What a disappointment. The ads were inviting. The premise was encouraging. The Shrek movies introduced this wonderful character. I really wanted to see this movie but the movie let us down. Thankfully, we saw it before the evening prices kicked in and, thankfully, we did not see it in 3-D for the extra cost. Alice said that it might have been better in 3-D. I doubt it. One lady was heard to say to the ushers after the movie, "What a great movie." I looked at the same usher and said, "Did she see the same movie we saw?" He laughed because he knew. Alice said that "Cars 2" was better than this movie. Just barely. Well, I probably liked this movie slightly more but just slightly.
I just couldn't warm up to Humpty Dumpty, one of the key characters. He had no redeeming qualities. Oh, Puss in Boots claimed him as a friend. I'm not sure why. He tricked him. Cheated him. Deceived him. Left him to die. Come on, this guy was worse than some of the evil characters in the Shrek movies.
I did like Jack and Jill. Their dialogue, brief as it was, might have produced the only laughs in the movie.
Oh, the kids will probably like it but it was not the adult fare of the Shrek movies. Think twice before you spend a lot of money on this movie. Wait and rent the video. I think that it will be out soon enough.
Friday, October 28, 2011
Saturday, October 22, 2011
The Big Year
This movie is for the birds. Really. But it's a pretty good movie. It moves a little slowly but, hey, how much high drama can you find in a contest to view and record as many North American birds as possible in a year?
Three men portrayed by Steve Martin (Stu), Jack Black (Brad), and Owen Wilson (Kenny Bostwick) set out to break the record first set by Kenny (732). They take planes, trains, automobiles, bicycles, helicopters and more to criss cross North America in their quest. The opening credits say that it is a true story with only the facts being changed.
I guess it's supposed to be a comedy but the laughs are real and careful. It's just a sweet metaphor about real and honorable competition. Stu is trying to retire and finds that his "Big Year" pursuit makes him rethink his life, his family, his wife, and his new grandchild. Jack is divorced and holding a boring computer job but manages to find the time and energy to pursue the contest while holding down his job. His mother is supportive but his father (Brian Dennehey) is less enthusiastic. As the movie progresses the tenderness of Brad's relationship with his father is wonderful. Kenny's role is as an honest and very moral jerk. He's not above deceiving his fellow contestants but is above cheating in this contest based totally on the honor system. Winning, however, is everything and he loses his loving wife because he loves his pursuit of the birds more than her.
I won't reveal who wins but, in the end, I see all three characters as winners.
I think that you will enjoy the movie. We did.
Three men portrayed by Steve Martin (Stu), Jack Black (Brad), and Owen Wilson (Kenny Bostwick) set out to break the record first set by Kenny (732). They take planes, trains, automobiles, bicycles, helicopters and more to criss cross North America in their quest. The opening credits say that it is a true story with only the facts being changed.
I guess it's supposed to be a comedy but the laughs are real and careful. It's just a sweet metaphor about real and honorable competition. Stu is trying to retire and finds that his "Big Year" pursuit makes him rethink his life, his family, his wife, and his new grandchild. Jack is divorced and holding a boring computer job but manages to find the time and energy to pursue the contest while holding down his job. His mother is supportive but his father (Brian Dennehey) is less enthusiastic. As the movie progresses the tenderness of Brad's relationship with his father is wonderful. Kenny's role is as an honest and very moral jerk. He's not above deceiving his fellow contestants but is above cheating in this contest based totally on the honor system. Winning, however, is everything and he loses his loving wife because he loves his pursuit of the birds more than her.
I won't reveal who wins but, in the end, I see all three characters as winners.
I think that you will enjoy the movie. We did.
Courageous
The movie "Courageous" needs to be seen by men, youth and boys but also by any family member who wishes to learn some things about parenting and love.
Some would probably disagree, but I feel that this movie is not preachy and certainly doesn't match the usual criteria of what people might call a "religious movie" or a movie that deals with "religion" on some level. Yes, there is a church scene and a clear witness of Christ as Savior but it is definitely a part of the plot. (I do have to smile that the inside of the church in the Father's Day scene seems far larger than the outside of the church as depicted. Dramatic license, I guess!)
The premise of the movie is stated by the sheriff himself as he urges his Albany, Georgia, deputies to spend more time with their families based on the statistic that fatherless or "under-fathered" children are more likely to get into trouble. One father, Adam (Alex Kendrick) adores his daughter but is distant from his son. Nathan (Ken Bevel) has strict rules for his daughter while Shane (Kevin Downes) is divorced and trying to raise his son and the rookie David (Ben Davies) has a child from a teenage fling. The group also befriends Javier (Robert Amaya) who is struggling to find and keep work. I love the Javier character. I think you will too. Adam's daughter is killed in a car accident and this is an awakening for him to to become and be the father he needs to be for his surviving son. His study of the Bible leads him to challenge his four friends to take being a father seriously. He doesn't push them to do it, but they agree to pledge to become better fathers.
There are many fine subplots as one of the men fails to keep his vow, another faces an employer asking him to cheat, one realizes he needs to step up and take responsibility for his actions, and two others must build trust with their very different children. An exciting car chase and gun battle with a drug gang provides as much excitement as from any contemporary movie.
Ultimately, the closing verses of Joshua (Joshua 24:15), "Choose this day whom you will serve...but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord," are words that inspire the movie and the audience. It was one of those movies where you hear clapping at the end.
The movie is in the tradition of "Facing the Giants" and "Fireproof" and is one of those movies where you can invite your neighbor or friend who will discover it is very moral but not heavy handed. There is drama, compassion, humor, and morality as well God's love in Christ. I'm convinced you will love the movie.
Some would probably disagree, but I feel that this movie is not preachy and certainly doesn't match the usual criteria of what people might call a "religious movie" or a movie that deals with "religion" on some level. Yes, there is a church scene and a clear witness of Christ as Savior but it is definitely a part of the plot. (I do have to smile that the inside of the church in the Father's Day scene seems far larger than the outside of the church as depicted. Dramatic license, I guess!)
The premise of the movie is stated by the sheriff himself as he urges his Albany, Georgia, deputies to spend more time with their families based on the statistic that fatherless or "under-fathered" children are more likely to get into trouble. One father, Adam (Alex Kendrick) adores his daughter but is distant from his son. Nathan (Ken Bevel) has strict rules for his daughter while Shane (Kevin Downes) is divorced and trying to raise his son and the rookie David (Ben Davies) has a child from a teenage fling. The group also befriends Javier (Robert Amaya) who is struggling to find and keep work. I love the Javier character. I think you will too. Adam's daughter is killed in a car accident and this is an awakening for him to to become and be the father he needs to be for his surviving son. His study of the Bible leads him to challenge his four friends to take being a father seriously. He doesn't push them to do it, but they agree to pledge to become better fathers.
There are many fine subplots as one of the men fails to keep his vow, another faces an employer asking him to cheat, one realizes he needs to step up and take responsibility for his actions, and two others must build trust with their very different children. An exciting car chase and gun battle with a drug gang provides as much excitement as from any contemporary movie.
Ultimately, the closing verses of Joshua (Joshua 24:15), "Choose this day whom you will serve...but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord," are words that inspire the movie and the audience. It was one of those movies where you hear clapping at the end.
The movie is in the tradition of "Facing the Giants" and "Fireproof" and is one of those movies where you can invite your neighbor or friend who will discover it is very moral but not heavy handed. There is drama, compassion, humor, and morality as well God's love in Christ. I'm convinced you will love the movie.
Sunday, October 2, 2011
"Dolphin Tale"
Another great movie...and more than a movie about "buddies" though one could claim that the Dolphin and the young hero Sawyer Nelson (Nathan Gamble) are buddies. This is based on a true story. In Florida on his way to summer school a failing student named Sawyer and a beach comber "discover" a dying dolphin on the beach (Winter) and Sawyer calls an animal rescue unit. He and a young girl named Hazel (Cozi Zuehlsdorff) are the motivating factor for the vet (Harry Connick, Jr.), Sawyer's mother (Ashley Judd), a doctor who creates prosthetics (Morgan Freeman) and others to save Winter and the animal hospital as the prosthetic doctor (after several miscues) creates a tail for the dolphin. Kris Kristofferson is also in the movie as a grandfather and mentor. I wish he would have sung something!
Part of the plot is the fact that the animal hospital is in danger of closing because of a lack of money. It would be sold to a hotel developer. As the movie unfolds Sawyer and others organize U Tube publicity to spark interest in school children and adults to save the marine hospital.
To our surprise there were no evil characters in the movie though for a time it seems as if the hotel developer will succeed in closing the hospital. In a heartwarming turn of events, he decides to support the marine hospital.
There is a spiritual side to the movie but it's a little thin. I just wish that characters would be depicted in prayer, in church, or in consultation with spiritual mentors. I'd like to think that it would make the movie even more realistic.
Take the time to see this movie.
Part of the plot is the fact that the animal hospital is in danger of closing because of a lack of money. It would be sold to a hotel developer. As the movie unfolds Sawyer and others organize U Tube publicity to spark interest in school children and adults to save the marine hospital.
To our surprise there were no evil characters in the movie though for a time it seems as if the hotel developer will succeed in closing the hospital. In a heartwarming turn of events, he decides to support the marine hospital.
There is a spiritual side to the movie but it's a little thin. I just wish that characters would be depicted in prayer, in church, or in consultation with spiritual mentors. I'd like to think that it would make the movie even more realistic.
Take the time to see this movie.
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
I'm sorry I haven't blogged this great movie sooner. I better hurry before its out on DVD.
As I said, this was a great movie and Alice and I both enjoyed it. A long time ago we saw the original "Planet of the Apes" but this was a far better movie. It really wasn't as much about people as it was about apes or chimpanzees. I didn't care for the hero character of the movie (Will played by James Franco) because he created the problem and, in my opinion, didn't deal with it properly.
The point of the movie revolves around the Gen-Sys Company which is trying to develop a cure for Alzheimer's. Will's boss Steve Jacobs (played by David Oyelowo) is an unlikable character who is all about money and when the medicine being developed has negative consequences he orders all the test animals to be destroyed. Will illegally takes home a test animal and the chimpanzee (Caesar played by Andy Serkis) is remarkably intelligent. A few years later Will gives the same medicine Caesar received to help his father Charles (John Lithgow) overcome Alzheimer's. It works but has consequences. In my opinion, John Lithgow deserves an Oscar nomination for his characterization.
It's complicated but, ultimately, after being confined in a zoo, Caesar is able to share the same intelligence building medicine with apes and monkeys as they escape from the zoo and eliminate the mean zoo keeper. A standoff on the Golden Gate Bridge leads to the "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" and, in the closing credits, a plague which will wipe out most of human kind.
Caesar is a character you can love, though he doesn't have as much "soul" as I would like. The elderly Orangutan is a delightful character as are many of the chimps and gorillas. When they eventually escape to the Redwood Forrest Will warns Caesar that in the forest humans will hunt them down, but that he can protect him if he returns home. Caesar, now capable of speech, gently tells him that "Caesar is home." The movie ends with the apes standing upright and climbing to the top of the Redwoods overlooking San Francisco Bay.
The movie is definitely worth seeing on the big screen.
As I said, this was a great movie and Alice and I both enjoyed it. A long time ago we saw the original "Planet of the Apes" but this was a far better movie. It really wasn't as much about people as it was about apes or chimpanzees. I didn't care for the hero character of the movie (Will played by James Franco) because he created the problem and, in my opinion, didn't deal with it properly.
The point of the movie revolves around the Gen-Sys Company which is trying to develop a cure for Alzheimer's. Will's boss Steve Jacobs (played by David Oyelowo) is an unlikable character who is all about money and when the medicine being developed has negative consequences he orders all the test animals to be destroyed. Will illegally takes home a test animal and the chimpanzee (Caesar played by Andy Serkis) is remarkably intelligent. A few years later Will gives the same medicine Caesar received to help his father Charles (John Lithgow) overcome Alzheimer's. It works but has consequences. In my opinion, John Lithgow deserves an Oscar nomination for his characterization.
It's complicated but, ultimately, after being confined in a zoo, Caesar is able to share the same intelligence building medicine with apes and monkeys as they escape from the zoo and eliminate the mean zoo keeper. A standoff on the Golden Gate Bridge leads to the "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" and, in the closing credits, a plague which will wipe out most of human kind.
Caesar is a character you can love, though he doesn't have as much "soul" as I would like. The elderly Orangutan is a delightful character as are many of the chimps and gorillas. When they eventually escape to the Redwood Forrest Will warns Caesar that in the forest humans will hunt them down, but that he can protect him if he returns home. Caesar, now capable of speech, gently tells him that "Caesar is home." The movie ends with the apes standing upright and climbing to the top of the Redwoods overlooking San Francisco Bay.
The movie is definitely worth seeing on the big screen.
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