Only three reviews this week. I’m trying to come up with my own system of rating …. it’ll probably be unveiled next week. Here we go for now, though:
The Marine. A wrestler plays a marine who gets booted out of the military for disobeying orders and saving his friends. While attempting to adjust to civilian life, his wife gets kidnapped by some cheesy criminals and the adventure ensues. Ultimately, it’s not very good. Some of the fight scenes are okay, but you would think a real marine would be a little more proactive about getting a firearm. Mindless entertainment … which is sometimes what guys are looking for. Don’t worry about the unrated title … they must have just put in a little more blood or something, ’cause it wasn’t that bad.
The Nativity Story guess since I was kinda disappointed in One Night With the King, I didn’t have real high expectations with this one. But I was actually incredibly impressed. Other than the common criticism of the wise men showing up in Bethlehem the night Jesus was born, which I knew and expected, I thought it was incredibly true to the biblical story. What impressed me most, however, was how they interpreted the story around the biblical accounts. Each character seemed to have a depth beyond just quoting lines from the Bible. Excellent movie.
Children of Men. Wow. I heard from a good friend that I should see this movie. Then I saw an interview with a basketball player and he listed this movie as the best movie of the year without hesitation. It came out on video this week, and I rented it. Twenty years in the future, women have become sterile for an unknown reason. A group of political revolutionaries finds a girl who is pregnant, and Theo, the main character, gets involved through an ex. The world is in chaos and she is the hope of the future. He must protect her at all costs. Seriously, one of the best movies I’ve seen in the last year or so. Unique on so many levels. The cinematography was incredible. Try to pay attention how often the action scenes are all one shot, one take. The theme is timely and the story is very redemptive. The acting and writing were also very well done. It was creative and unique, but it also had so much you could relate to. It does have some language and gets pretty violent and intense in some places. The last part of the movie, I was literally on the edge of my seat.
That’s it for this week. There will be a couple more next week. Stay tuned … or not.
Peace.