Lincoln
** ½
PG-13
150 minutes
Director Steven Spielberg’s latest drama focuses on a very specific time in Abraham Lincoln’s second term as president showing how he convinced the House of Representatives to pass the 13th Amendment which abolished slavery. The film serves as a lesson in politics as we see Lincoln work with members of his cabinet and Congress to pass the bill before a peace treaty is signed with the South. It is fascinating to hear some of the arguments made for and against the bill. Some use logic and reason while others rely on pure rhetoric. Daniel Day-Lewis’s performance as Lincoln is outstanding as are the performances of other actors such as James Spader, David Strathairn and Tommy Lee Jones.
Unordinary, the movie is slowly paced and too long. My interest came and went at various times. I was hoping for more of a biography or character study of Lincoln and while we get some of that, most of the script is devoted to long speeches.
Notes for parents: Lincoln is suitable for most teens and adults. There are a few scenes showing the violence of war and a few profanities (including one F-bomb). The only other issue is that some people may find the movie boring.
Sunday, May 12, 2013
Monday, March 18, 2013
Call the Midwife
Call the Midwife
Season 1
My Rating: *** (out of 4)
Television shows like Downton Abbey and Mad Men have inspired numerous other period dramas. What makes those shows work so well is not only the meticulous attention to period detail but also character development and good storytelling. While no American series has lasted long enough or been popular enough to match the success of those two shows, a new British series looks like it may have what it takes to be the next Downton.
Set in the late 1950s, Call the Midwife tells the story of a young woman just out of nursing school who goes to work as a midwife in London’s East End . She is not a very religious person and is surprised to discover her post is at a nursing convent. Nevertheless, she is eager to help the women in one of London’s poorest districts. As she gets to know the nuns and her fellow nurses, she is often startled by the living and working conditions of the women there and encounters all manner of pregnancy related situations. The show is a testament to the hard work of the midwives of the era.
For the most part, Call the Midwife is compelling, emotional drama. Several episodes have riveting childbirth scenes as one or more of the midwives tries to help a woman deliver a baby, often in difficult circumstances. These scenes feature a combination of real babies and some very realistic special effects. You may find yourself holding your breath waiting for the baby to be delivered.
Some parts of the series do not work as well. The later episodes of the first season have more conventional stories. The main character, Nurse Lee, is not given much to do and spends way too much time in a romantic subplot that isn‘t very interesting. Thankfully, there’s Nurse “Chummy”, played by Miranda Hart, who steals every scene she’s in. Chummy was raised in an upper-class home but decides she would rather be a midwife. She’s self-conscious about both her background and her size but that doesn’t stop her from using deadpan humor and self-deprecation as only the British can do.
The show has been extremely popular in both Britain and the U.S. The first season (or series if you prefer UK terminology) is available on DVD and through streaming services. The second season has already aired in Britain and PBS will air it in America beginning March 31.
Age Level: In general, Call the Midwife is the equivalent of a PG or PG-13 movie depending on how well your kids can handle the harrowing childbirth scenes. One episode deals with a sex education class and one storyline involves incest.
Season 1
My Rating: *** (out of 4)
Television shows like Downton Abbey and Mad Men have inspired numerous other period dramas. What makes those shows work so well is not only the meticulous attention to period detail but also character development and good storytelling. While no American series has lasted long enough or been popular enough to match the success of those two shows, a new British series looks like it may have what it takes to be the next Downton.
Set in the late 1950s, Call the Midwife tells the story of a young woman just out of nursing school who goes to work as a midwife in London’s East End . She is not a very religious person and is surprised to discover her post is at a nursing convent. Nevertheless, she is eager to help the women in one of London’s poorest districts. As she gets to know the nuns and her fellow nurses, she is often startled by the living and working conditions of the women there and encounters all manner of pregnancy related situations. The show is a testament to the hard work of the midwives of the era.
For the most part, Call the Midwife is compelling, emotional drama. Several episodes have riveting childbirth scenes as one or more of the midwives tries to help a woman deliver a baby, often in difficult circumstances. These scenes feature a combination of real babies and some very realistic special effects. You may find yourself holding your breath waiting for the baby to be delivered.
Some parts of the series do not work as well. The later episodes of the first season have more conventional stories. The main character, Nurse Lee, is not given much to do and spends way too much time in a romantic subplot that isn‘t very interesting. Thankfully, there’s Nurse “Chummy”, played by Miranda Hart, who steals every scene she’s in. Chummy was raised in an upper-class home but decides she would rather be a midwife. She’s self-conscious about both her background and her size but that doesn’t stop her from using deadpan humor and self-deprecation as only the British can do.
The show has been extremely popular in both Britain and the U.S. The first season (or series if you prefer UK terminology) is available on DVD and through streaming services. The second season has already aired in Britain and PBS will air it in America beginning March 31.
Age Level: In general, Call the Midwife is the equivalent of a PG or PG-13 movie depending on how well your kids can handle the harrowing childbirth scenes. One episode deals with a sex education class and one storyline involves incest.
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Flight movie review
Flight
**
R
138 minutes
Robert Zemeckis made a name for himself in the 1980s and 90s directing special-effects driven blockbusters like Back to the Future and Who Framed Roger Rabbit before winning an Oscar for Forrest Gump. After spending many years making motion-capture style animated films (like The Polar Express) he returns to live action with Flight. In this drama, Denzel Washington plays an airline pilot addicted to alcohol and drugs. In a spectacular crash sequence, Washington miraculously lands a plane while still intoxicated from the night before. The rest of the movie follows his attempts to stay clean during the investigation of the crash. Unfortunately, he relapses time and time again with numerous scenes of him falling off the wagon with a complete disregard for his own health and reputation.
While the plane crash is well-filmed, the rest of the movie is slowly paced. The many alcohol and drug abuse scenes become repetitive and Washington’s character is never all that likeable. Supporting characters come and go but don’t add much to the story. Since it is made clear from the start that the plane would have had mechanical problems regardless of whether or not the pilot was drunk, there is little suspense created by the investigation. Stories of redemption are fine, but this one takes its time getting there and by the time Washington finally admits his problem we don’t care.
Age Level: Flight is most definitely NOT for kids. Aside form the plane crash (which will ensure that your kids never set foot on an airplane again) the movie contains nudity, lots of profanity and frequent scenes of drug use.
**
R
138 minutes
Robert Zemeckis made a name for himself in the 1980s and 90s directing special-effects driven blockbusters like Back to the Future and Who Framed Roger Rabbit before winning an Oscar for Forrest Gump. After spending many years making motion-capture style animated films (like The Polar Express) he returns to live action with Flight. In this drama, Denzel Washington plays an airline pilot addicted to alcohol and drugs. In a spectacular crash sequence, Washington miraculously lands a plane while still intoxicated from the night before. The rest of the movie follows his attempts to stay clean during the investigation of the crash. Unfortunately, he relapses time and time again with numerous scenes of him falling off the wagon with a complete disregard for his own health and reputation.
While the plane crash is well-filmed, the rest of the movie is slowly paced. The many alcohol and drug abuse scenes become repetitive and Washington’s character is never all that likeable. Supporting characters come and go but don’t add much to the story. Since it is made clear from the start that the plane would have had mechanical problems regardless of whether or not the pilot was drunk, there is little suspense created by the investigation. Stories of redemption are fine, but this one takes its time getting there and by the time Washington finally admits his problem we don’t care.
Age Level: Flight is most definitely NOT for kids. Aside form the plane crash (which will ensure that your kids never set foot on an airplane again) the movie contains nudity, lots of profanity and frequent scenes of drug use.
Sunday, March 10, 2013
PG Means “Pretty Good” Right?
It is becoming increasingly difficult to find family-friendly movies at the theater or on home video. Parents often turn to the MPAA rating for guidance. (Whether that’s entirely a good idea is a subject worthy of debate but for now, let’s assume that movies with a rating of “G” or “PG” are at least supposed to be suitable for both parents and children.) More and more it is animated films that make up the bulk of G and PG movies. For example, in 2012, 7 of the 10 highest grossing PG rated movies at the box office were animated films.
How appropriate are these movies? Are parents safe renting a PG movie for their kids without first pre-screening it? This column is the first in a planned series reviewing recent PG films.
Paranorman *½
Paranorman was the first of three “kiddie-horror” animated films released in late 2012. (The others are Hotel Transylvania and Frankenweenie.) The lead character is an 11 year old boy named Norman who has the ability to see and talk to ghosts. This makes him very unpopular and his only friends are similarly bullied kids. He lives in a New England town notorious for its Salem like witch trials, one of which is about to be commemorated by the town. Norman learns that before her execution, the witch cursed the town to be overrun by zombies (in this case, the resurrected corpses of the men who condemned her.) Naturally, Norman’s abilities help him and his friends to save the town.
While the stop-motion animation is outstanding, there are several aspects of Paranorman that should concern parents. First is the horror imagery seen throughout the film. Images and references (some intended to be humorous) of zombies, ghosts, witches and the undead pervade the film. While not all children will be frightened by these images, young children most likely will not understand the morbid humor. It doesn’t seem necessary for kids to see these images without the cultural context by which adults view them. In fact, the movie gets increasingly scary as it goes on with some particularly frightening scenes near the end. Christian parents should take note that the witches’ condemners who turn into zombies are Puritans at their most stereotypical. (They’re bigoted, hateful, mean, etc.) The movie also does not portray a Christian worldview of death and the afterlife.
Even more troublesome is the alarmingly inappropriate humor. Keep in mind the most of the film’s characters are eleven years old with two older siblings being no older than 16 or 17. Here are a few exemplas of the jokes.
The school bully says he wants to go the adult video store instead of the library.
One character is seen watching his mom’s aerobics DVD with the image paused so he can stare at the woman on the screen.
An older boy reveals he is gay at the end of the movie. (He mentions having a boyfriend.)
I do not think jokes about puberty, pornography and homosexuality are appropriate in a PG movie aimed at kids.
Needless to say, I do not recommend Paranorman for adults or children.
How appropriate are these movies? Are parents safe renting a PG movie for their kids without first pre-screening it? This column is the first in a planned series reviewing recent PG films.
Paranorman *½
Paranorman was the first of three “kiddie-horror” animated films released in late 2012. (The others are Hotel Transylvania and Frankenweenie.) The lead character is an 11 year old boy named Norman who has the ability to see and talk to ghosts. This makes him very unpopular and his only friends are similarly bullied kids. He lives in a New England town notorious for its Salem like witch trials, one of which is about to be commemorated by the town. Norman learns that before her execution, the witch cursed the town to be overrun by zombies (in this case, the resurrected corpses of the men who condemned her.) Naturally, Norman’s abilities help him and his friends to save the town.
While the stop-motion animation is outstanding, there are several aspects of Paranorman that should concern parents. First is the horror imagery seen throughout the film. Images and references (some intended to be humorous) of zombies, ghosts, witches and the undead pervade the film. While not all children will be frightened by these images, young children most likely will not understand the morbid humor. It doesn’t seem necessary for kids to see these images without the cultural context by which adults view them. In fact, the movie gets increasingly scary as it goes on with some particularly frightening scenes near the end. Christian parents should take note that the witches’ condemners who turn into zombies are Puritans at their most stereotypical. (They’re bigoted, hateful, mean, etc.) The movie also does not portray a Christian worldview of death and the afterlife.
Even more troublesome is the alarmingly inappropriate humor. Keep in mind the most of the film’s characters are eleven years old with two older siblings being no older than 16 or 17. Here are a few exemplas of the jokes.
One character is seen watching his mom’s aerobics DVD with the image paused so he can stare at the woman on the screen.
An older boy reveals he is gay at the end of the movie. (He mentions having a boyfriend.)
Needless to say, I do not recommend Paranorman for adults or children.
Monday, July 9, 2012
Movies that Start with 'A'
I love to categorize my movie watching. Whether it’s watching films by a certain director or grouping them by year, I enjoy movie themes. This usually doesn’t last long, as I grow tired of the current theme and move on to something new so we’ll see how long this current one lasts.
The current theme is classic movies I’ve never seen (or haven’t seen in a long time) including foreign language films, in alphabetical order. I figure maybe 2 or 3 movies for each letter. (X is going to be tough.)
To kick things off, over the weekend I watched one foreign and one American film that both start with the letter ‘A.’ I’m, going to try and keep these reviews brief, with a summary of the plot and my take on the film’s merits, including a Christian perspective.
Aguirre, the Wrath of God
Directed by Werner Herzog
1972
in German
Klaus Kinski plays a Spanish explorer, part of Pizarro’s expedition to Peru in the late 16th century, sent with other men and women up an Amazon tributary in search of El Dorado. The mission goes horribly wrong as both nature and hostile natives wreak havoc.
Herzog’s film is mesmerizing to look at with an almost dreamlike quality. Dialogue is often kept to a minimum which leaves the impression that most of the people are in stunned shock at the events happening around them. Kinski goes memorably, quietly insane (or perhaps he is insane to begin with) and in the film’s famous final shot ends up alone on a raft surrounded by hundreds of monkeys and rambling about getting rich from finding the cities of gold.
The biggest problem I had was the film’s portrayal of the Christian missionaries as ignorant with the stereotypical attitude of “Let’s convert the savages and kill them if they won’t listen.” (Never mind that the “noble savages” are cannibals and are out to kill them.)
Morality/Worldview: C
Filmmaking: A
The Apartment
Directed by Billy Wilder
1960
In this cynical comedy/drama, Jack Lemmon plays a low-level insurance employee who allows upper-level executives to use his apartment for their extramarital affairs. In doing so, he moves up the corporate ladder. Things go wrong when he falls in love with a fellow employee, an elevaotr operator played by Shirley MacLaine, who just happens to be the latest mistress of his boss.
I found the portrayal of adultery disturbing even though ultimately Lemmon realizes what he is doing is causing great harm. Of course, adultery ought to be disturbing and the second half of the movie shows how serious the consequences can be. The acting is terrific all around. I was especially impressed with Fred MacMurray’s role as the despicable executive who uses Lemmon to facilitate his affair. I normally associate MacMurray with comedic roles such as the many Disney films he did so it was a surprise to se him do such a good job at playing a villain.
Morality/Worldview B-
Filmmaking A
The current theme is classic movies I’ve never seen (or haven’t seen in a long time) including foreign language films, in alphabetical order. I figure maybe 2 or 3 movies for each letter. (X is going to be tough.)
To kick things off, over the weekend I watched one foreign and one American film that both start with the letter ‘A.’ I’m, going to try and keep these reviews brief, with a summary of the plot and my take on the film’s merits, including a Christian perspective.
Aguirre, the Wrath of God
Directed by Werner Herzog
1972
in German
Klaus Kinski plays a Spanish explorer, part of Pizarro’s expedition to Peru in the late 16th century, sent with other men and women up an Amazon tributary in search of El Dorado. The mission goes horribly wrong as both nature and hostile natives wreak havoc.
Herzog’s film is mesmerizing to look at with an almost dreamlike quality. Dialogue is often kept to a minimum which leaves the impression that most of the people are in stunned shock at the events happening around them. Kinski goes memorably, quietly insane (or perhaps he is insane to begin with) and in the film’s famous final shot ends up alone on a raft surrounded by hundreds of monkeys and rambling about getting rich from finding the cities of gold.
The biggest problem I had was the film’s portrayal of the Christian missionaries as ignorant with the stereotypical attitude of “Let’s convert the savages and kill them if they won’t listen.” (Never mind that the “noble savages” are cannibals and are out to kill them.)
Morality/Worldview: C
Filmmaking: A
The Apartment
Directed by Billy Wilder
1960
In this cynical comedy/drama, Jack Lemmon plays a low-level insurance employee who allows upper-level executives to use his apartment for their extramarital affairs. In doing so, he moves up the corporate ladder. Things go wrong when he falls in love with a fellow employee, an elevaotr operator played by Shirley MacLaine, who just happens to be the latest mistress of his boss.
I found the portrayal of adultery disturbing even though ultimately Lemmon realizes what he is doing is causing great harm. Of course, adultery ought to be disturbing and the second half of the movie shows how serious the consequences can be. The acting is terrific all around. I was especially impressed with Fred MacMurray’s role as the despicable executive who uses Lemmon to facilitate his affair. I normally associate MacMurray with comedic roles such as the many Disney films he did so it was a surprise to se him do such a good job at playing a villain.
Morality/Worldview B-
Filmmaking A
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Book Review: Ready Player One
Ready Player One
By Ernest Cline
In a not too distant dystopian future, humanity’s only relief from the world’s ills is an immersive virtual reality world called the OASIS. This gigantic computer simulation allows people to be whoever they want to be and play a seemingly endless variety of games. Children even attend virtual schools in the OASIS. The game’s creator, a computer genius named James Halliday, was obsessed with the pop culture and trivia of the 1980s and filled the virtual world with hundreds of references to his favorite movies, books, TV shows and video games from that era.
When Halliday dies, his vast fortune is left to whoever can complete a series of game-like quests within the OASIS. The quest consists of three increasingly difficult puzzles whose solutions are all rooted in knowledge of 80s pop culture. Wade Watts, a high school student who spends most of his waking time logged in to the OASIS, becomes the first person to solve the quest’s initial clue. After that, he is in a race to finish the quest, meeting new friends along the way (who he has never met in person) and trying to avoid dangerous enemies, including a greedy corporation intent on solving the puzzle and winning the prize first.
Your enjoyment of the book largely depends on whether or not you understand the myriads of 80s references. Anyone too old or too young probably won’t care. And even if you are a child of the 80s, a significant portion of the trivia involves video games so if you never played arcade games or had an Atari 2600, you also might feel excluded. Since I am a member of the target audience, I enjoyed the descriptions of 80s games and movies. I had a grin on my face when a game I loved as a kid (now largely forgotten) was a clue to one of the puzzles.
Cline’s prose is serviceable but nothing special. He writes in a “Hollywood” style that mostly describes the action to the reader. His characters are memorable even though many of them have only a few defining characteristics. The plot is fast paced for the most part, with a few slow stretches in the middle and an overlong finale. The OASIS is described in great detail and it does sound like an entertaining place to be. A huge opportunity for social commentary is missed as Cline only occasionally makes statements about how it’s actually not a good idea to spend your entire life logged into a computer game, no matter how difficult the :real” world is. Since the OASIS is presented as a super fun (albeit sometimes dangerous) game, the few comments about the necessity of going outside every once in a while are hollow. The theme that emerges from Ready Player One is that of “Games are cool!” While I enjoyed the book, I wish it had more substance. The 80s trivia was fun in a “Hey, I remember that movie/game/TV show!” way but there’s not much beyond that.
Content warning: There is quite a lot of profanity and crudeness in the novel, mostly of the “trash talk” variety. It adds very little.
Audio Book note: I listened to this book on CD read by Wil Wheaton, himself an 80s pop culture figure thanks to his role on the TV series Star Trek: The Next Generation. Wheaton is an excellent reader and his enthusiastic tone adds to the enjoyment of the book. Never has a game of Pac-Man been narrated so vividly.
Morality: C-
Writing: B-
By Ernest Cline
In a not too distant dystopian future, humanity’s only relief from the world’s ills is an immersive virtual reality world called the OASIS. This gigantic computer simulation allows people to be whoever they want to be and play a seemingly endless variety of games. Children even attend virtual schools in the OASIS. The game’s creator, a computer genius named James Halliday, was obsessed with the pop culture and trivia of the 1980s and filled the virtual world with hundreds of references to his favorite movies, books, TV shows and video games from that era.
When Halliday dies, his vast fortune is left to whoever can complete a series of game-like quests within the OASIS. The quest consists of three increasingly difficult puzzles whose solutions are all rooted in knowledge of 80s pop culture. Wade Watts, a high school student who spends most of his waking time logged in to the OASIS, becomes the first person to solve the quest’s initial clue. After that, he is in a race to finish the quest, meeting new friends along the way (who he has never met in person) and trying to avoid dangerous enemies, including a greedy corporation intent on solving the puzzle and winning the prize first.
Your enjoyment of the book largely depends on whether or not you understand the myriads of 80s references. Anyone too old or too young probably won’t care. And even if you are a child of the 80s, a significant portion of the trivia involves video games so if you never played arcade games or had an Atari 2600, you also might feel excluded. Since I am a member of the target audience, I enjoyed the descriptions of 80s games and movies. I had a grin on my face when a game I loved as a kid (now largely forgotten) was a clue to one of the puzzles.
Cline’s prose is serviceable but nothing special. He writes in a “Hollywood” style that mostly describes the action to the reader. His characters are memorable even though many of them have only a few defining characteristics. The plot is fast paced for the most part, with a few slow stretches in the middle and an overlong finale. The OASIS is described in great detail and it does sound like an entertaining place to be. A huge opportunity for social commentary is missed as Cline only occasionally makes statements about how it’s actually not a good idea to spend your entire life logged into a computer game, no matter how difficult the :real” world is. Since the OASIS is presented as a super fun (albeit sometimes dangerous) game, the few comments about the necessity of going outside every once in a while are hollow. The theme that emerges from Ready Player One is that of “Games are cool!” While I enjoyed the book, I wish it had more substance. The 80s trivia was fun in a “Hey, I remember that movie/game/TV show!” way but there’s not much beyond that.
Content warning: There is quite a lot of profanity and crudeness in the novel, mostly of the “trash talk” variety. It adds very little.
Audio Book note: I listened to this book on CD read by Wil Wheaton, himself an 80s pop culture figure thanks to his role on the TV series Star Trek: The Next Generation. Wheaton is an excellent reader and his enthusiastic tone adds to the enjoyment of the book. Never has a game of Pac-Man been narrated so vividly.
Morality: C-
Writing: B-
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Connect Four: The Movie
Excerpt from my script for Connect Four: The Movie
Plot: Aliens invade Earth. That’s it.
Main Characters:
A spunky astrophysicist from Texas named Sissy Sullivan (to be played by Lady Gaga)
Her hunky boyfriend, a four-star general named Brian “Brick” McManly (to be played by either that guy from Twilight or the dude from The Hunger Games)
In this climactic scene, Sissy and Brick have managed to covertly board the mothership in a last-ditch effort to save humanity. The alien armada, a menacing fleet of black and red discs, hovers over the Earth.
Brick: What are we going to do? I see no way out of this!
Sissy: Wait, I think I found a way to get past the alien defense grid!
B; Where? I don’t see it.
S; Here! Diagonally!
B; Pretty sneaky, Sissy.
Plot: Aliens invade Earth. That’s it.
Main Characters:
A spunky astrophysicist from Texas named Sissy Sullivan (to be played by Lady Gaga)
Her hunky boyfriend, a four-star general named Brian “Brick” McManly (to be played by either that guy from Twilight or the dude from The Hunger Games)
In this climactic scene, Sissy and Brick have managed to covertly board the mothership in a last-ditch effort to save humanity. The alien armada, a menacing fleet of black and red discs, hovers over the Earth.
Brick: What are we going to do? I see no way out of this!
Sissy: Wait, I think I found a way to get past the alien defense grid!
B; Where? I don’t see it.
S; Here! Diagonally!
B; Pretty sneaky, Sissy.
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