Noah

I really liked the way the movie depicted Noah receiving revelation from God. His dreams are clear enough for him to understand, but they aren’t as clear to us (though we know what they mean due to our familiarity with the story). He doesn’t get it all at once and it isn’t all clear to him all at once. He has to think on it and work it out in his mind and with those God has blessed him to better understand what it is he needs to do.

Contrary to many world standards and beliefs, the film comes out and equates happiness with being married and having children. The whole film circles around the importance of the family unit and the distress that comes with it breaking up, or not perpetuating.

[***Spoiler Alert...If you haven't seen it and plan to, don't read on (it's on Netflix streaming right now).***]

Two hours into the movie I was rather puzzled at how Noah’s raging lunacy was really tied into anything meaningful. It wasn’t until the conversation between Ila and Noah that everything fell perfectly into place. The movie had been quite the emotional roller coaster. Ham is torn from the possibility of having a family. Shem and Ila live under the cloud of the potential death of their child/children. Ham is on the verge of committing patricide. Ila gives birth to twins, which would satisfy the possibility of all of Noah’s sons having wives. Ila’s new born daughters are almost killed in her arms while crying, but she gets Noah to pause long enough for her to calm them so that they don’t die crying. Noah raises his dagger and almost follows through but can’t, kisses them and walks away.

Why put us through such a ride? How does this have anything to do with the traditional Bible story everyone is so familiar with? Throughout the film the theme of justice beat like drum, relentless and loud. It isn’t until the very end, when despair is about to win out, that the sweet melody of mercy softens the beat and lets us see how much the Creator loves us. The Creator gives us what we need to become like he is, the choices we have to make are difficult for a reason, but if faithful we will be guided to do that which is right. Before I go much further, let me present to you the conversation that tied everything together so beautifully, and without which the film would be so much more difficult to understand and probably wouldn’t have gained my approval.

Ila: “I have to know, why did you spare them?”
Noah: “When I looked down at those two little girls, all I had in my heart was love.”
Ila: “Then why are you alone, Noah? You’re separated from your family.”
Noah: “Because I failed Him [the Creator] and I failed all of you.”
Ila: “Did you? He chose you for a reason, Noah. He showed you the wickedness of man and knew you would not look away. But then you saw goodness too. The choice was put in your hands because he put it there. He asked you to decide if we were worth saving. And you chose mercy, you chose love. He has given us a second chance. Be a father, be a grandfather. Help us to do better this time, help us start again.”

Now the Bible says nothing of this choice that Noah was given, but is it that far fetched? Noah saw himself as human/weak/sinful as any of those who were left behind. He confesses that neither the Creator nor he sees himself as “good” but merely “someone who will complete the task.” Noah didn’t understand why the Creator had chosen his family to survive and the entire human race be destroyed. As good and humble of a man that he was, he was truly sorry for the fate of the world. I appreciated the depiction of the sorrow and guilt Noah felt for leaving so many of God’s children to such a death.

Noah was beginning to be at peace with the fate of his family (no perpetuation of the human race) knowing that their (and his) eventual death was not that far distant from that of all the people that were left behind to drown. God chose to save all the animals and Noah’s family, but as far as Noah knew, Ila was barren and so God really hadn’t intended for them to survive much beyond the flood. This weight on his soul was not lightened when he learned of Ila’s pregnancy, but weighed it down even more, due to the conclusion he had already arrived at and was trying to come to grips with. He is so distraught that he accuses his wife and grandfather of “undermining the Creator,” given their role in healing Ila’s barrenness.

After he thought he had failed in God’s eyes, he was lost in confusion and despair for his choice to let his granddaughters live. And then the dialog above occurs and light re-enters Noah’s soul. He chooses again, more resolutely and with peaceful assurance, to love and be with his family.

Noah was blinded so much by the weight of God’s justice that he didn’t recognize the full choice that he was given. He was so down about assisting in the death of the human race that he failed to see God’s merciful, outstretched hand to him and his family.

To be sure some things were exaggerated and changed to make a good story. But I found the story no less inspiring than what’s written in the scriptures*.

*The LDS religion has an additional book of scripture that adds some more information into the story of Noah that might make this a little more far-fetched (e.g., the Giants fought against Noah). However, as I’ve already mentioned several times, this is a good movie and goodness is there if you want to find it.

Family-friendly Halloween Favorites

If you're looking for a non-gory, family-friendly, Halloween movie, take a look at the following list of some of our favorites:

• The Ghost and Mr. Chicken - A goofy Don Knott's film, a definite classic.
• It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown! - Short and sweet, network classic.
• The Corpse Bride - Not as good as Nightmare, but still fun.
• The Nightmare Before Christmas - Not many Halloween musicals out there, and this is top-notch.
• Ernest Scared Stupid - Haven't actually seen this one, but my kids seemed to enjoy it - watch at your own risk.
• Garfield's Halloween - Another short and sweet network classic.
• Arsenic and Old Lace (on Netflix) - A great family comedy, one of our favorites.
• Scared Stiff - a fun Martin and Lewis comedy.
• Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (on Netflix)- There are a number of A&C halloweeny movies, and this is the best (followed closely by Whodunnit)
• To Kill a Mockingbird - Not really a Halloween movie, but the climax and ending scene happen on Halloween, plus it's a great movie to watch anytime.

Hugo (2011) - M6.9/E6

One reason I was looking forward to seeing this film was the fact that there was quite a bipolar response to it.  Uncle Orson nay-said it, while other notable critics found it entertaining.  These types of responses are usually fairer to read beforehand, as they don't tend to bias one's opinion, therefore providing a more genuine response.  Though Card does have a negative review of the film, his points are well-made and I even agree with most of them, but still found a way to enjoy the movie overall.

In short, Card summarizes, "So the movie we were promised -- Hugo the orphan repairs a mechanical man to receive a message from his father -- turns into a movie we would never have paid to see: sad old forgotten movie director gets a round of applause."

The one character I actually hated and cringed at every time he came on screen was Sacha Baron Cohen playing a crippled policeman.  I probably won't choose to watch the movie again solely for him, though the fact that the movie was very slow might  also be cause enough.

The style of the movie reminded me a lot of Finding Neverland, and you might enjoy this film if you enjoyed Finding Neverland.  The music and scenery are amazing, and the story not terribly deep, but endearing.

We're shown the importance of family and the fruits of hard work as we see Hugo lose his father and then take us with him on his quest to remain connected to his father.  We also see him work tirelessly (without pay) to keep the clocks running in the train station, which keeps him out of more trouble than he already gets into, and allows him to stay a little closer to his deceased father.   Through Hugo's courage and intellect, he brings hope to a man who's dreams had been crushed and in turn gains the friendship and love for which he'd been longing.

Watch it if you're in the mood for something easy going, but I wouldn't recommend buying it; go for RedBox or you check it out from your local library.

The Lincoln Lawyer (2011) - M6.2/E8

I haven’t read any Michael Connelly books, but I’m guessing they fit right in there with Grisham’s best legal thrillers (of which I’ve only seen the movies). This was a well done movie and even more enjoyable as I’m just being introduced to the TV series the Firm (even sharing Josh Lucas with this movie).

I’ve always wondered about defence attorneys. How can someone defend a person who has committed awful crimes? This show made me remember (along with the Firm) that we believe in innocence before proven guilty. That proof is offered in court and often decided by a jury. Even the alleged criminal deserves justice, and shouldn’t be labelled a criminal until decided in a court of law. (It could be argued that not all criminals are caught, and thus not “alleged,” but that’s not the point of this short insight.)

We tend to sympathize with the victims of crimes, which can easily cause us to demonize those who defend their aggressors. But I like the thought that everyone deserves a fair trial. Our justice system was created with the thought of “innocent before proven guilty.” Which is why, for example, it’s unlawful to target American citizens for assassination without a fair trial. Our laws and justice system aren’t meant to prevent bad things from happening, it is a reactive system. If we want dangerous people off the street, we need to figure out lawful ways to bring them to justice and prevent them from pursuing more evil.

Back to the movie, Mick Haller isn’t the noble lawyer that Mitch McDeere is in The Firm, but his nobility does shine through his sleaziness as he gets entwined in his new client’s case. When what he values most is in danger (his and his family’s lives) he straightens up and is able to put evil in its place. His gratitude shines through as he offers to work pro bono for one of his shadier frequented clients who’s team of motorcycle buddies do Mick a huge favor. The resolution may not come as much of a surprise, but it’s the journey, not the end results that make the movie a fun, worthwhile experience.

Mick and his wife appear to be separated, though not totally distant.  However, all that they end up going through and Mick realizing how much he loves his family, makes it possible to believe that they'll try harder to make things work.  This isn't really a main point of the movie, but another good thought that adds to its value.

Do be aware that there is some strong language and a few scenes of violence, but the overall content is extremely mild considering the rating this show received.

Real Steel (2011) - M3.8/E6

No real surprises here. The entire plot of the movie can be easily derived from the trailer. Even still, the fight scenes were pretty cool and the father/son bonding was nice (though a little contrived and unoriginal). At first I really liked the kid actor, but as the show went on it seemed that there was a little too much overacting.

Fathers should shoulder responsibility for kids they help bring into this world. This show didn’t make that strong of a point, since it pretty much showed that 11 years of absence from his son’s life was made up by a summer of attending some fights. How many loser-father’s are really brought back into contact with children they sired and then abandoned? I guess that makes this more of a fairy-tale than inspirational.

Again, it’s worth the $1.25 at Redbox, if you’ve got nothing else to watch. There is some violence, though mostly robot vs. robot; language and sex are minimal. Other than the main character getting beat-up for never repaying his debts, this show is probably alright for most audiences (even under 13).

Taken (2009) - M5.0/E8

This movie was awesome. Everything I expected it to be and more (which expectations I try to keep to a minimum). I had to keep telling myself to breathe and relax and enjoy the movie. This is one of the best action movies I’ve seen in a while.

The beginning of the movie does a great job at getting us to feel sympathy for and understand the love that Bryan Mills has for his daughter, Kim. This sympathy largely stems from the super-annoying ex-wife who has her head in the clouds and apparently cares little for their daughter and has the utmost disdain for her ex-husband, in particular with regards to his over-protectiveness. While Bryan’s over-protectiveness is attributed to his previous career as a CIA black ops agent, I would hope any competent, loving father (and mother) would be equally protective and concerned. (I liked seeing Uncle Rico in this as a buddy of Bryan’s.)

The Beaver (2011) - M4.6/E4

This seemed like it would be a movie with a positive message to it. The previews made it seem like there was a husband/father who had fallen out of step with his family who went to drastic/silly means to bridge the barrier that was created. I like feel-good movies that promote the importance of family. This was not a feel good movie and was not a strong proponent of positive family life.

Walter is a depressed individual who is basically asleep for 2+ years, becoming a horrible burden on his family and company that he runs. He hits rock bottom and through several attempts on his own life a part of his inner being (that really wants to change) makes itself manifest through a hand puppet Walter places on his hand in a drunken stupor. Remarkably this puppet (a beaver) allows him to break the psychological barrier between his depressed self and the part of him that really wants to change. As Walter seems to improve, we see him struggle most with his family. A puppet can be something that can be lived with/accepted more easily in the workplace where emotional intimacy isn’t needed, but at home, children need a father and a wife needs a husband. Walter shouldn't have expected to be able to hide behind his hand puppet for as long as he did.

This struggle in the family made perfect sense to me. Walter was broken and was in the process of fixing himself. While his family situation wasn’t the greatest, they needed to support him in his quest to repair himself and get out of the rut he’d been stuck in for such a long time. While most of the family members tried to exhibit patience, we see that Walter’s improvement becomes more about himself than about being the father and husband he should be (evident when the Beaver seems to be in control).

I loved the underlying story between Porter and Norah. This was perhaps the one redeeming part of the story that didn’t leave us depressed. Porter helps the seemingly perfect Norah (cheerleader, valedictorian, etc.) come to the realization that we shouldn’t hide from the truth. As part of the graduation speech Porter inspired Norah to write, she says,

“I'm not okay, not at all, the truth is, I'm missing something. The thing I loved the most, the face I wish were in the front row right now, the brother I'll never get back. So what do I do with that? What do any of us do? Besides lie. This is what I believe, right now, in this auditorium, there is someone who is with you, someone who is willing to pick you up, dust you off, kiss you, forgive you, put up with you, wait for you, carry you, love you. So while everything may not be okay, one thing I know is true, you do not have to be alone.”

In the last few minutes we do see Walter get his family back. His estranged son accepts him, and life is happy, but this is only in the last few minutes of the movie. The underlying symbol of a roller coaster suggests that life is full of ups and downs, and while we may not know how long the downs will last, better times are bound to occur. We had to wade through close to 85 minutes of oppressive turmoil to get to this semi-inspirational message, and it wasn’t worth the wait.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008) - M6.6/E7

My wife very rarely cares what movies we end up watching, I’m generally the one that picks them out. She surprised me by bringing this one home from the library. I was semi-intrigued about it when I saw it released, but never had any strong urge to see it. While not an amazing movie, the almost 3 hour feature was enjoyable. It really is nothing more than a story about the life of a man. He doesn’t affect the history of the world in any remarkable way, but the fact that he lives his life backwards from an old man until he dies as a baby is a pretty cool experience to be a part of.

Not living a normal life, it’s hard to pin any moral message on anything literal presented in the movie. There is adultery and prostitution, co-habitation, and family desertion - and while not condoned in real life, they add an interesting element to the story.  The reason these elements don't necessarily create a negative moral message is that the story isn't saying this is how happy people live their lives.  Benjamin was never really happy; he was so confused with his situation in life (as were those around him) that he never really fit in anywhere.  His happiest moment was when he met up in the middle with Daisy and was able to experience a  portion of a normal life.

While initially despised by his father as a monster, his father doesn’t completely give up on him and eventually we see their relationship grow stronger (appropriately backwards) and father and son are brought close together. As an old man, though really a child, he works with a bunch of sailors and acquires their habits and vices. As a companion (not married, but living together) he was faithful and loves Daisy. Though when he found out he was to be a father, he couldn’t bear the thought of becoming a child physically as his daughter grew older and needed a real father. Benjamin moved on and was able to do things in his old age that were impossible to do in his arthritic youth. What was really moving was to see him as a boy in his old age, senile and in need of assistance, only to be found by his childhood friend and lover who cared for him until he passed on.

While not a must-see, if you come across this movie and aren't looking for something fast-paced, this is worth watching at least once.

Matchstick Men (2003)

Entertainment Rating: 3 of 5

This was a fun con movie. A little slow for the first 80% of the film, but the speed picks up at the end. A great role for Nicholas Cage.

Moral Rating: 3 of 5

The content was a little iffy with one strip club scene (no nudity, but plenty of skin) and some language. The club scene added nothing to the movie, other than showing you the type of sleazy men these con-men often dealt with. The whole movie is based on people who think it’s OK to scam people out of their money. However, in the end we see Frank respond very well to being conned in his own game. Not only did he not get upset (or seek revenge), but he realized that his job as a con-man wasn’t making him happy. A family is what he needed to help him be at peace in his life and overcome some of his idiosyncrasies.

Mao’s Last Dancer (2009)

Entertainment Rating: 4 of 5

This was a great movie. I haven’t been to any ballet’s that I’ve particularly liked, but this film made me want to find one that I can enjoy. The last on-stage ballet was a little weird, and is probably the reason why I have a bad view of the art, so I should stick to the classics. Back to the movie, it told an intriguing story of a young boy who was fortunate enough to be brought in to a prestigious ballet academy that eventually led to his “escape” from China and refuge in America, though at great personal costs. This is a good historical-drama, with very few subtitles.

Moral Rating: 4 of 5

[Spoiler Alert] While it’s sad that Li was put in a situation that pressured him into getting married, it’s even sadder that that marriage didn’t last. Both Li and Liz were able to find the happiness they were looking for, not realizing that. ultimately, the highest level of happiness can only be achieved in a family - not pursuing personal dreams (a contrasting message to the Adjustment Bureau - review forthcoming). While you wish they could have worked things out between them, the marriage was formed wrongly in the first place, so is it O.K. to let it fizzle and die? Or should they (in an ideal world) have stuck it out, no matter the impact on their personal dreams?

Regarding idealism, the following quote presents an worthwhile parable. From a message from Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, “We are bound to be in trouble if a shirt is made from a shirt that was made from a shirt. A mistake or two in the first product—inevitable without a pattern—gets repeated and exaggerated, intensified, more awkward, the more repetitions we make, until finally this thing we’re to wear to school just doesn’t fit. One sleeve’s too long. The other’s too short. One shoulder seam runs down [our] chest. The other runs down [our] back. And the front collar button fastens behind [our] neck.” Even though idealism may sound like something never worth going after, since we are incapable of making perfect decisions all the time, if we don’t attempt to align our lives to a perfect pattern we will always fall short.

While we can’t and shouldn’t judge Li (or anyone) for their choices (not completely understanding their rationale), but was it right for him to put his family in danger to pursue his dream and enjoy freedom here in the US? It all ended O.K., but how much should we worry about what repercussions our actions might have on those we love?

Forever Strong (2008)

Entertainment Rating: 4 of 5

This was a lot better than your typical movie about an underdog team that rises to the top and ends up winning some championship. Even though this didn’t get great reviews from the critics, we really enjoyed it and learned something from the experiences of Rick, Rick’s dad, and the coach. Definitely a show worth watching with your family of older children. The action scenes were great, they used college-level rugby players to represent the team, which made it that much more fun to watch.

Moral Rating: 4 of 5

The great thing about this movie was that the triumphs presented were more focused on the individuals instead of the dominant rugby team; we really didn’t care who won the championship in the end. While maybe the storyline was a bit predictable, what wasn’t predictable was the way the characters changed to create the expected end result. The changes in Rick and his dad may have been somewhat expected, but seeing how the film portrayed those changes really touched us.

I think I’d put this up as one of my favorite sports flicks.

Unstoppable (2010)

Entertainment Rating: 4 of 5

This was a great movie. An added bonus was that it was about an hour and a half long - short and sweet. We found ourselves on the edge of our seats for pretty much the entire show. Definitely check this one out. My one small, minor nit-pick is the believability of the news reports when they showed the at-fault employee’s picture and name on the TV and mention that “he will answer for his irresponsible behavior” was a little too much of a stretch; the news reports in general could have been better done.

Gotta love the Black Keys song used at the beginning of the trailer.

Moral Rating: 4 of 5

This movie is based on true events, and for the most part it follows the events pretty close. We see how one stupid mistake (which at the time didn’t seem that big of a deal) escalated into a lives-threatening situation. Some may think this lesson applies only in big-impact situations where mistakes can lead inescapably to death (e.g., train yards, airplanes, battle front, etc.), but we need to remember that people making stupid mistakes in cars (an everyday experience for most people) - texting, cell phone usage, drinking, etc - can just as easily have serious repercussions.

Family relationships are another nice touch to the story here. We have one engineer (Denzel Washington) show his love for his daughters and his effort to reach out to them for forgiveness, when it might be easier to stand off. The other engineer (Chris Pine) is in a rough position with his wife, but is encouraged by his wise partner (Washington) that he needs to reach out and not let her go.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990)

Entertainment Rating: 3 of 5

I remember loving this show so much as a kid. While the fighting was rather laughable and the storyline a little corny, the film was still enjoyable. I don’t believe I’ll get my wife to watch Secret of the Ooze with me though.

Moral Rating: 2 of 5

Friendship and family are probably the two most important themes in the movie. By trying to supplant them with money or fun, sadness inevitably ensues.

Don’t watch this movie to get a moral lesson out of it, your kids are more likely to want to hit something and also learn some nice four-letter words rather than better understand the importance of family.

T-U-R-T-L-E Power!

Despicable Me (2010)

Entertainment Rating: 3 of 5

This was not as fast paced of a movie as I was expecting. It was rather slow and easy going. The musical score was awesome, it fit the movie to a “T”. The humor was good, but I remember the movie more for Gru’s emotional development than for it’s humor.

Moral Rating: 3 of 5

Gru isn’t your typical heartless villain, and if heartlessness is a measure of villainy success this explains why he does not make a very good “villain.” His own mother doesn’t show her love to him until he’s put the villainy aside and made the effort to learn to love (and she admits she wasn’t as great of a parent as Gru has turned out to be). All in all, this is a fun show, worth sharing with your young kids.

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (2009)

Flint's Inventions
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs at MOVIECLIPS.com

Entertainment Rating: 5/5

This is one of the best animated comedies I’ve seen in a while. Pixar movies are great, but seldom have you laughing so hard you fall out of your seat (whether or not that’s a good thing is a topic for further discussion - see Doctrine and Covenants 88:69). The comedy is on par with Emperor’s New Groove: constant, intelligent wit. If you’re looking for something kids and adults can fully enjoy, this is it.

Moral Rating: 3/5

Two relationships are portrayed, from which we can learn something of value. The first is the father-son relationship. There is an obvious communication barrier between Flint and his dad. Flint doesn’t understand his dad’s fishing metaphors and his Dad doesn’t understand anything about technology. This communication breakdown causes quite a bit of strain in their familial relationship. By the end we see them both make efforts to communicate with each other out of a need to express their love.

Flint’s relationship with Sam isn’t terribly deep, though Flint does help her understand that it’s important to be who you are and there’s no reason to be ashamed of your intelligence. Otherwise it’s a rather standard, awkward boy/girl relationship that gets better once they each are able to express their feelings.

In addition to better understanding the importance of parent-child communication, kids may learn that eating too much of anything can make you sick.

Ponyo (2009)

Racing the Tsunami
Ponyo at MOVIECLIPS.com

Entertainment Rating: 3/5

I remembered hearing the name of this movie quite a bit around Oscar season and had a small desire to see what it was all about. However, I’ve never really watched any anime films and the premise to this one didn’t sound terribly intriguing: a fish wants to become human (pretty much based on H.C. Andersen’s Little Mermaid). Our kids enjoyed the movie and I almost did. The musical score for the film was excellent and the story did turn out to be interesting enough, but it didn’t really conclude anything. We were left with more questions than answers. (Voices by Tina Fey, Matt Damon, Liam Neeson, Betty White, Frankie Jonas, Cate Blanchett, Noah Cyrus)

Orson Scott Card gives examples of some of these unanswered questions:

What did the ocean's attack on the shore accomplish? How did a little boy's promise resolve the conflict between humans and the life of the sea? Who are the little fish-girl's parents and what are they trying to accomplish? What are the rules of the magic in this imagined universe?

Moral Rating: 3/5

Sosuke is able to love Ponyo whether she remains human or is turned back into a fish. Sosuke’s family relationship also provides us with some important insights. Their life is not very easy without a father at home; Lisa, Sosuke’s mother, needs her husband’s help and support with taking care of the house and Sosuke; and Sosuke needs a father around to give him a role model to look up to while he’s growing up. The scene with them communicating via light signals was a particularly touching one, very realistic.

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) sums up the moral messages in the movie quite concisely:

...the underlying moral messages, such as the repeated admonition to judge by substance rather than appearance and a deftly delivered warning against environmental carelessness, are universal.

Erin Brockovich

Entertainment Value

Rating: B

Good movie, but rather predictable (just like a lot of legal thrillers). It is a true story, so it's not like they could change it up or embellish it too much. There was no fancy lawyer battle in the courtroom. I'm not sure why it was Rated-R, it was plenty similar to John Grisham stories and could have been targeted to a broader audience without any excessive language or sexual content.

Moral Value - Failure to Communicate?

Rating: 2

The film comes off with a somewhat good message - that hard work pays off. But are we really supposed to applaud Erin for leaving her family for so long in the care of someone else? Sure people leave their kids at day cares plenty of times, but this made it seem as if she were virtually never home. She treated her boyfriend like a nanny, and yet at the end he was grinning ear to ear because of seeing the work he actually helped assist with. Her family should have been made top priority (very similar situation to Freedom Writers, where the teacher ends up getting a divorce because she spends more time with students than at home with her husband).

Toy Story 3 (2010)

Synopsis

Andy's toys must try to avoid being thrown out before he goes off too college. When they end up donated to a day care, they then are faced with even more troubles from the head toys there. Through all their adventures and trials, Andy's toys do everything to watch out for each other and stick together.

Entertainment Value

Rating: A

A lot of fun. As good or better than the other 2 movies. The music was good, especially the Gypsy King's rendition of "You've Got a Friend in Me", but was a little over done in some of the intense scenes (one of the scenes was intense enough, it didn't need any further help from the music).

Moral Value - Failure to Communicate?

Rating: 5

[Spoiler Alert]

Constantly throughout the movie the toys refer to each other as family. Though the toys weren't all related, they lived and worked together as a family should, and most importantly they never left anyone behind. Woody had the chance to move on with Andy and leave everyone else behind, but in the end, he just couldn't leave them.

When Andy's toys get to Sunnyside we see how leadership through fear (Lotso) makes life miserable for everyone and only really caters to the stronger and more selfish toys. Once Lotso was gone, the toys at the day care were able to work better together and be happier overall.

One of my favorite parts of the movie was seeing Andy give all his toys to a little girl down the street and watch him show her how special they were to him. I don't know that I ever had any special affinity for any of my toys growing up, but it kind of draws a comparison to familial love again and how important making good memories is for families.

Secondhand Lions

Synopsis

An irresponsible mother leaves her son with her two mysterious uncles with hopes that he will come across their supposed millions of dollars. While with his uncles, the boy learns the importance of belief and faith in things that the world generally scoffs at. In the end the boy must choose to continue the path his wayward mother leads him in or to stay and be raised by his uncles.

Entertainment Value - B

Great humor and fun story. Go out of your way to see this one at least once.

Moral Value - Failure to Communicate? - 4

The whole mother leaving her son bit was rather disappointing. Not that all stories need to be happy, and maybe the "dysfunctionality" of this family is actually a plug for families to stick together so their kids don't get stuck with crazy old uncles (though the story actually seemed to say that this situation was better, so maybe it's trying to encourage external family members to step up to the plate to help family members in need.)

Part of Hub's manhood speech speaks volumes:

"Sometimes the things that may or may not be true are the things a man needs to believe in the most. That people are basically good; that honor, courage, and virtue mean everything; that power and money, money and power mean nothing; that good always triumphs over evil; and I want you to remember this, that love... true love never dies. You remember that, boy. You remember that. Doesn't matter if it's true or not. You see, a man should believe in those things, because those are the things worth believing in."

The Fantastic Mr. Fox

Synopsis

Mr. Fox decides to step back into his old chicken-stealing shoes in order to give his family a "better" life. His ambition, greed, and dishonesty ends up affecting all of the creatures in the forest; he must figure out that his family is what is most important and not their lifestyle.

Entertainment Value - A

Great movie! Kids under 4 or 5 would enjoy it, kids any older may lose interest as a lot of the humor is mature (not offensive, I just think it's a humor that not even all old people would get). The soundtrack is stupendous. We found ourselves laughing quite a bit and I'm pretty sure this show will find it's way into our DVD collection.

Moral Value - Failure to Communicate? - 4

[Spoiler Alert]

The father-son relationship is very well setup. We're presented with a neglectful and selfish father at first, but as he sees how much his son wants to be like him, he softens up and gives his son a chance. As the story progresses you see an enormous change in the son when he realizes that his father really loves him. A father must give his children adequate attention, respect, and encouragement to help them with the trials they encounter.

We also see the danger of falling back into old, harmful habits. Dishonesty will never be the solution to any problem. We should be happy no matter our circumstances.