On the day the Marshall Will Kane (Gary Cooper) gets married, he also receives a message that Frank Miller, a murderer he helped put away, has been pardoned. The news gets worse: Miller will arrive in town on the noon train to take his revenge on Marshall Kane.
At first, he and his bride, Amy (Grace Kelly) get on a wagon to leave town. But on his way out of town, Kane decides he can't just "run", otherwise he'll be running for the rest of his life. So he comes back and tries to form a posse to help him face Miller. Unfortunately, no one in town is willing to help. Most feel that Kane has brought this on himself, as well as on their town. Furthermore, his bride is angry that he feels he has to stay, so she buys a ticket out of town, and tells him she's leaving with or without him.
The movie is in real time, as we await the arrival of the train at high noon. Minute by minute, we watch as Kane deals with his fear and the fact that he's on his own to face Miller's gang.
I love a good western. But his one just didn't do it for me. It was a little corny. Gary Cooper and Grace Kelly had absolutely NO chemistry as a couple. I couldn't even tell Kane liked Amy that much. He was pretty emotionless. The only thing he really conveyed well was fear. A very young Lloyd Bridges was in the movie as well - a major character, but really, a pretty useless one. It would have been the same movie without him.
I feel kinda funny being critical of such a classic film! I mean, if millions before me have dubbed this "classic, who am I to say it stinks? I just felt like the story had great potential in so many areas, but instead, it was just a good story with dry characters that had no connection. Even the scene where he comes face to face with Miller arrives and leaves us with hardly any dramatic climax.
Best dramatic part was the final drive-away scene. Those five seconds had more drama and power than the entire movie.
This year I've got a goal- you could say it's a New Year's Resolution- to watch a lot of old classic movies. Never had any desire to, but for some reason, I've been wanting to. I also received a book (because I hinted heavily...) called "501 Must See Movies". The inside cover has a checklist so I can check each movie off as I see it. Of course, there were many I had already seen, so I checked those off. Then I set out to search the satellite TV guide for any movies on the list that might be showing currently. Thanks to the AMC channel, and the TMC channel, I found A LOT. I set them to record, and my movie watching has commenced!
Last night I watched Singing In the Rain. While I've seen the famous swinging-around-the-streetlight scene, I've never watched the actual movie!.
In case you're the other person in the world who hasn't seen it - the plot is this: Donald Lockwood (Gene Kelly) and Lina Lamont (Jean Hagen) are beloved silent film stars. When the film industry starts turning to "talkies", their studio wants in on that. The problem is that Lamont's glamourous reputation, does not fit her whiney nasal voice, or her dingbat personality. She also mistakes her on-screen romance with her co-star, for a real romance. Lockwood doesn't share those feelings, and constantly tries to convince her it's just acting! Furthermore, he's fallen for an aspiring actress (Debbie Reynolds), who has been hired to do voice-overs that will be secretly dubbed over Lamont's lines.
I LOVED IT!!!!
I felt like I had a smile on my face the whole time. It was quick-witted, funny, entertaining, and WOW - the dancing was incredible!
Donald O'Connor, who played Lockwood's best friend, Cosmo, was hilarious! He had funny lines and his physical comedy was awesome! My nine year old boy walked in during one of O'Connors dance/comedy scenes and stopped, watched and said, "Is he actually doing that?". It was a scene where he would walk up the a wall and do a back flip. It really was amazing! Debbie Reynolds was adorable and also pretty funny! I was also surprised at what a great dancer SHE was!
And Gene Kelly....what a babe! He looks a little like Ben Affleck, but in a more mature, classic, glamour-Hollywood sort of way!
I totally recommend this, even if you don't like old movies, and even if you don't like musicals! After this, I am totally looking forward to watching some more classic films!
I've never really been much of a "classic" movie buff. (I've never even seen Casablanca!) But I've recently had the desire to check out some more famous older films. So the other night, The Graduate was on.
I figured that's a pretty classic movie. It's got big name actors...it's been spoofed in a lot in other productions...the two hallmarks of a classic movie, right? Movies from Shrek to Wayne's World to Bee Movie have references to The Graduate. If you don't believe me, go here to see a list of references. From the seduction scene to the wedding scene, its a pretty classic film.
I wont worry about spoilers in this review, because I suspect I'm one of the last people to see this movie. But in case you haven't seen it, Dustin Hoffman plays Benjamin, a young man who has recently graduated, has come home, but doesn't really know what he wants to do with his life. He begins an affair with his father's partner's wife, Mrs. Robinson, played by Anne Bancroft. Complicating things, he begins to fall in love with the Robinsons' daughter, Elaine.
Surprisingly enough, this complicated premise make for a comedy. All these years, I had assumed this movie was a drama, and this misconception almost ruined it for me because as I began watching it with that presupposition, I was thinking what a cheesy movie it was. But as a comedy, the cheesiness is part of its charm. Hoffman is just as awkward as ever, which is what makes him so lovable in all his films. The quick flashes from Bancroft's naked body to Hoffman's frightened face would be almost ridiculous in a drama. And that's what the feeling is, that its trying to be a drama, but it's so ridiculous that you have to laugh. And the fact that that's what they're trying to do, makes it understandably a classic. At the end, Benjamin interrupts Elaine's wedding, and they run off together. At first, an oversimplification of the situation. But in that lingering final scene, as a look of doubt passes over Hoffman's face, it's really a very serious moment.
A couple of interesting bits of trivia - in the scene where Elaine comes to Benjamen's apartment and screams, causing the other tenants to come see what's happening - the young man who says "shall I get the cops? I'll call the cops..." is a young Richard Dreyfus. Another interesting fact is that Hoffman and Bancroft are only 6 years apart in real life.
And here's something that's kinda funny - In Hoffman's and Bancroft's first encounter in the hotel room, Bancroft didn't know that Hoffman was going to grab her breast. Hoffman decided off-screen to do it, because it reminded him of schoolboys trying to nonchalantly grab girls' breasts in the hall by pretending to put their jackets on. When Hoffman did it onscreen, the director, Mike Nichols, laughed out loud off-screen. Hoffman began to laugh as well, so rather than stop the scene, he turned away from the camera and walked to the wall. Hoffman banged his head on the wall, trying to stop laughing, and Nichols thought it was so funny, he left it in.
The final surprise is that it's rated PG. While the PG13 rating did not exist in 1967, parents nowadays might want to equate it to a PG13 movie due to the nudity, however brief (and ridiculous!) it might be.
A Man Called Blessed is the sequel to Blessed Child. These stories were created by Bill Bright and written by Ted Dekker. (Bill Bright was the founder of Campus Crusade for Christ, and passed away in 2003. These books were published in 2002/2003.)
The main character in both these books is "Caleb". In Blessed Child, we first meet him as a child with special God-given "powers". Having grown up very innocently in a monastery in Ethiopia, he was brought to the US, and then exploited for these powers.
In A Man Called Blessed, we find Caleb, now a grown man, living and working in the very monastery in which he grew up. He is still a believer of God's powers, but seems to have lost the simple faith of his youth. As he puts it, he's "misplaced" his first love.
Rebbecca Solomon is a decorated Israeli soldier, who leads a team into Ethiopia to find the Ark of the Covenant. Specific information has led them to believe that Caleb holds the key to finding the Ark. The catch is that Caleb is totally unaware that he has the key to finding the Ark.
Meanwhile, Palestine has gotten word of Rebbecca's mission, and since they know that the discovery of the Ark is a threat to the Muslim world, they want to stop it from happening. Ismael, a Muslim soldier has a personal vendetta against Rebbecca, and therefore volunteers to head up this job.
So we have a Christian man, a Jewish young lady and a Muslim assassin. Caleb and Rebecca are trying to get the Ark to Jerusalem. Rebecca wants it there so that Temple can be rebuilt. Caleb wants to help Rebbecca get it there, but is trying to convince her that God's presence dwells in us, not in an Ark. Ismael is trying to prevent the Ark from getting to Jerusalem at all. And he's trying to kill Rebbecca because he hates her for killing his brother. All of them are willing to die for their cause. And any one of their actions can plunge the Middle East into war.
As usual, Dekker's book is full of action. He really has a knack for making his characters come to life. I think the ending leaves the story open to a possible sequel in which Caleb is one of the end time "witnesses" in Israel. I can't be sure if that's just my take, or if that was Bright's original intention for the story. Since Caleb is compared to Elijah a couple of times in the story, it seems a probable conclusion. But, as I mentioned above, Bill Bright passed away in 2003, so Caleb's story probably ends at this point.
I always recommend any book by Ted Dekker, and this one is no exception. This isn't as great as his later works, but nonetheless, its got his "signature" on it.
Actually, I think that Peggy Sue is the one that most resembles "17 Again", because nobody trades bodies here. There's only the adult who's made a mess of his/her life and wishes they could go back to do things differently. At least they think they would do things differently!
You might think that since this plot has been done before, that 17 Again might not be worth your time. But if you are a big fan of the time travel genre, as I am, you will love 17 again!
Matthew Perry plays Mike O'Donnell, a husband and father who gave up college and a basketball scholarship to marry his pregnant high school girlfriend, Scarlett. Years later, she's kicked him out because she is tired of hearing him complain about the life he "could have had" if he hadn't have had to marry her. In one scene, as he looks at his high school basketball photo, a "mysterious stranger" asks him if he wishes he could be 17 again, and Mike says, yeah, he does. Later, he sees this mysterious stranger on a bridge getting ready to jump. Mike goes after him to save him. Later, when he gets home and is changing clothes, he looks in the mirror and discovers that he is...17 again. His best friend (who he's been staying with since Scarlet kicked him out) poses as his "father" and they get Mike back in high school, where he gets a second chance at the basketball scholarship. At first he thinks that this has happened to him so that he can get back the life he lost, but soon he realizes, as he gets to know his kids from a different perspective, that the purpose of his experience might be different than he first thought.
I know Zac Efron is a big star because I see his face plastered everywhere. But I have boys, and so my household has just not gotten into "High School Musical. I gotta say, I am impressed with his acting! I was convinced I was actually seeing Matthew Perry in Efron's body because he did such a great job mimicking Perry's facial expressions and mannerisms!
Of course, its predictable, as this genre of movie often is. But those of us who like this genre think that's ok, as long as the characters are believable and we connect emotionally with the movie. Great movie!
I watched this 2006 movie in the theater when it was released. It fell a little flat. But when I recently saw that it was going to show on cable, I thought, what the heck, maybe its not a bad TV movie. Before I tell you what I thought, I'll tell you a bit more about it. It's quite probable you've never heard of it. It wasn't a big release. It's actually a movie based on Ted Dekker's novel of the same name. If you know me, you know that Dekker is my all time favorite author....ever! So back when this movie was being released, I was excited and yes, I was there on opening night to support it! Part of the problem in the theater was that it was full of teenagers. And they kept laughing at the most inappropriate times. It made it hard to evaluate the movie on its own merit, although I do remember that I thought it was a bit...hmmm...too low budget. Maybe even a little cheesy. That's why I thought that if I gave it a second chance and watched it in my own controlled atmosphere, it might be a pretty good flick.
The story starts out with Kevin Parsons receiving a mysterious call, telling him that unless he confesses his "sin", he will die. The caller also gives Kevin a riddle to solve. Kevin has no idea what "sin" the caller is talking about. He escapes death that time, and soon, with the help of Jennifer, a police officer, and Samantha, a childhood friend, Kevin is trying to stay alive by figuring out what sin he is supposed to confess, and why the caller knows about it. The deeper the story goes, the more Kevin begins to dig into his traumatic childhood and finds a secret that only he knows. THR3E truly is, as it's tag line says, "a story of good, evil, and all that lies in between". This is one of Dekker's best books - very suspenseful, lots of action, twists and turns, and a shocker of an ending that leaves you breathless. This story should have made an awesome movie.
Should have.
I regret to say that the movie, even on TV, was just as cheesy as I first thought. The actors were a bit stiff, so you never quite connect with the characters. Yes, it's true that a book has a lot more time to make that connection, but it IS possible to translate that to a movie, and this one just didn't pull it off. The worst part was that the shocker ending was not anywhere near as powerful as it was in the book.
It pains me to give this movie a bad review, because I'd love to support anything that Ted Dekker does as a storyteller. But this movie was way below his usual level of brilliance. That said, I would highly recommend that you get your hands on the book. Once you read this one, you'll be hooked on Dekker.
Ted Dekker never ceases to amaze me. He truly is a master of suspense. But his gift goes far deeper than that, because he is able to reach down inside your heart and mind, to change the way you see and understand things.
Here's how it usually goes when I get to the last page of one of his books: I usually feel like I've read a great story. I understand what he's trying to show the reader. I see the illustration of a deep truth. But then, when I think that's all there is, he adds one more line to the book, and an even bigger light bulb goes on in my head. A sort of "A-ha!" moment, where I feel that not only do I get it, but I GET IT deep inside. It's like my heart has wrapped around something that my mind has known for a while. It may sound like I'm being vague, but it may be that you just have to experience it for yourself. I also don't want to be too specific because for me, its the element of surprise that gives his books their power.
Boneman's Daughters is about a serial killer who so far has taken six girls in a quest to find a "perfect daughter", because he believes he is the perfect father. When each girl fails to meet his expectations, he kills them by breaking their bones one by one, without breaking the skin.
Special agent Ryan Evans is the top in his field, and after coming home from a traumatic event in Iraq, he re-evaluates his life. He realizes that he's neglected his wife and daughter. However, they haven't had a life changing experience, and they want nothing to do with him.
Soon Ryan discovers that Boneman has taken his daughter, Bethany, as his 7th victim. Now Ryan has to use his professional skills to play Boneman's game in an attempt to outwit him to get his daughter back. The problem is, the authorities think Ryan might be Boneman himself.
I really wanted to summarize what Dekker says in his blog about the violence in this book. Boneman's Daughters is violent. And it is disturbing. But that's his intention here. You, as a reader, are meant to be disturbed. But it is not gratuitous - there is a purpose for it. Dekker is trying to open your eyes to great truths. His perspective on why he wrote this is explained in one of his blogs, titled "Why We Fear Violence" ( I truly hope you'll follow that link and read the article). He says that some of us "...will read BoneMan’s Daughters and be disturbed, as you should be, and you will be moved...and you will wonder what you should do with all the feelings this book evokes." He talks about how in our society, we have a great fear of violence and death, and that "Anything that threatens a comfortable life is deemed evil; prosperity of flesh is exalted over prosperity of spirit". So much so that we are afraid to get in the trenches and help those that are suffering or are in bondage in some way.
Boneman's Daughter is a great story on its own. Feel free to give it to someone and trust that they will enjoy it just as much as they'd enjoy any "secular" thriller out there. But more importantly, it is a beautiful parable of of a father's love for his child. Of The Father's love for His children.
I'll end this with a video of Ted talking about the book, and a little bit about how he got his inspiration for it from true events in his life.
Books like this one aren't for everybody. This book was not suspenseful nor full of drama. But...if you do like these types of books...quaint stories about small towns, where nothing too dramatic happens...then I'd recommend Home to Harmony. It's very reminiscent of Jan Karon's Mitford Series, although I'll say that even Mitford has more drama than Harmony!
Sam, a young Quaker Pastor, narrates the book. It's not really a story, but rather, lots of stories. He recalls memories of his childhood, he tells about different people in the town, he recounts experiences he's had as a young pastor, and it's all entertaining and touching, with a bit of humor and emotion. Gulley goes back and forth from the present to the past, and each story leads into the other so that before you know it, you've arrived at the last page.
There are six books in the Harmony Series. I can't say I'm on the edge of my seat to rush right out to buy the next one...but I will read the next one, simply because its the kind of book that takes you back to a simpler time and place, and sometimes we need that!
Side Note: This was the first complete book that I read on our new Kindle. (see photo on the right) I was able to purchase it immediately with their free wireless delivery! Yup, while I sat at Jury Duty, I browsed books at Amazon.com, picked a book, and was able to start reading it in a couple of minutes!
This is opening weekend for FAST & FURIOUS, which is the fourth movie of the high charged Fast & Furious movie franchise!
Here's a brief review of the previous films:
In the first movie, "The Fast & The Furious", Brian, played by Paul Walker, is a cop who goes undercover into a street gang to find out who is stealing high priced electronic equipment. Dom, played by Vin Diesel, is the leader of the gang who is under suspicion of committing the the crimes. Brian becomes involved with Dom's sister and ends up trying to prove Dom's innocence.
In 2 Fast & 2 Furious, the second movie, Brian has left LA due to his illegal actions from the first movie, and now he's in Miami, making a living by street racing. Once he gets caught, he's offered a deal: go undercover to bring down a drug lord, and his criminal record will be wiped clean. He recruits an old friend to help him with the same deal that he was offered himself. (Vin Diesel does not appear in this one)
The third movie, The Fast & The Furious - Tokyo Drift, parts ways with both Brian and Dom, and we meet Shawn Boswell, a high school student who keeps getting into trouble until he finally has no choice but to go live with his father in Tokyo. However, he gets involved in street racing there as well. When he loses a race to the "Drift King", he goes to the underworld to pay his debt.
Now that you're up to speed...
FAST & FURIOUS opens up to an adrenaline charged scene where the gang is hi-jacking a bigrig for its oil - although they're trying to do it without the driver knowing it. We see our old friend Han (from Tokyo Drift). Later, he tells Dom that he's gonna check out Tokyo - so from that scene we know that this story takes place at the same time or a little bit before the story of Tokyo Drift takes place.
After that heist, the gang splits up. Since Dom is a fugitive, he doesn't want his friends going down when the police finally catch him. After some time on the run, he gets word that a friend has been murdered. So he goes back to LA to find out who did it.
This is where Brian comes in. He is still a cop, and he's also looking for the murderer. Eventually, Brian crosses paths with Dom, and while there are some hard feelings there, they end up working towards the same goal. Which proves challenging since Brian is trying to maintain his clean record with the LAPD, while Dom is trying to keep from getting caught by the LAPD. It was good to see those two back together in a movie! Eventually, their search leads them to a big time drug smuggler. They are forced to trust each other to make sure that they get their man.
Of course, there are races, chases, explosions, crashes...the usual. If you are a fan of the series, you will like this one too.
Melissa Leo was nominated for Best Actress for her role as Ray, a single mom raising two sons and barely getting by. They live in a small town on the New York/Quebec border, which is a Mohawk Reservation. Her husband has abandoned her and her sons, and she struggles to provide for them with her meager paycheck from her part time job at the Yankee Dollar Store. They are so impoverished that their meals consist of popcorn and Tang.
Ray meets up with a Lila, a Mohawk woman, also a single mother. Lila introduces Ray to a little known crossing area over the frozen St. Lawrence River on Mohawk territory. There, Lila has a contact that pays her for illegally smuggling immigrants into the US. The first time, Ray is tricked into doing it. But once she sees how easy it is to make a lot of money, and considers that her boys needs food and even Christmas presents, she goes back for more. She also needs money to pay off the double-wide trailer that they'd been saving for, since her wayward husband left with the money. She just wants to be able to pay that off before she loses it, and then she will walk away from smuggling. But how long can she push her luck?
While neither woman exhibit a lot of emotion about their situation, we see the pain and fear that they hold inside. We also feel so much compassion for Ray's two boys. The younger boy is oblivious about needing money, but the teenager takes on a lot of responsibility to take care of his brother. FROZEN RIVER won the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival in 2008. It was a a great movie, slow moving at times, but still, a well-told and sad story.
Are things preordained in our universe, or do things happen by chance? And what if we knew what laid ahead? Could we...or would we change things? These are the questions that the movie KNOWING asks.
We start in 1959, as elementary school children are about to fill a time-capsule with drawings of what they imagine 2009 might look like. One of the little girls, Lucinda, fills a sheet of paper with seemingly random numbers instead of drawing a picture. Later, after the ceremonial burying of the time-capsule, Lucinda disappears. Eventually, she is found in a closet in the school basement, scratching numbers into a doorway, afraid and talking about the "whisper people" that she hears.
Flash forward to present day. Nicolas Cage plays John, the widowed father of a young boy, Caleb. Caleb attends the very same elementary school at which the time capsule was buried. Since it is now 2009, the time-capsule is being dug up. Once its opened, the students are each given the drawings that the 1959 children created. Caleb gets Lucinda's paper. He is confused, but then suggests that it might be some sort of puzzle. He doesn't think too much about it though. However, one evening, after a few drinks, John starts to play with the numbers, and discovers that they are dates of major disasters, followed by the number of the death toll for each event. Disturbingly, there are three events listed that have yet to happen.
Up to this point in the movie, John has established himself as not believing in heaven, or life anywhere but on earth. His philosophy in life is that "____ happens", and that there is no meaning or predestination of events. But when the numbers fall into his hands, he begins to question whether or not that happened for a reason - especially after he finds himself at the exact spot of the next event. (this is the point where he realizes that the numbers also list the locations of each event) After that, he goes to the place of the next disaster to see if he can stop it from occurring.
Soon Caleb begins to hear the "whisper people", just as Lucinda had. They tell him that he can go with them if he wants. And these same mysterious strangers begin to show up at various places, watching and waiting. Meanwhile, John figures out that the last numbers written mean that the end of the world will soon arrive. So how do the numbers' predictions and the mysterious whisper people tie in with each other?
I don't want to ruin the whole movie for you if you're going to watch it, so suffice it to say that there is a lot of Christian symbolism here, but just inaccurate enough to make it weird. The movie was good - lots of action and suspense. The story was intriguing, but the ending was just strange enough to make you wonder if someone had read the bible, but wasn't really paying attention while they read.
change-ling (ˈchānj-liŋ ) 1. a child secretly exchanged for another
******
Based on a true story, this tragic movie stars Angelina Jolie as Christine Collins, the single mother of 10-year-old Walter. One evening, as she returns home from work, she discovers that Walter is missing. She searches everywhere for him. Frantic, she calls the police, who tell her there's nothing they can do until he's been missing for 24 hours. Eventually, the police begin their search for him. Five months later, a young boy fitting Walter's description is found, alive and well. Christine is told the good news! At the train station, she is "reunited" with a boy she does not recognize. She tells the police that it's not Walter. But the 1928 LAPD was desperate to revise its reputation of corruption, and feeling that this happy ending would be good for publicity, they tell her to take him home and "try him out" for a while. After all, he's been through quite an ordeal, and he has "changed". Shaken and confused, Christine gives in. But he is not her son. And when she insists on this fact, the PD tries to dismiss her as either a liar who's trying to shirk her responsibility as a mother, or a crazy woman. John Malkovich costars as a minister who speaks out publicly against the LAPD corruption. He helps her get her case against the PD together, but the soon the authorities have Christine committed. Eventually, a young cop comes across another young boy that leads him to find out what really happened.
Directed by Clint Eastwood, THE CHANGELING was based on the Wineville Chicken Coop Murders that took place in Riverside County, California. (Incidentally, Wineville is now Miraloma - the name of the community was changed due in large part to the negative publicity received from this case). Christine & Walter Collins were actual people. Most of the story is told as it actually happened, with the exception of some figures being left out, and some characters being a "complilation" of many figures involved. This was a good movie, but one of those that I wish I hadn't seen because the story was so tragic.
Oscar winner SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE hits the DVD aisle on March 31st. If you didn't catch it in the theater, make sure you watch it when the DVD drops.
The movie opens with a young man, Jamal Malik in jail. He's being tortured and beaten. The police want him to confess. They want to know exactly how he knew the answers! What Answers? Well, it seems that 18-year-old Jamal was a contestant on India's Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. He's one question away from the big win. But he's been arrested for cheating because he's just an orphan from the slums of Mumbai. How could he possibly know anything, much less these challenging questions? But Jamal has a story to tell. He takes us back to his childhood and to specific events that reveal how he knew the answers. For each question, Jamal has a significant moment etched in his memory which, coincidentally, is key to each answer.
It was brilliant. I must admit, however, that I've had to digest it for a while before I came to that conclusion. When I watched it, I thought it was "good". But as I've thought about it - the story, the characters, the way the story was told, the cinematography, the acting - I've concluded that this was an excellent and unique film and deserving of the awards it received. The main story in itself is compelling. But there are so many twists and turns to Jamal's past, that we find ourselves invested in his life and how it turns out. Interestingly, it was almost released straight to DVD. Because it was so different, I'm sure it seemed like a risk. But they did take the risk and it paid off. SLUMDOG walked away on Oscar night with Eight Academy Awards.
HOME TO HOLLY SPRINGS is Jan Karon's first book in the new Father Tim Series. Having completed the Mitford Series, Ms. Karon has continued Father Tim's story, taking a closer look into his past, his family, and his hometown of Holly Springs.
At 70 years of age, Father Tim receives an anonymous note that simply reads "Come Home". It grabs his curiosity, and he ends up planning a trip "home" to see what he can find out. He leaves his wife, Cynthia, at home, as she has broken her ankle and isn't much up to traveling. So Father Tim and trusty dog, Barnabas, hit the road.
As he arrives in Holly Springs, he visits some of his old stomping grounds, and he begins to remember a lot of events from his childhood. Tim's history is mentioned throughout the Mitford Books, and with this book, we take a closer look at some of the things that have haunted him for many years. For example, he wonders why his father always hated him. He wonders what happened to his beloved caregiver Peggy, who disappeared many years ago without a word. He wonders what became of his childhood best friend Tommy Noles. He also comes face to face with his old flame Peggy Cramer - and we learn the painful secret of their relationship's breakup.
He was able to see his life's history from other people's perspectives once he returned home. The same event can have different memories for different parties involved. It made me think about how we have a certain understanding of events that occur when we're children, but when we become adults or spouses or parents, we understand those things a little differently. We can look back with a grown-up perspective and understanding that we couldn't possibly have had as children. Father Tim goes home and finds answers to many questions he's long carried in his heart and mind. This book is full of secrets revealed!
I'll have to say that it was slow in some places, but about halfway through, I started to feel more interested in what was going on. I read a few reviews from faithful Mitford Fans that felt disappointed in this book, but personally, I enjoyed it. HOME TO HOLLY SPRINGS was released in 2007, but I'm disappointed to discover that so far, it's still the only book in the series. Hopefully we'll hear more from Father Tim in the near future!
This isn't a movie that I ordinarily might have wanted to see. But I did want to watch all the Academy Award nominees, and this was one of them. Once I started looking into this movie, I was quickly intrigued by the praise Mickey Rourke was receiving for his performance. He won a Golden Globe for this role, and now he's up for an Oscar. After seeing THE WRESTLER, I'm thinking he just might win.
This is the story of a Randy "The Ram" Robinson, a professional wrestler past his prime. He was BIG in the '80's, and 20 years later, he's still wrestling - but now he plays smaller venues, like VFW halls. He's on a steady diet of painkillers and booze to numb the beating that his body takes at his bouts. He lives alone in a trailer, and gets locked out when he's late on his rent. He's got a dead end job in a grocery store. We eventually find out that he has a daughter who despises him because he abandoned her. The only person in his life is a stripper named Pam. Pam is played by Marisa Tomei, who, by the way, is also up for an Oscar. Pam and Randy don't actually have a relationship, they just sort of have a soft spot for each other.
So here's this washed out wrestler, barely getting by. One of his wrestling matches turns out to be especially brutal, and afterward, he passes out on the dressing room floor. When he wakes up, he's in a hospital. Turns out he's got some serious health issues that will force him to retire . So he tries to find some meaning in his life - and he feels pretty alone. He reaches out to Pam, who keeps him at arms length because she's afraid of crossing the line with a "customer". He reaches out to his daughter, but she is angry and he knows he deserves that. He doesn't know what to do - he's got nobody to love him, and the only thing he's ever been good at, he isn't able to do anymore.
This story is pretty rough and raw. We get to go behind-the scenes in professional wresting, and it isn't pretty. The actual matches were tough to watch, too. There were a few times I had to turn away - one particular match included staple guns and barbed wire, if that gives you an idea. There's also a lot of nudity. Since Pam is a stripper, many of the scenes take place in the strip club. But none of it felt as if it was just thrown in for no reason. It was a very real part of the story.
The movie poster says, "Witness the Resurrection of Mickey Rourke".
He's had quite a tumultuous career and life. He was one of the most promising actors in the '80's, but he derailed his own career. He became undesirable to work with. He was angry. His marriage failed. He was arrested for spousal abuse and for a DUI. He says, "After ten years went by and I wasn't working,I thought I'm never comin' back. The only thing I had going was hope." You might think that at 56 years old, he was given a generous opportunity by being offered a part in this film. But I can't imagine any other actor taking his place in this gritty role. I'm sure Director Darren Aronofsky knew what he was doing when he ignored the advice of all the "suits", who wanted him to cast a more "commercial" name.
THE WRESTLER didn't contain a lot of Hollywood glamour or special effects. As I mentioned before, a lot of it isn't pretty. It was honest and raw - a very sad story. If you want to see a skillfully crafted story of pain, sadness, regret, fear, loneliness, and even perseverance, go see THE WRESTLER.
The movie begins with an aged and dying Daisy asking her daughter, Caroline, to read a "journal" to her, which turns out to be Benjamin's life story. Caroline, played by Julia Ormond, doesn't know anything about this "Benjamin" person that she is reading about. We realize that Daisy is unloading some long-kept secrets on her deathbed. It sort of reminded me of TITANIC, with an elderly woman telling the story of the great love of her life. Well, that - and the fact that both movies are 3 hours long.
Benjamin's story begins with his startling birth. No one was as as startled as his father, who grabbed him and ran out of the house, eventually abandoning him on a doorstep. It just so happened to be an old folks home, where a young woman who worked there took him in as her own, expecting he would die soon anyway. Of course, he didn't die immediately, he lived for many years.
When he's about 9 years old, he meets Daisy, who is a child visiting her grandmother. Daisy knows that Benjamin is different, and they become friends. They spend a lot to time playing with each other. He is, after all, a child. In one scene, where they are playing under a table, Daisy's Grandmother pulls her away, and - assuming Benjamin is a grown man - tells him he "should be ashamed" of himself. He cries on his "Mama's" shoulder and asks, "What's wrong with me?". It was heartbreaking.
We see him gradually getting younger, and stronger, growing more hair, etc. Like any young man, he eventually leaves home and tries to find his own way in the world. He works, makes friends, learns how to drink, learns about women, sends Daisy frequent postcards, and once in a while he comes home. Daisy, meanwhile, has gone to NYC to pursue her career as a dancer. After some time, they meet up again, and this time, Benjamin is as good looking as...well, as good looking as Brad Pitt. Benjamin and Daisy's relationship endures many ups and downs before they end up giving in to their love for one another. Soon they discover they are expecting a child. Benjamin is conflicted as reality sets in: He won't be able to be a father to his own child as he continues to grow younger. He also doesn't want Daisy to have to care for "two" children all by herself.
This story was quite thought provoking. It made me think of love and life, and how much time we have with those we love, and how committed we are to them, and that we are who we are, regardless of what we look like. Ironically, even though Benjamin is getting younger instead of older, we are keenly aware of how limited his time is. I also thought about how we look at old people - our grandparents, even our parents - thinking they've always been conservative people. Yet they have a whole lifetime of stories they could tell. Just like Rose on Titanic. And just like Daisy in Benjamin Button.
If anything could have been cut to make this movie shorter, it certainly could have been the story of the clockmaker that is included in the beginning and again at the end. It was told that a man made a clock that was hung in a train station. To everyone's surprise, he made it to run backwards. He explained that perhaps time would go backwards and bring back the young men that had been killed in the war. At the end of the movie, the clock is eventually replaced with a updated working model. We keep waiting for that "A-ha" moment that ties the clock in with Benjamin's case, but there is none. Similarly, when Daisy is on her deathbed, we see that they are waiting for Hurricane Katrina to hit. This fact is emphasized, and we keep thinking that this might also be relevant to the story. It isn't.
But despite those faults, Benjamin Button was a good, entertaining movie. And while it reminded me of Titanic, it seems that this movie reminded others of another movie. So on that note, I'll leave you with this video for your entertainment.
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CHRISTMAS JARS is the story of a young lady named Hope Jensen. The story begins with a woman finding Hope as an infant with a note from the birth mother telling the finder to take good care of the baby. The woman ends up adopting Baby Hope, and together, they have a wonderful life. The story then fast forwards to Hope as a grown woman. At this point, her adoptive mother has recently passed away, and to make matters worse, she one day walks into her apartment to discover she has been burglarized. She is further taken by surprise when she discovers that someone has left a jar full of money at her doorstep. Being a journalist, she starts digging into past newspaper records to see if she can find any stories about people receiving a mysterious jar full of money. She finds a few instances of this occurring, but oddly, the recipients of the jars aren't very willing to talk about it. Eventually, she's led to a particular family that might be the originators of the Christmas Jar tradition. She approaches the family by telling them that she is a college student writing a report on small businesses, but all the while her intent is to earn their trust and find out the details of the Christmas Jar.
This is a story of the transforming power of giving. Its a story of how the giver of the gift is changed just as much as the receiver of the gift. True giving does not seek attention because it is it's own reward.
The book said "Major motion picture coming in 2008", and since this is 2009, I started googling for information on the movie. I came across the author's blog, which gave a quick update on the movie. The movie has been delayed, and the best guess is for a 2010 release.
CHRISTMAS JARS was a pretty quick read - only 150 pages. But it had the feel of an inexperienced author. It was a good story, but I felt as if I was reading facts, and not at all like I was being drawn into the story or getting to know the characters. It had potential to connect with the reader on an emotional level, but it never quite reached that point. I didn't feel as if the characters were fully developed. I also didn't think Hope was all that likable, but that can also be attributed to lack of character development. I think the movie might be good - I imagine it might be a feel-good movie similar to The Ultimate Gift.
Mr. Wright is a well-known editorialist and also the founder of PoliticalDerby.com. He's published four novels at this time, with his most current book being The Wednesday Letters, which reviewers say is reminiscent of The Notebook. CHRISTMAS JARS is his second published novel, and was on the New York Times bestsellers list. I think he created an interesting plot, but the writing was lacking a bit. I sincerely hope he improves as his writing career progresses, and I would definitely give him another chance by reading his more current books.
I began reading this series a few months ago, and have already reviewed the first book, AT HOME IN MITFORD in a previous post. However, once I started reading one volume after the other, I thought it best to review the series as a whole, since it is, in essence, one story.
Note: I've also read HOME TO HOLLY SPRINGS, the first in the new Father Tim Series, which is a continuation of this story, but a separate series. That will be reviewed at a later date.
THE MITFORD SERIES is the continuing saga of Father Tim, an Episcopal priest, who lives in the quaint town of Mitford. He's been a bachelor for many years, and has taken good care of the parish he leads. In the first novel, we meet most of the characters that will make an appearance in the rest of the series. They each have their own dramas going on, and they all seem to involve Father Tim in some way or another! Throughout each book, there are births, deaths, marriages, storms, fires, health crises, addiction, homelessness - you name it! As for Father Tim, he's a busy man with a lot on his plate - including the unexpected arrival of an 11-year-old boy, for whom Father Tim must now become a guardian. And then there's his new neighbor, who, much to his distress, he finds himself falling in love with. A lot happens in these nine volumes! You'll find yourself laughing on one page, and then crying on the next.
As I had mentioned in my earlier review of the first volume, there isn't lot of edge-of-your-seat-suspense. This isn't to say that its a boring story! It's an engaging story, but with a cozy and relaxing feel. Better still, we are encouraged by Father Tim and his relationship with Jesus Christ. If you feel a bit stressed and need to go somewhere to relax, head to Mitford!
I was sad to reach the end of this heartwarming series, and actually started reading a bit slower when I hit the final book!
The Mitford Series includes:
At Home In Mitford A Light In the Window These High Green Hills Out To Canaan A New Song A Common Life In This Mountain Shepherds Abiding Light From Heaven
David Gordon (John Cusak) is a recently widowed, science fiction writer. His late wife had wanted to adopt a child, and so he begins to think that he should do it, even though he is alone. He meets Dennis, a little boy that spends his days at the foster home hiding in a box. The sun bothers him...because he's from Mars. David finds himself drawn to this seemingly disturbed child, and little by little, David befriends him. Slowly, Dennis learns to trust him a little. So David begins the adoption process, telling Dennis that this will be a trial basis so that he can see if wants to live with David permanently. At first, David thinks that his love will help Dennis get a grip on reality. But Dennis maintains that he is a Martian on a mission to learn how humans live. In addition, he insists that "they" will come back to get him soon. Everyone knows that Dennis can't really be from Mars, but he does a few things that make David think twice about Dennis's planetary citizenship. However, the adoption committee keeps questioning if this child is thriving in David's care, so he tells Dennis that he needs to "act" like everyone else. Things go unrealistically well with them, but eventually David becomes frustrated with Dennis' "fantasy" stories and finds that he needs to discipline Dennis. Dennis reacts by running to the place where "they" are going to pick him up and take him back to Mars.
At the same time, David is struggling in his writing career. He is obligated to write a sequel to his latest successful book. But his creative juices are just not flowing in that direction. So he writes a book called "Martian Child", which, as you might guess, has been inspired by Dennis. He loves it - he thinks its great. His publisher, however, tells him "This might be great, but we just want you to do what we want you to do!" Aha! The light bulb goes on for David. Now he knows how Dennis feels.
The best quote of the movie is this: Sometimes we forget that children have just arrived on the earth. They are a little like aliens, coming into beings as bundles of energy and pure potential, here on some exploratory mission and they are just trying to learn what it means to be human. For some reason Dennis and I reached out into the universe and found each other, Never really know how or why. And discovered that I can love an alien and he can love a creature. And that's weird enough for both of us.
Joan Cusak costars as David's sister, and Amanda Peet plays his best friend. A funny detail that I noticed was that in the scene where a teacher expels Dennis from school, the shot of her face as she's speaks to David has a picture of George W. Bush behind her. And, when the "Adoption Committee" grills Dennis about his life with David, there's a picture of George W. Bush behind them as well. Not sure if that was intentional, but it seem curious that his photo was conspicuously there in the scenes with the rigid, self-righteous characters.
MARTIAN CHILD wasn't a great movie, but it was an enjoyable, sweet, heartwarming story.
BEDTIME STORIES stars Adam Sandler - but don't let that stop you from going to see it, Parents! It is actually quite a delightful story - funny, clever and entertaining!
Sandler plays "Skeeter", a hotel handyman. His father used to own the hotel, but before his death, sold it to "Mr. Nottingham". Skeeter has waited patiently to one day manage the hotel, but it doesn't look like his dream will come true anytime soon. Mr. Nottingham has promised the job to Kendall, a snotty guy who just happens to be dating Mr. Nottingham's daughter, Violet. (Violet's character closely resembles a certain hotel heiress that we see in the tabloids frequently!).
Courteney Cox plays Skeeter's sister, Wendy, who calls on her brother to babysit the children while she goes to an out-of-town job interview, since she has just lost her job as a school principal. (The school she works at is closing).Wendy's friend, Jill, played by Keri Russell helps Skeeter take care of the two kids (she takes the days, he takes the nights). Their relationship has a rough start.
At bedtime, Skeeter makes up a bedtime story for the two kids, and they join in the fun, making up things like "and then it rained gumballs". Once Skeeter finds himself standing in the middle of a street while gumballs fall from the sky, he figures out that these stories are actually coming true! He tries to manipulate the stories, only to discover that the only parts that come true are the parts that the kids are coming up with.
With some prompting from the kids storytelling, Mr. Nottingham decides to give Skeeter a chance at becoming hotel manager. The boss tells Kendall and Skeeter to come up with a theme for his new hotel. Whoever's theme he decides to go with, will also manage the hotel.
What I loved about the story was that the kids came up with some hair-brained story plots, and and when the stories materialized in Skeeter's life, it wasn't anything "magical". The things that happened had logical explanations even though it was their story taking place. (yeah, even the gumball rain!) My favorite part was when they told a story of Skeeter being a space alien speaking an unknown language with a side-kick interpreting for him. What happened in Skeeter's life to parallel that was very clever! Loved it!
The movie was rated PG, and for the most part very clean. You've got a few things that some might object to - for example, in one of their stories, they made up a character for Kendall, and named him "Sir Butt-Kiss". Also, in one of the story sequences, there is a "booger monster". Most of these instances are simple childish humor.
Sandler says, "I do have kids now. I always wanted to do a family movie. I always loved every Sunday night we’d watch the Disney movie. A lot of times kids see my movies anyway, but their moms yell at me. I wanted to make sure I do one movie in my career that moms hug me for. This might be it." It might not be Winnie the Pooh, but BEDTIME STORIES is good clean-ish fun!
My first reaction had been to skip it altogether. But Hubby and Little Boy wanted to go see it, and this morning I heard it had come in NUMBER ONE at the Box Office this weekend - so I thought, what the heck, maybe it's kinda funny.
As you probably already know from the movie trailers, Kevin James plays Paul Blart, who is...well, a mall cop. He's a police academy flunky, he's been dumped by his wife, and he lives with his mother and daughter. Oh, and he's hypoglycemic. That's an important recurring fact. He's also infatuated with Amy, a kiosk worker in the mall. The story takes place on Black Friday, when an organized group of robbers take over the mall, with a plan to steal the approximately $3 million in sales receipts on the credit card machines in the mall's stores. As it turns out, they end up with hostages. Since Paul was busy playing video games when the criminals entered the scene, he doesn't realize the mall has been evacuated. Once he realizes whats going on - and that Amy is one of the hostages - he decides he's going to save the day. What follows are a few funny moments and a lot of silly moments.
MALL COP was DIE HARD and HOME ALONE rolled into one film. It pretty much is what it looks like - A silly, predictable movie that you can take the family to.
Watching Clint Eastwood in GRAN TORINO did not disappointment.
Mr. Eastwood plays Walt Kowalski, a Korean War vet who is a crotchety, bigoted, cranky old guy. The movie opens at the funeral of his wife, where the young priest eulogizes her by saying "Death is bittersweet. Bitter in the loss, and sweet in the salvation". Walt is visibly irritated by this young man trying to sound like he knows anything about life and death.
We are soon introduced to Walt's sons and their families, who share the opinion that Walt is a grumpy old guy who is always is disappointed in everyone.
And so begins his life without his wife in the same house where they lived for years, in a neighborhood that is quickly being overrun with gangs of every ethnicity you can imagine. Walt is alone, except for his dog, and his prized Gran Torino, which he keeps in mint condition.
Through a turn of events, his Asian neighbors - "Hmong" people - become indebted to him for his act that protected the young son, Thao, from the gangster cousin who wants to initiate him into a gang. (In reality, the thugs were beating on Thao, and when the fight inched over to Walt's lawn, he pulled out his shotgun to scare them off his property)What Walt didn't know then, was that a few days earlier, Thao was the kid he had caught trying to steal his Gran Torino. The young man tries to make amends by working around the house for Walt, who soon befriends him and tries to make a man out of him. Eventually, Thao and his sassy sister Sue, find their way into Walt's hardened heart. Though he tries not to get to close to them, their persistence pays off as his exterior begins to soften. We start to think that he is good at heart, as Sue keeps telling him. As the conflict with the cousin's gang continues, Walt begins to protect Thao and Sue, but soon he becomes a target of the gang himself. Walt realizes that the conflict can never end unless the gang is removed for good.
In the end, he does what he has to do, but its only partly predictable.
The movie is rated R - there is a generous amount of profanity, although it's relevant to the type of person that Walt was. There's a lot of of racial comments, and a good amount of violence.
Clint Eastwood was 42 years old when he played Dirty Harry, and at 78 years old, he is everything we expect him to be as Walt Kowalski. You could say that GRAN TORINO was bitter and sweet.
I love movies that make me laugh and cry...and this was one of them.
MARLEY & ME stars Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston as John and Jen Grogan - a young couple beginning their married life together. It chronicles various changes in their life: marriage, careers, buying a house, etc. They feel like they've got it all - except a little creature to love and nurture. Not sure he's ready for a baby, John buys her a dog. Marley is a sweet little puppy, who soon becomes a large, uncontrollable dog! He chews everything, barks at everything, and has a neurotic fear of lightning (they live in Florida!). He pulls them along when he's leashed, chases birds, poops in the ocean at the dog beach...well you get the picture. He is a nightmare. But for some reason they love him. They try taking him to obedience school - but it doesn't quite work out. (By the way - the doggie teacher didn't look familiar, but that voice was unmistakable. It was Kathleen Turner - and she looked...different.)
It had a PG rating and so my friend and I took our kids (ages 7, 8, 9, 12). Mostly it was clean - no bad language, no violence. But there were some suggestive scenes which surprised me for a PG rating. In one scene, Jen faces John, and takes off her dress and jumps in the pool. (they only show her from behind). A couple of other times it shows them in bed - nothing graphic, but it alludes to what they are about to do (i.e., squeaking bed).
The only other thing I can say critically about it is that Jen and John look the same through the whole movie. I'd guess its a time span of about 10-12 years, and while they wouldn't have been old and gray, you'd think that after three kids, they might have changed a little bit. They could have at least given her a "mom" haircut or something! Also, you never quite feel their characters connect with their children. I felt totally aware that the kids were only playing their children.
But other than that, it was a good movie. Wilson and Aniston are both excellent, and portray the ups and downs of marriage and parenthood very well. From the time Jen got pregnant for the first time, I had a lump in my throat - and it pretty much stayed there til the end if the movie.
As you can already guess, the movie spans the lifetime of a dog. And while you can probably predict the ending, it still is incredibly sad. As I was trying unsuccessfully not to cry, I heard sniffles around the theater.
The friend I was with wondered if it had been a good idea to take the kids to see this movie, since her daughter was sobbing as we walked out. My son said he "almost" cried. The older boys said - a little too enthusiastically to believe them - that they didn't cry and that it was a boring movie. (Methinks they doth protest too much...)
I came home feeling tenderly towards my dog.
But I'm sure I'll get over it the next time I go on a poop safari in our yard.
