When we first meet Anakin Skywalker, we know him as the villainous Dark Lord of the Sith who single handily took down the Jedi order. Anakin used to be a decent fellow. How did good guy Anakin turn into Bad guy Vader? ‘The Phantom Menace’ finally sliced his way out from George Locus’s mind to begin answering that question. We find one of the greatest of all screen villains was once a little boy who yelled yippee, was a mama’s boy, was a slave, built C3PO, participated in pod-car racing and developed a crush on a teenage queen who he would later sacrifice his Jedi hood for. When sequels are no longer a necessity it’s time to go back to the beginning and look at the origin of what transpired before the original story took place. Ahhhh, the prequel.
The summer of 2009 kicks off the summer season with two prequel origin stories in a row. From a comic book born in the 60’s, having its fourth film on the silver screen is X-Men’s Wolverine. Cha Ching. If you saw X2 you pretty much know the synopsis of the origins of the Comic Book’s most popular mutant superhero. ‘X-Men’s Origin: Wolverine ‘fleshes the back ground story told in the second X-Men movie out. If you saw X2 you saw the Apex of X-men movies. If you saw the 3rd X-men, you may have felt you saw one of the lamest sequels in Superhero movie history; although it wasn’t as bad as all that. This fourth entry is neither great nor awful but good enough to enjoy. There is nothing totally mind altering about Wolverine’s origins, but its fun to go along for the ride, providing you’re an X-Men fan. If your not, you might as wait till next week and see new pumped up Star Trek.
In this film you will travel with Logan through his long life. He is immortal like ‘The Highlander’. There is however no Queen Soundtrack and no fights with swords on top of cars in a garage. But Logan does talk about taking off the head of another immortal named Victor Creed, who turns out to be Logan’s brother, who turns out to be Saber Tooth in the first X-Men picture. It shows his violent history as he goes from war to war fighting and killing, fighting and killing.
After Vietnam he finally joins a Special Forces unit with his brother and a bunch of other mutants including Charley the Hobbit from Lost/Rings. For some reason after all the years of not dying and fighting he has had enough and walks away from killing bad guys to living life with a pretty girl in the Canadian back woods and killing trees for lumber. He uses an ax and not his boney claws.
Of course you can never just walk away from a life like that. His violent past follows him to his sweet peaceful life and sets off a series of events that lead him to confront his brother in a vicious non-hold battle of immortals, volunteer to have his body become the ultimate indestructible weapon fusing his skeleton with adamantium, and mingle with other well known X-Men including the indestructible Blob diamond skinned Emma Frost and kinetic energy card throwing Gambit. Young Cyclops is given a small role, probably to make up for killing him off so quickly in X-Men 3. You also learn just how nasty General Striker was when he was younger.
As Logan is on the run from the very people who gave him his newly razor silver sharped indestructible claws he hides out on a farm with a nice old couple who share their food and loving warm hospitality with him. The old man gives him some solid advice. He sees that Logan is a man full of anger and hatred and warns him if he goes looking for blood, he will find it. Where your treasure is, there is your heart also.
When instructing his disciples on how to be Holy, Jesus warns them that hating someone in your heart is just as bad as actually doing it. The actual killing of someone is only the material reality of an inner spiritual disposition. If you want to let anger and hatred into your house they will come in and dine and you will manifest that in your dealings with others. If you want to let peace and non-violence into your life, it will come in and dine and it will manifest in the way that you deal with others. It all starts in the heart. Over the course of Logan’s life and the course of the film, he struggles with the tendency to not let his animalistic beastly nature control his inner humanistic tendency to be a decent person.
Wolverine has several exciting action sequences, several interesting characters and a look into the complex inner workings of a man struggling with his unique fallen nature. If your looking for a x-men superhero fix, this film will suffice. Look for a cameo of another popular X-men and stay to the end for a nice little Easter egg. The summer 2009 movie season has stuck its claws out and has begun to scratch the surface of what looks like an exciting movie season.
This has been a Normal Me Story Blazer Report
Start a Fire
Storyblazer Introduction
Showing posts with label NormalMe. Show all posts
Showing posts with label NormalMe. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Monday, April 27, 2009
Dog Gone Movies
Dog Gone Movies
For some reason or other canines are barking up a cinematic box office frenzy. They have come out to chew the audience’s heart with their cute heroic doggie stories. So here is a quick dash and look at some doggie treats.
Beverly Hills Chihuahua
This film shows the truth about Chihuahua’s. That they are cute, larger then life, and roam free in the Mexican wilderness as a gang and as a group can scare off mountain lions.
Chloe (voiced by Drew Barrymore), is a pampered rich dog who ends strained in Mexico and ends up being kidnapped and put into a dog fighting ring. She is heartily rescued by a German Shepherd, ex-police dog, named Delgado (voiced by Andy Garcia). Together they try to find Chloe’s owner before the evil owner of the dog fighting ring finds her with his killer Doberman.
There are several other amusing characters including a pair of humans, a con man pack rat named Manuel (Cheech Marin) and his lizard partner Chico (Paul Rodriguez). There is also the Chihuahua Papi (voiced by George Lopez) who is determined to win Chloe’s heart.
The movie sets out to be a work of fun and laughs and it succeeds and even has several touching moments.
Underdog
The classic canine superhero dog goes from the animated small screen of TV to the big live action of the silver screen. Like Peter Parker or the Hulk, Shoeshine is an ordinary has been police dog who gets super powers when Bart Sinister tries to inject the dog with some of his mad scientist formula stuff.
The startling discovery of his superpowers cause shock and worry to the newly formed super mutt. Humans can now hear him speak and he can turn over couches, fly like a bird and run like the flash. His flying is equal to that of ‘The Greatest American Hero’, when he first started out, so Shoeshine (Underdog) crashes into a lot of things. It’s great to see a dog kick the crap out of evil men and dogs.
UD is more fun then it looks and is not a bad superhero film at that.
Hotel for Dogs
This is a creative, funny, inventive and at times touching story about some kids who find some strays in a abandoned hotel and then slowly dog by abandoned dog, build a sanctuary for them in this abandoned hotel. This film has several cleaver and amusing gags (even a cleaver doggie poop gag, and is worth checking into. As much as I like dogs It’s too bad that they don’t take the homeless humans or elf’s and build a hotel for them. The Chihuahua’s manage to live in the desert and they seem to do all right for themselves.
Marley & Me
M&M chronicles the life of a young married couple (both writers) who decide to buy a cute lovable dog. If you have ever owned a dog, you may relate to the troubles and trials that Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston face as they bring up this lovable yet undisciplined and rambunctious Golden Lab. At least I think it is a lab.
The dog jumps out of moving cars, has his owner chase him across yards, chews apart everything, barks during storms and various other annoying doggie things. The annoying doggie stories provide Owen with plenty of material for to write about in his carrier at a Florida newspaper.
As the movie treks along through Owen and Jennifer’s life, they add children to their family. It becomes more then a story about a couple and their dog, it is a story about a dog who is part of a larger world. It is not just a simple silly slapstick kids film, but a comedy mixed heart felt human drama. There is actually a lot of talk of sex for a movie geared towards kids.
Bolt
This is the latest big Disney Animated non-Pixar hit about a Dog who doesn’t know the difference between reality and fantasy. I have no more to say about this film, until I actually see it.
Madagascar 2
I know that this is not a Dog Movie, but it has Lions, Giraffes, Monkey’s, Penguins, Zebra’s, Hippo’s, Great White Sharks, New Yorkers, and a tough Jewish Old Lady in it, plus the annoying lemurs.
This time around, Madagascar is less annoying then it’s predecessor. If you want a amusing story with lots of wild animals this may satisfy your tastes. If you want real life quality to it, watch Earth or the series Planet Earth.
Well, that is the Dog Gone short quick Doggie-Treat Reviews.
Stayed tuned for more Storyblazer reviews, longer written and better thought out reviews.
This has been a Normal Me Storyblazer report.
For some reason or other canines are barking up a cinematic box office frenzy. They have come out to chew the audience’s heart with their cute heroic doggie stories. So here is a quick dash and look at some doggie treats.
Beverly Hills Chihuahua
This film shows the truth about Chihuahua’s. That they are cute, larger then life, and roam free in the Mexican wilderness as a gang and as a group can scare off mountain lions.
Chloe (voiced by Drew Barrymore), is a pampered rich dog who ends strained in Mexico and ends up being kidnapped and put into a dog fighting ring. She is heartily rescued by a German Shepherd, ex-police dog, named Delgado (voiced by Andy Garcia). Together they try to find Chloe’s owner before the evil owner of the dog fighting ring finds her with his killer Doberman.
There are several other amusing characters including a pair of humans, a con man pack rat named Manuel (Cheech Marin) and his lizard partner Chico (Paul Rodriguez). There is also the Chihuahua Papi (voiced by George Lopez) who is determined to win Chloe’s heart.
The movie sets out to be a work of fun and laughs and it succeeds and even has several touching moments.
Underdog
The classic canine superhero dog goes from the animated small screen of TV to the big live action of the silver screen. Like Peter Parker or the Hulk, Shoeshine is an ordinary has been police dog who gets super powers when Bart Sinister tries to inject the dog with some of his mad scientist formula stuff.
The startling discovery of his superpowers cause shock and worry to the newly formed super mutt. Humans can now hear him speak and he can turn over couches, fly like a bird and run like the flash. His flying is equal to that of ‘The Greatest American Hero’, when he first started out, so Shoeshine (Underdog) crashes into a lot of things. It’s great to see a dog kick the crap out of evil men and dogs.
UD is more fun then it looks and is not a bad superhero film at that.
Hotel for Dogs
This is a creative, funny, inventive and at times touching story about some kids who find some strays in a abandoned hotel and then slowly dog by abandoned dog, build a sanctuary for them in this abandoned hotel. This film has several cleaver and amusing gags (even a cleaver doggie poop gag, and is worth checking into. As much as I like dogs It’s too bad that they don’t take the homeless humans or elf’s and build a hotel for them. The Chihuahua’s manage to live in the desert and they seem to do all right for themselves.
Marley & Me
M&M chronicles the life of a young married couple (both writers) who decide to buy a cute lovable dog. If you have ever owned a dog, you may relate to the troubles and trials that Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston face as they bring up this lovable yet undisciplined and rambunctious Golden Lab. At least I think it is a lab.
The dog jumps out of moving cars, has his owner chase him across yards, chews apart everything, barks during storms and various other annoying doggie things. The annoying doggie stories provide Owen with plenty of material for to write about in his carrier at a Florida newspaper.
As the movie treks along through Owen and Jennifer’s life, they add children to their family. It becomes more then a story about a couple and their dog, it is a story about a dog who is part of a larger world. It is not just a simple silly slapstick kids film, but a comedy mixed heart felt human drama. There is actually a lot of talk of sex for a movie geared towards kids.
Bolt
This is the latest big Disney Animated non-Pixar hit about a Dog who doesn’t know the difference between reality and fantasy. I have no more to say about this film, until I actually see it.
Madagascar 2
I know that this is not a Dog Movie, but it has Lions, Giraffes, Monkey’s, Penguins, Zebra’s, Hippo’s, Great White Sharks, New Yorkers, and a tough Jewish Old Lady in it, plus the annoying lemurs.
This time around, Madagascar is less annoying then it’s predecessor. If you want a amusing story with lots of wild animals this may satisfy your tastes. If you want real life quality to it, watch Earth or the series Planet Earth.
Well, that is the Dog Gone short quick Doggie-Treat Reviews.
Stayed tuned for more Storyblazer reviews, longer written and better thought out reviews.
This has been a Normal Me Storyblazer report.
Tin Man
Tin Man
Return to Oz in this updated, highly stylized retelling and sort of sequel to the classic novel first introduced to the American public in 1900. All the familiar characters are here although they are trans-morphed into something more modern and updated to fit the larger and more epic story that has been rewritten. The classic themes and overall classic theme of all good stories, (Good VS. Evil) are present.
So ease on down the yellow brick road in this adventures take on the Wizard of Oz.
Please forgive the short un-formative review. My Storyblazing fires are low at the time of this revew writing. Perhaps a shiner review will surface in due time.
Return to Oz in this updated, highly stylized retelling and sort of sequel to the classic novel first introduced to the American public in 1900. All the familiar characters are here although they are trans-morphed into something more modern and updated to fit the larger and more epic story that has been rewritten. The classic themes and overall classic theme of all good stories, (Good VS. Evil) are present.
So ease on down the yellow brick road in this adventures take on the Wizard of Oz.
Please forgive the short un-formative review. My Storyblazing fires are low at the time of this revew writing. Perhaps a shiner review will surface in due time.
Friday, April 24, 2009
17 Again
After graduating from ‘High School Musical’, Zac Efron gets to be ’17’ once ‘Again’ and movie goers get a homage to 80’s comedy morphed with a mystical movie fable. This movie is ’13 Going on 30’ in reverse with a high school singing sensation as the center rather then a secret agent. Instead of some magical wish dust, this film has a spirit guide/angel/mystical somebody pulling the ‘Lesson to be Learned’ strings. The mystical Janitor comes, dispenses some witticisms and then leads our hero into some vortex where he gets his wish to relieve his tortured adolescent life. In spite of that wish he still ends up as a Disney Channel icon.
Despite being un-original film, that has been done several times in several different ways, it proves to be a Merry Little Fun film that has some good moral points. One interesting Moral note involves Zac’s character Mike O’Donnell having to deal with High School Sex Ed. It’s amazing the perspective one views the world from as an adult who has a teenage daughter he doesn’t one grimy boys touching with their dirty perverted hands. He sounds like a stuffy adult when suggesting that absentness is the way to go, but when he describes the results of holding his baby daughter for the first time, it causes the girls in the class to think twice about giving yourself away before being united in Holy Matrimony.
’17 Again’, may not be the greatest fable-style comedy, but it is pleasant enough to enjoy and has several good moments. It may remind you of your youth. In just one year I will go to my 20th year reunion. What would it be like to relive? This type of film helps you to recollect your years of yesterday and helps you to wonder what would happen if you made a wish and some mystical force let you relive a part of your life, grow older or younger, go back in time to help your parents to meet and fall in love, see what life would be like if you were never born or what it would be like to have the powers of God.
In Summary this is the pre-summer movie hit that you can safely wait to DVD to watch unless you want to help the economy by going to the theater to see this film.
This has been a Normal-Me StoryBlazer Report.
Despite being un-original film, that has been done several times in several different ways, it proves to be a Merry Little Fun film that has some good moral points. One interesting Moral note involves Zac’s character Mike O’Donnell having to deal with High School Sex Ed. It’s amazing the perspective one views the world from as an adult who has a teenage daughter he doesn’t one grimy boys touching with their dirty perverted hands. He sounds like a stuffy adult when suggesting that absentness is the way to go, but when he describes the results of holding his baby daughter for the first time, it causes the girls in the class to think twice about giving yourself away before being united in Holy Matrimony.
’17 Again’, may not be the greatest fable-style comedy, but it is pleasant enough to enjoy and has several good moments. It may remind you of your youth. In just one year I will go to my 20th year reunion. What would it be like to relive? This type of film helps you to recollect your years of yesterday and helps you to wonder what would happen if you made a wish and some mystical force let you relive a part of your life, grow older or younger, go back in time to help your parents to meet and fall in love, see what life would be like if you were never born or what it would be like to have the powers of God.
In Summary this is the pre-summer movie hit that you can safely wait to DVD to watch unless you want to help the economy by going to the theater to see this film.
This has been a Normal-Me StoryBlazer Report.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Knowing
March 2009 is a terrible place for the world in cinema. Of the four major films that come out each week, the earth is threaten in some way by aliens, nuclear annihilation, or some type of natural disaster. The ‘Next’ film, where Nick Cage gets glimpses into the future, is worth ‘Knowing’ about.
It is suspenseful, creepy, and thought provoking all at the same time. Not too many laughs, as terrible events are unfolding all around Nick Cage and there is nothing he can do about it. Is life just random or is their some purpose to it all? These are the struggles we all grapple with at sometime or another and so does Nick’s character. The same type of subtle Christian undertones and symbolism are present either implicitly or licitly.
If I laid out the actual Christian symbolism and Catechetical lessons I would spoil the film for you dear readers. Also there is a prophecy that says if I actually reveal more of the film then I have all ready, great disaster will befall…… someone.
Editor’s Note: Our apologies at StoryBlazers for this unenthusiastic and uninformative film review. This is not a habit we StoryBlazers wish to engage in, but it does happen. A lazy bug bites us at times and slows the brain. You have a right to know about Knowing and at some point a more lengthy review will replace this tidbit of not much Know how about Knowing. Also sorry about so many puns. You must take the opportunity when it presents itself.
It is suspenseful, creepy, and thought provoking all at the same time. Not too many laughs, as terrible events are unfolding all around Nick Cage and there is nothing he can do about it. Is life just random or is their some purpose to it all? These are the struggles we all grapple with at sometime or another and so does Nick’s character. The same type of subtle Christian undertones and symbolism are present either implicitly or licitly.
If I laid out the actual Christian symbolism and Catechetical lessons I would spoil the film for you dear readers. Also there is a prophecy that says if I actually reveal more of the film then I have all ready, great disaster will befall…… someone.
Editor’s Note: Our apologies at StoryBlazers for this unenthusiastic and uninformative film review. This is not a habit we StoryBlazers wish to engage in, but it does happen. A lazy bug bites us at times and slows the brain. You have a right to know about Knowing and at some point a more lengthy review will replace this tidbit of not much Know how about Knowing. Also sorry about so many puns. You must take the opportunity when it presents itself.
Frost Nixon
Frost Nixon
How will history remember you? Will it be favorable? Will it be unfavorable? Or will you just be forgotten as most people in history are.
Frost Nixon is the true story of a battle between 70’s hip TV reporter David Frost and disgraced and disgruntled ex-president Richard M. Nixon. Nixon is a man of pride who laments that despite his great accomplishments as president the only thing people will remember is his misdeeds concerning Watergate. Nixon is interesting. Frost seems to have no real personality.
In the end it doesn’t matter what accomplishments you succeed in, if you do something wrong to mess it all up in the end. It doesn’t matter if your remembered in this life, as long as you are remembered in the next one by the only one that really matters.
An interesting and good look into recent history.
How will history remember you? Will it be favorable? Will it be unfavorable? Or will you just be forgotten as most people in history are.
Frost Nixon is the true story of a battle between 70’s hip TV reporter David Frost and disgraced and disgruntled ex-president Richard M. Nixon. Nixon is a man of pride who laments that despite his great accomplishments as president the only thing people will remember is his misdeeds concerning Watergate. Nixon is interesting. Frost seems to have no real personality.
In the end it doesn’t matter what accomplishments you succeed in, if you do something wrong to mess it all up in the end. It doesn’t matter if your remembered in this life, as long as you are remembered in the next one by the only one that really matters.
An interesting and good look into recent history.
Race to Witch Mountain
Race to Witch Mountain
Witch Mountain do you prefer to climb? Do you prefer to Escape to the 75 trail where you have time to savor the scenery and enjoy the characters you are accompanying on the journey? Or do you prefer to Race to the 2009 trail where it is a mad adrenaline rush from start to finish. The film does slow down long enough to explain the plot and then it speeds off again and then pauses again to let the Rock’s character Jack explain his hopes and dreams a little bit more and then the race is back on.
Along for the ride in the taxi cab with Jack Bruno are teen-age aliens with super powers Seth & Sara, and UFO expert Dr. Alex Friedman. As they race to Witch Mountain with the fate of earth in the balance, after the heroes is the mob, the U.S. Government and an alien bounty hunter out to kill the kids. It’s overall a fun race if you don’t mind the film not focusing on the plot and focusing on the action. Sometimes it focus a little too much on the action where you can’t see the action. Certain action films never like to pull out and let you look at the scene taking place but zoom in where you actually can’t see anything. It’s not an appealing film technique that I particularly enjoy.
But overall ‘Race to the Witch Mountain’ is a fun ride despite some of the flaws that slow down the full enjoyment of the picture.
Witch Mountain do you prefer to climb? Do you prefer to Escape to the 75 trail where you have time to savor the scenery and enjoy the characters you are accompanying on the journey? Or do you prefer to Race to the 2009 trail where it is a mad adrenaline rush from start to finish. The film does slow down long enough to explain the plot and then it speeds off again and then pauses again to let the Rock’s character Jack explain his hopes and dreams a little bit more and then the race is back on.
Along for the ride in the taxi cab with Jack Bruno are teen-age aliens with super powers Seth & Sara, and UFO expert Dr. Alex Friedman. As they race to Witch Mountain with the fate of earth in the balance, after the heroes is the mob, the U.S. Government and an alien bounty hunter out to kill the kids. It’s overall a fun race if you don’t mind the film not focusing on the plot and focusing on the action. Sometimes it focus a little too much on the action where you can’t see the action. Certain action films never like to pull out and let you look at the scene taking place but zoom in where you actually can’t see anything. It’s not an appealing film technique that I particularly enjoy.
But overall ‘Race to the Witch Mountain’ is a fun ride despite some of the flaws that slow down the full enjoyment of the picture.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Memories on an Invisible Man
One can not be too careful when being around scientists working on some project involving some type of energy that you can not get from your local electric company. Being in the presence of these giants of the mind can result in someone’s body chemistry radically changing. It can cause someone to develop the powers of a spider, or the ability to morph into a green monster when angry, or a small harmless ant to grow to the size of a small sky scrapper. Or it can cause a man trying to sleep off a hangover to become invisible.
After a night of boozing it up, after trying to score with a beautiful blonde named Alice Monroe (Darryl Hannah,) Nick Halloway (Chevy Chase) board out of his mind at some lecture decides to find a quiet place to rest his head. He approaches a room where scientist are busy working on something scientific and distracts one of them by asking where the bathroom is. This causes him to spill his cup of coffee on his keyboard, causing a chain of events that lead to everyone having to evacuate the building. This movie highlights the reasons why liquid should be kept far away from computers.
Nick however does not leave the building and wakes up to see parts of the building missing. They are however not missing but have become invisible. The partially invisible building is one of the more impressive architectural designs ever brought to a science fiction film. Nick on the other hand has become wholly invisible. This really wigs him out and also makes him become the primary target of CIA agent David Jenkins (Sam Neil) who wants to use him as an invisible hit man. Those with power always seem to want those with some type of unordinary power to be under their power. Nick always dreamed of being invisible, but being chased by the government, and having to avoid running into people make the dream better then the actually reality.
The rest of the picture has Nick running away from David and trying to come to grips with his strange situation. Putting everyday normal guy Chevy Chase in the character of Everyday normal guy Nick brings an authentic reality to a role that is meant to be that of a everyday guy trying to cope with an unusual situation. The audience takes a journey with Nick in his strange new life, getting glimpses of the character as he really is with no visible body and for the sake of camera as the person we would see if he was visible.
The movie never develops into a full out action movie although it has its moments. The fun is in seeing Chevy Chase in various degrees of invisibility, including putting makeup on to make him visible to his love interest, Alice . The ending of the film seemed natural enough to the flow of the film, but somehow I wanted a different ending for reasons that would spoil it for those of you who haven’t seen it.
A overall interesting time hanging out with Chevy Chase, Sam Neil and others. The movie was directed by John ‘Halloween, Big Trouble in Little China’ Carpenter and the screenplay co-written by William ‘The Princess Bride’, Goldman.
When he wrote his Memories did Nick use Invisible Ink?
A NormalMe Storyblazer Review
Copyright Storyblazers 2009
After a night of boozing it up, after trying to score with a beautiful blonde named Alice Monroe (Darryl Hannah,) Nick Halloway (Chevy Chase) board out of his mind at some lecture decides to find a quiet place to rest his head. He approaches a room where scientist are busy working on something scientific and distracts one of them by asking where the bathroom is. This causes him to spill his cup of coffee on his keyboard, causing a chain of events that lead to everyone having to evacuate the building. This movie highlights the reasons why liquid should be kept far away from computers.
Nick however does not leave the building and wakes up to see parts of the building missing. They are however not missing but have become invisible. The partially invisible building is one of the more impressive architectural designs ever brought to a science fiction film. Nick on the other hand has become wholly invisible. This really wigs him out and also makes him become the primary target of CIA agent David Jenkins (Sam Neil) who wants to use him as an invisible hit man. Those with power always seem to want those with some type of unordinary power to be under their power. Nick always dreamed of being invisible, but being chased by the government, and having to avoid running into people make the dream better then the actually reality.
The rest of the picture has Nick running away from David and trying to come to grips with his strange situation. Putting everyday normal guy Chevy Chase in the character of Everyday normal guy Nick brings an authentic reality to a role that is meant to be that of a everyday guy trying to cope with an unusual situation. The audience takes a journey with Nick in his strange new life, getting glimpses of the character as he really is with no visible body and for the sake of camera as the person we would see if he was visible.
The movie never develops into a full out action movie although it has its moments. The fun is in seeing Chevy Chase in various degrees of invisibility, including putting makeup on to make him visible to his love interest, Alice . The ending of the film seemed natural enough to the flow of the film, but somehow I wanted a different ending for reasons that would spoil it for those of you who haven’t seen it.
A overall interesting time hanging out with Chevy Chase, Sam Neil and others. The movie was directed by John ‘Halloween, Big Trouble in Little China’ Carpenter and the screenplay co-written by William ‘The Princess Bride’, Goldman.
When he wrote his Memories did Nick use Invisible Ink?
A NormalMe Storyblazer Review
Copyright Storyblazers 2009
Monday, March 2, 2009
Doubt
Father Brendan Flynn: Doubt can be a bond as powerful and sustaining as certainty. When you are lost, you are not alone.
People can be so certain about their convictions about others that unless they can pear into their minds and read them, they will not be convinced of the truth about another’s true motives and actions when a conflict arises. But even if one could pear into another’s mind, it would not necessarily mean they would discover the truth about the situation. Take Merlin Jones for example.
He developed the ability to read others thoughts and while waiting tables at the restaurant where he worked, he happens to overhear the thoughts of the judge who took away his drivers license. He heard the judge plotting a crime and where the missing diamonds were hidden that the police were looking for. After tearing through his prized flower garden to find these jewels and getting the police to come knocking at his door he finds out that he was mistaken about the guilt of the judge. He overheard the judge plotting a crime in his mind, but it was about the plot of his new novel and not about a real life crime.
When I first read about ‘Doubt’, I thought it was an anti-Catholic slam about the church. I assumed that it was anti-Catholic because a great many films made nowadays love to take the sexual abuse scandal and use that as a litmus test as to why the Catholic Church is evil. After all the Catholic Church has a secret army of assassin albino monks protecting the truth about Jesus hidden in the Mona Lisa and who help the church to sever the souls of children and who align themselves with armored polar bears.
Instead of an bad Mystery Science 3000 sappy anti-Catholic drama starring Bill Maher , what we get is a psychological thinking, scratch your head, well-acted drama centering around three people who happen to be Catholic, two nuns and a priest. It is 1964, the time in which the second Vatican Council was in session. Father Flynn (Phillip Seymour Hoffman) is a good mannered friendly priest who loves the people in his Bronx New York (home of super priest Fr. Benedict Groeschel), parish and school especially the boys that he ministers to. Sister Aloysius ( Meryl Streep) is the strict old fashion hardcore principal nun that will hit you in the back of the head if you misbehave. She is weary of kids who use ballpoint pens, of those who put three lumps of sugar into their tea and believes that Frosty the Snowman is too pagan even to be played on the radio. She is suspicious of everything and everyone. Sister James ( Enchanted and beautiful Amy Adams) rounds out the major players as innocent and good natured nun who believes in the good of all people and who happens to like Frosty the Snowman.
Sister Aloysius doesn’t like Father Flynn’s attention being directed towards Donald Miller, the schools only black student who also happens to be an alter boy. She has Sister James spy on Father Flynn and one plot point leads to another and Father Flynn is accused way before the mess in Boston of being sexually inappropriate with the boy and of giving him wine to drink. The rest of the film deals with the clash between Father Flynn and Sister Aloysius with poor sister James caught in the middle.
Father Brendan Flynn: You haven't the slightest proof of anything!
Sister Aloysius Beauvier: But I have my certainty!
Sister Aloysius believes that the little she has seen is enough to convince her that she is right and that he is wrong. Is what she heard enough? Is what she seen enough? Like Merlin Jones, what she actually sees maybe not be the correct interpretation of the event. Leonard Shelby from Memento reminds us, “Memory can change the shape of a room; it can change the color of a car. And memories can be distorted. They're just an interpretation, they're not a record, and they're irrelevant if you have the facts. Facts, not memories. That's how you investigate.” The statement is quite ironic from whom it is coming from. But it would take another whole essay to explain it, but the quote fits what I’m trying to say.
This is the type of film you want to see with another person because after wards you want to ask someone who saw it, “Do you think he was innocent or guilty”? Did he sexually abuse the boy, OR is the Head Nun just a little too suspicious and over reactionary. The beauty of a film like this is that it never tells you who is right and who is wrong. It gives you evidence that could convict either side as right or wrong. You the jury must decide innocent or guilty. I thought he was innocent. So did a co-worker of mine. But his girlfriend and another co-worker both thought he was guilty.
Those who like straightforward stories with all the answers or escapist movies, please watch the three stooges or any number of Walt Disney films, this is a movie for people who really like to think or construct puzzles. The movie actually deserves repeated viewings because like ogres it has many layers and too much symbolism to catch in a single viewing. If your doubting ‘Doubt’ is a worthwhile film to spend your viewing time and dollars on, have no doubts about ‘Doubt’ and add it to your list of worthwhile films to see and enjoy.
This has been a NormalMe StoryBlazers Review
People can be so certain about their convictions about others that unless they can pear into their minds and read them, they will not be convinced of the truth about another’s true motives and actions when a conflict arises. But even if one could pear into another’s mind, it would not necessarily mean they would discover the truth about the situation. Take Merlin Jones for example.
He developed the ability to read others thoughts and while waiting tables at the restaurant where he worked, he happens to overhear the thoughts of the judge who took away his drivers license. He heard the judge plotting a crime and where the missing diamonds were hidden that the police were looking for. After tearing through his prized flower garden to find these jewels and getting the police to come knocking at his door he finds out that he was mistaken about the guilt of the judge. He overheard the judge plotting a crime in his mind, but it was about the plot of his new novel and not about a real life crime.
When I first read about ‘Doubt’, I thought it was an anti-Catholic slam about the church. I assumed that it was anti-Catholic because a great many films made nowadays love to take the sexual abuse scandal and use that as a litmus test as to why the Catholic Church is evil. After all the Catholic Church has a secret army of assassin albino monks protecting the truth about Jesus hidden in the Mona Lisa and who help the church to sever the souls of children and who align themselves with armored polar bears.
Instead of an bad Mystery Science 3000 sappy anti-Catholic drama starring Bill Maher , what we get is a psychological thinking, scratch your head, well-acted drama centering around three people who happen to be Catholic, two nuns and a priest. It is 1964, the time in which the second Vatican Council was in session. Father Flynn (Phillip Seymour Hoffman) is a good mannered friendly priest who loves the people in his Bronx New York (home of super priest Fr. Benedict Groeschel), parish and school especially the boys that he ministers to. Sister Aloysius ( Meryl Streep) is the strict old fashion hardcore principal nun that will hit you in the back of the head if you misbehave. She is weary of kids who use ballpoint pens, of those who put three lumps of sugar into their tea and believes that Frosty the Snowman is too pagan even to be played on the radio. She is suspicious of everything and everyone. Sister James ( Enchanted and beautiful Amy Adams) rounds out the major players as innocent and good natured nun who believes in the good of all people and who happens to like Frosty the Snowman.
Sister Aloysius doesn’t like Father Flynn’s attention being directed towards Donald Miller, the schools only black student who also happens to be an alter boy. She has Sister James spy on Father Flynn and one plot point leads to another and Father Flynn is accused way before the mess in Boston of being sexually inappropriate with the boy and of giving him wine to drink. The rest of the film deals with the clash between Father Flynn and Sister Aloysius with poor sister James caught in the middle.
Father Brendan Flynn: You haven't the slightest proof of anything!
Sister Aloysius Beauvier: But I have my certainty!
Sister Aloysius believes that the little she has seen is enough to convince her that she is right and that he is wrong. Is what she heard enough? Is what she seen enough? Like Merlin Jones, what she actually sees maybe not be the correct interpretation of the event. Leonard Shelby from Memento reminds us, “Memory can change the shape of a room; it can change the color of a car. And memories can be distorted. They're just an interpretation, they're not a record, and they're irrelevant if you have the facts. Facts, not memories. That's how you investigate.” The statement is quite ironic from whom it is coming from. But it would take another whole essay to explain it, but the quote fits what I’m trying to say.
This is the type of film you want to see with another person because after wards you want to ask someone who saw it, “Do you think he was innocent or guilty”? Did he sexually abuse the boy, OR is the Head Nun just a little too suspicious and over reactionary. The beauty of a film like this is that it never tells you who is right and who is wrong. It gives you evidence that could convict either side as right or wrong. You the jury must decide innocent or guilty. I thought he was innocent. So did a co-worker of mine. But his girlfriend and another co-worker both thought he was guilty.
Those who like straightforward stories with all the answers or escapist movies, please watch the three stooges or any number of Walt Disney films, this is a movie for people who really like to think or construct puzzles. The movie actually deserves repeated viewings because like ogres it has many layers and too much symbolism to catch in a single viewing. If your doubting ‘Doubt’ is a worthwhile film to spend your viewing time and dollars on, have no doubts about ‘Doubt’ and add it to your list of worthwhile films to see and enjoy.
This has been a NormalMe StoryBlazers Review
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