Book and Movie Reviews

The Adjustment Bureau

2011-03-28T09:49:00.000-07:00

Your life. What things are chance, and what things are you predestined for? Do the choices you make affect the rest of your life? Or is your life already mapped out for you, and you're just following that predetermined path? What if you deviate from that plan? Do you mess things up for good, or is there a new path created for you? And do little things - like missing your bus because you spilled coffee on your shirt and had to go back home to change it - affect what happens in your day...or even your life?

This is the stuff of The Adjustment Bureau, starring Matt Damon and Emily Blunt. Matt Damon plays David Norris, a politician who accidentally meets Elise (Blunt) in a men's restroom one evening. (She's hiding from Security for crashing a wedding, and he is about to give a concession speech). But sparks fly when they meet each other. Matt Damon's acting is amazing, because as he meets her and is captivated by her, it was his eyes and his facial expressions that said all that he was feeling, and not necessarily the dialogue. Naturally, David wants to see Elise again.

But quite by accident, he discovers the Adjustment Bureau, those unseen forces that make sure your life goes according to plan. (He would have never met them if he had spilled his coffee on his shirt that day and been 10 minutes late for work...) And by the way, he needs to stay away from Elise and forget he ever met her, because that's not in the plan. And if he tries to find her, he will set off a chain of events in both their lives that they will both regret.

This is quite a philosophical movie. I couldn't help but think of some stories we heard about 9/11 - people who escaped the attack because they overslept, or had to stop and buy a band-aid for a blister on their foot. I also thought about my hubby, who was on his way out to start a job at a small store, but heard his phone ringing as he was leaving. He came back in to take the call (he had no answering machine!), and it was a job offer in his current profession. Had he never taken that job, I would have never met him many years down the line through mutual friends! Or..would we have met anyway? I mean, if there's a plan and you mess it up, can your life be "recalculated" to get back on track, just like a GPS unit?

I really enjoyed The Adjustment Bureau. It was serious in parts, and fun in parts. There were a few scenes, that seemed almost comical, and I started thinking it was sort of corny...but the funniness added charm. It also made the men in the Bureau not so menacing, as we realized that they weren't perfect either.

From the perspective of a Christian - its pretty obvious that we humans pretty much always deviate from the perfect plan for our lives. But God in His wisdom already knows where and when we will go off our path! The bible says that all things work together for good to those who love Him. And its true. If we take a wrong turn, He is there to teach us something or change us in some way that is for our good. And He is always there to pick us up and put us back on the path that we are supposed to be on.

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid

2011-02-19T22:37:00.000-08:00

They were funny, witty and charming...yes, I'm talking about the bad guys! And even though I'm often a bit conflicted to watch movies where the bad guys are the heroes, I loved this one!

I'm sure you know that I'm talking about Paul Newman and Robert Redford, who starred as Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. They're lovable outlaws who spend their time running from the law, then relaxing at the local brothel before the next big heist. But when they find it difficult to outrun one particular posse, they hightail it out of the U.S. and head to Bolivia.

There were a couple of scenes that seemed to drag on unnecessarily - in one particular part of the movie, they are shown traveling through the desert and wilderness, and it just seems to go on and on...we watch them ride their horses for what seems like forever. Another scene that also seems unnecessarily long, is when they travel to Bolivia. We are shown still shots of their trip..and that part also seems to go on for a while! Those parts almost felt like they were just there to fill time. But I so loved the rest of the movie, that I was willing to overlook those scenes. And actually, it was ok, because those long scenes gave me time to run to the kitchen for something to drink!

The dialogue was great- very funny lines, and I especially loved the deadpan delivery they each had. In one scene where they were cornered by the posse, Butch is trying hard to convince Sundance to jump off the cliff into the river below. Finally, Sundance admits he cant swim. Without missing a beat, Butch says, "You cant swim? Hell, the fall alone will kill you anyway!"

This movie has immortalized these two actors - I'm sure that Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid is the first movie we think of when we hear either of their names. They are at their prime here - extremely handsome and charming! This is a must see! I might even watch it again!

Country Strong

2011-02-17T20:32:00.000-08:00

Gwyneth Paltrow and Tim McGraw play husband and wife Kelly and James Canter in this story of a troubled country singing star. When we first meet them, Kelly is in rehab, flirting with Beau (Garret Hedlund), a young employee at the facility. Beau also happens to be a country singer and songwriter. James is taking Kelly out of rehab, because he's anxious for her to get back on the road.

We soon learn that Kelly is not only an alcoholic, but that a fall she took at a show, because of her drunkenness, caused the death of her unborn child. Needless to say, this incident was bad for her career. James, who is also her manager, has one goal in mind - to get her going on a comeback tour, to prove to her fans that she is "ok" now. It soon becomes evident that she left rehab way too soon. Sadly, their relationship is so distant, that he cant see that its the career that's killing her. All he can think about is saving her image to save her career.

At Kelly's request, James reluctantly, asks Beau to join them on as the opening act on the tour. They also take young beauty-pageant-queen turned-country-singer, Chiles Stanton (Leighton Meester) as another opening act. As you can guess, all the relationships get a little complicated.

Kelly needed to dull the pain she felt in her life, and drinking was how she did it. It seemed that the life of a star became too much for her. James didn't seem to care that she wasn't "all better". He just wanted her to look as if she was, so that her career could carry on. Kinda reminded me of a scene in the movie Coal Miner's Daughter, where Loretta Lynn - about to have a nervous breakdown on stage - said, "Patsy always said, 'Little girl, you've got to run your life'...but I fear my life is running me".

Country Strong was slow at times, and a bit predictable. But it was an OK movie with good acting and good entertaining music. A good home DVD movie.

IN THE COMPANY OF OTHERS, By Jan Karon

2011-02-07T20:52:00.000-08:00

This is the most current release by Jan Karon, author of the beloved Mitford Series books. After completing the Mitford books, Karon began the new "Father Tim" series. This one is the second of those books ("Home to Holly Springs" is the first)

If you've read my past reviews on Karon's previous books, I'm sure you know that I was excited to see this book at the store. Couldn't wait to read it! I'm sad to say, it was a huge disappointment. In fact, I couldn't wait for it to end.

As the story begins, Father Tim and wife Cynthia have arrived in Ireland, for the trip of a lifetime that he'd been promising her for years. They arrive at a Bed & Breakfast, where we read about what they ate, what they wore, what the dog did, how many swans were in the lake...it seemed that for most of the book, it was one dull detail after another. Cynthia had hurt her ankle, so they were stuck at the Inn for most of the time. It was over 100 pages into the story before anything of note happened. Additionally, since the dialog was written in an Irish accent, it was very difficult to understand what was being said between characters.

Tim and Cynthia discover and old journal at the lodge, and spent a lot of time reading it, since they cant do much else because of her ankle injury. Long passages from that journal are written out for us, and wouldn't you know it, the journal is also full of dull details!

Toward the end, a little drama starts happening, but since we're about 3/4 of the way into the book, its hard to really care. I felt no connection with the characters at all, in fact, it was hard to keep them all straight! There was the family that ran the Inn, and the additional staff, the guests, and the rest of the family and staff at a nearby home - not to mention all the people that were written about in the journal! I finally gave up trying to figure out who was who.

I was determined to finish it, and I did. But it was difficult. So disappointed in this one.

The Shop Around The Corner (1940)

2011-02-05T16:53:00.000-08:00

A fun little movie!

And by the way, it served as the basic story for the later, modernized remake which was "You've Got Mail", with Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan!

The Shop Around the Corner was set in 1940's Budapest, in a gift shop where the two main characters were co-workers who could barely tolerate each other! What they didn't realize, was that they were corresponding with each other by mail, and had fallen in love with each other through their letters!

The "pen pals", Klara and Alfred, are played by James Stewart and Margaret Sullavan. James Stewart is soooo handsome and looks soooo young in this movie. He was only 32 year old in this! The supporting cast are wonderful characters too! From the lovable and funny "Pirovitch" to the adorable "Pepi", this was a very entertaining ensemble and a great movie! Yes, it probably is as predictable as "You've Got Mail", but in this genre, predictable is ok!

It's Always Fair Weather

2011-01-17T18:41:00.000-08:00

At the end of the war, three soldiers promise to meet in 10 years, just for the sake of proving that they will always, always be best of friends! Well, they keep their "appointment", but soon discover that they have nothing in common, and can hardly stand being with each other!

Each guy has his own issues, but the story focuses mostly on "Ted", played by Gene Kelly. Through circumstance, Ted meets a program coordinator (Cyd Charisse) for a live TV show, where the 3 friends are going to be suprise guests. It amazes me that this movie was made in 1955, and yet the premise involved somewhat of a "reality" bit in the show!

I LOVED this movie - I loved the dance sequences and the story was great! Gene Kelly is AMAZING...I mean, he tap dances with ROLLER SKATES on his feet!! Tap Dances. With ROLLER SKATES!! Loved it!!

And I cant really say that I love ALL musicals...In OTHER musicals, I've found myself forwarding past the music, which defeats the purpose of watching a musical, right? I guess what I dont like is when the story comes to a screeching halt, the "scene" fades away, and then a song is thrown in. But in this type of musical movie, the song is part of the story progressing within the scene...which I love!

This is my 2nd Gene Kelly movie...but I tell you..I'm gonna dig up and watch all his stuff! (I decided this after the first time I saw him!)

Loved it - recommend it!

NUMBER THE STARS, By Lois Lowry

2011-01-13T16:08:00.000-08:00

Set in 1943 in occupied Denmark, this fictional story is about 10-year -old AnneMarie Johansen and her best friend Ellen Rosen. At this time in their young lives, Copenhagen is filled with Nazi soldiers, watching their every move. But thats just the start. Soon, the Jews of Denmark are to be "re-located", so Ellen's parents flee, leaving Ellen to pretend to be part of AnnMarie's family.

Although it is fiction, this book is based on actual people and events, including the work of the Danish Resistance, who protected the Jews at that time by smuggling them into Sweden. The story was told through Ann Marie's point of view, and I think the author captured the fear and anxieties that this young girl faced as she risked her life to help out her beloved friends.

This is a 5th grade book, and the winner of the 1990 Newbery Medal. I read this along with my 10 year old son, who's class was reading it together. The story was sad, but it was also interesting and yes, educational. I found myself Googling various topics from the book for further reading and info. It seemed as if the author did her research on the topic. Its an excellent book to use to introduce children into the difficult topic of the Holocaust.

My Darling Clementine

2011-01-10T19:31:00.000-08:00

Wow - does Henry Fonda look YOUNG in this movie! Indeed, he was 41 years old when he played the Marshall Wyatt Earp in this! I love me a good Western, and this was a good one! Of course, part of my enjoyment is that it's set in Tombstone, Arizona. (I grew up in a nearby town!) I loved seeing the stagecoach marked "Bisbee - Tombstone - Tucson"...yes, all those places are quite familiar to me! Last time I was in Tombstone was in 2008. Here's how it looked then:

As the movie opens, the "Earp" brothers are traveling towards California with a herd of cattle. One evening, 3 of the Earp brothers go into town and leave their youngest brother to watch the cattle. When they return to camp, the cattle is gone and their brother is dead. So Wyatt decides to take the Marshall job in Tombstone until he finds out who killed his brother. Enter Doc Holliday - who pretty much runs the scene in town. Basically, its a retelling of the feud between Earp and the Clanton gang, and their famous shoot out at the OK Corral.

Here's some more pics of modern day Tombstone:

I can just see the Earp brothers herding their cattle through this land, can't you?

I really enjoyed the movie! I've seen old Westerns that are corny and over-acted, but this one stands the test of time. Worth your time to watch it if you enjoy classic Westerns!

TRUE GRIT (2010)

2011-01-01T22:47:00.000-08:00

I was kinda curious about how good this movie would be. I was raised by the biggest John Wayne fan, so a movie like this had potential to be really great or really bad. I purposely did not re-watch the original True Grit before seeing this one, because I wanted to judge this one on its own merit. Im happy to say that this movie was AWESOME!

Newcomer Hailee Steinfeld plays14-year-old Mattie Ross, who has decided she needs to make sure her father's killer is brought to justice. Unfortunately, the case is not high on the list of priorities for the local law. So she hires a Marshall that she hears is the meanest around - Rooster Cogburn. They strike up a deal to track and find Tom Chaney (Josh Brolin), the murderer.

Texas Ranger, "Mr. Lebeof", played by Matt Damon, has been tracking Chaney unsuccessfully for months. After much bickering about who should and shouldn't go, the three of them head off to get their man. At first, the men tried to go without Mattie, but she was stubbornly determined that she was going to be a part of this job.

What follows is bad weather, arguments, shoot-em-up scenes, crazy mountain men, whiskey-drinking, and everything you would expect to see in a good western! This movie was GREAT! Jeff Bridges played a great Rooster Cogburn, & Matt Damon played a great Leboef. Hailee Steinfeld as Mattie Ross did an outstanding job - a very big role for a new young actress!

You MUST see this movie - it's a great story to begin with, and it's retold beautifully!

CALL OF THE WILD, By Jack London & BEAUTIFUL JOE, By Marshall Saunders

2010-12-27T10:41:00.000-08:00

It was unintentional, but I ended up reading two stories, back to back, which just happened to be told by dogs!

Call Of The Wild is about a domestic dog named Buck, who - up to the point where the story begins - has led a pretty nice life with a family on a large estate. However, a series of events lead him to be stolen and sold to serve as a sled dog in the Yukon during the Klondike Gold Rush. It's interesting to see Buck transform from a leisurely dog, into a dog whose wild instincts begin to emerge as he adjusts to the cruel and harsh environment of the snow and mountains. He says he "remembers" things, but we realize that he is merely feeling his ancestor's animal instincts rise up in him. In other words, he is feeling the "call of the wild". We see the "pecking" order of the pack, as well as how the pack relates to man. To me, the ending was somewhat sad as I saw Buck finally commit fully to being a wild dog...but my husband saw it as the natural order of things. Hubby is right, but it still felt kinda sad to me.

I'd never heard of Beautiful Joe, but I found it as I was browsing Amazon.com on my Kindle app on my Droid phone. The book was free, and I really just wanted to try the app out to see how it would be to read a book on my phone. I loved the app, but sorry to say, I didn't really love the book. The story is told by "Joe", a dog, who starts off by saying that he's going to tell his life story. Joe's story is true - he is an actual dog that endured abuse by his owner before he was rescued by a family. The author was so taken with Joe's story, that she decided to write this book told by the dog's perspective. It starts out interestingly enough, but at a certain point, it begins to be overly preachy about cruelty to animals. Let me just say, I dont think animals should be treated cruelly, but the characters in the book talked about the subject soooooooo much, that the conversations seemed very unnatural. It's hard to imagine that people could spend days and days and days talking about the topic with each other! At first, its ok, but it begins to drag on and on, and it almost feels as if Joe's story is lost in all the preachy-ness. I discovered that the author had submitted the story in a writing contest being run by the Humane Society - which puts the preachy-ness in perspective!

These arent the first books I've read that were told by dogs - last summer my son and I read a book called A Dog's Life: The Autobiography of a Stray, By Ann M. Martin. That was a good book!

So I have been accidentally gravitating to stories told by dogs...hmmm...maybe I should switch it up and read a story told by a horse or something. Hey, I've never read Black Beauty...

Book of Eli

2010-06-26T20:43:00.000-07:00

The description of "post apocalyptic" usually steers me far, far away from a movie. Blade Runner? Ick. I Am Legend? No thanks. Mad Max? The PostMan? Omega Man? No, No, NO!!

But one of my Facebook friends (Hi Julio!) posted that he had gone to see The Book Eli, and that it was good. "And by the way," he said, "The Book of Eli is the Bible, and its the last one on earth".

OK, then. I'm in.

This..ahem.."post apocalyptic" tale stars Denzel, as Eli, a lone stranger, traveling westward, protecting a sacred book. He's survived for 30 years by hunting small animals and finding supplies and water wherever he can. When he reaches a small town run by powerful mobster, Carnegie (Gary Oldman), he is offered a job to stay and work for the mob boss. And when Carnegie sends Solara, (Mila Kunis) a young girl, to spend the night with Eli to "convince" him to stay, she sees the book. This happens to be THE book that Carnegie has desperately been looking for. But he wants it in order to gain control of people. Eli, on the other hand, has been "told", by a voice in his head, to take the book and go west. So he leaves, and the pursuit of The Book begins.

The Book of Eli was filmed in a dark, ashy, color, which really enhanced the idea of a dismal earth. It was also quite a violent. Unfortunately, telling you any more will only spoil the story. But if you can hang on through the darkness and violence...it is a beautiful story with a beautiful end. You could say the journey will be worth it for the destination. This movie is a must see.

TOOTH FAIRY

2010-06-25T11:39:00.000-07:00

For about the first half hour, I was thinking this was the corniest movie I'd ever seen, and that it was geared for very young kids. I also thought that Dwayne Johnson and Ashley Judd didn't have a lot of chemistry as a couple.

But then I found myself laughing out loud and really enjoying it! Which is good, because I wanted to like it. I think Dwayne Johnson has been good in these kinds of movies - such as Race To Witch Mountain or The Game Plan. (Kinda reminds me of Vin Diesel in The Pacifier...which I loved!)

Johnson plays Derek Thompson, a washed up former pro hockey player that is now playing in the minors. He's been nursing a shoulder injury for years, and hasn't even attempted a goal in 6 years. He's come to the point where he thinks dreaming is pointless. The only way to happiness and satisfaction, in his opinion, is to lower your expectations. He's been dating "Carly" (played by Judd), a single mom with two kids. But he's afraid of commitment - he's afraid of trying and failing. And so his relationship with Carly is suffering.

One night, he tries to tell Carly's daughter, Tess, that there is no tooth fairy - because he doesn't see the point in a childish fantasy. Carly stops him, but later that night, he gets a surprise. He is transported to...hmmm, well, I guess you can call it "Tooth Fairy Land". He is informed by the Tooth Fairy in Command (Julie Andrews), that he has to work as a tooth fairy, in order to pay off his debt for the offense of trying to destroy a child's belief in fantasies/dreams.

This is kinda where the movie starts to get good. Derek isn't allowed to tell anyone he's a tooth fairy, so when he gets a call to pick up a tooth, he starts to sprout wings, and he's got to go - in a hurry! Since he has to leave at a moments notice - without being able to explain - this adds even more tension in his relationship with Carly.

But its fun to see how he scrambles to do the job - especially since he's gotta do it right, or else he gets more time added to his "sentence". And the "tools" he receives to do the job, are pretty funny - especially when he uses them.

By the way, Billy Crystal makes an appearance. He looks different, but his voice and style are unmistakable.

It was rated PG, and it really was a clean movie. I loved that Derek never spent the night at Carly's house. While Tooth Fairy was a predictable movie, it was cute and funny. It was a little corny, and I was definitely glad that I didn't pay to see it at the theaters. AND..I still think that Ashley Judd and Dwayne Johnson had NO chemistry! BUT..it was a nice, clean movie to settle down and watch on a Thursday night at home.

LITTLE BILLY'S LETTERS, By Bill Geerhart

2010-06-06T20:59:00.000-07:00

This was a fascinating read. And really, an original idea, as far as I'm aware. Little Billy's Letters is a compilation of letters and responses to those letters, by some of the most famous people in the world.

But here's why its so entertaining..."Little" Billy is actually an adult, pretending to be a child in the letters he writes. He sends letters to everyone from Donald Rumsfeld, to Charles Manson, to Tori Spelling, to the Lucky Charms Leprechaun.

He asks Charles Manson for his advice on dropping out of school, and receives a very chilling, strange reply.

He asks Robert Shapiro for advice on how to clear his name for destroying his sister's doll (Billy claims he's innocent and that the dog ate it). Mr. Shapiro replies with a long letter outlining various tactics Billy could employ, such as using DNA from the dog's mouth.

Yep...I said it was fascinating, didn't I?

Each page includes a photo of Billy's letter, some brief information about the person or organization he's written to, and a copy of their response. It's amazing to think that he actually got responses from all these people!

Its a quick read, something you can pick up, read a few pages, and then put down. My son gave it to me for Mother's Day along with the receipt, just in case I wasn't interested. But I read one of Billy's letters and was hooked til the end.

*One last note...Little Billy obviously grew up to be a liberal democrat, judging from some of the comments he writes about certain politicians and religious figures. But dont let that deter you from giving this book a try! Its fun and...did I already say...fascinating?

Vertigo (1958)

2010-02-07T17:55:00.000-08:00

The plot was quite intriguing, but the main character's vertigo seemed to be a very inconsequential part of the story! In that regard, it sort of threw me off. I was waiting for it to be a major factor, and it never was.

James Stewart plays John "Scotty" Ferguson, a police officer who's had to retire because a traumatic event has triggered a severe fear of heights in him. An old friend of his, Gavin, wants his wife, Madeline, investigated. She's been acting odd lately. Shes goes places, and can't remember where she's been; or she drifts off in the middle of conversations. Scotty reluctantly agrees, and he begins to follow her. She goes to a museum, and sits and stares at a painting of a woman. Then she goes to a grave and stares at the headstone of that woman. Then she goes to a hotel room and sits. After some investigating, Scotty discovers that the woman in the painting, the woman who's grave Madeline visits, has also lived in the hotel room to which she goes. Finally, Gavin tells Scotty that unbeknownst to Madeline, the woman in the painting is actually Madeline's great grandmother, who went "mad" and committed suicide at 26. Madeline is now 26 years old. Oh, and there's another complication: Scotty and Madeline met and have fallen in love.

I read that Hitchcock blamed James Stewart for the commercial failure of this movie. He felt that Stewart looked "too old to attract audiences". But I felt the complete opposite. I thought James Stewart was very appealing. I've only seen him in this film, and in Rear Window. He has a good chemistry with his leading ladies, and he's also charming and charismatic!

This is a story of doomed love. There are twists and turns in the story, but alas, they would just be spoilers. Vertigo was good - there were even a few times that I gasped aloud while watching it! I'd recommend it if you like the classic Alfred Hitchcock thriller!

The Way We Were (1973)

2010-01-24T21:01:00.000-08:00

I was really expecting this one to more romantic that it actually was.

Barbara Streisand and Robert Redford play Katie and Hubbel. They attend the same college and she's got a crush on him. But she's a political activist and he's a writer and they have very different views on life and politics.

The movie begins 10years or so after college, as she runs into him at a restaurant. As she looks at him, we go back in time to their college days. Once their past is established, we go back to them at the restaurant. He's quite intoxicated and goes home with her, where he passes out on her bed.

They sort of start up a romance after this evening. But their relationship never quite seems comfortable for either of them. Their rocky romance spans years. They almost give up a few times. Eventually, they give up for the last time. They are just too different.

That's it in a nutshell, and I think it's ok to write the spoiler since its a very old movie.

Here's what I didn't like about Katie and Hubbel's story. To begin with, Katie was just too desperate. She was begging him to be with her, while he just looked aloof. This is really evident the first night they were together. In that scene, they are in bed, he's drunk and passed out, so she takes off her clothes and slips into bed. He comes over to her and eventually passes out again. She taps him and says something like, "Hubbel? Its Katie. Did you know it was Katie?". For such an educated and outspoken woman, Katie was just the desperate school girl in love with the jock. Their love AND their conflict lacked any passion at all, which made me not really care what happened in their relationship.

In the last scene they run into each other after years of not having seen on another. He's with his wife, and as they exchange pleasantries, he asks Katie if she's still married. They hug...for a long time. It's obvious they still love each other. But again, I just didn't really care because their story did not touch me. The got together and they broke up. That's about the extent of the romance. Not very memorable.

Extraordinary Measures

2010-01-23T18:05:00.000-08:00

This touching movie is based on the lives of John & Aileen Crowley, played by Brendan Fraser and Keri Russell. They have three children, and two of them have a rare genetic and fatal disorder called Pompe Disease. Children with the disease are generally expected to live no more than 9 years, and the Crowley's daughter has just turned 8.

Enter Dr. Robert Stonehill, played by Harrison Ford. He does research at a Nebraska University, with much of his research pertaining to a treatment for Pompe Disease. John hunts the good doctor down and together they embark on a a journey to try to get funded by a major drug company for their research. Together - the cranky, anti-establishment scientist, and the business man, who is also a desperate father, fight against the politics of drug companies and the bottom line of "making a profit".

The movie is rated PG, and I did take my 9 year old son to see it. While it was a bit long for him, he did follow the story and it was pretty clean, with the exception of a few words.

Brendan Fraser and Harrison Ford are outstanding actors and, as expected, did a great job in these roles. Since we are dealing with a story about terminally ill children, there were a few gut wrenching moments. But mostly, it was a triumphant story, filled with hope and the love that drives a mother and father to do anything they can for their children.

The Princess Bride (1987)

2010-01-21T10:14:00.000-08:00

The movie begins in the present day, with a grandfather, (Peter Falk), visiting his sick grandson at home. He's come to read his grandson (Fred Savage) a story. He says, "In my day, television was called books!" As he begins to read, we see the story take place, with occasional flashes back to present to see the discussion the grandson/grandfather are having about it. One of the cutest parts is in a scene where one of the book's character is in the sea, surrounded by killer eels, and just as the drama climaxes, it flashes back to to Grandpa, who assures Grandson that the character won't get eaten. He says, "I just wanted to let you know, because you looked a little nervous...".

This is one of Robin Wright Penn's earlier works, and actually, she was "Robin Wright" at the time of this movie. She plays the lovely "Buttercup", who lives on a farm and finds herself in love with the farmhand, Westley, played by Cary Elwes. After they profess their love for one another, Westley leaves the farm to seek his fortune so that he can come back and provide a life for himself and his beloved Buttercup. Unfortunately, Buttercup soon receives news that Westley has been killed.

Not long after, the Prince Humberdink chooses Buttercup to be his queen (against her will, of course, since she is still in love with Westley). She ends up being kidnapped, and thus begins the adventure of the Princess Bride. There is swordplay, pirate ships, magic spells, dungeons and everything you'd expect from this move.

On a side note, I was SURE Prince Humperdink was Mark Ruffalo, but actually turned out to be Chris Sarandon (Susan Sarandon's first husband). See the resemblance on the right? (Ruffalo on left, Sarandon on right)

My son was not sure he wanted to watch a movie with "princess" in the title, but the minute the story began with the grandfather and grandson, he seemed to be drawn into it. He was having a lot of the same reactions that the grandson was having! But all in all, The Princess Bride was a movie we both enjoyed. It was funny, witty and pretty clean!

Rear Window

2010-01-16T18:34:00.001-08:00

I was biting my nails the whole time I was watching this movie!!

Rear Window is an Alfred Hitchcock thriller starring James Stewart and Grace Kelly. Stewart plays Jeff, a photographer who is temporarily wheelchair-bound after breaking his leg. Not being able to do much else, he spends his time looking out his window, at his neighbors who live in apartments surrounding a small courtyard. He looks into the windows of their apartments, and in essence, into their lives. His nurse Stella, played by Thelma Ritter, comes in every day to check in on him and take care of him. His girlfriend, Lisa (Kelly), also visits him regularly.

I knew the premise of the movie was that he witnesses a murder as he looks out his window. So the whole time I was watching, I was waiting for it to take place. But, wow - Hitchcock really strung out the suspense. Jeff looked from window to window, and the whole time I was watching wide -eyed, not wanting to miss a thing. Who would it be? Would it be "Miss Torso", the beautiful dancer with no shortage of gentlemen callers? Or the couple that is always fighting? Or perhaps the frustrated musician at the piano? The lonely woman? Or wait, how shocking it would be if it turned out to be the newlyweds? Or what about the sculptor? Jeff just watches to pass the time, and out of curiosity, but WE are waiting to see who will be the ill-fated neighbor! I was on the edge of my seat. And even when I found out who it was....there was a point where I began to wonder...did he really see it? Or has he made a mistake?

Grace Kelly plays his girlfriend Lisa, and they are a beautifully matched pair in this. I watched Grace Kelly in High Noon, and mentioned in my review that there was absolutely no chemistry between her and Gary Cooper. In this film, there was chemistry abounding between her and James Stewart!

Hitchcock usually makes a cameo in his movies, and this one is no exception. I recognized him instantly when I saw him - casually winding a clock in one of the apartments!

If you love suspense thrillers - this movie is a definite must-see!

Up In The Air

2010-01-13T18:55:00.000-08:00

George Clooney plays Ryan Bingham, a man who spends most days of the year on the road. He's single, alone, and he's pretty convinced he likes it that way. He loves his job - he fires people for a living. Employers hire the company he works for to go in and do the dirty work of letting their employees go. He's a "termination facilitator".

Natalie Keener, played by Anna Kendrick, is Ryan's 23 year old co worker. She's a recent grad, young and optimistic, and is ready to climb that corporate ladder. She's got a new idea, which she presents to their boss, Craig(Jason Bateman). She believes that they could save a lot of money if instead of traveling to terminate employees, they could do it via video conference. Not only does this sound like a cold, impersonal, and ridiculous idea to Ryan, but it also threatens the very lifestyle he loves.

So the boss insists that Ryan take Natalie with him on his assignments so she can learn what he does and see if this new idea of hers is gonna fly. Ryan is good at what he does - he "knows" people and their reactions, and he understands that this is one of the worst days of their lives. He believes that he does what he does in a humane way - something that can't be replaced with a web chat. (It's almost like being dumped via text message!). This is evident when Natalie fires someone via the computer, using all the canned lines that she's learned, but doesn't really know what to say when the 56 year old man begins to cry on the screen, after being fired from a Detroit factory that he's worked at for decades.

There are plenty of side stories here as well. There's Natalie and her boyfriend. And there's Ryan and his two sisters, one of whom is getting married soon. Another major character here is Alex, which seems to be the female version of Ryan. They are both always traveling and meet up every so often for a "casual relationship".

When the video conference terminations seem to be a certain future of the company, Ryan has to face the fact that he may not be able to distract himself from his lonely existence once he's home for good. Suddenly, the single life...actually, not really even the single life, but rather the emotionally isolated life...doesnt seem quite so attractive to him anymore. And even though he tries to tell himself he's not alone - since there are people all around him at the airport, at the restaurant, at the hotels - he's starting to realize that he is actually lonely. He even decides to take a chance on Alex. you'll have to watch it to see if the risk is worth it for him.

Clooney does a great job, which isn't surprising. Kendrick is great as the arrogant young person climbing the corporate ladder without much regard to anything else but her own advancement. While Jason Bateman's role isn't very big, he is a fine actor.

I really liked this movie - it grabbed you right from the beginning. Surprisingly, it put a high value on marriage. This makes perfect sense, since director Jason Reitman was married and had a child in the six years that he was working on the script.

And by the way, some of the people you see in the movie that are reacting to being fired, are actual people who have just been fired in real life. Reitman asked them to say what they had said when they were fired. I wondered that when I watched the movie.

Up in the Air has a few nominations for a Golden Globes as well as the Screen Actors Guild, which will probably lead to some Oscar nominations. Good movie - recommended.

The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (1947)

2010-01-11T00:12:00.000-08:00

Set in England at the turn of the century, this movie stars Gene Tierny as Lucy Muir, and Rex Harrison (whom we also know as Dr. Dolittle and "Henry Higgins") as the brash Captain Daniel Gregg.

Lucy, a young beautiful widow, is tired of living under the thumb of her mother in law and her sister in law, so she decides to go off on her own. She takes Martha, her housekeeper, and her young daughter Anna (played by a 9-year-old Natalie Wood).

Counting on income from one of her late husband's investments, Lucy rents a cottage by the seaside. The realtor warns her that it's haunted, but Lucy finds this delightful - a haunted cottage by the sea! However, she soon encounters the ghost of the former owner, Captain Daniel Gregg. He wants her to leave - after all, its his home! But she stubbornly refuses! Amazed at her fearlessness, he decides to lets her stay. Unfortunately, she soon discovers that the source of income she was counting on has dried up. Captain Daniel tells her to write a book, the story of his life. It becomes a best seller and she is able to support herself. Needless to say, Lucy and Captain Daniel form a bond as they spend time together.

Along the way, she meets a charming Miles Fairley (George Sanders) who she plans to marry. Sadly, Captain Daniel decides to let her live her life without him, among the living. As she sleeps, he tells her that her conversations iwth him have all been a dream, and that she wrote the book on her own. But Mr. Fairly, it turns out, is not as charming as he appears. He has a secret that Lucy soon discovers. She is left alone again.

The story continues through the years. We see Anna grown, and Lucy aging. The ending...very romantic and sweet.

This movie was funny, sweet and romantic. I was drawn into the characters immediately, and there was never a slow moment. I truly enjoyed it and recommend that you see it if you get the chance!

Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967)

2010-01-06T09:35:00.000-08:00

Loved this movie!!

23-year-old Joanna (Katharine Houghton) comes home from her trip to Hawaii, busting with news - She's in love with someone she met on her trip: Dr. John Wade Prentice (Sidney Poitier).

So what's the problem?

1) she's white

2) he's black

3) its 1967

Joanna is happy as can be, but John is a little nervous about how her family will react. And...they are very surprised.

He's also worried about HIS family will react.

Joanna's parents (Spencer Tracy and Katherine Hepburn) have brought her up to not look at race, and to be independent and open minded. One of the best lines is when Hepburn is telling her husband that they raised Joanna to not judge people by the color of their skin she says (paraphrased), "when we raised her to know that whites weren't better than anyone else, we never once added 'but don't marry a colored man'...".

Surprisingly, the housekeeper, Tillie (played by Isabel Sanford) is pretty upset. She's a black woman, and she tells Joanna that she does not like this one bit. She says she does not like him because she does not like someone of her own race trying to get "above his place".

When John calls his parents to tell them he's in love, they are overjoyed. (he is a widower). However, he does not tell them all about Joanna. But she ends up grabbing the phone and invites them to dinner.

The entirely of the movie takes place on this one day. The news is shared, the couple wants their parents' blessings, but everyone is reeling from the surprise of it all. But the couple tells their parents that they have only this night to decide how they feel about it, because their flight to Belguim leaves at 10:45pm, and then they'll be leaving to get married.

There were so many great lines in this movie, I almost grabbed a notebook to write them all down. This movie would be a GREAT conversation starter about how society has changed, or appeared to have changed, or not changed at all.

I totally recommend this movie!

Avatar

2010-01-03T18:29:00.000-08:00

Sci-Fi is not my favorite genre. I wouldn't have seen this movie if there was anything else on. But the people I was with wanted to see it, and so I agreed to go with an open mind. I was kinda dreading that it was a looong movie - Two and a half hours long!

Avatar is about a young marine paraplegic, Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), who has gone to the moon "Pandora" to finish a mission his deceased brother had begun.

While humans cannot breath the air in Pandora, they can link to a genetically bred "body" that is created to look like the natives on Pandora. As Jake sleeps, he wakes in his "avatar" body. While in his avatar, he meets the elusive People of Pandora and eventually becomes one of them. They don't know he is actually human.

When he begins his fact-finding mission, he is supposed to report back to his superiors about the best way to move the natives away from their home, so that a valuable mineral can be mined. But Jake begins to love the natives, especially his lovely female guide. This is where his internal struggle begins, and he begins to be at odds with his human superiors. Once he decides which side he wants to be on, the war begins.

Having said that I don't really like this genre, I have to say that it was a very good movie. While sci-fi buffs might drool over the special effects (which were good), I prefer a good story at the heart of a movie. And Avatar had it. We find ourselves cheering Jake on - his human form as well as his avatar form. We also see, that it doesn't really matter what the outer appearance is - the true person is inside.

The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)

2010-01-03T18:11:00.000-08:00

A humanoid alien and his mighty robot land their flying saucer in Washington DC.

How's that for a first line?

That's how The Day the Earth Stood Still begins. Unfortunately, the alien, Klatuu, is greeted by the earthlings with fear and then violence. He is taken to a hospital, but he escapes and lives among the humans for awhile. He has a purpose for his visit to earth. He has come to warn us about our ways. Earth is on its way to self destruction unless it learns to live in peace. He also tells what his people have done to ensure peace on their planet.

There was a remake of this movie in 2008, starring Keanu Reeves and Jennifer Connelly. I haven't seen it, but now that I've seen the original, I just might make it a point to.

Sadly, Klatuu's message is still as true today as it was back then. A classic must see.

The Odd Couple (1968)

2010-01-03T17:48:00.000-08:00

I've watched most of the Odd Couple TV series episodes with Jack Klugman and Tony Randall. But I've never watched the original movie with Walter Mathau and Jack Lemmon.

The movie begins with Felix Unger (Lemmon) wandering around and almost committing suicide after his wife has kicked him out. He finally finds himself at Oscar Madison's (Mathau) apartment. Oscar offers Felix a place to stay temporarily. As Felix begins to talk about his marriage, we can kinda see how he might have driven his wife crazy after all these years. (He, however, does not have a clue). He is a very neurotic, anal retentive, nit-picky neat freak. On the other end of the spectrum is Oscar. He is the ultimate slob. The opening scene finds him having a poker game at his place, and offering his guests rotten food and warm beer from the fridge that's been broken for weeks.

Needless to say, they begin to drive each other crazy.

It had funny and slow parts. While I enjoyed it, I wouldn't necessarily label it as a "must see" movie. Based on a play by Neil Simon, it really is a perfect starting place for a TV series. Both sets of actors (movie and TV) did a great job with their characters.

The Pink Panther (1963)

2010-01-03T17:10:00.000-08:00

This is the original Pink Panther movie, starring Peter Sellers as the clumsy Inspector Clouseau. Also starring is David Niven and a very young (and scrawny!) Robert Wagner.

We find Inspector Clouseau at a snowy Swiss resort, on the heels of a jewel thief. As you might guess, the thief is right under his nose, and is also aided by Simone, Clouseau's lovely wife! David Niven is the smooth talking thief, and Robert Wagner plays his nephew, with his own shady history. They all seem to work together, yet none trusts the other. The movie is full of physical comedy, close calls and mistaken identities! The scene where Simone juggles Sellers, Niven, and Wagner in the hotel room and none of them ever know that the other two are also hidden in the room is pretty funny!

Princess Dala (Claudia Cardinale) is the princess who owns the target jewel that Clouseau is trying to protect. I thought she really looked a lot like Catherine Zeta Jones! (see photos to the left)

This review is short and sweet: The Pink Panther is a funny, enjoyable movie, and Peter Sellers did a great job! Might be worth it to watch the rest of this series of movies!

High Noon

2009-12-29T21:31:00.000-08:00

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.

Singing In The Rain

2009-12-28T10:30:00.000-08:00

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!

The Graduate

2009-12-16T16:08:00.000-08:00

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 By Ted Dekker & Bill Bright

2009-09-03T22:55:00.001-07:00

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.

17 AGAIN

2009-09-03T21:33:00.000-07:00

You might have seen it before - you know, a movie about the adult going back to relive high school?

There's Freaky Friday, where the mom and daughter change bodies. We've seen both the original with Jodie Foster/Barbara Harris, as well as the remake with Jamie Lee Curtis/Lindsey Lohan.

And you may or may not (probably not) remember Vice Versa, with Judge Reinhold and Fred Savage as a father/son that trade bodies.

Then there's Like Father Like Son, where Dudley Moore and Kirk Cameron play the father and son body-trading team.

And my all time favorite movie is Peggy Sue Got Married, where Kathleen Turner faints and wakes up to find herself back in high school.

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!

THR3E

2009-09-01T19:08:00.000-07:00

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.

BONEMAN'S DAUGHTERS By Ted Dekker

2009-08-04T18:02:00.000-07:00

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.

He's a Christian, but the stories he tells are not necessarily "religious". Then again, if you think about it, a story about a man finding a treasure in a field and doing everything in his power to get that field in order to possess the treasure, isn't a very religious story, either. At least not at face value. And that's the thing about Ted Dekker. The "story" is not all there is the story.

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.

(if you received this by email and don't see the video below, go to this link to see it: Ted Dekker/Boneman's Daughters)

HOME TO HARMONY, By Phillip Gulley

2009-07-11T17:39:00.001-07:00

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!

FAST & FURIOUS

2009-04-03T20:11:00.002-07:00

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.

FROZEN RIVER

2009-04-03T20:11:00.001-07:00

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.

KNOWING

2009-03-21T21:36:00.000-07:00

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.

THE CHANGELING

2009-03-18T17:15:00.000-07:00

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.

SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE

2009-03-18T16:19:00.000-07:00

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, By Jan Karon

2009-02-09T18:09:00.000-08:00

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!

THE WRESTLER

2009-02-05T15:38:00.000-08:00

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 CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON

2009-02-02T11:05:00.000-08:00

I'm sure by now you've heard of THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON, and even if you haven't seen it, you probably know the premise anyway: he is born old and ages backwards. Nominated for 13 Academy Awards, it stars Brad Pitt, and also features the beautiful Cate Blanchett as the love of his life, Daisy.

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.

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

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CHRISTMAS JARS, By Jason F. Wright

2009-01-27T18:18:00.001-08:00

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.

THE MITFORD SERIES, By Jan Karon

2009-01-27T17:02:00.000-08:00

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

MARTIAN CHILD, PG

2009-01-26T22:25:00.000-08:00

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, PG

2009-01-23T19:02:00.000-08:00

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!

PAUL BLART: MALL COP, PG

2009-01-19T19:15:00.000-08:00

This year, I had given thought to seeing as many award-nominated movies as I could.

Instead, I went to see PAUL BLART: MALL COP.

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.

GRAN TORINO

2009-01-16T15:43:00.000-08:00

There are many talented actors out there today - but few elicit the expectations of names like Robert DeNiro. Al Pacino. Clint Eastwood.

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.

MARLEY & ME

2009-01-14T16:20:00.000-08:00

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.

MANY A RIVER By Elmer Kelton

2008-12-07T16:52:00.000-08:00

While I wouldn't have thought that one of my favorite book genres would be "western novels", I've discovered that I really do enjoy a good old western adventure!

MANY A RIVER is a story is about two brothers, Todd and Jeffrey. As their family heads West, their camp is attacked by Comanche raiders, leaving their parents dead. The younger boy, Todd, is taken captive by the Indians, while the older son, Jeffrey, manages to hide and is rescued by militia men. But each boy thinks the other has been killed! In actuality, Jeffrey is taken in by a home-steading family, while Todd is sold, for a rifle and gunpowder, to a Comanchero trader named January.

However, the young brothers are destined to be reunited after a few years. And since they've both been caught up in the turbulence of the Civil War, we wait to discover if they will meet as friends or enemies. As we read, we go with them through every experience that makes each boy older than his years.

And yeah, I was teary-eyed at their reunion. The only thing I wish was that more time was given to to their reunion - it was covered in the last nine pages of the book.

MANY A RIVER was published in June 2008, so it's a pretty new book. Upon looking at Mr. Kelton's website, I see he's written quite a lot of books (over 50 novels) in his 50 year career as an author! It was also quite charming to see that the bio on the book jacket was a short paragraph, yet mentioned his 60 year wedding anniversary as one of his worthy achievements! Good book - I enjoyed it!

RIGHTEOUS KILL

2008-09-12T14:56:00.000-07:00

Al Pacino and Robert DeNiro. Could there be bigger names billed together for a movie? They play Rooster and Turk, two seasoned cops in the NYPD who are on the trail of a serial killer. What I keep saying to anyone who asks me if the movie was good, is this: It was a good old-fashioned rated-R movie.

There was violence, but nothing too graphic. There was brief sex, but no nudity (as far as I can remember...and my Dad was sitting next me, so I think I'd remember...). It was suspenseful, and regardless of some reviews I read that said otherwise...it kept me guessing til the end. Or almost the end. Well, at least 3/4 of the way in.

John Leguizamo plays an abrasive cop who is competing with Rooster and Turk to solve the crime. Carla Gugino, who you may remember as the Mom from SpyKids, plays the crime scene/forensic investigator who also happens to be involved with Turk. Other notable appearances are Donnie Wahlberg as Leguizamo's partner, Brian Dennehy (who has lost a lot of weight) as the Lieutenant, and 50 Cent as "Spider", a notorious drug dealer.

Here's what I thought made it such a great film, and there's definitely a SPOILER ALERT attached to this paragraph: All along, you're led to believe that you know the story, because you see the confession at the beginning of the movie. At a certain point, you realize that the killer has not been shown in any of the murder scenes - it's very subtle. So are things as they appear? Believe me, it is worth your time to see these two hard-breathing legends together in Righteous Kill. Great talent, great movie!

BLESSINGS, By Anna Quindlen

2008-08-20T16:04:00.000-07:00

This is the story of Lydia Blessings, a feisty, crabby woman in her 80's who lives in a beautiful estate, which is also called "Blessings". Widowed when she was young, she never remarried. Her only daughter is married, herself 60 years old with no children. Lydia's family is long gone, her only brother dead as well. So she lives alone in her childhood home, with only her memories to keep her company. She's not entirely alone: her daughter visits every so often, she has a housekeeper that comes on a daily basis, and she also has a property caretaker who lives above the garage. The caretaker, Charles "Skip" Cuddy, has his own story - he's an ex-con, and he had a miserable upbringing. But even though he has a shady past, he's a good, hardworking young man.

The story opens up with a teenage couple dropping off a "package" in the middle of the night at Skip's door. When Skip finds it, he realizes that someone has abandoned a baby there. He tries to keep it a secret, but soon Mrs. Blessing finds out and surprises him by helping him keep his secret. The baby, who he names "Faith", brings a lot of joy and laughter to Skip and Lydia. Faith gives Lydia a way to remember her youth, and she gives Skip a feeling of finally having family to love. Together they plot to keep this baby a secret until they can figure out how to keep her permanently. But then a situation one night turns Skip and Lydia against each other, and soon after that, the birth mother appears on the scene.

The story is simple, but it's made interesting by the details of each character's life. We find out the whole truth about Skip's past crime, and we also find out about Lydia's own indiscretions in her youth. Also told are the Blessings family secrets, some which Lydia had known about for years, and some which come to light during the story. In her old age, she looks back and sees things a bit more clearly than when she was a young woman. She also realizes that some things she thought were secrets, were actually known, but just not discussed "in those days".

BLESSINGS was a bit of a slow read. At first I struggled to get into the story. Once I did, I enjoyed it, although it was not quite the page turner I expected. I read a few reviews that complained about "jumping" around in time: Lydia is in the present, then she is in her past, then we're in the present, but a day later. I was sometimes confused by that, but soon got the hang of it. Also, I was able to guess some of the family secrets ahead of time. But still, it was enjoyable. It was a story about family, secrets, and the effects that generations have on each other. The ending was realistic - which unfortunately, made it sad.

THE BUCKET LIST

2008-08-14T00:27:00.000-07:00

I was not prepared for what a touching movie this would be. I don't know why..I knew the subject matter. Two men meet in a hospital room, with terminal diagnoses. So they compile a list of things they want to do before they "kick the bucket". Their "bucket list".

Morgan Freeman plays Carter, and Jack Nicholson plays Edward. Carter is a family man. His kids are grown, but he's always been there for them - a loyal husband and father. He's worked 45 years as a mechanic to provide for his family. Edward, is a corporate billionare. He's been married four times, and he owns the hospital in which he is now a patient. His trusty assistant Thomas, is played by Sean Hayes. These two men are different as night and day, but they find themselves at the same place in their lives - in a hospital bed, facing death. After a few days as roommates, Edward finds Carter's bucket list in the trash, and begins to add to it. He offers Carter the opportunity to accomplish the things on his list. At first, Carter is hesitant, but Edward tells him that he's "got nothing but money" and wants to do this while they still feel good enough to do it. Much to the frustration of his wife, Carter accepts the offer. So they go off, around the world, slowly but surely crossing things off the list. (Thomas comes along with them to handle the details) But the fun comes to an end when Carter adds a particular item to the list - for Edward to reconcile with his estranged daughter before he dies. Edward throws a tantrum and leaves Thomas and Carter standing on the street as he drives away, furious.
They go back to their lives, but as we know their time is limited, the story takes the turn that we have been expecting all along. The death, the funeral - it was very heart wrenching, but it was the last scene that got me. Have your Kleenex ready.

As I mentioned, I didn't think this was gonna be as good of a movie as it was. I figured I'd enjoy it - after all, how can you go wrong with Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman? But wow, it was a really really great movie. (note: there is bad language - especially from Edward) There was a lot of contemplating life and death. Carter was a man of faith and Edward just...was. But as their friendship grew and death lurked around the corner, Edward hoped he was wrong.

One of the lines in the movie is: You measure yourself by the people that measure themselves by you. So consider this: who aspires to live life the way you do? As a Christian, this is a very important question. We live in the land of the Christian Lifestyle - but is it enough to be happy and live a clean life? Paul said, Imitate me as I imitate Him (Jesus). A study of Paul and Jesus will tell us that there was more to their lives than just random acts of kindness. Both gave their lives to make sure that we were assured of what awaits us after this life is through. So do we imitate Paul as he imitated Jesus? Do we risk all to make sure that others know the way to be saved? Or do we live a good life and hope that someday, someone will ask us what it is that makes us happy? That doesn't seem to be the way Paul lived, or the way Jesus lived. They laid it out on the table in truth and love. I gotta tell you - I am not doing that. I'm failing miserably in that area. I am afraid, of what? I don't really know. The prayer of the believers in the Book of Acts was for boldness. They got persecuted, and instead of asking for safety, they asked for boldness. Ouch. Lord, give your children boldness to speak Your Word to those who are perishing in this world.

Whereas you do not know what [will happen] tomorrow. For what [is] your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.
James 4:14

ADAM By Ted Dekker

2008-08-03T20:56:00.000-07:00

First, I'd like to say that I hope you'll go to the link above and click on the video in which Ted Dekker talks about this book. He explains it beautifully - that this book is about the very real supernatural world.

It's about an FBI agent, Daniel, who has been in pursuit of a serial killer. Actually, he is obsessed with the capture of this killer, to the point that it's destroyed his marriage. Finally, Daniel comes face to face with the deranged murderer and is killed himself...but is resuscitated. Now he's desperate trying to remember the killer's face, as well as tormented with horrible panic attacks. While he has no memory of what he saw, he knows it must lurk deep in his brain...if only he could go into his mind to retrieve that memory...but how? And now the killer is threatening to come after Daniel's wife. He wonders if re-experiencing his "death" could somehow bring those memories to surface.

The story starts out with part one of a magazine article about the serial killer, who has been caught. It tells the life story of this murderer, and how he came to be who he is. But then it switches back to the actual story, in which Daniel is trying to find the murderer. We go back and forth throughout the book. So while Daniel knows nothing about him, we are given a glimpse to who he is, before he even appears in the main story. It was a fascinating angle to take.

One of the reasons I want you to go hear Ted's own explanation of the book, is because he feels its one of the most important books he's written to date. It is about demon possession. It is about the reality of the spiritual realm. It is about how the greatest danger is to not believe in evil at all. Which is how I see the world going now.

Ted Dekker is one of the best. His books hook you from the first sentence, and while they are riveting in their own right, he also manages to include some profound spiritual truth or lesson.

MILK GLASS MOON & HOME TO BIG STONE GAP By Adriana Trigiani

2008-08-03T19:50:00.000-07:00

MILK GLASS MOON and HOME TO BIG STONE GAP are the last two in the Big Stone Gap Series by Adriana Trigiani. I've previously reviewed the first two: Big Stone Gap and Big Cherry Holler, the first which I loved, the second, which I didn't love. The entire series (4 books) spans 20 years, and we get to see many ways in which Ave grows as a person, and many ways in which she continues to struggle with the same weaknesses and fears. As I mentioned, I didn't love BIG CHERRY HOLLER, but I'm glad I continued reading, because these two definitely captured the magic of the first book!

MILK GLASS MOON finds Ave and Jack, happily married now, having grown a lot since the marital troubles they endured in the previous book. Their daughter, Etta, is ready to graduate, and Ave is excited for her to go to college and begin her young life! But Etta seems to want to plan her own life! So Ave's journey of letting go begins.

We also continue to read about the lives of various characters we love: Pearl, who was just a high school girl at the beginning of this series, is a grown woman now - a very smart business woman at that! Fleeta, the crusty cashier at the Pharmacy is still there, providing a lot of comic relief; and Iva Lou, Ave's dear friend, faces a life or death health crisis.

HOME TO BIG STONE GAP is especially a bittersweet story. Ave learns to appreciate the things in her life and to love people for who they are, and not for who she thinks they should be. She has matured a lot, as one can only after they have been through joy and sadness. As Ave and Jack age, their mortality becomes more of a reality, especially after Jack has a health scare. Ave is learning to savor life, and to accept the past and her shortcomings, as well as those of others. She learns to live each day fully, because you never know how much time you have with the people you love. There is a lot of real life going on in these books - and there were definitely parts where I had to wipe the tears off my face as I read.

At the beginning of this series, Ave had just turned 35, and after 20 years, she is definitely retrospective of all she's been through. The final book wrapped things up beautifully, with more time given to what Ave was thinking and how she looked back to evaluate all her life's experiences. One touch that the author added was to include recipes of dishes that were made at various events (although they are old-fashioned full-fat recipes, with heavy creme or lard, or Crisco, or butter as ingredients!)

A very enjoyable reading series!

BIG CHERRY HOLLER By Adriana Trigiani

2008-07-02T18:27:00.001-07:00

This is the sequel to BIG STONE GAP, which I reviewed at an earlier date. There's a couple of different angles I wanna take on this. First I'll tell you what the book was about, and how interesting it was, and then I'll comment on what happened in the story.

BIG CHERRY HOLLER included many of the same characters that I loved in BIG STONE GAP. In this story, we pick up 8 years later, after Ave Maria and Jack Mac have married (they fell in love in the previous book) They now have a daughter, Etta, and they had also had a son, Joe, who passed away when he was four. So Ave finds herself in a marriage that has grown a bit routine, but also a little cold and distant since the death of their son. She grieves, but cannot fully share her grief with Jack. He is quiet, never quite talking about his feelings. Jack suggests a trip to Italy to visit Ave's family, and then at the last minute, he tells her he's not going. He wants her to go alone, so she can decide what she wants to do about their marriage. While she's gone, she is tempted with a handsome stranger. But she finds out when she returns that Jack has also had his share of temptation while she's been away, and it appears that he has given in to it. SPOILER: The story ends with Ave realizing that she has never fully given herself to Jack. Instead of sharing her grief with him, she shut him out. Because of her behavior, he had felt lonely and rejected. Once she realized that she never fully loved him as he deserved to be loved, it was easier for her to forgive him for his indiscretions. He never admitted what he'd done, but in Ave's mind, it didn't matter, since she knew she had never been the wife she should have been anyway.

It was a little corny at times, and some things just didn't make sense. For example, Ave suspects Jack is cheating on her, but when he tells her he's sending her to Italy alone, it doesn't even cross her mind that he will be home...alone...and free. Another thing that didn't make sense is that Ave's friend, Iva Lou, kept telling her that she had to have a "plan" if she wanted to keep Jack. So I was expecting this elaborate "plan" that would be entertaining and clever. But no plan ever materialized. It seemed strange that it was emphasized, and then never a part of the story. Some of the conversations also seemed "stiff" and a bit contrived - without the natural flow of people talking to each other.

As for what happened between Ave and Jack, I came away with a bad taste in my mouth. While it was unclear what Jack did with the other woman, it did infer that he cheated. But it was made to seem like it was all about Ave's problems. I was also disappointed by Ave's reaction to Jack's cheating. It almost seemed like she felt she deserved it for been so disconnected. But who wouldn't go through a hard time after the death of a child? Even though she had experienced her own temptations in Italy, she did not cheat. Yet her friend Theodore told her that she had only restrained herself for "self righteous" reasons. I was so annoyed at the way Theodore spoke to her when she told him that Jack had cheated - it was like he was excusing Jack and condemning Ave. This was one of the conversations that seemed contrived. He is hard on her, and she immediately agrees. I didn't buy that Theodore would say those things, and i didn't buy that she would immediately see his point. I also felt that Jack planned his little tryst by sending Ave away, with the justification that he was letting her figure out what she wanted. He was already being tempted by the other woman, so the timing was just too convenient. He was made to be a man of integrity in the previous book, but I felt like he was a jerk in this book. In the end, it seemed that Ave, who endured the death of her child and her husband's infidelity, was the only one willing to look at herself and consider that she had done anything wrong.

I will continue reading this series because I am invested in, and love these characters. I also hope that the books that follow will be more like BIG STONE GAP. I really wanted to love this book, since Ms. Trigiani was so kind to send me the whole series, but while it was "ok", and semi-enjoyable, it just didnt have the magic of the first one.

THE PENNY, By Joyce Meyer and Deborah Bedford

2008-06-26T07:05:00.000-07:00

This is Joyce Meyer's first novel, even though she's written a ton of books. It was written with Deborah Bedford, who at one time wrote some "Harlequinn SuperRomance" books, but now writes inspirational fiction exclusively.

THE PENNY is the bittersweet tale of Jenny Blake, a young girl growing up in the 1950's. She lives with an abusive father, a fearful and passive mother, and a sister who is chomping at the bit to leave the troubled home. One afternoon, Jenny finds a penny on the street, and when she picks it up, a chain of events occurs, which she attributes to the penny. Immediately after that occurrence, she is offered a job working for Miss Shaw, who everyone in the area thinks is a strange and mysterious lady. Jenny's best friend is Aurelia, a black young girl, in who's friendship she finds much joy, confusion, pain and finally, hope.

I felt sad as I read Jenny's story. It's told from her point of view, so we get to see how she understands the things she endures. Her defense mechanism is to act like she doesn't care. She learns to hide her feelings - to keep secrets. Her sister, on the other hand, left home the first chance she got. But when she returned for a visit, she told Jenny that even though she had left, she really couldn't escape it. It still affected the rest of her life.

Also mixed in this story is the Civil Rights struggle. Jenny knew her father was a very hateful man, but she never dreamed that others could feel the same way towards black people as he did. When Jenny and Aurelia become friends, Jenny is forced to keep it a secret. But their friendship becomes one of the things that changes Jenny's life the most.

The story is based on true events from Joyce Meyer's life. She has spoken in the past of the abuse she endured as a child, but more recently, of how her father eventually accepted Christ as his savior and how she had the privilege of being the one to baptize him.

One of the themes in this book is having grace on others. When you meet someone, chances are, you don't know their whole story. I heard someone say once that many times we look at people and think that they have a long way to go - but we should always remember that we don't know how far they've come already. I saw this truth in Miss Shaw's character. Jenny's character reminded me that angry people quite often are hurting. The main thing I took away from the story was that many things happen in our lives, and we need to hold on to Jesus through the good times as well as the bad.

THE FIFTH MOUNTAIN, By Paulo Coelho

2008-06-21T21:55:00.000-07:00

This is a story about the biblical prophet Elijah. I've read about Elijah in the Bible at various times, and I would have guessed that I knew his story - but once I got into this novel, I found that I wasn't sure which parts of The Fifth Mountain were embellished details, and which were based on the biblical account. When I finished reading it, I went to the bible and read everything I could find about Elijah.

But this book takes place during the three years of Elijah's life that are not mentioned in the bible.

In the bible, Elijah is a prophet at the time where Ahab is king - the most evil king up to that point - and is married to Jezebel. She is big time into Baal worship, and stirs up her husband's heart to worship Baal and turn his back on God. Elijah goes to Ahab and declares that there will be a drought for years because of this. Then God tells Elijah to hide in the wilderness. There, God directs him to go to Zarepheth, (which, in the novel, is referred to as Abkar). God tells him that He has commanded a widow to care for him. The widow has a son, and after she takes Elijah in, the son gets sick and dies. But Elijah prays for him and he comes back to life. The bible then says that "in the third year" the word of the Lord comes to Elijah and tells him to go back to Ahab, and that He will send rain on the earth. So it appears that Elijah is in Zarepheth(Abkar) for three years. But it doesn't say anything about those three years.

This is where The Fifth Mountain begins.

In The Fifth Mountain, Elijah arrives at Zarephath and meets the widow. It does mention that the widow's son gets sick and dies, and it tells how Elijah prays him back to life. But in the course of the three years, much happens there. Elijah falls in love with the widow, and even though she returns his feelings, their love was not to be. There's also a lot of political turmoil in the city - with the high priest, the governor and the commander of the army. It seems that there was a new system of communication starting to emerge, called the "alphabet", and the high priest was threatened by it. Then the Assyrians attack and almost destroy the city. Elijah spends his time caring for the widow's son after her death, and he is instrumental in rebuilding the war-ravaged city. He struggles greatly with doubt, and fear, and wondering what God wants him to do. Also, from time to time, Elijah's "Angel" appears to him and speaks to him. Eventually, Elijah becomes governor of the city.

That's the synopsis of the book - now here's what I thought about it.

As I read it, I felt as if the story didn't "flow". It seemed the author was just listing facts, as opposed to storytelling. I didn't ever feel I was a part of the story, nor did I feel involved in the character's lives or their feelings. To be fair, I noticed that the author is from Brazil, and the book credits Clifford E. Landers as the "translator". It's possible the flow of the story got lost in the translation.

Another thing that I didn't really care for was that Elijah's "Angel" spoke to him in the King's English. So I found myself reading it, then re-reading it because I didn't quite get the gist of what was being said until I went through it more carefully.

Elijah doubted a lot, which is normal for a human. But he was really angry at God, and even decided to turn his back on Him. (Which, again, is not that far-fetched for a human) But here's a prayer that Elijah prayed to God on page 218:

"O Lord, today is the Day of Atonement, and my list of sins against Thee is long...I have been weak, for I have forgotten my strength. I have been compassionate when I should have been firm. I have failed to choose, for fear of making the wrong decision. I have yielded before the time to do so, and have blasphemed when I should have given thanks.

Still Lord, I have also a long list of Thy sins against me. Thou hast made me suffer more than was just, by taking from this world one that I loved. Thou hast destroyed the city that received me. Thou hast confounded my search. Thy harshness almost made me forget the love I have for Thee. For all that time I have struggled with Thee, yet thou dost not accept the worthiness of my combat.

If we compare the list of my sins with the list of Thy sins, thou shalt see that thou art in my debt. But, as today is the Day of Atonement, give me Thy forgiveness and I shall forgive thee, so that we may go on walking at each other's side."

Yikes.

After this prayer, Elijah's "Angel" appears to him and says:

"Thou hast done well, Elijah. God hath accepted thy combat".

Huh?

I know that Elijah was human. I know he must have doubted and feared. I know sometimes we feel anger towards God at stuff that happens. But I don't think that prayer would be pleasing to God. Let's just pretend for a moment that Elijah really did pray that - I find it hard to believe that God would say "Hey, good job!".

Now, it does seem that Elijah's faith in God is eventually restored. And the book tells us that King Ahab and put an end to the drought.

At the end, it tells the biblical story of Elijah calling the prophets of Baal to Mt. Carmel, and mentions the fact that Elijah never dies, but is "taken" to heaven in a chariot of fire.

To sum it up, I didn't think the writing was that good (which again, might have been the translation). The story was not that engaging - even though it was an interesting premise. I wasn't sold on the fact that Elijah would have been so boldly disrespectful to God when he knew Him as he did. Also, the last line in the book is:

"Maria conceived without sin, pray for us who call on Thee. Amen"

Ok, well, what does that mean? Is that an ending prayer to the writing? Or is it part of the story?

I guess I have to say that I wouldn't recommended this book. Maybe I should have read Coelho's more famous and highly praised book, The Alchemist first - but I can't say that I will. This book did accomplish a good thing, though. In discussing it with my friend, we sat and dissected the scriptures on everything they had to say about Elijah. There is a prophecy regarding Elijah the book of Malachi; He is mentioned in the gospels (John the Baptist had the spirit and power of Elijah); and it is believed that Elijah is one of the two witnesses that are mentioned in Chapter 11 of the Book of Revelation. (Fascinating - and a worthy study if you have the time!)

PRINCE CASPIAN

2008-06-12T13:17:00.000-07:00

My husband said it was like BRAVEHEART without the blood.

And indeed, we found that Narnia was a more savage place than we remembered.

In PRINCE CASPIAN, the Pevensie children return to Narnia a year later to find that hundreds of years have passed in the land. The old Narnians are in hiding, waiting for a day when they will be freed from the tyrannical rule of the Telemarines. Prince Caspian, who is the true king, is also in hiding, and calls on the four children to help him restore Narnia to it's proper order. So begins the fight for Narnia.

I was excited to see PRINCE CASPIAN because I knew it'd be just as good as THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE. And it truly was a beautifully made movie and mostly true to the book. Ben Barnes does a great job as Prince Caspian (he kinda reminds me of Keanu Reeves back in the day). Reepicheep is just as I imagined him! But the movie is all about the fight for Narnia. It's a movie about war, and it seems, not much else.

That was disappointing to me because I left regretting that I had taken my 8 year old. It was violent, and I think it was difficult for a young child to follow the plot. I really wanted to love PRINCE CASPIAN - But it was...OK.

I only just read the Chronicles of Narnia a couple of years ago. I never read them as a child. I believe they are some of the most beautiful and inspired stories I've ever read. The next movie will be The Voyage of the Dawn Treader and is scheduled to be released in 2010. I really look forward to it and think this story might be a better choice for the big screen.

THE CHOICE By Nicholas Sparks

2008-06-02T08:15:00.000-07:00

Nicholas Sparks is probably a familiar author to you - if not, I'll just mention a couple of movies that were based on his books and you'll know him for sure - A WALK TO REMEMBER and THE NOTEBOOK. While I didn't see A Walk to Remember, I did see The Notebook (loved it - sniff, sniff!)

But this was my first Sparks book. It was very reminiscent of The Notebook, in that is was a love story that started out in the present, and then went back to the past and worked it's way forward. The description on the jacket gives nothing away, and I loved that I read it without any preconceived idea of how the story would unfold. In fact, it's kind of a challenge to review it without spoiling the beauty of the story!

It begins with Travis and Gabby meeting, and falling in love, although she is involved with another man. But we get to see how they are first drawn to each other, and how she is torn with the decision she has to make regarding the two men she "loves". At that point, we shoot to the present again and the story of what has happened all these years later unfolds.

I always look at things in life and think to myself, "what would we have done if we could have looked in the future and seen this ahead?" That's what Sparks seems to do as well in this story and in The Notebook. It makes me wonder what his other books are like - are they all like this, or was it a coincidence that I've saw and read the two similar ones? I don't know - but I know that I will be looking for more of his books to read so I can find out!

The Choice was a good book - a very touching love story. Enjoyed it and recommend it!

BLACK OLIVES By Martha Tod Dudman

2008-05-28T17:42:00.000-07:00

It starts out in a grocery store, as Virginia sees her ex-boyfriend walk in. She's in a panic - trying to look natural, hoping she looks good, wondering if he's seen her. Eventually, she manages to walk out without being seen. But as she walks to her car, she sees his Jeep. And for some unknown reason, she gets in his car! As she sits there thinking of him - Surprise! He walks out of the store, and heads for his car! Not knowing what to do, she covers herself up and hides in the back seat!

We spend the entire day under the sweaters in the backseat with Virginia. She wonders how she's gonna get out of her predicament. She ponders their relationship from start to finish. She recounts their break up on New Year's Eve, and how she's coped miserably without him for the past nine months. She imagines what he felt while they were together; what he's been doing since they've been apart; what she should have said when he broke up with her; what she'd say to him now - all the while, going back and forth between her thoughts of the past and wondering how she'll escape. And you really feel like you're in her head, feeling her memories, thinking her thoughts. The writing style was sometimes choppy and scattered - but it's great because she speaks her thoughts just like we think our thoughts - choppy and scattered!

You get a whole picture of what's in her heart and mind as she thinks - and over thinks - the whole thing. I sometimes felt she was selfish and self absorbed, and sometimes I thought she was absolutely right about him. We wonder - will she finally show herself and shock him? Will she be able to escape without being seen? She considers the various things she should do. If you've ever been dumped and been left wondering what in the world happened, you will most undoubtedly relate. In the end, I believe she finds closure. Throughout the book we feel that we've gotten to know her so well, that we think we can predict what she'll finally do...but she surprises us.

This was kinda like reading someone's diary!

SOUL CATCHER By Michael White

2008-05-25T10:37:00.000-07:00

Just finished the last page of this book.

Wow.

I just don't even know where to begin to review this book.

One thing I kept thinking as I was reading it - this should be a movie. What a beautiful, terrible, complicated, deeply emotional, violent, romantic, and sad story. The inside jacket says : "a profoundly moving story of love, freedom and a country on the brink of war". Yes, it was profoundly moving in the stories of the characters as well as the condition of our country, as it headed towards the Civil War.

Our main character, Cain, is from Virginia, and has made a career of catching runaway slaves. A "soul catcher" is what his profession is called. As he contemplates giving it up and starting a new life, a gambling debt caches up with him. But since he doesn't have the money to pay it, the man he owes, Mr. Eberly, makes him a deal: If Cain can find and return his two runaway slaves, Henry and Rosetta, he will consider the debt paid. But Eberly says he especially wants Rosetta back. So he hooks Cain up with three of his own men and off they go to find the pair. The tale that ensues is one of the most riveting I've ever read.

To begin with, tension mounts between Cain and one of Eberly's men, called Preacher, who keeps promising Cain that when this is all said and done, they have a score to settle between them. Then there's the difficulty they have once they cross to the North, with Abolitionists looking down at them because they are "Southerners". They also encounter hostility with "blackbirders", who are groups who steal slaves and re-sell them. These in particular eye Rosetta, wanting to steal her at every opportunity. At every turn, Cain needs to watch his back. In addition, throughout the journey, Cain is haunted by memories of his past - of his estranged family and his lost love.

Cain, having been raised in the South, views owning slaves as a southern way of life. He has been taught his whole life that blacks and whites are different. And while he doesn't mistreat or despise slaves, he does see them as property. Of course, he's been taught to respect and take care of his property, such as cleaning his guns, resting his horse, and treating the slaves well. Still, once he left his home, he never owned any of his own. But he understands his fellow southerner's view of having the right to own them.

That's why he feels tormented and conflicted when he meets the beautiful Rosetta. Once the two slaves are captured, Cain, who has always kept a "professional" distance between himself and the slaves he's brought back, begins to know Rosetta as a person, and he discovers the shocking secret that Rosetta hides regarding Mr. Eberly. He understands why she would risk beatings and even death to run away. Now he sees her more than just some man's "property". But Cain isn't the only one who has been raised with a particular outlook on life. Rosetta, who was raised a slave and endured so much under her master, also undergoes a change in what she feels towards white men. But can something so deeply rooted in a person be changed? The epilogue reveals that.

On his website, the author says:

"Soul Catcher came to me several years ago when I was reading Russell Banks’ novel Cloudsplitter, in which he mentions slave catchers going north to capture fugitive slaves. I think we are all fascinated by the nature of evil, and slavery, arguably, has been

America

’s supreme manifestation of evil. With this as a starting point, I wondered how someone could make a living hunting people down and bringing them back in shackles to bondage. More than this, I wondered how such a man could justify his life, to others but more importantly, to himself. So began the idea for Cain. The next part of the story followed from this: what would happen if a slave catcher were bringing a runaway back to slavery and during the weeks of their journey together an emotional bond developed between them. With that the idea for Soul Catcher was born."

I have to say that it is pretty violent in a few places - although the violence was warranted. And there is some bad language - which I can usually tolerate - But I HATE seeing God' name taken in vain.

But all in all, I would highly recommend this book - it's a story that will stay with you for a long time.

LADY IN THE WATER & other M. Night Shyamalan stuff

2008-05-15T00:37:00.000-07:00

This is one of those reviews that isn't really a review since I've seen the movie a few times. I caught LADY IN THE WATER tonight and just wanted to write something on it.

It's a story...a bedtime story that comes to life for an apartment complex manager, Cleveland Heep, played by Paul Giamatti. I gotta add here that Paul Giamatti is one of the finest actors around right now. Love him. Anyway, his character was a doctor who's family was tragically killed. And so he has come to be the building superintendent as a sort of escape from his life. One night, he finds a young lady, Story, that has been living in the swimming pool. As it turns out, she is a mystical character from a story, and according to the story, she has come from her world to "inspire" someone specific - she only has to look at him to impart the inspiration. After this, she must wait for the big eagle to come take her to safety. However, there are evil, vicious creatures, called scrunts, who live in the grass and who want to devour her. The story also says that various people have been drawn to this place at this time to accomplish the task of getting Story to safety. The catch is, these humans don't know who they are yet. The roles they must fill are: the Guardian, the Healer, the Guild, and the Interpreter. Cleveland enlists the help of various people in the building to try to figure out who fits these roles. Once they think they have it figured out, they find that things are still not falling into place. And time is running out, for if the eagle comes and they can't deliver Story safely to him, he will not come again. This is quite a scary bedtime story for younger kids, but it is an awesome story. Each character is so different that you get caught up trying to figure out who fits which role. It's definitely a movie that you have to watch again once you know who's who. My favorite part is in the end when they realize that one of the roles is actually someone they never dreamed it would be! It was funny and scary and dramatic and sad all in one movie. There's one particular scene where I felt like sobbing...it was where Story tells the one whom she came to inspire, what his future holds.

M. Night Shyamalan always seems to make a cameo in his movies, but in this one, he was one of the lead roles, and did an excellent job.

If you don't recognize the name M. Night Shyamalan, I'm sure you'll know his movies: SIGNS, SIXTH SENSE, UNBREAKABLE, THE VILLAGE. He is a master of storytelling. I'm not really one for horror flicks, so it took me a long while before I got around to seeing SIXTH SENSE. when I finally did ..it was nothing that I expected. It was...shocking. After that one, I was hooked on Shyamalan

SIGNS is also one of my favorites. On the surface, a movie about aliens, but to me, it was a movie of loss of faith, sorrow, despair, hope...and yeah, about God.

I also loved THE VILLAGE. Just a scary movie...no, more than that. It's a story of man trying to escape evil, but he can't because it is his very nature.

In June, Shyamalan has a new movie coming out - THE HAPPENING with Mark Wahlberg. And you know I will be there on opening (M.) Night!

THIRD DEGREE, By Greg Iles

2008-05-13T20:59:00.000-07:00

This is my first time reading this author - and it was very good - very suspenseful. A real page-turner, if I may use that corny cliche! The story is about Dr. Warren Shields and his wife, Laurel. She has just found out she is pregnant. However, since she's been having an affair, she's not sure who the father is. Warren's medical practice is being investigated for medical fraud by the IRS and the FBI - due to his partner's shady practices. That storyline is a whole drama to itself, but it is connected to what's happening in the Sheilds' household, because someone has tipped Warren off that there is something incriminating hidden in his house. So when he tears the place apart trying to find this mysterious evidence, he discovers a love note from Laurel's anonymous lover. Thinking that he's found what he was supposed to, he stops looking and takes his wife and kids hostage at gunpoint. However, that's not what the tip is about, which is where the drama at the office comes in. But Warren won't be convinced that there's more, because now he is insanely obsessed with finding out just who's been his wife's adulterous lover. And the more that is revealed, the more you understand why Warren has fallen to this depth.

It was an intense story - I was glued to the book. Mr. Iles writing gave me a great picture of each character and of each scene.

(WARNING: SPOILER AHEAD!)

But with all that happened, the ending seemed just a little too neat. I won't tell you what happened to Warren - you'll have to read to find out how this day ended. But in the end, the two adulterers live happily ever after - feeling that they had Warren's blessing. What about the kids? What about the trauma they endured? They'd never accept this guy after all they saw that day. Maybe it could happen, but what bugs me is that this feels like it was supposed to be a happy ending. Yuck.

I still think the book was great. I mean, you can't always have the ending you want, even in real life. That's what I love about reading (and watching movies). You can't always predict what's gonna happen. Excellent book anyway!

THE ULTIMATE GIFT

2008-05-13T13:01:00.000-07:00

The ULTIMATE GIFT is a movie about a rich, spoiled young man, Jason, played by Drew Fuller. His grandfather (James Garner), who was incredibly rich, just passed away, and the movie starts out at the death, funeral, and reading of the will. One by one, each family member is disappointed as they receive their inheritance. The last one there is Jason, who finds out that whatever he receives, he will get only after he completes a series of steps. This angers the spoiled Jason, but he reluctantly decides to go along with it. After completing each step, he is to return to his grandfather's lawyer, Mr. Hamilton (Bill Cobbs) and his secretary, played by Lee Meriwether (yes, I mean, CATWOMAN!) and report his experience. If they are satisfied with the results, he can move on to the next step.

Each gift is a specific task that sends him on a journey designed to help him figure out what is important in life. While I don't want to spoil it for you by telling you what all the steps are, I will tell you that the first one teaches him the value of hard work! And each gift that follows teaches him integrity, gratitude, friendship, giving, and more. He begins with the attitude that he's just going to get it over with so he can receive his inheritance. But something begins to change inside of him with every assignment. The experiences he has, both good and bad, alter his perspective on life.

Along the way he meets a young mom and her daughter, Emily, played by Abigail Breslin. Emily is a spunky little girl who befriends him, and soon he discovers that Emily has Leukemia. This is the beginning of his change.

It's an inspiring story. I laughed and cried while I watched it. It's rated PG, and it's simple enough for even young kids to follow, but adults will love it too. You'll want to share the story with others - especially teens and young adults. In fact, you can go the Ultimate Gift website and download discussion guides and tools for helping create family traditions to reinforce the importance of the "gifts". It's an important message and a very good movie!

SPEEDRACER

2008-05-10T12:13:00.000-07:00

Maybe if I'd ever watched the original Speed Racer cartoons, I might have liked the movie. Instead, I was startled by the frantic, futuristic, sensory overload that was Speedracer, the movie. It was cartoony...which could have been charming, yet I felt was corny. And for the first 10 or so minutes, as they set up the scene for us, we get jostled back and forth between the past and the present while Speed has flashbacks to his childhood. I was totally confused. First we see Speed as a kid...then he's grown and driving...then he's a kid with his big brother, Rex....then we hear announcers saying that his brother was killed awhile ago...then he's a kid watching his brother leave home...then he's driving again, and we see his family in the stands...but wait, now there's another kid with the family...is he Speed's kid?...or maybe that's Speed and this isn't a flashback after all..And so it went until I finally figured out what was going on. Maybe devoted Speed Racer fans will like it..I did read that the cartoon was kinda like that - kinda quick and quirky. Or maybe it's just a guy thing, because my 8 year old son and my husband liked it.

It stars Emile Hirsch (Alpha Dog, Into the Wild) as "Speed"; John Goodman as Pops, Susan Sarandon as Mom, Christina Ricci at Trixie, and Matthew Fox as Racer X. It was directed by the Wachowski brothers, who directed the Matrix movies. Here's the plot in a nutshell...money hungry guy offers Speed a contract to join his team...Speed is tempted but turns him down...money hungry guy gets mad...We find out that the races are "fixed" by the guys with money and power....the final race will settle things. As Racer X said..."we may not change racing, but the important thing is..will racing change us?" Or something like that..I'm not sure, since I was visually overstimulated. (I thought I had read it was 1 hr 35 min running time, but I discovered I had misread that...it was actually 135 minutes!!! Thats' over two hours, people!!!)

It was rated PG - yet I heard the following words: Damn, Ass, Sh-t. There was also a scene where the bad guys are roughing up a driver, and they show his bloodied face. That wasn't so bad, but then some other guy gets his finger eaten by piranhas. While we don't see the actual finger-eating...we do see the guy from behind as it happens, and we get to see the water in the fish-tank turn swirly-red. Kinda harsh for PG, I think.

So, in the end, I can't figure out if this review is useless or not. I guess I can say I didn't like it...but maybe it did a good job of reproducing the original. So I'll just say this: if you remember and love the original...go see the movie. BUT...if you've never seen the original, and if your favorite childhood shows were Loony Tunes or Gilligan's Island, then you can probably skip it.

ENCOUNTERS OF THE HEART: THERE'S MORE TO THE STORY THAN MEETS THE EYE, By Cathy Heiliger

2008-05-09T12:03:00.000-07:00

This book takes a few stories from the Gospels and gives a more intimate account of some people who had encounters with Jesus. The stories include:

The woman with an issue of blood who touched the hem of Jesus' garment
Jairus, who's daughter died and was healed by Jesus
Mary, Martha and Lazarus
Mary anointing Jesus' feet with oil.
The leper who Jesus healed

The stories are told in first person, with the person telling their own story about their encounter with Jesus. I've enjoyed Christian fiction about biblical stories before, and in the Introduction, the author addresses the fact that she is very careful to not add to the scriptures, but simply "colorizes" the scriptural accounts. There were things about the book I loved, and also things I didn't love. If you can hang in there with me through the negative, I'll quickly get to the parts I loved, because I felt that those parts made the book worth reading. So here goes...

The first story was the woman with the issue of blood. This was my least favorite - one of the reasons being that it made me a little nervous to read "quotes" by Jesus that were not in the bible. The woman tells her story about suffering for many years. Then, she touches Jesus' hem and gets healed. When He asks who touched Him, she falls before Him, and begins to confess everything in her life, which included shameful things that were done to her in her past. It was interesting to consider that this woman could have had many more things that she suffered - it brought her story more to life. What I didn't like were things we were to imagine Jesus saying. He told her to go in peace. But then, he tells her, "Stop beating yourself up! Be made whole from the suffering plague of self hatred and shame for whatever you have done that has contributed to your condition." I'll just be up front and tell you that I don't think the current trend of feeling good about ourselves is what we should be focusing on as believers. The truth is, we are not good. I think a lack of self esteem is the least of our problems. So I guess I couldn't appreciate the "stop beating yourself up" line. However, I acknowledge that there are people who have been through abuse of many kinds that do need to be pulled out of that pit of despair, and they could benefit from this story.

Now, with that said, let me tell you about the good parts...

First, I loved how she tied the stories together. As I said, the woman with the issue of blood tells her story, and when she tells of seeing Jesus, she mentions that she saw Jairus with Jesus, and it was odd that he looked like he had just gotten out of bed! Then, in the following chapter, when Jairus is telling his story, he tells us that when he is leading Jesus to his daughter, Jesus all of sudden stops and wants to know who touched him! That was beautifully done - I loved it!

But the stories I loved most, were those about Martha, Mary, and Lazarus. First we hear from Martha's point of view when Mary sat at Jesus' feet while Martha did all the work. Then we hear about how Lazarus fell ill and died. We hear about how they were desperate for Jesus to come and heal him, but Jesus delayed His coming! They felt so confused and abandoned! It was a beautiful, moving story that gave me chills and choked me up a bit. They wondered how He could leave them alone when they needed Him the most. Also woven into their story, was the story of Simon, the leper who Jesus healed (the 1 of 10 who returned to thank Him!). I was really able to imagine the scene as it may have been!

The book is short - 111 pages. It's sort of a "workbook" since every chapter has a "Reflections" section at the end, with questions to ponder. (I didn't linger over the questions very long, as I was anxious to keep reading) Encounters of the Heart was good food for thought, and drove me to my bible to double check the actual stories! I enjoyed it!

AT HOME IN MITFORD by Jan Karon

2008-04-27T10:38:00.000-07:00

In this, the first book of the Mitford Series, Jan Karon introduces us to Father Tim and the small, quaint town of Mitford. The book takes us through Father Tim's daily happenings, as well as through the lives of all the residents of Mitford. While there was not a lot of drama or suspense, it was truly a charming story. Actually, there were a few incidents that were a bit dramatic - like the discovery of stolen diamonds in an old urn in the church! Then there's more drama when the diamond thief is revealed! There were also other interesting tidbits in the book - such as the troubled, angry young man of whom Father Tim became a guardian when the boy's grandfather became sick. And then there's the beautiful and friendly woman that moves in next door. Everybody in Mitford seems to have a story! You get to know all the characters and all their little small-town quirks. Father Tim, although he is not perfect, has such a good heart and really loves all the people in that town, and is thoroughly involved in their lives! He seems to really take to heart what the bible says about everything - not in a legalistic religious way - but just as a simple way of life.

There are nine volumes in the Mitford Series. The author has also begun a new series, with her latest book, "Home to Holly Springs", which is the first in the Father Tim Series.

This was such a cozy book - it was kinda like sitting and chatting with an old friend.

FOOLS RUSH IN

2008-04-07T07:01:00.000-07:00

Last night, I caught one of my all-time-favorite movies, FOOLS RUSH IN. I've seen it at least 10 times, but I always love to "accidentally" catch it on TV! It's a romantic comedy with Salma Hayek and Matthew Perry, about two people who meet, have a one night stand, end up pregnant, and get married - because they actually really do like each other and want to be together. Of course, marrying someone you don't know very well can have its challenges.

Throughout the movie, she talks about believing in "signs". At least she calls them signs, but actually, I think the real meaning is "destiny". As in - was their meeting destined? He is not a believer in signs. He believes in "grabbing the brass ring" when you see it. In other words, life is what you make it. When they split up, he begins to see signs that are leading him back to her. She, on the other hand, starts to question whether or not they were destined to be together. She begins to doubt the validity of signs. So she runs away to her grandma in Mexico and gets wise counsel about being afraid. Grandma says you must risk heartbreak for the chance to know true love.

Are there signs in life? Of course, if you are looking to be led in a particular direction, you can find signs that accommodate your desire. Sometimes, you can look back and see that you were led in a particular direction, even though you didn't know it at the time. Some believe in fate or destiny. I believe in God - but even then, I sometimes wonder if He has led me in a particular direction, or if He just made the best out of where I chose to go.

But still, in this movie, does the fact that this New York guy was in Las Vegas at that particular time, and the fact that they coincidentally met, mean anything? Does the fact that she was intimate with him, even though she was not the kind of girl to do that, mean anything? And does the fact that she got pregnant mean that there was something greater bringing them together?

I think we can't know those kinds of answers until we look back and reflect on our lives. Then we can clearly see which was the road we were destined to be on, and which things happened when we got off track. But Grandma was right, sometimes you just have to take risks.

COLLEGE ROAD TRIP

2008-03-26T18:19:00.000-07:00

My little guy is on spring break this week, so today, we headed off for the movies. I thought he might want to see Horton Hears a Who, but he said, "We could see College Road Trip!" Ok, I thought, why not? Might be kind of a funny movie!

This is story of an over-protective father (Martin Lawrence) who's having a hard time letting go of his "little girl", who is heading off for college. (It kinda made me think of Father of the Bride). The daughter, Melanie - played by Raven Symone - wants to attend a college thats far from home; but dad wants her to stay local. Symone is adorable - of course she makes me feel OLD, since I used to watch her as little "Olivia" on the Cosby Show. Anyway, the movie is about the road trip that Dad takes her on to check out different colleges. For one, he can't stand the thought of her going by herself. PLUS, he thinks he's gonna talk her out of going to the college of her choice. The sum of it is, that he has to let go of his baby, and the movie is his journey to get to that place. It's a clean (rated G) film, kinda silly, and a little funny. We both had some out-loud laughs, and I had a few tears in the end. Donny Osmond plays the goofy father of a goofy daughter; a couple of characters that Dad and Melanie keep running into on their trip. (Kinda like the Gornicke's from RV!) While I enjoyed Donny's character, the daughter's part was like nails on a chalkboard! Ugh! And there were plenty of dumb scenes, too. Like when Symone sings Double Dutch Bus on the tour bus - it seemed kinda thrown in to showcase her singing. Or the scene where the pet pig ruins a wedding reception (think cake in the face; sliding across a reception table trying to catch the pig, the pig running into a pig-on-a-platter, etc).

Still, it was a light- hearted comedy, and a good clean movie to take your seven-year-old to. Don't bother buying the DVD when it comes out, but if you have nothing better to do when your little ones are on spring break, go ahead and see it!

MR. MAGORIUM'S WONDER EMPORIUM

2008-03-10T08:55:00.000-07:00

Dustin Hoffman is one of my favorite actors - so I was glad to buy this DVD for my son! It didn't really hold his attention all that much, but I enjoyed it! I had already heard from a couple of people that it was "a nice, believe-in-yourself" kind of movie. And that's exactly what it was.

Hoffman plays Mr Magorium, who runs the Wonder Emporium, a "magical" toy store. I mean, it's not just a cool toy store, it really is "magical", with live fish mobiles, a door with a dial that changes which room you're about to step into, and a store book that contains the specific toy a customer is looking for...no, not a picture of that toy, the actual toy! (Mr. Magorium has been running it for over a century, if that helps drive the point across!)

Natalie Portman plays Molly Mahoney, the store manager, who is also an aspiring musician, but feels like she just doesn't have the "sparkle" to do anything really great. But she loves Mr. Magorium and believes in the magic of the Emporium.

Zach Mills plays Eric, a hat-collecting little boy who doesn't make friends too easily, but enjoys hanging out at the Wonder Emporium.

Jason Bateman plays Henry, the accountant who is hired to get Mr. Magorium's affairs in order, because he is ready to move on. To die. And he wants to leave the Wonder Emporium to Mahoney. (Henry, by the way , does not believe the toy store is "magical".)

But Mahoney isn't ready for Mr. Magorium's departure. (And neither is the store, we discover, because it's throwing a "tantrum"!) So she sets out to show Mr. Magorium that he cannot just leave! She shows him all the things he'll miss if he leaves. He thinks she's just giving him a great "last day".

He talks about departing for heaven, but it's handled in a simple enough way for kids to understand. (rated G) And he departs happily, knowing he has lived a wonderful life. Mr. Magorium says its time for his story to end, and time for the next one to begin.

One of the cutest parts was when Eric decides to try to make friends and he goes to Henry, who is busily "accounting" in the glass office. Eric holds up a sign that says "Hi". Henry replies with a wave. They continue to show each other "notes" back and forth until finally Eric asks if Henry wants to play checkers when he's done working, to which Henry replies, "I never stop working".

It's a cute story, one that says that magic will happen when you believe it exists, and when you believe you can make it happen. MR. MAGORIUM'S WONDER EMPORIUM didn't make me laugh out loud nor did it make me cry. But it was a nice, cozy movie to curl up and enjoy with my family!

ATONEMENT

2008-03-04T05:59:00.000-08:00

Set in England in 1935, ATONEMENT is the story of a 13-year-old girl, Briony (Saoirse Ronan), who changes her family's lives when she accuses her older sister's lover of a crime he did not commit. It is a beautiful and tragic film, filled with so many lovely elements. The dramatic musical score (which, by the way, won an Academy Award) lent an air of storytelling by incorporating the rhythmic clicking of a typewriter in various scenes. An important element, since Briony was an aspiring writer, and also since it was a typed letter that changed the course of many lives. Visually, the film was elegant and dramatic, with the country estate giving us some of the most beautiful shots, and later, the war images that were very graphic and gut wrenching. Masterfully done, ATONEMENT made me feel a quiet sadness when it was over.

The pivotal scene of this tale is the one by the fountain - first shown from Briony's perspective, then again, as it actually happened. Briony observes her sister Cecilia (Keira Knightly) and Robbie, the housekeeper's son, (James MacAvoy) arguing by a fountain. She then sees Cecelia strip to her underwear, at which time Briony looks away. When she looks again, Cecilia is climbing out of the fountain. Cecilia and Robbie exchange words, then Cecelia storms away. Because of her youth, and maybe because she possesses the vivid imagination of a writer, Briony is confused by what she sees, so she misunderstands. In her naivety, she can't possibly know the sexual tension that exists between Robbie and Cecilia. What actually happened at the fountain was much different. Later, Robbie writes a note of apology for what really happened. But as he goes through several drafts trying to word it just right, he writes a sexually explicit letter - not meaning to give it. When he finally pens the perfect apology, he gives it to Briony to give to her sister. However, soon he realizes that he's given Briony the the wrong letter - the explicit one. But it's too late - she's gone. Briony, being curious, reads it. She pieces that together with the fountain incident, and decides that Robbie is some kind of "pervert". That evening, at the family's dinner party, Robbie and Cecelia meet, and admit that they are in love with each other, which leads to a passionate rendezvous in the library. As luck would have it, Briony walks in on them. Later at dinner, the family discovers that two young children are missing, and the guests all set out to search for them throughout the estate. In a remote corner, Briony stumbles upon her cousin Lola being raped by someone. She isn't sure, but thinks it must be Robbie - because of the letter, because of the fountain incident, and because she saw him on Cecelia in the library. She accuses him, he is arrested, and their lives are forever changed.

As I was watching James MacAvoy, I was thinking that he looked like a young Russell Crowe. Just then, Macy leaned over and whispered, "He looks like a young Russell Crowe". We couldn't place what movie we'd seen this young man in before, but soon discovered he is Mr. Tumnus! Yes, he played the fawn in NARNIA! (By the way, Macy recently went to see PENELOPE and he is in that too!)

At the end of the movie, we see Briony (played by Vanessa Redgrave), as an aged woman, living with the guilt of what she's done. We discover how she is "atoning" for her wrong. Does this final action redeem her? I go back and forth on it. Nothing could make up for what she did. But there was nothing she could have done to change things at that point in time. Maybe it was the only kind thing to do, since there was nothing else she could do.

I highly recommend this movie, which was based on an Ian McEwan novel of the same name. It was 2hrs and 3min long, rated R for language; some sexuality (no nudity); and graphic war scenes (the wounded soldiers in the medical unit).

Beautifully done, beautifully told.

THE HOLIDAY

2008-02-26T06:04:00.000-08:00

Cute movie - except for the fact that Cameron Diaz sleeps with Jude Law five minutes after she meets him.

Diaz plays Amanda Woods, the owner of a movie trailer company (trailers, in this case, meaning previews of movies). She's a high stress, successful kind of girl. After breaking up with her boyfriend (Edward Burns), she decides she's gotta get away. On the other side of the globe is Iris Simpkins, played by Kate Winslet, who has recently found out that the man she is in love with, is engaged to be married. Iris decides she's gotta get away. So she puts her London home up for rent as a vacation home, and Amanda answers the ad. They talk, and decide to swap homes. The night Amanda arrives in London, Iris's brother, Graham, (Jude Law) drops by, totally unaware that Iris has rented the place out. Graham and Amanda immediately feel chemistry. When he kisses her, she throws caution to the wind and asks him to stay the night. The next morning is awkward. He explains that he's kinda "complicated" (he keeps getting calls from females). She tells him not to worry because she "will not fall in love" with him. But you can see they both want to be together. One evening, Amanda decides to stop by his place...and gets a surprise. (don't worry - the surprise makes you fall in love with the guy!)

Meanwhile, in Los Angeles, Iris is loving Amanda's fancy big house. She ends up meeting Miles, (Jack Black) a film composer that works with Amanda. They become good friends and spend a lot of time together. He is seeing someone, but soon finds heartbreak in that relationship. Together they help each other work through their pain.

It was a cute movie that wove the lives of all these characters in a funny, touching way. One of the funniest parts is when Iris is on the phone with her brother and he tells her that he "met" Amanda. Amanda calls Iris on the other line and Iris goes back and forth between the two calls. As she begins to "reprimand" Graham about hitting on her "renter", Amanda says, "Um...Its still me".

THE HOLIDAY definitely had an all-star cast. I love Jack Black in everything I've seen him in, even though he usually seems to play himself. So maybe it's because I'm too used to his usual characters (School of Rock, Nacho Libre, Saving Silverman, etc.), but in this movie he seemed a tiny bit out of place playing the suave sophisticated music composer. It came across as if he was trying hard to be on his best behavior. This seems to be the first romantic comedy roles for Kate Winslet and Jude Law - but they were well cast in this.

Maybe it was the cast that carried it, but I thought this movie was fun! A feel-good romantic comedy with a happily ever after ending!

BLESSED CHILD by Ted Dekker & THE GIFT by Richard Paul Evans

2008-02-26T05:48:00.000-08:00

THE GIFT by Richard Paul Evans, reminded me of BLESSED CHILD by Ted Dekker, (and even a little bit of the movie, THE SIXTH SENSE ). They are both tales of boys with remarkable gifts of healing.

THE GIFT is the story of Nathan, a lonely guy with a tormenting secret from his childhood. He meets a young family - Mom Addison, daughter Lizzy, and son Collin. Collin has a gift of healing people, yet this gift comes with a cost; the more he heals, the more life drains out of him. In fact, Collin has Leukemia. Those who love him struggle to protect him from his "gift", while wondering if stopping him from helping people so that he can survive is the right thing to do. After Nathan meets Addison, Lizzy and Collin, his life is changed in ways he could have never predicted.

BLESSED CHILD is the story of Caleb. This little boy survives an attack on the monastery where he lives in Ethiopia and is brought to the U.S. by Jason (a peace corp worker), and Leiah (a red cross nurse). They soon discover how special this little boy is, and also that his enemies have continued to pursue him. We gradually learn who his enemies are, and why they want him, but that's only one problem. The other problem is that Caleb has powers - he heals people, and this has everyone who meets him debating where his powers come from. Millions of people want a piece of this boy - some for their own healing, and others for their own selfish profit. In the end, Jason and Leiah have to take extreme measures to keep him safe from all who want to harm him.

Both stories have similar characters. In THE GIFT, Nathan has scars from his childhood; In BLESSED CHILD, Leiah has physical scars - her body is disfigured with burn scars. But both of these characters struggle with feelings of inadequacy, and an urgency to help the helpless. In THE GIFT, Collins' deadbeat dad comes back when he finds out that he can profit from his son. In BLESSED CHILD, the minister who becomes Caleb's guardian organizes "events" at which people can buy high-priced tickets to come receive healing.

BLESSED CHILD is based on this scripture: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven." Caleb has his gift simply because he has unwavering faith in God his Father and in the fact that God can heal. His relationship with God is very real to him.

THE GIFT is based on this scripture: God has chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty. Collin crosses into the afterlife, and returns to this world with his remarkable gift. He also sees and speaks to dead people - hence my comparison to the SIXTH SENSE. Although you get the idea that the author is referring to God and heaven, he doesn't quite come out and say it.

Both books were great - I read both quickly. THE GIFT especially seemed to go fast. The chapters were short and it felt like I kept turning pages. BLESSED CHILD was non-stop action from the first line, as is Ted Dekker's style. His books are always hard to put down.

Despite the similarities, both books are worthy reads on their own merit, although I am a big Ted Dekker fan and would favor his book if you asked me which I 'd recommend more. Not that THE GIFT is not as good - it's just that I have been a Ted Dekker fan for a few years. As a matter of fact, I would definitely pick up another book by Richard Paul Evans now that I've enjoyed THE GIFT. While Dekker's book has action, suspense and plot twists - Evans' book was the kind that makes you ask yourself what choice you would make if you were in that situation. Similar themes, yet different experiences!

CATCH AND RELEASE

2008-02-08T08:02:00.000-08:00

I caught the ending of this movie one day. And then, a couple of weeks later, I caught the beginning, and of course, had to sit through the whole thing. Both times I kept thinking...who is that guy?...he looks familiar. I'm not even sure I've seen him before, but he looks like someone... who? The guy I was wondering about was Timothy Olyphant, who plays "Fritz" in CATCH AND RELEASE. (It finally hit me that he looks like a young Lorenzo Lamas) When I looked him up, I realized that I'd seen him before in LIVE FREE OR DIE HARD. Quite a different role in that movie - he plays the bad guy. So in DIE HARD, I hated him. But in CATCH AND RELEASE? Loved him!

Jennifer Garner plays "Gray", a young woman who's fiance, "Grady", has suddenly died. After his death, she temporarily moves in with his buddies since she cant afford her place anymore. Together they mourn and help Gray get through her loss. First she mourns the loss of the man she loved. Then she mourns the loss of the man she thought he was, because Gray soon discovers that she didn't know everything about Grady. Like, he had a child that he'd been supporting for a few years. And this child has existed for less time than Gray and Grady had been together. The "other woman", "Maureen", played by Juliette Lewis said, "I'm sorry. You could've just missed him and loved him and not known". To which Gray answers "Not known him".

Kevin Smith plays Sam, the funny sarcastic guy; Olyphant is Fritz, the playboy; and Sam Jaeger is the responsible guy, "Dennis". They are all likeable guys - but Dennis - hate to say it - was totally unnecessary to the story. The other characters' stories go somewhere by the end of the movie. But Dennis is just there. It would have been the exact same movie without him.

But all in all, this is actually a sweet love story of Gray and the man she is finally drawn to as she comes out of her mourning. It's probably predictable, and most probably a date flick. But CATCH AND RELEASE is also sad, funny, and romantic.

27 DRESSES

2008-02-07T19:46:00.000-08:00

Did another Thursday morning movie with "Macy" - we went to see 27 DRESSES. Everyone said, "That looks likes such a cute movie!" And it certainly was a cute idea for a storyline! But Macy and I both agreed that it didn't reach its full potential.

When you see the previews to a movie like this, you already know how it's gonna go - boy meets girl, they endure a bit of conflict, but by the end of the movie, you know you're gonna walk away smiling! And so it was for this movie. But still, even for a romantic comedy, it was lacking a bit in substance.

One of the biggest flaws was that there was NO chemistry between the two main characters, played by Katherine Heigl and James Marsden. They are both adorable - but nope, didn't feel it with them. I never felt "caught up" in their relationship - throughout the film, I felt fully aware that they were two actors acting.

Heigl plays a woman who LOVES weddings. She plans all her friends' weddings, engagement parties, etc. She also works as an assistant to the man she is in love with, played by Edward Burns. Marsden's character writes the wedding column for the New York City Journal. He writes under a pseudonym, of course, so when he and Heigl meet, she doesn't realize that he is her favorite columnist. Instead, he comes across as a guy who is cynical about the institution of marriage. Which of course, really annoys her! They meet at a wedding one night, share a cab, she drops her planner in the cab, he sees that her social life consists of nothing but weddings every weekend, and he gets an idea for an article for his column! Since he thinks she's kinda cute, he proceeds to pursue her. But she despises him! In the meantime, her sister (who's a model) waltzes into town and falls in love with the boss - the one that Heigl is secretly in love with - who also falls for her, and they get engaged. The story then continues with all the complications of those circumstances.

But it seemed that there was so many details to this story that much of the plot was diluted . Her relationship with her sister, for example. Their childhood and how they felt about each other as adults - all that history was explained too briefly - and the information always seemed "rushed" - as if had to be included - it didn't flow naturally. And her sister wasn't too likable, nor too hate-able - so you just don't know how to feel when she gets what's coming to her, or when they reconcile. Might have been better to have Burns fall in love with a stranger so that the complicated history of the sister relationship didn't have to be written in.

In addition, Heigl's disdain for Marsden felt "forced" - like it was necessary to have some sort of conflict leading up to the happy conclusion. Moments that could have really been dramatic - like when she realizes that this man she hates is really the writer she loves - seemed glossed over quickly and not very climactic. Another such moment was when he admits that the reason he is so bitter about marriage is because of his own experience. That could have been an emotionally charged moment - but the moment arrived, and then it left, with no lasting impact.

This is not to say that 27 DRESSES was terrible - It had its cute moments! Judy Greer plays a good character as Heigl's friend who "tells it like it is" (she plays a similar character in 13 GOING ON 30!). I did laugh a few times! The scene where Heigl tries on the 27 dresses is pretty cute. And the bar scene where they sing "Bennie and the Jets" is pretty funny! I wouldn't avoid 27 DRESSES, but I wouldn't go out of my way to see it!

3:10 TO YUMA

2008-02-07T09:48:00.001-08:00

I love westerns. Grew up watching them with my Dad - a big John Wayne fan. My sister and I have watched every episode of The Big Valley that there is. Even though they're a bit more bloody these days, I always look forward to a good western!

3:10 TO YUMA stars Russell Crowe as the bad guy, and Christian Bale as the good guy. Bale plays "Dan", a struggling farmer, who is in danger of losing his farm to a banker who wants to sell it to make way for a railroad. His marriage is strained, his relationship with his oldest son is difficult, and his youngest son has chronic respiratory problems. Through a turn of events, he becomes instrumental in the arrest of outlaw "Ben Wade", played by Crowe. A posse is formed to transport Wade from Bisbee to Contention to put the outlaw on the train to the Yuma prison. Dan, in order to secure $200, joins the posse. So with the outlaw's gang close behind, they set out through Apache territory. During their journey, we learn a lot more about Dan and Wade. For example, Dan needs the money, but he also needs to prove to his family that he is man enough to handle this task, as well as save their farm. Wade frequently quotes the bible, and we learn that the ruthless outlaw knows it because he read it cover to cover at the train station where his mother abandoned him as a child. A lot of things happen on this trip through the wilderness - and they arrive at Yuma with less men than they had when they set out.

Russell Crowe has been in a lot of movies - and he is really a great actor. The roles he's played - Cinderella Man, Gladiator, A Beautiful Mind - are really diverse and complicated characters! Other notable performances include Peter Fonda, who I hardly recognized at first, but who played a great - but quick - part. And Ben Foster...oooooh, I hated him. He was the second in command of Wade's outlaw gang. He was a great bad guy. He also played very hateable bad guys in Alpha Dog (which was a horrible true story - it haunted me for a while - I wish I'd never watched it), and Hostage. He kinda reminded me of Bruce Dern, who always played a great villain! And of course, Bale did an excellent job of playing Dan Evans - I could feel his inner turmoil as he fought for his dignity at being the man his family could respect.

The story was set in Southern, Arizona - which I always enjoy, as I grew up there! But when they showed the town of Bisbee, I thought, "Huh?" They showed a town in the middle of a plain. In actuality, the little town is nestled in the mountains. Which has nothing to do with the story told in the film, but I thought I'd throw that fact out anyway! (See, you learn things on my blog!)

3:10 TO YUMA was a great movie - (although the ending made me yell "NO!!! WHY??????")
If you can overlook some violence and bad language, I'd recommend it!

THE BRAVE ONE

2008-02-07T09:25:00.001-08:00

Jodie Foster's movie, "The Brave One", came out on DVD this week. The tagline is: How many wrongs to make it right? My DH, who always enjoys seeing the bad guy get what he deserves, ran right out to buy it! The storyline goes like this: Foster's character, Erica, is a talk show host who is about to be married. Her fiancee is played by Naveen Andrews, of Lost fame. One night as they stroll through the park, they are brutally attacked, and her fiancee is killed. Erica is left alone to recover from the horrific experience she survived. Surprising herself, she proceeds to hand out "justice" as she sees it unfold on the streets. But she doesn't start out with that agenda; her fear causes her to react, and then, well, it just becomes habit. Terence Howard plays the cop who's investigating these "serial" crimes, and in the course of the story, they become friends.

Throughout the movie, it's obvious she wants to get caught. And you get the feeling that the cop (Howard), is a good cop, and that even though he cares about her, he cares more about doing the right thing. You know that eventually, he'll have to make a difficult choice - once he finds out Erica's little secret.

The funny thing is that this movie made me think of another movie I had just seen - "Mad Money". Which sounds insane, but in that movie, Diane Keaton says, "The truth is we’re all capable of anything. We don’t realize it. But it’s true". In "The Brave One", Foster's character says, "Inside us is a stranger". These statements are true. Each one of us is capable of anything, given the right situation. We don't know how we'd react in situations like these - a brutal random attack, or in the case of "Mad Money", if we're in a situation where we're desperate for money. Do these situations change us, or do they bring out what is already inside? I guess that's what Foster's character contemplates when she says that we have a stranger inside of us.

The movie was very suspenseful - along the lines of "Panic Room" & "Flight Plan". I was a bit disturbed by one particular scene - when the couple was being worked on in the ER after they had been attacked, the scenes kept flashing back to a love scene. This went on for the duration of the ER scene: gentle touching...then bloody bodies...flash back to clothes being removed lovingly...then clothes being cut off in the ER. I'm sure they were trying to show the contrast of love and gentleness, against violence and brutality, but it was kind of creepy.

On one hand, it's a well made film. The acting is great, the characters believable. On the other hand, its quite bloody and violent. And I think the ending was unfortunate, as it made it seem like all the wrongs were somehow "OK". I walked away from "The Brave One" feeling like the good guys got suckered into being the bad guys.

THE SHACK, By William P. Young

2008-02-02T15:40:00.000-08:00

I listen to a podcast regularly called "The God Journey", and I had heard those guys talk about a book called "The Shack" every now and then, but I didn't really pay that much attention to it. One day, I was talking with a girlfriend about different books we'd read, and she mentioned that she had just read a book called "The Shack", and that it was possibly the best book she had ever read. So that kinda grabbed my attention, and I went to the "God Journey" website to see what they had to say about it. In the meantime, I ordered it from Amazon to read it for myself.

I finished reading it last night at around midnight, and thought about it a lot this morning when I woke up. So what can I say about it if I don't wanna give the story away? I'll do my best.

I can't say that I would have read "The Shack" if I had just stumbled across it in a bookstore. The back-cover description says that the character's daughter had been abducted and brutally murdered. I generally steer away from books with those kinds of topics, but I was so curious as to why this was such a "life-changing" book - A novel at that!

The story starts four years after Mack's daughter has been murdered. Her blood-soaked clothes were found in a shack in the mountains. As you would guess, life has not been the same for this family. Mack lives with what he calls "The Great Sadness". One day, he gets a note in his mailbox, an invitation, to go spend the weekend with God at the shack. Mack wonders why in the world God would meet him there, of all places - the place of his greatest pain and despair. So Mack goes...and he is taken on a journey where he is confronted with the truth of who God is.

I'll have to admit, at first I was a little thrown off by the forms in which God appeared to Mack, but as He explained why He had done so, it made sense. He was what Mack needed, when he needed it. As Mack changed, so did the form in which God appeared to him.

"The Shack" isn't some religious "how-to" book. It is very honest, and will take you by surprise with its honesty. The dialog between God and Mack uncovers what many of us really think of God. And it also shows us that He is not how we think He is. It exposes our deepest and most hidden misconceptions of Him, even the ones that those of us who have been "religious" for a while may have. As Mack was shown things about himself, I found that they were things that I also had buried deep inside of me. Things that I never realized I felt until I saw it in print in front of me. At one point, God says to Mack, "You don't trust me, because you don't know that I love you". Simple, but true. We don't trust God, because we can't comprehend how He loves us. We're suspicious of what will come our way if we trust Him completely. That means we don't really know that He loves us.

One of my favorite parts was when the Holy Spirit, represented as "Sarayu", works on Macks' "soul". It was a beautiful analogy, but that's one part that I can't give away. It was the surprise element that gave it it's power.

As for the ending, I felt bittersweet about it. But it ended just the way it should have.

This novel has much truth about God, about life, about us, and especially about our preconceived ideas about God. But it's important to keep in mind that because it is a work of fiction, it's probably not an infallible representation of God. While I did see a lot scriptural truth in it, I wondered about certain details, such as God making sarcastic comments from time to time. But keeping all that in perspective, this is a beautiful story. It made me cry in a few places; it made me laugh in a few places; It made me repent in a few places. It showed me how God loves each one of us individually. The line on the front cover says "Where Tragedy Confronts Eternity", and that is a perfect description of this book.

MAD MONEY

2008-01-31T15:45:00.000-08:00

Finally went to see Mad Money today. Actually, my friend and I had planned to see it last week, but since life happens the moment you have plans with your girlfriends, last week became this week! Since it was a Thursday morning, and the movie had been out for a couple of weeks, the theater was empty. We loved that. And we saw some great previews for a new Jodie Foster movie. (I love previews. They're part of the whole movie experience! )

Anyway, back to Mad Money.

My friend - who I'll refer to as "Macy" - whispered to me before the movie began, "Katie Holmes isn't a very good actress!" And I thought, "Uh-oh. I wonder if she knows we're sitting at a Katie Holmes movie." (She did.) And you know, after she said that, I couldn't think of any Katie Holmes movies I'd ever seen! Never even saw Dawson's Creek. (Although a quick Google search told me that I'd seen her in Phone Booth.)

Anyway, back to Mad Money.

This unlikely trio of ladies was a good combo, and putting them together in a movie was a fresh idea. Queen Latifah - who is always good in any movie she does - plays a struggling single mom. Diane Keaton - who is always "Diane Keaton" in any movie, but we still love her - plays an upper middle class housewife who's husband has been unemployed for awhile, so she has to go back to work. Katie Holmes plays a young free spirit. It was a good role for her. (Although Macy and I discussed that her role was kind of an "exaggerated" character, so it was hard to judge her acting skills by it.) Ted Danson was great - playing Keaton's nervous, then "into-it" husband. Adam Rothenberg, who played Katie's husband, was a nice compliment to the cast - he was kinda the loveable airhead, and had some funny moments.

The movie starts in the present, then goes back to tell the story about three ladies who work at the Federal Reserve and cook up a plan to steal the money that is being destroyed. It goes through the birth of their plan, the execution of their plan, and the results of their executed plan. The story, of course, is a bit unrealistic - but as you know, I love Die Hard movies, so "unrealistic" doesn't bother me a bit. The only thing that bothered me about the storyline was that it kinda portrayed the stealing of the money, as not so bad. In fact, when Ted Danson's character is nervous about it at first, he is made to seem like a killjoy. Queen Latifah's character seemed to have more of a conscience about it than the others, but in the end - when they kinda beat the system, and the danger of getting caught has passed - she seems to lose that conscience. There was nothing in this movie that said that stealing money is wrong.

Overall, I would give Mad Money a 6.5 out of 10 rating. I'm glad I spent $7 to see it, and not $20 to buy the DVD. I had a good time seeing it, enjoyed my morning out, but it was nothing to write home about.

BIG STONE GAP by Adriana Trigiani

2008-01-19T20:35:00.000-08:00

It was one of the few times that my "to-be-read" stack was low. So one day at Sam's Club, I grabbed a few novels that looked good. Nothing I'd heard of, no familiar authors. Just something "different". Those books ended up sitting on my nightstand for a few months, but eventually, I grabbed one! It was Big Stone Gap, by Adriana Trigiani.

Big Stone Gap is the story of a small town woman - she's single, just turned 35, recently lost her beloved mother, and she's also just found that her father was not her father! She's an independent, confident woman; yet at the same time, she's scared, alone and not so confident! This is the sweet, touching story of Ave Maria figuring some things out - her road to "self discovery", if you will. And Big Stone Gap is a town full of lovable characters! The story flows smoothly, and even though the situations are things you can relate to, you still can't wait to see what's going to happen next! Additionally, Ms. Trigiani's description of people and places makes it easy to imagine every bit of the story. I even found myself talking with a southern accent while I was reading it!

Big Stone Gap is the first in a series - Big Cherry Holler, Milk Glass Moon, and Home to Big Stone Gap are the titles that follow. I've got Big Cherry Holler on order now, and I'm really looking forward to reading more of Ms Trigiani's work!

KNOCKED UP

2008-01-11T14:11:00.000-08:00

Definitely not a movie I would have chosen to go see. Actually, my 20 year old son gave the DVD to my husband for Christmas. Yucky...or was it....?

Hubby put the movie on, and I did not intend to watch it. I ended up watching the whole thing. I laughed out loud. I groaned with disgust. I cried at how miraculous a new little baby is. I'm really annoyed at how much I enjoyed this movie. I kinda wanna keep that a secret, but I choose to sacrifice my reputation for the sake of the blog.

The movie stars Katherine Heigl and Seth Rogen. After a one night stand, she finds out she's pregnant. She's a driven career girl, he's a...well, a loser. Its actually a sweet story of two completely different people (different morals, different goals, different backgrounds, etc) trying to do the right thing after an irresponsible mistake. Definitely not for the kids - there's plenty of bad language, and sexual and drug references. Like I said, this is not the kind of movie I usually choose, but there's worse out there.

Back to Blogging

2008-01-11T09:59:00.000-08:00

I started this blog with a lot of excitement, thinking I'd run to my Mac to blog everytime I read or watched something. But life is busy, and before I knew it, I had way too many items to write about, and my memory of each item kinda blurred with each day! Maybe its just the start of the new year, along with an email conversation I had with a friend of how her resolution is to read as many good books this year as she can, but I kinda have the itch to work on this blog again! I'd love to go back and review so many great books and movies I've watched, but lets just start from here on out. Although, just for the sake of making this an official review, I will mention some of my all time favorites:

At the top of the list, I have to put "The Yada Yada Prayer Group Gets Decked Out", by Neta Jackson. This title is the 7th in the series. As I've mentioned before, I LOVE IT! I feel like the group of characters are my friends. And as corny as it sounds, I always feel like I've grown alot spiritually after I've read one of these books! As I was reading through this volume, I was mentally "guessing" what might come in the next one. Well, I was pretty bummed out when I got the end and read that this one was the end of the series!! Whaaaa! I do look forward Neta Jackson's future works, even though I am bitter about the end of my Yada Yada sisters!!!! ;)

Another book worth reading is "Jesus Freaks", Volumes I and II, by DC Talk. Volume I is short stories of martyrs. Volume II is short stories of "revolutionaries who changed their world, fearing God, not man". OK, OK, yeah, it sounds like a bummer to read these - thats the reaction I always get from people to whom I recommend these book. But I have to say, these books really have a way of showing you what is important in the grand scheme of things. With these books as well, I felt stronger and more cemented in my faith.

While we're on the subject of growing spiritually, I'll also suggest "Buck Naked Faith" by Eric Sandras. This is a book that makes you examine yourself honestly, and helps you put yourself in a place where you are trying to please God and not just keep up appearances. But it makes you realize that your struggles are common to us all.

As for movies, my all time favorites are Peggy Sue Got Married, Chances Are, Best Friends Wedding, and Father of the Bride 1 and 2. I LOVE to "accidentally" catch these on TV! It always seems like a nice surprise! The other day I caught "Parenthood" on TV. I love that movie, and the older I get, the more I love it, because you can totally relate to so many characters. I LOVE the scene where Steve Martin is coaching his son in little league, and before the game, he imagines that his son is graduating as valedictorian at a university, and in his speech, he thanks his father for being the best. Then after the game, he imagines his son up in a tower, shooting down at the crowd, screaming about how his dad screwed him up. The theme to this movie is that life is a roller coaster and you just have to enjoy the ride, even if its scary sometimes.

A newer movie I've enjoyed is "National Treasure - Book of Secrets". I went to see this one on the opening night. I LOVED the first one, and I LOVED the fact that I could take my 7 year old to it. I read somewhere that the director, or producer, or someone associated with the film said that instead of making a movie for kids, he'd rather make a movie that kids can go to. I thought that described this movie very well. I'll have to say it wasn't much different than the first one, nothing new, same kind of story. But really enjoyable nonetheless.

(I get the urge right now to mention CS Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia, the books as well as the movie, but I'll have to tell ya, that one deserves its own post on a later date.)

What the heck, lets keep the momentum going with TV reviews. I have been hooked on Lost, and I really look forward to the new episode being aired on January 31st! I gave my friend Season One to watch to see if I could hook her into it. She watched it within a week, and then ran out and purchased Seasons Two and Three! The writers had committed to wrapping up the story line in 2 more seasons, but it will be interesting to see how the writer's strike affects this. I am stuck in a place wondering if there will be a logical explanation to all the "happenings" on the island, or if they might go the supernatural route with it.

I swore off the Apprentice last season, cuz it was getting kinda dumb. Ok, REALLY dumb. But I hate to say that I got sucked into it again this season, cuz they are doing Celebrity Apprentice. Its still kinda dumb, but more interesting cuz you get to see how the celebrities interact and do something they are not used to. One thing I noticed, they are not as backstabbing and cut-throat as the "nobodies" from previous season. I guess since they have already reached success, they are not as desperate to climb up that ladder!

Well, I guess thats it for now. This was kind of a "media goulash" kind of post. Now, I'll get busy reading, watching, and posting. Stay tuned, and let me know what you are all watching and reading out there.

Until Next Time...

LIVE FREE OR DIE HARD

2007-07-10T14:47:00.000-07:00

Maybe I'm just stuck in a time warp, but I was really excited last year when "Rocky Balboa" came out! And to find out that the fourth "Die Hard" movie was being released this year was too good to be true!! So perhaps my review won't be all that objective, since I knew I would love it before I even saw it!

I went to Sam's Club the week the movie was released, since I knew that I had recently seen the "Die Hard Trilogy" for sale there. My plan was to watch all three movies and then top it off with "Live Free or Die Hard" on the weekend. No such luck. Sam's didn't have it. (and yes, I did the same thing last year with "Rocky Balboa"!). So, off to the theater I went, without refreshing my memories of John McClane's previous adventures. No problem, I got it all...up...here (mental picture: Me tapping my temple...).

"Live Free or Die Hard" was just what "Die Hard" is - suspense, action, witty one-liners, and stunts that you know could've never happened. John McClane is older now, with a troubled relationship with his teenage daughter. He comes across Matt Farrell, a young hacker, played by Justin Long (of "Hi, I'm a Mac" fame) The two get caught up in a terrorist plot that attacks our country's technology, taking down our economic structure. And so McClane and Farrell go on the run to stop the bad guy. Or is that to get away from the bad guy? Bruce Willis is, as always, awesome in his role as John McClane. He's the perfect blend of tough guy, funny guy and not-so perfect guy. Long does a great job with his role - he is really funny. A very cook geek. Kevin Smith also adds some humor to the story - living in the basement at his mothers house, he is referred to as the "Internet Jedi".

With action and suspense from begining to end, "Live Free or Die Hard" was the perfect updated story for all "Die Hard" lovers. In the end, our beloved characters all walk away bruised, bloodied, but safe and victorious. So the only complaint I have is, what happens now with all the chaos in the country from this "virtual" attack? Traffic lights are out, utilities are out, stock market's crashed..and the credits are rolling. I guess...they all lived happily ever after anyway.

THE WILD GIRL - THE NOTEBOOKS OF NED GILES, 1932, by Jim Fergus

2007-07-09T16:17:00.000-07:00

I came across this book as I browsed the "New Books" section at our local library. Based on historical fact, this book tells the story of an expedition that was organized to find a young boy that had been kidnapped by Apaches near the small border town of Douglas Arizona. I can't say that I would have chosen this book if it hadn't been for a small detail: I grew up in Douglas, Arizona. Its a town that you've never heard of unless you grew up there.

The story is told through the journals of Ned Giles, just as the title suggests. I can see the town as he drives down the main street, and as he finds a hotel. Our claim to fame in Douglas is the Gadsen Hotel. Not much to look at from the outside, but it's beautful marble staircase has been used in movies from time to time. Ned Giles ends up staying in the hotel, describing it accurately. I was even suprised that one of the locals in the story referred to Douglas as "Dog's Ass" - we did actually call it that in our younger days!

But besides the thrill of finding a novel about my tiny home town, I was sucked into the beautiful story and loved it. It begins with Ned as an old man now, looking back on this life and all the people in it, including the "Wild Girl". I came to love every character and feel what Ned felt. I stayed up into the wee hours of the night, fighting sleep, because I just had to know what was going to happen next.

Since the jacket said that it was based on historical fact, I kept wondering how much was factual and what was fiction. But it ends with an "Author's Note", that explained just that. It is original and refreshing, and I enjoyed it! So glad I accidently found "The Wild Girl".

"THE YADA YADA PRAYER GROUP" Book Series by Neta Jackson

2006-10-07T19:44:00.000-07:00

I just finished BOOK FIVE of the YADA YADA PRAYER GROUP book series. LOVE IT! If you haven't read or even heard of this series, you gotta check 'em out!

BOOK ONE introduces us to these women as they are grouped together at a women's conference. This group couldn't be more different - Jodi, a school teacher and Avis, her friend/principle/worship leader at their church; an ex-drug addict; a Messianic Jew; a hispanic nurse; a single mom from Jamaica; a young Japanese student, and various others. When a family crisis arises for one of them, they decide to keep in touch and keep praying for each other. From that moment on, their friendship evolves and grows as their lives become intertwined. The books are written from the point of view of one of the characters - Jodi Baxter. She's a "good girl Christian" who doesn't think she has much in common with any one of them. When she faces a major crisis that makes her question her "goodness", her Yada Yada sisters help her to remember that she has ALWAYS been a sinner...saved by grace.

BOOKS TWO, THREE and FOUR continue the adventures with everything from a heroin addict barging into one of their prayer meetings and holding them up at knife-point, to one of the husbands being brutally attacked by white supremacists, to one of the older women going through a high risk unplanned pregnancy. Each woman has her own story and you feel intimately involved with each life.

These books show a beautiful picture of what "the Church" should be - supportive of each other and totally honest with God. The characters take turns lifting each other up when one is down, and since Jodi is narrating it, you get to hear her most honest thoughts and feelings, and how she brings those feelings before God for direction - and sometimes, correction.

The biggest thing I gleaned from these books is - believe it or not - the Word of God. The books are full of scripture! The women speak the Word of God to each other as they pray and also to encourage each other. The way the author uses the bible in these books is a great lesson. After reading them, I began to "pray" the Word of God in my own life and found it really powerful. After all, If we believe that the Word of God is alive and powerful, able to discern your heart's intents and able to divide spirit from soul, then what could be more powerful than praying those very words? I started memorizing bits of psalms and found that most of the time, they perfectly describe what I am going through.

This is not to say that these bible-quoting characters are "holier than thou" - on the contrary! These ladies are so real - I could totally relate to them. They work at their walk with God and struggle in doing the right thing much of the time.

BOOK SIX will be coming out in the Spring of 2007 and I'm totally excited to read it! The YADA YADA Book Series gets a "LOVE IT AND RECOMMEND IT!" rating from me!

DERAILED (R) with Jennifer Aniston & Clive Owen (2005)

2006-09-04T11:47:00.001-07:00

PLOT SUMMARY: Charles is in a rut with his his distant marriage, sick daughter and lackluster career. He meets the lovely Lucinda on the train and they are immediately attracted to each other. They begin to see each other and eventually end up in a hotel, headed towards an affair. Suddenly, their plans are "derailed" when a thief breaks into the room and beats Charles and rapes Lucinda. They are reluctant to go to the police due to the nature of their relationship, Soon, the thief starts to harrass and demand things from Charles, and thus the roller coaster begins.

MY REVIEW: I really liked this movie! It was suspensful and exciting. The twists and turns kept you guessing til the end. Jennifer Aniston was great - not the usual "Rachelesque" character that we see in her various other movies. Clive Owen was good, his character not entirely likeable, which is ok, because I dont think you're supposed to like him too much anyway. He doesn't really derserve any sympathy for his plight, but still, I had to feel just a little sorry for him. The "bad guy", played by Vincent Cassel (who you may recognize from Ocean's Twelve) was great. Very hateable! Put this DVD in your collection right between Fatal Attraction and Unfaithful (yeah, I know thats not alphabetical, but it's dramatic, isn't it?)

"HOUSE" by Frank E. Peretti & Ted DeKker

2006-08-30T18:37:00.000-07:00

My favorite two authors...Frank Peretti and Ted Dekker...TOGETHER!

I just finished "House" by these two and it really pains me to admit that I was not as thrilled as I thought I'd be.

The story immediately sucked me in. I was scared and kinda creeped out as the story unfolded. The first half kept me turning pages and I kept trying to guess what was REALLY going on. Would it be supernatural (like Peretti's "This Present Darkness")? Or would there be a logical-but-still-spiritual explanation (like Dekker's "Three")? However, at a certain point in the story, I began to feel exhausted by the repetitiveness. They ran and hid, and then they ran and hid some more...

With all this running and hiding it seemed a little confusing when BAM! out of the blue, the "answer" to the problem is revealed. While I don't want to give the story away, it seemed like perhaps the characters, who were not "Christians", understood it too easily. You'd think they would need a little more explanation to fully understand what needed to be done. More build-up to the climax, if you will. Furthermore, I didn't find the "redeemer" all that likable, so it was hard to reconcile that with the ending.

Maybe my expectations were too high for this collaborative effort. Maybe I had preconceived notions that ruined it for me. I admit that I was expecting a story about a "house" that ended up being the story of what was inside a person - ("Lord, I'll let you clean out this room where I keep my gossiping tongue, but I wont let you in this cob-web-filled room where the bitterness monster lives).

Like I say, these two authors are my favorites. I do look forward to any future works they create, whether it's individually, or as a team. I give "House" a "so-so" rating.