Archive for Culture
Movie Reviews
Recount – 3/5 Liked It
I think they call these docudramas, but it was pretty good in retelling the story of the 2000 election fiasco. As crazy as things went down, and as bizarre as we felt at the time about our “process”, it was really encouraging to think how civil we are in the end. Especially when compared to other countries.
Outsourced – 5/5 Loved It
Yep. This is a wonderful movie. It’s not in your face preachy, and it’s not and Indian version of Office Space. It’s just a great little independent movie that will entertain you and make you think all at the same time. A must watch.
Enchanted – 2/5 Didn’t Like It
Sat down to watch this with Tonia and Tanner fully expecting to be entertained, but for the life of me I couldn’t take it. I didn’t like the story, and I didn’t really like the acting. I like how they made a cartoon come to life, but that’s about where it ends for me.
The Worlds Fastest Indian – 5/5 Loved It
Sometimes it’s fun to sit down to a movie without a clue as to what it’s about. I thought Anthony Hopkins did an outstanding job in this movie. I especially loved how the story broke the typical formulaic mold that must include some tension or a bad guy. This was simply warm-hearted fun the entire time.
Where In The World Is Osama Bin Laden – 3/5 Liked It
Morgan Spurlock is a good guy. He’s like Michael Moore with more creativity and likability. This little documentary was decent. It contained too much filler and used too much CGI for my liking, but there is some good insight into the war on terror that makes this worth watching in the end.
Movie Ratings
I watched a few movies during my sabbatical. Way too many to review, so here’s the list broken down using the Netflix 5-star rating.
5 Stars – Loved It
Batman: The Dark Knight
WALL-E
War Dance
The Station Agent
About Schmidt
Lars and the Real Girl
4 Stars – Really Liked It
The Incredible Hulk
Click
Deja Vu
Gangs of New York
Vanatage Point
Michael Clayton
The Manchurian Candidate
Hellboy
Hellboy II
March of the Penquins
In Bruges
Jumper
The Aviator
Pan’s Labyrinth
Lord of War
The Great Debators
Babel
Definitely, Maybe
Dead Man Walking
Sideways
The Weather Man
Man on Fire
Traffic
Son of Rambow
3 Stars – Liked It
Semi-Pro
The Game Plan
The Muppets Take Manhattan
10,000 B.C.
Be Kind Rewind
Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room
Charlie Wilson’s War
Alvin and the Chipmunks
Maxed Out
Back to the Future II
Back to the Furute III
21
X-Men
X2: X-Men United
Red Dragon
Fun with Dick and Jane
Being John Malkovich
Stop-Loss
The Ex
Flightplan
Grizzly Man
The Promotion
2 Stars – Didn’t Like It
You Don’t Mess with the Zohan
Movie Reviews
Herbie Fully Loaded – 4/5 Really Liked It
Watched this because Tonia and Tanner were watching it for the 17th time one evening. It was surprisingly fun to watch. It had that mac guy in it (who was great) and Lindsay Lohan showed what could have been had she not taken the paths she took later in life.
The Constant Gardner – 4/5 Really Liked It
Slowly paced but in the end you’ll be happy you saw this one. It’s a great love story, as well as a great testament to taking action against injustice. To my surprise there was very little gardening going on.
What Would Jesus Buy? – 3/5 Liked It
Could have been so much better. I agreed with the premise, and I even laughed a few times, but it was lacking that punch that could have made this a real winner. It did reinvigorate my quest to kill santa however.
Walk Hard – 3/5 Liked It
I laughed out loud a lot during this movie, especially during the first 30 minutes as they parodied Walk The Line. But then they started showing male appendages and I did a few dry heaves. It also seemed to drag on there at the end, which is weird for a 90 minute movie.
Kite Runner – 5/5 Loved It
It took a good 10 minutes to get used to the sub-titles, but this was a great movie. I may end up reading the book even though I know how it turns out. It’s just a well done movie of a really great story.
Punch-Drunk Love – 3/5 Liked It
Quirky movie, but after it gets rolling the second half is pretty good and you find yourself enjoying the characters. Adam Sandler did a really good job in this one.
Stealth – 2/5 Didn’t Like It
A Tonia special—she loves the action flicks. Too bad this movie sucked. It’s hard to imagine given the stellar cast, but man… so bad. Possibly the worst ending line in a movie ever. I did have fun laughing at it with Tonia though.
The Insider – 4/5 Really Liked It
How can you go wrong with Russell Crowe and Al Pacino? I’m not sure how I missed this movie nine years ago, but it didn’t disappoint. It’s kinda scary how powerful the tobacco companies are. Major props to guys like Jeffrey Wigand who are willing to put their lives on the line for what’s right.
Movie Reviews
Iron Man – 5/5 Loved It
This movie has renewed my faith in comic-based movies. Well, this and the new Batman franchise. Robert Downy Jr. was incredible. I so want to buy this movie now. Really hoping The Dark Knight can top the bar now set this Summer.
The Martian Child – 4/5 Really Liked It
John Cusack continues to put out some really good movies. I love the story of this movie. If you’re at all interested in adoption or foster care or kids in general I think you will too.
Lost In Translation – 3/5 Liked It
Interesting and artsy, and kinda slow. Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson both were great, but it just didn’t hold my attention tremendously. Could have been the timing, but I thought it was just alright.
War Games – 4/5 Really Liked It
To my amazement I had only seen bits and pieces of this movie and never the whole thing. I thought it was really well done. Wonder how much Burger King paid to have that machine named WOPR.
Munich – 4/5 Really Liked It
This was like a much slower paced, and more serious James Bond movie. And it was roughly based on true events. My appreciation with this movie came especially with the internal struggle with the main character.
Highlander – 3/5 Liked It
Not bad for an 80’s classic. I’d be interested in seeing the next in the series, but it wouldn’t really hurt my feelings if I didn’t get around to it.
This Is England – 3/5 Liked It
Not a bad little flick. I felt bad for the little guy.
Rendition – 4/5 Really Liked It
Saw this on recommendation of Shaun and Portorikan, but knew nothing about it going in. I really liked the story and the internal conflict the characters played. The practice of rendition is real, and it is also real stupid.
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull – 2/5 Didn’t Like It
Wow. I’m starting to question the whole Indy franchise at this point. Hopefully when I watch Raiders again my faith will be redeemed, but Crystal Skull was just bad all around. I laughed out loud a few times, but I suspect they weren’t intended as laughing points.
Next 3 in the Que:
The Constant Gardener, What Would Jesus Buy, Walk Hard
I Need A Battery For My Swatch Watch
So this time last year I declared my war on pop culture movies that I had sadly never seen. I’ve made a pretty serious dent in the list thanks to Netflix and a new schedule that allows it. Since the beginning of last year I’ve been able to watch just shy of 200 movies. (Click here and here for detailed lists, or click here for brief reviews.)
In addition to watching some Indiana Jones on Saturday, last week I added a few 80’s classics to my Que that, to my own amazement, I have never watched before. I’ve seen most of the classics, but I’ve never seen the following…
• St. Elmo’s Fire
• Pretty In Pink
• Sixteen Candles
• The Pick-up Artist
• Highlander
What other 80’s classics are a must see?
Temple of Dumb
Saturday night a few of us watched 2/3 of the Indiana Jones trilogy in preparation for Kingdom of the Crystal Skull coming out this weekend (Much love to Tonia for buying me the box set last week just because she’s so awesome). I must say I honestly can’t remember the last time I watched any of these from start to finish. It has been at least 15 years, which is just crazy when I think about it.
That said, I really found that I don’t care for The Temple of Doom. After watching a nice classically cheesy 80’s flick in Raiders of the Lost Ark, I found myself confused and bored with Temple of Doom. Am I the only one that feels this way?
Here are some facts I didn’t know going in about Temple of Doom…
• It was meant as a prequel. This second edition of Indiana Jones took place in 1935, whereas Raiders (the first movie) took place in 1936. This really confused me the entire time because I had never known that before, and the story-line seemed to ignore the first movie. Now I know why.
• It is credited with creating the PG-13 rating. The entire time I was watching this movie I was wondering how this was rated PG with all it’s heart ripping out goodness. Apparently after this movie there was an outcry from the public and Steven Speilberg suggested the MPAA create a new rating. On July 1, 1984 they introduced PG-13. (The first widely distributed PG-13 movie was Red Dawn).
Here’s hoping that the Last Crusade is all I remember it to be, and Crystal Skull exceeds my expectations.
Movie Reviews
Hostage — 3/5 Liked It
Honestly I didn’t hate it but Bruce Willis has done better movies. Live Free or Die Hard and 16 Blocks were much better.
You Kill Me — 4/5 Really Liked It
This movie slayed me. Such a great story, and even better acting. A hitman at AA. So great. I was rolling at all the ironic humor.
Casino Royal — 3/5 Liked It
Not a bad movie. I’m not a Bond fanatic (I think this is the second or third I’ve ever seen) but the chase scene at the beginning was my favorite part. The rest was just alright.
Cloverfield — 3/5 Liked It
I loved the idea of this movie, and most of the follow through. I just found it lacking a bit in the script. Hopefully the sequel will make me feel better about it as a whole. I also wish I had watched it in the theater.
Flags of Our Fathers — 2/5 Didn’t Like It
I think I’m getting a little war movie fatigue. I kept thinking I was watching Saving Private Ryan or Band of Brothers. I’m still going to give Letters from Iwo Jima a look though.
Nim’s Island — 3/5 Liked It
They made this script way too complicated to be a kids movie, at least if they were supposed to understand what was going on at all. It kept mine and Tanners attention though, and Jodi Foster did alright in a comedic role.
King Kong — 2/5 Didn’t Like It
It has to be the fact that this movie was 3.5 hours long, but I just wasn’t feeling it with this one. I also don’t generally get into movies that utilize CGI to drive the movie. I liked Jurassic Park though. It must have been the 3.5 hours.
Confessions of a Superhero — 5/5 Loved It
Oh man this was great. Reality TV has nothing on documentaries like this. This is real and raw to go along with beautiful cinematography. Give it a watch, I’m pretty sure you’ll thank me afterwards. It’s now on my Amazon.com wishlist.
Henry Poole Is Here
Such a great year for movies.
In theaters July 25th, 2008.
Song at the end is Believe by The Bravery.
(ht: The Man of Steel)
7 Burning Questions
The current issue of Relevant features an article with the 7 burning issues of our generation. They had some of the leading voices in the Church today respond to them. Click the links below for a synopsis of their answers.
1. InJustice
2. Homosexuality
3. Faith
4. Politics
5. Culture
6. Consumerism
7. War
Check out the May/June 2008 issue (#33) for their complete answers.
As a followup to this series, I listened to a recent edition of American Public Media’s Speaking of Faith, where host Krista Tippett presents a conversation among three generations of evangelical leaders (two of which were involved in the Relevant article) — Chuck Colson, Greg Boyd, and Shane Claiborne — about how (or if) Christians should be involved in politics. The event was part of a larger pastor’s conference in San Diego sponsored by Zondervan.
You can listen to or download various audio formats on the Speaking of Faith site or watch the video online.
Very good stuff!
Movie Reviews
Speaking of culture, It’s been a couple weeks since my last set of movie reviews, and I’ve really had a nice run of decent movies this time. But these reviews shall be brief.
The Negotiator — 4/5 Really Liked It
Amazingly this is only the second Nicole Kidman movie I’ve ever seen, but for having popped this on at 11:30pm one night, I really enjoyed it.
Lions For Lambs — 4/5 Really Liked It
I’m not a Tom Cruise hater, so I went into this one with eyes wide open (lame I know). Anyway, I’m not sure about the bad press. I thought this was a great flick.
The Assassination of Jesse James — 3/5 Liked It
Holy cow did this one make me want to sleep. The acting and filmography was superb. The story was even great, but at 3 hours it was dreadfully slow.
This Is Spinal Tap — 4/5 Really Liked It
I know, can you believe I’ve never seen this before? I was rolling with laughter all the way through. I really want to watch this movie again soon.
American Beauty — 3/5 Liked It
Loved Kevin Spacey and the stories that wove this movie together to make it the film of the year in 1999, but I really could have done without a lot of the scenes contained within.
There Will Be Blood — 5/5 Loved It
Wow. Totally blind-sided by this movies greatness. I know it was nominated and all that, but I didn’t know anything about it going in, and simply loved it going out. Watch this movie.
Proof — 3/5 Liked It
The cover intrigued me so I picked it up. Short story, this was probably a better book.
Expelled — 4/5 Really Liked It
I like Ben Stein and I believe in a Creator, so going in I had a bias. But as a documentary I enjoyed the show. I thought it was clever enough. There were plenty of holes and loose assumptions, but you’re going to get that in documentaries. I thought the overall message was good however—science should be open to honest discussions that includes talk of an intelligent designer. I know the arguments about ID simply being a guise for religion in school, and for me that’s an argument for another day (or for this post). Not for the sake of trying to prove an existing assumption (that there is a God), but because we need to exhaust all options available to us. I truly believe that most in the science field won’t honestly approach this line of thinking simply because they feel it is a religion issue, instead of a truly scientific approach to the beginning of existence. (For the record, I think the religious community should embrace science more than it does. It is simply fascinating, and for me it only furthers my belief in God.)
