Here’s a link to my review of the movie below: The Blind Side               *Top

I hear a lot of my Christian friends talking about what a great movie ‘Avatar’ is. However, I won’t be seeing it anytime soon even though I’m an avid Sci-Fi fan and would no doubt love the movie.  …

Why? Because of what James Cameron might do with all that money in the future. Remember the documentary hoax –”The Tomb of Jesus”? Bought, paid for, and produced by Cameron.

<<Read the rest of what I have to say about it on my main page>>            *Top

(Image via Wikipedia)

Am I the only one that thinks that the passage of Prop 8 (California’s Traditional Marriage Amendment) might have had something to do with Sean Penn winning an Oscar? Hardly!

For a couple of months now we have heard from movie reviewers nothing but raves and superlatives about Mickey Rourke’s acting performance in The Wrestler. However, since the Oscar nominations were announced, there have been whispers in the industry about what a shame that Rourke was up against Milk–Sean Penn playing a gay activist politician that was martyred.

I read that Penn, a very good actor, turned in a good performance in Milk, but who the heck saw that movie anyway? It was popular in San Francisco, played shortly in L.A. and most the big cities across the country but was virtually ignored in the heartland and by regular folks.

Meanwhile, The Wrestler was popular all across the country. Then there’s Gran Torino and Clint Eastwood’s incredible performance as a retired gun toting white bigot facing issues of life, death, family, religion, race, and change. He is intolerable but also self-sacrificing and somewhat redeemed at the end. A wonderful story and performance that goes completely unnoticed at the Oscars. Also extremely popular all across the country but not in Hollywood–too politically incorrect!

That is the point isn’t it? Politics and progressive social agendas play a big role in what pictures get made and which films receive all the honors in Hollywood. If you don’t think so, you haven’t been paying much attention to the motion picture industry in the last 20 years or so.

Did Sean Penn win his Oscar at least partially because he played a gay activist at a time when Hollywood is still reacting to the passage of Prop 8? I think so!

The picture business has always been sympathetic to the gay agenda and the industry came out overwhelmingly against the Traditional Marriage Amendment. Many actors and media folks continue to make snide remarks about Mormons, Catholics, and evangelical Christians which they lump together and characterize as ‘Fundie’ Christian bigots-homophobes-hatemongers who passed the ‘fascist’ Prop.

Should Sean Penn thank Prop 8 for his Oscar? Well at least Penn himself brought up the issue during his acceptance tirade:

“I think it is a good time for those who voted for the ban against gay marriage to sit and reflect, and anticipate their great shame, and the shame in their grandchildren’s eyes if they continue that way of support. We’ve got to have equal rights for everyone.   …”

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We catch up to Rocky Balboa years later and find him grieving at the grave of his wife Adrian and taking in all the memorable sights from their life together.  Roc seems to be stuck in the past with little to live for in the present.

He sends his days hoping to hear from his son Rocky Jr. who is trying to get out from under the shadow of his famous father.  At night, he dutifully goes to his restaurant -”Adrian’s” and greets his customers and reminisces with them about his old fighting days.

During one his nostalgic trips to an old bar that they use to frequent, he meets up with Marie who was a young girl from his past and it seems to help him break through to the present.  He takes a liking to Marie and her son Steps and decides to help them out.  They definitely become part of his life, working for him at the restaurant.  Though the relationship is never clearly defined, they seem to become part of his family along with Paulie and Rocky Jr.

Rocky finally decides that he is not done with life and would like to do the one thing that he was always good at and gave him purpose–fighting.  Nothing major of course, maybe just a few ‘local’ fights.  At the same time, a TV sports show features a simulated fight between the two-time champion of the past- Rocky Balboa and the present heavy weight champion- Mason Dixon.  Rocky wins of course, and it starts all sorts of speculation about what a real fight between the two might have been like if Rocky was still in his prime.

The managers of Dixon approach Rocky and talk him into fighting an exhibition fight with the present champ.  Everyone tries to talk Roc out of it and bring him to his senses.  However, Rocky finds hope and life itself in the old process of training.  The training scenes and the fight itself are pure nostalgia and a throw back to Rocky I.

At the fight, none of the sports experts give Rocky much of a chance of even surviving the first round.  You hope that the ‘old man’ doesn’t get hurt and comes away with his respect intact.  Mean while, they have also shown you some scenes from the life of the young champion Mason Dixon and you hope that he ends up respecting the ‘old man’ in the end without being totally humiliated.  As the fight progresses, you find yourself yelling and cheering for Rocky along with the crowd.  You know how it’s basically going to end, but it’s a trip down memory lane and you are happy to be there once more.

Religious content:

The need for purpose in life is an underlying theme in this movie.  The loss of the love of his life-Adrian, has caused Rocky to put his life on hold.  As he reaches out to other people like Marie and her son, he finds his faith and finds reasons for living once more.  He is seen praying and reading the Bible before the fight, it seems natural and uncontrived.  Zechariah 4:6 seems to be appropriate for an old washed up fighter- he is definitely going to need some help: “Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord Almighty.”   Later, Marie shouts out a scripture to encourage Roc during a low point in the fight.  The movie ends with Rocky praying and talking to Adrian at her grave site once more.  But this time there is a new spring in Rocky’s step.  He seems to be ready to take on life once more.

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Larry Daley (Ben Stiller) is a self-made down-on-his-luck entrepreneur, or loser.  Take your pick.  He is about to lose his apartment and his ex is threatening to cut him off from his son Nick (Jake Cherry).  He needs a regular job to save his situation, but the night guard position he takes at the Metro Museum is anything but ‘regular’.  As soon as the sun goes down and the doors are locked, the fun begins.

The ‘retiring’ former guards leave him with an instruction book, but fail to tell him that everything comes alive at night, including all the statues, the stuffed animals, and even the miniature displays.  This movie is incredible fun and family friendly.  Robin Williams comes alive as the ‘wax’ figure of Theodore Roosevelt and gives Larry support in controlling the uncontrollable.  Owen Wilson as a miniature cowboy is a riot and his counterpart, the miniature Octavius (Roman General) played by Steve Coogan also brings levity with an ostentatious attitude.

Much of the plot is predictable but who cares, this becomes a fun family frolic every time the sun goes down.  You can’t wait to see what happens next, even if you do sort of know how it’s all going to turn out.  I highly recommend it, see it now or see it later on DVD.

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A delightful story based upon the popular children’s book by E.B. White.  Wilbur is born the runt of the litter and about to be eliminated by the farmer when his daughter Fern (Dakota Fanning) protests and saves the little piglet.  Fern raises the little pig and treats him like a puppy, even taking him to school one day.

The time finally comes when Wilber is too large to keep as a pet in the house.  The pig is moved to the barnyard of the uncle’s farm (Homer Zuckerman) across the road and Fern continues to visit Wilber every day.  A new story line begins as Wilber makes friends with all the animals in the barn, especially a spider named Charlotte (Julia Roberts).  All of the barnyard characters are quite interesting, particularly a rat named Templeton.

Out past the barnyard is a smokehouse that Wilber asks about.  The rest of the animals finally tell him about it and also warn him that ‘spring’ pigs like him usually end up in the smokehouse and never live to see the wintertime or the snow.  Wilber wants to see the snow.  The rest of the story is about how Charlotte spins special webs with messages featuring the pig and how Wilber and Charlotte’s webs become a tourist attraction.  Oh yes, Wilber becomes a prize winning pig and lives to see the snows of winter.

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Come see this movie, it is time well spent, even during the busy Christmas season.  After all it is the story of the season and actually well done.  This movie is good overall and very good in many parts.  Hollywood rarely gives us a film based upon the Bible that can be taken seriously from a Christian perspective.

First for the very good or even excellent:  The film does a superior job at portraying the lifestyle of first century folk in Nazareth of Galilee.  You get a real taste of what life was really like back then, as you watch the characters involved in their daily work and economy.  Quite realistic.  Also the movie sets did accurately represent the houses and buildings of that time period.

The movie gives us a real taste of what it was probably like to be Mary and Joseph living in Nazareth.  Keisha Castle-Hughes does a good job portraying Mary as still very much a child facing adolescense.  Joseph (Oscar Isaac) is of coarse, much older and more mature.  This insight is worth the price of admission and even popcorn and a drink.  After the pregnancy of Mary was apparent, the difficult decisions that Joseph faced and the ultimate rejection of both Mary and Joseph was well done and effectual.  The scenes of their difficult trip to Bethlehem were accurate, but probably longer than need be.

The hopelessness and fear of regular folk for the Roman military and the political structures was well demonstrated.  The movie showed Herod involved in building projects and concerned with raising funds through taxes, this is quite accurate.  Herod ‘The Great’ was well known around the Roman Empire as a ‘builder’, he not only sponsored the rebuilding of the Temple, but built a number of cities, stadiums and palaces/fortresses like Massada, as portrayed in the movie.  Also, Herod’s storied obsession with putting down any possible threat to his rule, real or imagined, was well represented by Ciaran Hinds.

Now for the not so excellent parts:  The Magi were presented as ‘comic relief’ in the movie.  These ‘characters’ did make the film more entertaining, so I guess we should be somewhat forgiving of this tried and true Hollywood formula.  Since so little is really known about them, taking some liberty is acceptable.  However, there should be limits.  The ‘Wise men’ in the movie decide on their own not to go back to Herod and inform him of the child.  The Biblical text makes it clear that they were warned in a dream.  Then there is the question of whether they were even there that first Christmas night.

The timing of several of the key events in the movie is off in comparison to the Biblical texts.  Since so many of these events are traditionally associated with the Christmas story, we should be forgiving.

What about the Magi, after all, every Nativity display has them there at the birth of Jesus?  What would the ‘Nativity Story’ be like without the three guys bearing gifts?  Every child would ask their parents: “Where’s the Three Kings and their camels?”.  However, a careful reading of Matthew 2 clearly shows that the Magi didn’t show up in Judea until some months after the event, and didn’t bring their gifts to the stable, but to the house where the baby Jesus and his parents were now living in Bethlehem.  Also, while we are at it, the text really doesn’t say that there were three of them, it just mentions three gifts.

The movie also has Herod sending his troops to Bethlehem that very night, and Joseph leaving for Egypt with Mary and baby Jesus immediately (before they even take Jesus to the Temple).   Matthew 2 makes it clear that these events happened quite a few months latter.  That is why Herod ordered the troops to kill all the children under 2 years and not just the newborns.

Overall, “The Nativity Story” is a good movie and I highly recommend it.  It is the one Hollywood production that all Christians should be able to support and take their families to, particularly during this Christmas season.

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I admit it, I am a Bond fan and I have always found something to like in every portrayal and every different actor who has played James Bond.  Sean Connery is my favorite Bond, probably because he introduced me to the genre while growing up in the 60′s.  But I must say that Daniel Craig may become the best since Sean.  I eagerly await the next episode.

Casino Royale  gives us Bond at the beginning.  A Bond who is more introspective and even vulnerable.  A complicated Bond?  Yes, I believe so.  It will be interesting to see how this characterization is played out in the movies to come. This story really was about Bond himself, and Daniel Craig does an incredible job of bringing us aboard.  This film actually contains a ‘real’ and genuine love story.  Eva Green as Vesper, really does bring out a new side to James.  Will that vulnerability end with the first Daniel Craig rendition or continue on, it should be interesting.

Toward the end of the film with everything winding down, you have a feeling that something is wrong and can not possibly end this way, and of coarse that is the case.  There are some surprising twists to this story.  For instance, James leave a woman behind as things are just beginning to warm up, the ‘old’ Bond would have taken care of the woman first and then gone on to take care of business.  The background scenes are as interesting as ever.  At least it slows down enough to really see and enjoy them for once.

The one continuity with the past bond films is ‘M’ who continues to be played by Judi Dench.  Her able and sober characterization here brings needed stability to the film and the story.  Bond fans should be confident after seeing this production that the franchise is alive and well.

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This film pretends to be a documentary starting in Kazakhstan with a pseudo journalist named Borat (Sacha Baron Cohen) traveling to America. First to New York City, but then takes a detour across ‘red state’ America, finds its way to California, then back home again.

This is an outrageous film with lots of laughs, but also offensive, repulsive, gross, and way over the top.  Borat is an equal opportunity offender.  Lots of anti-Semitism, anti-Christianity, bigotry, and sexism on display.  And talking about display, there is far too much male nudity, including a shocking amount of frontal exposure.  The anti-Semitism goes so far that it actually ends up making fun of anti-Semites themselves.  This film is actually a ‘diabolical’ candid camera.  Sacha Cohen  as ‘Borat’, pretends to be an actual journalist from Kazakhstan making a documentary about America.  In the process, he catches a whole lot of people off guard.  An etiquette teacher he ‘interviewed’ is already suing Cohen for the humiliation she was subjected to in the movie.  She has retained Gloria Allred, this should be fun!

Particularly troubling for me, was a visit to a Pentecostal revival service where Borat supposedly receives Jesus and attempts to speak in tongues.  I’m at a loss of words to explain how truly perverse this film really is.  Yet, there I was with the rest of the audience laughing at many of the scenes. However, there is an underlying sadness to the main character, and a full range of emotions is necessary to get you through to the end.  I cannot recommend this film to anyone, but it seems to be playing well in the big cities and in ‘blue states’, not so well in Middle America and the South.

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The film is far different than the trailers would seem to indicate.  It is really two separate stories. First there is the story of the battle for Iwo Jima, one of the greatest sieges in American military history.  Over 7,000 Americans died and 19,000 Japanese in a brutal month long campaign to take the Japanese Island.  Then there is the story of three American soldiers who were sent back to mainland as ‘war heroes’ to help promote war bonds.

The movie would have been far more powerful if it stayed with one of the two stories for longer periods rather than flashing back and forth in short confusing sessions.  Many of the characters that were seen over and over again were never fully developed.  The war scenes were more than shocking yet had little effect since many were more like a bad dream than reality.

Only the three ‘heroes’ were given more than one dimension.  The characterization of Ira Hayes (Adam Beach), a native American, was clearly the most interesting.  He seemed to be haunted by the war and his bogus status as a supposed hero.  The three ‘heroes’ never considered themselves as such, because the famous flag-raising that they participated in was far from being the glorious heroic event that the picture seemed to indicate, and that the folks back home were led to believe.

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