Joy To The World!

"Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel." Isaiah 7:14

"And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established forever." 2 Samuel 7:16

"And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
And lo, an angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
And suddenly there was with the angels a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men."
Luke 2:8-14

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." John 3:16

"Blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed." John 21:29

"Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do." James 3:18

"Keep on loving each other as brothers. Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it." Hebrews 13:1-2

"Sing, choirs of angels, sing in exultation;
O sing, all ye citizens of heaven above!
Glory to God, all glory in the highest;" John F. Wade

Many blessings and a joyful holiday
from the movie mommy's home to your home!

The Day the Earth Stood Still

The Day the Earth Stood Still is one of those movies that coulda been but turned out not to be. I guess I thought that this re-make with Keanu Reeves and Jennifer Connelly would be the intelligent science fiction that the 1951 original had been. I just figure that if you are going to use the exact same title, character names and even robot of the original that there might be some inkling of the original left.
Maybe I am not being fair.
The story of both films is about an alien named Klaatu that comes to Earth, with a wicked cool robot, to find out if our violent species is worth saving. Klaatu is shot upon exiting the space craft, the robot defends him, Klaatu stops the robot from destroying all the soldiers, Klaatu escapes the hospital and meets a human woman and her son and learns about humanity. Well, this is where the similarity ends.
In this new version, Klaatu is interested in saving the Earth not humans per se. The Earth is a valuable commodity because it can sustain life and if we aren't going to take care of it - then we don't deserve it. Reeves is very good in this deadpan roll with very few words (personally, I think these are the best roles for him) and gets his message across with some good special effects. Connelly plays a scientist that is brought in, with a dozen other scientists, to figure out what is heading toward Earth, where it came from and then what does the alien want. I really would have liked to seen more science in the science fiction. She isn't sure about Klaatu but helps him escape and then drives him around as he decides the fate of Earth. He decides humans should be destroyed and through some contrived scene staging decides they are.
This movie offers nothing new with special effects, story or acting.
There was a great scene with Reeves and John Cleese that should have been expanded and maybe is on the cutting room floor. Once again cut the intelligent and keep the corny.
Oh, did I mention it was corny? Flat, typical characters that single mindedly see Klaatu as a threat which leads to "FIRE all missiles!"
It is hard to compare it to the original that was sending a message of impending self destruction of the human race. 1951 was a time of atom bombs, bomb shelters and fear of commies. The message was as clear then as it is now - humanity needs to unite before we destroy each other. Klaatu's message was also clear that he could do the job for us.
There are different types of science fiction in my book. There is what I call the "cerebral" type of Gattaca and Sunshine. The "popcorn" type of Independence Day and Armageddon. Then there is the "blended" type of iRobot, Artificial Intelligence and The Island. The blended science fiction can be the most satisfying for your thinking and action parts of the brain. There is a good story, message and some good action (maybe more than some action).
There are plans to remake the blended classics of Fahrenheit 451 and Logan's Run (I thought The Island had that covered). I really hope they get it right or change the titles.
The Day the Earth Stood Still could have been a great blend. The message was there and could have been presented in many different ways. The acting could have been there - I blame the casting and directing. The special effects were nothing new. Groundbreaking is what this movie needed.
Those that know the movie mommy, know that I am not out to see award winning cinema every time I watch a movie but I expect some satisfaction.
I am afraid I cannot recommend this movie to plunk down up to $10 on. Maybe a matinee or the $1 theater would do.
MM (out of 5 M's)

Favorite Christmas Movies!

The annual movie mommy Christmas movie posting is here! It would probably help if I looked at last year's posting...nah. If I don't remember, neither do you!

Love Actually (2003): If you haven't seen Love Actually yet, I don't know what you are waiting for! This movie not only has an all star cast BUT an all talent cast including Emma Thompson, Alan Rickman, Liam Neeson, Colin Firth, Bill Nighy and well...many more. This who's who of British cinema doesn't really have to rely on the full talents of the actors as each superbly written vignette about love, loss, love and family tell their own story. It is a true gift to yourself to just sit and enjoy this movie.

The Holiday (2006): The unlikely combination of Jack Black, Kate Winslet, Jude Law and Cameron Diaz make for a delightful movie about two women on a search for a change in their lives during the holidays and do! Winslet and Diaz play two women at opposite ends of the world (but not in their love lives) who decide to swap houses for the holidays. With a stellar supporting cast this charming movie will be a more than pleasant surprise.

Elf (2003): Whether you like Will Ferrell or not - this movie is so much fun and such a delight that you will forget he is in it! I think it is important to point out the director - Jon Favreau, who is also an actor that has appeared in funny supporting parts as in Swingers, The Replacements and Somethings Gotta Give seems to give him a good pace for adding comic timing to his directing. He also directed Iron Man and Zathura and his humor and pace is seen there as well. I don't know if Will Ferrell is the kind of actor that needs a heavy handed director to keep his shtick in line but it works for this movie. Buddy the Elf (Ferrell) was raised by Elves in the North Pole but figures out that he doesn't fit in. After finding out he had human parents and his father is still alive - he heads to the Big Apple. A fish out of water story can always be fun and is taken full advantage of in this movie. A great cast to support Ferrell doesn't hurt either. Take a chance on this movie and I promise, by the end, you will have found your own Christmas spirit!

Miracle on 34th Street (1947): Only the original captures the simple innocence of the belief or non-belief in Santa Claus. I am sure everyone reading this has seen this movie - if you haven't seen it in a while, time to see it again. This movie never loses it's magic - black and white or "colorized" it is still a treat. Is the Macy's Santa really Santa? Young Natalie Wood would like to know! At the time 20th Century Fox used it's "stable of stars" to make this movie with Maureen O'Hara and John Payne who were known for more serious movies. But in a post-war America, it was time for some belief...in something. If your children have never seen this version now is the time!

Scrooged (1988): I wasn't a fan of this movie when I was younger but over the past couple years I have come to appreciate it's unbelievably cynical "Scrooge" as only Bill Murray can play him. Bill Murray plays a TV executive who is producing a live TV version of A Christmas Carol. It is ironic that someone with zero Christmas spirit is producing this show. Of course, he is visiting by the three spirits and learns what Scrooge learned. If you are like me - give it re-watch and you will catch some things you didn't before.

Merry Christmas from the movie mommy!

DVD Review

Nim's Island: Normally, when you hear "a movie the entire family will enjoy" you think - kids' movie or even chick movie. Nim's Island really is a movie that everyone will enjoy - if they don't...you should consider why you are friends with them!
The tag line for this movie is "Be the hero of your own story" and that is very true!
The title character is played by Abigail Breslin (brilliant in Little Miss Sunshine) as a child raised on a tropical island with her marine biologist father (played by the ultra-hunky Gerard Butler) . They love the fact they live away from the world and can enjoy their island. A series of events leaves Nim alone on the island with invaders on their way and her only way to communicate is through the internet. She receives an email (on her shared email account with her father) addressed to her father from the famous adventure author Alex Rover. Nim is a huge fan and is happy to answer questions from the author about research for the next book.
Adventure ensues for Nim, Dad and Alex Rover. And without revealing to much it has enough adventure, romance and kid appeal that, really, the entire family or an adult looking for a good movie can enjoy.
You will be surprised and delighted by the cast and how the story comes together and ends.
I put this one up there with The Last Mimzy as surprisingly wonderful and and leaving the viewer feeling warm inside - that lasts for days.
MMMMM (out of 5 M's)

James Bond - The Movie Review

Quantum of Solace: This is hands down one of the best James Bond movies EVER! I mean really! I consider myself the big screen expert on James Bond (see my post below this one) and my expert opinion says - Go see this movie!
Daniel Craig bring James Bond to a new level. Forget Jason Bourne or the Transporter movies - Bond can take them all on. Craig isn't just another pretty face or bod. He is an actor who brings a level of depth and down right humanity to the part with a dash of cynical humor. He is also evenly matched to Dame Judi Dench as M. Don't look for Q or his gadgets in this movie. There isn't even Miss Money Penny. And no Aston Martin. There are plenty of the usual 007 stunts to keep every action fan happy, don't worry. And as usual, the opening sequence has a wild one.
Bond is up to his usual super spy antics but M is worried that he will go out for revenge because of the death of his main squeeze from the last movie. Don't worry if you didn't see it. I saw it and I had trouble keeping track of who the players were...but that didn't matter. There is also a young woman that is on the trail of revenge as well. She is a cool customer whom Bond runs into along the way and inadvertently leads him to who he was looking for. They make a good team.
Bond's revenge is not for who you or M thinks it is. And that makes for an interesting character study on the relationships of the main characters.
There is no doubt that this 007 is for a new generation. Don't get me wrong, Pierce Brosnan was definitely part of my generation's wish list for Bond. But I don't get hung up on that (after all there have been 10 Doctor Who's). The character has to evolve and grow with the times. In the old days the bad guys were Commies of all kinds. Now, the enemy isn't so easy to recognize and loyalty seems easier to buy.
Go see this movie, even if you have never seen a James Bond movie. You will be left wanting more.
MMMMM (out of 5 M's)

The Streak

I have a secret. It involves a spy. A debonair, slick, well dressed spy, who is often shaken, not stirred. Yes, I have had a relationship with James Bond since 1973. I was young then but old enough to know that I had to have more.
In 1973 my father took me to see Live and Let Die at the Margate Twin. I was 6 years old and I had never seen anything like it. I recall commenting that I had never been so frightened in my entire life. I think it had to do with voodoo, witch doctors and wild special effects - on the big screen. Maybe it was a little much for a small child - but it didn't end there.
Since then, I have seen every James Bond movie AT the movies. Yes, it's only the big screen for me and James. My Dad usually took me and when I moved out on my own I would go many times by myself. Nothing would keep us apart.
Yes, Roger Moore was my first. And they say that you never forget your first Bond - he is usually the favorite carried through life. Sorry Sean Connery fans. But he never did it for me. I even liked the short lived Bond of Timothy Dalton. I think he should have had more chances. But then again - Pierce Brosnan - schwing! Remington Steele fans waited, for what seemed like forever, for him to be Bond. The part seemed a sure fit. Alas, some relationships are not made to last forever.
Now, I have a new Bond in my life - Daniel Craig - SCHWING! Okay, okay, there are hormones involved (You know how to make a hormone right?). Yes, hunkiness has come to the character. I welcome the change. Don't get me wrong - I dig debonair and someone who looks good in a tux but there is nothing wrong with looking good in a tight swimsuit!
My love for Bond movies transcends good looks and schwingability. There is no other series like it. And I feel no other streak like it. Sure, maybe you saw all the Friday the 13th movies at the movies (begs the question of - why?) but to each his/her own. But I have NEVER met anyone with my streak.
It's a small thing. But I think about all that has happened to me in the past 35 years and well...I don't see anything else that consistent in it.
And yes, I will walk across a room, stop and turn - pretending to shoot. Like the beginning of a 007 movie.

VOTE!

It's your right.

The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not
be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.
— Fifteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution (1870)

The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not
be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex.
— Nineteenth Amendment (1920)

The right of citizens of the United States to vote in any
primary or other election . . . shall not be denied or abridged . . . by reason of failure to pay any poll tax or other tax.
— Twenty-fourth Amendment (1964)

The right of citizens of the United States, who are eighteen years of age or older, to vote, shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of age.
— Twenty-sixth Amendment (1971)