A Romance That Leaves You Wanting More : A Review of The Age of Adaline

My wife and I sat down to watch The Age of Adaline and I thought it started out very strong.  It had

excellent acting, an interesting story,  and a romantic plot.   My wife was hooked.  The story is about Adaline who through some freak accident never ages past the age of 29.  It was well told and really drew you into the story - that is -  until the last 30 minutes.  First of all I will say that Blake Lively did a wonderful job in the role she played.  She really helped the viewer be invested in the character and that is no easy feat in the modern world of movies.  However, unfortunately the plot of the movie didn't stay as strong as the acting talent involved. It was produced and acted very well, but the story seemed to fall short.  I won't be-labor the point,  but here are some issues I had with The Age of Adaline:

1. A Better Written Ending - just when I was emotionally invested in the characters,  the ending was taped on with very little thought of closure for the viewer.   It left me feeling like it didn't give the writers enough time to close up the story in a satisfactory way.   When viewers spend over 60 minutes watching a story like that,  you want something more.

That's it.  I just want some decent script writing.  The Age of Adaline drew me in.  I wanted to root for Adaline, but the way it tied it all up - I was disappointed.  I like romantic movies, and I was hoping this one would be another highly rated one - but unfortunately it failed in the writing department.  The script ends with a small indicator of change.   It didn't show me enough closure with everything else going on.  The viewers deserve more than that.  Hopefully Hollywood will take note.

An Exceptional War Movie : Review of Hacksaw Ridge

Let me start this review saying I have seen a lot of war movies.  I do mean A LOT.   My brothers and dad had me growing up viewing many war movies - some good - some not-so-good.  I was a bit hesitant starting this movie just because I didn't want to witness another gore-fest with no heart.   However,  this movie proved to be the opposite.  It surprised me in many ways and many positive ways.  It was edifying, encouraging and it was true.  These all made it stand apart from the average war movie.  The other beauty of this movie was that it showed the Christian faith can be a source of strength regardless of whether the Christian carries a weapon.  That was a powerful statement for any movie to make.

The story is of Desmond Doss a conscientious objector who entered WW2 and declined to carry a weapon but served the US Army by being a medic.  He was persecuted by his own fellow army guys.  He was ridiculed and beat by men on his side.  Yet he stayed true to his convictions and not only that - he eventually earned the respect of his fellow army guys, he demonstrated Matthew 5:5 in a way that is hard to deny.   Jesus said "Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth." in that verse - and Desmond Doss showed how that worked in real life.  Many people think "meekness" and "weakness" are synonyms.   They aren't.   Meekness is controlled strength and it takes more self-control to exercise meekness than anger.   Desmond Doss showed meekness is an amazing way in this movie.   It inspired me to stand by my convictions and not give up when God calls you to a mission.  Kudos to Mel Gibson for showing this with high production values.  If you are curious in how that looked, watch the movie.  I doubt you will be disappointed.

The Heroine Quitter: A Review of Bad Moms

Well, Paul added to our repertoire of movies by purchasing a Ruku. I am not the most technical side of this relationship. So, all I know is he went to Best Buy, came home and did some finagling and in Emeril fashion "BAM!" we have a one month trial period of all these popular recent movies. Our Netflix que is looking quite sparse lately. The Netflix selection is bland. I mean gluten free bread type bland. Yet, with many choices comes the need for discernment. Sadly, one night while searching for a flick that did not have animated characters and singing in it, I settled on Bad Mom's. (Spoiler alert: I blatantly reveal the movie ending). 

This flick was released around the same time that Mom's Night Out was out in theaters. I remember enjoying a trip with some MOPS (Mother's of Preschoolers) friends to see that flick, but I was curious about the other "Mom" movie from a non conservative point of view. I grew up in the 80's where I truly felt that Christina Applegate was my long lost big sister. In fact, when my real life Sister last visited we watched Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead for the 100th time. 

The beginning of this movie starts out with f-bombs every other word. I do tend to guard what I view and take-in from a media stand point quite a bit, so this was frankly a little shocking to me coming from a cast of women. It was really unexpected. Do women talk like salty Navy sailors in real life? The cast of women is quite impressive as far as talent is concerned too. The cast is filled with strong female leads: Mila Kumis, Kristin Bell, and Kathryn Hahn. All of these women have been perfecting their acting chops from a young age. They have experience on screen to blend their strengths with great comedic timing.

I really enjoyed the PTA meeting where Christina Applegate is discussing what foods are allowed to be brought into the school bake sale. Every Mom can relate to his ordeal of "appropriate" food with the list of allergies and concerns growing every year. Yet, we also have a stereotypical portrayal of stay-at-home Mom's as nosy busybodies or slaves to housework. What lies! Anyone can tell you, it is a choice between a husband and wife to have one person stay home and live on one income to raise your own children. It comes with sacrifice and difficult choices for your family. 

Yet, when I got to the midpoint of this movie I realized that I would label Bad Moms a "bleak comedy." See, black comedy would indicate someone dies. So, what do you call it when marriages die and it's applauded all through out the movie? I will call it bleak. This movie delves into joining the rest of Hollywood in the blatant attack on traditional values, conservatism, marriage, and men. Who is writing this garbage? Oh, it is Scott Moore and Jon Lucus (most known for The Hangover and other raunchy films which I haven't seen). Several times we hear Amy Mitchell (Mila Kumis) say she is going to do everything she can for her two kids as she contemplates her marital woes. 

Yet, this main heroine is totally befuddled with how she got to this point in her relationship with her husband!? She is, of course, just an innocent victim in her life. She hasn't dated her husband in the last several years. In fact, she can't even remember when they last had intimacy. She disrespects him and treats her husband like a child. There is no fight for her marriage. There is really no commitment on her part except to the children. She forgot that marriage has to be her first priority. As Dr. Laura says, "You have to be your husband's girlfriend first."

So, the film portrays there is only one option for a dysfunctional marriage and here come the Hollywood smoke and mirrors solution: being a single Mom is great!  How insulting. Yes, oh yes, there is the freedom I've been looking for! This marriage is too hard. Quit. This parenting gig is too hard. Quit. The heroine is a quitter. Why am I so surprised at this movie as it is a secular point of view? I don't know. I'm just hoping that if some of these third-wave feminist ideas have seeped into my worldview; I want to be aware of it and place my feet on a solid path of biblical based common sense!

If you are struggling in your marriage (and all marriages go through seasons) the answers you are looking for are in the Bible. Start looking for older women with strong marriages that you trust for counseling suggestions. If you find a counselor find out first if they hold marriage as a sacred covenant. Get help! God loves marriage. He created it and He will see you through. A great movie on this is, War Room. This movie is so good at illustrating the POWER of prayer through life that it will even make you want to clean out your precious closet space for a quiet prayer closet! If that is not your current season; lets use our energies to encourage our husband today and our single Mom friends. 

I give this a generous .5 out of 5 stars. 

Resources: 
Radical Womanhood by Carolyn McCulley 
Bible Verses about Training your Children
War Room