winter passing

Notable Cast:
Ed Harris, Zooey Deschanel, Will Ferrell

Rating:
R for Language, some drug use and sexuality

Plot:
Actress Reese Holden (Deschanel) has been offered a small fortune by a book editor if she can secure for publication the love letters that her father (Harris), a reclusive novelist, wrote to her mother, who has since passed away. Returning to Michigan, Reese finds that an ex-grad student (Warner) and a would-be musician (Ferrell) have moved in with her father, who cares more about his new friends than he does about his own health and well-being.

My Thoughts:
This is a very dark comedy, that I enjoyed. Deschanel and Harris' characters are haunted by the death of their mother/wife. It is slowly tearing them both apart in their own separate ways. The look and music of this movie gives it a great feeling of pain that resonates throughout the film. I will admit that this movie can be quit slow at times, but I feel it is worth the experience. Definitely not your average heart felt movie. Don't expect much and you'll get enough...

My 5 Star Rating:
****

It's been a while since I posted so lets hear what ya got.

Sky High

Notable Cast:
Kurt Russell, Kelly Preston

Rating:
PG for some action and mild language

Plot:
It all begins at a secret school in the clouds like none on earth: Sky High, the first and only high school for kids with super-human powers going through crime-fighting puberty. At Sky High, the student body throw flames with their footballs, study Villainy with their Chemistry and are divided into Heroes and Sidekicks instead of jocks and geeks. It's an out-of-this-world yet completely recognizable place where cool gadgetry, rampant bravery and awe-inspiring magical skills mix it up with parental battles, peer pressure and dating trouble--with explosively fun results. This year's class features some of the best, brightest and most powerfully gifted super-teens ever assembled. And then there's Will Stronghold. When you're the son of the world's most legendary super heroes, The Commander and Jetstream, people expect you to live up to the family name The problem is that Will is starting with no super powers of his own and, worst of all, instead of joining the ranks of the Hero class, he finds himself relegated to being a Sidekick. Now he must somehow survive his freshman year while dealing with an overbearing gym coach, a bully with super speed and a dangerous rebel with a grudge (and the ability to shoot fire from his hands)--not to mention the usual angst, parental expectations and girl problems that accompany teenage life. But when an evil villain threatens his family, friends and the very sanctity of Sky High, Will must use his newfound super powers to save the day and prove himself a Hero worthy of the family tradition.

My Thoughts:
Another one for the kids. To be honest I actually enjoyed it. If you are a fan of comics and super heroes. A fun to watch with the kids. Go out and rent it and enjoy it. A few notable guest appearances: Bruce Campbell plays the over the top gym coach. Lynda Carter (TV's Wonder Woman) plays the principle.

My 5 Star Rating:
***

Questions to Ponder:
1. If you're in school, how do you deal with cliques there? Do you identify with any of them? Do you reach out to people who might belong to other groups?

2. Layla says, "I'm not into labels." Do you think labels are helpful at all? Not helpful at all? Helpful only some of the time? (For example, some students might be better athletes or computer programmers, and thus should be more involved in those parts of school life; but that doesn't necessarily mean they should be part of a "jock" or "nerd" clique.)

3. Have you ever judged someone at school because of his or her parents? Have you ever been judged because of your own parents? What difference should parents make?

4. If you're a parent, what sort of expectations do you have for your children? How open are you to the possibility that they might have different abilities or interests? How open do you think you should be? Do you think they know how open you are?

5. If you're a student, how open are you with your parents about disappointments at school? Do you think they had to deal with similar situations?

6. Do you think Will's parents respond appropriately after he breaks his promise to them? Are they too lenient? Or do his actions after that make up for his mistake?

Underclassman

Notable Cast:
Nick Cannon, Cheech Marin,

Rating:
Rated PG-13 for violence, sexual references, drug material and some teen drinking.

Plot:
A young detective goes undercover at an elite private school to destroy an international stolen car ring.

My Thoughts:
Nice movie for the high school crowd. Some fowl language, other than that it was ok. I did enjoy it. It kind of reminded me of the Beverly Hills Cop movies. Except of course there demographic is junior high/high school. They even had a cheesy high speed chase/bust gone bad at the beginning of the movie. Its your average good guy has a character flaw and it gets him into a big mess till he sees the error of his ways and saves the day. If you've got and MVP pass your local Hollywood video or something equivalent go a head and rent it. Or if ya got teen kids go a head. Other than that you really got no other need to see this.

My 5 Star Rating:
**

No Points to Ponder for this one. Kinda wish there were since it is a Teen movie. Well if ya watch it and think of some, hit me with them..

Haloscan commenting and trackback have been added to this blog.

DOMINO

Notable Cast:
Keira Knightly, Mickey Rourke

Rating:
R for strong violence, pervasive language, sexual content/nudity and drug use.

Plot:
Based on the true story of Domino Harvey (Keira Knightley), daughter of film actor Laurence Harvey. Tired and unsuited to the pretentiousness of her high-society LA life, Domino leaves the glittarti behind and sets off to become a bounty hunter. She quickly falls under the wing of veteran hunter Ed Mosley (Mickey Rourke) and his crew and becomes an unlikely natural in the art of bounty hunting. But things really heat up when a gang of masked men begin a series of armored car heists, and before long the mob, a crazed TV producer, the FBI and a terminally ill child have all got caught up in the crazy situation.

My Thoughts:
I really dug this movie. The visuals in this movie really reminded me of "Man on Fire." And low and behold Tony Scott, the director, directed "Man On Fire" also. From what I can tell they took great liberties in this story, but they acknowledged that fact from the get go with a great tag line. "This is based on a true story...sort of." I think when movies do this at least they can own up that they are not following real life. Which they did for this movie, so that's cool. As for the movie like I said it was totally interesting. Not to mention a great little spoof with Brian Austin Green and Ian Zering. They were doing a reality show and the two 90210 boys were to be the hosts. The only real problem I had with the movie was it seemed that there was one to many double crosses. It just kinda carried it out to much and you get a little lost. Great action! And good visuals. If you haven't seen it go out and rent it, it's a lot of fun.

My 5 Star Rating:
****

Things to Ponder:
1. Early on, after describing her childhood experiences with death, Domino says, "I decided not to invest too much emotion in one thing. It's always a set-up to the pain of losing them." Is there some truth to what she says? Do relationships ever end without pain? What should our attitude be towards this kind of pain?

2. Why do you think the coin tosses are depicted against images of Christ? Is the presence of God reflected in this film in any way? Note the references to a higher power; note also the fatalism of the films closing line. Does the film say life is all meaningless chance, or does it point to something else? Would fate be any better than chance?

3. How concerned are these characters with their images? Note the reason Ed gives Choco for accepting Domino on their team. What about the actors from Beverly Hills 90210?

4. Does the film say anything new or interesting about the media? Why do you think the TV producer is so concerned that he not show people smoking a joint on TV, but he's okay with crime and violence and sexy images? Is this hypocrisy? What double standards do we employ in our own relationship with the media?

5. Domino says the world is divided into three groups: the rich, the poor, and everyone in between. Do you agree? What do you make of the films closing images? Does this film portray wealth or poverty in a meaningful fashion?

The Man

Notable Cast: Samuel L. Jackson, Eugene Levy

Rating: PG-13 for language, rude dialogue and some violence

Plot: Special Agent Derrick Vann is a man out to get the man who killed his partner but a case of mistaken identity leads him to Andy Fidler, a salesman with too many questions and a knack of getting in Vanns way.

My Thoughts: Mildly humorous. Samuel L. was way to over the top with he character. But I do see Eugene Levy as a dental tools salesman. The story itself was way to far fetched. I was definitely disappointed. The movie barely kept my attention enough to follow it.

My 5 Star Rating: *

Don't waste your time, because I already did. If you like Samuel L. Jackson then maybe you should see it, but only because its Samuel L. I wish I had some moral conquering questions to ask but I got nothing and neither does the website I get my questions from. So if ya got anything to say lets hear it.

DOOM

***Attention***
I am still working on what kind of a format I will use so just bear with me while I figure that out.
There are SPOILERS - but it's ok, read on...

Notable Cast:
The Rock, Karl Urban, Rosamund Pike

Rating:
R for strong violence/gore and language

Plot:
Something has gone wrong at a remote scientific research station on Mars. All research has ceased. Communication has failed. And the messages that do get through are less than comforting. It's a level 5 quarantine and the only souls allowed in or out are the Rapid Response Tactical Squad - hardened Marines armed to the teeth with enough firepower to neutralize the enemy...Or so they think.

My Thoughts:
Lets get this out of the way first, I have not played the game. Well I'll take that back, when it first came out a friend had it and I tried it out and didn't really like it.
Now to the Movie. You have to understand I soley watch movies for entertainment. I do not watch movies to have some life altering experience, or for any true experience, whatever that may be. DOOM for me was entertaining. It kept my attention, which at times can be hard. I miss true action movies. And this was as close as we are going to get to a good action flick now a days. The days of the Rambo's, Rocky's, Die Hard's and Lethal Weapon's are gone. I enjoyed the characters. I thought The Rock was really good and that this is his type of movie. Full of action with a little wit. The twist of Sarge (The Rock) turning was freaking awesome. Remember I have no clue about the video game. The final fight scene between Sarge and Grimm was great. Nothing like seeing to "super" men go at it.

My 5 Star Rating:
***

Go out and rent it, enjoy it for what it is - An Action Film. I will find time and money to purchase this one, The Rock is one of a few action stars out there and I like him.

Things To Ponder:
1. The video game Doom is controversial for its violence; the Columbine shooters were reportedly fans of it. Even if it's pretend creature violence, is it inherently wrong to enjoy the game? Do you believe it to be a cause or a symptom of violence in the world today?

2. Though the film's creatures are genetic mutations, one of the marines considers them demons. Do you believe in the existence of demons? If so, are there literally demonic creatures, or are they manifested in the world in some other way?

3. Consider the scene where Sam injects her brother with the mysterious chemical (The 24th Chromosome). How is her action an example of faith in her brother's inherent goodness? Does this jibe with what we believe as Christians concerning original sin and free will?