A Man For All Seasons (1966)

Entertainment Rating: 4 of 5

It seemed that this film probably used the same script the play used, so the movie wasn’t terribly visually engaging, but the dialog was intense. I wasn’t even aware of this film (unless it’s one that I fell asleep watching for English extra credit in high school) until I read Orson Scott Card’s list of favorite movies, and this one was number one. While A Man For All Seasons still isn’t better than On the Waterfront (still my favorite), it is pretty darn good.

Moral Rating: 5 of 5

The story is supposedly a little one-sided when it comes to historical accuracy (portraying Thomas as a saint, and not displaying any of his negative attributes); even so, I think we can learn a lot by focusing on the positive and not be distracted or discouraged by any negative truths that might make the history more accurate.  By trying to live our lives according to a pattern of perfection we can expect to become closer to perfect than if we attempt to live according to a skewed pattern of “less-than-perfect” truths. (For more on patterns of perfection check out this address.)  The same goes with only showing the virtues of somebody, instead of revealing his faults as well.  In some instances the faults make the person/hero more human, more able to relate to, while without faults or weaknesses the hero doesn't seem to be one of us or someone who we could ever dream of becoming like unto.  Only focusing on positive traits is good.

I don’t know that I can adequately summarize the plethora of moral messages presented in the film. The primary one expresses the importance of having standards and not bending them for anything or anyone, no matter the cost.  One of my favorite scenes occurs after Richard Rich leaves the presence of Thomas, his wife, daughter and son-in-law after the King’s “surprise” visit.  Roper, Thomas’s son-in-law, asks if Thomas is not going to prevent Richard from leaving back to the scheming Cromwell.  Rich could very easily cause a lot of trouble for More's family, but More doesn't have any proof that that is what will happen and so he can't really be detained legally.  Roper compares letting Rich go to letting the Devil go, and mocks Thomas’s defense of doing so because of the “law” (emphasizing the fact that there is no evidence for which to detain Rich). The following dialog ensues:

William Roper: [addressing Thomas] So, now you give the Devil the benefit of law!
Sir Thomas More: Yes! What would you do? Cut a great road through the law to get after the Devil?
William Roper: Yes, I'd cut down every law in England to do that!
Sir Thomas More: Oh? And when the last law was down, and the Devil turned 'round on you, where would you hide, Roper, the laws all being flat? This country is planted thick with laws, from coast to coast, Man's laws, not God's! And if you cut them down, and you're just the man to do it, do you really think you could stand upright in the winds that would blow then? Yes, I'd give the Devil benefit of law, for my own safety's sake!

Another remarkable scene occurs earlier in the film when More tries to convince Rich (when More still had some influence over him) to become a teacher, worrying about his potential to be corrupted if he pursued a position with the State:

Sir Thomas More: Why not be a teacher? You'd be a fine teacher; perhaps a great one.
Richard Rich: If I was, who would know it?
Sir Thomas More: You; your pupils; your friends; God. Not a bad public, that.

Later, Thomas is approached by Norfolk, a close “friend”, who sincerely wishes Thomas to give in and accept the King’s marriage as lawful. Everyone in England has been required to sign a statement saying they support the King in his marriage or else be thrown in prison. Norfolk tries to appeal to a non-existent desire in Thomas to be accompanied by “friends” in tough situations.

Norfolk: Oh, confound all this.... I'm not a scholar, as Master Cromwell never tires of pointing out, and frankly I don't know whether the marriage was lawful or not. But damn it, Thomas, look at those names.... You know those men! Can't you do what I did, and come with us, for fellowship?
More: And when we stand before God, and you are sent to Paradise for doing according to your conscience, and I am damned for not doing according to mine, will you come with me, for fellowship?

I could go on with plenty more scenes I enjoyed, but you'll just have to take my word for it and treat yourself to an educational and enlightening movie.  Your local library should have a copy of it, or you can check Netflix.

No Country For Old Men (2007)

Entertainment Rating: C

This was an intriguing, but hard to enjoy movie. We watched a recording off of broadcast television (our only film source other than the library or an occasional RedBox) and even edited I wouldn't recommend this to anyone. Yet at the same time it presented some very interesting thoughts and dialog between me and my wife.

Moral Rating: 2

The violence in this movie is surely what made it R, but was really the crux of the whole movie, so it would be hard to take it out completely or even mostly out and still have a coherent/impactful story. Some of the strong themes that were presented dealt with nihilism, destiny, and agency.

The entire film was nihilistic (as are most Coen brother films). The opening line was rather haunting and hopeless. The single reference to God portrays Him as distant and unkind:

"always figured when I got older, God would sorta come inta my life somehow. And he didn't. I don't blame him. If I was him I would have the same opinion of me that he does."

Atrocious events were talked about as if they were everyday occurrences. Chighur was a god-like figure in that when he said something, he'd do it (executing justice as written by his own law) and only occasionally give people a weak chance to change their "destiny".

[Spoiler Alert]

Lewellyn's choices basically led to his and his wife's death. He was completely aware of what he had to do to prevent that (some faith would have to be exercised), but the 2 million dollars was just too much to let go of. Greed was another element in the film. The ironic part is that Lewellyn actually had some compassion on the Mexicans and it ended up being the Mexicans who killed him, not Chighur.

Slumdog Millionaire

Entertainment Value

Rating: A

Amazingly well-done movie. The cinematography was beautiful, the music was awesome, and the story was cool (even if some people complain of it being a bit gimmicky). I wasn't sure how "Who wants to be a millionaire?" and a love story would be all that compelling of a movie, but being set in India makes all the difference. If you can get a hold of someone with an edited version, this is a great film, otherwise it's probably on the milder end of R-Rated movies.

Moral Value - Failure to Communicate?

Rating: 4

There was a strong message of destiny throughout the film (there is a difference between destiny and fate). The brothers, Salim and Jamal, both grew up in the same environment and suffered the same hardships, but each chose to take a different route. They both were little con-men up to a certain point, but Jamal chose to change and became 100% honest in all that he did. His honesty didn't make his life any easier, but in the long run we see that his honesty enabled him to be one of the happiest characters in the story (the 20 million rupees probably didn't have anything to do with it).

The Departed

Synopsis

Two men who share similar backgrounds pursue very different courses in their lives. One (Leonardo DiCaprio) goes under cover and joins the Irish Mafia, unbeknownst to the rest of the police force. The other (Matt Damon), a member of the mafia, joins the police force and plays the good cop while helping the Mafia (whose leader is played by Jack Nicholson) get away with their illegal actions. Things start to get interesting when both cops realize there's a mole in the other's operations.

Entertainment Value - A

Very intense and violent.  I did watch the TV version and liked it, though I don't know that I'd care if I saw it again.  The performances were great, though you can't expect any less from the cast of actors.

Moral Value - Failure to Communicate? - 2

[Spoiler Alert]

The story presents you with an unconventional good versus evil scenario; the roles of each seem really twisted.  You have a good cop (DiCaprio) undercover with the bad guys, and a bad cop (Damon) undercover with the good guys.  Of course you root for the good cop all the way through the show, hoping he gets out of the crazy situation he's in; but when the end came I wound up feeling rather empty when the good guy gets killed by the bad cop and the bad cop gets exonerated.  The only restitution that occurs is that the bad cop ends up getting what's coming to him because the good cop made sure to cover his bases and had other good cops informed of what was going on.

The main moral dilemma I saw was whether or not the bad cop was really bad enough to do whatever it took to keep his name clean, even if it meant killing someone else, or if he might actually do something right and help the good cop out (even though it might mean his own skin if the mafia found out).

Once the good guy was killed off I found myself thinking that if the movie ends like this (the good guy dies after spending the entire movie fighting to stay alive) the movie is morally bad.  But why?  Does whether the good side wins or loses really make a movie good or bad?  What does it mean to accurately portray evil and to not advocate it?  And if evil exists and triumphs, are there enough other messages that promote the Good, making it so that the whole movie isn't evil?

Take for instance the movie Chicago (to be reviewed soon), the only good guy in the movie gets trampled on and spit upon (figuratively) and we see two murderesses found not guilty and leading a life of fame and fortune at the end.  Good did not "win" in this film, but it's quite clear that the the director/screenwriter was not advocating evil in any way, he was mocking society's shallowness and false sense of what's most important in life.  We, in no way felt bad, after watching it.  Some may think that the word "feel" is rather ambiguous, but I think we can all feel when something is good or bad.  (If we can't, then it's probably time for some re-evaluating of who you are and if you stand for anything.)

Wahlberg's (the ex-cop that the good cop informed before he died) killing the bad cop at the end is understandable (he knew the crimes the bad cop had committed and was very much emotionally tied to the cop that died) but not morally acceptable.  Was he any worse than Batman?  His actions were purely out of revenge and not in accordance with the law.  With all the evidence against the bad cop, he could have easily been taken care of through the judicial process.  As mentioned in the review of the movie Gladiator, even when the righteous Maximus executes Commodus, he does so in a public arena; on a more minor level, even the Karate kid took his battle to an official arena.  Is it ever OK to take justice into your own hands (excluding self-defense)?

Gladiator

Synopsis

Maximus, general of the Roman army, declines to serve the new Emperor and ends up a slave/gladiator fighting for his life and for the entertainment of others.  When he is brought to Rome and fights before the new Caesar he eventually realizes his power, even as a slave, to turn the people against the evil emperor.

Entertainment Value

The movie was pretty violent, but the story is a lot deeper than the cool fight scenes.  A very tense plot unravels as we see the good emperor overthrown by his evil son along with the possible passing of the crown to the worthy general of the Roman armies.  I highly recommend this if it comes out on TV, or you happen to have a way to edit the grisly R version.

Moral Value - Failure to communicate?

[Spoiler Alert]

In the beginning, when offered the empire, Maximus declined the honors of becoming Caesar because his first priority was returning to his simple life with his family. There's a good chance he would have accepted the offer if things hadn't gone the way they did.  Maximus realized the reason that the dying emperor chose him was because of his adherence to dignity and virtue - the only one who could combat the corruption that existed in the Senate.

Maximus is a man of very high morals and trades them in for nothing; he loves his country and will do anything to help keep his fellow countrymen free.  Similar to Karate Kid, though Maximus's foe was much more evil, Maximus was able to challenge his enemy in an "official" or accepted arena, showing that there are appropriate ways to conquer the enemy, even to the death.

The loneliness Commodus brought on himself because of his ambition and treachery is very well portrayed.

All Quiet on the Western Front (1930)

This movie could be summed up quite well in one statement: "War is Hell".  I haven't seen too many anti-war films, and though I believe war is necessary in some instances (almost never in provoking, but primarily in defending) this film did a very good job of portraying the terrors of war.  Having never been in the military, I can't imagine how terrifying and desensitizing it can be on the war front, but can relate to the false concepts of power that seem to spread amongst those not directly involved.

The movie is set in Germany during WWI.  When Paul, a young German soldier, is allowed leave to visit his family he visits with his father and some of his father's friends who seem to have the war all worked out to be won by Germany.  They assumed that everyone fighting had a deep passion for the success of Germany and desire to dominate its enemies.  The reality was that a lot of the young kids that got fired up about the war really had no clue what they were fighting for or who they were fighting against and ended up regretting even being there.  They even began to see their enemies as human beings, not just political rivals.

One of the things I gleaned from the film is that we can't afford to be afraid of the truth.  We need to be willing to search out and listen to the whole truth from the mouth of those who have first-hand experience.  For instance, there are positive first-hand stories from the U.S. presence in Iraq and other places in the middle east that the mainstream media tends to ignore and instead panders to the political left by publishing nothing but horror stories of the over seas wars we are waging distorting the truth.

I also appreciated the depiction of the need for God in such dire circumstances.  Faith in God is what can ultimately bring us out of the darkest trenches of our lives and give us hope in Christ and courage to live righteously in this immoral and amoral world.

Braveheart

Rating: 4

William Wallace is a great example of what one needs to do to stand up against evil. Through his character we learn that we can never afford to compromise with evil. If Wallace were to have permitted the Scottish leaders to negotiate with England, the Scots would have still been subject to England and all the wrongs England had imposed on them would have no doubt continued. This situation is very similar to Gandhi's, in the movie of the same name, where he too knew that by giving in you give up. If we don't stand up for what is right, we will always fall short of understanding what true freedom is. Even when it seemed that the Scots' plight was futile, they were more free on the battle field than they would have been sitting at home, enduring their enemies.

An excellent illustration of how subtly evil can work is shown in the conflict between the Bruce and his son. The father's evil influence clouded the son's desire and ability to do what was right. The son was naïve too long before he realized the damage he caused by maintaining his allegiance to his father. This poses a complicated moral dilemma, to what extent should one honor their father? What if the father is abusive, or constantly drunk, or leaves the family?

It was inspiring to see how much Wallace loved his wife (not just before their marriage, but even after her death). He showed his love to her with the desire to start their relationship off right by getting married (though this could be seen as careless or selfish by putting their lives in more danger).

[Spoiler alert] Some of the more questionable elements of the film are the intense and graphic violence (somewhat filtered in the TV version) and that, though resolute in avenging his murdered love, Wallace's character weakens in his committing adultery with the princess. I do understand that this was based on a true story and certain aspects of the story couldn't be changed. This being the case, the story is inevitably not entirely moral, but there are still many great moral truths displayed.

Gandhi

Rating: 5 

We watched this movie a while ago and fortunately took notes during and right after viewing it.  This was a great movie!  Though many of Gandhi's teachings and beliefs were good, I'm not sure I agree 100% with everything, but I'll let you decide where you stand.  Plenty of lessons worth remembering were taught, and we hope this list will give you insight into a small portion of the good this movie presents.

• Love and truth will always prevail
  
• Noncooperation with evil is necessary
• Gandhi fasted until noncooperation with Great Britain stopped.  Gandhi realized the people weren't ready to live this "higher law", they weren't motivated by the right desires (sounds strangely familiar to multiple stories from scriptures)
• No compromise, disgust for alien powers - alien powers don't know who they rule, they don't understand the culture or way of life.
• Gandhi understood that to lead the people he had to understand what they did and how they lived, so he renounced the status his schooling brought him and became one of the people.
• "I've traveled so far and I ended up back home." (It only matters what you become)
• Gandhi was willing to stand up for what's right, was never worried about what others think
• "All battles ought to be fought in our own hearts."
• "Tyrants and murderers at times seem invincible, but in the end they always fall."
• The Indians had to love Gandhi for his fasting to death to mean anything.

This is a long movie (about 3 hours), but I'd recommend it to anyone who hasn't seen it.

Ben-Hur

Rating: 5 

This is a classic, must-see movie.  It is definitely a faith promoting film.  The story is set in the Middle East during the life of Jesus Christ, in fact Christ and Judah Ben-Hur are about the same age.  Even though Judah doesn't personally know Christ, it is inspiring to see how Christ touches and inspires his life.  Judah shows faith at different stages of his journey and is blessed in each instance.  It's a story of familial love, the poison of anger and revenge, and faith in Jesus Christ.

One of the strongest lessons presented in the movie is that just because we are doing what's right or standing up for what is right does not mean that we will be rewarded.  However much evil happens to us for choosing the right, God will be with us every step of the way offering us life sustaining water and ultimately eternal life if we stay the course.

Chariots of Fire

Rating: 5

I (Luke) was really excited to see this movie after hearing that it dealt with a man standing up for his belief and desire to keep the Sabbath day holy. I was then put a little skeptical when others mentioned this movie scared them away because of the slow motion running and an over-played theme song.

I (Carr) have always wanted to see this movie and perhaps I have seen it, or at least parts of it, but I don't remember it.  With my family background of running and our stand on Sunday athletic events, it was a well-known reference to us.  It was good to finally watch it from beginnning to end.  It made me a bit nostalgic for the days when I would dream of the Olympics in spite of my stance on the sabbath day. 

The movie wasn't ever slow going, it had two very interesting stories weaved together about tow young men who went after their dreams and acheived them. One man was blessed with a God given talent to run, the other had to work considerably hard. Both had to make certain sacrifices to achieve their goals, but they never sacrificed their beliefs.

I felt very motivated after this movie to make a better stand for what I believe in, to not be afraid to explain to people why I do or don't do things a certain way. The results of this integrity were very realistic. God will open up doors for those who keep Him first in their lives, he will bless them and prosper them.  (But not necessarily the doors we think we want open...he could have not been able to run at all, but he surely would have been blessed in other ways because of his sacrifice).

• Good lesson on standing by your morals, even when powerful people (royalty) press you to break what you stand for, you earn a lot more respect by not giving in
• Different motives for both runners, yet both achieved success
• Natural gift versus something someone has to work for, both instances valued what they had/earned

On the Waterfront

Rating: 5, World-shaker

This movie is a world-shaker.  It is very inspiring and really makes me want to stand up to the Jonny Friendly's of the world.  The internal struggle with Terry Malloy and how his conscience weighs on him to do what's right is very inspiring.

The movie realistically shows the difficulty of changing your philosophy on life and how crucial role models are, especially those of family.  The film showed how much Terry loved his brother Charly (and vice-a-versa).  This is particularly evident in the famous "I coulda been a contender, I coulda been somebody..." scene.  When Charly got killed the contrast of this brotherly love and the supposed "family" bond of the union bosses clearly teaches the important influence (for good or bad) family members can have on each other.

Another important message is the pastor's humility and his realization of the need to stand up and practice what is preached.

Terry's choice to be a "canary" lets him see who his real friends are.

I felt disgusted as the longshoremen just looked on and didn't seem to care when Terry took on Johnny and his cronies.  Maybe the longshoremen weren't supposed to get into it, but they sure did out number them, they cared more about their jobs under corrupt union bosses (their lives could have been at stake, but when they out number them what could they do?) than breaking free and standing up for what's right.  If you've never seen this, make it a point to do so and tell us what you think.

Casablanca

Rating: 5

Luke

I had forgotten why this is considered one of the best movies of all time. I remembered that it was a romance with a lot of famous lines ("Here's looking at you kid" or "We'll always have Paris" or "Play it again Sam", though the latter was never actually said) and I was anxious to introduce it to Carr. I was very pleased to be reminded that this is another one of those movies like Guys and Dolls that teaches a wonderful moral lesson in a very entertaining way.

Even though the love affair (and we learn from these older classics that "affair" doesn't always mean that someone has comitted adultery/fornication) was purely honest and in no way deceitful, Humphrey Bogart knows what his morals are and sticks to them. Even though Bogart's life has been torn apart by Ingrid Bergman's unexplained withdrawal from his life, Bergman's desire to return to him causes his love to be rekindled and we see that it is a pure love, one that permits him to act in the best interest of both her and him.

Carr

The hard part is that both guys are good guys. Nowadays the scenario would be that the husband is some evil guy and thus not only make it "ok" for something immoral, but have the audience rooting for it. It's so nice to see the good moral decisions being made and shown as the right choices. However, as in "Guys and Dolls," it is interesting that it is the man who has the courage to do what's right and the woman is shown as too weak to make such a decision on her own. It'd be nice to see the girl stand up on her own two feet for once!

You Can't Take it With You

Luke
Rating: 5, World-shaker

This was an excellent movie! My parents told us how much they enjoyed it and that sparked our interests. It's a Frank Capra film, so I expected it to be as good as his other films (It's a Wonderful Life, Meet John Doe, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, etc.). It was better! Maybe only because this was the first time I've seen it and I've seen all the others a dozen times, but it is definitely a world-shaker in my books.

The film displays the importance that family and friends are over one's career. It stresses that money can never buy happiness, and that happiness comes from doing what you enjoy. We should be happy with what we're doing, if we're not, something needs to change (unless you're an odd ball that likes being unhappy).

The importance of strong familial relationships (particularly father/son) is depicted. We see how humility can help strengthen or reforge those bonds if they've been damaged by pride and selfishness.

There was a bit of a similarity to The Bucket List when Mr. Kirby's ruthlessness to his customers ended him up in jail (Nicholson's character was similarly ruthless and he ended up, though coincidentally, a patient in his own poorly accommodating hospital.)

I'm not sure what the whole IRS situation had to do with anything, if anyone has any insights, I welcome them...

I was waiting for several moments in the film to turn "corny" or laughable, but every scene was genuinely entertaining and endearing. You'll miss out on a lot if you pass this one by.

Carr

Rating: 5, World Shaker

Wow! This movie was absolutely amazing! It is now my all-time, number one, favorite movie ever! Not only does it have an uplifting and valuable message, but it achieves it through good, clean humor. My favorite character is the grandpa who could seem a little bit crazy at first, but proves to be the most sane person of them all. While kind and good to everyone, he proves his humanness when he breaks down and chews out the selfish and greedy Mr. Kirby. Instead of being inhumanly patient, he gives the man what he really deserves: a severe chastisement. (Who doesn't need a good lecture now and again?) Not without apologizing after, of course. It was this tongue lashing that made a difference in Mr. Kirby's life. MILD SPOILER: Of all the names he was called, the one that really gets to him is that he was a bad father. Of all the rotten things he had done, hurting his son was what hurt him the most.

The son (Tony Kirby) is also a great character because he is not interested in making money and being high up in the business world. He respects his father (Mr. Kirby) and desires to please him, but luckily his heart is still young and pure. In him we can see hope for the father, perhaps that he was once young and innocent before his corruption set in. The son falls in love with the daughter of a carefree family who always does just exactly as they please. Since Tony is from a rich family, the girl (Alice) is naturally nervous and knows that she will not easily please his family, particularly since her family can be a bit peculiar. She wants to put on a show to really impress his parents, but Tony just wants his parents to know the girl that he loves, all appearances aside. He could care less that they are somewhat strange or poor, he enjoys their company and he loves her. It makes him kind of a hero. Except that it is this honest desire that creates major problems...but there wouldn't be a movie without the problems, right? :)

It has several valuable messages, but basically it's what the title says. You can spend your whole life trying to make money and it won't make much difference in the end because when you die, you can't take it with you. But even more than that, each day of our life is important and having good friends makes us rich, no matter how poor we are materially. We should spend our time building lasting relationships through kindness, service, and humor instead of cutting people down on our climb to the top. This movie makes the point that life is to be enjoyed. Why go to work every day at a job you don't really like? Find something that makes you want to get up in the morning and brings a smile to your face. Most importantly it emphasizes the importance of family. When consumed by greed and a desire to be number one in the corporate world, family relationships can suffer. In the end, what's more important? What can you take with you when you die?

I love that the movie ends up well, but by taking a different path than expected. It keeps it unpredictable. I recommend it to everyone of all ages. It's totally clean and fabulous; no filter needed. It will definitely be a family classic in our home!