Footloose Review

Ahh, Footloose. Most people are familiar with this one. The story of a rebel (Kevin Bacon) that turns a whole town upside down with his dancing. Chrystal loves this movie and has seen it countless times, so I finally decided to watch it and write a review about what I thought. First of all, the soundtrack of this movie is very well selected and really does get you in a toe-tapping mood. The acting is well done and involves a pastor who believes that dancing always accompanies sinning against God. He pretty much teaches against all dancing, smoking, and drinking even though he (the pastor) has no relationship with his rebellious daughter who sneaks around doing the very things he preaches against. Kevin Bacon arrives on the scene as the city boy who is out of place in a conservative country town. He smokes, drinks, and most importantly - he dances and believes that these things shouldn't be banned in the sleepy little town. Of course he comes against some resistance from the town board (including the pastor) but impressively uses some Scriptures to justify that there is a time for dancing (check out Ecclesiastes 3:4 if you don't believe me). The choreography in this movie is superb and the moral is a good one too - Don't have standards just for the sake of having them if you have no Scripture to back them up. In this case, the pastor was dogmatic about no dancing, yet he was ignoring the fact that his daughter desperately wanted to grow closer to him and he made no effort to allow that to happen. The pastor reminded me of the pharisees that Jesus talked about in Matthew 23:23 when He said

"You [the pharisees] give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cummin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former."

The moral of this movie is a good one. Rules without relationship = rebellion. If you are going to have high standards (which can be a good thing), make sure these come from a heart relationship with Jesus Christ, otherwise you'll be out of balance.

The Last Castle Review

This movie stars Robert Redford as a prison inmate who used to be a military general. Basically, in a nutshell, Robert Redford is sent to a type of military prison for doing something wrong. He used to be a three star general but has to go back to being "just one of the guys" as a prison inmate where saluting is illegal. In this movie the prison warden isn't a real pleasant guy to deal with but isn't insanely cruel either. I started to compare this movie to The Shawshank Redemption due to the plot involving a cruel prison warden and a group of prisoners who want to change things. However, this movie I would say was a lot tamer compared to Shawshank. The warden like I mentioned seems very strict, but he isn't all about being the personification of evil (like Shawshank), and from what I could gather seems to treat the men fairly decently. Robert Redford enters the prison and begins to really change the way the men are acting by looking for the best in them rather than the worst (as the warden tended to do). Redford taught the men self-respect and gives them a purpose in life which improves morale and helps them to work together toward a goal. Overall they grow to respect Redford and see him as the emerging leader in their prison. The movie was enjoyable to watch, but does tend toward humanistic ideas. The warden is cast as being cruel for viewing the evil capabilities of the inmates, whereas Redford is a hero for seeing good in each inmate. I agree that we shouldn't always be looking for evil in people, but neither should we ignore it. Sin is a fact and it exists in everyone. To ignore the sin problem in our lives doesn't help people. We need to face sin for what it is - rebellion against God - and then trust Christ to save us and give us a new nature that can transform our attitudes and behavior. Although on the other hand, there is a balance with helping people to see their potential and encourage them for their praiseworth qualities. I just don't think that difference was made very clear in this movie. Recommended for great acting and an interesting look at leadership in a military prison.

Family Ties Season 2 Review

Well the second season was released and I eagerly added season 2 of Family Ties to the queue. In this season it is becoming apparent that the writers were centering more and more of the episodes on the talent of Michael J. Fox, and although the other cast members never had as major of a role as he did, the show definitely seems to change. We get to see Skippy in this episode, although I sadly found out that Nick doesn't show up until season 4 - so we have a little more of a wait until we see the lovable Nick show up. Also Steven Keaton (the dad) has grown a beard with no explanation as to "why?". Alex also seems to be yearning for adulthood and struggling to relate to his mom in an honorable way in one of the episodes. Although I can't endorse every episode in this season, the show still has a lot more going for it than many sitcoms today. As I was watching some of the episodes I came up with a list for what makes a good sitcom:

1. Likeable Cast - probably one of the most important ingredients to a good sitcom. If people don't like the characters, they probably won't watch the show.

2. Relatable Situations - I can't speak for everyone, but the more I can relate to the situations and dialog, the more likely I will keep watching the show.

3. Well written punch lines and humor (script in general). Unfortunately, many shows seem to skip this ingredient lately, and put the cheesiest lines into the script with the hope that canned laughter will make the line funnier. Sorry, that only works so far. A good show will be funny without canned laughter in my opinion - simply because the actors are so good at delivering the lines. However, please note I am not saying that canned laughter is no help at all.

Well that about sums it up for ingredients to a good sitcom. I recommend renting "Family Ties" when you want a taste of the 80s that is still funny today.

Spiderwoman

And now for something completely different....

Lately we have been having some spider issues.... and usually that isn't a big deal - unless you are faced with a spider spinning a web on your front porch with markings like the one on the left... a black widow. Yes, I'm not joking we have to draw the line somewhere, and I was quite disturbed to find we had a black widow on our front porch guarding an EGG SACK! Great - just what I need ... hundreds of baby black widows all around the foundation of our townhome. Well after finding this spider and doing some research... I found that Black Widow Spiders carry venom that is approximately 15 TIMES that of a rattlesnake. Fortunately they don't inject that much when they bite, but their bite is still enough to kill small children if not treated properly. Also enough to call 1- 800-KILL -SPIDERS FOR -ME -PLEASE! Well every story has a hero, and now for the hero of our story ... Spiderwoman - or otherwise known as my wife Chrystal (on the right). Chrystal was brave enough to stick the black widow and her egg sack into a plastic bag and then step on it and trash it - all this while I was at work. After this we called an exterminator who sprayed our foundation to ensure we won't see another one of these shiny black spiders anywhere near our place for a while. THE END. (True story).

American Sweethearts Review

This movie looks very promising, but unfortunately the keyword is "looks". It has the stars John Cusack, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Billy Chrystal, and Julia Roberts. With all that star-power Chrystal and I were expecting a romantic comedy that was funny and well-acted - however, we were wrong. The script in this movie is horrid with a capital "H". The jokes are lame, the characters are not very likeable in any sense, and as each minute goes by, you begin to ask yourself - will it get any better? Basically the plot is that John Cusack's character is married to Catherine Zeta-Jones (in the real story - as well as playing sweethearts as actor and actress in a hit show they had going). However over the years they drift apart and practically hate each other. Billy Chrystal plays a movie director in this movie that is all about publicity and making sure he can bring the two stars back into a movie even though their chemistry together is about as bad as it could get. Not much to commend in this movie I'm afraid. Chrystal and I turned it off half way into it - it was THAT bad. Not content-wise, just script-wise. Save yourself 100 minutes and skip it. Another proof that it takes talented writing and directing, not just great acting to make a good movie. How the West Was Won was another movie with an all-star cast that just seemed to fall flat. No matter how much acting talent you pack into a movie, it doesn't guaranteed a great final product. Rent this movie if you doubt it.

Monster-in-law Review

Chrystal picked this one up at the movie rental store after being pretty tired of my Terminator movies and other wonderful action flicks. So I decided to watch it with her and see what it was all about. OH MY GOODNESS! This movie is terrible! Please skip it. The acting is fair-to-poor, and Jane Fonda is the mother-in-law in this movie who doesn't want Jennifer Lopez to marry her son. It has potential to be very funny, but it just kind of misses the mark, and makes you wonder why you just spent 1.5 hours in watching this bizarre, not-funny movie try to be hilarious and touching. Sometimes Chrystal really gets good movies (like Serendipity) but this one was a definite miss (and I think we both agree on that one). Please people, save your money and DO NOT RENT IT. Some people find Wanda Sykes hilarious with her sassy mannerisms - but I don't. Jenny Lopez should stick with singing in my opinion. Two thumbs down on this one I'm afraid.

Pleasantville Review

Chrystal and I caught this on TV the other night, and since I had never watched the whole thing enough to make sense of, I decided to see what it all was about. Very thought-provoking movie about two teens (Spiderman and Legally Blond girl) who end up going into an old TV show that resembles Leave it to Beaver quite a bit. Everything in the TV show that they enter is near perfect, the husband always comes home on time, the high school students are all "pleasant" toward one another, and nothing is dysfunctional or out-of-the-ordinary. Hence, the name "Pleasantville". As the young man and young lady go there, they obviously bring some of their culture and times with them and introduce the town to many things. Reese Witherspoon's character is pretty promiscuous so she definitely teaches the town about many ways of the world (including human reproduction which was an undiscovered fact of life in Pleasantville - R-I-G-H-T!). Spidey's character knows all about the TV show so that helps him understand the strange new world he has found himself in, and he also tries to convince his sister (Reese Witherspoon) to not corrupt the townspeople. Overall this story becomes an intriguing look at human behavior toward strange happenings and differences in others. Some people become bigots and other people want to blend in and go with the crowd. Overall, most of the characters realize that change is here to stay and that they either have to adapt to it, or live in denial of the facts of life. Although I can't endorse everything this movie contains (quite a bit of sexual content for a movie that is almost 50% in black and white), it was an interesting look at people's response to a world where unexpected circumstances happen and sinful actions ruin the co-existence of others. Not many people enjoy constant changes in their lifestyle, surroundings, and values but thank God we all have the opportunity to know a Savior who never changes in His love toward us :

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. - Hebrews 13:8 NKJV

Dirty Harry Review

A classic Clint Eastwood film that I had not seen until tonight. Harry is a normal cop in San Francisco except that he doesn't always play by the rules. He tends to shoot first and ask questions later, but he does help justice to be done so the police force continues to work with him. In this movie (one of several they made) he is tracking down a psycho killer who is killing at random and is pretty disturbed (to say the least). Although Harry isn't a very friendly guy, he does help out people and has a gruff manner that seems to help things get resolved. He was able to talk a suicide jumper out of jumping by making him so mad he wanted to punch him rather than jump. Part of me can understand why this movie became so popular. A macho guy who doesn't always like things the legal way so he goes his own way. Maybe he isn't the nicest guy, but he helps justice to get done, right? Well, not quite - as a movie it is entertaining to watch a guy like this bring the bad guy to justice, but his attitude is very proud and self-assured and those traits are made to look admirable in a movie like this. Not only that, Dirty Harry's way of being merciless and torturing the bad guy until he gets what he wants may work when Harry is right, but that is assuming Dirty Harry is never wrong - a very dangerous assumption to make. Maybe I am over-analyzing this movie, but throughout the movie the character Dirty Harry decides that playing by the rules in law enforcement doesn't pay off. Those that do in this movie, end up allowing a murderer walk free due to all the laws that protect the rights of the suspect. Those are laws that are in place to protect the innocent, yet this powerful movie almost seems to imply they just help the criminal to go free. More importantly, movies like this show that when no one else will help, you should do things your way. Hmmm. Sounds like rebellion and leads to vengence, and many times murder. I was glad that Dirty Harry doesn't shoot unless usually in self-defense, but due to the overall messages and some inappropriate scenes I can not recommend this movie. This movie made me think about a verse found in Proverbs 14:12

"There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death."

Serendipity - Does it Exist?

This movie was great! First of all - for those of you who haven't seen Serendipity it is defined as the cause of all events in the world. Christians would term it the sovereignty of God making things happen for a purpose. This movie is based completely around the theme that all things really do happen for a purpose. Although this movie is a romantic comedy, it deals with some really deep issues about human free will and serendipity (or the sovereignty of God if you will). That's what made this movie so appealing for me (Paul). It wasn't some stupid run-of-the-mill romantic comedy. It addresses many different philosophies and ideas about what part "human will" plays into the course of our lives and what part God allows things to sovereignly happen to us for His greater purposes. In this sense it is similar to Stranger than Fiction in the depth of issues covered, yet the similarity probably ends there. Since some commenter's think my comparisons of movies are not accurate (i.e. Road House and Walking Tall) I will refrain from drawing too many parallels between this movie and Stranger than Fiction. However, I am a firm believer that things happen for a reason and that I'm not a subject of random chance. For me that really adds hope to my life and increases my trust in God to know that whatever happens to me is allowed by Someone with a special purpose for my life. One scripture of many that I base this belief on is found in Romans 8:28 (New Living Translation)

And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.

For me that is pretty clear teaching that all things happen for the purposes of God to those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. All that being said, I don't believe 100% in what this movie teaches. The characters begin to almost go crazy trying to interpret random events as "signs" that will inform them of something (in this case - who they should fall in love with). Granted, it is a movie, but this is just plain unhealthy trust in circumstances, rather than trust in the God who allowed the circumstances to happen. I don't believe anyone should allow circumstances to be the sole basis of our human choices (as this movie seems to imply). I won't reveal too much more of this movie, but I found the acting top-notch, the premise - very interesting and well presented, and the overall value of the movie high. Two thumbs up.

Chrystal's Review: Serendipity - ONE TRUE LOVE

I haven't written my own review in a while and since the website is Paul and Chrystal, I thought this movie deserved my two cents. This was my rental pick. As a believer in Jesus Christ, I like that it talks about the idea that random things happen for a reason. I'm going to give a lot away about the plot - so don't read this if you still want to watch it.

We start out meeting both of the main characters a few days before Christmas trying to buy a present for their significant other. They do not go into much detail about the other relationships, but we learn that they are not in love with their girlfriend/boyfriend. Have you ever been in a dating relationship where you know the person is great, but not right for you, but in an effort to be "nice" you do not say anything and hope for the best? This is where they are in their dating relationships. As a result, they wait right before the Holiday to pick out a generic gift. That is when they bump into another person that they feel more connected to and they have the most magical night getting to know this person!

Fast forward a few years, and they get engaged to the other people in their lives. Anyhow, during engagement, they both start to think about this other person and want to meet up with them one last time just to see what would happen. In a romantic gesture, John Cusack, pursues his mystery girl going to extreme lengths to track her down. The mystery girl also decides to track down the mystery guy. Through this process of searching, John Cusack he discovers that while his fiance is a great package (attractive, intelligent), he does not feel his true self around her. He's not truly committed enough to really go forward with the wedding. He calls off the wedding not knowing what will happen, but knowing that he needs to come clean and not marry someone thinking all along that they are 2ND best. Also, his best friend, who is currently separated realizes from watching him go to crazy lengths to track this woman down, that he needs to pursue his wife more - that they got lazy in having fun and getting to know one another. So, we see his friend with a huge bouquet of flowers and a dopey smile running off to pursue his wife.

This movie is such a great picture of how marriage is meant to be - an ongoing pursue to get to know the ONE person God planned for you to be with for life. It is a reminder to take your dating life seriously and not allowing yourself to drift into engagement without discernment!! We should be in awe at how we supernaturally met our spouses in this big universe! The Bible says marriage is a covenant between you, your spouse, and Him. He designed your spouse to fit you perfectly. It takes a lot of work, time, and money to sacrificially invest in another person. It also requires working at honest communication and not just being "nice" all the time - you have to be transparent (real). Your spouse may not be perfect, but the ONE God has for you is a true and perfect gift from Him.

"Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow." James 1:17 (NASB)

Walking Tall Review

I didn't rent this movie, but saw that it was on one of my cable channels and thought I would DVR it and see how it was. Surprisingly I liked it! Granted it is a typical movie where the good guy comes in and cleans house, but overall I found it pretty enjoyable and thought the acting was a lot better than I expected. "The Rock" (from WWF) is the main character as an ex-military guy that returns home from the service and finds that his town is majorly corrupted by drugs and gambling thanks to a rich guy that is bent on making money and completely corrupting the town. After they try to be friends, "The Rock" realizes that friendship isn't going to happen between the casino owner and himself and decides it is time to stand up to corruption and clean his little town up. If you have ever seen the movie Road House (which I don't recommend unless edited on TV), you may be surprised to how similar the movie plots and characters are to each another. I was really amazed to see scenes that were so similar to Road House it almost could pass as a 2004 remake of it (without Patrick Swayze). All in all though, this movie is a triumphant story of how good characters can help clean up the bad influences of evil men. Don't expect an unpredictable story, but overall expect a redemptive one. Recommended.

Major League Review

Interesting... some movies I have such high hopes for end up dismal wastes of time for me. The movie on the right is one example. To be honest, I only could stand watching this movie for 1 hour (half of the length) before I just decided to turn it off as too stupid and pointless to continue. That may sound surprising coming from a guy who loved The Naked Gun movie, but this movie really disappointed me. Maybe it is due to the fact that I'm not into baseball that much. Or just found that a bunch of strange players acting stupid and swearing like sailors was just not hilarious... I'm not sure. Part of the movie is a dead serious storyline of one of the players trying to prevent his ex-wife (whom he still loves) from remarrying someone. You would expect this part to be kind of cheesy and have some funny lines mixed in as he tries to convince his wife not to remarry - but NO - the part was almost a drama in the midst of a weird comedy. I thought they should have made the whole movie crazy or just delete the subplot of the player trying to win his wife back - it just didn't fit into the movie framework (even though it was a noble thing to try). Plus this movie seemed to poke fun of Christianity in general. Let me explain.... there is one player who practices the Voodoo religion throughout the movie (including burning incense candles), and another player who almost prides himself of not being a "heathen" and praying to God rather than idols. Both the players are taking a dangerous airplane ride in stormy weather, and the Voodoo practicer is so scarred he makes the sign of the cross for safety. The "so-called" Christian player notices that, and looking above his porno magazine says something to the effect of "I saw that... don't think you can be fooling Him [referring to God] up there. He [again referring to God] knows everything." This line was obviously a total shot at hypocrisy in the Christian church and sadly this sort of thing exists. It wasn't funny to me because it didn't really convey the message that the Christian will be held accountable before God for committing adultry in his heart from reading a dirty magazine as much as the voodoo worshiper will be held accountable for worshipping idols. It also failed to show a Christian that really has a personal relationship with Christ and has turned from his sins (whether they are porno magazines or idolatry). It just made all Christians look like hypocrites. Sin is sin in God's eyes. Unfortunately, movies like this just seem to mock at the problems of hypocrisy without truly showing how stupid other sins are, or showing a redemptive way through faith in Christ how a person can be transformed and stop sinning. Due to messages like these - I have to say Major League is still in the minors in my book.

Three Men and a Baby Review

A classic piece of 80s material yet again. I really am a big fan of the The Three Amigos which came out around the same time as this movie, yet I hadn't seen this one even though quite a stir was made over it when it came out. I thought it was a cute movie, but not very laugh-out-loud funny. Mainly it gives an accurate picture of how total bachelors would babysit should they be stuck with the job of doing so. There wasn't too much to this movie other than showing the tender side of three guys that are living the party lifestyle. I would have to say Tom Sellect was probably the best in the movie. Steve Guttenberg seemed to have a "B" grade performance, and Ted Danson doesn't really get involved with the movie until it is half-way over. However, overall the movie is cute and has its funny moments. Whoever wrote it decided to put a subplot line in of the baby getting mixed up with drug dealers, and while it added some content to the movie, it really seemed more like filler to make the movie longer more than really contributing to the story. Also, the ending was kind of strange. I won't give it away, in case anyone HASN'T seen this movie yet (after 20 years), but I thought the living arrangement of the end was just plain weird. But then again, this movie isn't meant to be taken completely literally. For what it sets out to do, I would say it succeeds.

Deja Vu Review (it rhymes!)

I rented this movie after hearing it was pretty good from a friend of mine. I believe my friend was right. This was a little bit of a lighter sci-fi movie than Terminator or Blade Runner regarding time travel. Denzel Washington is an investigator for some law enforcement agency and has to investigate a tragic terrorist act that happened when someone set a bomb off a boat full of people. As he continues to investigate, he finds out that there are some people who have tapped into time travel and can recreate events after they happened with video from all angles. This - as you can imagine - makes solving crimes much easier and leads Denzel Washington to believe that he may be able to change history by observing the past. Of course everyone's dream is to do this, so it makes for an interesting story that one of the victims of the terrorist, happens to be an attractive girl that Denzel begins to fall for as he learns more about her. I won't give you anymore than that, but it turns out it is a fun flick that has its share of suspenseful moments. Maybe not as deep as Blade Runner or Stranger Than Fiction, but still worth the time to finish. Good action/sci-fi movie as long as you don't try to cross-check every detail of the story for accuracy.

Afterwards Music Review by Collective Soul

I decided to switch gears and mention a new CD that just came out that is noteworthy and well done. The Afterwards CD by Collective Soul is a CD that is worth buying. The music isn't poppy, yet it is interesting to listen to as well as fun. I ended up spotting it on Itunes (due to liking some of their previous work), and as I sampled some of their tracks I decided to buy one. Then I sampled some more of the tracks on this album and decided the whole album sounded very well done and was worth a purchase - so I completed the entire album on iTunes and am looking forward to listening to it on the commute into work. You may not like the sound, but I encourage you to at least try the samples on iTunes and see if it is a sound you may like. I look forward to listening to it over and over as I enjoy listening to the creative talent of these guys.

Blade Runner Review

Another movie you may have heard about that is pretty dated yet hailed as a classic in the science fiction realm. Harrison Ford plays in this movie about cops of the future that have to discern whether robots (who look identical to humans yet can not feel emotions) have invaded earth (illegally). Ford played his part well and reminded me of Hans Solo without as much sarcasm and wisecracks. Throughout the movie, the police officers usually test people to discern if they are robots by using a machine that watches their eyes, and then asking them several questions that would provoke an emotional response in a normal human. The robots obviously answer logically but not emotionally and that tips the police off to their identity. Although dated, it was definitely an interesting movie to watch and very well acted. It is kind of dark as the robots get murderous (similar to the Terminator movies), but not so much that the basic plot is lost in the action and violence. Unfortunately, Ridley Scott who directed this movie (also directed Gladiator), put a scene in this movie that was entirely inappropriate and therefore I don't recommend anyone watch this unless they are watching a TV edited version. It raised some interesting questions about artificial life yet the indecent scene just ruins the movie (in my opinion). Not recommend unless edited.

Eternal Sunshine of Spotless Mind review

After hearing about this movie with Jim Carrey I decided to see what it was all about. It was a very interesting, artistic movie that I think many people may like but others just won't get it. Jim Carrey has asked to have his entire memory erased of this one girlfriend he has had in his life. As the professionals are erasing his memory, he realizes that he really doesn't want to lose all traces of memory of her, and begins to try to store memories of her in different parts of his mind that weren't originally connected with memories of her. Elijah Wood (affectionately remembered as Frodo from Lord of the Rings) and Kirsten Dunst (MJ from Spiderman) are also in this movie. While slightly confusing - the movie still seems to make sense when it is all over. Don't watch this movie expecting a normal movie watching experience. It is very artistic, and kind of strange. Some people may welcome a movie that doesn't fit the normal experience, and others may walk away wondering why they just spent over an hour trying to make sense of a movie like this. I felt a little like watching a very artistic writer/director paint a unique movie style and found it intriguing, but not good enough to re-watch.

Terminator 3 Review

I have a confession that I haven't watched the very first Terminator movie, but I have at least seen Terminator 2. Although not my favorite movie of all time, it was interesting to watch Arnold protect the young boy and cool to the see the interesting effects. I decided to see what this one was all about, and see if it lives up to at least Terminator 2 with how well done it was. I was really impressed with the acting by Clair Danes and Arnold in this movie. This was a movie that Arnold really shines in. I was also impressed with how in shape he was in this movie. He hardly looks a day older from when Terminator 2 came out (about 14 years ago). Very impressive for a man of his age. Anyway, Terminator movies are kind of strange because although they try to spin them as action movies, they almost make them mild horror movies. This movie was no exception - lots of killing, lots of explosions and a lot of cool robots battles. In one sense, this movie was similar to Transformers. But in my opinion, Transformers was so much better. Perhaps it was lighter. Maybe because Transformers didn't take itself so seriously. I'm not sure- but Terminator 3 didn't disappoint. More of the same type of stuff as Terminator 2, but with newer more explosive special effects, and some great acting by Clair Danes and the young man (not to mention Arnold). Good high-budget special-effects action movie, but not a relaxing movie to watch. The ending also made plenty of room for a Terminator 4 movie. Decent movie, but not a must see unless you love the Terminator series.

GoldenEye Review

Another James Bond I decided to try. This was one of Pierce Brosnan's first movies as the new James Bond. To me, this movie seemed kind of LONG! There were some cool gadgets, and some action-packed parts, not to mention some glamorous women and ultra-nice cars, but the plot was too thin. There wasn't enough character development of James Bond to really like his character that much. I don't know - maybe I'm used to Daniel Craig in the latest James Bond and liked the amount of emotional attachment he had toward his girlfriend vs. Pierce's portrayal of 007. This movie was over two hours, and there were definite parts that you wondered why they had to add it to the movie. All in all, I don't think it was edited that well, and even though the special effects were well done, the whole plot leaves something to be desired. I recommend skipping this one. "Casino Royale" seemed much better to me for a different look at James Bond. One thumb up and one thumb down on this one.

Prayer - Does it Make Any Difference? Review

Most of what I post on this blog is movie reviews, but I just read a book that I highly recommend and thought I would share my thoughts on it. The book is by the author Phillip Yancey and is all about prayer. I have read many, many books on prayer and most of the books would fall into the motivational category as the authors encourage through using Scripture and testimonies the practice of prayer to God. Phillip Yancey takes a different approach... he humbly acknowledges that he isn't an expert and honestly invites us to ask some challenging questions about how prayer really works. What struck me so much about this book was its deep honesty. Why doesn't prayer work all the time? Does God still do miracles? If God knows everything and knows all we need, why do we still have to ask Him? I really enjoyed this book because I think, deep down, I ask myself many of the same questions. It is really easy to say "just believe in prayer and do it" but the questions sometimes still linger. God never says we can't be honest (from my understanding of the Bible) so to hear how Phillip Yancey processes these questions and the way He reconciles them with what the Bible teaches was inspiring to read - AND also motivating. I do believe in prayer and I believe that God does listen to us and answers our prayer when prayed in faith and love, and I think this book offered some well thought-out encouraging answers to the questions of many people who claim to believe in the power of prayer. Well worth your time to read.

Family Ties Review

One of the reasons my posts have been less, is that I have been pretty busy watching a classic sitcom from the 80s - Family Ties. I used to watch this show growing up and love remembering the stories of Alex, Malory, and Jennifer and their hippy parents. This show was not only funny, it also really showed a family that cared for one another and were willing to talk out tough contemporary issues. That is the beauty of this show in my humble opinion. It wasn't all about making fun of others, and talking about sex and nothing but sex (as some other sitcoms seem to dwell on). This show was about a family that loved one another and were willing to put differences aside and care for one another. It was a sitcom with a heart, and people obviously loved it by the fact that it went on for about 8 seasons (if I'm not mistaken). Although Michael J. Fox is pretty much the star of this show, the entire family were well-casted, and to me I find the episodes fun (not off-color for the most part), challenging and nostalgic as I remember when TV used to have much more substance and scripts used to be witty not just stupid and inappropriate. I recommend this show for a refreshing look at what the American sitcom used to be all about.

Hot Shots Part 2 Review

OK, maybe it is time for another type of comedy. I just keep getting this wacky ones with sight gags and spoofs of famous movies hoping for something as original as the Naked Gun. I watched the first Hot Shots and found it pretty funny. It was great to have Charlie Sheen poking fun of the Maverick character in Top Gun. Maybe it is just because I think Top Gun was to overdone and too stereotypical of an action movie where the guys never flinch in the face of danger. For instance, beach volleyball with a bunch of tanned Navy guys? PLEASE!!!! I'd rather skip that scene. More of Val Kilmer and Tom Cruise than I care to see. Anyway this movie on the right seems to make fun of Rambo and Rambo 2 almost the whole way through. For that I could see humor, but it just wasn't that funny. As I said above, maybe this type of comedy is starting to get old for me. At the right time I may have found it funnier, but when I watched this one, I barely laughed and found the story so stupid it wasn't funny. Lloyd Bridges can be funny, but in this one he was just plain dumb and his lines were lame. I thought the original Hot Shots movie was funnier. 2 stars out of 5 for this one. Skip it.

The Naked Gun 33 1/3

The final movie in the series, and I will say I found this one funnier than the 2nd one. It was interesting because it did star Anna Nicole Smith who has been in the news so much in the past, and of course O.J. Simpson is back again. Overall there were definitely parts in this that seemed like filler, but the academy awards show seemed to be the funniest part for me. There were some obvious movie spoofs, but all-in-all I found I laughed enough in it to not make it a complete waste of time (unlike the 2nd one). Again they seem to up the off-color humor which is unfortunate, but it did have its hilarious moments. Not the worst out there, but definitely not the funniest either. I probably wouldn't rent this one again, but I did find it the better of the two sequels they made in this series. If you want to save some time, skip straight to this one after renting the 1st one if you want to see what the series is about.

The Naked Gun 2.5 review

Well I said I would rent this, and rent this I did! What a disappointment. After watching the first one, I was expecting more of the same, and I guess it was - but the jokes just seemed to fall flat much more in this sequel. It had maybe two parts in the whole movie where I chuckled out loud. That isn't much compared to the first movie where I was almost crying it was that funny. Maybe because I was expecting more of the sight gags, and the humor seemed to be more off-color which didn't strike me as funny at all. For instance, there is an audience at this one show, that is falling asleep and they want to get their attention to warn everyone of a possible danger, so they decide to read sensual stories to get everyone perked up! Come on people, you can do better than that for humor. Sorry this was a Naked Gun movie that struck out in my opinion. You are better off re-watching the first - it is 10 times better.

Serpico Review

I decided to rent the classic 70s movie Serpico to see why it is hailed as one of the greatest movies about the police force (or something like that). I found it interesting (not very action packed) and kind of sad. It is based on a true story of a guy that wants to do the right thing (not take bribes and look the other way), and who loved being a plain clothes police officer. However, soon the other guys on the force decide they don't like what someone like Serpico does to their conscience. I liked what Serpico stood for, but I didn't like how he handled the conflict he dealt with. As the movie progresses, Serpico becomes very cynical and consumed with how much corruption seems to triumph. It ends up making him depressed and costing him his relationship with his girlfriend (who wanted to move on from talking about how corrupt things were). All in all, it was an interesting story, but I believe Serpico should have done something this movie fails to portray. Find good friends, keep living with integrity, depend on Christ for salvation, and don't underestimate the justice of the final judgement in life. Even though things may look bad, everyone will one day give an account before God. That is something to take comfort in.

Stand By Me Review

What the heck is all the hoop-la about this movie for? I had heard so many shining reviews, and was looking forward to a great story about some young boys with some moving emotional parts where the song "Stand By Me" plays resounding in the background. Instead I ended up watching a movie that was sad, and depressing about 4 childhood friends that swear like sailors even though they aren't even 14 years old, and that battle an evil Keifer Sutherland so that he'll leave them alone. Keifer Sutherland is no Jack Bauer in this movie. He is an immature dangerous teenager that thinks he is above the law and can do anything he wants to. Jack Bauer occasionally thinks he is above the law to protect others, but he isn't the punk character he portrays in this movie. Good thing, or 24 would probably have died out in the first season!!! On top of that, there isn't even one main part where the song "Stand By Me" is played in a moving manner!! Sorry, I'm gradually learning that when the critics say "Two thumbs up" you are better off skipping the movie, because most likely it is a sad, depressing movie that doesn't fit the normal encouraging flick that everyone loves but it deemed "artistic and different". They didn't quite say that about this movie, but I would definitely watch one of Rob Reiner's better movies like "The Princess Bride" or "A Few Good Men". Those seem much better directed and a heck of a lot more fun to watch.

Transformers Review

I went to the theaters for this one. I grew up with GI Joe and Transformers in the 80s, so I was curious what they did in the remake! Oh MY GOODNESS, this is one well-made movie!! The special effects are second to none, and I can honestly say I don't think I've seen effects this good since the Matrix movies came out. The story line is interesting, the effects are mind-blowing, and the music is rocking! This is a great summer blockbuster that is worth watching and very exciting for an action-adventure. Well done by Michael Bay.

Highly recommended if you have any interest in cool robots or remember the 80s toys at all. Well actually this is highly recommended regardless of your interests. Well done!

The Naked Gun Review

I know this movie has been around for a while, but I decided to rent it and see why they made 3 movies in this series. I can honestly say after watching the first one, I definitely want to watch the 2nd and 3rd movies - I was laughing so hard in this movie I was crying. A lot of the humor is sight gags, or just plain stupidity, but whatever they used, it worked very well in this movie to make a very funny result. I have also watched the Airplane I and Airplane II movies, and I was expecting this movie to be more of the same. However, having seen them both now, I think this movie is quite a bit better than the Airplane movies. I certainly laughed more, and even replayed a few scenes it was that good. I don't recall ever doing that with the Airplane movies. One of my favorite parts in this movie was the way the bad guy goes out!!! I found it laugh-out-loud hilarious the way the bad guy meets his end! The only drawback of this movie was some of the sex humor used throughout. Overall, the movie is very funny, but I wish they didn't have to resort to off-color humor. I still plan to watch the 2nd and 3rd movies as well.

Meet Joe Black Review

Ok, this movie was on TV and I have to admit it drew me in even though my wife and I started watching it about 1/3rd into the movie. It was actually better than I expected. I had seen some previews for it, and never really was interested enough to rent it, but I thought it had some great acting, great scripting and overall was a good movie with a memorable ending. What I liked so much about it was the deeper spiritual content that was found in this movie. Brad Pitt was supposed to be death personified, and some of the characters wouldn't even give him the time of day. They had a hostile approach to his character and found it annoying that Anthony Hopkins would be so attentive to his schedule and likes/dislikes. That to me is a pretty accurate picture of how people in our society feel about death. They don't want to think about it, they don't want to acknowledge that they will one day have an appointment with death, and they ignore it as much as possible even though death is inevitable in all of us. This movie was definitely geared toward the romantic side of things, but I found it entertaining enough to finish the 2/3rd I watched. Recommended for a creative look at the response of people toward death.

Fearless Review

A great martial arts movie if you are prepared for some great fight sequences with some good morals in the fighters. Jet Li played a lengendary fighter who took revenge without knowing all the facts. After he brutally killed someone, he realizes that revenge just means more blood and violence (which turns into an endless cycle). Jet Li played the character very well, and this movie showed true sportmanship in fighting and martial arts. It wasn't only fight scenes either. There is some good character development and even a touch of romance. Not as deep as a drama such as Stranger than Fiction, but still a good movie with a good moral, no bad language, and excellent acting. Recommended if you like martial arts movies.

I rented this movie after hearing that it was a pretty big blockbuster. I didn't realize that the guy who directed Glory also directed this movie. In my opinion this is a very well acted, very well directed movie after the price people pay to mine diamonds in South Africa. Although it has some brutal parts, it really makes you think about the cost of getting bigger and bigger diamonds in the diamond industry. I don't know if it is all true, but I did really make you think even if part of it is true. DiCaprio is really an excellent actor and even though I wasn't thrilled with his image in Titantic, he has done a great job getting other roles to play in and acting well in everything he has been given. This movie is very moving and a sad tale of how materialism has become so prevalent in western society. It made me think in new ways about the concept of diamond engagement rings. Some of the movie did seem to almost be too strong and almost preachy, but all in all I think it was an exceptional performance, and a movie that is worth watching. Very action-packed, but also moving, much like the movie Glory which is also directed by the same man. Recommended.

Night At the Museum Review

I had heard this movie was pretty funny, so I decided to rent it and see. Not as great as I was expecting. Decent movie and very politically correct and obvious in an attempt to make history come alive, but maybe I just was expecting too much. It did have some great actors like Dick Van Dyke, Mickey Rooney, Robin Williams, and Owen Wilson (Ok maybe that last name is a stretch), but it just seemed kind of cheesy and silly and some of the story lines just didn't seem to get developed enough. The plot was thin, the acting was decent (Robin Williams seemed to have the best part and acted the best in my opinion), but all-in-all, not a movie I would necessarily rewatch. If the kids want to see it, it is a pretty safe bet, but otherwise watch Stranger Than Fiction (see my review below) for an exceptional movie with a great script and high quality acting.

Rocky Balboa review

Yes, I know Rocky movies seem to go on forever, but I had to go out and rent this one. I have seen all his other movies, and I had actually heard positive things about this one. I will say Sly Stallone has improved over some of his sequals in this series, but still nothing can top the first Rocky movie which I love and own. Anyway this movie picks up with Rocky in his retirement years owning his own restaurant and telling stories of when he used to box in the ring. All of sudden with the modern day technology of computer opponents the news has decided to set up a computer match and pit him against the current champion to see who would win. This of course gets everyone remembering the wonderful days when Rocky used to fight and a real fight is set up between him and the reigning champion (in some ways very similar to the first round in Rocky I). This movie definitely wasn't as bad as Rocky IV and Rocky V, but considering how many movies there are of this guy, the story is starting to get old. I did like the fact that much of the movie is developing the characters rather than just showing the two opponents jumping rope and running up steps. However, I still probably won't buy this one. Decent movie, but again - not as great as the original.

Stranger Than Fiction Review

It seems like it has been forever, since I have penned a review, but that doesn't mean I haven't been watching movies. I just saw a very well made movie on the right which really was surprising in how well written and acted it was. I have seen several Will Ferrell movies and usually after watching one I wonder if I could have used the time better than to sit through a movie watching him be a clown. I do find him funny, I just don't expect him to be in deep movies. He really showed his acting talent in the movie Stranger Than Fiction. This movie had an exceptional script and really made me think about life in a deeper sort of way. I guess you may classify this movie as a feel-good thinker movie, but whatever the recipe and genre it falls into, I liked it a lot. Two thumbs up for an interesting look at why we live life in less-than-ordinary ways. Highly recommended. I may have to go out and buy this one.

Bond.... James Bond

Well after hearing much about how the new Daniel Craig plays James Bond so well, I decided to check it out and was pleasantly surprised at how well he does fill James Bond's shoes. I found this movie entertaining, surprising at times, and action-packed (but not in an over-the-top way), and all-in-all very satisfactory to watch. It really showed how James started out and how he faced huge ego issues in the start of his career (I mean when you are a 007 you are allowed to do so much!). There was excellent character development, which I really appreciated because it made James Bond a little more real and helped to seperate him from his cool gadgets and beautiful girlfriends which I believe he so easily gets associated with. I also liked the fact that in this movie Bond seemed more interested in doing his job then having sleep-overs with his girlfriends which seems all too common in prior movies. He is on the clock after all. I give this movie an "A" for a well thought out action movie.

We are back in business!

Well that was a lesson in keeping tabs on your domain! As some of you may have noticed our domain name of paulandchrystal was temporarily taken over due to my lack of care in renewing it. However, after seeing the takeover for so many days, I decided to see if I could renew it, and happily I could. I don't know if anyone is still reading this, but I thought I would post a message that I have not given up the blog, and if we ever do lose the domain name again, please try http://paulandchrystal.blogspot.com . We are both happy to have it back. Blogging becomes fun after a while. When you realize that you are posting to the world, and that people are interacting with your posting by leaving comments, it really creates almost an addicting way of trading thoughts and idea over the world wide web.

I have my DVR taping the 2nd installment of Pirates of Caribbean tonight. I have yet to see it, so I will probably be posting a review of it soon. The 1st one seemed to be OK, and I hear the 2nd one made a ton at the movies. Plus, this summer the 3rd Pirates movie is due out. Not that I'm expecting a wonderful triology, but I do hope the 2nd one is worth watching.

Is anyone still reading this? It would be encouraging to hear if anyone has realized we now own www.paulandchrystal.com again. Leave a comment, we love to hear from you.

Music and Lyrics Review

She said:
Yay, my husband finally comes out of the video store with a romantic comedy. After the fiasco of the previous rental (see post) I was very excited. I actually vaguely remembered seeing previews for this movie, but had no idea what it was about. The introduction to both of the characters is very comical and odd ball. Basically, Hugh Grant plays a has-been 80's rock star trying to write a hit song. I really enjoyed this comedy because it was family friendly and a very interesting story of how songs are written and recorded. I really liked the music through out this movie. I would recommend this movie to anyone!

He said:
OK, I haven't seen Spider Man 3 yet, so I can not fully comment on that movie, but I did go out and rent Music and Lyrics (much to my wif'e's delight). This movie had gotten a lot of good reviews by reviewers and I thought it had potential and all in all, I was not disappointed. Hugh Grant is a bit older than Drew Barrymore, but they both had a neat chemistry on screen, and I think it was well written and funny rather than just stupid. Throughout the movie there is also some pop star that dances and has the sex appeal of a very well-known female pop star, but I wasn't sure if the writers were actually trying to make fun, or just make a comparison to show how music has changed from the 80s to the present. Another interesting point of this movie, is that they wrote some of their own songs (from what I know), and the songs are actually decent. All in all I think I would give this movie a B+ to an A-. Well written, good story and not too mushy or stupid for a romantic comedy. Recommended.

Dragnet Movie review

I thought I would tape this movie on my DVR due to it being so popular several years ago. Plus I do enjoy good Tom Hanks and Dan Aykroyd movies. However, I think this one was kind of disappointing, not to mention way-out-there. They took a somewhat reputable show about cops and threw in a crazy bad guy (Christopher Plummer in a role far far away from The Sound of Music). There were moments that were funny in the movie (it wasn't a totally wash over in my opinion), but overall I think it was stretching the main story a little too far, and found the humor somewhat forced at times. Also there is some objectionable content surrounding the bad guys, which knocks this movie out of the question for kids younger than 13 years old. And the irony of that is that you want to introduce your kids to nostalgic shows and movies when they ARE younger than 13 years old. After that, they may not be that interested in what you watched when you were their age. Not worth 2 hours of your time in my opinion.

The Prestige Movie Review

He Said:
Another movie about magicians similar to The Illusionist listed below. However, this one seems to have a darker twist of revenge throughout. Two magicians are in competition with one another for having the best magic show. Over time they routinely try to sabotage each others magic shows and figure out how each one is doing their most famous tricks. This is a very well acted movie, and the ending will blow you away with surprise. I love a movie that keeps you guessing until the end, and The Prestige does a wonderful job of it. Highly recommended if you are looking for intrigue, mystery and a good story. Although it has its sad parts, I think I would give it two thumbs up for being unpredictable and holding enough surprises that it would make you want to re-watch it just to catch everything. Well done movie!

She said:
There are very few movies I actually walk out of and this was one! This movie is on the borderline between suspense and horror. My husband loved the interesting dynamics of the characters - and solving the mystery in the movie. However, I thought the story was mind numbing and depressing - it was all about two competitive vengeful magicians! I felt like I was watching a story about two grown men behave very immaturely. The characters will go to any lengths to compete and get refenge on the other and destroy eachothers lives in the process. I kept hoping that it would get better and it started getting more vindictive. So, I finally realized that reading, cleaning, or doing pretty much anything else would be time better well spent. The Illusionist was MUCH better! Also, the next morning here was the conversation that followed, "So, who done it?" I asked Paul. I was still a little curious about what he uncovered by finishing the flick. "Uhgh. Well, I'm not really sure. It was a really interesting plot. I'll have to check on the web to make sure."

Gleaming the Cube review

He said:

An old 80s movie that my wife had seen, so I decided to tape it and see what it was all about. Very teen-ager driven story with a weak plot about a teenager who tries to find out if his brother really died of a suicide. I guess this was one of Christian Slater's first movies, and he didn't do too badly, although there was definitely a weak plot. The ending action scene is almost a comedy the way they make it. If you like action scenes from The A-Team and Knight Rider look no further than this movie. All in all though it very clean for family viewing, and has a nice ending. If you want edge-of-your-seat adventure, you probably should rent something else though. Think of this as the Karate Kid without martial arts, and on a skate board. In fact, does anyone remember the old tv show Sidekick? If I recall correctly, and it was a while ago, it was about a martial artist teenager who rides a skateboard around and saves the day. This is like that but without the karate.

She said:

It was strange to watch such an old movie from my teen days with Paul beside me. I had a little crush on Mr. Slater back in the day and skateboarding was sooooo the rage. It surprised me that this movie actually held our attention the entire time. If you can get over a few minor things - like the 80's hip sayings, a few bad acting by minor characters, etc. The story has some interesting little twists, turns, and even hysterical parts. Christian is investigating the mysterious death of his adopted Asian brother. Also, there were two parts at the end that had Paul and I laughing hysterically. This would be a great flick to watch if you were getting some friends together for an '80's party.

Complete the Album by iTunes

I just found out that iTunes now has the the Complete the Album feature which enables you to not have to buy the whole album over again if you own part of it already. To me this is just another example of Apple staying on top of making it easy for consumers to purchase music, and I for one will continue to support the Apple store. It rocks (literally!). Lately I've been listening to some great tunes like

• "Time Won't Let Me Go" by The Bravery,


• "Just a Little (submarines remix)" by Leigh Nash,


• "In Case of Emergency" by Cool Hand Luke, and


• "Shambala" by Three Dog Night.

I discovered the last song by watching an episode of Lost the other day and loving the jamming music on it. While Three Dog Night isn't a new band, it was to me, and I have freshly discovered their music. On the spiritual side, I really like

• "Made to Love" by Toby Mac,


• "Wash Over Me" by David Ruis, and


• "Hope of the Nations" by Brian Doerksen.

All highly recommended if you have a spare gift card and are looking for some great music. Of course, music being a very subjective thing in many ways, I can't guaranteed my picks will be compatible with your tastes, but I'm not charging any money for them either. Of course if I was, I doubt this blog would continue. Until next time!

Who Framed Roger Rabbit Review

I finally have seen this dated movie that combined cartoons with real acting. It is puzzling to guess what the writers/directors were aiming for with this one. It isn't quite a kids movie, yet not quite a movie for primarily adults. I have watched Pete's Dragon many a time, and this was definitely more heavy on the cartoon integration. Basically Roger is some cartoon that gets framed by an evil mastermind (Christopher Lloyd). He looks a lot like the Slugworth (Christopher Lloyd) from the old Willy Wonka movie. It reminded me a bit of the movie Dick Tracy with all the detective work and not quite believable bad guys. Cute movie and if I recall one of the first movies where the writer's tried to put in some adult humor in the framework of a kids movie. Not sure it fits, but it did win 4 Academy Awards. Interesting for the effects if nothing else.

Fried Green Tomatoes Review

I think I can sum up this movie in three words: DON'T SEE IT!. Boring, depressing and not worth your time unless you want to watch a sad story about an abused wife. I even thought Steel Magnolias was better than this - and that's saying something!

Every Day is wonderful

Well it has been almost a month since I nearly didn't wake up. For those who don't know, about a month ago, I went unconscience from a low blood sugar. It happened around 7 AM and if it weren't for my wife, and for God's mercy I may not be here today writing this entry.

How it happened, we aren't sure. No real strange changes ocurred the night before, but I do know I woke up with 4-5 paramedics asking me if I knew where I was. I told them the city I live in, and they asked more specifically where I was, and then I got a nice ambulance ride (similar to the one on the right) to the ER room. Evidently, I stopped responding to my wife's questions and went completely unconscience until they were able to give me an IV of sugar to boost my blood sugar back up. I can truly say that experiences like that give you a whole new outlook on life. It made me wonder why I spend so much leisure time doing things that aren't going to matter in 5-10 years, if I may not even have tomorrow. It also really helped me be grateful to my wife, my city's ambulance/fire fighter crew, and the Lord for preventing that day from being the last. In Hebrews 9:27, 28 it says:

And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgement, so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation.

I can't avoid the appointment. None of us can. Ten out of ten die. However, I can be ready to meet God and stand before Him confident that I have believed in His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. Praise God for life here, and for eternal life. I am grateful that I have some more time here, but its wonderful to not be afraid to die when my apointment comes. God is good.

Batteries Not Included Review

Ok this movie is classic 80s material but it was on the movie channels so I taped it and was surprised to find out that Steven Spielberg directed it. I guess this movie would fall more into the family-friendly space/alien movies than War of the Worlds or Close Encounters of the Third Kind. The spaceships in this movie are definitely designed to be more cute than strange. They even tend to imply genders with the little UFOs and they have baby UFOs. Not necessarily believable, but as I say I think Spielberg was going for cute more than thought-provoking. If he was going for thought-provoking maybe he should think a little more about extraterrestrial life. It basically is the story of these tiny spaceships that have a knack for fixing things, and help an elderly couple keep their apartment from getting torn down. There are some comic moments and all in all it is a fun movie to relax to. I would definitely not say it is academy award level material, but a good movie where good triumphs over evil.

Jack vs. Jack

Time to talk a little TV. I've been thinking about two popular TV shows and I thought I would share why I came to give up on 24, and have started to be hooked on LOST. I started out loving 24. Couldn't get enough of the show. Jack Bauer doing the impossible, risking his life and bending the rules for the greater good. What's not to like? That was for seasons 1, and 2. Then season 3. More of the same. People get killed, arms get chopped off to save other lives, and Bauer does the impossible once again. After season 4 the recipe started to wear thin. Jack continues to get totured and to torture others to prevent the world from ending. Hmmm, anyone tired of cliffhangers? So I gradually lost interest to the point where I don't continue keeping up on the show. It started out great in my opinion, but how long can an adrenaline-fest last before you begin to wonder how the next episode will go to great lengths to keep you in suspense?

Now to another Jack. Not Jack Bauer, but the Jack character in Lost who is a kind-hearted doctor who is always trying to do the right thing, yet struggles to resolve past issues with his dad on top on trying to survive on an abadoned island. But Lost is far from being all about Jack and Jack alone. I was gradually drawn into the flashbacks of all the characters in this show - Kate, Sawyer (did I spell that right?), Sahid, Locke, and don't forget Hurley. All coming from different backgrounds yet all contributing something to survival on a mysterious island. Some episodes are tense, some are intriguing, and some are just fun (like Hurley jump-starting a van and riding around for a good time) - but you really gain an appreciation for character development and for a well written storyline. Not that 24 is a bad series. It isn't. I just have been enjoying the complexity and character development of Lost so much more. I'll let Jack Bauer continue saving the world. I'm sure he'll be there tomorrow.

Swingers Review

OK, again another movie that everyone probably has seen at one time or another and that I have just viewed for the first time. I found this movie, extremely witty, funny, and well written about a guy who is trying to get over his girlfriend of 6 years with his buddies. They try to take him out to some clubs to get his mind off it. Throughout the movie, there is some classic dialogue (very well-written script) and the lines are hilarious. I think I found this movie so funny because it is so relatable. There are so many parts where you could see yourself in the same situations or feeling the same way. I would give this movie 2 thumbs up if it weren't for the constant use of profanity. The situations, dialogue and acting are all very well done, yet the writers had to include obscenity almost to the extreme level to make a point that these guys are willing to say anything to make their point. The movie does really show an accurate view (at least somewhat) of the mixed emotions that guys can go through as they seek to move on after breaking up with a girlfriend. Very funny - yet definitely true-to-life in many places. If you can wade through the profanity, the movie is a comical look at the way some men (or most men) move on in the dating scene.

Life with a DVR

Well I finally caved and got a DVR (or tivo to some) and I must admit, it is really helping me keep up with movies like I never thought possible. I am really enjoying catching up with my favorite shows on the weekend, when I have some time to kill rather than having to restructure my life around a TV show (which is something that rarely happens). I especially like taping "Lost" and "The Office", so that I actually can keep up with the seasons, rather than wait until they are released on DVD. Fast-forwarding commercials is a wonderful time-saver as well. Alone with my upgrade to a DVR, I decided to cut down my Netflix plan, and get a few movie channels and have been busy taping some old and newer movies that I never got around to watching. My wife and I watched some of the new movie Guess Who last night and thought it was a lot of fun. I also taped the movie to the right. Yes, one of the hits that Sly Stallone made in his prime: RAMBO 2! It wasn't too bad considering it was made in the 80s. I thought Stallone did a great job acting and it definitely inspired patriotism. Of course, compared to newer shows like 24, the violence and action leave quite a bit to be desired, but it was classic 80s material and for the times, I believe it was well-made and well-acted. The closing song was totally 80s as well so it should be seen for old-times sake if nothing else. Recommended if you can put your desire for realism on the back-burner and enjoy some kick-butt action.

Our little dependent

Well after thinking about it for a while, my wife and I decided to add a member to our family. Meet Daisy - our new cat. We have never owned a pet together, and look forward to many years with our new dependent - if we can convince her that we are really nice people! Evidently, from what I know, Daisy has had some rough experiences dealing with people. She is not agressive at all, yet at the smallest thing - like walking down the stairs she will run and hide in one of her favorite spots - under our couch. We love Daisy and continue to buy her new toys and try to coax her out from under the couch, yet she remains untrusting and shy with us. However, we aren't giving up. Chrystal especially is growing to love her more and more each day and is convinced that in time she will warm up enough to us that she won't run and hide when we come looking for her. All this care we are putting into our new pet has really given me a taste (and I really do mean a very, very small tiny taste ) of perhaps what God feels when people run, hide or hate Him even though He continues to pursue us and love us. I realize I will never fully comprehend what God feels, but having someone or something that you care about and want to spoil yet that refuses to trust you or stop hiding from you has given me a little bit more of a picture. I am sure if Chrystal and I have children someday, we will even have more of a picture of that. Since many kids are notorious for taking all they can from their parents and never returning anything or showing gratefulness - yet that is how we all acted before God called us to repent and be saved. God's patience, mercy and enduring love are truly amazing to people such as us.

The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. - Lamenations 3:22-23 ESV

But God had mercy on me so that Christ Jesus could use me as a prime example of his great patience with even the worst sinners. Then others will realize that they, too, can believe in him and receive eternal life. 1 Timothy 1:16 NLT

The Best Hamburger

OK, now for a change of topic. Who do you believe makes the best hamburger out there? This is a very important topic because when you hunger for a mouth-watering juicy hamburger, you can't go just anywhere. You must pick the place of all places. I have been to several different hamburger places among them being:

1. McDonald's (of course)
2. Fudruckers
3. Red Robin
4. Five Guys
5. Burger King
6. Wendy's

Those are the main places where I live. Also among those places number 2 and 3 are kind of a higher class dining experience than the rest of them. How about for taste? What place has the best tasting burger? I think I'm going to probably lean toward Fudruckers (#2) on this one. Yes, I do love the 5 Guys burgers but they aren't really that gourmet. They are delicious no doubt, but they lack the weight and juiciness you would get at Fudruckers. So all those out there in Bloggerville, what do you think? Out of those 6 options which in your opinion is the best tasting burger?

The Illusionist movie review

One of the best new releases I have seen in a long time! I can highly recommend this new movie that is based on a true story of a magician in the 1800s (I believe). This movie is thought provoking, interesting and romantic all rolled into one. I haven't seen too many movies with Edward Norton (Fight Club) that I really liked, but this is definitely one of them. Basically the story revolves around a very well-known (in his day) magician who loves someone that the evil ruler also is interested in. That's all I say for now, but if you are looking for a great, adventure/drama that is based on a true story, I think you should definitely rent this one. There is one objectionable scene but it is very easy to skip and to tell when it is coming. However, there is no bad language that I recall and the storyline is superb! Two thumbs up for an intriguing story with solid acting, a great script and a well-done ending!

Scent of a Woman review

Wow, this must be some sort of record for me to be updating the blog this much, but I just finished watching The Scent of a Woman and thought I would record some thoughts about it. Very well-made well-acted movie about a boy who befriends a retired Air Force Colonel and learns about life with him. I won't give too much away but it is a fascinating story if you can excuse Al Pacino's dirty mouth once-in-a-while. I thought this movie really showed the value of standing by someone and standing by values. Although it is interesting in this movie, the main character (Chris O'Donnell) is faced with the dilemma of snitching on some of his classmates. The movie makes a big deal out of the character he has to not snitch on his friends who destroyed property of one of the head teachers, but I was kind of puzzled at how highly that was played up. The boys in question obviously destroyed private property, and yet the main character didn't want to tell on them because he had so much character. There is a time when character is allowing people to suffer the consequences for their actions so that they will grow wiser. That doesn't seem to have registered with the writer of this movie. However, that being said, if you can excuse the fact that the older Al Pacino has several parts where his language and conversation are pretty obscene, this movie is worth the time to watch. 1.75 thumbs!

The Joys of Reformatting

Well it's that time again - time to reinstall my OS on my laptop yet again. I was hoping I could hold off on it, but for some strange reason, my laptop has ceased to work reliably. Sometimes it boots up fine, but other times it loads the wallpaper and nothing else. I even changed my nature wallpaper to a plain blue background and those icons still refuse to show! After talking about it with my good friend Matt, I have decided to take the plunge and start clean. I'm hoping that this will give me a 10 out of 10 reliability everytime I hit the power button. Sometimes it is good to have a clean start. I believe that is why we are instructed to renew our minds as well according to Romans 12:2

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. NJKV

or as The Message puts it:

Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.

We all get bogged down by what people are eating, drinking, what cool movie they are watching or what successful people are wearing. However, to really make a difference in the world, we can't merely be a conformist to the world's system. We have to dare to be different and ask our Maker to change us into the person He wants us to be. Following our culture is easy. Daring to live a life that is different, and responding to difficulties with joy causes others to realize you are relying on Someone other than yourself. Only Christ can truly transform you, deliver you from sin, and enable you to have a personal relationship with the Author of Life - Jesus Christ.

Cool Hand Luke Review

Although I like Newman's Own salad dressings and enjoyed watching The Sting and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, this movie was disappointing. It is basically a story of some guy that won't conform to prison rules and ends up paying the price. He becomes a hero to those in prison who believe the guy is one-of-a-kind and Luke (Paul Newman), becomes a sort of role model to all those in prison with hopes to escape. The acting is very well-done I will say that, but overall I found the movie kind of depressing. I originally rented this movie knowing that it was one of the top 100 movies made according to AFI's top movies, but I guess that had my hopes up a little too high. I also watched Marlon Brando in A Streetcar Named Desire, and guess what? Despite all reviews to the contrary, I found it to be boring and strange as well. I could also add Citizen Kane to that list. After watching all of these movies, I just wonder why people rate these movies so high? They aren't exactly movies that leave a great impression on me after watching them, but I'm not your average movie reviewer. That's what makes my blog my own!
Anyway I give this movie 2.5 stars out of 5. Not the worse movie I've seen, but certainly not the best. Until next time!

Powder Review

Another movie I managed to squeeze into my schedule. Actually I rather enjoyed this interesting movie about an abnormal boy. I first want to preface this review by saying that I hated the movie "ET". Say what you want about how cute Eliot and ET were, I just never fell in love with the alien who could make a bicycle fly. Maybe my distaste for the movie had something to do with me watching it for the first time when I was 16 years old. After hearing over and over how wonderful the movie was, I guess I just was expecting more. Now I did happen to like Star Wars, but never really grew to love Episodes 1, 2, and 3 that much. Jar jar binks may have had something to do with that. ANYWAY - I digress back to the review of Powder. This is kind of an alien movie, but mainly just an interesting story of how people respond to others that are different. Powder is a really nice kid who has some pretty weird powers with electricity and has a way of reading what others are thinking. This really unnerves a few people, not to mention he doesn't look like your average teenager. However, their were many lessons of life explored and the acting was well-done. A very interesting character study on a small town's reaction to a new kid. It was worth watching in my opinion. That is saying something and keeps my Netflix subscription continuing. I was losing hope after "Nacho Libre" and some other lame movies, but gems like these keep me hopeful that good movies still are made. However, disclaimer on the worldview in this movie - a little different than you may believe. It appears that Powder believes that all matter becomes other matter to the point that he believes when you die you become the wind, the trees and the air. I don't know if that is what the writer believes or if he/she were merely trying to include some references to Albert Einstein in this movie, but it does come across throughout. 1.5 thumbs for this one!

The Effect of this blog

Crazy picture of me around New Years 2007. (now removed)

Today while listening to a great message preached at my church, our pastor challenged us to think about the effect our blog has on others. I thought that was interesting because I wondered if all my weird movie reviews were what others would call "uplifting". Sure, the material may not be that offensive, but really who cares what I think about movies. From what I can see (my observations in talking to others), I have strange movie tastes anyway compared to many movie buffs out there, so I really am considering quitting the movie reviews on my blog. I want this blog to be something that people find useful and at least leave with a better perspective on life as a result of the material contained in this blog. Maybe this wouldn't be from me, but as long as I am quoting others and reflecting on what truly matters in life, work and recreation, maybe that would be more beneficial to all those in blog-readerville than my two cents on movies. So I challenge all those who read this to leave me a comment as to if my movie reviews should continue or whether there should be more variation in content of this blog. Yes, I do recognize that I have been negligent in updating, but part of that is related to the fact that I haven't been watching movies as much. I did watch "When Harry Met Sally" and "Michael" but have yet to write a review on these. Anyway - let me know what you would prefer to see on a blog like this.