York City-based website editor at 63.
She searched for work in the immediate aftermath of her layoff, a process she describes as akin to "banging my head against a wall." Finding Manhattan too expensive without a steady stream of income, she eventually moved to Portland, Maine. A few years later, she moved again, to Lake Oswego, Oregon. "Sometimes I fantasise that if I win the lottery, I'd go back to New York," says Ms Bennett.
How does ToTok work?
The calling app is available to download on Google Play and Apple App Store
To successfully install ToTok, users are asked to enter their phone number and then create a nickname.
The app then gives users the option add their existing phone contacts, allowing them to immediately contact people also using the application by video or voice call or via message.
Users can also invite other contacts to download ToTok to allow them to make contact through the app.
Match info
Arsenal 0
Manchester City 2
Sterling (14'), Bernardo Silva (64')
Company%20profile
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Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha
Starring: Ajay Devgn, Tabu, Shantanu Maheshwari, Jimmy Shergill, Saiee Manjrekar
Director: Neeraj Pandey
Rating: 2.5/5
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Company Profile:
Name: The Protein Bakeshop
Date of start: 2013
Founders: Rashi Chowdhary and Saad Umerani
Based: Dubai
Size, number of employees: 12
Funding/investors: $400,000 (2018)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Mobile phone packages comparison
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Should late investors consider cryptocurrencies?
Wealth managers recommend late investors to have a balanced portfolio that typically includes traditional assets such as cash, government and corporate bonds, equities, commodities and commercial property.
They do not usually recommend investing in Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies due to the risk and volatility associated with them.
“It has produced eye-watering returns for some, whereas others have lost substantially as this has all depended purely on timing and when the buy-in was. If someone still has about 20 to 25 years until retirement, there isn’t any need to take such risks,” Rupert Connor of Abacus Financial Consultant says.
He adds that if a person is interested in owning a business or growing a property portfolio to increase their retirement income, this can be encouraged provided they keep in mind the overall risk profile of these assets.
TRAP
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Saleka Shyamalan, Ariel Donaghue
Director: M Night Shyamalan
Rating: 3/5
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cylinder petrol
Power: 154bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Transmission: 7-speed automatic with 8-speed sports option
Price: From Dh79,600
On sale: Now
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The specs
Engine: 2.7-litre 4-cylinder Turbomax
Power: 310hp
Torque: 583Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh192,500
On sale: Now
ICC Awards for 2021
MEN
Cricketer of the Year – Shaheen Afridi (Pakistan)
T20 Cricketer of the Year – Mohammad Rizwan (Pakistan)
ODI Cricketer of the Year – Babar Azam (Pakistan)
Test Cricketer of the Year – Joe Root (England)
WOMEN
Cricketer of the Year – Smriti Mandhana (India)
ODI Cricketer of the Year – Lizelle Lee (South Africa)
T20 Cricketer of the Year – Tammy Beaumont (England)
Company name: Farmin
Date started: March 2019
Founder: Dr Ali Al Hammadi
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: AgriTech
Initial investment: None to date
Partners/Incubators: UAE Space Agency/Krypto Labs
TO%20CATCH%20A%20KILLER
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McLaren GT specs
Engine: 4-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission: seven-speed
Power: 620bhp
Torque: 630Nm
Price: Dh875,000
On sale: now
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Zidane's managerial achievements
La Liga: 2016/17
Spanish Super Cup: 2017
Uefa Champions League: 2015/16, 2016/17, 2017/18
Uefa Super Cup: 2016, 2017
Fifa Club World Cup: 2016, 2017
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo
Power: 268hp at 5,600rpm
Torque: 380Nm at 4,800rpm
Transmission: CVT auto
Fuel consumption: 9.5L/100km
On sale: now
Price: from Dh195,000
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