2011 Movie Viewing List

• 13 Days ★ ★ ★ ★ – great historical fiction about the cuban missile crisis. language.
• X Men: The Final Stand ★ ★ ★ ★ – great characters and action and special affects. language unnecessary. new age ideas
• Old Yeller ★ ★ ★ – Disney classic. A little simple on the story and acting line. But a must watch as a dog lover.
• The Curious Case for Benjamin Button ★ ★ ★ – interesting story line (unusual), good acting.  adult themes.  language.
• The Twilight Zone ★ ★ ★ ★ ★, multiple episodes from the library.  Working through Season 1 now.
• Red ★ ★ ★ – violence, language.  Retired Extremely Dangerous CIA agents are being hunted down and they must find out why to save themselves.  The film uses fun transitions (postcards) between scenes and one the agents provides a lot of comic relief.
• Persuasion ★ ★ ★ – based on Jane Austin’s book: a BBC video that is poor quality, acting is okay, some characters are irritating, but that can help the story; typical jane austin romance story line – the complexities of romance in the upper class. 1971 225 minutes, rated G by me.
• The Greatest Game Ever Played ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ – Walt Disney Pictures: based on the true story of caddie Francis Ouimet who wins the 1913 US Open Championship against his boyhood idol.  Rated PG, inspirational, a golf game presented like you have never seen – lots of CGI.  Great cinematography and acting and story line.
• Valkyrie ★ ★ ★ ★ – based on the true story of the last known attempt to assassinate Hitler from within the German military and citizenship.  What would we risk for the honor of our country, personal dignity, and the welfare of our children?
• Seven Pounds ★ ★ ★ ★ – I like how the story line was set up with flashbacks.  I kept me constantly curious as to what had happened and what was going to happen.  A story about how one man’s tragic mistake led to his crazy way to sacrificially make amends.  Produced by the same guy who did The Pursuit of Happiness and again stars Will Smith.
• An Unfinished Life ★ ★ ★ ★ – unnecessarily crass (language), but a novel story about reconciliation, forgiveness, loss, friendship, relationships, and standing up for your family.
• Rocky ★ ★ ★ – I didn’t remember how much language there was in this original movie.  Funny how we either overlooked or forgot how crass movies were when we were younger.  Still a classic though.  I like the idea of this movie, the underdog, nobody achieving so much, but I wish it were more realistic, namely, he could defend his head a whole lot more – nobody could take that much beating in the head.  Rocky takes all his hits in the head which is unbelievable.
• Rocky II ★ ★ ★ – less crass than Rocky I.  If only Rocky took less hits to the head and was a little more of a boxer.
• Rocky III ★ ★ ★ – more believable.
• The Aviator ★ ★ ★ – a fascinating portrayal of Howard Hughes.  His life makes for an interesting movie.  I only wish Hollywood could portray immorality less thoroughly. (language, sensuality)
• How to Train Your Dragon ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ – Funny, well animated, good story, pleasant moral.
• Shrek, forever after ★ ★ ★ ★ – good moral of appreciating what you have.
• I am Number Four ★ ★ ★ ★ – read the book and was pleased with how they stuck to the story with the movie.  Presents some new agey ideas.  Has themes of courage, friendship, and adolescent struggle.
• True Grit ★ ★ ★ (original) ★ (2011) – the original with John Wayne is much better than the brand new one with Jeff Bridges.  We watched both of them and the original is so much better.
• Rango  ★ ★ ★ – not as clever as I expected it to be and I was surprised by how much swearing was in this ‘kids’ movie.
• The Great Escape ★ ★ ★ ★★ (1962) – an all-star cast depicts the true events of escape from a German war camp during WW II which ties up all kinds of resources from the Germans during the war.  It has a comical side to a serious story.
• Priest ★ ★ ★ ★ (2011) – some language and graphic violence. I was willing to tolerate the language for the sake of seeing a priest (or sincere Christian) be the good guy for a change. It is a wonderful allegory of the real war between the believer and darkness (devil, world, and flesh).  The war is never over (until Christ returns) and when we ignore the war and put our guard down we fall prey to our enemies. It also makes a very delightful statement that faith is far more a personal responsibility than it is something that is dependent upon an institution (the church). [The real Church is simply people who share genuine faith in Christ -vs- a man-made hierarchy.] The ‘human-vampire’ made me think of all the ways we blend ‘church’ with the world in often a vane attempt to ‘save the world’; mixing faith and the world only advances the darkness.  Pretty cool stuff.
• Captain America ★ ★ ★ ★ (2011) – I am getting more and more weary of Hollywood’s insistance upon using profanity to make a story more edgy. Why can’t we have a hero story without the crassness? This story has such deep morality of the ‘weak’ being strong and real courage.
• Green Lantern ★ ★   (2011) – I love sci-fi but disgusted with the prevalence of profanity and sexual innuendo. Again, can’t we leave off the crassness? Though I enjoy sci-fi, action, and hero stories – this one where a selfish pig just decides to be a good guy one day is a large pill to swallow – why would such a jerk be ‘chosen’ to be a hero, though he does good once he is chosen? Maybe this is a ‘grace’ story (he gets what he doesn’t deserve)? There is also a strong reference to evolution which is so pathetic – give up on this lie already! There is no proof people!!! Where are the thousands, if not millions, of transition fossils that we should have dug up by now? Even your greatest supporters have given up on the idea that cells could have developed on our planet.
• It’s a Wonderful Life ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ [colorized] – one of the best movies ever made. If you haven’t seen it, what is keeping you? Have you seen in in color yet?
• Kungfu Panda 2 ★ ★ ★ ★ – clean, family-friendly. Themes of forgiveness and finding oneself.
• The Bird Man of Alcatraz ★ ★ ★ ★ ★- very interesting story of how showing dignity to prisoners is invaluable. Great acting and based on a true story.