Taken

2009

Director: Pierre Morel

Distributor: Fox Movies

Key Elements: Lines – Message – Concept – Symbolism

My Review:

This is a very simple premise: A daughter on vacation gets kidnapped by the sex trade. Her former CIA agent father comes to rescue her.

I think the mere fact that Liam Neeson’s in the lead makes this movie work. It’s cool seeing an older guy taking names. It’s also cool seeing dirt bags get what coming to them.

But what I appreciate most about this movie is how it draws attention to the sex trade – a very real, very hidden problem worldwide – even in the states.

If there's a gospel element in this movies - It is in the love of a father for his child. He's willing to make every sacrifice to ensure she is saved.

Trailer:



Quotes:

• I'm not comfortable with this.
• I would sacrifice anything for her.
• I don't know who you are. I don't know what you want. If you are looking for ransom, I can tell you I don't have money. But what I do have are a very particular set of skills; skills I have acquired over a very long career. Skills that make me a nightmare for people like you. If you let my daughter go now, that'll be the end of it. I will not look for you, I will not pursue you. But if you don't, I will look for you, I will find you, and I will kill you.
  - Good luck.
• Graham, you can't just run around tearing down Paris..
  - Jean Claude, I'll tear down the Eiffel Tower if I have to!
• You don't remember me? We spoke on the phone two days ago. I told you I would find you.
• Please understand...it was all business. It wasn't personal.
  - It was all personal to me.

Stills:

Airborne

1993

Director: Rob Bowman

Distributor: Warner Brothers

Key Elements: Lines – Characters – Message

My Review:

I fell in love with this movie when I saw the rerun on Disney Channel.

I think I just loved the main character’s approach to life. He was laid back and took things as they came, making the most of everything. At the same time, he was driven by a love within for surfing and philosophy – for transcendence. Isn’t that how we should all live?

Clip:




Quotes:

• Mitchell Goosen at your service. Don't know what I want to be when I grow up. Don't care. As long as I live near the beach and don't have to wear a tie. Then I'll be stylin'. - St-st-stylin? Let me tell you about stylin'. I'm talkin', the perfect A-frame wave spittin' salt water in your face. I call it 'liquid draino, wanna be bullwinkle', I tell you no lies, my friends. It's the consciousness.


• Popeye, now there was a great man. Do you know why?
  - He never joined the Hairclub For Men?
  Wrong. Because his motto was: I am what I am. Do you think Popeye ever worried about what he wore just so he could get Olive Oil in the sack? I should say not, Dude. And do you know why?
  - He was gay?
  Because he is what he is.


• How often does this once-in-a-lifetime wave come along?

Still:

Ratatouille

2007

Director: Brad Bird / Jan Pinkava

Composer: Michael Giacchino

Distributor: Disney / Pixar

Key Elements: Visuals – Characters – Message – Music

My Review:

So many movies, when they set out to send a message of loving what you do, show you someone who’s sold out – a negative example. Not so in this movie. The main character is a rat who loves to cook – purely and consistently.

Supporting this message is a fun, engaging, well-told story and yet another masterpiece of visual beauty from Pixar.

Trailer:




Quotes:

• This is me. I think it's apparent that I need to rethink my life a little bit. What's my problem? First of all, I'm a rat. Which means, life is hard. Second, I have a highly developed sense of taste and smell.


• Although each of the world's countries would like to dispute this fact, we French know the truth: The best food in the world is made in France. The best food in France is made in Paris.


• You must be imaginative, strong-hearted. You must try things that may not work, and you must not let anyone define your limits because of where you come from. Your only limit is your soul. What I say is true - anyone can cook... but only the fearless can be great.


• How can I describe it? Good food is like music you can taste, color you can smell. There is excellence all around you. You need only to be aware to stop and savor it.


• If you are what you eat, then I only want to eat the good stuff.


• I hate to be rude, but we're French!


• In many ways, the work of a critic is easy. We risk very little yet enjoy a position over those who offer up their work and their selves to our judgment. We thrive on negative criticism, which is fun to write and to read. But the bitter truth we critics must face, is that in the grand scheme of things, the average piece of junk is more meaningful than our criticism designating it so. But there are times when a critic truly risks something, and that is in the discovery and defense of the new. The world is often unkind to new talent, new creations, the new needs friends. Last night, I experienced something new, an extraordinary meal from a singularly unexpected source. To say that both the meal and its maker have challenged my preconceptions about fine cooking is a gross understatement. They have rocked me to my core. In the past, I have made no secret of my disdain for Chef Gusteau's famous motto: Anyone can cook. But I realize, only now do I truly understand what he meant. Not everyone can become a great artist, but a great artist can come from anywhere. It is difficult to imagine more humble origins than those of the genius now cooking at Gusteau's, who is, in this critic's opinion, nothing less than the finest chef in France. I will be returning to Gusteau's soon, hungry for more.

Stills:

Surf's Up

2007

Director: Ash Brannon / Chris Buck

Distributor: Columbia Pictures / Universal Pictures

Key Elements: Lines – Visuals – Characters – Message – Concept – Music

My Review:

In college, this was my all-nighter movie. If I was going to be up till dawn writing a paper, I would play this movie in the background. I can’t be sleepy while watching this movie – it’s too colorful, alive, fun and positive.

And it’s got a great message. Love what you do. The moment it becomes something else to you – winning, being the best, etc. – you lose that magic. Do what you love purely for the love.

Also, I’ve long been mystified by the tao of surfing and it’s well represented in this movie.

Fun watch.

Clip:



Quotes:

• Everyone's like Cody's this, Cody's that. Cody's me bro, let me be me.
• So as soon as there was the first wave, right? - there was the first surfer. All they needed was, like, um, a piece of driftwood, a block of ice or something like that, and then they were off. And they were hooked, man. They were hooked. Up 'till recent times, you had your old dudes, you know, your hang-six cats, these old guys used to lay down with these huge, humongous boards. These guys were the pioneers, but nobody saw what surfing could be until Big Z did it.
  - Could you tell us who Big Z was?
  Who was Big Z? You're asking the right guy. You got that far. Z is everything. Big Z is surfing. I mean, there might as well not been an ocean before Z. They invented the ocean for him. Cause he lived so hard because he wasn't afraid to live. He wasn't afraid to die. He came to Antartica when I was just a kid. Man, it was the biggest thing that ever happened here. And suddenly there he was. Just floating on the water. Hovering, you know, like weightless. He could've walked up to anyone, and he walks right up to me. And he gives me this awesome, one-of-a-kind Big Z necklace. And then he tells me, "You know, kid, never give up. Find a way, 'cause that's what winners do." He was the greatest. Everyone looke up to him, respected him, loved him. And one day, one day, I'm gonna be just like him.
• Whoah! You gotta try this blowhole thing, man! This whale dude is giving me a brain freeze.
• You know, we've known each other way back since, like... yesterday, I think it was.
  Alright, well this is the third time this week you've been unconscious. I just don't think it's very good for your brain.
• Who wants to see the champion take on the little guy? Little guys rule!No joy, man. No joy. Fail.

Stills:

Trade

2007

Director: Marco Kreuzpaintner

Distributor: Lions Gate Films

Key Elements: Message – Concept – Music

My Review:

This movie is based on MANY true stories. Our society is blissfully unaware of the realities of sex trade. Even in the states, women and children are taken, moved and sold. This movie masterfully tells that story.

Don’t be shocked. Don’t ask why. We’ve watched the pornography infiltrate our culture for decades now. This is what happens.

The question now is - How do we fight it?

Trailer:



Quotes:

• You’ll pay for this.

Stills:

Secondhand Lions

2003

Director: Tim McCanlies

Distributor: New Line Cinema

Key Elements: Lines – Characters – Message – Symbolism

My Review:

This movie grew on me slowly. Michael Cane and Robert Duvall’s characters are excellently developed. And the story is considerably fun. But what I love are the messages the movie delivers.

First, it is important to live life to the fullest. When the boy first meets his uncles, they do nothing but sit on their porch all day. But as their relationship develops, they all find a new love for life. In the end, the uncles re-embrace adventure.

Second, it is important to know what you believe. Duvall’s character tells the boy that the things that may or may not be true are the things worth believing. As Christians, we can be certain that our beliefs are true – the intellectual, experiential, scriptural and personal evidence are all on our side. But faith IS important, and we should continue to believe what is true, even if others don’t.

A last thing this movie tells us is how important father figures are. Even though Cane and Duvall are the boys uncles, the provide the love and direction a father would give. This is paramount in any kids life, boy or girl, but I can say from experience just how important fathers are to boys.

Kids need good men in their lives.

Clip:



Quotes:

• So, you two were away for 40 years... Where'd you go?
• I'm Hub McCann. I've fought in two World Wars and countless smaller ones on three continents. I led thousands of men into battle with everything from horses and swords to artillery and tanks. I've seen the headwaters of the Nile, and tribes of natives no white man had ever seen before. I've won and lost a dozen fortunes, KILLED MANY MEN and loved only one woman with a passion a FLEA like you could never begin to understand. That's who I am. NOW, GO HOME, BOY!
• Well, a man's body may grow old, but inside his spirit can still be as young and as restless as ever. And him - in his day, he had more spirit than twenty men.
• Sometimes the things that may or may not be true are the things a man needs to believe in the most. That people are basically good; that honor, courage, and virtue mean everything; that power and money, money and power mean nothing; that good always triumphs over evil; and I want you to remember this, that love... true love never dies. You remember that, boy. You remember that. Doesn't matter if it's true or not. You see, a man should believe in those things, because those are the things worth believing in
  You're lucky the lion got to you before *we* did.
• The kid gets it all. Just plant us in the damn garden, next to the stupid lion.
• So... they lived?
  - They lived.

Stills:

Chariots of Fire

1981

Director: Hugh Hudson

Composer: Vangelis Papathanassiou

Distributor: Warner Brothers

Key Elements: Story – Lines – Characters – Message – Music

My Review:

This movie was a huge motivator for me when, in middle school, I took up running.

The movie compares two runners. One has based his identity on winning races. Running IS his life. The other, Eric Liddell, has based his identity on God. Running is how he honors his Father. Of course, it’s the one who runs for God, not himself, that is ultimately the better runner.

The coolest thing is Liddell’s character, based on the actual missionary/runner. He refuses to get caught up in the politics of competition. His goal is to glorify God by running and using that platform to tell others of God’s power.

Hollywood doesn’t often produce such pro-Christian stories.

Also, the music is iconic.

Clip:



Quotes:

• I believe God made me for a purpose, but he also made me fast. And when I run I feel His pleasure.
• If I can't win, I won't run!
  - If you don't run, you can't win.
• You came to see a race today. To see someone win. It happened to be me. But I want you to do more than just watch a race. I want you to take part in it. I want to compare faith to running in a race. It's hard. It requires concentration of will, energy of soul. You experience elation when the winner breaks the tape - especially if you've got a bet on it. But how long does that last? You go home. Maybe you're dinner's burnt. Maybe you haven't got a job. So who am I to say, "Believe, have faith," in the face of life's realities? I would like to give you something more permanent, but I can only point the way. I have no formula for winning the race. Everyone runs in her own way, or his own way. And where does the power come from, to see the race to its end? From within. Jesus said, "Behold, the Kingdom of God is within you. If with all your hearts, you truly seek me, you shall ever surely find me." If you commit yourself to the love of Christ, then that is how you run a straight race.
  

Stills: