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Pieces of April

Last night I watched the movie Pieces of April with Carol Ann. What a great movie! This movie was framed around a "black sheep" daughter preparing Thanksgiving dinner for her estranged family. Her oven ceases to work and the slightly dark comedy begins. This movie is very poignant and allowed the camera to tell much of the story as - what was not said... said a lot.

It was clever, not over the top and dealt wonderfully with the issues of family life, forgiveness, community, dealing with life and death, dealing with the past, and making the most of the present. Really good flick that was only 80 minutes long.

Dreams, Inspiration, and Secrecy

The blog has been quiet the past few days as I have enjoyed some extra time with the fam. During the recent break I was able to see three movies. Here are my thoughts:

The Pursuit of Happyness. First of all I know how to spell happiness, but the film spells it with a "y" for reasons that make sense once you see the film. This is typically the type of film that I do not like. It is a known story (based on a true story), that is given away in the trailer. Also, the movie is somewhat formulated and it resolves quite nicely. However, even with all of that - I really liked this film.

It may be that the film resonated with me because I have worked with many people lately who have experienced loss and the death of their dream. People who have had cars repossessed, lost their job, or had their house foreclosed. Others who have had people bail on them when they needed them most. To see someone rise from the ashes and be motivated by love to reach his dream truly was inspirational.

Dreamgirls. This is a must see! The storyline is very good. The performances are incredible. I thought that I might like this movie, but I would not have chosen to go see it on my own. It was the choice of my daughters. Good choice girls! I loved this movie mostly because the performances were powerful, convincing, and some of the best that I have seen in a long time. On several occasions during the film, the audience broke out in applause. When is the last time that has happened at a movie you attended?

The Good Shepherd. I did not like this film as much as I anticipated. It was well done, but lacked pace. The acting by Matt Damon was very good. The movie however fell short of being memorable because it did not really evoke any emotion about what was going on. I never became mad, sad, happy, patriotic, suspicious, etc... The Good Shepherd had some intrigue as it related to the development of the C.I.A. and how the main character is shaped by the C.I.A. Ironically, this was taking place while he at the same time was helping birth this new organization. The complexity of the film made the dialog extremely important, and the conversations were sometimes hard to follow. This was a good idea for a film that came up just a bit short.

Favorite Movies

This past week I was asked on three occasions about my all-time favorite movies. After giving it ten minutes of thought, here are my top twenty:

1. Braveheart (1995)
2. Unbreakable (2000)
3. Amistad (1997)
4. Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
5. Crash (2005)
6. What about Bob? (1991)
7. Life is Beautiful (1997)
8. Hoosiers (1986)
9. Amadeus (1984)
10. Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (2003)
11. The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
12. Star Wars Episode 4: A New Hope (1977)
13. Monty Python and The Holy Grail (1975)
14. Les Miserables (1998)
15. Glory (1989)
16. Raising Arizona (1987)
17. Remember the Titans (2000)
18. The Bicycle Thief (1948)
19. The Sandlot (1993)
20. Rocky (1976)

What movie tops your list?

Star Wars on a Shoestring Budget

This Star Wars tribute video is pretty impressive for a couple of young guys with limited resources but unlimited creativity and time. Maybe there is a lesson here for the church and church leaders about what can be done with God's gift of imagination, hard work, determination, and current technology, to better present the message of hope to the world. Just a thought!

Thanks to MM.

Emily Rose

This past weekend I went to see the film The Exorcism of Emily Rose. The theater was packed, mostly with teenagers and young adults who seemed to connect very well with this story. It was somewhat odd, but several people even applauded at the conclusion. This film is more of a spiritual thriller than it is a horror flick and serves as a  great discussion starter about the reality of the spiritual world. Because of disturbing images and content that can be terrifying, I would not recommend it for anyone under the age of 14. For an excellent review and more insight, check out what Mark Stokes had to say.

Also, you can read an interview with co-writer and director Scott Derrickson here.

My friend Greg Stier, who is CEO and Founder of Dare 2 Share, grew up with Scott Derrickson and shares his thoughts about the motive behind this film and the responsibility we all have in communicating God's message to others.

The Bicycle Thief

A friend of mine recently watched the The Bicycle Thief for the first time and commented on the fantastic depiction of human struggle. It is one of my all time favorite movies, that I assumed most people have seen. However, I have discovered that most of the people I know have not yet seen this film. So, today it gets my wholehearted recommendation.  I don't want to give too much away, but this classic jumps through the screen as being painfully real because the film is simple and the resolution is not. Watching this film challenged me about the way I deal with the despair and the poverty of others. This film is not so much entertaining, but it will make you think and keep you thinking long after it is viewed.