Transformers

Okay it was loud and fast - or I am hearing and sight challenged, but it was quite the summer blockbuster! It had all the makings of a success - great cast and characters, story line, action, humor, suspense, tension, romance - whew! If you saw Small Soldiers and/or any of the Terminator films - it all seemed very familiar - oh to be caught up in somebody else's war! Be careful not to hold your breath too long! It'll be great to watch on DVD!

Anyway the husband, youngest and I went to see it - a delayed Father's Day activity (thank you ReggieA) and enjoyed it thoroughly! Closing the chapter on Father's Day now - speaking of fathers, Shia LaBeouf's (who is making quite a career for himself - you might remember from I, Robot, Constantine, and earlier Holes) character Sam had quite an interesting dad Ron Witwicky - Kevin Dunn, who has played interesting dad's before (Soldiers' Stuart Abernathy)!

RMR's lit'rary reviews

_{excerpted from RMRodriguez; christian daughter, wife,
student, writer, tyrtle expert, and cinema/lit'rary critic (of
the infamous RRod [Gable] & RNorm [Bogey] opposition)}

"i read a whole book in a day (approx. 350pgs). it was called kite runner, good book!--about a boy growing up in afghanistan and his relationship with his father and his servant whose the same age as him. and i read a lesson before dying, on friday and satuday. and over the previous two weeks before that i read the sin eater. which is by francine rivers. i think you'd like her writing (must reads--Redeeming Love, and the Mark of the Lion series). i do. but i must say the sin eater is one of my least favorite. in the end it was worth while, but it took 200pgs before it started to really grab me. oh, and b4 that i read Lying on the couch, fictional book about counseling, written by a psychologist. the title is a play on words layin down and tellin lies. and i learned 6 new words reading it-- skein, avuncular, nihilism (which i was vaguely familiar with), sophistry (i like that one), genuflect, excoriate (i like that one 2). i wanted to read another of his, but they don't have any at the library. so, now i'm starting A Map of the World. We'll see how that goes. I think you'd really like the Red Tent and the Time Travelers Wife too."

another "Night with the King'

One of the DVD releases tomorrow is One Night with the King. I encouraged everyone to go see it upon its November theater release and it was not disappointing. It was also shown on TBN this New Year's Eve past. It was historical, romantic, uplifting, endearing, and dramatic with wonderful cinematography and costume. You'd think I was talking about an oscar nomination. But truly this was a heartwarming and enjoyable family film (a few scenes are realistically very graphic). It stars an international cast the likes of:

• the once again ever engaging Omar Sharif who was born in Egypt. Did you know that his 'films were banned in his native Egypt because he made love to a Jewish woman onscreen' in Funny Girl? He's also rather well known for his enthusiasm for playing bridge.
• Tommy 'Tiny' Lister who launched his acting career from that of a wrestler with the likes of Hulk Hogan; you may remember (not so) Tiny in Posse or maybe as the President in The Fifth Element. He is in a movie in post production now called Ascension Day. The brother was born in my native Compton.
  
• the Irish Peter O'Toole who is no stranger at all to epic movies.
• the affable John Rhys-Davies of Wales and the foreboding Australian John Noble both of whom I remember from the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Rhys-Davies, who plays the key character Mordecai, I also remember among other films from the Indiana Jones films of which a fourth is in pre-production.
• the relatively unknown Georgian leading actress Tiffany Dupont is excellent as Esther.
  
• the Persian king Ahasuerus (Xerxes I) is played undauntingly by the British twin Luke Goss. He has a list of credits to his name, most of which I have not seen, and has four in post-production now.
• the irrepressible Haman, the Amelekite, was excellently played by British James Callis who himself is Jewish. I know him best as Dr. Gaius Baltar from Battlestar Galactica - one of the television series I'm addicted to. He's also done a pattern of films like Arabian Nights, Helen of Troy, Jason and the Argonauts.

The historic hand of God told in this epic is celebrated to this day in the Biblical Feast of Purim. I highly recommend you feast upon the story unfolded (so touchingly told you ladies you may need kleenex as did I) and enter the world of Esther through One Night with the King. It's a keeper.

The Nativity Story

This recommendation just in from 3Leonards -

The Nativity Story

The picture is so striking, I'm using it as a screensaver (see the site). Hey there is even a blog site. The screenwriter Mike Rich, who among his credits has Finding Forrester,

describes himself as a devout Christian, felt a spiritual responsibility while writing the script and working with director Catherine Hardwicke to bring the story to life. "I wanted to make sure we were faithful to the tone and spirit of the Gospels," he says. "If you don't feel that pressure writing this type of story, you're not approaching it the right way." ... writing Nativity was different from adapting other true stories because he wasn't going to have to face the person he was writing about. Then, after a pause he added, "Well, at least not in this life."....

The idea for The Nativity Story came to Rich during the Christmas of 2004, when Newsweek and Time both ran Nativity cover stories. After seeing the covers, the thought hit Rich that "a lot of people are interested in this story, but it has always been told as event-based and not character-based." He wanted to explore the story from a different perspective. "Mary has become iconic. But before this remarkable girl became the Mother of our Lord, she was just a child. And like any young person in trying circumstances, she probably had a lot of fears, questions, even doubts."

Thanks Nicole - this certainly appears to be a must see!

The Very First Noel

as my dear friend at 3Leonards says, the advent season is a wonderful time of year. One of the things I love to do is curl up and watch Christmas movies. So, getting an email from familylife.com on this I wanted to share it with you ...

Introducing The Very First Noel, the story of Christmas from the perspective of the three wise men. Featuring the voice of Andy Griffith, this beautifully animated holiday special presents the Christmas story in a fresh, creative way the whole family will enjoy. FamilyLife is proud to partner with Exclaim Entertainment as they introduce their latest DVD, The Very First Noel.

Get the rest of the goods from the movie site here. Hope you get a chance to enjoy. This looks like a must have library add to me!

Beyond the Average 'Fare'

There are several versions of "An Affair to Remember" - you perhaps recall as far back as the 1957 one with the classic Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr, and may be familiar with "Love Affair" with Warren Beatty and (his wife) Annette Benning in 1994; BUT were you aware they originated with the 1939 film "Love Affair" with the even more ever classic performers Charles Boyer and Irene Dunne. I like each of the movies in their own right. Although today, the older ones seem to go so so slowly. Cinema has changed so much. But, then, people had time for a movie.

Still in a unique class of its own and so very captivating is "A Fare to Remember". If you like any of the three above, this is a MUST SEE, but don't go rushing to purchase it - its a rare find; I've only seen it (every chance I get!) on cable/satellite TV programming. Out of the countless movies we own, we have yet to acquire this one. This re-make veers from the films above, stealing mostly just from the title. It stars Malcolm-Jamal Warner (of The Cosby Show fame with subsequent shows that reveal his maturing talent that resounds in this movie) and a less known actress/producer Challen Cates.

My common thread: to be true (really true, not simply what we've defined as true) to one's own self. Sometimes we go adrift, off-track. But hold fast to God and let Him straighten your path. When you recognize your mis-step what are you going to do? Make the best of things? Or correct them? Don't allow life to make yourself into something you're not; but allow God to mold you into who you should be. Selah :-)

A Fare to Remember takes place around Christmas time, making it particularly sentimental, and I particularly like seeing it around that time of year. Another Christmas movie chock full of romance (in a It's a Wonderful Life sense) to get a glimpse of is 'the family man' with Nicolas Cage and Téa Leoni and a wonderful part for Don Cheadle! Yet these movies are great to watch absolutely any time of the year. Enjoy!