Book Review : The Gospel According to Jesus

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

The Controversy 

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

Where do I fall?

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

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

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

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

What am I not positive on?  

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

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

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

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

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

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

Here is what could have been better:

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

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

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

Terminator is back - do you care?

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

No, that is not a typo.  

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

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

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

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

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

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

A Second Look at Steve Jobs

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Steve Jobs Review

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

Here are my takeaways from the biographical movie Steve Jobs:

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

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

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

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

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

The Money Pit Review

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

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

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

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

Smashed Review

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

4. Great acting but offensive language.   

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

6 Books That Can Change Your Life

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

1.  The Bible by God

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

2. The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey

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

3. The Hour that Changes the World by Dick Eastman

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

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

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

Last Two are Biographical True Stories

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

5. God's Smuggler by Brother Andrew

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

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

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

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

Jack Ryan : Shadow Recruit Review

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

Here is my summation of this movie from my perspective:

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

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

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

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

Concussion Review

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

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

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

Her View: Creed

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

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

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

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

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

Creed Review

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

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

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

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

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

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

American Sniper Review

Finally saw this much discussed movie.  I had heard how it ended so I was bit reluctant to see it.  However, overall I'm glad I did.  This is the story of Chris Kyle and his amazing story of becoming a legend in the SEAL teams for his sniping skills.  I thought Bradley Cooper did a wonderful job playing the main character and Sienna Miller had much more of a part than a traditional war movie allows.  What were the take-aways of this movie without spoiling it for you?

1. Did a great job showing the struggle of man to go from fighting a war to raising a family.  This is a struggle I only know the second half about.  Raising a family ain't easy.  However, I thought the writing and directing captured well the struggle of man going from war-time alertness to husband and dad.   I don't know from experience, but this transition is no easy one to take on.  Chris Kyle dealt with it, and still managed to adjust.

2. Showed the horrors of war and the struggles within a man to do what was right.  This movie did a great job showing how evil the enemy is.  So much so that I caution anyone with a sensitive stomach to be careful watching this movie.  Let's just say the bad guys were truly hideous in this movie.

3. I haven't read the book by the same name,  but I felt like the movie gave me the summation of it.  I usually prefer book reading to movie watching.  However, on this movie I don't think I will be reading the book.  It was powerful, well acted, and I felt like I understood Chris Kyle's life enough that I don't need to read the biography as well.

4. Finally I felt it was well-written and directed for a being a biographical movie.  Biographical movies are tough, because if they are too accurate they can bog down and get boring.  I never felt that with American Sniper.  The movie pace kept me interested and I never felt like it was getting boring dwelling on one part too long.  I think Clint Eastwood and the script writer did a great job distilling this movie into the time it took to tell the story right.

Negatives: Despite the good direction and excellent story-telling this movie did feature graphic violence and harsh language.  I would not recommend this for children or for those sensitive to war violence and colorful language.    Overlooking those traits,  you may be interested to watch the Chris Kyle story in American Sniper.

Are Video Games the Cigarette of the Modern Man?

In this day and age - Cigarettes and tobacco are getting less and less popular it seems.  CVS doesn't even sell tobacco products any longer!  There are anti-tobacco ads on TV and in the theater and all that is a good sign that people are waking up to the dangers of smoking and it is growing less and less popular to do.  However, video games seem to be rising in popularity as the average age of the American male playing video games seems to go up every year.  The games that are rated 17+ seem to attest that older and older players (or at least people interested in older rated material) are spending time and money on this hobby and it is becoming known to be quite addictive.  While there may be no physical addiction created like cigarettes there still is a psychological addiction as teenagers, 20-somethings, 30+ men and women are spending countless hours trying to beat levels and gain achievements at their new favorite past time.   So this brings me to my question :

Are Video Games the Cigarette of the Modern Man?

If so,  is this something we should be conerned about?  How bad is it that young men are spending time and money trying to level up their player rather than smoking and killing themselves physically little by little?  Well that is a complex question that has many parts to the answer.

Physically Speaking : Video Games are a better habit than Cigarettes

As far as I know no one has died of cancer from playing video games too long.  Sure you may not have much of a social life and your time in front of the console may be a bit over the healthy limit, However, as far as shortening your life - there is a clear win for video games as long as you supplement with regular exercise and a healthy diet.   Video games can be a healthy way to relieve some stress and can cause you to persevere under intense hand/eye coordination until you achieve the prize or win the game.

Mentally Speaking : Hard to Say

Cigarettes did no favors to your mental development,  but unless you are playing educational video

games it is a stretch to say that they help you grow and develop mentally.  In fact having a smoke and socializing with others on the back porch may in the long run prove to be more healthy mentally (at least socially) than grunting in triumph with a friend as you punch endless buttons and beat his character in the competition.   I'm sure there are healthy social video game avenues where people actually socialize while enjoying the video games - but I'm unaware of them in my limited video gaming at this stage in my life.  I enjoy playing games but I'm concerned what they are doing for the modern man.  

The Danger of Video Game Addiction

The danger of this new addiction in the modern man's life is that it could keep them from befriending members of the opposite sex,  could keep them from finding a trade/career and begin to suffocate them socially from others.  Pretty soon they have to beat the game rather than finish their school project, work longer hours at work,  or take time off to catch up with family and friends.  This is all related to how many hours the guy is putting in on the game - but many men today are consumed with video games to the extent that they stall in their career, and never seem to innovate and find other productive uses for their time.  When addictions are absent in a man or woman's life it allows them to focus on who they are - and what they hope to become.  Cigarettes didn't really eat into a man's time as much as video games have the potential to do.  Therein lies the danger of video games.  They have the potential to so invade the free time of the modern man that they cease to become all that God has called them to be.  Video games can be a fun diversion but they can also become so all-consuming that higher priorities are left untouched in a person's life.

In Defense of Video Games

I'm not against playing video games.  I have a few of them myself and I think in moderation they can be a great way to relieve some stress.  I just write this article because I think they are becoming too expensive and time consuming in our modern American culture.  Spending 40+ hours a week of your free time trying to beat the next big boss may be gratifying,  but when it is all said and done - what do we really have to show for it?  A new XBox achievement?  A Playstation trophy?  These are fun prizes, but I hope our culture realizes there is so much more to life than that.  For one, getting to know God and enjoying the people He has placed in our life can be far more rewarding than any XBox achievement ever could be.  Video games are great - as long as they are occasional.  Turning off the console and talking to those around you can be so much more amazing if you try it.

News Flash: Liking Your Job is Crucial

Paul’s blog post reminded me of my parents quoting, Mary Kay, “If you act enthusiastic, you become enthusiastic.” We even had a coffee cup with that written on it that would tease me as I was trying to work on a school project, but I was never the most enthusiastic about hard work if it meant staying on task. I like play. I like being outside. I like my hobbies. I can hardly sit still to write this post, but Paul challenged me to live up to my half of this blog. 

A Day in the Life of  Recruiter
I used to work in recruiting and here was an actual conversation I had with a candidate offered a full time entry-level position. “Hmm. I don’t know. This job starts next week? Hmm. Summer just started.” She flips her brown hair over her shoulder. A recent college graduate. When I interviewed her before graduation, she was eager to find a full-time position. However, living at home had become comfortable. Too comfortable.  

“Yes, this position would start next week.” I say as I peek over the computer about to type her name as my cursor blinks like the hand of a clock. 

“Oh, I think that’s a bit too early to start working. I really wanted some time to go to the pool this summer.” She explains matter-of-factually. 

Stunned. I lamely reply, “Oh. Okay. When are you available for work?” Now, I’m frantically wondering how I’m going to fill this position on a Friday for a Monday start. I would be working late. I was not going to the pool. 

Work Ethic and Wrong Field
Yet, I’ve been hearing, “Love the job you have and you never work a day in your life" a lot lately. Is this really true? Where did this come from? My parents NEVER said any advice about loving your work. My Dad did say,“You have to have a FIRE in your belly.” I think this is more accurate. You have to have SOME natural interest in what you are doing for the long haul. For example, Paul became an engineer only after he spent a considerable amount of time in his youth discovering how much he enjoyed tinkering with computers. I think liking your job is important.and a lot of that does boil down to work ethic. Work ethic is, “a belief in the moral benefit of work in its inheritability to strengthen character.” I enjoy working with people that have a strong work ethic or character. They find pride in doing a great job no matter how tedious, minute, or monotonous. If you are in the wrong field like I was; you have trouble mustering up excitement when a coworker proudly shares her accomplishment that she just spent a ridiculous amount of hours (even personal time) looking at a bazillion pieces of data to find a tiny (but vital) error. Okay, so maybe, I did a pump fist in the air with her to celebrate, “Yay! Our spreadsheets will work again!” I was grateful she took on that project, incredulous she was so excited about it, and also wondering where the escape hatch was on the island. 

Career Switchers 

If someone is working to pay the bills, but the the current position is not a fit, they could use any personal time to explore future opportunities. Ideally, you figure this out around 20-something when you have personal time. I am not saying quit your current job and go into debt for another degree. No, I'm saying "Get your hustle on friend." The world is filled of hard-working people that are considered “career switchers.”  These are people that start out in one career and for whatever reason go in a different direction.Yet, age really doesn't matter if you are willing to make it happen. Some people, like the better half I share this blog with, are great with machines, numbers, and people. He’s a “triple threat” minus the acting, dancing, and singing. I think he’s a pretty swell guy, but unique to have figured out where his interests and talents intersect. A lot of people are more in limbo after spending so much time hitting the books rather than hands on job experience. It took me a lot of job hopping to learn that I am better suited to positions that are service oriented and fast paced. 

A few years ago, I was working alone in an office building that was so quiet I often talked to myself to stay focused. At 5pm one evening, the daycare across the street had a fire alarm start blaring. The Director came over during the evacuation and asked if the children could come into our expansive lobby because it was cold outside. We didn’t hesitate to say "yes" and while she called parents to explain where to pick up their children, I thoroughly enjoyed the children. I felt like the time with kids flew by and I came alive. I grew up watching movies from the 80s era like Big Business. So, wasn’t working with children,,, oh wait that’s another blog post entirely.

Go get 'em Tiger!  So, no need to love your job, but do you need to have an interest in it? YES. I do think that there needs to be some passion somewhere for the field to motivate you to stay sharp and keep growing. It keeps you saying yes to more opportunities for more skill development, the confidence of taking on new challenging projects, and not flipping the out when all goes awry. Otherwise, you will be trying to tread water until retirement.  If you find that your current situation warrants it, career switchers, are those that work hard at a job they currently have (stay financially stable) and build up their savings. Then they invest free time (instead of those video games, Twinkies, or um, poolside lounging) in a job that they are more suited to feeling successful at on a daily basis; rather than settling to become a constant clock-watcher. 

The Rewrite Review

I don't like all romantic comedies.  Some of them come off way too cheesy and not worth the time I spend watching them. Chrystal feels a bit differently, so I go along with viewing them many times.  I have enjoyed movies with Hugh Grant such as Two Weeks Notice, Nine Months, and Notting Hill.  This one came out recently (with no rating) and seems to be launched by a more independent label, so I added it to the queue to see how it was.  My verdict:  Way better than I expected.

1. For one thing the script writing was actually witty and funny and not just sophomore humor with constant sexual-based jokes.  So refreshing to actually have a movie that delivers funny lines rather than rely on sexual humor to make it a comedy.

2. Second thing this movie had going well for it was the casting.  Marisa Tomei and Hugh Grant were very comfortable in their roles and they played each part exceptionally.   This movie clearly proved that Hugh Grant can still do witty comedy well and he carried the movie very well.  I thought this movie was significantly better than one of his last movies : Music & Lyrics.   I'm not sure why, but overall it just seemed to be better written movie and a lot funnier than Music & Lyrics.

3. Last but not least, deeper subject content than your average movie.  How many romantic comedies discuss meaning in life, the emptiness of fame, or the importance of restoring family relationships?  Exactly.  This movie deals with many themes that other movies don't even mention.

On a personal note this was one movie both my wife and I enjoyed.  It is not often we find a movie or show that we both enjoy viewing together.  Not that we are stark opposites on all our movie tastes,  but finding a good movie that we both enjoy watching together is always a plus.   The script was great, the acting very polished, and it was a funny enjoyable story to watch.  If you are looking for a better-than-average romantic comedy - maybe you should consider The Rewrite.

News Flash: Loving Your Job is Optional

OK, here is something I have thought about that I think needs to be said:  you don't have to love your

job to be successful.  Maybe this is stating the obvious for some readers, and for them I encourage you to quit reading right now.  However, in this day and age of Millennial thinking - I think too many college graduates are coming out of school thinking they have to love their job or decline offers and stay living with their parents because it wouldn't be true to themselves.

The Millenial thinking in today's workforce seems to believe that if you aren't truly happy in what you do - you are better off doing nothing.  It stems from the root idea that being miserable at a job is merely existing and not truly living for all that you were meant to become.   I see some truth in this, but I don't think it tells the whole picture.   Movies seems to glamorize this concept.  From Tom Hanks in the movie Big where he gets this dream job of designing toys and of course is naturally successful, to many other movies Hollywood seems to love to sell this idea that you have to truly love your job to amount to anything in the workforce.  WRONG.  HOGWASH.  CRAZY.

The truth of the matter is that if you don't work in a hostile workforce, and you are good at what you do - you have a good chance of being successful even if it isn't your favorite thing to do in the whole world.  Sure, we all would love to take our hobbies - be it chess, surfing, mountain biking, movies, reading novels or what have you and do that for a living.  How many of us could honestly make a solid living doing it? I will be the first to raise my hand that as much as I love to mountain bike, go running, and play chess none of these hobbies are going to pay my bills at the end of the month.   So then comes the question - what can I do reasonably well that will help me pay my bills and give me extra time for the hobbies I want to do on the side?

Once you have a solid answer to this question you may have found your future career.  

It seems many young men and women don't agree today.  Many guys seem to leave college and think

that they are being insulted taking a job that doesn't pay the 6 figures they deserve (right out of college no less) doing things like video game design that they do anyway for over 20 hours a week. This is merely immature thinking.  Yes, you may get a great job working in video game design and feel like your main job is so fun you can hardly believe they pay you.  However, I would venture to guess that 80-90% of the American workforce is not doing that.   If you have a dream job right out of school - good for you! I wish you more success and happiness doing it, but for the 80-90% of people who feel that they wake up and have to work the job they have to "pay the bills" -  I don't think you are necessarily missing out on a good career.  There is an aspect of working hard so you can have a good weekend that many unemployed college graduates may want to think about.   Yes, it may mean starting off at a lower salary than you were hoping for.  Yes, it may mean long hours doing things that aren't as fun as your spare time in college allowed you to enjoy.   But hey - you are making a living and you can save for retirement - two admirable things that shouldn't be discounted when compared to eating Twinkies and living in your parent's basement because no one would pay you what you are worth.  I think loving what you do is a great thing - but it shouldn't be placed at the level that current entry level college grads are placing it.  Working hard and seeking to make the most of the opportunities you have been given can enable you to transform a simple job position into an opportunity for growth and wealth in your personal life.  No job is going to fulfill you completely.  Why waste time holding out for one that will?

The Martian Review (Some Spoilers May Be Present)

Space movies.  They seem to be making a comeback lately.  After Gravity and Interstellar another movie has come along with Matt Damon by director Ridley Scott called The Martian.  I enjoyed Gravity and really liked the thought-provoking Interstellar,  so I had to check this one out as well in light of the glowing reviews I had heard about it.  The story's premise is about a guy played by Matt Damon who gets abandoned for dead on the planet Mars. At this point in space exploration in our society Mars missions are common and a whole crew is at Mars doing experiments and trying to understand the planet better.  However, during dust storms (lots of them on Mars),  the Matt Damon character gets hit, and the crew in an emergency situation decide to launch off of Mars thinking he is a goner.

Matt Damon's character comes back to coherence and realizes he has to survive in which this movie becomes a tale of survival on a foreign planet.  This movie works on so many levels - let me explain:

1. Great plot pacing and development - story doesn't get too boring as it unfolds.

2. Humor kept on throughout the movie - keeps the laughs coming but not so much that it becomes a comedy.

3. Great acting by all the actors and actresses.  Matt Damon delivers a great performance and all his supporting actors/actresses do as well.

4. Great soundtrack choice.  I admit it.  I love good music placed within a good movie.  In fact, that could actually almost raise the movie a whole star in my rating if the soundtrack is well put together. The Martian has a great soundtrack including songs from the late David Bowie. 

5. Satisfying conclusion.  I feel like the movie does take a politically correct spin toward the end, but it still is satisfying to see the end.  I enjoyed it and Chrystal enjoyed it.  I felt it had more depth of story than Gravity, but wasn't as complicated to follow as Interstellar which also stars Matt Damon.  

Overall if you enjoy good science fiction,  you have to rent or buy The Martian.  It is a great story with great acting that really restores your faith in the science fiction genre of movies.  Sure, there may not be a lot of intergalactic warfare,  but overall it is a great journey to watch.

In Defense of Allowing a Larger Tax Refund

Well tax season is upon us,  and as I get ready to do my own taxes I'm reminded of the common advice I have heard throughout the years -  that you should strive to get a small refund back after you file taxes.   The argument goes like this - if your exemptions and withholdings aren't done properly you will end up with a large tax refund (or in a negative light - owing a lot of taxes) which essentially gives the government a free loan with your money and robs you of the interest you could be making on the extra money you see in your paycheck.   I can see the point in this argument and for some people that may make a lot of sense.  However, I don't believe that is wise advice for all people (and I include myself in that category).   Why is that? For the following reasons:

1. How many of us actually save the extra money we would have in our paycheck if we did our withholding numbers perfectly?   

For me, the temptation to use the money for other categories (not the saving one) in our budget would be too great.  If I was extremely disciplined in saving,  this could work out to my benefit,  but I believe more likely would be using it for other non-saving categories which would prohibit any windfall plans for the money after tax season.

2. How much interest do you really think you miss out on for giving an interest free loan to the IRS?

Depending on how much of a refund you are getting and the current interest rates of your investments,  I would guess it is $10 to $15 bucks over the course of the year tops.    Unless you are talking stocks / mutual funds with a tremendous return (which is always variable and more risky), the interest you gain by not getting a larger refund at the end of tax season may not be worth the chance that you would spend the money earlier.

3. The amount of value of this advice may also depend on what you tend to be more careful with - small amounts of money or larger (windfall) amounts of money.   

As mentioned in point #1 touches on,  if you could get $200 more a month back in each monthly paycheck or a $2400 refund at the end of the taxes, which do you think you would be more careful with?  Personally although financially there is no difference - I know for myself I would ponder more carefully what to do with $2400 given at one time then $200 a month more I see in my paycheck.  Now this may be a bad money practice,  but usually the larger the amount of money the more caution and consideration I give it.  A small amount of paycheck increase will probably just get used for other purposes,  but a larger refund gives me a chance to ponder how to best use the money.   Granted that may not be the best thought process,  but it how my mind works, and I think all savings/spending plans need to consider what is more effective for the individual.  

Summary:

So to summarize - maybe you can discipline yourself to save or budget correctly for the extra amount you make if you do your taxes perfectly and just owe the IRS $20 this year.  I personally find it more effective to give the government an interest free loan and then take the larger amount of money and carefully consider what to use the larger sum for.    Plus, as a bonus a larger refund gives me more motivation to do my taxes every year.  Getting $20 back seems like a small reward for the pain of preparing my taxes.   Just my two cents.

McFarland, USA Review

McFarland, USA is an interesting Disney movie about cross-country running.   I didn't realize when I rented it that it stars Kevin Costner who plays a cross-country running coach in McFarland.  In the beginning Costner's character hits some hard times due to anger at his rude students, but then he packs his bags and moves to McFarland which was a very low income area.   At first the movie shows the struggle of his middle-class family to fit in with the neighborhood,  but eventually they do and grow to love the neighbors and the community around them.  Disney has a reputation for finding stories like this one that deliver a feel-good root for the team sense as you watch the story unfold.   This one sets itself apart in several ways however like:

1. This movie is about cross-country running.  I've never seen a move about this high school sport.  Sure there are track movies out there, but cross-country running stories are not done too much.

2. This movie portrays overcoming low income circumstances to triumph in life.  It was encouraging to see the boys on the team rally together despite being expected to work hard long hours in their father's business.  These boys didn't have it easy but that proved to be an advantage in some ways as they had to race. 

Overall, it was a very engaging movie that I enjoyed watching.  It did come off a little formulaic,  but it wasn't so much so that I found it boring to watch.  I also enjoyed the follow-up stories and seeing the actual grown guys in the end.  I thought that was a nice touch to the movie.  Two thumbs up on this one.