Crazy Stupid Love (2011) - M7.4/E9

Don’t be fooled by the trailer. If you enjoyed Date Night or Dan in Real Life, you’ll probably like CSL. The trailer made it seem like there would be a lot of sex and raunchy humor, and while there was plenty of implied sex and some coarse humor, it was totally in support of good relationships and striving to make marriages last and not giving up on your spouse (or the one you love). The only reason I pursued watching this was because of Orson Scott Card’s glowing review of the movie.

Cal and Emily’s relationship has reached a potential breaking point. Jacob helps Cal realize that one of the main reasons he “lost” Emily was because he lost his manhood. He had forgotten what was required to be a husband, a father, and ultimately a man. While this fact was very true at its roots, Jacob twisted it and suggested that the solution was to become a tomcat, like himself. Basically, that manhood is nothing more than knowing how to treat women as objects for your own gratification. Jacob’s character may seem very offensive to some, but it’s so obviously satirical, that you can’t take it at face value.

Cal follows Jacob’s advice and does end up reinvigorating his manhood, but knows that anything more than focusing on trying to win his wife’s affections again is unimportant. Amazingly Jacob ends up coming to the same conclusion, though through no searching on his own...it kind of just comes at him like a big, wet kiss. Jacob’s transformation, possibly because it’s so radical, is one of the most inspiring moments of the film. As he’s able to trust someone else with details about his own life, we see the wild tomcat tamed and domesticated.

The pining of the 13-year old for his 17-year old baby sitter was a well created, typical middle school crush (though a mere kiss at the end would have sufficed, those pictures should have been destroyed). I enjoyed how most of the truth and goodness in the movie came from the 13-year old and his faith that his parents would end up back together (and mostly that his father would do anything to get his soul-mate back.)

As mentioned before, there is a lot of coarse dialog and language and some scenes that weren’t necessary. That aside, this is easily one of the best films I’ve seen in the last year.

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?

Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954)

Entertainment Rating: 4 of 5

This musical had a fun story and great music. The two main actors did a great job, and you can’t go wrong with a classic.

Moral Rating: 4 of 5

It’s rather ridiculous for a man to go down from the country into town one day, get married, and move back out to the country, not expecting much to change except getting some home cooked meals and laundry done. It’s also a bit of a stretch that a girl thinks that a man can just whisk her away from all her troubles and that married life will be loads better than what she was dealing with.

This exaggeration makes it fun to see the compromises that come with being married. The selfishness we experience while being single (though not bad selfishness, but we don’t have to worry about others) needs to give in to selflessness in order for happiness to exist at home. Husband and wife have to learn to communicate their needs and expectations and at the same time have to be willing to listen to the others needs and concerns.

Even though one of our kids mentioned that it was a long movie only 20 minutes into it, I think the whole family enjoyed it.

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958)

Entertainment Rating: 5 of 5

With the recent passing of Elizabeth Taylor I thought I’d look for a movie with her in it on Netflix. I didn’t remember ever seeing anything with her in it before and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof was well praised and had garnered some awards at the Oscars in its day, so I thought I’d add it to our instant queue. The few plot summaries I read weren’t terribly interesting so I was a little hesitant to spend two hours of my time watching it. The hesitancy continued a little way into the film, but quickly dissipated as the story unfolded and the relationships between the characters became more intense. I’d have to say this is now one of the best movies I have ever seen. I’m not sure how close the film is to the Tennessee Williams play, but on its own this was one heck of a movie. You should go out of your way to see this, but expect to have to think pretty deeply.

Moral Rating: 5 of 5 - World Shaker

Don’t look at the names of the characters and judge the movie, just laugh and keep on reading. It really is a good show.

Big Daddy (Brick and Gooper’s father) has cancer and is not expected to live much longer. He’s got 28,000 acres of land as part of his legacy that he plans on passing on. Gooper’s wife, Mae, insists that they are the ones who deserve it since they’ve actually got kids (Brick and Maggie don’t have any yet), Gooper is a hard working man, and Brick is nothing but an irresponsible drunk and a has-been pro-football player.

Big Daddy really wants to leave his inheritance to his younger son, Brick, but can’t find any logical reason to. He then sets out to find out the truth behind Brick’s drinking and persists beyond Brick’s superficial initial response that he’s sick of all the lying and cheating (mendacity) in the world. Brick later reveals that he’s really disgusted with himself. Big Daddy feels that he’s done nothing but loved his family by giving them everything they ever needed or could want and they haven’t appreciated one ounce of it. Brick eventually helps his father realize that love is not made up of things. You can’t buy love. Love comes from memories made together, time spent together, and happiness and trials experienced together.

Big Daddy and Big Momma have been married for 40 years and they no longer seem to love each other. They put on a show as if they do (at least Momma does). Big Daddy says some pretty harsh words to her that break her heart, but Brick’s talk with him down in the cellar seem to make Big Daddy realize how much he really does love her.

The relationship between Brick and Maggie is on the breaking point and Brick doesn’t seem to want to do anything to make it better, except drink (which supposedly makes it better to him, since he can’t think straight about it.) Brick has recently lost a “good” friend who played football with him. Brick is seen with a lot of crutches (literal and figurative) that he’s been leaning on, but the one person he should have leaned on all along was his wife. He’s never appreciated her or loved her as he should and that’s part of the reason he feels so guilty and has taken to the bottle. Maggie’s undying love, support, and defense of her husband throughout the film helps Brick realize the type of person she is and that no matter what he’s done, she’ll be there for him - as long as he learns to trust her.

There are more intricacies in these and other relationships throughout the movie that I won’t spend time on here. Generally when when one of our reviews is longer than normal, it’s either because the movie was deplorable, or, in this case, amazing. Let me know what you think once you see it!

The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985)

Entertainment Rating: 4 of 5

This was a great recommendation from a movie buff friend of mine (whether he’s a movie-buff or buff friend, I’ll leave that to your imagination). Coincidentally, the rec came just before Netflix removed the film from its streaming library. While not a laugh-out-loud flick, it was fun and very well written and acted. The PG rating is accurate, some of the themes may be for a more mature audience. When you find yourself thinking that this is the type of movie you would want to see again before the movie is even over, that’s a good sign. Definitely check this one out, you can’t be disappointed.

Moral Rating: 4 of 5

[Spoiler Alert]

I was a little worried at first where the movie was going with the broken marriage relationship and how far they would show the couple violating their marriage vows. It was a little uncomfortable to see Cecilia pursue another man, but only because she is portrayed as a victim of a bad marriage relationship; while the fact that her husband was a cheat was easily accepted because her husband, Monk, was a jerk. This brings up an interesting thought: With Cecilia’s and Monk’s relationship as bad as it was (possibly unworkable), is it OK to leave the marriage?

The scene in the brothel was one of the best in the movie. Woody Allen (writer and director) did a great job humanizing the prostitutes through Tom’s perspective. This is particularly moving in the discussion between Tom and the prostitutes on the topic of giving birth and the important role women play in life. The prostitutes are flattered and offer him a free pass with them. This act could be dismissed as awful and immoral, but in reality these women are presenting something to Tom that is the only thing of worth that they think they have. In this scene Tom is first perceived to be totally naive with respect to the purpose of a brothel, but in the end we discover the prostitutes exhibit a deeper naivete than Tom’s because they didn’t understand what love really was - something that should be special between two committed (married) people.

More could be said in praise of this movie, but I’ll let you check it out take from it what you will.

The Young Victoria (2009)

Entertainment Rating: 4 of 5

The beginning of the movie was a bit confusing with it jumping from one moment in time to another and introducing different people left and right; as the movie progressed things made much more sense and we found it very enjoyable. If you enjoy movies like Pride and Prejudice there’s a good chance you’ll really enjoy this one. The film might be classified as a romance, but that definitely is just a small portion of the movie. It is really about Queen Victoria’s maturing from a child into an adult and learning how to balance her high position with being a wife.

Moral Rating: 5 of 5

There were a lot things we enjoyed about this movie, particularly because of its moral and educational value. The movie was mostly about Victoria’s maturing from a child to an adult and how she learned to take on her royal duties. She had to assimilate quickly to the life and responsibilities of a queen. At first she confused stubbornness with strength and used it to control her decisions by rebelling against those closest to her who tried to give her advice, fearing that they were using her as a pawn. Later, Victoria understood that being stubborn does not signify strength or wisdom, and her decisions needed purpose behind them so that the people could see that she ruled on sound principles, and not because she favored one person over another.

Through many mistakes and grievances Victoria learned who her friends really were. She was taken advantage of by the Prime Minister at first, because of her naivety; and due to her stubbornness it took a while for her to see it. Luckily the Prime Minister had a change of heart and realized his unrighteous influence and gave her some of the best advice regarding her duties as queen and wife.

Lord Wellington: My guidance has not always been faultless, and I am sorry for it. But I speak to you now truthfully.
Queen: I know
Lord Wellington: The prince [Albert, Queen's husband] is a good man, a better man than any of us knew. I know he does not think as well of me, but my vanity is not the issue here. He is able, he is clever, and he is faithful. Let him share your work.  [Up until this point the queen had a hard time letting anyone assist in her work.  She felt threatened that everyone was trying to take advantage of her and use her for their own selfish interests].

Lord Wellington then gives her one last task to help make the prince “feel truly welcome”: to get rid of the baroness who has served as somewhat of a nanny for the queen and had not treated the prince well; she was seen as somewhat of a threat to his rightful place as patriarch of his family. The queen takes the Prime Minister's advice (asked the baroness to leave) and had her husband’s desk moved in with hers, signifying to Prince Albert that she was going to accept the help that he had to offer, and would make the effort to overcome the confusion between her duties as queen and that of his wife.

Like any married couple, the film displayed some possible sources of contention between Albert and Victoria, but through them we see Albert’s good character, patience, and love for his wife, the queen.

Albert also exhibits a good work ethic and is not willing to just sit back and watch people do things for him. He had a great desire to change things (in his marriage, the palace, and the country) for the better.

This isn't a "knock-your-socks-off" film, but it is incredibly inspiring and well done.  It would be well worth your time to sit through and later reflect on the important lessons presented.

Last Night

Moviefone posted a review of the movie Last Night (still to be released) that is very telling of what the world is coming to (though I know it's not a surprise to many).  The article explains,

"It sounds like a derivative and typical tale of marital morality -- a couple doesn't talk to each other, and lazily lets things get to the point where they both want to cheat. But Tadjedin infuses such thoughtfulness and cleverness into the proceedings that Last Night begins to feel unique. She employs a myriad of techniques to tell the story and to have her characters interact – an action or seemingly irrelevant anecdote being just as important as a straightforward response or bit of exposition."

First of all, it's sad to hear this as being told as a "typical tale of marital morality."  The fact that it's a tale, doesn't imply that it's always true, but it makes it sound as if it's something that everyone encounters trouble with in their marriage.  I'm not going to deny that it's true that married couples battle with this conflict (as anyone can see by the number of tales in books, movies, TV, and even the scriptures).  But to display it in such a way makes it seem like it's not that bad and that it's OK to get "lazy" in your relationship because it happens to everyone.  Good, moral media should seek to inspire people to be better, not be content or complacent with a disintegrating relationship.

Further in the article,

"Best of all, Tadjedin shifts the activity from her characters to the viewer. While, yes, there are moments where each couple struggle with matters of fidelity, trust, and commitment, the film also becomes an exercise for how we see things as an audience. No path is clear cut, and just when you think you know how the film will play out, it goes in another direction. It's as carefree as life – not in a suspenseful way, but in a realistic one. Life is not a simple formula of A+B=C, and Tadjedin respects that principle."

Should life really be "carefree"?  Is this reality?  Agreed, "life is not a simple formula" but there are simple formulas for happiness and this representation is flat out lie.  Even if the film shows each partner in the marriage not go through with their "night of sin," the fact that they let it get so far and to tell the account in such a carefree way is simply despicable.

Leap Year (2010)

Entertainment Value

Rating: B

This was a fun romantic comedy, but nothing out of the ordinary. The ending was predictable, but had a little bit more of a twist, making it a bit more believable.

Moral Value - Failure to Communicate?

Rating: 3

[Spoiler Alert] - I thought I'd be courteous, even if the plot is rather predictable...

The love story here was very similar to that in The House of Flying Daggers: the woman who's been in a long relationship runs into a man who provides some greatly needed help; she ends up forgoing the long-term relationship for this new relationship that lasted 2 days, and is infinitely happier. Why are short romances portrayed as if they will make the girl happy for ever after (Disney princess movies come to mind - Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Little Mermaid, Princess and the Frog etc.)? I guess they only got engaged within a few days, but it sounds like they didn't waste anytime getting in bed together (no "wall of Jericho" the second time around).

Date Night (2010)

Entertainment Value

Rating: B

I was expecting more comedy than was supplied. There were definitely some nice surprises, but the funniest moments were revealed in the trailers. I was able to laugh at the joke before it even happened, knowing it was coming up. If you're looking for something funny, with a lot of "adult" (yet juvenile) humor, you might like this.

Moral Value - Failure to Communicate?

Rating: 3

The relationship between the Fosters was not a strained one, but it was definitely a tired one. We see them as being caught in the middle of life with nothing exciting ever happening, but they do manage to go out on a date fairly often (scheduled weekly). We see married friends of theirs struggling in their marriage and finding lame excuses for divorce - they saw themselves as great room mates and nothing more, so there was nothing left to be together for.

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.

You've Got Mail

Synopsis

This is the second remake of The Shop Around the Corner (at least that I'm aware of). A small bookstore owner, Kathleen Kelly, and a multimillion dollar discount bookstore chain owner, Joe Fox, are in love online (choosing to keep personal information unknown to each other), but enemies in the professional world. When, through email, they decide to meet, Joe discovers who his pen-pal is without her knowing. While Joe's first impulse is to throw in the towel and give up on her, he ultimately realizes that he had fallen in love with the person who wrote the emails to him, and that he needs to try and win Kathleen's affection, getting her to look past her prejudices and see him for who he really is.

Entertainment Value - A

This is my favorite version of this story and also one of my all time favorite films. Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks are perfect together in their roles. I love the soundtrack.

Moral Value - Failure to Communicate? - 4

At first sight, it might seem that displaying two relationships where neither couple is married but still live together can't be constructive. Similar to the play The Importance of Being Earnest where marriage is made light of and food is taken seriously, I think this is a commentary on the importance of marriage. We see both live-in relationships as unhappy, neither couple is in love with their significant other. As Joe and Kathleen's relationship matures (without any sexual encounters!), we see that the ultimate goal will be marriage. You don't see a marriage take place, but Joe mentions that had the issue of their professional differences not existed he would have asked her out..."for as long we both shall live", a direct reference to marriage.

Other elements that support this are that Joe's family is completely dysfunctional and is even mocked as being an "American family". Joe has a brother who is probably 30 years his junior and and an Aunt that isn't much older than his brother. Joe's father's fiancee (probably no older than Joe) hits on Joe and ends up running off with another woman, which is what his own father has done in his previous 2 or 3 relationships. These extreme relationships are exaggerated to emphasize the importance of a solid marriage between a man and a woman, the only union that can bring true happiness to the human family.

In addition to advocating marriage, the same message exists here as in it's two predecessors (Shop Around the Corner and In the Good Old Summer Time): you can't judge a book by it's cover. Judging too quickly can prevent good relationships from forming, and is ultimately breaking a commandment; Jesus commanded that we judge not unrighteous judgment.

Did You Hear About the Morgan's?

Synopsis

The Morgan's lead very busy lives. They are separated due to an illicit affair Paul Morgan had while away on a business trip. Though Paul is very repentant and wanting to give their marriage a second shot, Meryl is not too sure. After witnessing a murder, they are forced to become a part of a witness relocation program and must spend the first week together until separate living quarters can be worked out. Will Paul get the chance to prove to Meryl that he is honest? Or will they just be driven further apart? (You might get a hint if you remember the movie For Richer or Poorer.)

Entertainment Value - B

Great acting. I enjoy Hugh Grant, though some of his shows can be a little inappropriate (as are some of Sarah Jessica Parker's). Pretty good story line. Not sure why it got a PG-13 rating. There was some language and sexual intimacy (though all off screen and between husband and wife). My only guess is that they were trying to market it to an older crowd. You've Got Mail, Pride and Prejudice, Sleepless in Seattle, and many others all worked wonderfully with a simple PG rating.

Moral Value - Failure to Communicate? - 4

This was a great story of learning how to work through problems in marriage. Maybe the situations that caused their separation and frustrations were a little extreme (though maybe not as uncommon as I think). The fact that you need to expect everything from one another is very important in keeping you both (husband and wife) working towards sticking together.

[Spoiler Alert]

The moral credence of the film started to unravel when it's revealed that she cheated on him as well, especially when you find out that it was after Paul had already cheated on her. Up until that point you really believe she was hurt by his infidelity and had thought the world of him; but all that turns into a lie when you find out she was unfaithful too.. They both end up making the right decision and deciding to stick it out together and even adopt a child (their difficulty of having kids was one of the main causes of stress in their relationship, in addition to their extremely busy lives.)

Surrogates

Synopsis

In the future all humans have their own surrogate (think avatar) that can be controlled from the comfort of their own home and still allow them all the pleasures and business of the world around them. Until recently, the surrogates have also allowed a level of protection, keeping humans away from the dangers of the outside world. But a new weapon has been developed that can cause death to a surrogate operator with only access to the surrogate. Detective Tom Greer (Bruce Willis) is forced to venture out into the world without his surrogate to figure out what's going on.

Entertainment Value - B

A good sci-fi/action flick, reminiscent of I, Robot (even with James Cromwell playing the same role as inventor of these new robots/surrogates). I liked I, Robot better; it was definitely deeper and more action packed. Maybe this is Bruce Willis's beginning to tone down the action flicks he stars in.

Moral Value - Failure to Communicate? - 4

This film accurately depicted how constantly seeking thrills, and trying to escape reality, damages real-life relationships. It made me think a lot about David A. Bednar's CES fireside on May 3, 2009, entitled "Things as They Really Are." The following are excerpts that relate particularly well to the film:

If the adversary cannot entice us to misuse our physical bodies, then one of his most potent tactics is to beguile you and me as embodied spirits to disconnect gradually and physically from things as they really are. In essence, he encourages us to think and act as if we were in our premortal, unembodied state. And, if we let him, he can cunningly employ some aspects of modern technology to accomplish his purposes. Please be careful of becoming so immersed and engrossed in pixels, texting, ear buds, twittering, online social networking, and potentially addictive uses of media and the Internet that you fail to recognize the importance of your physical body and miss the richness of person‐to‐person communication. Beware of digital displays and data in many forms of computer‐mediated interaction that can displace the full range of physical capacity and experience....

I am raising a warning voice that we should not squander and damage authentic relationships by obsessing over contrived ones. 'Nearly 40% of men and 53% of women who play online games said their virtual friends were equal to or better than their real‐life friends, according to a survey of 30,000 gamers conducted by … a recent Ph.D. graduate from Stanford University. More than a quarter of gamers [who responded indicated that] the emotional highlight of the past week occurred in a computer world.

Sixth Sense, The

Synopsis

Dr. Malcolm Crowe feels obligated to help Cole Sears, a young boy, who has serious problems (very similar to a previous patient of his who Crowe failed to cure).  As Cole gradually begins trusting Dr. Crowe and opening up, we see both Dr.'s and patient's lives change for the better while each is able to help the other overcome their challenges.

Entertainment Value - A

Very good, suspenseful movie; perfect for a cold Halloween night (especially when the lights go out!).  Though probably mild by most people's standards of a scary movie, it was still a little disturbing thinking back on it, but overall I enjoyed it.

Moral Value - Failure to Communicate? - 4

The Sixth Sense did a great job showing the importance of communication and how it helps us overcome our fears, show love, and strengthen relationships.

[Spoiler Alert] When Malcolm helped Cole realize he needed to confront the dead people and find out what it was they wanted with him, Cole's fear disappeared and he was actually able to help the ghosts find rest.   Fears need to be faced; sometimes in the process of confronting our fears we find that they were not really all worth being scared about.

There are many ways that our failure to communicate causes problems.  Too many people gossip and complain about things they dislike others doing, but they do nothing to communicate these frustrations to the people that are causing the annoyances; they would rather live in their misery than muster up a little courage to help others come to terms with them.

Cole's mom had a very difficult time knowing how to love and help her son.  She was able to help a lot, but it wasn't enough.  Not until Cole opened up could she really help him.  We can't ever give up on trying to communicate with those we love, no matter how obstinate they may be.  Our trying shows that we do love them regardless of their unwillingness to reciprocate those emotions.

Communication strengthens marriages.  This is a bit of a stretch, considering Malcolm was dead, but he was able to come to terms with the confusion he had been feeling since his death.  He was able to tell his wife she was never number two and that he still loved her.  This act brought the movie to a close and really made me feel good about the overall message of the movie.

Julie and Julia

Synopsis

Two parallel stories about two people who love food.  Aspiring writer, Julie Powell, finds her life somewhat uneventful and decides to cook all 524 recipes in a Julia Child Cookbook in 365 days and blog about the experience.  Intertwined with Julie's story is Julia Child's own story of how she overcame the many obstacles that led to her cooking notoriety.

Entertainment Value - A

This was a fun story with a creative and witty script.  I found myself wondering how long the movie was going to be about two-thirds of the way through, only so much of a person's blogging life or cooking life can be made enjoyable.  I would also advise you to not watch this on an empty stomach, there are loads of delicious meals presented throughout the 2 hour show, making it that much harder to sit through.  Meryl Streep did an amazing job as Julia Child, and even Amy Adams played a very believable part as the blogger Julie.  I had a hard time buying into Julia's husband, played by Stanley Tucci; maybe because my only association with him is in the Terminal and Pelican Brief, but I really didn't like him in this role.

Moral Value - Failure to Communicate? - 3

One of the strong points of the movie was the way the husbands of the titular characters supported them through the trials and obstacles that faced them during their marriages.  All were very believable (no one was portrayed as perfect).  Due to the trials that did occur one can see the detrimental effect of letting goals get in the way of family relationships.  (Or by letting the comments from your blogging audience drive your whole existence when you are living with a real, live person who can really satisfy your needs).

One word could have been eliminated with no negative affect on the movie, and I would have enjoyed it a bit more.  This totally could have and should have been rated PG.  By toning down the implied husband/wife night-time rendezvous and the language and the film could have been much more charming.

Jeremiah Johnson

I really enjoyed this show.  Jeremiah Johnson (Redford) tries to run away from troubles in society (war, corruption, etc.) thinking he can find peace living on his own.  He runs into plenty of wild animals, savage Indians, and ravaged settlers, learning different lessons throughout his journey

After leaving, Jeremiah soon finds out that there is no running from troubles, life will always bring you challenges. As Jeremiah overcame these challenges he became wiser, and he learned to love people instead of being critical of them. He was pretty much forced into marriage, and was obligated to take in a boy whose family had been ravaged and killed by the Indians. These experiences helped Jeremiah see the good in people, and particularly the love and joy that comes with being a part of a family.

[Spoiler Alert] This movie didn't end on a very happy note. Jeremiah ended up going against his understanding of the Crow Indians to help the military rescue a town under threat of Indian attack. By doing so, he ended up losing his family. He spent the rest of his days fighting off Indian challengers and became a legend in their culture.

Up

Rating: 5

The first 15 mintues or so of the movie really draws you into the happiness the Frederickson's had in their lives despite the inability to fulfill their dreams of exploring South America. Their hardships are what really drew them close together in their marriage. Throughout the story you see Mr. Frederickson's continued love for his wife and how her love for him encourages him to love and serve others. Ellie's enduring love for Carl helps him gain the courage to befriend and help Russell and Kevin. These concepts are very applicable to any marriage. Once either partner in the marriage starts trying to figure out "what's in it for them," they lose their focus of loving and serving their spouse and children, putting the relationship at risk.

One of my favorite parts is when the old man is flipping through his wife's scrapbook and discovers that she had filled in the Paradise pages (saved for their dream vacation that they never got to do) with pictures of their life together. To her, life with him was her paradise. *Sigh*

There is a conflict between good and evil in the film, but the real conflict is within the old man. Learning to live with the passing of his wife and living his life to the fullest, not letting his time waste away is what continues to make him happy, even in the absense of his wife. We whole-heartedly encourage you to make an effort to see this if you haven't already.

Fireproof

Rating: 5

This was a great movie! Not well acted (for the most part) but a very powerful message on overcoming one's weaknesses, and looking past the weaknesses of your spouse to enable love to grow in that relationship.

The film starts off introducing a struggling marriage where both spouses are having problems overcoming their selfish desires. They are consistently pointing out how the other is always doing things that prevents them doing what they want/need to do or not showing enough respect. Everything is the other person's fault. We are shown the damage that comes from addiction to pornography, associating one on one with the opposite sex in inappropriate ways, not sharing the same financial goals, and a number of other issues that are commonly at the crux of rocky marriages.

Caleb takes the first big step in trying to save their marriage. At the point where both of them are considering divorce, they each go to their friends for support. When Catherine approached her friends with her marriage problems, they were overly sympathetic. Their words verified Catherine's false image of being a victim and encouraged more negative thoughts and feelings towards Caleb. Her friends surely had good intentions, but led her away from any accountability for her own actions. Caleb on the other hand, found better support in his friend who encouraged him to get help to fix the problems and better the marriage instead of running away from it. On top of that, his parents (especially his dad) gave him specific challenges and ideas to help him change and give him a desire to make things better. The best thing about the father’s advice is that it led to Christ. This also provides a very good example of how much we can be affected by those with whom we surround ourselves.

As Caleb began following his Father's advice, it took a long time for his actions to be visible to Catherine as being purely selfless. Even though the actions themselves were 100% good, Caleb's motives were probably not as pure. But with each act of kindness and selflessness his heart was softened and his actions become more and more genuine until his wife couldn't deny his humility, love, and real desire to change. It was his own fault that his wife took so long to trust him, but at the same time, if she had been working towards staying together instead of moving further away, she would have seen his intentions a lot earlier. Open, honest, and frequent communication is necessary to keep your marriage going and to see what's going on in the other person's life. At the same time we need to learn to not get offended so easily and to always assume the best of the other person. By doing so, the love we display is more Christ-like and the marriage is strengthened.

The turning point for Caleb came when he was so frustrated that all his attempts to give service and show love for Catherine were denied, disregarded, and blatantly ignored. He asked the question, “How can I love someone who rewards my good deeds by spitting in my face?” (something like that). And then it hit him as he saw a cross. He was reminded that that was exactly what happened to Christ. He realized that Christ had given His life for him and he was spitting back in His face (he didn’t want anything to do with religion). And yet Christ still loved him anyway. His attitude began to change as he began to better understand and improve his relationship with Christ. When he truly felt the love of Christ in his heart, his heart changed and he began to truly feel love for his wife, even with all her problems and insults. There was a drastic difference in the deeds he did from then on (meaning he did them with real intent and out of pure love) and instead of anger and frustration at her blatant disregard, he was sorrowful and genuinely hurt.

In any problem we are facing, if we can come to Christ and try to better understand His love for us and His sacrifice, we will then be better able to deal with whatever comes our way. The more we improve our relationship with Christ and have His love within us, the more perfectly we will be able to love others unconditionally.

Runaway Bride

Rating: 4 

This was a fun story.   As far as I know, it seemed to be pretty unique compared to some other romantic comedies ("chick flicks").  Fairly early in the movie it's pretty clear who's going to end up with who in the end, but it's not so predictable each step of the way.  The film also had an all right message that streamed throughout the whole movie.

Ike Graham really finds out who the real Maggie Carpenter is, and helps her realize her true identity.  For so long Maggie had tried to please everyone else and never really ended up in a situation that she felt she could enjoy for the duration of marriage.  Ike helped her find out who she really was and the importance of living one version of yourself.  It's when she really does find out (which eggs she likes) that she can really say that it was her choice to get married to Ike.

Our Stake Young Men's presidency has emphasized the importance of living one version of yourself.  You shouldn't be a different person at church, at school, at work, or anywhere else or with anyone else.  By trying to be so many people or trying to please so many different people, you'll lose your own identity and not be able to stand up for what matters, you will have no standards or identity to fall back on when you find yourself in potentially compromising situations.

Field of Dreams

Rating: 5

"If you build it, he will come."   "Ease his pain."  "Go the distance."  This is a great story about faith and forgiveness.  So man times the Lord will ask us to do something and not tell us why we need to do it.  If we fail to act on those promptings, no matter how insignificant they may seem, we will lose many blessings. 

Though this was a very fictitious setting that could never possibly occur, the elements of truth could not be more real.  Ray did some of the most bizarre things at the cost of almost losing his farm.  He was very blessed to have the support of his family, without which he surely would not have been strong enough to follow through with his task.  This is in stark contrast to the spouse interaction in "Evan Almighty."  Evan's wife showed little trust in her husband at the onset of his strange behavior and Evan himself could not share the truth with his wife.  Where's the unconditional love and trust?  I was super-impressed with the husband and wife relationship in "Field of Dreams."  Though perhaps a bit skeptical, the wife trusted her husband and even encouraged him.  The husband, though barely believing it himself, unhesitantly shared his experiences with his wife.  That's how a marriage relationship should be.  

All the oddities start to come together the last 5 minutes of the movie (mild spoiler alert...).  You see how simple it can really be to ask forgiveness, once you've humbled yourself sufficiently.  The humbling aspect of forgiveness helps us to increase our love and appreciation for the atonement of Jesus Christ and makes it easier for us to love those around us.