Limitless: The Potential for Greatness

Wow, I could relate to the main character in this film. Brian Finch (Bradley Cooper) is a writer with years of "writers block." He has trouble getting....

Okay, I literally wrote that start of a sentence on June 21. This irked Paul to no end. I find it hilarious. If you watch this film, Limitless, life really can imitate art or art does imitate life. I related to the main character so much that it's a little too close to home for me. Brian Finch is a professional writer that cannot crystallize all the ideas in his head and get them to work in a coherent organized manner. Everyone keeps looking at him baffled as to why he can't "get it together" when he has so much potential. I empathized with the character because it shows how exasperating modern life is when you struggle specifically with executive function skills. As an adult, you are expected to do a lot of left-brained living (work, pay bills, clean house, and maintain relationships) that completely relies on your ability to use executive function skills. If you haven't learned these skills and you are a creative right-brained type it's hard to make a living doing what you love because of pesky details like deadlines. Trust me I know. The right-brained types are just trying to look the part and hope you do not notice the hula-hooping we did behind the scenes.

Sadly, Brian Finch succumbs to unhealthy coping mechanisms and is basically self-destructing. That is until he gets a hold of a 'miracle' drug called NZT that has not yet been released on the market. Suddenly, he can actually focus and retain all the information in his brain and make it work to his advantage. Is this movie take a look at ADHD and drugs such as Ritalin and Adderal? I think the movie points a finger at the pharmaceuticals. How they manipulate us, how we don't always know what is in the drugs we take, and how people become addicted to the quick fix.

Our society has a different definition of success than God's definition. When you accept the Lord God as your Savior your priorities become His. Therefore, even if you never get accolades from others: you will always be valued in the eyes of the One who matters.

Here is my movie review summary:

1. Obviously, I am fascinated by the educational information coming out about "executive skills." So, for that reason I was very glued to this story line.
2.There is one violent scene in the beginning and I thought that would be it, but sadly this movie right in the middle goes into a very violent scene because everyone wants to get a hold of this drug. It becomes gory! It was so intense I had to hide under a blanket. Yes, I know. I'm a wimp.
3. Pick your own ending twist. The end of the movie will leave you so perplexed that you will be loudly debating the last few scenes, re-watching the last few moments, and trying to figure out the conclusion of the film, which is awesome!

Three out of five stars.

Resources:

Reaching Your Full Potential by Charles Stanley (In Touch Ministries)

Finally Organized by Kathy Roberts (The Tidy Tutor) Ebook

When You Want to Do Life Over : A Review of The Illusion

Just recently watched the Illusion with Kirk Douglas.  This is the moving story of a screen writer/director (forget which) who is very old and on the verge of dying.

Great start,  right? 

 Anyway as you learn more about this screen writer/director you find out that he was a dad at one point in his life but decided to pursue his career rather than be a caring dad and is now realizing that was a poor choice in his life.  He has a son who is a romantic and has struggled not having a father figure in his life.  His son is actually a pretty nice guy and is in love with a mysterious woman who continues to pop up in his life.  Kirk Douglas plays the aged father and does a great job with his role. Found out this was Kirk Douglas' declared last movie.   Much of the movie is showing Kirk Douglas' observation of how his son grows up without him around.  He realizes that his son has a negative self-image continually spoken to him in his father's voice, because of one pivotal moment where his dad drives off to pursue his career rather than picking up his son for his allocated time of the week with him.   Here is what I liked about Illusion:

1. Great movie that depicts the power of a father in the life of his son.   Not having a dad is a rough way to grow up.  A positive father figure in a child's life is a powerful factor that is not always portrayed in movies today.

2. Kind of comes off a bit like Highway to Heaven or Touched by An Angel -  without going too much into plot details this movie resembles Highway to Heaven where an angel comes and shows you your life in way that makes you want to change it.  A Christmas Carol is also very similar in theme to some of the parts of the Illusion.

3. Great redemptive ending -  I admit I don't always like a miserable, sad ending just because it is realistic and artsy.   I'm not saying I love movies that always come out happy and singing songs - but a good story with a good ending makes me encouraged to see more movies that have values.  Illusion delivers with a great ending that makes you reflect on your own life and relationships and helps you to think about the choices you are making now in life.

4. For a romantic movie - it definitely kept my interest.  I don't love romantic movies all that much.  The occasional chick flick I can enjoy watching with my wife,  but overall I don't rush to turn on Romeo and Juliet just for good times.  This movie was different in that it spun an interesting romance that kept me intrigued by how it was going to turn out.   I actually thought it was a fun journey as the main character's son continues to pursue this woman who has meant so much to him throughout his life.

Overall - if you are looking for a good movie in the same category as A Christmas Carol,  you may enjoy watching The Illusion.   It had a great soundtrack and a redemptive story overall.  4 star rating in my book.

Tommy, Back rubs, and Ben & Jerry's

"Tommy, Back rubs, and Ben & Jerry's" Paul says, This is how a wise movie loving husband will convince his wife to sit down to a science fiction movie. These were the enticements to at least try to watch Edge of Tomorrow:Live, Die, Repeat starring Tom Cruise. I was very skeptical if I was going to enjoy this movie when he told me it had aliens. I think it may have been a childhood memory of sleepovers. In fact, my Dad convinced me to rent Alien at a little store known as Blockbuster. My girlfriends were sitting huddled together on the couch. The music was tense and at just the right pivotal moment my Dad popped up in our basement window with a flashlight glowing under him and all sorts of chaos erupted. 
So, for this movie, I sat all cozy with a kid cup of Cherry Garcia. We had to split the movie up in to two nights (which Paul really doesn't like to do), but the first night we started the flick I had to say "time for bed" because I try to unwind for an hour prior to bed. I held my ground that watching alien spiders pop out and try to take over the world is not unwinding 
The plot of this movie is really interesting in that Tom Cruise starts the flick as a completely unlikable character. He's a slough. As the movie continues though I realize how much more his character foibles are in all of us. He is the most unlikely person to become a war hero against alien invaders. In fact, the heroine, Emily Blunt in this story makes it clear that she "volunteered" to go to the front lines against the enemy. Most of us prefer to stay in our comfort zones. We let fear dictate our lives and as a result we are act cowardly: dodging responsibilities, difficult conversations, and making up lame excuses. 
This movie also made me think of time in the concept of one day of our lives. It's a reminder of how important it is to spend time reading the Bible to have a clear sense of God's calling and purpose for your life. That way when interruptions or disappointments come you can put them in perspective. So, in case you have your ice cream melting in your hand, I will wrap up my review of why I think this is the only science fiction movie I can remember liking this much and here is why: 

1. Tom Cruise. Tom Cruise in a uniform. Swoon. 
2. Emily Blunt. Okay, she is amazing.  She totally kicks butt in this film and the time lapses create an interesting quirky romance. 
3. A  plot that keeps this story and character development moving along as new details are revealed within action scenes. There was a repetitive nature to it that built momentum and plot twists that kept me on the edge of my seat. 

Great date movie. Goes well with Cherry Garcia. 4 stars. 

When Sequels Are Better Than Originals - A Review on Finding Dory

We recently took our daughters to their first theater movie : Finding Dory.   I like Pixar movies for the most part and am rarely disappointed watching them.  While I liked Finding Nemo, I was bracing myself for a sequel that wasn't quite as good as the original.  It is just the law of sequels.   Was Karate Kid II as good as Karate Kid? Was 2 Fast 2 Furious quite as good as the original The Fast and the Furious?  However, I digress.  Anyway I can honestly say that I thought Pixar hit it out of the park with this one, and the sequel was better done than the original.  The humor was great, the message of parental love despite having special needs was refreshing, and overall the story was fantastic.  It was refreshing to see a movie that I could show the whole family with no objectionable parts.  My daughters sat through the whole movie without needing to get up, and I think overall the entire family enjoyed the experience.   This is what Disney Pixar movies should be about.  This is why I pay theater prices for an experience like this.  Without giving the entire movie away, here are the highlights of what I liked in Finding Dory:

1. Good acknowledgement of the original movie 

This movie didn't rehash a lot of the Nemo story but you also saw how the various parts fit in with the original story.

2. Exceptional setting at an aquarium park with lots of children involved.  

For anyone who has ever gone to an aquarium park with children, the scenes throughout were very familiar as well as funny.

3. Great introduction of new characters. 

Loved the sea lions, as well as the fish and creatures that were at the park.  That added some funny new characters as well as some complex ones that really added to the whole story.

4. Great theme of unconditional love.   

Hard to find this all the time in modern day movies, but this movie really showed the need to unconditionally love others despite any special needs they have.  This was refreshing to see and well delivered throughout this movie.

In conclusion : I hope Disney/Pixar continue to keep up the quality and substance of movies like Finding Dory.  It was great to be able to take my kids to a movie that we could all enjoy.   Two thumbs up for this one.

What type of movie is this? - A Review of The Tourist

Johnny Depp isn't cranking out hits lately,  but this movie came out a while ago and starred Angelina Jolie alongside him.  What was this all about? - I decided to rent it and see if it was as bad as the critics seemed to think.  First off - the acting is good - it was the story that really lacked something.  Angelina plays a spy of sorts who is working with someone mysteriously who tells her to pick a non-suspecting tourist and try to make those who are following her believe it is the man she really intends to make contact with.  So she picks Johnny Depp's character who claims he is a math teacher from America.  He seems like a nice enough guy and although kind of clumsy kind of likes the idea of Ms. Jolie following him around and rescuing him from danger.   However, that plotline didn't save the movie from an overall lackluster journey.  Here is where this movie fell short in my opinion:

1. Like stated before it wasn't the acting - it was the story behind the movie that really was missing something.

The story had potential, but when you are making a movie in the same genre as The Bourne Identity or James Bond series, you have some high expectations to compete with.   Unfortunately, I don't think this movie has the same ingredients that made The Bourne Identity so great and it also tried to blend too many genres of movies like point #4 below elaborates on.

2.  Bad guys who are hard to take seriously. 

Are they meant to be funny and comedic or are they really trying to be threatening?  This movie kind of leaves you guessing and the result is that you aren't rooting that hard for the good guys to get away and come out ahead, because you don't know if the bad guys are going to be so stupid they will end up sabotaging themselves.

3. A twist that feels forced and not that surprising.

A good twist can really keep you guessing throughout the movie and make you feel a sense of surprise and admiration for the writers. This movie's twist (although it does contain one) - doesn't seem to deliver that result.  It feels a bit too forced and not really that surprising.  Compared to the ending/twist of Limitless, which is open to interpretation and almost makes you want to re-watch the movie, this movie doesn't deliver a satisfying one.

4. Not sure what type of movie this is trying to be.

I had heard spy adventure and comedy so I watched it expecting something like that - but after it was all over - I actually thought this movie came off more of a romance??  I prefer adventures, action movies and comedies all to romances - so that definitely took some stars away from my review.  In the end, I'm not positive what type of genre the directors/writers were going for.   I guess if you aim at too many targets you won't hit any of them.

Conclusion: while this movie wasn't terrible, it delivered a movie that left you thinking it could have been so much better.  If that is the best you can say about a movie - I would say this is no more than a 2 star rating out of 5.

How to Cope As a Parent - Rudderless

Even though I picked that as a title - I wouldn't recommend this movie for learning that skill.  I just recently watched Rudderless which is the story of a dad who loses his son early on in college and pretty much throws a lot of his life away with how it affect him.  He drinks too much and starts living on a houseboat.  He starts playing songs his late son wrote and in the course of discovering who he is,  he befriends another young man (about his son's age) and even starts playing in a band. This movie does a great job about showing the various ways parents cope with losing a child at an early age. Although the son died when he was about 20 years old - it took a tremendous toll on the dad and his way of dealing with it wasn't always admirable.

Here is a quick summation of what I liked about Rudderless

1. Interesting story detailing the grief of parents and how different parents grieve in unique ways at the loss of a child.

The son's mom and dad grieved in very different ways in this movie.  The mother ended up having another child whereas the divorced father took to drinking and removing himself from his business society.  He started working as a painter instead of a successful salesman and unfortunately drank way more than he should have.

2. Really interesting twist as the story unfolds.

This movie presents an unexpected twist into the whole story about mid-way through.  It blew me away and made the whole movie take on a different perspective.  Movies that can do that with good writing earn my admiration.

3. Good song-writing throughout the movie.

I thought the songs in this movie were above average.  They were typical alternative emo style music and were performed well throughout the whole movie.  This gave the movie a good artistic feel and made you appreciate the effort they put into song choices & writing.


4. Decent ending although not completely satisfying but fairly realistic. 

This didn't have a sappy ending, yet it didn't leave you feeling like it didn't close the movie right. It was a fitting ending considering the journey it takes you on, and although kind of sad, it still left you feeling like it was a good movie to watch unfold.

Dealing with grief throughout parenthood is a challenge for anyone.  Hopefully through it all, parents look to their Savior to help them find comfort and healing.  This movie didn't show that very much, but it did show the healing power of music on a grief stricken soul.

A Non-Boring Article on How to Kill Boredom

Boredom is something most people deal with at some time in their life.  It usually begins with a lot of excess time and can actually ADD to the stress in your life.  What to do? Where to go? How to plan? All these things can leave anyone in a state where they don't know if they should do anything and when/where to do it.  Boredom seems to start in childhood.  Children have lots of time to find things to do.  How creative they are in spending their time many times determines how bored they are as a child.  Young adults also face boredom.  This is usually remedied by reading, getting into a TV or movie, or spending time with others in their age group.   This article will try to diagnose the cause and list some ways that will help anyone avoid being bored on a continual basis.

The Causes of Boredom

I've come to the conclusion that most types of boredom are caused by one of three issues. Here they are:

1.  No Goals Set

This is the number one reason people get bored in my understanding. Without a goal - whether it be graduate college, beat a video game,  achieve a certification, or get married and have a family - many people just don't know where to go because they have nothing to aim for.  Goal setting is essential if you want to avoid boredom.  It is this first step that allows you to set mini-achievements to reach your goal that will kill boredom in your life.

2. Goals Are Set but No Progress Toward Them

This occurs when someone sets out to make goals but either makes them too long-term, or doesn't seek small enough mini-achievements to reach them.  Then this will develop into some great goals on  paper with no momentum to reach them.  It is important to set achievable mini-achievements so that there is some sense of accomplishment as you head toward your goal.  If you have goals and aren't reaching them, you may be stuck in boredom-land and be faced with an overwhelming understanding of how to reach the goals you have set.  It is time to break your goals into smaller pieces and be asking yourself : "What can I do today that will help me get one step closer to this goal?".   Mini-achievements should take no longer than 30 days to help you feel closer to your overall goal. 

3.  Lack of Responsibility

This is one of the key reasons children get bored so easily.  Suddenly when people become adults they are given the responsibilities to work a 40 hour week, raise children who depend on them, and take care of those who rely on them.  If you are someone who is reaching his/her goals on a regular basis but still find yourself bored often, maybe there are some ways you can add some responsibility to your life to help you stay involved with others.  Here are some ideas if you find yourself lacking responsibility:

A. Think about adopting a pet (cat/dog).  Pets add some definite responsibility to your life and they depend on you for love and support.  A nice cat/dog can really enhance your life and keep you busy if you find yourself not sure how to spend your time.  Dogs have to be walked on a regular basis and are really great companions, and cats can be great in their own way as well.

B. Consider Volunteering in Your Church or Community.  Churches are great places to get involved with others that share similar values, and volunteering can give you a chance to get out of your comfort zone and meet other people as well as serve those in need.  Habitat for Humanity is a great program to get involved in that allows you to help out with home repair and building with a group of people.   If you find yourself tired of Netflix and ready to branch out - consider looking up some churches or volunteer efforts near you to see how you can get involved.

C. Consider Adding a Hobby.   Hobbies can be a great constructive way to spend your time as long as they don't consume too much of your time and money.   There are hobbies out there for just about any interest under the sun.   My personal ones include : running for recreational purposes, playing chess, and watching good movies.  These all help me to recharge after a long day (or before in the case of running) and also give me an outlet that is different than my 9 to 5 job.   Hobbies can also be a great way to meet others who enjoy the same interests and all these factors help you in a major way to avoid the "b" word.

Being bored is a choice.  We all can creatively come up with ways to spend our time, and sometimes it involves branching out to meet new people, experience new things, or try different hobbies.  Netflix is fun, but after a while it can really pay off to turn off the television, shut off the video game console, and get involved with hobbies and responsibilities that don't just entertain you,  but actually grow and develop you.   Why not start one today?

Defying the Aging Process? - Only If Your Name Is Ben Button - A Review

Since I have been watching a lot of science fiction/fantasy lately,  I decided to sit down and watch this 2 hour 40 minute tale of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.  It won several Academy Awards so I thought I would see what it was all about.  This is the story of a boy born as an 80 year old who gets younger by the year.  Brad Pitt plays Benjamin Button who is a man who starts old and gets younger and younger.  Brad was a good choice because his face is pretty young-looking so he played the part well as he is supposed to get younger instead of older throughout the movie.  Cate Blanchett also did a wonderful job playing his friend and lover as the years go on.  It was strange, but I found this movie in many ways similar to Forrest Gump.  The tale of a man who travels through many seasons of life to meet all sorts of characters.  At the end the drama wraps up the different lives of the characters that Benjamin Button had interacted with.   It seemed a lot like Forrest Gump in that way.   Unfortunately, despite winning 3 academy awards I failed to connect with a man who just can't stop getting younger.  Even the love story seemed shallow to me as Benjamin Button doesn't seem to know the meaning of the word "marriage".  Here is why Benjamin Button didn't get a high rating from my perspective:

1.  No moral compass for Benjamin Button.

 Call me a conservative if you will,  but Benjamin Button has no sense of right and wrong when it comes to women.  He has no trouble fornicating with harlots and sleeping with married women, or simply sleeping with women without even bringing up the subject of marriage.  I know this is a fictional tale, but despite some church attendance in the early parts of the movie, Benjamin Button seems content to not even think much about God at all throughout the journey of this movie. Not a great quality of the main character.

2. A movie so long that you almost feel your facial hair starting to grow (if you're a guy). 

 It was a definitely new twist to have a man born as an 80 year old and then get younger by the year. The problem was it takes so long to tell this tale that you feel like you are getting older spending over 180 minutes watching his fictional life.  If you are a man, you may just feel like your beard needs a shave after getting through the whole movie.  Ironic considering the main character is getting younger as you get older watching this story.

3. Lack of emotional connection to the characters. 

Maybe Cate Blanchett's character had some relate-able moments, but overall I failed to connect with many if any of the characters in this movie.  It was quite a story, but if you don't feel emotionally connected to anyone after 2.5 hours of your time, it feels like a wasted effort.

Conclusion :
I'm learning the hard way that the Academy Awards and Oscars don't seem to appreciate movies the way that I do.  In fact, when movies win awards like that - I'm almost inclined to skip them.  I have watched awarded movie after awarded movie and came away,  disappointed.  I'm not looking for a movie to be just edgy and go where no movie has gone before.  I'm looking for an edifying experience when I watch a movie.  Benjamin Button didn't quite come out a winner in that light for me.  Maybe the book is better - I don't know.   What I do know is that I will not be re-watching this tale.

If You Could Move Your Brain : A Review of Self/less

Since I have recently reviewed Limitless and kind of liked it, I saw this movie being advertised with some similarities and decided to see what the differences were.   Self/less is about a wealthy man who is dying of cancer.  He finds some questionable science people who assure him he can take the form of a younger man with his same brain by agreeing to undergo a special procedure.   So he does - and there is where the story gets interesting.  At first he likes being young again after his old body has been buried and his brain is alive and well inside the newer younger body,  but then as he starts to learn more - he realizes that this isn't as great of a deal as he originally thought.  He has to take anti-rejection pills constantly or weird things seeem to happen, and some of the people in his life begin to act very suspiciously when he gets curious.  Here is how this movie and Limitless are similar :

1. Both have a charismatic young man as the main character of the story

2. Both involve an older man (in Limitless it is Robert De Niro and in Self/less it is Ben Kingsley) who is interested in the miracle technology.

3.  Both are science fiction.

4. OK this last one is lame - but both have the less in the title.

After that they are not that similar AT ALL.

Which one did I like better?  Well Self/less had a better ending that didn't raise a ton of questions, and I found the plot twists and turns in Self/less better overall than the ones in Limitless.  Both held my interest very well,  but Self/less showed the value of character above power in a more convincing way than the movie Limitless.  There were definite weird moments, but overall I think the Self/less plot and storyline was better.   If you like interesting, thought-provoking science fiction, you should try watching Self/less.  It definitely gave Chrystal and I a lot to talk about.

Red : A Fun Movie to Check Out

This movie is not your typical.  It falls into the action-comedy genre and it features a lot of gags and over-the-top action sequences with a decent storyline and plenty of acting talent throughout.

The movie centers around a retired character played well by Bruce Willis who is considered R.E.D (Retired and Extremely Dangerous).  Although older, he still knows how to kick some rear and has many friends who are also interested in staying in the action.   Bruce Willis' character Frank is being pursued by some bad people who want him dead - so he gets together with some old pals in order to defend himself and find out who is really behind the violent attempts on his life.  I think this movie was great.  I enjoy movies like The Mask of Zorro, and the Indiana Jones series because they have plenty of action, but they also throw in the fun jokes along the ride.  This movie is in the same vein.   Great stunts, exciting weapons used in the movie, and funny moments throughout the movie.  I think my two favorite players in the movie were John Malkovich and Helen Mirren.  They both did a great job with their parts and I thought John Malkovich was one of the funniest actors in the movie.  Mr. Malkovich played a secluded guy who was a conspirator theorist about everything government.  He added a lot of humor to the story and even went as far as concealing some weapons in a stuffed pink pig during part of the movie.  I don't want to reveal much more - but I think I may have watched it if John was in it alone.  If you add in Morgan Freeman, Richard Dreyfuss, and some of the other big names in this movie - you end up with a great story with plenty of star power.

This wasn't a deep movie, but for what it set out to do - it did it well.  I recommend RED if you are interested in watching a fun movie with a lot of over-the-top action.  Two thumbs up.

Another Journey Into Space : A Review of Star Trek: Into Darkness

I'm not known to be "A Trekky" (if that is even the correct term).  I know the basic premise of Star Trek and enjoyed the reboot of Star Trek that JJ Abrams put together several years ago.  This was JJ Abram's sequel to the first movie with Chris Pine resuming the role of Captain Kirk.   I sat back to see how it compared.  Since, I haven't seen the original Star Trek II : The Wrath of Khan - I was curious if this was a reboot of it since the main villain in this one is Khan himself.  I noticed that the original Star Trek II is available for streaming, so I may soon be watching it to see how this one compares.  Overall - I liked it.   It was fast-moving, and fun.  It wouldn't call it a classic movie, but for Star Trek it definitely kept my interest.  JJ Abrams knows how to do science fiction movies fairly well.  Otherwise Star Wars VII would have flopped badly.   I didn't like his movie Super 8,  but every director has their good movies and their bad ones.  There are several drawbacks to this one:

1. No cameo from William Shatner.  I know the guy is busy with Priceline commercials, but it still would have been fun and humorous for the new Captian Kirk to meet the legendary Captain Kirk.

2. Not as deep as it was fun.  I don't expect all science fiction movies to be deep, but I like ones that make me think about science, the future and deeper meanings to life.  This one didn't seem to really attempt much of that except trying to be a fun adventure in outer space.

3. Special Effects were good.  That's all I'll say about special effects.  I don't like movies that come off as video games rather than good stories.  This one stuck with the story and had good supporting effects,  and that's all I have to say about the special effects.

Conclusion:  All in all, this movie was a fun journey and I would definitely be open to watching more in the Star Trek reboot series.  It didn't turn me off - yet it didn't blow me away.  A decent effort and a fun revisiting of a science fiction story that has stood the test of time.

Unleashing Your Potential : A Review of Limitless

Just finished the movie Limitless by Bradley Cooper and have found out it has much more of a

following than I originally thought.   The story is about a burned-out writer who can't seem to focus on his writing.  He is kind of sloppy and very unmotivated.  Then he starts taking an experimental drug that allows him to use 100% of his brain rather than the 10-20% that normal humans use on a day-to-day basis.   After he starts taking this, he realizes his potential and begins to write and become an amazing individual due to his tremendous focus and expertise even though he is the same person.  The problems begin when he relies on this drug to do anything meaningful in his life and dangerous people start to want to control this drug so that they can be limitless as well as controlling of others.

This movie definitely had some twists and surprises and I was kind of puzzled by the ending.  Turns out the ending is open to several interpretations as to what happens and that sets it apart a lot from other movies.  After googling Limitless and endings, there are several ideas of what really happened,  but I won't go into spoiling it for you.  Here is what I thought the movie did well:

1. Showed how productive someone can be with complete focus using all resources we've been given.

Granted this is fiction, but it was an interesting story because his drugs didn't make him superhuman, so much as optimized human.  We all want to be intelligent and focused to do amazing things,  and this movie creates a hero role who can do just that.

2. Showed the dangers of addiction to any substance that is relied on to live life to the max.

The main character quickly learns that success has some high costs.  The miracle drug in this story caused others to want a piece of the action, and it creates a very strong addictive tendency in those that use it on a regular basis.  However, once the main guy experienced the perks, he became more and more willing to take chances to have the experience again.  Over time it changed him and his character went to crazy length to experience the high it delivered.   This is a great modern day parable for the dangers of addictive substances to live life above average.  Everyone needs to accept who they are and strive to grow without legal or illegal substances determining the outcome.

3. Great modern-day parable about the dangers of dependency on anything/anyone besides your Creator.

The writers may not have intended for this - but I found it a great modern-day fable/parable with a strong moral lesson.  Don't allow anything or anyone control you except the God who created you.  The second part of this lesson didn't come across so clearly, but the first part was very clearly shown in this movie's tale.  Crime/violence and crazy things begin to happen when the main hero gets to a point where he can't live without this untested drug.    Jesus says quite clearly in John 15:5 (NIV) "If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing." That is the truth - if we aren't relying on God we will try to lean and rely on others and end up messing up in major ways.

Conclusion

This was a very thought provoking movie.  I didn't realize until after viewing it that it even spawned a TV series of the same name.  It was definitely entertaining to watch and made you consider the dangers of dependency on substances to function.  However, that being said I felt the writers went a bit too far in showing the gruesome, violent outcome of this hazardous journey.  The movie stuck with me for a while,  but in some ways I think it was because it was a bit shocking.  In other ways I think it was because the ending is open to interpretation and debate.  I liked how they did the ending. It wasn't tied up with a bow, but it made you think about the choices of the characters.    If you like good science-fiction/fantasy movies that make you think - you may want to try watching Limitless.

A Peek Into a Brilliant Mind : Review of A Brilliant Young Mind

The movie "A Brilliant Young Mind" is about a young man named Nathan Ellis who is exceptionally gifted and has a genius level mind, yet who struggles to relate to everyone in his life.  Nathan may even be diagnosed autistic, and this movie sets out to show from his perspective and those in his life how it feels to be so smart that those around you don't know quite how to act.  

First let me state : don't watch this movie for action.  It is a thinking person's drama that many would consider slow.  Yet, I wouldn't call it boring and it had enough humor and interest in the plot that I finished it without wondering if I'd make it through.  I read that one reviewer compared this movie to "Rocky" as far as redemption and a great journey.  I wouldn't go that far myself.  It was a fascinating journey watching Nathan and his mom, teachers, and classmates all struggle to relate, but I wouldn't consider this movie as emotionally connecting as the movie "Rocky" managed to be.  Here are my take-aways:

1. Touching portrayal of how a teacher and a mother struggle to relate to a boy genius. 

Nathan was so smart, those he loved the most found it frustrating to work with him. However, this movie does offer hope as the characters work through some of the challenges and learn to love each other in spite of the challenges.

2. Interesting subplot of how a teacher deals with his failing health

One of Nathan's teachers in this movies is dealing with Multiple Sclerosis.  He seems down and depressed through much of the movie and finds destructive ways to cope with his failing health at times.  The teacher does see the value in working with gifted people (like he was) though, and thankfully doesn't self-destruct in his journey of accepting the symptoms of MS.  

3. One underlying theme is the ability to find love despite your social challenges

Nathan doesn't have many friends, but he does meet a young lady at his math camp who takes a liking to him.  This movie shows that even those who are major social hang-ups can still find people who want to spend time with them and love them.  Nathan meets someone just like this, and I think this part of the movie is fairly accurate.   Love many times knows no boundaries as far as compatibility and willingness to overlook faults.    This movie does a great job showing that.

This movie is British and I thought it was well produced and well acted.   Some other movies of similar nature are "Little Man Tate" and "Searching For Bobby Fischer".   I would say this movie rates much higher than "Little Man Tate", but not nearly as high as "Searching For Bobby Fischer". If you liked "Searching For Bobby Fischer" or are in the mood for a good thinking drama, you may want to watch it and reflect on the challenges of being so smart - you find it hard to live life average.

Book Review : The Gospel According to Jesus

I decided to take a break from movie reviews to review this classic book by John MacArthur : The Gospel According to Jesus. This book by the host of the "Grace To You" radio broadcast takes a hard look at the claims of Jesus to see if the modern Gospel message of today measures up to what Jesus really says about becoming a Christian.   Dr. MacArthur concludes that much of the gospel preached today doesn't give the full picture of what it means to follow Christ.   He believes that because the gospel is getting watered down today, many professing Christians fail to demonstrate any difference in their life after making a decision for Christ.  I believe he would then conclude that many professing Christians who fail to grow are really not Christians at all but are what I would term a "false convert" which is someone who just "talks the talk" but fails to truly follow the Word of God and "walk the walk".

The Controversy 

This book seems to have a lot of controversy surrounding it because some people believe that John MacArthur is adding pre-conditions and works to the salvation message and making the gospel be about more than all grace from God.  MacArthur believes that either "Jesus is Lord of all your life, or he is not Lord at all" (not sure if that is the exact quote).  He believes that you can't separate the role of Savior that Jesus is from His role as Lord of your life.  In other words: you can't have Jesus as your Savior if He is not also the Lord of your life.  Others disagree with this position,  believing that Jesus can become your Savior, but may not be Lord of your life until a later point in time.  MacArthur's opponents also would believe that accepting salvation is one distinct act in a believer's life,  but growing in surrendering all of their life to Christ is a continual process that may not happen at the same time as salvation.

Where do I fall?

To be honest, I'm still reading the alternate view to this book found in Charles Ryrie's book So Great Salvation : What it means to believe in Jesus Christ.  After I finish that book I will make a conclusion but I will state what I agree with John MacArthur on:

1. In a day and age when many profess to be Christians, there are going to be people who think they are Christians but really aren't.  Many people want the benefits of being a Christian,  but don't want to repent and turn to God.  I agree in these cases, that people should really question whether they are born-again and a true follower of Christ.

2. Throughout the Gospels, Jesus didn't always make it easy to follow Him.  The rich young ruler is a classic example of a guy who wanted to follow Jesus, but didn't want to follow Him in the area of finances.  Jesus didn't run after him - He told him what he needed to do, and then shared with His disciples how hard it was for rich men to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.  

3. As the book of James says : "Faith without works is dead".   It is very easy to claim to believe but a true faith and conversion will evidence in someone's life by truly working out in Christian fruit and good works. No one is saved by works,  but a true faith in Christ will have works that follow because of their faith not in place of their faith.  John MacArthur really makes the point that no one should expect to be saved if there is no evidence that would show they truly love God and have placed their faith in Him alone for salvation.  

What am I not positive on?  

Is Christian discipleship always part of conversion?   Discipleship usually accompanies salvation, but does it have to?  I'm still investigating this question,  but I agree with John MacArthur that salvation is by grace alone and obedience to Christ has to be present in a person's life.   Overall I think this was an excellent book about the dangers of easy-believism in today's modern world.  Watering down the Gospel of Jesus Christ is a dangerous error (potentially the most dangerous) and I believe Dr. MacArthur effectively shows the need to stay true to the Gospel according to Jesus Christ Himself.  I recommend this book as it deals with one of the most important topics for any person Christian or non-Christian.

A Different Type of Comedy : A Review of The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

Ben Stiller hasn't done a whole lot of movies recently (other than Zoolander 2), but he recently came

out with this movie The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.  This is kind of a different movie in the comedy department.  It doesn't revolve around sophomore humor (a definite plus in my book),  and I wouldn't call it intensely witty either.  Instead it revolves around an outlandish plot and awkward humor like you would witness in The Office TV show.   However, despite that set-apart trait, it does seem to work.  I recently found out this movie is a remake of a movie that came out with Danny Kaye with the same name.  I have not watched the older version,  so I can't contrast this one with that version.  Ben Stiller does play a convincing part, and the story works.  Here is what I liked about The Secret Life of Walter Mitty:

1. Funny story about a guy who wants to live another life.  Many people fantasize about another life with different circumstances.  This movie appears to play the "what if?" line out in Walter Mitty's own life as he nurses kind of an alter-ego to be someone unlike his normal day-to-day self.

2. A comedy that is funny but doesn't rely on dirty jokes to make it that way.  Too many comedies today have to add off-color humor and situations to make it a comedy.  The Secret Life of Walter Mitty doesn't do that.  It is still a very funny movie that doesn't cross the line into adult humor.  Since I've never seen the Danny Kaye version I don't know if that is the case in his version of the movie, but my guess is that Ben Stiller kept that part faithful to the original movie of the same name.

Here is what could have been better:

A. More witty humor lines, and less dependence on situational comedy scenes.  Ben Stiller has the ability to deliver a good line, so I wish there were more humorous lines and less dependence on funny scenes.  The funny scenes didn't distract from the story though,  I would have just preferred a wittier script for the comedy.  Maybe I'm expecting too much for what this movie tries to be though.

B. Less "crazy stupid" parts in the movie.  There is one scene in particular that I wonder if it went a little too far in the "crazy" direction (those who have seen this will know when I mention this scene also involves a Brad Pitt movie theme) - but I guess it is matter of taste.  When funny movies go too nutty they can either make you bust your gut laughing, or leave you scratching your head as to why that part even got approved to stay in the movie.    I guess I felt more of the latter on some parts of this movie.

Most of Ben Stiller's movie I have found to be funny.  This one is no exception.  I thought it was well acted, directed, and still a funny movie to enjoy with the whole family.  If you want to know what The Secret Life of Walter Mitty is really about,  I recommend checking this one out.

Terminator is back - do you care?

I am not against the Terminator movie series as a concept. In light of that fact, I rented Terminator : Genisys to see what new wiles Skynet was going to use to try to kill Sarah Conner.  The best part of this movie was seeing Arnold playing his trademark role as "The Terminator".  This Terminator movie takes some twists to keep things fresh.  First of all it adds in the element of time travel.  Time travel to any sci-fi movie allows the writers to basically reboot ANYTHING.  If time/history can be changed, new characters and plot lines can make a whole new story.  That is one of the main themes of Terminator : Genisys.   Arnold is back in an older version of the protector Terminator from T2: Judgement Day.  However due to his age and the time travel mechanism he travels back to the 1980s and Sarah Conner views him more as a father figure, and affectionately calls him "Pops".

No, that is not a typo.  

Arnold is now "Pops" Terminator and still trying to keep Sarah Conner from dying early.   John Conner is still in the movie a good bit, but the rest of the movie involves a time-traveling character who comes back for Sarah trying to keep her alive with "Pops" Terminator and trying to outwit the Skynet system which continually wants to send indestructible robots to end her life.   I like good science fiction as much as the next guy - but I also know that sometimes you just have to end the series on a high note.  The Terminator series is classic when it comes to science fiction.  However, without Arnold I'm not sure it has much chance of surviving for several more movies.  Yet producers seem to continue pumping money into this franchise in hopes of another movie that has all the timeless appeal of T2 : Judgement Day.   Unfortunately,  I feel that Terminator : Genisys fails for the following reasons:

1. Regenerating robots are cool for just so long.  I like to see good robots beat bad robots, and an exciting plot to help battle them out,  but after a while, seeing a robot regenerate again and again just gets ..... tiring.

2. Sarah Conner is still going to live - if you haven't figured that out by movie 5 in the series - I don't know what to say.

3. Arnold continues to shine in the role he was born for.  Don't get me wrong, Arnold is still great as "The Terminator", and his role in this movie made the movie work.  I just don't know how many more they can crank out in this series.  So point 3 isn't a failure point - just a point that the series may need to close eventually.

4. The plot not completely outlandish but not as easy to follow as prior movies either.   Time travel definitely adds some complexity,  but understanding what was really going on in Terminator : Genisys seemed to be a bit more of a challenge in this installment than in prior movies.

In light of these points, I give Terminator : Genisys a 3 star rating.  It wasn't a movie I will re-watch, nor do I think it added some serious plots/thoughts to the Terminator Series.   It was entertaining and the special effects weren't terrible,  but unless you are a die-hard Terminator fan,  I would recommend skipping this one.  Star Wars : Episode VII was better.

A Second Look at Steve Jobs

After watching the recent movie Steve Jobs, I decided to sit down and watch the first movie made about Steve Jobs simple called Jobs and starring Ashton Kutcher.   This movie seemed to take a very different (and less artistic) view of Steve's life and I felt gave us a broader view.  Steve Jobs focused more on Steve's difficult personality and his relationship with his girlfriend and daughter Lisa.  Jobs on the other hand focuses more on Steve's entire life (up to the launch of the iPod at least) with much less focus on his relationship to his daughter Lisa.  In Jobs, Josh Gad (the voice of Olaf in Frozen) plays Steve Wozniak and does a great job.  I thought the entire movie did a exceptional job in finding people that actually looked like the people they were playing.   Here is what I liked about Jobs compared to the movie I reviewed earlier Steve Jobs:

1. Did a great job showing more of the life of Steve Jobs and his relationship to the Apple Computer Company compared to the movie : Steve Jobs.  Granted, Steve was mainly associated with Apple Computer but I felt that Jobs did a better job showing us the big picture of the man Steve Jobs then the other movie did.

2. In many areas (at least as his family was concerned) seemed to be more accurate of the personal life of Steve Jobs.  This movie showed his rise and falls in the corporate world, and also seemed to be a bit more accurate about his family life (from my understanding).

3. Great acting in both movies.   I actually thought that the movie Jobs was not going to be as well acted as the other movie Steve Jobs.  I think they both had strong actors and acting roles and was pleasantly surprised how well the movie Jobs was acted and directed.  Ashton Kutcher surprised me, and I think really took seriously his role as Steve Jobs.

4. Josh Gad played Steve Wozniak well.   I know I stated that I really like Seth Rogen playing Steve Wozniak in the Steve Jobs movie, but I think Josh Gad may have looked more like Steve Wozniak in this movie.  I don't think the script gave him as strong of a role as in the Steve Jobs movie,  but I thought Josh Gad did a great job with the role he was given.   At the end of the movie true-life pictures are shown of the original people compared to the actors - and Josh Gad really does look a lot like Steve Wozniak.

What would have a liked to see that wasn't portrayed?

1. Coverage of his illness and maybe his work with Pixar. For some reason neither movie chose to cover either of these major parts of Steve's life.  It would have been fun to see how he started Pixar and worked with Disney,  but I guess there wasn't enough time.

2. Some inspirational quotes that motivate you to innovate in your life by Steve.  To be fair - there are some lines in the movie Jobs that are pretty inspirational as you see Steve becoming more well-known and strong in the Apple Computer Company, but I think it would have been very memorable to close the movie with several quotes from Steve's lectures/writings that would encourage others to get out and innovate.

All in all, I thought both movies were well-done for biographical movies and enjoyed viewing them. If you have any interest in the man Steve Jobs, you may want to watch Jobs along with reading a good biography about him.  He definitely left a lasting mark on the personal computer world as we know it today.  

Steve Jobs Review

No doubt about it: Steve Jobs was a fascinating individual and a brilliant business man in some ways.   He also had some personality traits that made him less than easy to get along with.  After Steve died a few years ago,  I went out and bought the biography about him by Walter Isaacson.  It was a fascinating read and gave me a better understanding of Steve's strength and weaknesses.  Later this movie came out, and I wanted to see how the 2nd movie about Steve portrayed him.  The first movie called Jobs starred Ashton Kutcher as Steve Jobs and I have yet to get around to watching that one.   This movie had some big names behind it as well, and looked like it could be a whole different perspective on Steve.

Here are my takeaways from the biographical movie Steve Jobs:

1. Great artistic look at the life of Steve Jobs.  Steve Jobs definitely appreciated art and his products (at least the ones that were designed while he was running Apple) have great attention to artistic look and feel for pieces of technology.

2. Don't expect all parts of this movie to be 100% accurate.  Having read the book and consulting with Chrystal who did some Internet research after watching this movie,  it didn't appear that the screenwriters were going for accuracy in all details.  In fact some parts of the movie are completely false and untrue about Steve's life. 

3. Great acting including a great supporting cast.  I really liked Seth Rogen as Steve Wozniak in this movie. I thought he did a really good job with the part and it was fascinating to hear some of the exchanges he had with Steve Jobs.  Kate Winslet also did a great job as Job's assistant and moral compass (at some points).

4. Great movie for showing how important family and friends are over business in a person's life.  If that is what the writers and directors were going for,  then I think they delivered that point well.

Steve Jobs wasn't a real people person.  He knew how to market but his mannerisms were hardly what you would call compassionate and caring at times.  I liked this movie for showing us an artistic look at his life (with some creative liberties) and making me realize the importance of people over products in anyone's life.  True friendships are worth more than any product line can provide.

The Money Pit Review

The Money Pit was on Netflix instant, and so since I know a little about how homes can run you a lot of money - decided to see what this one was all about.  I generally like Tom Hanks in much of his work, but this one just did not have me laughing that much.

This movie is about as funny as actually buying a money pit house (which isn't funny at all).   Hard to believe that Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks had their names on this movie.  The gags were over the top and kind of ridiculous.  The humor was mainly slapstick with very little witty dialog at all.   There were some funny scenes with collapsing housing, but after 2 or 3 scenes of collapsing structures, you start to look at your watch and wonder how long the writers can keep this up.   Also I didn't really feel that Shelley Long and Tom Hanks had that much chemistry on screen.  Granted it was a comedy,  but as a couple they didn't really have me convinced that they loved each other much at all.

Sadly I think this movie could have been better, but kind of failed in the screenwriting department.  The actors/actresses tried to make the material funny, but it just didn't come off as a winner in the romantic comedy (or even the comedy genre for that matter) department.

The good news:  Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks work together on much better projects in the future (Saving Private Ryan and Bridge of Spies come to mind).  This movie was a waste of my time, but thankfully some of the others movies that Mr. Spielberg and Mr. Hanks work on together do not get that same vote from me.   I would give this 1.5 stars out of 5.   Save your time and work on a real house project.  It may turn out to be more fun than viewing this movie.

Smashed Review

I rented this movie because it looked like an interesting portrait of alcoholism.  The movie centers around a young lady who hangs out with her husband and her relationship revolves around bar singing and drinking.  However, after several problems in her life - she decides to go to an AA meeting and see what life is like when she doesn't drink.  It turns out - she likes her life, but her husband doesn't enjoy the constant reminder of his drunken lifestyle which presents a turning point in her life:  does she stay married to an alcoholic, or does she walk away from her husband and alcohol all together?  I think this movie had great potential, but sadly I came away disappointed for the following reasons:

1. For a fictional story this movie centers on realism at the expense of redemption.  

Unfortunately unless you are presenting a true story I expect a better ending.  This movie didn't deliver in the ending department mainly because it focuses SO MUCH on realism that a redemptive ending is never in sight.

2.  It accurately shows the horrors of alcoholism without convincing you of the benefits of being sober and addiction free.  

Although this movie shows the main character triumphing over alcohol, the story line didn't seem to make me root for an AA group and the freedoms living free of drunkenness can bring to a life.  Yet that is what living sober can do.  Getting drunk is a sin, and it hurts those around you.  Yet this movie didn't portray the alternative in a good enough light in my opinion.

3. It showed some advantages of giving up alcohol but failed to show the joys of replacing it with a life-giving joy in knowing Jesus.

Being an alcoholic is hard.  The main character gives it up, but she doesn't really find a life-changing experience with Jesus to replace it.  Therefore, it presents her life as better, but not as good as it could be.  She doesn't find a new passion as she lives for Christ.  She doesn't really find anything worthwhile to replace her alcoholism.   Therefore this movie leaves you sad and kind of down.  In my opinion this could have been much better,  but the script wasn't very funny or redemptive.    The acting was well done - but unless you adequately show the joys of living free and serving God Almighty,  it fails to deliver a sobering alternative to drunkenness.

4. Great acting but offensive language.   

I know the writers were probably going for realism but this movie had a LOT of offensive language.  It has been even categorized as a comedy movie, yet I hardly laughed.  It wasn't as funny as it was accurate and real.  For this reason and the three reasons listed above,  I give this movie only 2.5 stars out of 5.  There are better movies out there than this one, although I think the actors/actresses made a noble effort.

6 Books That Can Change Your Life

Reading is very powerful.  I titled this post 6 Books That Can Change Your Life but in all honesty any books that contain truth and are applied to your life can do that very thing.    I also want to note the following book CAN change your life but they won't if you don't put the principles in them into practice.  I love to read but applying what I read is an ongoing challenge in my life.  I also would like to state up front, that some of these books I have not read cover-to-cover, but just used parts of them to implement change in my life.  Here are the 6 titles and why I think they they made this list:

1.  The Bible by God

I have to start with this one.  If you've never picked up a Bible and read it, you really should give it a try.  This book has wisdom from the Creator on all subjects of life : marriage, eating, making wise choices, money, sex, parenting, and how to live life every day.   It is all contained in this Book of Books.   You can glean wisdom on all these topics from The Bible, but you won't get the most out of this unless you get to know the Author : The Lord Jesus Christ.   If this list contained only one book,  I would have to leave this one book on it.    Still a bestseller to this day and a major life-changer!

2. The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey

Money and managing money is a pretty big topic in anyone's life.  When your finances and debt is out of control, you can feel overwhelmed and not know how to change things for the better.  However, on the flip side when you are managing your money in an optimal way it frees you up to do the will of God and accomplish your goals and dreams in life.  Dave Ramsey has put together a classic book that will help anyone start managing their money better, get out of huge amounts of debt, and start finding financial freedom so that they can accomplish all they wish to.  I haven't read this book cover to cover, but I have read parts and have gone through his DVD course Financial Peace University with my wife, and I find most if not all of his principles very sound and helpful for gaining wisdom in day-to-day money management.    Financial freedom is something we all want, so if you feel that is an area in need of growth in your own life,  you may want to consider reading and applying The Total Money Makeover.

3. The Hour that Changes the World by Dick Eastman

Prayer is a key in any Christian's life and has the ability to change just about anything going on in your life if you are a born-again Christian and follow the Biblical guidelines for doing it.   In this book, Dick Eastman does a stellar job outlining the many aspects of prayer and showing any Christian a method that allows you to pray for one hour a day.  The beauty of prayer is that when done from the proper motives and heart, it not only can change circumstances, it can change yourself.  I have read quite a few books on prayer in my lifetime,  but this one stands out as one of the best ones I have read.  It is practical, wise, and contains some great material on how to maximize your time in prayer every day.  Praying effectively (which is Biblically) can definitely change your life. This book along with #1 above, can help you to do that.

4.  The Runner's Handbook by Bob Glover and Jack Shepherd

This is a classic book in the field of running.  Establishing a habit of running can help you get fit, lose weight and stay healthy.  I love running so I wanted to put a classic book on the list that would establish this habit of exercise in someone's life.  I used to own this book and found it helpful to refer to as a reference.  This is one I haven't read from cover to cover, but it was good to have to stir the motivation and passion to run back up inside. Running can be invigorating and can really change your health and fitness levels for the better - so I'm placing this one as #4 on the list.  I realize running isn't for everyone, but if you are medically able (and find it fun to run), give running a try for several weeks and see if you see positive change in your overall health.  

Last Two are Biographical True Stories

True stories can be very powerful. While they may not be how-to books, they give you examples to try in your own life.   These next books are two that I found very motivational and powerful to read.

5. God's Smuggler by Brother Andrew

This is the amazing true story of Brother Andrew and how he established a ministry of helping the persecuted church throughout the world.  If you think that being a Christian and following God's calling is boring, you should really pick up a copy of this book - Brother Andrew's life is nothing of the sort. What I liked about this book was how real Brother Andrew's relationship with Christ was shown and the miracles that happened in his life as he just following the Holy Spirit's leading.  This book also gave me a fresh look into the persecuted church in the world, and made me more grateful for the religious freedoms I enjoy in my country.   Definitely a powerful biography that makes you realize God is still doing miracles in His children's life.

 6. No Compromise : The Life Story of Keith Green by Melody Green and David Hazard

Keith Green died when I was little - but I know he had a powerful Christian music ministry up until his early death at the age of 28 years old.  This story is a well-written biography by his wife about how Jesus got a hold of this man and made him a burning testimony of God's love to a multitude of people.  This biography is so good, it almost reads like a novel.  The miracles and amazing stories of God's moving are all over this book.   It makes you realize that no life - no matter how short - is beyond the reach of God's saving power! Keith Green was an amazing musician and an on-fire Christian and reading his life story challenged me in my own walk with God.   This is another book to consider reading if you think that following Jesus means just attending church and living a boring life.  It clearly demonstrates through the true story of Keith Green, that following Jesus is an amazing adventure that will change your life.   Far from boring, this is one of the best biographies I have read.

How about you?  Any books you think should be on this list? Leave them in the comments.

Jack Ryan : Shadow Recruit Review

Just finished watching the newest Tom Clancy movie : Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit.   I have seen several Jack Ryan movies and my favorite up to this point was Clear and Present Danger with Harrison Ford as Jack Ryan. This movie casts Chris Pine as the new Jack Ryan and I thought he carried the role very well for his first Tom Clancy movie.  The movie also features Kevin Costner as the senior agent working with Mr. Ryan,  and Keira Knightley as Jack's love interest.

Here is my summation of this movie from my perspective:

1. Great plot with interesting twists.  This movie was interesting and kept you guessing but didn't leave you lost in the details.
2. Interesting spin with Jack's love interest.  I haven't seen Patriot Games, but most of the movies with Jack Ryan I have seen have had zero romance.  Keira Knightley's part added a whole new perspective to the Jack Ryan against the bad guys story.  She had a strong role and played it well.  It didn't seem like the script just added her in to the story.  Her role helped develop the characters and made the story better in my opinion.
3. Kevin Costner keeps getting better with age.   I haven't always enjoyed movies with Kevin.  I didn't like his movie Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves that much, but that wasn't entirely his fault.  His movie role in this one was very likable and added a lot to the overall story.  He added the experience and guiding hand that the young Jack Ryan needed.  Plus he was a fun character to root for.

Now for some of things I didn't like overall:

1. Solving the major crime in 5 minutes of movie time.  I don't want to ruin the movie with spoilers but there are parts where it just comes together too quickly.  I'm all for having the good guys win but at some point you have to question how quickly they can get to the bottom of an elaborate evil plot.
2. Unnecessary Profanity - I haven't read any of Tom Clancy's books, so maybe this is accurate to his writing, but I wasn't glad to hear the profanity that constantly was used by the characters when things got rough.  I think movies could be more creative and cut down on using God's name in vain when things get tense.

Compared to other Tom Clancy movies : how does Jack Ryan :Shadow Recruit come out? My opinion is this is the second best Tom Clancy movie I have seen.  I've seen The Hunt for Red October and Clear and Present Danger.   Clear and Present Danger is still my favorite for edge-of-your-seat adventure and for a tense thriller.   I felt Jack Ryan : Shadow Recruit wasn't as tense, but it was still a good movie and I didn't feel I wasted time viewing it.  The acting is solid, the story well put-together, and overall its a fun ride.   If you like adventure/thriller movies or enjoy Tom Clancy movies, you will probably enjoy this one very much.  4 out of 5 stars in my vote.

Concussion Review

Will Smith has taken on a very thought-provoking role in the movie I just watched : Concussion.   I must admit I was a little surprised to see his role in this movie.  I had envisioned Will Smith would be one of the football players who ends up injured by concussions in the NFL.   That turned out to be quite different than how the story goes.  Instead, Will Smith plays a doctor named Dr. Bennet Omalu who has a passion for investigating why people die.  As a forensic scientist he has to examine dead bodies and many times has to testify to cause of death.  Things get interesting when certain NFL legends in the town of Pittsburgh, PA end up going crazy and having strange deaths that are not in line with their overall health.  Dr. Omalu does some research on his own and finds some serious causes to the death.  The problems start when he tries to share his discoveries.

Let me be clear:  This movies is not a great feel-good story.  It is based on a true story which makes it very interesting.  The observations and discoveries of Dr. Omalu also give you a whole new perspective on the NFL and even watching NFL games.   It makes you think twice.  It makes you realize that NFL players are jeopardizing their health and mental well-being by being successful in the sport.  In the end, it makes a very strong statement about America's love for football.  It just may not be the statement you were hoping for.

Will Smith does a great job in his role and I think he plays his part very convincingly.   Although I wouldn't want to re-watch this movie,  I did feel it made fascinating observations about football and the NFL and it made you think about this sport in a new perspective.   For that it gets bonus points in my book since it doesn't leave hot topics untouched.   I give this movie a solid 4 stars out of 5.   Although I'm not sure I'm going to enjoy the Superbowl quite as much after watching this movie.

Her View: Creed

As you can tell from Paul's review of Creed, he is now thinking he would like to own this movie. Doesn't he know I'm trying to KonMari our home? I'm pretty sure that will be a life long process, but contemplating owning a movie in a Netflix-instant-streaming-media life seems like a serious commitment. I looked at the cover and read the description with subtle disappointment. Did this look like something I'd want to spend my precious Saturday night watching? Has anyone noticed our queue has not had one romance yet? I remembered watching Rocky on TV all the time and cringing at the end with how disfigured he is in the final match.  So, as I'm hurriedly wiping off our kitchen table, I start to listen in on the movie and start to find it really interesting. I sat down to watch for a few minutes. Then I got up when it looked like it was going to be violent and did a few more house chores. When I came back it was more interesting dialog, so I sat down and was drawn into the story and had to see it to the end. Here are the main aspects that drew me into this film:

Competitive Sports:
The sport of boxing has always seemed brute and weird to me, but as I watched this film they did an excellent job showing the competition, training, and skills involved in preparing a fighter for the ring. As I watched this film, I was remembering all the coaches I've met in gymnastics in my youth. And sometimes when you're not familiar with a sport and all its rules; the sport seems really odd. For example, I loved the feeling of my bare feet on a chalky beam in gymnastics. It felt great, but I sometimes watch the gymnasts now and marvel that they are doing death-defying stunts on a 4 inch piece of wood covered in suede! In the ballet documentary, First Position, I learned a competition tutu can cost, on average, $1500.

In boxing, it showed training for this level requires having a team working with you on different aspects of the sport. It's not as simple as a punch jab done. There are a lot of skills involved. I was surprised how well Rocky's character was a coach/mentor and pushed him where he needed it, but did so with encouragement and built his confidence! One interesting aspect was that although the young fighter had fight experience, he was a rookie in many ways. He needed to learn the lingo of how the sport worked in the professional level; especially negotiating deals. He was very green when it even came to "warming up" without your coach. It would be like a no-name gymnast coming into competitions at the Elite level and having the tenacity and skill to make up for lost time.

Father Figure: 
The main character is lacking a Father figure (his Father died before he was born). According to the National Center for Fathering: "20 million children live in a home without a Father physically present."  It was interesting to see him bond with his coach/mentor as a Father figure. Rocky is  having some struggles with aging and this young energetic fighter comes along and as one of his colleagues says gets him to, "come out of the shadows." To his surprise, Rocky, starts to enjoy passing on his wisdom to this particular young man and it gives him more purpose and vigor to tackle his daily struggles. This made Paul and I both pause and reflect on how important it is to stay involved with young people. It's an enriching opportunity to invest your time into the next generation.

Overall, I wasn't happy I stayed up so late to finish the film, but I gave this film 5 out of 5 stars and if you have a proper mindset I think it can be a date night movie as there is a little bit of a romance. It gave us a lot of conversation to talk about afterwards and it is a very redemptive uplifting story.

Creed Review

Chrystal and I sat down and watched this movie last night and were blown away.   I don't want to over-hype this movie,  but after 6 prior Rocky movies I wasn't sure what to expect.   I've enjoyed following "The Italian Stallion" throughout the movies, but by the 6th one I was beginning to feel his career had a good run.  Then they release the movie "Creed" (7th movie featuring Rocky Balboa) which has Sylvester Stallone taking the coach role that Mickey was to him in earlier movies to help train up Apollo Creed's son into serious boxing.  Sounded like it had potential so last night I saw if it was worth the watch and it didn't disappoint at all.  Michael B. Jordan was perfectly cast and delivered a wonderful performance as the troubled youth who is trying to prove himself apart from Apollo Creed's name even though he is his son.   Sly Stallone returns for one of the best movies in his career in my opinion.  He certainly proves he is not just an action star, he has amazing talent as an actor with a lot of range.   Here is what we liked about Creed.

1.  Great performances all around.  Like mentioned before the entire cast turned in a wonderful effort to make such a powerful movie.

2. Great references to the prior movie, without making you feel like you've seen this all before.  I enjoyed the earlier Rocky movies and this one doesn't ignore them.  However, I never felt like I was seeing another Rocky movie that had been repackaged.

3.  Excellent character driven script that draws you in to care about the characters.  Movies that do this seem to be getting more and more rare.  It was refreshing to see that some movies can really pull you in and make you care about the people in the story.

4.  Encouraging ending to a great story - not going to give away the ending but it was very appropriate and encouraging.  I almost wanted to re-watch the movie again it was that satisfying.

Very few movies that are number 7 in the series get this high of a review in my vote.  Furious 7 was great,  but not as good.  Star Wars VII was very good but still not as well put-together as Creed in my opinion.   I heard Sylvester Stallone almost won an Oscar for his performance in Creed.  After watching it,  I can definitely see why.  His chemistry with the other characters was exceptional.   This is actually a reboot movie that comes across almost as good as the original that came out in the 70s.  Why can't Hollywood produce more movies like this one?  I was amazed how so many other movies seem weak and shallow compared to the substance of Creed.  It wasn't a perfect movie,  but I would say it was my favorite movie of 2015 that I have seen.   Two thumbs up and 5 stars out of 5 for Creed.    I hope many movies learn from this one.