Posted in Movies
I learned from the movie Chariots of Fire not to prejudge a "sports movie." When I was eleven, I reluctantly went to the movie theater with my family to see Chariots of Fire but came away inspired. I deeply admired Eric Liddel for seeking God's glory in all that he did, including running, and for standing on principle in the face of opposition.
Recently on a homeschool discussion board, some people were recommending the movie Facing the Giants as inspiring and family friendly. I gathered that the movie was a football story, and while I'm no football fan, I allowed that the movie could possibly be worthwhile. 
James and I rented the movie this weekend, and we quickly realized that it was a "Christian" movie.
In my opinion, the word that best describes the movie is "fake." Setting aside the poor acting, it was a sermon-driven story, leaving me feel very manipulated. (I don't mean that sermons are usually manipulative!) A good story should be able to communicate important truths without preaching. This particular movie has a good message: Praise God if you win and praise God if you lose. Live life for his glory. What bothered me about this film is that the only losing that occurred (apart from one little token loss! that got reversed!) happened when the characters were not trusting Jesus. As soon as they started living for him, they were showered with victory upon victory in all areas of life. The manipulation part of the movie is that if one raises a skeptical eyebrow, the message is "With God all things are possible." I believe that. Really, I do. But I also know that the kind of "advancing still from strength to strength" that occurs in the lives of heroes of the faith in the scriptures and in all Christians' lives today involves a good bit of suffering and failure from a human perspective. The glory goes to God when we trust in His strength through our weaknesses. That's the kind of faith that people take notice of and that God uses to change lives.
Facing the Giants is not based on a true story. It is not that I am opposed to Christian fiction. However, it seems to me in this case that the purpose of the movie-makers would have been better served by telling a true story of God's work in peoples' lives. Testimonies abound. This movie, in my opinion, actually misrepresents God.
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Posted in Movies
Last night, James and I watched the movie Sophie Scholl, about the arrest and trial of a young anti-Nazi activist. The movie caused me to ponder the fine line between foolhardiness and bravery. While the story, based on real-life events, is heart-breaking, it is always beautiful to witness a person of integrity taking a self-sacrificing stand for life and truth in the face of the wicked who have exchanged the truth of God for a lie. I highly recommend the film!
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Posted in Movies
Last night, James and I watched The Winslow Boy,
one of our favorite movies. Since it had been years since we had
last watched it, we had forgotten enough details to make it a very
enjoyable watch all over again. It was only the second time that
we've viewed it.
The movie is very slow-moving and
cerebral. The interest is in the dialogue and the portrayed
"fight for right", not in action or in high drama. Though the
movie was rated G, I re-read a review in WORLD magazine which panned
the movie, saying the characters were cold and distant. I say to
that: Duh! The characters are British, living in the early
20th century! This family ran on principle, not on emotion, and
that is the point. I actually find the movie to be very romantic,
granted in a very restrained fashion, in the way that the father fights
for his son's good name and in the budding romance between a man and a
woman. I laughed out loud at the dialogue which ended the movie
(an unusual way to end a movie, but strangely satisfying to me), said
with a sparkle in the eye, a raised eyebrow, and a curling lip.
Jeremy Northam plays one of the main characters and I love his
character in this movie, as well as in the movie Emma (with Gwyneth Paltrow).
This may seem silly, but I also enjoyed looking at the color-scheme in
the Winslow home! I loved the egg-shell blue or orange-hued paint
colors on the walls and in the paintings hanging on the walls.
But watch what happens to those paintings as the movie progresses...
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Posted in Movies
This
morning I decided to take full advantage of the flexibility of schedule
allowed by homeschooling and the kids and I went on a fieldtrip to
Narnia, the movie that is. After spending a looong time covering
our ears and averting our eyes during all the commercials and many
previews leading up to the feature presentation, we settled in for two
plus hours of delight (Turkish or otherwise).
This
movie seems to have been made just at the right time. The
computer technology employed made talking animals very
believable. Mr. and Mrs. Beaver were especially a joy to watch.
The young actress who played Lucy was charming and natural and I loved
watching her walk into Narnia for the first time. Several people
have claimed that the actress bears a resemblance to my niece, Josi,
and after seeing the movie, I'd have to concur. What do you think?
It never struck me this way reading the book, but it really creeped me out watching the movie to see Lucy persuaded to go away alone with a strange male, namely Mr. Tumnus. I guess the mother in me rebelled at that.
I do have to say that the movie is NOT on par with the book. I'm glad that I saw the movie, but the story was somewhat weakened. My first big moment of disappointment came when Father Christmas attributed the thaw of spring to the hope brought by the coming of the children, rather than the movement of Aslan.
Aslan himself, while visually well-done, was smaller than my imagination. He needed to be LARGER!! The book described him as larger, grander, and more majestic than a regular lion.
And why oh why were the children not AFRAID of him? I guess the script-writer didn't think that a good being should elicit fear and trembling. The witch wasn't even fearful... very poorly done on that score.
To sum it up, the movie was merely very good when it could have been great. This review says it better than I can.
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Posted in Movies
I
am not a fan of war movies, or so I thought until I read World
magazine's review
of To End All Wars and watched that particular movie. To End All Wars
was deeply moving and thought-provoking. It portrayed the
contrast between the Japanese code of bushido and a Christian world
view. The film conveyed the life-changing power of self
-sacrifice. Though it realistically showed the brutality of the
POW camp, I felt uplifted and inspired at the end of the movie, rather
than empty and depressed. I loved how it illustrated the
eloquence of Shakespeare speaking of the human condition and giving
voice to even the prisoner's experience. But even more, I deeply
appreciated how it displayed the power of God's Word and the Lord Jesus
to transform the lives of prisoners and captors alike.
Tonight, my husband and I watched The Bridge over the River Kwai. While the movie, was well-done and worth watching, I still prefer To End All Wars.
I must say, we were surprised at the similarities between the two
movies, especially at the beginning (and not just because they were
both set in a Japanese POW camp). The Bridge
was an excellent character study of an individualistic American
soldier, a British officer devoted to principle, and the ruthless
Japanese officer driven by the code of bushido, each changing
profoundly during the course of the film. However, I think that
the final words uttered in the movie summed up the main theme:
"Madness! Madness!"
The Bridge contained one of the most familiar marching tunes, called
Colonel
Bogey's March. Sadly, I recognized the tune, because it
is featured in a commercial. It advertised...it is on the tip of
my tongue...I can't remember. If you can remember the commercial,
please let me know what it is in the comment section!
About a month ago, we watched yet another prison camp movie: The Great Escape. I liked that movie even more than The Bridge. I won't say much about it, except that Chicken Run became even more funny after watching The Great Escape!
Another bit of trivia: While watching Chicken Run, I had a nagging feeling that I recognized the voice of Ginger the Hen. I kept thinking, Pride and Prejudice...Nah! But, I did discover that the actress who voiced the character of Ginger indeed played in the A&E Pride and Prejudice.
Her name is... Do you know? (Don't post it in the comment section
if I already mentioned it to you!) And of course, the rooster
character was voiced by...
(The blue text and pictures above are links.)