"I Am Legend" Review

Ok, so I guess I'm a sucker for post-apocalyptic movies. The Postman, The Stand, The Day After Tomorrow, &, now, I Am Legend. I, as opposed to most movie critics, really liked this movie. I thought the portrayal of anyone who is on their own after an apocalypse was done very well. But would I expect anything less from Will Smith (sans The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air)?

I enjoyed this film from beginning to end. The "monsters" were obviously CGI but scared the crap out of me. For lack of better judgment on my part, I watched this movie at about 2 am &, after finishing it, was kind of freaked out so I had to pop in another movie before my mind had time to move into imagination mode & really drive me to the panic zone. :)

Just a bit of advice when watching the DVD, don't waste your time watching the "animated comic book" shorts. They are very violent, disgusting, & left me very uneasy. The DVD doesn't come with a lot of special features, which I was disappointed in. I would have expected it to include a "making of" feature but, alas, we are gypped on that extra.

So, would I recommend this film? To the right type of person, most definitely. Being a post-apocalyptic film many people can't handle that type of story, but then throw in some "zombies," the rest of the population immediately turns sour on the whole idea. However, to that small remnant of the population like me, I would definitely suggest it as a way of wasting a couple of hours. I would give this movie an "A-."


Discussion Questions from Christianity Today:

1. In one of the final scenes, Neville shouts, "You are sick and I can save you! Let me save you!" What comparisons do you see in this scene—and the whole movie—between Neville and Christ? Do you think it is intentional? Why or why not?

2. Think about the scientist's analogy of the measles virus to a fast car whose destruction or value depends on who is driving. What does that mean to you? What other things are that way?

3. What do you think the movie is saying about the debate between science and faith?

"Shadowlands" (1985) Review

Shadowlands (1985) is the story of C.S. Lewis' life, or at least his life after he met his wife. This was a made for TV version by PBS staring Joss Ackland as C.S. Lewis & Clair Bloom as Joy Davidman. I was kind of disappointed with this film. I thought it would be about his life but it was just about 4 yrs of his life. From the movie, you get the impression that he met his wife, courted her, married her, & her death all in the matter of a few months or so, when in reality it was about a 4 yr span. Her remission stage in reality lasted about 1 1/2 - 2 years but in this film it seems like only a couple of weeks. The movie also did not go on to tell what happened to her two sons later in life.

As a nice little movie about a short part of his life, I guess this was a pretty good movie but I was expecting to find out more about his life so I was a little let down by the abbreviation. This movie was redone in in 1993 under the same name, starring Anthony Hopkins as C.S. Lewis & Debra Winger as Joy Davidson. I've read that there are some misrepresentations in that film also but any movie, in my opinion, with Anthony Hopkins in it is worth watching.

So, would I recommend this film? Sure, it is worth watching on a slow night when you can't find anything more interesting to watch but I would also suggest doing a little research on the life of this theologian before taking anything you learn from the movie as fact. I would give this movie a "C." It was good but I was expecting more.

In case you are interested, here is an article in Christianity Today entitled Into the Shadows in which the two versions of the movie are compared.


Interesting C.S. Lewis Related Sites:

• Wikipedia: C.S. Lewis
• C.S. Lewis Foundation
• Into the Wardrobe
• C.S. Lewis

"The X-Files: I Want To Believe" Review

Brandie, Betty, & I saw The X-Files: I Want To Believe on Saturday. The X-Files was a great paranormal TV show from 1993 - 2002. In 1998, they produced The X-Files the movie. From what I remember, it did not do well at the box office & if the turn out at the theater on Saturday is any sign this one will do no better. Having said that, I did enjoy this one, much more than the first one.

What many die hard X-Files fans may not like about this film is that it deals very little with the paranormal. In fact, the story is more crime fiction than sci-fi. So, those of you hoping to see if our questions, do the "little green men" really exist, will Mulder ever find his sister, will Scully finally believe, etc..., are answered, may be disappointed, once again. However, this may be the true genius of The X-Files. We continue to return time after time hoping the tension will be broken. If the truth was revealed, would we still be drawn to this story? I'm not sure. It seems that most shows that break this "tension" usually fail soon after.

So, would I recommend this film? Sure, it's worth a watch, maybe even more so for those who are into crime shows but not so caught up in paranormal stories. Both fans can enjoy this film. For a little lighthearted humor stay, after the credits roll.

I'll give it a "B-." I thought it was pretty good but I probably won't watch it again.

PS: Here is a video review that I totally agree with. X Files I Want To Believe Movie Review


Discussion Questions from Christianity Today:

1. Compare and contrast Mulder and Scully's views of the world. Who has a greater grasp of "the truth"? What do they both need to learn?

2. What did you think of Father Joe? Do you think he can be forgiven for his crimes? Does he seem genuinely repentant?

3. Do you believe in psychic phenomena like Father Joe's visions? Has God ever used visions and dreams to communicate with people?

4. What do you think of the closing scene in the hospital. Is the scientist being brave and noble? Do the protestors have valid concerns?

"Step Brothers" Review

Brandie & I went to see Step Brothers, starring Will Farrell & John C. Reilly, on Friday. We thought it looked really funny; not funny funny but stupid funny. A movie that looked light-hearted, something to break the seriousness of the week & ease us into a relaxing weekend. We weren't expecting much but we thought it might be fun. We got our first surprise while were waiting in line for a bottle of water. I looked at the ticket & realized this was movie was rated "R." We were both surprised by this; we thought this film might be a little crude but rated "R," what were we in for?

So, we went in expecting a bit of profanity. Well, it surpasses "a bit" within the first 10 min. Crude language was used considerably in each scene, not to mention the dreaded "F" word being used as if the writers left their thesaurus at home & just used it when they couldn't think of a better adjective. As if that wasn't enough, there is a scene during the first 1/3 of the movie that I will not describe due to the graphic & disgusting nature of it. Just suffice it to say that there is no excuse for such filth in main stream movies. Humor-wise, it did have funny bits but it was beyond stupid & choppy & annoying in parts. All in all, I would say I'm pretty embarrassed to say I actually watched this.

So, would I recommend this film? Absolutely not. I think Brandie enjoyed it more than I did but I still thought it was quite a horrible waste of time & money. Having said that, as always, I did enjoy hanging out with my great friend, Brandie.

I think I'm going to start attempting to give these reviews a grade. "A" being a great movie; "B" being that it was definitely worthwhile; "C" being good but I probably wouldn't watch it again; "D" being I didn't enjoy it that much, it's pretty much a waste of time; "F" being terrible, hated it, one of the worst movies I've seen in a while. So I give this movie an .......... "F."


Discussion Questions from Christianity Today (if you actually go against this advice & decide to waste your time & money.):

1. The film's central theme is that of immaturity versus maturity, of the need to grow up and put childish things aside. Do you think that, by the end of the film, Brennan and Dale achieve this? Why or why not?

2. The ways in which Brennan and Dale are immature are obvious, but are there any regards in which Robert or Nancy need to grow up? Do you think they are good parents? Why or why not?

3. How does this movie treat divorce? Adultery? Does it have any positive messages about family? About forgiveness?

The Fishin' Trip

We had a great time on the fishing trip. We weren't sure if we would even be able to get the boats out at first much less get any hits at first because the water was so high. Arkansas (& most of that part of the US as you may know) has gotten a lot of rain this year & most of the rivers, creeks, tributaries, etc... are over flowing with the extra water. We did end up being able to go out but we couldn't use an anchor due to the depth & the speed of the water. Of course, Uncle Randy caught his limit (5), I caught one, Kim & Lance caught a few (I can't really remember how many), dad caught two or three, & Kaylee caught two or three. Kaylee caught a large brown trout. The guy we rented the boats from said that they don't stock browns so her's was considered a trophy fish, so we took her pic holding it & then she let it go.

We only rented two boats so Dad, Kim, & Lance were in one & Uncle Randy, Kaylee, & I were in the other. Mom & Granny didn't fish because they couldn't see the sense in buying a fishing license for only a couple of hours of fishing. Aunt Connee went fishing later with Dad & Lance while Uncle Randy boated Granny & Mom around on the lake that afternoon. Meanwhile, Kaylee, Kim, & I took advantage of the pool.

I ended up getting pretty sunburned. That always ticks me off because I never sunburned as a kid. I would get a tan but not burn. Now that I'm older, I think I've lost a lot of my melanin & tend to burn a lot easier. It probably doesn't help that I work nights now either. I guess I am kind of like a vampire; sleep in the day, out all night, & can't take the sun. I did put on lots of sunscreen & kept reapplying it but a lot of good that did. Another problem was that it was so nice & cool that I didn't realize I was burning. It has turned to tan now so that's nice except that I just noticed my right shoulder has started to peal. Lovely.

I did get a little grumpy at night & I do apologize for that if anyone is reading this. With my schedule & all if I don't get my full 8 hrs of sleep each night, especially on the weekends, I get very testy. So again, I'm sorry. Anyway, all & all we had a great time. And it was great, us all being together again.

No Apologies

Ok, I started to apologize for not posting much this week but I had a conversation a few weeks ago with some friends & we talked about when writing in journals/diaries/blogs we would miss a few days/weeks & then write all these apologies. I told them that I had promised myself a while back ago that I would not apologize anymore about doing that. I do this for myself (if other people get something out of it then that is a bonus) & if I can't work it in or have some reason I don't post then it's okay. I'm not going to keep apologizing to myself. I'll just get back on it & try to do better in the future. So, now, on to other stuff...

I didn't go to the gym yesterday because I really needed to clean my house. I cleaned for like 4 or 5 hrs & took something like 3 medium sized boxes & 5 large trash bags of trash to the dumpster. I know that sounds absolutely ridiculous. A lot of it was some stuff that I have been meaning to take to the dumpster for a while (old DVD players, stacks of old magazines, boxes & large mailing envelops from packages I had received, etc) that I just don't feel would be right to expect the curb side pickup guy to lug to the dumpster. I don't think it was as good of a work out as I usually do but I did sweat so I know I burned a few calories.

I went to the gym & worked out with my trainer this morning but afterward (& even during), I was feeling really weak & drained. I'm not sure what that is all about; I hope I'm not coming down with something. But I just could not bring myself to get on the elliptical.

Speaking of elliptical, one day this week I had just completed 20 min on the elliptical & was trying to figure out if I wanted to do another 15 -20 min on it or what. I looked down at the stationary bikes & decided I would try to do 5 min on it. I know 5 min doesn't sound long but I tried back in April & it really hurt my knees & was very uncomfortable with my big-o belly. Well, I ended up doing about 17 min. I was so happy. My knees did feel a little pressure but not bad &, belly-wise, everything was fine. Not to mention, that 15 min flew by. Now, I feel like an old woman on that bike (mainly because that's the only people who use it) but I'm thinking about getting a bike for myself for Christmas & I want to kind of get the actions down. I would also like to start trying the Spin classes out soon (maybe once I'm under 200). As some of you know I use to ride bikes all the time when I was a kid but I haven't ridden one in about 10 yrs so I probably need the practice.

One of the guys at work is big into biking & I was asking him about it the other day. He told me that the cities around DFW hold city rides every Saturday between the months of April to October (I think that's right). When I told him I was thinking about getting a bike at Christmas he was like, "But then you'll have to wait until spring." This is true but I'll probably need that time before I feel comfortable riding a bike for the 20 - 30 + miles that they do.

Weigh In # 15 & Lucky 7's Video 3

Weight loss: -2 lbs
Total loss: -29.75 lbs

Lucky 7's loss: 1 lb

7 Reasons I want to loose weight & get fit
1. Health
2. Look & feel good (physically & mentally)
3. Shopping
4. Travel
5. Outdoors activities
6. Inspiration to myself & others
7. Family

Please excuse the lack of energy in this video. I was extremely tired, this was my third take (obviously I could never cut it as an actress), & I was/am extremely sore from Monday's workout. I kind of scared of tomorrows workout.