Invictus movie review

Question: What's more impressive than a former freedom fighter being elected President after being released from prison? Answer: That same man being willing to forgive the people who imprisoned him. Welcome to "Invictus," the story of President Nelson Mandela and the South African Rugby team's momentous victory in the (Rugby) World Cup. The movie begins with the Rugby team witnessing Mandela's release. "Remember this day, boys," the racist coach says. "This is the day our country went to the dogs." His sentiments reflect the views of many white people living in South Africa, especially those government employees who were employed by President DeClerk, who supported "apartheid." President Mandela, however, is quick to assure them that he wishes for them to work for him. He even hires DeClerk's former bodyguards to bolster security, much to the chagrin of his three native security guards. Meanwhile, Francois Pienaar, the captain of the South African Rugby team, faces the challenge of leading the South Africa Springboks to victory in the midst of the change in government. Then, one night, he receives a phone call inviting him to have tea with President Mandela the following day. During his visit, Pienaar gets the impression that President Mandela wants the Springboks to win the World Cup. So begins the attempt to win while facing heavy odds. "Invictus" is a story of forgiveness and learning to forgive. It takes the African security guards a while to forgive the men they are working with. "Not long ago, these men tried to kill us," one of them tells Nelson Mandela, wondering why he had hired them. "Forgiveness starts here," the president answers. It takes a while for the rugby players, with the exception of Peinaar, to accept the change in government. "Our country is changing," the captain says. "And we need to change as well. "Invictus" is rated PG-13 for brief strong language. "f---" is used. A player complains that a can of beer tastes like "sh--," and Peinaar says the same thing when he tastes the beer. There is a scene where people are drinking in a bar. There is some sports violence, which is to be expected in a rugby match. There are a couple of scary scenes: one at the beginning initially looks like there's going to be an assassination attempt, but it turns out to be two men delivering a stack of newspapers, and one near the end in which an airplane pilot looks like he's going to crash into a rugby stadium, but he pulls up at the last minute.

National Treasure: Book of Secrets movie review

For those of you who have "National Treasure" on DVD, you may have seen the alternate ending. In it, producer Jerry Bruckheimer says that this ending was cut from the movie because the staff didn't want to give the impression that a sequal was coming. Indeed, a sequal wasn't planned. But, as with all successful movies based on fiction, a sequal was inevitable. After finding the Templar Treasure in the first movie, Ben Gates has restored honor to the family name. His father, Patrick, once skeptical of the treasure's existence, has had his faith restored. When we first see them in "National Treasure: Book of Secrets," the father/son team is finishing a presentation about Patrick's great-grandfather Thomas' heroism in preventing a slave-state extremist group called Knights of the Golden Circle (KGC) from finding a vast amount of gold, and dying while doing it. The group included John Wilkes Booth, whose diary is missing some pages. After the presentation, a man in the audience holds up one of the missing pages from Booth's diary and claims that Thomas was, in fact, the mastermind behind the Lincoln Assassination. When the page fits in the diary, Ben and Patrick are compelled to find the treasure that Thomas died to protect, in order to clear his name. The sequal to "National Treasure" is entertaining and it provides some historical information that people may find fascinating. However, there are some points that people will find a bit unethical (breaking into the Queen's office, stealing a car, and abducting the President come to mind). These are done by the heroes. But if you watch the movie, you will see that the third unethical thing is not as bad as it sounds. "National Treasure: Book of Secrets" is rated PG for some violence and action. Four characters are forced to work together to balance on a very unstable platform. A man drowns (offscreen). We see John Wilkes Booth shoot Lincoln in Ford Theater. We see Thomas Gates get shot after burning some of Booth's diary pages.

The Blind Side movie review

Sometime's it is nearly impossible to see what God has planned when a career-ending injury is dealt to somebody. Case in point: What did God have in mind when He planned the end of Washington Redskins quarterback Joe Theismann's career. A clip of that infamous play is shown at the beginning of The Blind Side, the movie adaptation of the book "The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game." Michael "Big Mike" Oher (pronounced "Oar") is a homeless African-American teenager who usually stays at friends' houses. But there comes a time when those friends' wives want him to leave (Benjamin Franklin was correct in saying "Fish and visitors stink in three days."). One day, according to the movie, one friend gets his son and Michael into Wingate Christian Academy. Michael is almost rejected because of his extremely low GPA (0.6), but the football coach, Burt Cotten, intervenes. "Look at [our emblem]," he says. "'Christian.' We either take that seriously or we paint over it." His motives are revealed to be questionable later in the film, though. Enter the Touhys, a wealthy family whose head, Sean, runs a chain of Taco Bells. They give Michael shelter and later become his legal guardians. Based on a true story, The Blind Side focuses on Michael Oher's relationship with the Touhy family. Although it isn't considered a "Christian" film (such as Facing the Giants), The Blind Side is loaded with Christianity. There is a scene where the Touhy family prays before eating. There is also a Bible verse inscribed on the gate of Wingate, although it is slightly wrong ("With man, this is possible, but with God, all things are possible). It should be "With man, this is impossible." There are also signs of grace under peer pressure shown with Leigh Anne Touhy and her daughter Collins, as they face disapproval from their respective friends due to their taking Michael into their home. The Blind Side is rated PG-13 for one scene involving brief violence, and drug and sexual references. One of Michael's old buddies in an area of town called Hurt Village is part of a drug ring. He provokes Michael into a fight, which proves to be an easy win for Michael. Sexual scenes are not explicit. The most sexual you'll see is a husband and wife beginning to get it on.

Hero movie review

"Hero" is a fictional movie based on semi-actual events. Allow me to explain. There was a time when China was divided into warring states. During that time, the king of the state of Chin, Chin Shi, made it his divine mission to conquer all the other states and unite the country. During that mission, there was an attempt on his life by an assassin who failed. However, that assassin was not from the state of Zhou, as this movie tells us. Therefore, using this movie for learning history is not a good choice. Using the movie for entertainment, however, is a very good choice. The movie begins with a brief written dialogue about what is happening in Warring States-era China. It ends with "In every war, there are heroes on both sides." Then we see a man who introduces himself to us as "Nameless" (because he was never given a name due to orphanage) being escorted into the presence of Chin Shi. He is being honored for slaying three people who previously tried to assassinate Chin Shi. The king tells Nameless to give an account of his battles with these three. However, is his account really what happened? In order to find out, you'll have to watch the movie. This movie is purely for entertainment. However, there are some discussion questions you can consider: Chin Shi plans to unite the warring states by conquering them. Is his method acceptable? Why or why not? Near the end of the movie, one of the characters says that Chin Shi must not be assassinated. He later explains that having the states united would save many more lives than if the states kept fighting. Nameless shamelessly admits that his motive is revenge for his family's death. Is either character right?

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon movie review

"A sword by itself does not rule. It is manipulated by skillful handling." This line in director Ang Lee's international classic, "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," sets the tone for this movie, which I recommend to any Martial Arts fan.

Li Mu Bai (Chow Yun Fat) is a legendary swordmaster in China's Jiang Hu (a class of warriors). He wields the awesome straight sword Green Destiny, which is sharp enough to sever a blade from the hilt. Master Li is currently in turmoil, first because he had a painful experience while meditating on Wu Dan mountain, secondly because he has yet to avenge the murder of his beloved mentor Master Pen by Biya Hu Ri (Jade Fox). As a result, he decides to leave the Jiang Hu world and entrust the Green Destiny to a good friend, Bel Lai Ye. His former compatriot and love interest, Yu Shu Lien (Michelle Yeoh), who runs Sun Security Escort, offers to take the Green Destiny to Bel Lai Ye in Beijing and wait for Li to arrive after visiting his mentor's grave. In Beijing, Shu Lien meets Yu Shao Long (Zhang Ziyi), the daughter of recently appointed Governer Yu. That night, a thief steals the Green Destiny and gets away, despite being confronted by Shu Lien.

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon has quite a few plot twists that will have you wondering what's next. There are lessons to be learned from this movie, such as forgiving someone who has spited you, and learning self-control. "There are many things you can learn to do with the Green Destiny," Li Mu Bai tells another character. "But first you must learn to hold it in stillness." Even today, people wield powerful weapons, from the tongue to the tank. How often do we fail to hold our tongues in stillness?

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is rated PG-13 for martial arts violence and some sexuality. The sex scenes are few and far between. The violence is mostly kicking/punching action and swordplay, but there is a scene where a character takes a thrown bladed weapon to the forehead and another scene where a character stabs another character with a sword (although in this scene the camera is behind the stab victim).

Discussion:
1. In one part of the movie, a character uses the martial arts to attack people in a building. Why is it never right to attack people? In what ways should the martial arts be used?
2. Li Mu Bai has never professed his love for Yu Shu Lien, although he does love her. Or does he? In what ways do we see Li Mu Bai loving Shu Lien? Should love be kept hidden at any time? Why or why not?
3. Soon after we find out who Jade Fox is, we learn that she has been training a student with a stolen martial arts manual. How do we discern good teachers from bad teachers (in terms of morality)? If you were in this student's place, would you trust Jade Fox?
4. During a part in the movie, Shao Long's wedding parade is interrupted by a former lover. Does this lover really love Shao Long? Why or why not?

Braveheart Movie review

I remember watching "Braveheart" for the first time. It was the first R-rated movie I ever watched. For sure, Braveheart deserves its R rating, but that is no reason to avoid this movie. In fact, I recommend it to people in their late teens on up. It's certainly a profile on courage in the face of heavy odds.

It is the 14th century. Scotland has long been under the thumb of its more powerful neighbor, England. The Scots have been feeling that "thumb" more than ever in recent times, thanks to England's current monarch, King Edward "Longshanks." The movie begins with two Scots searching for a friend, who was part of a party of nobles gone to discuss peace terms with King Edward. The two discover that Longshanks' promise of peace talks was in reality a death trap. These two are father and older brother to the movie's hero: William Wallace (played mostly by Mel Gibson). After the two of them die in battle shortly afterward, young William is taken in by his Uncle Argyle, who teaches him how to use his brain as well as a sword. Years later, after the unjust execution of his wife, William Wallace starts leading a rebellion against the tyranny of England.

As I said before, "Braveheart" deserves its R rating. The movie is heavy on bloody battles and laced with obscene language ("Jesus" is used more than once, and so is "b****rd. "Arse" is used several times). There is one scene where the silouhette of a naked woman with a naked man is shown (although this is soon after a secret wedding, so this can be considered a tribute to the beauty of a wedding night) and two scenes of one or more Scots showing distain for the English army by showing it their bare buttocks. There is a scene where a man tries to rape a woman. There is a part in the movie where William is being tortured and disembowled.

Even so, "Braveheart" is a story of courage in the face of oppression. Just make sure kids aren't watching while you're watching.

National Treasure movie review

"But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such government and to provide new guards for their future security." Before I watched Disney's "Nationial Treasure," I didn't know that this was in the Declaration of Independence. This sentence from one of our "national treasures" sets the tone for the entire movie.

Ben Gates (played magnificently by Nicholas Cage) is a member of a family of treasure hunters (although Ben would say they're treasure protectors) whose passion for seeking a particular treasure, called the Templar Treasure, has made him unpopular with scholars. When Ian Howe (Sean Bean) agrees to fund an expedition to the arctic to find a ship known as the "Charlotte," Ben takes him, tech-savvy Riley Poole, and others to find it. He doesn't find the treasure, but he finds a clue that leads him to believe that the treasure map is hidden on the back of the Declaration of Independence. Ben is reluctant to steal the Declaration, which he would most certainly have to do in order to find the map. Ian, on the other hand, is willing to do anything to get his hands on the treasure. All of a sudden, Ben has a rival who wields a gun and three cronies. After getting back to the States, Ben and Riley try to warn the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security, and American History specialist Abigail Chase (Diane Kruger), but their warnings go unheeded. Ben then sees he has no choice but to steal the Declaration in order to preserve it.

"National Treasure" is heavy on action and American history. It also begs the question "Is it right to steal something when you've warned those responsible for its care of the lurking danger?" One lesson that's definitely learned from this movie is "Don't give up just because you're told it can't be done." In the words of Thomas Edison, "I found a thousand ways to not make a light bulb. I need to find only one way to make it work." Ben is told twice that something couldn't be done: Riley told him that the Declaration couldn't be stolen because it was too heavily guarded and his father, Patrick Gates (Jon Voigt) tells him he can't find the treasure because it doesn't exist.

"National Treasure" is rated PG for Action Violence (including shooting and a man falling to his death) and Some Scary Images (including frozen skeletons on board a wrecked ship). The movie is well worth the rating, however.

Expelled movie review

"We are losing freedom in one of the most important sectors of society: science," Ben Stein tells us in "Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed," his documentary on the war between Darwinism (Evolution) and Intelligent Design. He then shows us clips from interviews he had with prominent scientists and one neuro-surgeon who had been cut loose from the scientific community simply because they had dared to question the theory of Evolution in public. "I was viewed as an intellectual terrorist," one scientist told Ben. His act of terrorism? He had published an article by Dr. Steven Meyer, a well-known supporter of Intelligent Design (ID). The other interview clips go by fairly quickly, each one ending with an "Expelled" stamp on a "rap sheet."

Ben goes on a journey that spans from Seattle to Germany, covering Biola University, Paris, and other places. Along the way, we learn some interesting scientific facts that the public school textbooks don't tell us, such as the Miller Experiment being a failure. Ben also goes to Germany when he's told that Charles Darwin's theory influenced Hitler's "final solution." We're introduced to Eugenics, which is still around under the name of Planned Parenthood.

Ben's message is not "Get rid of Evolution and replace it with Intelligent Design." It's more along the lines of "Let both sides of the Evolution/ID debate be heard." The side Ben picks is obvious as the documentary progresses. Still, he has a point. If both sides were equally heard, people could discuss both sides rationally instead of just one side pushing the other side out the door and locking it out of public institutions.

Star Trek movie review

"I am and ever shall be your friend." Those were the last words spoken by Spock to Captain Kirk in "Star Trek II-The Wrath of Khan." Like "Star Trek," Star Trek II helped save the Star Trek franchise that was started by Gene Roddenberry. As a result, Star Trek fans went on to enjoy Star Treks III, IV, V, and VI, as well as Star Trek The Next Generation, Star Trek Deep Space Nine, and Star Trek Voyager. After 9/11, Star Trek went back to the beginning. The problem was it went too far back. Star Trek Enterprise didn't last long on the air and it seemed as if Star Trek was about to pass into history, where every man has gone before. Then J. J. Abrams stepped in. Whether or not you've heard of him, you've certainly heard of his works, which include the popular TV series "Lost" and the movie "Armageddon." Star Trek starts with the death of Lieutenant George Kirk, who dies holding off a vastly superior foe while the rest of the crew and passengers escape, including George's wife, who is going into labor. As the fight continues, we witness the birth of George's son, James Tiberius. As the movie progresses, we see Jim become a rebel without a cause from growing up with an abusive step-father (we hear verbal abuse that contains threats of violence over the phone in one scene). After an ugly confrontation in which Kirk deliberately provokes four husky Starfleet cadets into a fight, Captain Christopher Pike, who worked with George Kirk before George's death, implores Jim to join Starfleet. Jim's story isn't the only story we're exposed to. On Vulcan, Spock is constantly being picked on by his peers for being half-human. Spock takes it fairly well until one of the boys insults Spock's mother. Spock attacks him after that. After the fight, Spock is reprimanded by Sarek, his father. "Control your feelings so that they do not control you," he says. Years later, Spock is ready to join the Vulcan Science Academy. He had also applied to Starfleet. He explains to the members of the board that it was logical to consider more than one option. When one of the board members (the only board member in the scene who talks) regards Spock's "human mother" as a weakness, Spock politely declines entrance into the VSA and instead joins Starfleet. Kirk and Spock meet in an unfriendly way: Kirk has been caught cheating on the Kobiashi Maru, a simulation program that Spock designed. The hearing is cut short due to a distress signal from Vulcan. As the advertisments for this movie say, this isn't your father's Star Trek. How right they are. There is more violence (including a man being impaled and a Vulcan being crushed), some strong language (the strongest word used is b****rd), and one sex scene that involves Kirk and a female student. All in all, the movie is entertaining, although there isn't a moral lesson behind it ("save the whales" and "don't follow blindly" come to mind from Star Trek IV and V, respectively). I give this movie 4 stars out of 5.

Heroes: Alternate Universe part 6

Nathan hung up the phone for the twentieth time that day. Twenty times he had called different city and federal sources, none of them very helpful. He leaned back in his chair in thought. This could be a wild goose chase. But Pete was seldom wrong when it came to "saving the world." He had to assume his younger brother was right about a Eugenics project being in the works. Why the American government would experiment with Eugenics after condemning it years before was beyond him. Unless... Congressman Petrelli picked up the phone and dialed Noah Bennett, the one man alive who he knew would know about what the Company was up to.

"I've been looking into the same thing," Noah told Nathan. "I know that somebody in the Company's involved." "I'd think more than one person's involved in a project of this magnitude," Nathan answered. "We're talking about the intended sterilization of a lot of people." "Let me assure you that I'm not involved in this project," Noah said. "Pete told me that Hiro Nakamura had a dream about this," said Nathan. "Any ideas where they mmay have come from?" "I know who gave him that dream. I helped him develop his gift." "Then you know where he is?" "No. He and two other people like him left the company. I haven't seen him since." Noah hadn't seen Dreamer since he had been sedated and locked away presumably because he had become too powerful to control. Now, Noah considered, it may have been because he had stumbled onto this project. How, he had no clue. "Do you have any idea who might be behind this," Nathan asked, interrupting his thoughts. "Bob Bishop made the motion to dispose of him," Noah answered. "That motion wasn't seconded, however." It was true. Noah had averted that second by suggesting that they merely sedate Dreamer. Bishop had accepted it. They had used the Hatian, whose ability to negate superpowers and erase memories had proved invaluable to the Company over the years, to accomplish this. "I'll start with Bob, then," Noah promised.

Claire's capture was accomplished with some difficulty, but with no witnesses. Bob Bishop, Elle, and two henchmen drove Claire, handcuffed and blindfolded, toward the re-education center. Bob silently breathed a sigh of relief. Their plan was succeeding without a hitch. Soon, he saw the tunnel through the mesa that they had to pass through. They were on an abandoned road, so they were pretty much home free. Elle turned on the headlights before entering the tunnel. Bob didn't believe in ghosts, so when he noticed a figure of a man in a stetson hat and overcoat, he thought he was hallucinating. As they got closer, the man raised his head, revealing his face. It was Ivan. Elle tried to brake, but it made no difference. The car flipped upside down and skidded to a halt in front of the renegade. The car then flipped sideways so they were right side up, then it was pushed against the left side of the wall, their right. Elle exited the car and motioned for the agents to do the same. The agents dragged Claire along. Elle grabbed Claire by the back of the neck and faced Ivan. "Move out of the way, Ivan," she said. "The girl will get the shock of her life if you don't." The gunshot was deafening and completely unexpected. One of the agents fell with a thud, dead before he hit the ground. A hand grabbed her left shoulder from behind and a gun pressed against her back. "You're in no situation to bargain," Ivan answered. "Let her go and things will be a lot easier," a woman's voice said from behind. In the car, Bob climbed to the back seats and exited through the back door. He instantly found himself in a cell in the Company. Dreamer was standing at the door. "Sweet dreams," he whispered. Then he closed the cell door. In the real world, Elle watched as a third figure entered the tunnel. "Let Claire go and walk to the car," a voice said in her mind. Her muscles complied. The figure moved closer. Elle was transported to her childhood. She saw many happy memories being played out. How long was it taking? Minutes? Days? Months? No matter. Memories long forgotten, buried by an interrupted childhood thanks to her father experimenting with her power, were flooding back. She didn't want it to end.