The Hobbit

Oh. My.
Thank you for the Christmas present Peter Jackson.
Now all I have to do is wait for a year.

3 Movies

Watched It.

Liked It.

Loved It.

Anticipating Some Movies

Aron Ralston's story is one I was absolutely gripped by the first time I heard it in 2003 when it happened. I often use as an illustration of the heart behind Matthew 5:29-30.  If you don't know the full story, hold off on learning all about it and check out the movie (Heads up.  It is Rated R for language and some disturbing violent content/bloody images).

In 2007 I read all the books in a matter of 3 months. All indications by the trailer and the fact that they chose to split the final Harry Potter book into 2 movies tells me they are going to do all they can to honor Rawling's writings.

The 50 States as Movies

Interesting.

Link love to Cinematical for the image.

Post-Camp Movies: 1 Word Reviews

There is about 5 weeks between Summer Camp and Fall Kickoff where I try to significantly slow it down physically, mentally, and emotionally. A major part of accomplishing this is watching a ton of movies. Here's a list of movies I've watched since Summer Camp (in theater, on DVD, on TV) and my 1-word reviews of these films.

1. Invictus - Inspiring
2. The Bounty Hunter - Boo
3. Law Abiding Citizen - Yuck.
4. Zombieland - Clown!
   
5. Book of Eli - Biblicious
   
6. Inception - wow.
   
7. Blues Brothers - Classic
8. X-Games: The Movie - Fascinating
9. Rudy - Cry
10. Die Hard 2 - Sigh
11. Hannah Montana: The Movie - embarrassed
12. Rush Hour 2 - Excessive

What I've Been Reading/ Watching

Reading:

Lead, For God's Sake!: Todd attends NMC and has served as a Small Group Leader to Senior High guys. This modern day Fable is a fantastic read. I started it as our plane lifted off from Chicago heading to Amsterdam, and only put it down for food, bathroom and rest breaks on that flight. I was done with it halfway through my Amsterdam to Nairobi flight. I have a feeling this book is going to be fairly significant in leadership circles. It's engaging, entertaining, and full of insight and challenge on living life with purpose.

The leadership principles are valuable and applicable. It's well worth a read if you are in any area of leadership.



When Helping Hurts: How to Alleviate Poverty Without Hurting the Poor...and Yourself : This was a timely book for me as I started it in the D.R.C. and inhaled the majority of it on my 44 hour journey home from Africa. The book is written by two Christian Economics and Community Development Professors who have had extensive experience in addressing poverty and short term missions. Traveling to multiple cultures as well as diving all in to our Kids In Need initiative has uncovered the complex world of world evangelism. I'm believing more than ever that the call of Matthew 25 (sheep and the goats) is just as significant and tied to the call of Matthew 28 (the Great Commission). Yet, how do you go about clothing the naked, feeding the hungry, etc. in a way that moves toward making "Fully Committed Disciples? This book has been a breath of fresh air and insight into my newfound angst and struggle over approaching missions with a healthy and holistic perspective.

I'd highly recommend this book to anyone who is consistently working with or leading teams on cross-cultural missions experiences, as well as any person who is wrestling how to best live out the Gospel.


Watching:

Date Night: Janelle and I went to this movie on our 10th anniversary. It made us laugh... a lot. After the movie, I commented to Janelle that you almost have to be married for a minimum of 5 years to really enjoy this movie. A little raunchy at points, but if you are a Steve Carrell and/ or Tina Fey fan, it delivers. I'd wait till it's on DVD to rent it, or hit the dollar theater as it's probably there at this point.




Iron Man 2: I'm one of those sensible people who believe that the original Ironman was actually the best superhero movie of the Summer 2008 (meaning it was better than The Dark Knight). Ironman 2 was fun, funny, action-packed, and worth the price of admission. A good start to the Summer. Probably not the best movie I will see this Summer, but I liked it. If you liked the first one, I can't see how you wouldn't like the second.

10 for the 2000s: In the year 2000

The following are major Events I remember (or did a little research to discover) from 2000.

1. Y2K scare: When the New Year and New Millenium hit, Airplanes were going to fall from the sky. Computers were going toI remember many stockpiling food & generators, buying guns, and other preperatory things. Not just whack-jobs but those I deeply respect. Nothing really happened.
2. 2000 Sydney Olympics: I don't remember a lot of individuals from these games, but I remember watching them.
3. Dimpled Chads: Ahh the 2000 election. Gore won the popular vote. Bush won the electorate. Florida was under the microscope. Gore went on to make a movie. Bush went on to serve 2 terms and be one of the most unpopular presidents in American History.
4. Elian Gonzalez: Remember this picture...
5. Top 5 Grossing Movies: How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Castaway, Mission Impossible 2, Gladiator, What Women Want.
6. Super Bowl XXXIV: Rams/Titans came down to the last play. Still one of the best Super Bowl games I've ever watched.
7. Subway Series: Yankees beat Mets 4-1. It was a cool one to watch as New York was in a bit of a frenzy.
   
8. Britney and N'Sync: Oops! I Did It Again and No Strings Attached hit big. Teen Pop was huge... painfully huge.
9. U2 Comeback: They released All That You Can't Leave Behind, and recaptured the sound made them great in the 80s but added a New Millennium flare to it.
10. Boy Meets World Finale: I know, not a huge deal. But come on, Cory, Topanga, and Mr Feeny? It had a great closing scene with Feeny looking out over his empty class saying, "I love you all. Class dismissed." Good stuff.
    

Lunar Happenings

I guess there's a little movie about vampires, werewolves and forbidden love coming out this weekend. New Moon (from the Twilight Saga) is worthy of attention by parents and youth workers. In my web surfing today, two quotes that struck me from this LA Times article...

More than a week before its Nov. 20 release, "New Moon" had sold more than four times as many tickets as "Twilight" at MovieTickets.com at the same point in the sales cycle, with more than 1,300 sold-out performances -- including 900 midnight performances.

Then I read the following Facebook status update from one of our high school gals

my new moon frenzy is still goin! hyped up on monsters (the only energy i have) last night didnt get very much sleep but im ready to go see NEW MOON again! :) gotta love the twihards!

I am thoroughly intrigued by this cultural phenomenon. I blogged here and here about the books highlighting my enjoyment and concerns over the series. 2 thoughts I'm having.

1. I believe this movie could potentially beat out Titanic as top-grossing film. I know that seems crazy. Many say the factor to put Titanic so far over the top is the amount of preteen and teen girls who, suffering from what was labeled "Leo-mania" went back 6-10 times to see the film. MTV has hyped this movie like it's going out of style. The amount of fan freakout from the "Twi-hards" is insane. I've been pretty surprised by the high level of 20-30 year olds (primarily females) who are completely hooked by the books as well. I don't know if it will happen, but I'll just say I won't be surprised if this sets some box office records.
   
2. I wonder how many moms (or dads) and teen/tween daughters have set up "date
   Publish Post
   s" to go see this movie together? I know of a few. I hope there are a lot. I hope there is some discussion on the way home. I hope there are questions like the following:
   
   • Do you think there is an Edward Cullen (maybe not a vampire, but a guy that possesses his qualities) out there? What about Jacob Black?
   • Who do you think shows more respect to Bella?
     
   • Who do you think loves Bella more?
   • Where do you see yourself like Bella and different from Bella?
     
   • What message(s) do you think were being shared in this movie?
   • What are the messages you would say line up with your beliefs and how you want to live your life?
   • What are the messages you would say do not line up with your beliefs or how you want to live your life?
   • How would you say this movie defines love?
     
   • Do you think the depression Bella fell in after Edward left was healthy? Romantic? why?
   I hope this happens. I'm afraid far too many will simply let their daughters go watch with others and have no follow up for potentially valuable conversation. I'm afraid far too many will go on a "date", but miss the opportunity to model and encourage their child to "think critically" about the entertainment being taken in.

I'll go watch it. Probably this weekend. Hopefully I'll be able to view it in a packed house; mainly because I will be there to observe the frenzy as well as the film.

To Save A Life

Last night we had the privilege of hosting an advanced of the independent film To Save A Life. The screening was for area community and church leaders.
The film was written by Youth Pastor Jim Britts, and is set for a January 22 theatrical release.

I'll be honest, I'm not a fan of Christian Movies (there are very few exceptions, End of the Spear is one that comes to mind). I usually find the directing subpar, the acting poor, and the plot lines overly simplistic and cheesy.

I did not find this film to be like that. There are a couple below average performances by supporting cast, but the main characters are fantastic. The story line is engaging, moving, and hits close to home quite a few times (sometimes uncomfortably too close to home). In fact, we had several 11th and 12th Grade Student Leaders present who loved the film and were challenged by it.

The bummer with an indie film like this one is that it may not last very long or get widespread release. At this point, the film is not set to release in our area. There's some things people can do to get it to their area. Here's some suggestions from the makers of the movie.

Today, I sent out three emails to area movie theaters letting them know I'd love to see the movie make it to their theaters.

The 33s: Movies

33 of my all-time favorites (kind of in order... once you get past 20, there is probably ones I would replace if you asked me tomorrow)

1. The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (I really think of them as one really long movie)
2. Saving Private Ryan
3. Slumdog Millionaire
4. The Truman Show
5. Dead Poet's Society
6. Shawshank Redemption
7. Simon Birch
8. Last of the Mohicans
9. Signs
10. The Karate Kid
11. What About Bob?
12. Raiders of the Lost Ark
13. Sneakers
14. The Outsiders
15. Hoosiers
16. Elf
17. The Rookie
18. The 3 Amigos
19. Braveheart
20. Shrek
21. The Sandlot
22. Remember the Titans
23. Gross Pointe Blank
24. Cloverfield
    
25. Goonies
26. The Usual Suspects
27. Napolean Dynamite
28. Hotel Rwanda
29. U2- Rattle and Hum
30. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
31. Back to the Future
32. The Matrix
33. A Bugs Life
    

2009 Summer Movie Rankings

My rankings for the Summer movies I've seen thus far:

Tier 1: Worth the heater visit.
1. Star Trek
2. Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince
6. Transformers 2*
Tier 2: Wait for the Red Box
3. Angels and Demons
4. Terminator: Salvation
5. X-Men Origins: Wolverine
Tier 3: Don't waste your time.
7. Land of the Lost

Still wanting to see:
G.I. Joe, District 9, UP

*Plot line and overall movie, Transformers ranks 7th. I put it in tier one because the big screen experience was worth the visit to the theater.

Facebook Conversation

A simple post on Facebook updates via Twitter last night, and some enjoyable responses...

Derry Prenkert Watching the sandlot with some of the guys on my softball team. YOU'RE KILLIN' ME SMALLS. What's you're favorite scene or line?

Justin Lincoln at 8:00pm June 2

"The Babe" - Remember kid, there's heroes and there's legends. Heroes get remembered but legends never die, follow your heart kid, and you'll never go wrong.

Brian Bussard at 8:02pm June 2

This is smores stuff. First you take the graham. You stick the chocolate on the graham. Then, you roast the mallow. When the mallows flaming, you stick it on the chocolate and cover it with the other end. Then, you scarf.

Audrey Grace Speicher at 8:03pm June 2

"First, you take the mallow..."

Brian Bussard at 8:04pm June 2

Ham Porter: You call that pitching? This is baseball! Not tennis!

Mark Davidhizar at 8:06pm June 2 via Facebook Mobile

Forrreeeeverrrrr, forrreeeverrrrr

Aaron Morey at 8:07pm June 2

ForeVER, ForeEVER

Jennifer Newcomer at 8:11pm June 2

fake drowning for Wendy Pefercorn (sp)

Tyler Miller at 8:20pm June 2

YOU PLAY LIKE A GIRL!

Alicia 'Trump' Linse at 8:33pm June 2 via Facebook Mobile

"YOU'RE KILLIN' ME SMALLS!" And the constant chewing and smaking of huge wads of bubble gum. Good movie!

Marah Jean Traub at 8:50pm June 2

"Wendy Peffercorn!"

Dustin Geyer at 9:03pm June 2

"you take the mallow and put it on the gram"

Andrew Kelley at 9:19pm June 2

FOR-E-VER!

Todd Owens at 9:45pm June 2

HAM: Hey, Smalls, you wanna s'more?
SMALLS: Some more of what?

You play ball like a giiirrrrrrrrl!
... Read More
HAM: Is that your sister out there in left field, naked? She's naked?
RANDOM KID: SHUT UP PORTER!
HAM: Hey, hey, hey, I'm just trying to start a friendly conversation, come on. [two seconds later] Think she'll go out with me?

Aaron Zehr at 9:53pm June 2

Yea, yea you were! You're tongue was hanging out of your head!

Andrew Kelley at 10:17pm June 2

CHA!!!!

Joel Kratzer at 10:52pm June 2

I like the part where his wonderboy bat gives hin powers

Stephanie Cook at 12:40am June 3

Smalls: Ohhhh The Great Bambino! I thought you said the great.... Bambi.
Ham: That wimpy dear!?!?

Dogs and Crying

3 Questions:

1. Are you a dog lover?
2. Have you seen Marley & Me?
3. Did you cry like a little girl when you watched it?

I answer triple-yes. Many people told me I needed to watch this movie, and I finally got around to it last night. I LOVED it. Marley is known by her owners as the "World's worst Dog." Janelle and I often refer to our dog, Barnabas, as "The World's Dumbest Dog."

Janelle gave me Barnabas as a college graduation present... right at the same time we were engaged. He has been there with us through it all. So many significant moments over the past 10 years include Barnabas being around to just sit with his head on my knees or my lap.

Great movie. Sentimental for anyone who has enjoyed a family dog!

Friday 5: Movies

I've seen Wolverine, Star Trek, and Terminator Salvation. Star Trek was by far the best and Wolverine was by far the worst.

Here's 5 more Summer flicks I'm most looking forward to...

Vacation Time.... The Movies

We caught 3 movies while in Florida...

I'm not a comic book guy. I love comic book movies. The X-Men have always intrigued me, and every one of the movies left me wanting more. This one did the same. I don't know what more I actually want, but there must be something (I'm not too tough to entertain).
I will say I loved the Gambit character. Always one of my more favorite X-Men just for the sheer ridiculousness of a guy who has the power to throw flaming playing cards.
My rating: Barely good.


I'd heard this was a great drama/murder mystery/ plot twist. While looking at our movie choices, we thought it showed some promise and gave it a try. We loved it. Great story line. Some enjoyable acting. We got what felt like a little "behind the scenes" view into investigative reporting and political power struggles. Ben Afleck usually makes me cringe as an actor, but I liked him in this one. He played his part well. It did have a great twist at the end to it all, but the ending was a tad abrupt. In the end, that didn't take away from what was a great movie.
This one will likely be in the dollar theaters soon, it it isn't already. It would be a great date movie if you're parents looking for a night away from the kids.
My rating: Great.



I love J.J. Abrams. It may be close to a man-crush. Damon Lindelof was a co-creator with Abrams and current executive producer on LOST. When I found out these two were going to take a stab at a new run for the Star Trek series, my hopes were pretty high.
They nailed it with this movie. To actually put new actors as characters that are so closely connected to Nimoy, Shattner, and others is tricky, and they did it without me trying to compare. The action and storyline was top-notch. It had me laughing throughout. Zachary Quinto (Spock) and Simon Pegg (Scottie) were especially enjoyable. Go see it. NOW!
My Rating: Fantastic!

The Gathering of the Geeks

This Spring Break week, we are doing a few gatherings for Junior and Senior High students who are still in the area. This is the one I'm most excited about. It's been something talked about often among NMC students, and it is finally happening.

(EXTENDED EDITION) MOVIE MARATHON.
-All three movies, back to back.

Schedule of Events:
10:00 a.m. - The Council pulls together at Rivendell (a.k.a. the NMC Fieldhouse)
- 2nd Breakfast to be provided (a.k.a. donuts)
- Viewing guidelines will be agreed upon.
10:30 - Fellowship of the Ring Viewing Begins

Lembas Bread available at lunchtime (a.k.a Pizza to non-Elvish folk)

2:20 p.m. (approx.) - Two Towers Viewing Begins

6:10 (approx.) - Dinner Break. Suggested Dining is the at The Prancing Pony (a.k.a. La Fogata)

7:30 - Return of the King Viewing Begins

12:00 a.m. - A Moment of Silence.

12:02 a.m. - The Fellowship Parts

What to Bring:

• Your own seating (any type of seating is welcome, you're responsible to get it there and get it out).
• Any snacks or drinks you'd like (soda and candy available for purchase)
• $5 for lunch, and money for Supper (on your own)
• Feel free to invite any Senior High Guys interested in coming.
• NOT FOR THE WEAK AT HEART. ONLY COME IF YOU PLAN TO WATCH THE MOVIES. THIS IS NOT GAME/BASKETBALL/DODGEBALL/ETC.

Sorry Ladies. This is a GUYS ONLY EVENT. If you are a High School guy or older, and interested in coming, let me know.

Slumdog Millionaire - A Rewatch and a Rant on Viewing Attitudes

I've said the Slumdog Millionaire is the best movie I've seen in the past few years, and easily ranks in my top 5 all-time.

I watched it by myself in the theater, so we rented it last night for Janelle's viewing pleasure and I joined in. It was still fantastic viewing the 2nd time through.

It's a tough movie to watch in sections due to some violent sequences involving kids. Why I would encourage a traditionally "R" audience (age 17 and up) to watch it is due to the fact that, although it is not a true story, the issues facing many children on the streets of India's massive cities are very real.

As I watched the movie, I found myself considering the manner at which I go into my viewing of entertainment. I can think of 3 possible attitudes I will take...

1. Blind Entertainment - Turn my brain off. Get lost in the movie, tv show, or song. Laugh, cheer, cry, and enjoy the story, song, or pictures unfolding before me.
2. Sin Conscious - The constant questioning of, "Should I be watching or listening to this? Is this truly something that I should be finding entertainment in?" This is the "garbage in/garbage out" mentality.
   
3. Student - I'm listening or watching for the redemptive moments. I'm educating myself on a genre, topic or popular trend that can make me more "aware". I'm looking for moments or situations that could generate conversation.

Now, you may think I'm going to say there is one way to go, but I think all three attitudes have validity. I have to be cautious when taking the #1 attitude. I personally feel I can only take this attitude when I have a high level of confidence that what I'm taking in has alot of the stuff Philippians 4:8 talks about. I find myself taking this attitude on re-watches most often.

The #2 (stop for a potty humor reference...) attitude is what I was taught growing up (especially in church). It was a good thing to be taught. Media has significant influence on us. There are lies laced all through the messages overtly and covertly. There is sin depicted on screens and in song that a follower Christ really needs to just avoid. I personally avoid any movie that contains strong sexuality/nudity in it, because I want to guard my heart against seeing women as an object, and I want to honor what was meant to be enjoyed in a married couple. But, if it was all I was taught, it would be incomplete though. I RARELY (the times I do watch are very much due to #3 attitude) watch the horror movies that will rejoice in and take lightly the spiritual realm. Like I said, this is a good approach, but if left to itself, it's incomplete. If I watch or listen to something depicting sin, I am not necessarily sinning (if it was sin, I shouldn't read the Bible).

This is where #3 comes in. Entertainment is not just "entertainment" when taking on this attitude. It is something more. It is looking at art and seeing it's message. It's considering how the echoes of our creators voice are resonating through a storyline. It may even take on a worshipful approach. But the ultimate goal is not simply entertainment... it's something more... education, illustration or inspiration are just a few things that one can pull out.


It's very possible to take an element of all 3 attitudes together when listening or watching. but what's your primary attitude in entertainment? If it's solely #1, you'd be wisest to put attitude #2 into action before partaking. If it's Solely #2, you probably have guarded yourself well against becoming "of the world", but you may be missing out on some great opportunities to engage in this world for the sake of the Kingdom.
If it's solely #3, lighten up every once in while! Laugh a little and enjoy. There are seasons you know...

Movie Weekend

Thursday: Wall-E

For some reason I kept putting off seeing this movie. I finally got it at Red Box and checked it out during a Katylynn nap Thursday (actually she joined me for the last 30 minutes). I love the evolution of Pixar movies. I don't think they've really made a big-time dud yet. They are ridiculously creative in their story telling, and somewhat profound in their message. Wall-E didn't disappoint me. In fact, I put it up there with the original Toy Story and the Incredibles, just below Bug's Life (my personal favorite).
If you've somehow neglected till now to watch it like I have, it's definitely worth renting.


Friday: Paul Blart: Mall Cop
A couple of Senior Small Groups watched Katylynn and forced Janelle and I to go on a date Friday. We were both in the mood to watch a little senseless comedy, and Blart footed the bill. Far from Cinematic genius, this movie was made by Adam Sandler's company, and Kevin James was Sandler's stand in as the star.
I shook my head a few times in disabelief but approval. I laughed out loud. The story line made some really weird jumps, and there were several moments I foung myself saying, "This is stupid," but I was laughing while saying it. It was enjoyable. Yet, it I wouldn't recommend paying full ticket price unless you were in a mode like we were, or going with a group of people.



Sunday Night: Taken
I guess this movie can best be summed up with two words, "Daddy Vengence". Liam Neeson's character made Jack Bauer look like a compassionate panzy. It was an intense action flick with a little Bournesque quality to it. If you have a daughter, you will likely find yourself pulling for the dad (however over the top he goes). It was worth seeing.

Final Rankings.
1. Wall-E
2. Taken
6. Paul Blart: Mall Cop.

Movie Day

I'm sure my personal history with and love for India may be skewing my opinion on this movie, but Slumdog Millionaire is Absolutely FANTASTIC! Hands down, the best movie I've seen in a long time. I need some time to really decide where it lands, but it has definitely cracked the top 5 of my all-time favorite movies. Great acting. Great story. Both gut-wrenching and heart-warming in the same movie. I am far from an authority on Indian culture, but as I watched, I was swept back to the streets of Kolkata that I have walked down, having my heart broken as I met several street kids.
It has just the perfect hint of Bollywood (India's Hollywood), which may come off a bit cheesy if you aren't familiar with it (especially the end credits). It deserves every Oscar Nomination it received, and I think Dev Patel should have been nominated for his performance as Jamal Malik.

It is Rated R for violence and language. It's not near the worst I've seen in either of those categories, but it's an accurate rating.

Youtubesday - Super Bowl Movie Trailers

These got me excited...