The Yearling

Just watched the 1946 film The Yearling with Gregory Peck. This is one movie that you do not want to miss. It's a quiet celebration of life, death, the joy of innocence, the pain of growing up, and the glory of God's creation
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I don't want to tell you anything about the plot of this film other than to go see it. It is a great movie that anybody from the age of 8 to 88 can enjoy and be moved by.

I look forward to the day I can watch this film with my kids.

Yes!

I'm Sick Movie Marathon. #2 The Visitor

This is one you don't want to miss. Definitely one of my favorites so far this year. A great story that is very contextual to our times in the U.S. The "Jonthan Haeger, Love Your Neighbor" movie award for this year so far goes to "The Visitor". It's out on DVD, so go find it and watch it.

Wow.

Don't Miss It

Rent it. Watch it. Enjoy it. Talk about it. It's worth it.

Tim Burton's Wonderland

Here's one I'm definitely excited about.
Tim Burton, who is known for creating great atmospheres, is directing with Disney a live version of Alice in Wonderland. For a story as atmospheric and bizarre/haunting as Alice in Wonderland, I can't think of anybody better to direct. We still have a while to wait though...2010.

Do not miss this "ordinary" film

Since Wall-E, I have not had much to comment on regarding quality films, (with the exception of The Dark Knight which I will write about later). Ordinary People, a film that was released in 1980 and Best Picture winner for that year, is a film that I am not sure if many people know about. The story itself is not one that viewers would immediately gravitate towards; however, I am very glad I took time to watch this film.

This story of a upper-middle class family stricken by tragedy does not aim at telling a thick plot driven story, but instead focuses on the subtleties of daily family life. It is obvious that the director (Robert Redford) wanted the viewers to understand that financial security in no way guarantees peace or happiness. This story, sad and very true, digs deep into the human psyche (so much that one of the major characters is actually a counselor) and brings us into the lives of several individuals primarily being a family who recently lost a son in a boating accident. The raw humanity portrayed so effectively in this story will quite possibly lead the viewer to self-reflect their own life situations.

The acting is very engrossing and very real. While some moments are very intense and dramatic others are powerfully nuanced. It is evident that Redford knew exactly what he wanted these characters to do, think, and feel, and he did a superb job leading these actors to portray these lives. One can sit there in the silence of this film and watch these actors think; in fact, some of the best moments in the film are silent, just watching the actors react and process.

While this film is not an easy film to watch, it is an authentic representation a life that is not easy to live. Watching Ordinary People could easily lead someone to reflect the peace and sanity that resides or lacks in their own life, which is a reflection, I believe, that everybody needs to have.

Positive Points:
*Excellent acting, intense but not melodramatic.
*Well written and insightful script
*Genuine thought provoker

Best Film of 08 so Far...

involves trash, "Hello Dolly", obesity, the cosmos, and a robot that speaks few comprehensible words.

About a year ago, I wrote on Lindsey and my blog about how much I enjoyed and was impacted by the immense creativity of Pixar's "Ratatoullie". And now, a year later, Pixar has outdone itself again.



This film is packed with genuineness.
Genuinely authentic
Genuinely funny
Even, genuinely insightful into the core of humans.

Andrew Stanton, writer and director of this film, clearly was supported by a staff who was willing to take a risk making a film with these elements using a trash-collecting robot as the protagonist (not the easiest premise and character to attract mass audiences).

The art of WALL-E is incredible...Thomas Newman has yet written another great film score...the story is insightful, tastefully satirical, and definitely in touch with the core of humanity, the need to love and be loved.

This film is also a clear example of how one can make entertainment with artistic merit and still be family friendly.

I don't want to say much more because I do not want to give away the surprises of this film...just go see it.

Quit yo fussin': My Thoughts on Prince Caspian

There has been a lot of fuss from Christian movie critics about Disney's new release of Prince Caspian. (Read Chattaway's and/or Overstreet's reviews) Mind you, these are critics that I enjoy reading and I will continue to read and respect them. There main criticism is that this film's spiritual content has been dramatically watered down and replaced with unnecessary battle/action scenes, which in turn negates a MAJOR aspect of C.S. Lewis' attempt in writing these books.

I will first say this: They do have a good point. There are some major aspects to the book that were left out that embraced the Christlike nature of Aslan. Aslan was significantly less present in this film as opposed to the book.

It had been several years since I had read Prince Caspian, and so my watching of this film was in many ways as if I had never read the book. (My wife watched it having never read the book as well.) In spite of the fact that many say that Caspian is watered down, I have to retort to say that I found many spiritual connections while watching this film.

(SPOILERS A PLENTY)

Connection #1. There was a definite continuous dialogue about the battles of faith and reason in this film. Even though Aslan was silent until almost the end of the movie, I connected with this in a similar way to when I have times of silence want waiting on the Lord to speak. Was that what the book intended? Maybe not, but I still found this as a profound illustration of waiting on God to speak. Many of the Narnians lost faith, but Lucy remained faithful and was the one to lead others to Aslan in the end. What a cool illustration of childlike faith and how that faith can serve as a tremendous example.

Connection #2: The film had a major section dealing with faith and temptation with the dialogue with the white witch. It showed how the enemy can seem so tempting, yet we are able to see from an outsiders view the great danger of giving in to the enemy.

Connection #3: When Aslan came in the end of the film, it was a glorious entry as we were able to see how Aslan not only was powerful, but was ALL powerful. I was awed to watch Aslan control the elements of the earth for his benefit (the revival of the trees and the waking of the water)

Connection #4: Aslan was always willing to forgive. Many of the Narnians serving Aslan were from a lineage that used to serve the white witch. In the end, Aslan gave the Talmarines that surrendered a chance to live with them in Narnia. In the midst of a just and dangerous lion, Aslan was also a forgiving lion.

So, from my perspective, responding to the other critics...quit yo' fussin. It is a pretty incredible advancement that Narnia has been brought to the big blockbuster world, in a time where literature written by Christians is viewed by many in the entertainment industry as poor quality and too preachy. These films are going to engage and entertain many people and most likely are going to lead many to want to read the books. For many people, the exploration of Narnia will be an uphill journey starting with entertaining films that give some great glimpses into the awesome magical/spiritual world that Lewis created.

So, my two cents...let's count our blessings and support these films in spite of some obvious weaknesses. Lindsey and I definitely will continue to eagerly anticipate each Narnia film, and we look forward to sharing the books along with the films with our kids someday.

Ollie

It was confirmed today that Ollie Johnston, animator legend for Disney, died today at age 95. He was a member of a group of nine animators with Disney known as the "Nine Old Men", who are known to be the foundations of animation in the Disney studios. Ollie was the last of these nine men to die. One need only take a small gander at the films he was a part of and will realize that Ollie had a foundational part in the progression of animation.

Take a look at this link to see a list of all the films he had his hands in.

An Ad Worth Viewing

We Have a Problem

We have a serious problem here. Mr. Cage, I know you have acting chops somewhere (a.k.a. Raising Arizona).

So, where is it in you that you constantly return to this?


I'd like to play the game, "Which of These Four is Not Like the Other?"....but I can't...I just can't.

The Potential of Performance Capture

I have already talked about the potential of development in storytelling with digital 3D movement in film. Take a look at this article that talks about the potential of performance capture films. In case you don't know what performance capture is, an actor's movements (facial, body etc.) is recorded electronically and transferred to a CG image. In case you've missed it, all these films or characters were put together by this medium.

SBMM #5: The Queen

I have often been cynical of media productions about the Royal Family because they have mostly fallen into the category of sensationalized, tabloid media.

The Queen is not this type of production.

This film delicately, with poignancy and restraint, explores the world of Queen Elizabeth, when she was experiencing her first days of grief after her (ex)daughter-in-law Princess Diana was killed in 1997.

This film most definitely transports the viewer into the Queen's world, allowing us to come to our conclusions about the thoughts, values, and feelings of the Royal Family during that horrible season.

Helen Mirren's performance has to be seen to be believed. To put it plainly, she is incredible. Her acting embodies what I know as the queen. While watching this movie, Lindsey and I compared a speech that Helen Mirren made to the actual speech made by Queen Elizabeth. The similarities are almost creepy.

This film is made with great taste, never taking a moment to sensationalize or over-dramatize this incident. At one point, Queen Elizabeth is alone, crying, and the camera chooses to give her the privacy she deserved by filming the back of her head instead of her face. GENIUS!

This film also takes time to make some interesting comments about the changes of tradition, and how many times, people confuse traditions and values. I found myself thinking about how many churches mistake different traditions for values in a similar way.

The crafting of this movie made this one of my favorites from 2006. The Queen is a fascinating movie about a fascinating woman.

Transportability Score: 5/5

SBMM #4: Dan in Real Life

In the beginning of this movie, one lady is looking for a book that is funny. She says that she doesn't want the book to be "laugh out loud, ha-ha" funny, or laugh at other people's expense funny, but instead she is looking for a book that finds humor in authentic human moments.

It is clear that the writer/director of this film has plans to make a movie like the latter of the three books.

Peter Hedges (writer of About a Boy, and writer and director of the film Pieces of April) is known for making enjoyable movies that celebrate the simple humors of everyday life.

So how enjoyable is this film?
This film has some great moments.

The film is definitely not flawless. Some scenes that are obviously trying to feel real, feel contrived. Some scenes have dialogue that is "too clever" for its own good.

But in the midst of this, the film had some moments that were very real, modest, and genuinely funny. There was an underlying sweetness in this film that kept me wanting to watch it.

It was a pleasant 90 minutes. Not a masterpiece, but undoubtably pleasing.

Transportability Score: 3.7/5