Daily Grit by Wes Thorp

Is this the same Angelina Jolie that was in the movie Pushing Tin?

I just got an email with a link to a story about Angelina Jolie's movie where she will debut as the write and director. It's about the Balkan War which took place in the late nineties and forever changed countries like Bosnia.

This NPR online story is gripping with its reality and the fact that this happened in Eastern Europe.  I am also sobered by the fact that my daughter, son-in-law and grandson live there.

This movie--In The Land of Blood and Honey--sounds like a must see.  Read the story about Jolie's efforts.  I'm impressed.  Is this the same actress who appeared topless in Pushing Tin with John Cusack?  Her new effort sounds pretty serious.  I can't wait to learn more.

 

We saw "The Descendants" with George Clooney in a packed mid-Michigan theater on New Year's Eve

Last night we went to see the Descendants at Celebration Theater in Lansing totally on word-of-mouth. That recommendation was from my son Justin who went with his wife Lauren on Friday night.

My reaction:  First, thing I noticed was that the theater where this movie was shown was packed mainly with folks who looked to be over sixty, some more so than others.  Lots of women were there who seemed to be drawn by George Clooney.  Second thing was the price of a cup of coffee at the theater which was $2.75.

As one who watched Clooney on ER back in the day when he was the young stud, I had very low expectations for this movie.  But as the movie started and as the story unfoled I found myself being drawn in by incredible acting with the amazing backdrop of Hawaii where Clooney plays a dad who was facing the death of his wife and the prospects of raising to young daughters, one a teenager and another approaching that point.  And he was rich.

He had let his relationship with his wife become stagnant through lack of attention and he had taken a backseat in his role as a dad.  All of a sudden this dad with millions of bucks and living in paradise was facing his own form of hell.

His wife who was laying in coma in a hospital bed after a boating accident had an affair with a real estate type was found to have chinks in her armor.  And Clooney's character had to face and deal with all this himself, with his daughters and friends.

I know it sounds like the plot seeds for a cheesy show involving a country singer, but this really worked. It was a story that transformed the theater into a real time look at this broken family's life.  

Academy Award potential?  I bet it gets more than one.  It was worth the seven bucks a ticket we spent on New Year's Eve.  Good story.  The acting was great.  I'd watch it again on DVD.

 

 

MY REVIEW: The newly-released movie Courageous about fatherhood and fatherlessness

Yes, you should go see the movie Courageous this weekend and take your wife or husband, your children's father or mother and your kids and then talk about it.  The topic:  fatherhood and fatherlessness.  

On the surface that may sound plenty boring compared to watching something where cars get blown-up or where there are writhing bodies filled with enthusiastic and explicit lust.  But, this movie tackles one of the most important topics in our contemporary culture.  The role of fathers has been allowed to languish on the altar of cultural change and we are paying a stiff price for it.

The movie focuses on four fathers who are all cops and a young Hispanic handyman type.  There are three guys, one divorced and with a son, one unmarried and with a daughter he never met, one more traditional family type who wrestled with connecting with his teenage son and who adored his nine-year-old daughter.  The black cop never knew his dad but was married and had a teenage daughter.  

In their individual families, they were struggling with being fathers and holding demanding jobs. They had to deal with young thugs in a gang that served as a major distributor of dope.

One obstacle for many to getting into this film is its inclusion of open, out-of-the-closet Christianity and male characters who read the Bible and who tried to gain a connection to God through it.

But in this period of our culture where inclusion is the buzzword, this is just part of a very legitimate story.  Film viewers need to process the importance of this for themselves.  The main issue is fathers.

Do they play a unique role in their children's lives?  Do they add something to their kids that can't be given by moms?  Are today's dads fulfilling their responsibilities?  Do they know what those responsibilities are?

These are issues which need to take center stage in churches, in bars, at the workplace and in sports stadiums.  

As fans get-together tonight and throughout the coming days for baseball playoffs and the World Series, they need to open the door for the fatherhood issue.

Courageous is a movie worth seeing and talking about.  It's a good story and its told in an entertaining way and for kids who are suffering from some form of fatherlessness, it's vital.

Go see it.

I would recommend the movie "Life In Day" but not for everybody

Last night we went to a special screening of the movie "Life In A Day" at Celebration Cinema.  When we found that the usual ticket price was almost doubled, we almost picked something else.  I'm glad we didn't.

What we saw was shot by ordinary people around the world about what took place in their lives on July 24, 2010.  It was produced by the famous movie producer Ridley Scott and was done in concert with YouTube. 

The result was an amazing look into the lives of ordinary people from one end of the world to the other as provided by themselves through small HD video camera.  Just think about the concept.  What are ordinary people doing right now in South America, Russia, Spain, the United States, Canada.  It's like walking through your neighborhood at night, seeing the lights on in individual houses and apartments and wondering what each family was doing.

The editing for this film did an incredible job which included people shooting video of themselves also answering three questions: what was in their pockets, what do you fear and what do you love. 

We left the theater feeling a little more connected with the world and its people around us. Some people may not get it.  Nothing is blown up.  No crime, drugs or sex.  It's like going to YouTube and spending and hour-and-a-half watching home-grown videos strung together, but in a very slick way.

 

Check this interview of a family that shot video a few days after the young mom had surgery to deal with breast cancer. They tell about their experience.

Super-wife and I are going to see "Life In A Day" movie tonight

I'm excited about going to see the "Life In A Day" movie tonight with super-wife and here's why:

It's a video montage of the world taken by ordinary people going about their daily lives.  And it's put together by some amazing film producers who are accomplished at telling stories using film.

I had not heard of it until I saw the promo on YouTube.com.  It reminds me of old Life magazines where still photographers from around the world would shoot pictures that would then be edited to tell a story.

I'm hooked to homegrown YouTube video bits watching those taken by others and by myself.  I've taken almost 1,000 video clips and love watching my favorite 300 of my now one-year-old grandson.   

Where can I view the Korean movie, Crossing?

My son, Justin, saw the Korean-made movie, Crossing, yesterday in the Washington D.C. area and blogged about it.  It's a story about a family in North Korea and their attempts to escape the inhumane conditions there.  I  looked at the trailer and now I'd like to see the movie.  Anybody know where it's showing outside of the big cities?  Here's the trailer:

We saw Marley & Me on Christmas Day

Marley & Me surprised all of us.  My wife, son and I all agreed that this is a movie worth-seeing.  It's a good story that started with a real life book and was not ruined by those who translate such things into a movie.

It's a story with some depth and a variety of layers with a beautiful golden labrador retriever as the centerpiece.

Owen Wilson's character is a young newspaper reporter covering the crumbs that fall off the news desk at a large newspaper in Florida who's pushed into becoming a columnist.  His wife played by Jennifer Anniston is a reporter who's achieved a higher level of success.

They are trying to find focus as a couple, as individuals and trying to find meaning for their young lives.

They get this big dog, Marley, using their relationship with the dog to guide them through the challenges of a marriage, a profession and family life.

If you need your heart-warmed or just entertain, see it.

In Good Company, a movie worth seeing

It was a Monday afternoon and my teacher wife had the day off, so we decided to see a movie.  Last time, we did that we saw Alfie and what a waste.  Jude Law should be embarassed by the character he played and the gratuitous sex. 

Wife and I decided to gamble and see Dennis Quaid and cast in the new release In Good Company.

We were pleasantly surprised.  It was a good story that elevated the institution of marriage, the family and fatherhood without sounding and looking like something out of Mr. Rogers.  You felt good when you walked out, not like some movies where you go into a newsstand and you find that it's a disguised porno shop.  I'm glad we went.

Alfie, the movie, is a lump on our culture

My wife and I went to see the movie, Alfie, this weekend.  Thinking that it's a nice story on the order of Return To Me, we decided to see it.  What a poor decision!  I should have been embarrassed for staying.  The movie is a commentary of our sad times where relationships have minimal meaning and sex is everything.  It was cheap, tawdry and Jude Law, the start should be ashamed.  He took our culture down another notch or two. 

However, reading Focus on the Family's review of the film adds an important point.  It shows how empty Alfie felt pursuing his hedonistic lifestyle.  I guess that's something I already knew.

Friday Night Lights dissected

Last night, my wife, son and I saw the movie Friday Night Lights.  It was distrubing.  Sports have become life in our culture.  Adults and children hang their identity on sports and how well they or their team play them. 

Based on a book,  the movie shows how nuts people can get about athletics.  A person's worth can be determined by how well they hit, throw or catch a ball.  People pack stadiums and argue ad nauseum about their teams.  Parents get so intense about their kids' teams that they communicate their love and approval for their kids depends on performance.  That's sick and wrong and destructive.

Too bad people can't play sports for exercise and fun.  Joe Falls when he wrote a column for the Detroit Free Press described sports as the toy department of life.  Amen Joe.