National Treasure 2

I made a rare trek yesterday with my wife and daughter to the movie theatre to check out National Treasure - Book of Secrets. We really enjoyed the first one and I was hopeful that the second would deliver as well. What we observed is that it IS possible to make a good action/ adventure film without gratuitous amounts of swearing or sexual content. And apart from one scene (in the Oval Office of all places) the new film was up to the task.

Will this film win Oscars? Doubtful. We we entertained? Absolutely! The addition of Ed Harris as a sympathetic bad guy was great. And like any good thrill movie we are left with the big question; what the heck was on page 47? Could be a lead in for future films or could be just a clever plot twist, we shall see. Although many reviews have been less than stellar, I wonder what they are comparing to. Are many of the plot twists, gags, and adventures redone from other films from the genre? Yes, but it delivers all that it promises. It does not pretend to be too serious.

We don't spend the time or money to often go to the theatre but I would recommend this film for the whole family, except maybe for the littler ones who might be scared by some of the action sequences. I relay hope this film does well to send a message that family movies do not have to be really corny (see my coming review of Underdog) or a cartoon. The Goofy short film at the front of the main film was hilarious as well. Big thumbs up for this one.

As an aside: If you have not checked out the digital projection at Encore cinemas in Elkhart you really should the next time you go out. It is amazing the difference!

New Prince Caspian Trailer...

Looks like the delays on the film might just be worth the wait. Check out the new trailer HERE

AFI top 100 movies

There are what seems like zillions of lists out there. One of the ones that I actually think is fun is the AFI top 100 movies list. One of the fun things about this is that they have a ballot that everyone can fill out. They did it 10 years ago and another aired this past week. Interesting to see how much the list changed and how many movies made such big changes in spots.

I'm not sure what amazes me more: that I have spent so much time watching movies; or how many supposedly "great" films I have never seen.

I did a quick run through of the ballot and the most recent list. I have seen 167 of the films listed on the ballot and 54 of the films that made the top 100. I realized that there are some pretty well known films I have never seen, and some I could care less about. These things are always up for debate and that is part of the fun. Got to the AFI site and check out the lists.

How many of the top 100 and 400 from the ballot have you seen?

Movie reviews X3

I've watched 3 movies in thge past 24 hours - that's about 3 more than in the last month I'm sure. All part of my effort to actually capture my days off. Here they are

World Trade Center
I went into this one a bit leery because of Oliver Stone. I was waiting for the conspiracy theory; it never came. This is just a story about a group of guys doing what they did because it was the job they chose and they wouldn't have had it any other way, no matter the outcome. Also some good reminders of what the families of civil servants go through every day. I like it when a movie isn't what you thought it would be sometimes. I'd recommend it for sure: A-

The Guardian
This one borrowed on the ried and true Top Gun formula of the young guy coming in and earning his stripes being taught by the older and wiser leader and learning about love from a girl. That aside it was pretty well done. It gave a fair glimpse into the life that the rescue swimmer faces. These guys are really heroes. Not one to buy, but not a waste of time either. B+

Jarhead
I got this one from the library because it was one that I thought would be interesting. It got some Academy Award nomination last year, but was not that popular with the people. I can see why. There is a hoplessness in this film. The feeling that all we will ever do really amounts to nothing. Very frustrating to watch. The most redeeming quality I found was how training for an opportunity that may/ may never come. Life is like that, we need to be prepared no matter what happens. We can't sit and complain about circumstances when we don't get overselves ready for them. Jamie Foxx is a pretty incredible actor as well C-

The Reaping

Corey Mann posted this link for a trailer for an upcoming movie called The Reaping. I've watched it twice now and I'm interested in seeing where they go with this on theological, social, and sprituality fronts. I'm not holdong my breath that it will make Christ followers look too good. We'll see. Below is how the movie is described.

Hilary Swank plays a former Christian missionary who lost her faith after her family was tragically killed, and has since become a world renowned expert in disproving religious phenomena. But when she investigates a small Louisiana town that is suffering from what appear to be the Biblical plagues, she realizes that science cannot explain it

Any thoughts????