Movie Day

I had the chance to go and see George Clooney’s new film The Descendants this past weekend while in Dallas with the family. I have been really excited about seeing this film after reading the Critics reviews. After seeing so many 100 out of  100 reviews I knew this was one that I was going to have to check out.

This is a powerful movie. Clooney’s character is being pulled in so many different directions. His wife has had an accident and is lying in the hospital. His workaholic lifestyle has kept him from developing a deeper relationship with his two daughters. His extended family is betting on him to make a decision that will result in them inheriting a huge sum of money. He finds out that his wife, who is lying in the hospital in a coma, has been having an affair. That is quite a load to carry on your shoulders.

As I sat and watched this film I began identifying the stories that were happening to Clooney with those of the people that I help oversee. It helped give me insight into what they went through this year and gave me hope that the trials that we encounter help refine us into a person that is more closely connected to God and His purposes. Don’t allow bad circumstances to pull your faith and hope away from Christ.

What will it take for you to change your life and commit to a deeper relationship with our God? These pivotal circumstances that we have little or no control over can wreck your life…or they can help you get back on track with God. They will help you realize what is really important in life and what you should really be thankful for and focusing on.

Check out this video and share some thoughts about a pivotal circumstance that God has used to redirect your path.

Friday is for Film in my world and this past Friday I had the chance to see the new film Hanna by Joe Wright who directed Atonement and The Soloist, both of which I enjoyed. Hanna is the story of a young assassin who sets out to right wrongs that were committed while she was a young child.

The movie was a mix of art house film and action flick. The last film I would have categorized like this would have been The American with George Clooney, but Hanna had much more action. I would easily go back to the theater this week to see Hannah again. The acting, direction, and  look of the film were superb.

You really find yourself connecting with the characters. Highly recommend this one.

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Jumper today.  It is the story of a guy who can transport himself anywhere in the world instantly and a group of religious zealots led by Samuel L. Jackson who wants to kill people with this special ability.  The reason for killing "jumpers" is that only God should have the ability to be everywhere.  The jumpers are not quite everywhere at once. This reasoning does seem to put God in a sort of box, where something is taking place that He couldn’t take care of on His own. Then again, was the movie really just a pot shot at religious followers? I liked the movie and enjoyed the premise. It would be pretty cool to jump around the world whenever you wanted.

      Over the weekend I watched the Radiohead DVD The Astoria London Live. It was filmed around the time of The Bends album.  It was crazy to think that it was filmed in 1994, while I was still in High School.  I picked up my first Radiohead album that year.  Johnny Greenwood was rocking the lead electric on the DVD. I have put several other concert DVDs on my Netflix cue. The one that I am looking most forward to is the latest Neil Young DVD.  Neil though that he was about to die within months and wanted to do one last DVD. It looks amazing. I have the latest Pearl Jam DVD on the player but haven’t had a chance to watch it yet.

      Sydnie and I watched Fool’s Gold on Saturday night. It was OK, but not great. The scene where Kate stumbles over the headstone is way overacted and hokey. Our small group is currently going through a study based on In A Pit With A Lion on a Snowy Day by Mark Batterson and it speaks a lot about going on adventures with God.  Fool’s Gold delivers on the adventure and really has me wanting to go to the Caribbean.

      Wall-E comes out on Friday and I am looking forward to going to the movies. It looks really fun and is a break from all the dramas and action films that I have been watching.

So what have you been watching in the last couples of weeks?

& The Happening and Iron Man.  I have not seen Iron Man and have heard amazing things about it.  Iron Man was incredible.  One of the best movies that I have seen in awhile.  The story line worked.  The acting was top notch.  I was enthralled.  Gwyneth Paltrow was great as Pepper.  This is a must see movie and action packed.  Watch the trailer.

      The Happening was probably the worst movie that I have seen in years.  I can not stress to you how much you should avoid this movie.  Nothing about this movie works.  I can’t understand why this didn’t go straight to DVD.  The acting seemed forcibly poor, the dialogue was atrocious, and the story was very weak.  The Happening is an environmental piece wrapped inside of a terd.  Something is attacking the east coast and causing people to take their own lives.  I had to force myself to finish the movie.  I have been a big fan of M. Night’s films in the past and think that Signs is one of my favorite films, but there can be no excuse for The Happening.  I think that M. Night has run out of material and needs to regroup until he has something worth our time.

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The Hulk or The Happening.  The Hulk gets better reviews, but I am still hoping that M. Night will do something interesting again, thought The Happening reviews seem to be low to fair.

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Die Hard.  Sydnie bought me the box set last year and I plan on watching the whole series this week.  So who is tougher John McClane or Jack Bauer?  John is more funny for sure.  I want to get your opinion on the matter.