Hunger Games

This afternoon, Jeff and I had to make a trip downtown, so we decided to hit up a movie as well.

I'd heard such raving comments about Hunger Games, and Jeff really wanted to see it, so we found a time that would work for us.

I have not read the books - though I've heard great things about them.
However, even after seeing the trailer, I only wanted to see the movie because so many people on FB and in the blogosphere seemed so pumped to see it.

So we went.

I wasn't really on-board with the whole premise of the movie - requiring kids to fight to the death. I'm not saying it's an unbelievable premise or even one that hasn't been similarly seen in history, but it's just not something I'm interested in watching a movie about.

Just the thought of certain members of a society living in such opulence and lording that over others makes me disgusted. I know this is nothing new. I know it's been common throughout history. I know it happens today.  I just don't like it and therefore don't want to watch a movie that in many ways seems to glorify it.

Still, I tried to go into the movie with an open mind. I really did.

But, I was overly unimpressed with the movie.

I thought it was incredibly slow at the beginning. And yet, there were many details that were left out that could have helped to explain certain things a lot better. Overall, I think many things could have been developed a lot better.

Honestly, I could go on and on about everything I disliked about this movie. I especially have issues with the ending, but since I don't want to spoil anything for those of you who haven't yet seen it, I won't go into any details in this post.

I'll just leave it at this - This is one movie that did not make me want to read the books.

Have you seen this movie yet? If so, did you like it? If not, are you planning on seeing it?
If you've read the books and seen the movie, did the movie live up to the reputation of the books?

Movies I've recently watched

Day 11

Hope you're all enjoying a beautiful Saturday! I'll be out kayaking 11 miles. I just hope I survive and the weather is clear. Warm would be terrific as well.

While I'm out enjoying the sunshine, here's a few brief movie reviews of flicks I've seen recently.

• Die Hard - Ok, I know I'm I couple decades behind in watching this, but I just saw it for the first time in the past couple weeks. I loved it! I don't honestly know why I hadn't watched it before (probably that whole R rating thing). It was fun of action and adventure. Mostly ridiculous, but it was fun to watch. Who doesn't like to watch Bruce Willis being a badass? Seriously. I would definitely watch this again.

• Jennifer's Body - I thoroughly enjoyed this movie! Maybe it was just the sexy Megan Fox, but I really like Amanda Seyfried, too. It captured my attention right away, and I really enjoyed the story. I thought it was going to be a lot scarier and give me bad dreams, but it didn't. Bonus!

• Green Hornet - I didn't really care for this movie much. It took too long to get going in the beginning, and a lot of the violence seemed ridiculous and unnecessary. My favorite character was the bad guy, Chudnofsky. He was hilarious - in a scary, mobster, bad guy kinda way. Overall, though, I didn't really care for the story or the way it was told. I wouldn't recommend it.

• Tangled - This was thoroughly enjoyable for me! I loved the unique telling of the story of Rampunzel. I loved the music and the animation. It was definitely a cute, feel-good movie! I would watch this again and definitely would recommend it.

If you've seen any of these, how would you rate them?

What movies have you seen recently? Are there any you would recommend?

Movie Review: The Blind Side

Last night, Jeff and I finally got to watch The Blind Side.

Here's the trailer, if you haven't seen it (or just want to see it again):


I really wanted to see this movie, and I certainly wasn't disappointed.

I did expect a few more tears. I choked up at a couple of lines but no tears actually fell. I think I nearly cried more watching the trailer months ago.

I enjoyed the Christian attitude that so many of the characters displayed in the film -- especially during the rare contrast of less-than-Christian attitudes of a few of the other characters. This film is a good reminder that we can all do a little better when it comes to how we treat others. Do we show are true Christian colors, or do we shy away from helping others knowing we may be ridiculed for our behavior or put in danger?

My only small complaint about the movie probably wouldn't much matter to most people out there, but I thought it was a little too-footbally in a couple of spots. I'm not a football fan (or any sport for that matter). Since I don't know the sport or the rules or really anything about it, there were a couple of scenes (one of which was the opening scene) where I totally got lost. I know that was a major part of the story, but...

At any rate, I would definitely recommend this movie.

Have you seen it? If so, how did it rate in your book?

Film: Pray the Devil Back to Hell

Today, there was a showing of the film, Pray the Devil Back to Hell, at the Luann Dummer Center for Women at the University of St Thomas.

I had no idea what the film was about, but I thought I would expand my horizons by attending.

I am so glad that I went! This film was incredible. It documents the women's peace movement in Liberia. Women from all over that country were tired of the running and the fear and the atrocities that had been plaguing their country during the long civil war.

Thousands of women spoke up. These were ordinary women - mothers, grandmothers, aunts, daughters. They were Christian. They were Muslim. They fasted. They prayed. They made a difference.

Below is a trailer of the movie:



There were two things that really struck me about these unique women.

They were women of extreme faith. It didn't matter if they were Christian or Muslim. They united. They recognized that bullets don't discriminate; bullets don't know if you're Christian or Muslim. They looked to the Bible and the story of Esther for their inspiration. At one point, they were all gathering at the fish markets to protest. This was at the beginning of their movement. One of the women was told she shouldn't go because those who went would just be killed.  Her response? "If I should get killed, remember I was fighting for peace." That is faith.

They were women of extreme forgiveness. After the peace talks ended, these women still did not back down. They recognized their need to continue pushing for peace in Liberia. It was extremely difficult, but they showed forgiveness to the excombatants. They knew they needed to accept these fighters and not hold the past against them. They knew that Liberia would not be able to move forward without forgiveness. I cannot even imagine having to forgive those who wreaked such havoc on so many innocent, so many loved ones.

One of the women, near the end of the film, stated that if it weren't for different women from different walks of life banding together, that peace in Liberia probably would not have happened. How incredible was it, in a country so torn, that the women could come together. They could get to know one another and build on each other's experiences to make a strong stand for peace.

Freedom Writers

Jeff and I just watched one of the most powerful movies I've seen in a long time. If you haven't seen Freedom Writers, I highly recommend it.

This movie explores racism in today's society and how everyone has their own battles to fight. It shows the power and influence a good teacher can have in the lives of teenagers.

This movie made me cry, but mostly it made me think. It spurred discussion about public schools and the holocaust and parenthood.

Seriously this movie is a definite must-see!

The Lake House

Starring Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves
2006

I saw the end of this movie before I saw the beginning. Jeff watched it while I was doing something in the kitchen...I can't remember exactly what. Anyway, I finished up in the kitchen with about 15-20 minutes left of the movie. Even without seeing the beginning first, I still welled up a bit at the end.

This afternoon, I finally had the opportunity (after making and canning applesauce) to sit down and watch the movie from the beginning. I'd heard others say how good it was and Jeff enjoyed it, but still I was really surprised at how impressed I was with this movie. The storyline was quite intriguing! If it hadn't been done quite so well, it could've been quite confusing. Thankfully, the script was very well written and film was shot beautifully.

When I sat down to watch this movie, I did not really intend on writing a blog entry on it. This is unfortunate, because I can't remember any particular scene that impressed me the most. I'll need to start watching movies with a pad and pen nearby--just in case. :-)

Let's just suffice it to say...if you haven't seen this movie yet--Push it to the top of your list. I don't think you'll be disappointed. Take note of the beautiful shots; relish in the chemistry of two people who haven't even met.

Enjoy!!