The Hunger Games (2012) - M6.0/E7

I had been wanting to read the book, and had even checked out the audio book from the library, but it ended up being badly scratched about 20 minutes into the book, and I never got a chance to give it another go; and now, having seen it, I probably won't be reading it. I dislike it when good movies are made about good books. Reading one or watching the other will always make it less desirable to watch or read it after having done the other.

I really enjoyed the movie. It was suspenseful, had decent character development, and the choices the characters made and the situations the characters were placed in were realistic (serious injuries actually hurt and debilitated the victims instead of being played off as "merely flesh wounds").

One particularly interesting and thought provoking part of the movie was a short dialog on how hope was the reason that the orchestrators of the Hunger Games needed to produce a winner. Basically, a very small amount of hope was necessary to keep the people in the various districts in submission; no hope or abounding hope would give cause for rebellion. The irony in this thought is that hope can only be diminished or controlled if the people submit to fear. So, weak people would be affected by imposed fear, but the strong ones (the ones that need watching) will let their hope drown out their fears.

We also see Katniss and a few other competitors as compassionate human beings, while other competitors were more selfish and animal-like in their quest for survival. Even though the selfish group banded together and hunted the others, in the end it was the more compassionate competitors that won. While not always the case in real life, where compassion doesn't always win, it does show that compassion brings happiness, while selfishness brings sadness and destruction.

There is quite a bit of violence, some language, and little to no sex/nudity. Being how violence is one of the main themes of the movie, they do an excellent job of filming violent scenes without overwhelming the audience with blood and gore (which would have resulted in a more severe MPAA rating). There are some instances where the filming could cause some strain on eyes (particularly when there should be no extraneous camera motion).

Ironman 2 (2010)

Entertainment Rating: 3 of 5

I came into the film knowing it was poorly received by the critics, and ended up enjoying it. Nothing deep here. I agree that the first Iron Man was much better. It’s worth the watch on Netflix if you haven’t seen it and care anything for the story.

Moral Rating: 2 of 5

Tony Stark realizes that he’s about to die and start’s realizing what matters most in his life. This is nice due to the fact that his escapades with women are pretty much non-existent (not really a priority on one’s death bed). He actually shows genuine interest in Pepper at the end, and it seems that there is something of value inside Tony Stark. Besides the not-so-great overall story, the realistic weakness affecting Stark makes the story a little more endearing.

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.

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.

Scarface (1983)

Entertainment Rating: C

For some reason I had no idea what this movie was about. I thought it was a traditional Chicago-style gangster movie, but it was totally different. I had only heard about how widely acclaimed it supposedly was and put it down on my to-watch list. Maybe, according to others, I missed the overall effect of it by watching the TV-edited version, but I tend to think I would actually deplore it after watching the original. I also learned, that it was never highly acclaimed, at least by Hollywood or major critics, it’s mainly it’s fan base that gave it its popularity, very similar to Fight Club’s circumstance.

How a movie like this and Frost/Nixon or Once can fall in the same MPAA rating is beyond me.

Moral Rating: 1

The one quasi-existant message that this story depicts is that all the money and power in the world will not bring you happiness and that doing/selling drugs will bring you down. Tony Montana even comments on the seemingly pointlessness of his life to his friend and partner, Manny, while eating at a restaurant:

“Is this it? That's what it's all about, Manny? Eating, drinking...? Snorting? Then what? You're 50. You got a bag for a belly. ... You got a liver, they got spots on it, and you're eating this [junk], looking like these rich…mummies in here.”

This next quote (same scene) is very reminiscent of Fight Club where Tyler interrogates Raymond K. Hessel and we see that there is greater freedom in knowing who you are and where you are going (though Tony didn’t have much of a realistic plan for where he was going, and in this regard he lied to himself - another connection to Fight Club):

“Tony: What you lookin' at? You all a bunch of [snobs]. You know why? You don't have the guts to be what you wanna be? You need people like me. You need people like me so you can point your [fat] fingers and say, "That's the bad guy." So... what that make you? Good? You're not good. You just know how to hide, how to lie. Me, I don't have that problem. Me, I always tell the truth. Even when I lie. So say good night to the bad guy! Come on. The last time you gonna see a bad guy like this again, let me tell you. Come on. Make way for the bad guy. There's a bad guy comin' through! Better get outta his way!”

If you’re tempted to watch it to see what all the fuss is about, stick with an edited version, but don’t go out of your way for this one. After doing a little research on the film and when it came out, it seems to have sparked nothing but evil (though there’s no scientific evidence for causation) - gangsta rap and all the street violence it glorifies. Ken Tucker, author of Scarface Nation said the following of the film:

“On the most superficial level, Scarface went from being a warning against the evils of doing drugs to a primer for thug life because being preached to is less exciting than being shown how to have a good time. …

People like rules, dictums, aphorisms, credos; such things are used as inspiration, as codes of discipline and honor. In the absence of either a legal system that served or protected the vulnerable -- whether we’re talking about a fictional Cuban immigrant like Tony Montana or a real young black or Hispanic youth scraping by in Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia, Miami, or any big city -- the rules as set down in Scarface had an irresistible allure.

…[This is] one of those movies whose surface message was ‘Don’t do this!’ even as its action and subtext sniggered, ‘Isn’t this cool?’”

That last sentence really puts the film in perspective.  The movie is nothing but glorified violence and drug using.  For some reason Scarface is considered an ultimate guy flick, probably because of all the violence and mostly because of Tony Montana's ultra ego and machismo.  If that's what the ultimate guy is supposed to be like, you better check where the invitation to want to be like that is coming from.

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest

Synopsis

R. P. McMurphy gets thrown into a mental institution for being purely lazy and rebelling against authority. He tries to lighten the spirits of the mental patients by playing cards, basketball, sneaking out of the asylum, etc. His attempt at creating a more enjoyable experience inside the place is constantly repressed by head nurse Ratched.

Entertainment Value - B

This was an alright show (if you like Cool Hand Luke, there's a chance you'll like this one). I don't know why this got all the acclaim it has received, I didn't think it was outstanding (I'm going to guess it has something to do with the cinematography like Citizen Kane). Jack Nicholson's character doesn't seem to change from one movie to another, maybe he just gets casted well. If you want to see this because it is highly acclaimed (like I did), you might be a little disappointed.

Moral Value - Failure to Communicate? - 2

[Spoiler Alert]

I thought some of the themes were very similar to Cool Hand Luke: A man gets imprisoned for not caring much, gains the affection of his inmates, gets broken, ends tragically.

Not sure why nurse Ratched is one of the most popular screen villains. She is extremely indifferent and cold, but you'd have to be in order to keep your sanity working in a mental institution. Her handling Billy at the end was awful; knowing his suicidal tendancies and then threatening to report him to his mother was a deathly mistake.

McMurphy and the other patient's pressure to get Billy to sleep with McMurphy's friend was completely childish and stupid. There are glimpses of McMurphy's "good" side throughout the film and you think that he might turn out to be a blessing to the place, but ends up just a curse.

Chief Bromden (not sure if Chief is his first name) should not have killed McMurphy at the end. I know it was supposedly a good act, maybe could be considered euthanasia of some sort (for those who think euthanasia can be good). Chief didn't want to leave seeing McMurphy in his broken condition. To Chief, McMurphy was a type of hero, and he imagined them escaping the place together. Since that was no longer possible in McMurphy's condition, this act of "liberation" was symbolic of the two of them leaving together - possibly meant to be poetic, but I thought it was kind of twisted.

The one good thing that came out of McMurphy ending up in the asylum was his attempt to get all the patients in the place to pretend like they weren't there. Anytime the nurses reminded them of their condition/location, McMurphy would rebel and end up lifting the spirits of those around him (a classic scene is the baseball game). McMurphy eventually ended up getting carried away and realized too late that he had gone too far. There are responsibilities that must be taken in our lives, especially when we interact with others and most importantly when they hold us in high regard. We are a light on a hill whether we want to be or not. Others look up to us, and most importantly God has high hopes that we will realize and fulfill our great potential as part of the human family.

An Affair to Remember

An Affair to Remember - Trailer | Movies & TV | SPIKE.com

Rating: 4

If you're looking for a good classic romance story this is it. This is the perfect example of how you can have a good romantic movie with out any one sleeping together. Even though the story could be a little far fetched (falling in love in a couple days; breaking up long term, serious relationships; and maintaining no communications for 6 months and then thinking they're going to get married), it is morally straight. It even goes as far as discouraging adultery or loose relationships in support of marriage and showing that finding someone you can truly be in love with is possible.

The story displays how thinking you know what's best for the other person (without communicating your thoughts to them) can, unintentionally, damage the relationship. Communication is a key issue, both seem to communicate pretty effectively to their previous fiances that they wish to end the relationship, but to the person they truly love they seem to have a harder time communicating.

It was quite frustrating that Terry wouldn't tell Nickie what happened and that Nickie thought that she had simply decided to not show up. However, things do work out in the end.

The main reason for this not getting a 5 is that we didn't feel motivated to do good afterwards. It was a good, clean film with great acting and a good story, but nothing earth shattering.

As Good As It Gets

Luke

Rating: 3.5

First off, I must explain that some of our reviews may be a little skewed by the fact that we watch some movies (like this one) with a filtering system, some may even be recorded off of T.V., but I still think that the overall message from a movie can not be taken out of it. We've watched a couple of edited movies that were originally rated R and felt that even though they were edited down, the R-rated themes of the movies were so embedded in the screen play that no amount of it could be taken out without making the movie completely incoherent. We'll be posting a deeper analysis on this topic later on. It would help if you would place your vote in the meantime so we have something else to go off of.

On that note, I love Mevin Udall's character in this movie. I enjoyed watching Melvin change from being completely self absorbed with no desire to become a part of anyone's life (and being severly limited by his disorder) to becoming a person who began reaching out and understanding what love really is and how wonderful it is to be loved. Carol also exhibited a great amount of patience and kindness by looking past Melvin's hard outer shell and helping to "expose [his] soft little underbelly."

I think that there was a bit too much sexual content, swearing (in the original), and nudity. I don't think we need to have a scene of Simon sketching Carol nude (though it's not her we see but the sketchings) in order to get the idea of what inspires him. Maybe one's acceptance of that depends on whether or not you accept nudes as art, but I have a hard time understanding the genuine appeal. I'd definitely recommend watching this filtered, and if you can, it's well worth it.