Hollywoodland Review

This movie "Hollywoodland" is the story of George Reeve's mysterious death. Allegedly he died by suicide, yet some have speculated that he was murdered. For those who may not know who George Reeve is, he is the original guy who played the "superman" character in the 1950's - 1960s. He also played in a few movies, but was kind of stereotyped as the hero character in the red cape. This movie was pretty interesting. Some people have described this movie as long and slow, but I disagree. It seemed to move along pretty well and for me, it was a pretty interesting biography of a man I know little about. George Reeve evidently had his share of problems and this movie did a great job showing how badly he wanted to be known for more than a blue spandex hero, yet couldn't seem to break out of that stereotype. Also did a good job showing the possible ways the actor could have died, yet let the viewer ultimately decide. Fairly intelligent way of handling this mysterious death. I thought the movie was well made, and had good character development. However, there was also some parts that showed George Reeve's womanizing ways, which is why I don't give it a higher rating. All of us are sinners in need of a Savior and George Reeve was no exception. All in all, this showed what a hard life "Hollywoodland" really does boil down to in the movie business. 1.5 thumbs up.

Christmas with the Kranks Review

With Christmas around this time of year, I taped this movie off of TV and I have one statement to sum this up - I'M SURE GLAD I DIDN'T RENT IT. This has the potential to be funny, yet it just doesn't deliver. Tim Allen has one or two very funny scenes - that is it. Jamie Lee Curtis has some funny parts, but overall I think this movie is just a sad attempt to make a memorable Christmas movie that hasn't already been made. It does offer a few parts that may make you chuckle, but overall I would recommend you save your money and your time on this one.

Farce of the Penguins - So Much Potential, Yet...

OK this movie was also on HBO and having seen and enjoyed "March of the Penguins", I thought this might be worth a watch. Basically it is a bunch of footage about Carl - a penguin who thinks he has an eating disorder and is depressed about the meaning of his life. He trudges along with his buddy penguins in search of a mate. First of all, let me say - this movie has a TON of potential to be funny and entertaining at the same time. Bob Saget however, seemed to delight in potty jokes and adult-oriented humor throughout the whole movie. Do you enjoy watching penguins fart and tell off-color jokes? If so this may be your type of movie. However, for me it got old and distasteful very quickly and I didn't even finish this movie. I am kind of surprised that movies like "March of the Penguins" became so popular. That's why a witty script with some good jokes and voice-overs could have been a hilarious documentary. Unfortunately, this movie is all about potty-mouth penguins talking about reproduction. Not that funny. I would recommend skipping this one.

In the Land of Women - Not Your Average Movie

I am currently getting HBO free for a month, so I stumbled on this movie "In the Land of Women" which actually came out in 2007. I must have completely missed this one, since I don't even remember it being in the theatre. Or maybe I just thought it would be a chick flick and showed no interest in looking into it further. However, as Chrystal and I started watching it, we gradually grew more and more involved in the story. This is a drama with a slightly humorous parts at times. The acting is top-notch. I did read that the previews misrepresented this movie, so I advise anyone who has watched the preview to FORGET anything they imagined this film would be like. Basically the story is about a young man who comes to take care of his grandma (who is getting older and need helps to live). As he moves in, he ends up meeting several women (one of them being Meg Ryan) and strikes up a friendship with them. I normally feel so-so about romantic comedies, yet this one was different. I was intrigued by the young man's character and how well he listened to women. The women in the movie all seemed to really show an interest in this sensitive young man because he was honest with them, and he really listened to their hearts. The script in this movie is very well-written in my humble opinion, and I found the story refreshing compared to many Hollywood love stories. In fact don't even expect a love story with a predictable ending. Just expect to see a honest look into real life through the eyes of the characters in this movie. As long as you don't come with any expectations, I think you will find this movie very uplifting and worth a watch. Two thumbs up.

Some Research that Might Help You to be Happier

I was browsing around http://www.lifehacker.com and noticed this article about those who watch TV : http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/20/health/research/20happy.html?_r=1&em I highly recommend you take a look at it. TV and movies seem to be watched more and more. No I don't have any stats for you about this, but I do know that my tendency is to watch more of it, rather than less of it. However, unhappy people seem to watch MORE TV than happy people (at least according to the article above referenced). So come on people, turn off that television and go visit your neighbor or go for a hike. Do something other than allow yourself to passively watch hours of programming. I've thought of writing a novel someday in my life. However, watching TV seriously impedes any chance of starting my novel. Speaking of good novels - I just read one called Shoefly Pie by Tim Downs. Excellent book that was very well-written in my opinion. If you like murder mysteries, you might want to check it out.

The Enforcer Review

After reviewing the first movie of "Dirty Harry" and finding some major problems with the characters and plots (please see previous post), I wasn't sure how the sequels of Dirty Harry would be. However, I was curious enough to tape them when they were on TV. This movie "The Enforcer" is actually the 3rd in the series, and caused me to really start liking the series again. The first one left me skeptical, but Clint Eastwood does seem to really own this role, and the script writing is not bad at all. The clever comments and funny situations that Harry gets himself into and out of make for some good movie moments. In this movie, Harry gets a female partner (whom he doesn't quite trust) and itsn't thrilled about it. However, over time he grows to respect her and she proves to be a great partner for him. There are some great one-liners in this movie, and the acting is very well done in my opinion. Although Harry Callahan seems to be kind of arrogant and adopts an the-end-justifies-the-means mentality, movies like this make it hard not to like him anyway. Recommended if you have an interest in Clint Eastwood or good cop movies.

Incredible Hulk Review

This is the new Hulk movie that was released this summer 2008. I finally got around to renting it, and was expecting something a little more classic in the action-hero comic book made movie genre. Edward Norton does a wonderful job playing Bruce who becomes Hulk when he is angered. The other actors and actresses also did a decent job and the computer effects were very heavy and well-done. However, I still didn't walk away thinking it was a great movie as I did when I watched other movies such as the "The Dark Knight" or even "Spiderman 2". Maybe it just had too much action and not enough plot or perhaps I was just not emotionally drawn into the characters as I become in some other movies. I'm not sure what it was, but I would judge this merely as a good movie, and not a great one. Of course that being said, it could be I find it hard to be fascinated with the green hero. I'm glad he wants to help people, but he just doesn't win my support. Anger usually always leads to bad things, and I usually have more respect for superheros who can control their power rather than be controlled by it. Sure, most of them struggle with their abilities from time to time, but the bottom line is that hulk doesn't win my respect. 3 stars out of 5.

Cinderella Man Review

I have actually seen this movie when it was released in the theatre and really like the character development and overall story. Since Chrystal has not seen it yet, and I would consider it one of the better Russell Crowe movies, I decided to rewatch it. Basically it is the story of a caring husband and father that has the talent to be a boxer during the time of the Great Depression. Although he was injured and had a difficult time providing for his family, the movie does a great job showing his care for his family as well as the basic desire he had to keep his family together no matter how hard it became. This movie also does a fine job making the competing boxer a genuinely fearsome character. Although not scarry in a horror movie way, it was interesting to see how they built up the danger of taking on a heavy-weight champion boxer. Similar to the time when Apollo got killed in the ring which really caused Rocky to want to take on the man who killed his friend. Don't ask me what Rocky movie that was. It may have been Rocky 4, but with 6 of them, I may have gotten confused. All in all, I found "Cinderella Man" a movie that is worth your time to watch. Although it may not be completely historically accurate, the acting in it is credible and the story worthwhile in my opinion. Two thumbs up.

What I'm Reading

I thought I would take a small break to let you know that I am in the process of reading the book on the left by A.W. Pink. Although I don't agree with Pink's views on all of Scripture, I was impressed by the notes this guy has put together on Hebrews. Hebrews in the New Testament has always been fascinating to me because other than the Historical books (the Gospels and Acts), it is one of the longer books in the New Testament and people are still not postive who was the human author. Pink believes that the Apostle Paul was, but I'm not so sure. I tend to believe that Apollos may have written it, but of course, I have no proof. Anyway - this book so far is very good. I'm about 100 pages (out of 1312 pages) into it, but I find it very detailed and informative as well as practical. Pink was great at emphasizing the sovereignty of God and magnifying Jesus in his writings. I don't believe I am quite as Calvinistic as he was, and I'm definitely not a cessationist like he was, but overall I think this a book that is worth a read if you are interested in learning more about the book of Hebrews. Of course, the best way to learn about it is to read it yourself, and ask the Holy Spirit for insight on the book He inspired, nevertheless if you are looking for a good commentary to add to your study - I would recommend An Exposition of Hebrews by A.W. Pink.

The Outsiders Review

This movie is a classic teen movie of the 80s starring Patrick Swayzee, Tom Cruise, Rob Lowe, and some other big name actors. I rented this one because it is considered a classic and directed by the same guy who directed "The Godfather" movies. Overall, I was slightly disappointed. It was a sad movie about kids in gangs and probably did a pretty good job showing how much kids are looking for something to do when their home life is sad. I would say the stars of this movie would be Matt Dillion as the bully who stops caring about the world, and Ralph Macchio (who is famous for his role in "The Karate Kid") as a young boy who ends up making some bad choices early on and becoming a legend throughout the movie. Although there are some good performances in here, I felt that there was almost too much star power with all the young actors that played in this movie. It almost seemed that there was so much acting talent in this movie, that no one actor could really shine through. Besides that, I didn't feel that I grew to know the characters well enough to feel anything for them when tragedy hits. So I would not recommend this movie unless you want to see some well known actors in their early years. Half a thumb (singular) up for this movie in my opinion.

3:10 To Yuma Review

I'm not a huge fan of western movies. To me they have had their time in the spotlight, and just mention the character John Wayne and I'm sure about 7 westerns pop into your mind. However, this movie was recommended, and after watching it I was blown away by how well-done it was. The basic story is a poor farmer who has no respect from his son decides to help bring in a killer (Russell Crowe) for a $200 reward (and to earn respect from his son). The story is about his trek with the killer to the train that leaves at 3:10. This movie is very rich in character development and has some great action scenes as well. Russell Crowe was suberb in this movie, and for me I think it was one of the best movies I believe he has ever played in. Christian Bale also has a fine role. I was so impressed with this movie that I ended up buying it shortly after watching it. Great acting, great story, and a worthwhile ending. This movie has actually made me have hope that good western movies can come back. One note: although most of the bad characters in this movie quote the Bible, I didn't detect it as mocking Christians at all. People have been twisting the Bible and taking it out of context since it has been written, and I don't think that disproves it at all. As Romans says in chapter 3 verse 4 : "... Indeed, let God be true but every man a liar.. ". God's Word will continue to stand regardless of evil men misusing it. That being said, I found this movie fantastic and look forward to watching it again. Two thumbs up. Way up.

August Rush Review

This movie was recommended to me by several people as a great heart-warming story with a wonderful music soundtrack. I have to agree with the soundtrack aspect. This movie really does have some great original music and is fun to watch. The basic story is that a boy was born due to the union of two musicians having a one-night stand. They get separated and kind of go on with their lives not realizing that the father of the girl has signed the kid off for adoption and to stay in foster care not wanting his girl to become a mother. Long story short - and I must warn you that spoilers will be forthcoming - the boy uses his musical genius to help find the musical genius of his two parents so that they are all reunited over the love of music in the end. The one thing I didn't enjoy about this movie was that I found it kind of slow to get started. It definitely had good plot development, yet I found it almost boring in the beginning as I'm waiting for the story to unfold. However, the acting was very good, and as stated before the musical score is one of the best I've heard in recent movies made. Recommended for all those who have even a passing interest in music.

Why the Internet is not responsible for the decline in printed press subscriptions

I was thinking about this topic for a few days and have come to the realization that the Internet is not solely responsible for the decrease in printed newspaper subscriptions. Why, you ask? Well it is true that more and more people get their news from online sources, and less and less people actually take the time to read non-electronic media on a regular basis, but I have become convinced that the real reason people are less inclined to pay for the printed news page, is because of the decline in journalism. Journalists today (especially of the major newspapers and publications) seem to have a real hard time presenting articles from an unbiased point of view. Not that journalists are supposed to be neutral on every issue, but let's face it people - their viewpoint is no longer even trying to creep into most of the printed articles today - it is probably 75% of the entire content of the article!!! I for one, am not interested in reading liberal viewpoints about the world today and definitely not interested in PAYING for those viewpoints to be delivered to my home. I believe at one point the newspapers were more interested in the truth of their articles than in publicly writing their viewpoints of current events, but I think in this day and age, that has not been the trend. I really think more people would stay with newspaper subscriptions if the subscriptions were actually more factual than opinionated. However, today the average journalists can't restrain him/herself from heavily peppering their articles with bias in one form or another. I just want the facts people! While I don't believe this is the only reason printed newspapers have declined in sales, I do think much of journalism has become a soapbox to promote liberal viewpoints and have ceased being concerned about reporting unbiased facts. So that is my rant. I'm not saying all journalists are this way, it just seems most of the large publications have a good number of the journalists I described above. I invite any comments you may have.

Wild Hogs Review

I watched this movie last weekend and found it pretty amusing for a "buddy flick". The basic story is that four guys who's lives are falling apart, decide to take to the open road and go on a motorcycle road trip to feel "young and wild" again. One of the guys is a complete wimp at home and always has the last word of "yes ma'am" to everything his wife tells him. The other guys is an unfulfilled dentist who can't seem to connect with his son. The third guy (John Travolta's character) is a wealthy guy whose model wife is leaving him and filing for divorce, and the fourth guy is a geek who never married and has trouble initiating relationships with women. Overall there are many funny parts to this movie, and Chrystal and I both agreed that the 4 main actors do a good job of not stealing the show from each other. However, that being said, please don't watch this movie thinking it will be a classic movie for the whole family to enjoy. Their seems to be quite bit of off-color humor throughout, and although that wasn't played out in every scene, there was still too much for me to deem this a "family film". That being said : what do I think about the moral of the story? Well basically it was be honest with your spouse and take to the open road when you need to feel like a man and ride a motorcycle. Not sure I agree that the motorcycle is the best way to express your masculinity, and I definitely found the family solutions offered in the end as shallow and way too easy to solve to resemble any real life situation. That being said, as long as you don't seek deeper truth for how to be a real man in the real world, you will probably enjoy this movie with four very talented actors.

Shrek 3 Review

I have always been a fan of the Shrek movies. Not a die-hard fan where I wait in line on the opening day of the theatre release, yet still someone who likes to enjoy making fun of several Disney movies once in a while. So we got HBO for a few days on our cable box, and I was conveniently able to watch this movie and make a comparison compared to the other two (which I also enjoyed). My overall verdict? 4 Stars out of 5. In this movie, Shrek is about to become a dad, and he faces the fears that most fathers-to-be experience of how that is going to change his life and his wife's. Yet, even though this has standard Shrek humor throughout, I enjoyed this movie because it also had some creative moments and I never really thought "been there - done that" while watching the story unfold. Considering that this is the third movie about a green ogre that I have watched, I consider that impressive. I was also impressed by the new voice talents that they pulled in to play the characters. Shrek has always been top notch with hiring good voice actors, and they continue to impress. Great movie that has some unexpected twists and turns but overall is very well executed in my opinion.

The Marine Review

Chrystal and I had a chance to tape this one off the TV and this is another instance of a movie that I am sure glad I didn't pay to see. Basically John Cena is the marine and he definitely is a big guy and looks the part perfectly. He gets discharged from his duty as a marine and tries to make it as a rent-a-cop. Then as a rent-a-cop he gets into a fight and throws one of the disorderly clients through the building window and loses his rent-a-cop job. After this, some bad guys bump into him at a gas station and in the process kidnap his wife and steal his SUV. Now, the marine must track them down and get his wife back! That is the set-up for this movie, which borders on the comedy action level. It has a lot of action, but the special effects are just over-the-top. For instance, one of the bad guys in the movie fires a bazooka at a cop car in the movie and blows the car about 30 feet into the air with fire going all over the place. The bad guy then looks at one of his cohorts and says "What? Too much?". CHEEESY! One interesting thing is that the bad terminator actor from the movie Terminator 2 is back as the bad guy in this movie (not as a robot bad guy). This just isn't a very serious action movie. If you want cheesy lines and effects that are over the top, you will love this movie. However, if you are looking for another interesting action movie like the Bourne Identity you probably will want to stay far, far away from this one. Half one thumb up for this.

Failure to Launch Review

We caught this movie on TV, so I decided to review it for the blog. After seeing many previews, I wasn't necessarily sure I was really interested in plunking down money to rent this one, so I'm glad that I merely caught it on TV. Failure to Launch is the story of a guy who is about 35 years old, and still lives with his parents. They are really getting tired of supporting him, so they listen to some of their friends and hire a young lady that specializes in starting romantic relationships with guys that live at home and then helps them to move out of their parent's home. This movie wasn't quite as predictable as I guessed. There were definitely some plot twists, but overall many of the jokes were fairly funny and Chrystal and I liked the end product overall. Unfortunately, there is some inappropriate content that I didn't deem necessary to make the movie funny, but overall it was a cute story. If you are looking for a decent (I won't say "great") romantic comedy, you may want to check this one out. Not as good in my opinion as "Wayne's World 2" yet definitely more on the romantic side of things. One thumb up.

Facing the Giants Review

Chrystal added this movie to our list and we ended up watching it yesterday afternoon, since it was raining pretty hard in our area of town. I have to say, I wasn't expecting too much, but I thought this movie was very well done for a low budget movie with a strong Christian message. Basically it is the story of a football coach in Georgia who coaches football at a Christian school. He and his wife are fairly poor and not doing so well, when he decides to turn his life over to God and pray for some serious help. Things then begin to change, and overall the movie takes a turn for the better. One thing I really liked about this movie was how they showed that whether the team wins or loses, they still need to thank God and give Him glory. This is a message that never gets promoted in most sports movies made today. Winning becomes what it is all about, and thanking God for losing is almost unheard of. I liked that this movie was so different in that respect, because whether we win or lose games, God is still worthy to be praised. This movie also showed the power of prayer, and how influential coaches can be in the lives of students. Overall, the positive messages and the Gospel in this movie were very well presented, and it was refreshing to actually see a movie where winning isn't all the movie is about. Two thumbs up.

Wayne's World 2 Review

This was my (Paul's) pick due to the fact that I enjoyed the first movie so much. This one was also funny, so I wouldn't judge it a complete dud, yet it still lacked as much comedy as the first one contained. Basically Wayne and Garth are back in this one, and have to tackle situations like Wayne meeting his girlfriend's Asian father, Garth getting his first girlfriend, and Wayne having to fight a greedy music producer who is trying to steal his girlfriend. Some of the parts I did laugh out loud to, so I'm not going to judge this movie too harshly, yet you do have to be in the right state of mind to enjoy this movie. Don't watch this movie expecting profound moments of life illumination. Also don't watch this movie if you didn't like the first "Wayne's World" as I don't think you will think it is much better if any. However, I personally do like the "Wayne's World" movies better than any of the "Austin Powers" movies that Myers went on to do in the future. For some reason I just found them funnier and more clever in my opinion. Wayne's World 2 does feature actors like Charleton Heston, and Chris Farley (both who have since died), and it has a cameo of Drew Barrymore. It was neat to see how many famous actors and actresses decided to play small parts in this movie, and the jokes are pretty much non-stop. If you liked the first one, you should definitely check out this one.

21 Review

After being recommended this movie from some family members, we finally got around to seeing this 2 hour movie based on the book "Bringing Down The House". I own the book, but have never read the whole thing through, and although I liked this movie a lot, I have a feeling that it is VERY loosely based on the book (which is a true story). Basically it is the story of a M.I.T. student who learns to count cards in order to earn money to go to medical school. He hangs out with a professor at MIT and a team of students that work together in order to count cards and make thousands at the Vegas casinos. While some of this movie really seems unbelievable, it does make for a very interesting plot and Chrystal and I both really liked it. The soundtrack throughout the movie was very well put-together in my humble opinion, and I liked the way that it showed the corruption that money and greed can cause a young man. This movie illustrates the dangers of pride and greed and what that can cause in relationships and in life choices. It really did a good job illustrating the truth of Proverbs 16:18 (NKJV):
"Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before a fall."
Although some of it was predictable, we both really enjoyed it and thought it was very entertaining. There were a few scenes that in my opinion would have been better left out, but overall I highly recommend this movie. Two thumbs up.

Collateral Review

I rented this movie from Netflix and was actually pretty surprised at how well-acted it was. It also had a fantastic script. Without great acting and a great script I would consider this movie a flop, yet it had enough good parts to get a decent rating in my opinion. Tom Cruise is a hitman in this movie, and Jamie Foxx is the taxi driver that gets pulled into helping him. At first I thought this movie would be on the slow side, due to the whole movie happening in one night with most of the movie being in the taxi cab. However, that is where this movie surprised me. The writer takes the movie in directions I would never have guessed would happen out of this movie. The taxi cab driver's mother gets involved in the storyline, and they even throw in some romance which is impressive considering the short amount of time that the movie takes place over. I thought it was a good movie overall and would give it 4 out of 5 stars for quality. The ending left me a little disappointed (not bad, just not great), but overall a decent movie that really had clever dialog and great acting.

Regarding Henry Review

I actually have seen this movie several times, yet I don't think I have written a review of it yet. To me, this is one of Harrison Ford's best movies. He isn't an action hero, but this movie really shows some good acting and character development, without always being about special effects. The basic plot is a self-centered lawyer ends up getting shot in a robbery, and has to relearn who he is. He must learn to talk again, walk again, and love again and discover who he was before the shooting. As he discovers what his life and friends were like before the shooting, he really begins to hate who he was and this realization changes him for the better. Although this movie isn't perfect (there are a couple scenes that could have been edited out in my opinion), I do think it does a great job showing that sometimes the most important parts of our life get the least attention. As stated before, Harrison Ford does a wonderful job portraying not only an arrogant lawyer, but also a changed man who learns the true value of good family and faithful friends. This movie is a rare movie for hollywood. It is heart-warming and well done in my opinion, and if you haven't watched it yet - I recommend you check it out. 4.5 stars out of 5 in my opinion.

The Bucket List Review

This movie was directed by one of my favorite directors: Rob Reiner, who also directed classics like The Princess Bride, and A Few Good Men. The story is about two men who have both been diagnosed with cancer. One is a rich businessman who doesn't have much close family and thinks the world revolves around him (more or less), and the other one (Morgan Freeman's character) is a humble mechanic who has a large family who loves him, yet who feels like he never got to do everything he was hoping to before getting the tragic news of terminal cancer. The two characters end up sharing a hospital room and throughout getting to know one another, they decide to write a bucket list of all the things they want to do before they kick the bucket. These things include driving fast cars, skydiving, and few other things. Throughout this journey, they grow closer together and find more to life than they originally thought they possessed. Unfortunately, they really leave the question of where they will spend eternity out of the equation. To Rob Reiner's credit he does include a dialog between the characters about faith, yet the end result was kind of a "believe what works for you" outcome. Nothing about repentance, nothing about living for eternity rather than for the moment, and no mention of Jesus(unless used in blasphemy). On a positive note, the movie did show the value of staying close to your family and making an effort to restore broken relationships. All in all, it was a fairly good movie, yet it was sad due to not offering much hope of eternal life. I would give 2.5-3 stars out of 5.

Jumper Review

Chrystal, my sister-in-law Melody, and I just finished watching this action sci-fi flick and were pleasantly surprised how fun it was. We initially weren't sure about this movie, due to it being a superhero (sort-of) spin-off, yet it really kind of stood alone. Basically it is the story of a guy who can teleport to all different places, and begins to use the power to steal and abuse his power for evil. Through all this storyline (which isn't very deep to begin with), he is chased down by people that don't like his power and want him dead. One thing that really impressed me about this movie (realism aside) is how cool they made teleporting look. I mean if you have an ounce of imagination, you would enjoy just thinking about having the power to be anywhere at once, and this movie made it look very, very sweet. Almost worth re-watching, but definitely worth a good watch for an action, comedy, sci-fi flick that does a decent job blending them all together. One theme I took from this movie (similar to Spiderman 3) is that it is wrong to assume people will turn out a certain way just because others like them have made some bad choices. I agree with that idea to some degree but not completely. People have a sinful tendency to do wrong (bar-none). There is not one person I believe who is basically good. We do all have a choice to make, however. Through God's grace we can choose to accept Jesus Christ as Savior and live in His power doing good things, or we can go our own direction, live in sin, and ultimately end up in hell. This is a serious choice and one that everyone should consider. Left to ourselves we all are sinful, but Christ offers us salvation and hope to live a righteous life through His strength and power. I'll close with a couple verses from God's Word:

And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment - Hebrews 9:27 NKJV

Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, and that he may send the Christ, who has been appointed for you—even Jesus. Acts 3:19-20.

In Good Company Review

I saw this movie was on TV, and since Chrystal had wanted to see this one, I decided to check it out. We watched it the other day, and I must say I was pretty disappointed. I haven't seen Topher Grace in too much other than Spiderman 3 and "The 70s Show", yet this movie is one I wouldn't consider his crowning accomplishment. Don't get me wrong, it isn't terrible, it just doesn't quite live up to the way I thought it would be. It broke out of the steriotypical romantic comedy to become a drama with slightly funny moments throughout. Dennis Quaid plays a kind of mean executive who has little patience for those who are younger than him in the business world. Topher Grace becomes his boss and is really looking for a mentor. So guess what? He picks Dennis Quaid and the two begin to work very closely together. One sad part of this movie involved Topher's character inviting himself over to Dennis Quaid's house just because he was so lonely and depressed that his wife left him. It really made me see how people need others in their life, and it made me grateful that I belong to a church with many friends who would care for me through tough times, so that I wouldn't have to invite myself over to a co-workers just because I was lonely. Having like-minded Christians who pray for you and support you in your time of need is something that many people just don't have. Back to the movie however. All in all I thought this movie lacked fulfilling character roles, and left me thinking that something was missing from the story. Maybe all it was trying to do was to portray real life in corporate America. However, that is a subject I don't need integrated into a "comedy". Too realistic and real-life, and not light-hearted enough. Two thumbs down in my opinion.

SHE SAID:

Well, I don't post very often, but I just want to warn people to not watch this bland-wait-it's-got-to-get-better movie!! I think Topher Grace is a good actor based on his previous roles, but this movie is not even sure what genre to call itself. I wanted to watch it because the previews made it look like a romantic comedy. Sadly, even the attempts at humor often fell flat. I will echo what Paul said about Topher desperately seeking community from his coworkers (because he has no friends). At 26 his career is so central that he often works Sunday's and goes thru a divorce. There are plenty of scriptures on the value of hard work, but when all you have is your career it's a very empty unfufilling life. Overall, there was slight chemistry between Topher and his love interest. Without giving too much away, Topher, does not lead as a man should in the relationship. Lastly, the movie abruptly ends without really tying the plot together! It's a movie that after you watch it, you might have to watch another movie to console yourself.

Con Air Review

I DVRed this movie the other day and finally had a chance to watch it from one end to the other. I found it pretty enjoyable for an action flick. Not that many people look to this blog for recommendations or anything, but I thought I would post what I thought of this movie. First of all, great all-star cast that play their parts reasonably well. You have Nick Cage, John Malkovich, and John Cusack to name a few. Nick Cage is the star of the story who gets sent to federal prison for killing someone in a bar fight. The movie does a good job showing how he is really a nice guy deep down and showing the admirable qualities of loyalty and care for others that are present in his character. Although this is an action movie, I liked the fact that it had plenty of humor throughout so that I won't blame this movie for taking itself too seriously. There are some pretty graphic violent scenes in this movie, but you generally don't pop in a movie with the name "CON AIR" on it expecting a movie that will make you and your family feel good before you fall asleep. It is a movie about cons, so in that sense, I can say it may not be entirely uplifting to watch, yet in another sense it still shows that even in bad situations (like Nick found himself in), things can work out OK (with God's help of course). It almost reminds me of the Joseph story. Joseph got thrown into prison, yet he still didn't let that make him a prisoner in the way he acted. He kept believing God and trusting that God would get him out eventually, and as the Bible says, he ends up becoming second in command to the king of Egypt, and God uses it to reunite him with his family. Well I won't say too much more about the "Con Air" or the way it ends, but if you want plenty of action and a fairly redemptive ending, I recommend that you check it out.

Reign Over Me Review

I watched this movie a few weekends ago, and actually liked it more than I thought. The story line is complex and the character development was really good (in my opinion) in this movie about college buddies that get reaquainted with one another after one of them goes through the horrible loss of his wife and children when they die in a 9/11 airplane. Adam Sandler portrays the withdrawn widower who lives a lonely life in the city trying to deny what happened in his life, and live a life of no responsibility. Don Cheadle does a superb job of playing his friend who isn't content to let Adam Sandler's character live a life disconnected and tries to genuinely get involved in his life by spending time with him and encouraging him to get professional help. What this movie does so well in my opinion is show how badly we all need people in our lives to help us see who we really are, and to grow through the life trial and temptations that we all face. I believe a church is probably the best instrument for that to happen in, yet in this movie, it was an old college buddy who wasn't content to mind his own business, but instead wanted to genuinely help his friend get through the grieving process. Throughout the story, Don Cheadle's character ends up learning a thing or two about his own life and marriage as a result of spending so much time investing his life in the life of his widower friend. I believe over all that this story shows the power of community to help us to grow and develop, and the only sad part about this movie, is that it didn't really show that the Author of Life, Jesus Christ, is the one who really offers genuine help and comfort in the midst of trials and pain. 4 out of 5 stars in my book.

Invincible Review

This movie Invincible is the inspiring true story of a bar tender who wants to play pro football after the Philly Eagles got desperate enough to hold an all open try-out session for the whole city of Philadelphia. I rented this one expecting a traditional sports story of the underdog that ends up achieving great things, and for the most part this story delivered. It had a few slow parts in it, but for the most part it kept the story moving, and also the content is very clean (probably due to being Disney) which is a definite plus in movies today. The challenge today I think is being able to create a movie that goes where no prior sports movie has gone. This movie doesn't quite do it in my opinion. Granted it is a true story and true stories don't always seem as exciting, but with movies like Rocky, Remember the Titans, and others already giving you the classic recipe for an emotionally moving story of the underdog that rises to the top, this story kind of left you feeling like something was missing. Mark Whalberg did a decent job, but in my opinion the writers made his character a little too one-dimensional . I'm sure the real person he was trying to portray was a lot more 3-dimensional and real, and sadly this movie didn't quite show that. It showed a quiet humble guy but someone who wasn't quite developed enough that you wanted to stand up and cheer in the end. I did find the story good, just not a spectacular must-see. 3 out of 5 stars in my humble opinion.

Book Review of "The Summons" by John Grisham

Well I finally read my first book by John Grisham, and I was very impressed. I have seen several of the books made into movies that he has written, and for the most part have liked them very much. I really liked the movie The Firm as well as the movie The Rainmaker. So I decided to read this book on the left to see what his writing style was like. This story is the story of two brothers who are summoned home to find that their dad has died and left several million dollars of cash around with no mention of it in his will. The oldest brother (Ray) finds the money in the story and decides he will hide it until he can figure things out. I don't want to give too much away (for those who haven't read it yet), but it was really a fascinating read. The story was fast enough pace to keep you interested, and I think did a great job showing the dangers of hoarding wealth. In fact, if I had to pick one verse in the Bible that illustrated what this story was about, I would pick Luke 12:15 where Jesus says:

Then he said to them, "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions."

Greed can do all sorts of things to a person, and in the end cause him/her to hurt the ones he/she loves. This novel was an excellent story that helped to enforce that idea, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Highly recommended.

Lucky You Review

I had seen several previews for this movie, and it looked good so while at the video store, I figured we would pick it up and see what quality of romantic comedy this proves to be. First mistake renting this movie, was thinking that it was a romantic comedy. It really isn't. All the commercials and previews make it appear to be a great romantic comedy movie, but in reality Lucky You is more of a sports drama about a distant son who is a habitual gambler and his rocky relationship with his dad who taught him the game of poker and who is always trying to show that he is a better gambler than his own son. However, that being said I have to admit I liked this movie. Eric Bana is the main character who is not necessarily a likeable character in the beginning as they show how desparate this guy is to gamble. He basically pulls all sorts of tricks just to get more money to hit the poker tables, and even steals from Drew Barrymore after taking her out for a romantic date. He not only compulsively gambles, he really has a chip on his shoulder towards his father who consistently beats him in gambling and makes him feel like he'll never measure up. That is what is great about this movie. Although it isn't really a comedy (OR that romantic), the complexity of the characters and the lessons that the main character learns about relationships make this movie worth seeing. I won't give away how things work out, but I will say it does prove to teach some very important lessons about winning, competition, and forgiveness. As long as you aren't watching this movie for a sappy love story, I think if you give it a chance, this movie may be an enjoyable watch with redemptive themes.

Dan in Real Life review

We got a recommendation from a friend that "Dan in Real Life" would be a good romantic comedy with a good amount of romance, yet something I (Paul) would enjoy watching as well. I personally am not into movies where the guys are merely there to add the romance factor and have no real function other than to sweep the main girl character off of her feet. Sure sappy love stories have their place, but I appreciate good romantic comedies that have some substance to the characters lives. We were not at all disappointed with "Dan in Real Life". This movie was great. The characters are well-played, and very true-to-life at times, and the story isn't boring at all and moves along very well. The main plot of the story is a guy named "Dan" who is the single father of three girls and also works as a newspaper columnist. Dan is just trying to do a good job as a dad to his three girls when he meets this intriguing woman at a bookstore and really hits it off talking to her. He thought all was going well, until he finds out that his brother is dating her. I won't go any further than that, but this movie did a wonderful job showing how awkward and weird falling in love can be (especially around your close family). I thought the family relationships shown in this movie were really shown in a great 3 dimensional way, and yet it still showed that the extended family cared about each and every person. Dan has trouble throughout with his feelings, but one of the characters wisely shares with him that "love isn't just a feeling, it is an action you take" (my paraphrase). I have to agree with that message, and hope that more movies like this one are released. Two thumbs up.

Jerry Maguire Review

Another movie that it took me some time to actually watch all the way through. I finally did after much coaxing from my wife, and was pretty impressed with this movie. As most probably know, it is the story of a sports agent who ends up hitting rock bottom and through the power of a dream and some loyal friends, decides to change his life. I guess this movie could pass as a romantic comedy, but it also has many other "just plain drama" moments. Unfortunately, it also has some things that detract from the morals and message (such as pre-marital sex, and quite a bit of foul language). The negative parts are unfortunate, because the acting is top-notch and some of the messages are really redemptive. A few things I liked about this movie were :

1. I won't go into how, but one of the strongest themes throughout the movie was the importance of sincere honesty when relating to others. Acting like nothing is wrong or refusing to say anything that might hurt or offend can actually hinder rather than help growth in life and character.

2. Another thing this movie shows was that sometimes you can't grow until you hit rock bottom. Jerry Maguire did hit rock bottom in this movie, and although he turned to alcohol and depression when unsure of the next steps, it did show that once he reached the end of of his abilities, it was the beginning of his career and life starting to take a turn in the up direction.

3. Many dialog lines that pop culture has picked up. Although I don't go around repeating "Show me the money!" (Cuba Gooding Jr.) or "help me to help you" (Tom Cruise), I admire the delivery and catchiness of some of the lines used in this movie.

All in all, this movie does have a redemptive finish and I found I thought the theme did reinforce some good points about life. Not a movie, in my top 10 list, but yet if you find it on TV (with edited content), I would recommend sitting through it to see what "Jerry Maguire" is all about.

Shattered Glass Review

Well as mentioned before, I haven't completely given up movies. I caught this great movie on TV the other night, and was pleasantly surprised how well-written and directed it was. It is the true story of a journalist by the name of Stephen Glass and a look at his career and how he was discovered to have fabricated some of his stories. It does a phenomenal job of showing how Mr. Glass was probably thinking in order to justify his false journalism, and how he really loved to just tell a great story and have everyone laugh and be entertained. The movie is very well-done in my opinion and very engaging as it shows the publications he writes for become more and more suspicious that he is making up his "facts". I was really drawn into this movie that shows how some people become so desirious for public approval and praise that they are willing to lie in order to be recognized. Watching this movie made me think about my own temptation at times to be hypocritical and to appear differently than I truly am -merely because I want people to think well of me. I do feel sorry that Mr. Glass felt the need to lie in order to impress others, yet I know that he isn't alone in thinking that that will make you popular and well-liked. However, people do want the truth in the long run, and fortunately in journalism that need is pretty emphasized. Although everyone wants to believe that they can get away with things that they know are wrong, I think Numbers 32:23 says it very well ....

"But if you fail to keep your word, then you will have sinned against the Lord, and you may be sure that your sin will find you out." NLT

and the good news is contained in Romans 6:23

"For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord. NLT.

This movie gets two thumbs up in my view.

What I'm Reading

Currently I've picked up the book on the left at my local library, and have been surprised with how involved in the story I am becoming. This story revolves around a young man who's mother has passed away and she has left him a note to go find his uncle and live with him. So, the boy (Jeremy) decides to head across country and find his uncle - who happens to be working at a mine. I haven't finished this story, but I must say the characters are pretty engaging, and the story moves along without too much descriptive language as some novels have a tendency to do. So far I'm really enjoying this book and look forward to finishing it soon.

As far as the comments I have received (re: last post)....

I would like to clarify that I have not given up all movies, just decided to use less of my time to watch movies. I recommend using your time to further creativity, not just watching the ideas of others.

What's been going on

Hello to everyone out there in bloggerville. Just thought I would post some news of what is happening in my life. Due to my increase in movie watching of late, and how little free time I have after I watch the quantity of movies I am accustomed to watching, I have decided to take a break from my online movie subscription. I have cancelled it. Instead of trying to watch 3 movies a month, I intend to watch less TV/movies and read more good books, visit my library, tour the area, and stay involved in my church more. I'm not saying that movies will never have a place in my life - I just want to make sure that movies have a much smaller place than they have been taking of late. I will still post movie reviews from time to time, but now I will probably intersperse movie reviews with book reviews and life stories of my adventures in living (however boring that might be). I also enjoy writing, so I may devote some time to actually write some blog postings that are more than my two cents on the latest from Hollywood. This is very appropriate (at least imho) also due to the writer's strike that is making TV boil down to nothing more than re-runs, news shows, sports, and reality TV. No this isn't a New Years Resolution. This is something that has dawned on me as I came home day after day plopped myself down on the couch and keep hoping that there is something worthwhile on television to numb my brain to another night. I'm sick of it I tell you! Creativity in America is suffering due to the amount of TV watching our country does. It is time to meet your neighbors, try new recipes, go for hikes in the woodlands, and find out what quality novels are being written and are freely available at your local library. Movies have their place, but in my case they were becoming a time drain that I can not afford to keep feeding. Life has too much to offer for me to stay cooped up in the house all evening!! A few movies I have seen parts of, I will now comment on briefly:

Life is Beautiful - excellently done movie about the Holocaust. Very touching and worth watching in my opinion.

Picture Perfect - amusing romantic comedy with Rachel from Friends. Didn't watch all of it, but Chrystal really enjoyed this one.

Labyrinth - Old classic movie by Jim Henson. Kind of strange, but interesting if you like fantasy. If you don't like fantasy and fairy tales, you should probably skip it. Fun songs.

Live Free or Die Hard Review

This movie is essentially considered "Die Hard 4". Since I had seen the other ones (except I haven't watched Die Hard 2 through completely) I wanted to see if Bruce Willis still could kick the same kind of butt as he did back in the day. I liked this movie a lot. The action was non-stop and the stunts were very impressive. Sure, you have to put believability to rest for a while, but the Die Hard series has never been about ultra realistic stunts and stories. Bruce Willis did a very impressive job reprising his old role from the earlier movies. He was great - had wonderful one-liners like usual, and kept the action moving throughout. In this movie, the bad guy is an exceptional computer hacker/genius who is trying to cause national chaos and terrorism and Bruce Willis has to do all sorts of things to stop him. In order to do this, he teems up with a super-smart genius computer savy young man who turns out to be just what he needs to get to the bad guy. I think the team-work between the young man and Bruce was superb and really helped the story to have a broader appeal to the younger ages. Allthough there is a fair amount of bad language and violence, I don't think the bad outweighs the good in this movie. Great action, great acting, and a great closure to the entire Die Hard series. Two thumbs up.

Blades of Glory Review

Over the holidays I rented the movie "Blades of Glory" and finally had a chance to sit down and watch it. I was actually surprised about how much I laughed at this movie. I am not a big fan of ice skating and thought a funny spoof movie about it would be hilarious. I enjoyed "Napolean Dynamite" and some of the Will Farrell's movies, so I figured this movie had a lot of potential in the laugh department. It did not disappoint in the laughs, but unfortunately the writers had to add a lot of sexual humor to this movie that wasn't necessary at all. Basically the plot involves Will Farrell and Jon Heder getting kicked out of solo skating tournaments due to getting in a huge fight during an awards ceremony. Their licenses for competing in tournaments are banned for life until someone finds that that ruling only applies to solo tournaments and that they could skate together in couples tournaments with no legal issues. What results are some of the funniest skating moments I have ever witnessed in a movie. This movie had me laughing so hard that I even rewound parts to rewatch how funny they were. Due to some parts having a lot of inappropriate innuendo I probably wouldn't buy this movie, but some of the scenes are really laugh-out-loud funny (as long as you don't mind making fun of ice skating). Minus some of the inappropriate material, this is a very funny movie. Unfortunately due to some of the content, this movie gets a "B-" from me. Too bad the writers have to include inappropriate humor in modern comedies.

Secondhand Lions Review

I was given a recommendation to see this 2003 film by a friend who said it was really a good movie. I wasn't quite sure what to expect from a film where a boy goes to spend some time with two old quirky men who are his great-uncles (supposedly). However, this movie was very well done, and the acting did not disappoint at all. The plot is that this neglected young man is sent to live with his two great uncles who everyone believes are loaded with money (yet who remain kind of strange and reclusive). As he gets to know them, he really begins to like them for who they are, and enjoys learning about their hobbies, their passions, and their history. The film sort of bordered on fantasy with all the storytelling and adventures that the characters get into, yet never to the point that a movie like Mary Poppins would go. I enjoyed the movie, yet sometimes wondered where the story was going. It had a good ending and kept you pretty entertained, yet it wasn't one I would necessarily laugh-out-loud too, nor one I would necessarily want to rewatch. What was refreshing about this movie was that it was very clean and interesting for a family movie without resorting to special effects to tell a good story. It also showed two older men who had many ambitions and loved to live life, and how long that allowed them to live. I am a firm believer that having goals and ambitions in life help you to live long and live life to the fullest and this movie clearly portrayed it in the characters. Yet, sadly this movie did gloss over one of the most important questions a person can ask ... how can I know God personally? Although the men in this movie were out to seek adventure, they failed to look toward God as a person they could relate to and who could lead them on the greatest adventure in life that any man/woman could ever know.

Through him [Jesus] all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. - John 1:3-4 NIV

Early Christmas presents

I love early Christmas presents! This wonderful movie was presented to me by my wonderful wife as an early Christmas present. I have to say that Transformers was one of the best movies of Summer 2007 in my opinion. The effects were great, the story was well-done (even though it was a tad long), and you just can't argue with how cool transforming robots are who come to save the world. What could be better in the fictional Hollywood world where all things work out in the end? I actually never followed the toys and cartoon in the 80s, but I fondly remember how much of a rage they caused among my friends and peer group of the time. I personally was more into G.I. Joe, but I have to say that given the chance, I may have been seriously into Transformers as well. In any case, I think the new movie was well worth watching several times. There are a few parts that definitely seem to cater to the MTV crowd, and unfortunately the writer thought that things like that had to be included in this movie. However, I still don't think it ruins the movie as a whole. Great action, fun story, rocking music. Sounds like a blockbuster to me.

Hollywood Homicide Review

Another movie that I caught on TV and taped, so I thought I would review it. I initially was interested in this movie, due to liking Harrison Ford and his spin at comedy (at least in the Star Wars movies). I knew this movie hadn't gotten that many great reviews, but I thought I would check it out. After watching it, I can see why reviewers were, for the most part, disappointed with this one. I'm glad it wasn't taking up queue space on my blockbuster list. It is a mediocre comedy about an old cop (sorry Harrison) and a young cop who have to learn to work together. Josh Hartnett plays the young guy. You may remember him from the movie Pearl Harbor. He was OK in this movie, but definitely wasn't the best at acting. Harrison was semi-funny in this comedy but he seems to have lost some of his Indiana Jones/Hans Solo humor that made him so funny in the 70s and 80s. Any good lessons in this movie? Not really. The whole movie is supposed to be a semi-funny cop comedy. It somewhat succeeds but not as well as it could. I think better script writing would have helped. One of the funniest parts for me involves a wild car chase in a convertible. Needless to say, seeing Harrison Ford bent out of shape due to his young partner's driving was HILARIOUS! After that, the film is mildly entertaining, but not that great. I did think Harrison Ford did a better job than in the movie Firewall that came out after this one. In Firewall, you just feel bad for him when he takes on the bad guys. At least this movie never put Ford in a place where you honestly felt bad that he was placed in danger. After all, that is what Indiana Jones thrives on. I'll be looking forward to see how his new Indy movie turns out this coming Summer 2008.

Untamed Heart Review

Chrystal is a fan of Christian Slater movies (especially the 80s and early 90s ones) and had seen this romance drama so I added it to the Blockbuster queue to see what it was like. I'm personally not a huge Slater fan, but in some movies I admit he has some talent in the acting arena. This was an interesting movie, because it wasn't really a light-hearted romantic comedy, yet it wasn't pure drama. It was a very well-told story of an orphan boy (Slater) with some social handicaps who ends up falling in love with a waitress. There are definitely some rough parts of this movie, but the director did a great job really causing the characters to shine through so that they seem very 3 dimensional throughout. This is definitely a movie I believe girls will favor over guys, but it had enough going for it that I sat all the way through it. It definitely is a sad movie, and I wouldn't necessarily call the movie edifying, but if it set out to be an emotionally moving love story, I would say it succeeded. Well done, but not that high on my list to see again.

Drumline Review

Chrystal owns this movie, and since I never have seen it (even though it came out in 2002), I decided to sit down and watch it with her. I must confess I was a little skeptical that this movie would be that engaging, due to the subject matter. Come on, people, we are talking about drums in a college band. Not even sports here! However, this movie was surprisingly very very entertaining and well done (in my opinion). First of all, the actor Nick Cannon is amazing. He plays his role exceptionally. Also the actual chemistry of all the stars goes a long way and the movie does a fantastic job of taking something that the audience may not care about much (in this case, playing in a band for those who have never been muscicians), and making it very entertaining and fun to watch. I used to play the trumpet, but have never actually been involved in anything like a college band. However, watching the drum scenes were never boring in this movie due the fantastic way it was presented. Not only that, but true life lessons were well-presented throughout this journey about a young man with talent and a bad attitude. I'm glad Chrystal recommended I watch this one with her. Two thumbs up for a movie that teaches great lessons in an engaging way! I would venture to say that this movie was the best band movie I have seen since the old musical Music Man.

Bobby Review

The movie "Bobby" recently came out and featured many famous actors, so I decided to see how it was. It is a two hour movie that features many, many famous actors and actresses and my guess is that it was trying to show how life was being lived around the time of Robert Kennedy. However, that being said, Chrystal made a good point - that there are so many famous actors and actresses that it is "almost distracting" . I have to agree, a lot of talent stars in this movie, but after the show you really have to wonder if any star really "shines through" in a performance like this. To me there seemed to be too much background story revolving around life in the famous hotel where Robert Kennedy was shot, and not enough biographic story of Robert Kennedy. Of course, that may be what the director was trying to achieve, but I just had a sense that there was too much going on, and never really got involved in any one of the story lines throughout the movie. Due to the large number of story threads in this movie, you kind of feel like this movie is trying to go into too many directions at one time. All in all, the acting was very well done, but I would have preferred a movie that centered more on the life of Robert Kennedy and less on the lives of those at the hotel - afterall I am watching a movie called "Bobby". I would give this movie one thumb up, but probably not worthy of two thumbs up in my opinion. Definitely don't rent this movie if you are looking for a historical biography sketch of Robert Kennedy.

What I have been reading lately....

I have also been doing some reading since reading and watching movies are two of my most time-consuming hobbies. The book I'm reading currently is a very insightful and motivating book on prayer titled Destined For the Throne by Paul Billheimer. I am on my second reading of this book, due to how good and deep this work is. It isn't very long, but the author is really writing about something that is close to his heart, and you can sense that he isn't writing about something he doesn't practice himself. I do enjoy reading books on prayer, maybe because I recognize how little I do of true praying - I'm not sure. This book has principles that are worth re-reading and that really help true Christians understand in a deeper sense what role prayer plays in bringing God's Kingdom to Earth. Since I am on my second reading, I highly recommend you read a copy of this great book.

Spiderman 3 Review

We finally rented this blockbuster movie of the summer after having low expectations from what the critics and some of our friends had reported about the 3rd installment. I have to say, we both were pleasantly surprised! Maybe we had our expectations in the right place, but I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. Spiderman begins to wrestle with pride, bitterness and wanting revenge, and learns that he must choose to remain true and honest in order to stay out of trouble. Some people were complaining that they tried to put 3 bad guys into this movie, and they did - but I don't think it was overdone. It was a long movie, but it didn't seem too drawn out, and I think the overall story was very well done and did not leave you thinking there was too much underdeveloped (at least for me). This movie also had some very redemptive themes about how pride leads to destruction and how dangerous it is to be bitter. It also emphasized the value of forgiveness. I have to say that this movie addressed some surprisingly deep issues of life for a superhero movie. The special effects were well done, the story wasn't too dark, and the morals throughout were very redemptive. I was not disappointed in the least bit with this final episode in the Spiderman trilogy and I think I liked it better than the first movie (about equal with the second movie though). All in all, this movie did a wonderful job showing what we, as Christians, must do according to Hebrews 12:15 - we must

"Look after each other so that none of you fails to receive the grace of God. Watch out that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up to trouble you, corrupting many." NLT

Bitterness does work like a poison (or venom) which can really cause you to stumble as a Christian. That's why we are all called to exhort each other to not fail to receive the grace of God as the above verse references. Check out Spiderman 3 for a great movie, with great acting and great special effects. Two thumbs up. Highly recommended.

Better Off Dead Review

This is considered a classic in the genre of 80s teen comedies. John Cusack (one of the only famous actors in this movie) is the star of this story of a young man who is obsessed with his girlfriend only to have her break up with him to date the champion snow skiier of the school. This movie is wacky, funny, and inventive so please don't rent this movie thinking it will be your typical romantic comedy. It has a sort of deadpan humor that I have a feeling would grow funnier the more I watch it. There is a mean paper boy that is always demanding 2 dollars, there is a sidekick friend who thinks that snow can be sold as drugs, and there is even claymation in this movie. I liked the movie, although I do think the humor appeals more to guys than girls. Although Chrystal watched it with me, I think she didn't enjoy it quite as much as I did. One of my favorite parts involves a scene with Barney Rubble (from the Flintstones). Any movie that can work Barney into the script definitely should be watched for creativity alone if nothing else. All in all, I would say this is an odd-but-funny teen comedy that is very quotable and that I would recommend. Just don't expect something extremely witty and intelligent.

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