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.

In case you're somehow unfamiliar with this movie / book series, go here to watch the trailer.

Go ahead. I'll wait.

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?

You Again!

Since we had no YW going to mutual last night, my first counselor and I went to see a special preview of You Again.

I didn't really know what it was about, so I made sure to watch the trailer before heading to the movie. It looked like it would be pretty funny, so I was excited to go.

These special previews for movies are always so CRAZY! We arrived at the theater 45 minutes early only to be place in a huge queue that seemed to wrap and wrap and wrap...

Good thing we'd grabbed some drinks and popcorn before getting in line! :-"

Once we'd got to the front of the line, we had to "check" our phones. NO RECORDING OF THE PREVIEW was going to be allowed. What phone doesn't have a camera nowadays?!

Naturally, by this time, we'd been waiting in line for awhile sipping our sodas (well I had an Icee). By the time we were ready to find our seats, we both had to pee. We took turns and were comfortably seated in the crowded theater by the time the movie began. Phew!

The movie started out hilarious! =))

The interactions between Marni (Kristen Bell) and Joanna (Odette Yustman) were terrifically funny. I thought they played off each other really well. They were arch-enemies during high school. Joanna was a big-time bully. Now, she was about to marry Marni's brother!

Gail (Jamie Lee Curtis) and Mona (Sigourney Weaver)? Not so much! I didn't really care for their storyline. They were supposedly BFFs throughout grade school and high school. I guess I was expecting a little more pent-up drama from their characters. Something a little more similar to the Marni/Joanna dynamic.

About mid-way through the movie, I got a little bored. The funny was kind of wearing off, and I didn't particularly like where the writing was going.

I was definitely disappointed by the end.

Don't get me wrong. I'd watch it again, if Jeff wants to see it. It was funny. There were just also a lot of things about it that I didn't enjoy.

I'd even recommend it to others - provided they go into with low expectations. It's definitely not the funniest movie of the year!

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.

Prove It

Yesterday, at Ramsey Junior High (where I've been observing an 8th grade English class) my host teacher was asked to substitute in a Science class. The class was in Day 2 of watching Contact. I've always really enjoyed this movie.

When watching yesterday, I got to see one of my favorite scenes:

[Ellie challenges Palmer to prove the existence of God]
Palmer Joss: Did you love your father?
Ellie Arroway: What?
Palmer Joss: Your dad. Did you love him?
Ellie Arroway: Yes, very much.
Palmer Joss: Prove it.

Science may not be able to prove that God exists, but it also cannot prove that love exists--yet no one ever challenges the existence of love.

Interesting...

This scene reminds me of an article I read a long time ago by Elder Boyd K Packer. It's called "The Candle of the Lord" and is taken from a talk he gave at a seminar for new mission presidents. It was published in the Dec 1998 issue of Ensign.

Here is a little excerpt:
What Does Salt Taste Like?
I felt perhaps, that I had borne my testimony to him unwisely and was at a loss as to what to do. Then something came into my mind. I said to the man, “Let me ask if you know what salt tastes like.”

“Of course I do,” was his reply.

“When did you taste salt last?”

“When I just had dinner here on the airplane.”

“You just think you know what salt tastes like,” I said.

He insisted, “I know what salt tastes like as well as I know anything.”

“If I gave you a cup of salt and a cup of sugar and let you taste them both, could you tell the salt from the sugar?”

“Now you are getting silly,” was his reply. “Of course I could tell the difference. I know what salt tastes like. It is an everyday experience.”

“Then,” I said, “assuming that I have never tasted salt, explain to me just what it tastes like.”

After some thought, he said, “Well, I suppose you could say that it is not sweet and it is not sour.”

“You’ve told me what it isn’t, not what it is.” After several attempts, of course, he could not do it. He could not explain, in words alone, so ordinary an experience as tasting salt. I bore testimony to him once again and said, “I know there is a God. You ridiculed that testimony and said that if I did know, I would be able to tell you exactly how I know. My friend, spiritually speaking, I have tasted salt. I am no more able to tell you in words how this knowledge has come to me than you are able to tell me what salt tastes like. But I say to you again, there is a God! He does live! And just because you don’t know, don’t try to tell me that I don’t know, for I do!”

I love this!

Love cannot be described with words.
Salt cannot be described with words.
God cannot be described with words.

Some things can only be described in how we feel.

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!!