I was surprised to find out this movie is based on a Winifred Watson novel, and not on a stage play. One of the most charming things about this movie is that watching it makes your feel like you’re at a live theater.
A down-on-her-luck Miss Pedigrew cons her way into a job as an assistant to the promiscuous, high-society theatrical hopeful, Delysia. Throughout the day thw two juggle Delysia’s men as they try to secure a future for themselves.
But as the night draws near, the frivolity wears down, and the stakes become clear. WWII introduces itself, Delysia realizes she must make up her mind and Miss Pettigrew faces a return to the lonely streets.
But these dark realities force the characters to drop their facades and decide what it really worthwhile.
In the end, it’s relationships. Both Miss Pettigrew and Delysia turn to the people they trust most for strength to go through life. It’s a good message delivered along with fun, fast double-entendres and a pretty sweet musical number.
Trailer:
Quotes:
If I want to smoke cigars, I'll damned well smoke cigars, thank you very much, and to hell with your opinion.
Men are so untrusting. I can't think why.
Not everything comes along just when we want it. There are times when decisions just have to be made, or you certainly will miss out.
I am not an expert on love, I am an expert on the lack of love, Delysia, and that is a fate from which I wish more fervently to save you.
You people, with your green drinks and your parties and your subterfuges! You're all playing at love. One minute her, the next minute someone else, flit, flit, flit! We'll, I'm not playing. Love is not a game.
Ben, a man in despair over a defining tragedy in his life, is seeking atonement. Blaming himself for taking so much good from the world, he seeks a way to restore some good to it.
[Spoiler Warning]
The way he does this is to seek out people who fall into two categories: They must be in need of something he has, and they must be someone he deems worthy of his help. In the end, he sacrifices himself so that he can give one woman his home, one man his eyes and one woman his heart.
I’m not sure how to measure the ethics on this one. But I have to say, I can identify with where his heart is, and I respect that. The action he takes is an ultimate expression of love.
And we can see the Gospel in that love. Just as Ben willingly gives his life for his friends, Jesus willingly went to the cross for us. Ben’s action provides a home, sight, and a new heart. Jesus also gives a home to the lost, sight to the blind and new life to the brokenhearted through the everlasting life He gives.
A terribly thoughtful movie. Give yourself the chance to really mull over it.
Trailer:
Quotes:
In seven days, God created the world. And in seven seconds, I shattered mine.
The first time I ever saw a box jellyfish, I was twelve. Our father took us to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. I never forgot what he said... That it was the most deadly creature on earth. To me it was just the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen.
It is within my power to drastically change his cirumstances, but I don't want to give that man a gift he doesn't deserve.
You know, Ben, I keep asking you this but why me? - Because you are a good man. No, really. - ...even when you don't know that people are watching you. Why do I get the feeling you're doing me a really big favor? - Because I get the feeling that you really deserve it.
I wasn’t expecting much when I went to this movie, but I enjoyed it. There’s some stuff in it I could have done without, but ultimately, I was pumped by the message
A guy accepts a challenge to embrace every opportunity that comes his way, and we get to see how this challenge changes his life.
The idea is that there’s a lot to enjoy in life if we just let ourselves. If we ignore our fears and stop our posturing, a lot of good things can happen. This movie encourages us to be ourselves no matter what, and to optimistically make the most of every day.
It was surprisingly inspiring.
Zooey Deschanel is also crazy cute.
Clip:
Quotes:
The world's a playground. You know that when you are a kid, but somewhere along the way everyone forgets it.
Key Elements: Concept - Visuals - Music - Story - Message
My Review:
The moment I saw the trailer, I knew I would like this movie, based on the short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald. And I did like it. But I also mulled over it for a while afterword.
First, the bad - This movie was deeply thought provoking in regard to all areas of life except one: Sex. The writers of this story seemed to think that sex is somehow an unavoidably important part of life – but apparently not one important enough to merit any kind of critical thought or disciplined decision-making.
BUT, there’s also a lot of cool things about this movie.
The visual effects are stunning – not only the cinematography and scene setting, but also the incredible make-up job done to make Brad Pitt look old AND young.
Also, the music is gorgeous and effectively sets up the tone of the story.
One of my favorite things was the short story told at the very beginning of a clockmaker who builds a clock that runs backward. An artistically Steinbeckian parallel parable.
The short comedic flashbacks to how a man gets struck by lightening are funny reminders of how we should always value our lives and be thankful for what we have.
Another good message is that life is too short to hold onto bitterness. It’s better to just let things go.
But the best part of the movie is how is makes you consider both life and death. Benjamin’s condition is a constant reminder that we are all moving through life toward a final destination. The reality of our mortality is a hard drink to swallow, but it is important to consider just where we invest this short gift of life.
Trailer:
Quotes:
My name is Benjamin Button, and I was born under unusual circumstances. While, everyone else was agin', I was gettin' younger... all alone
I was thinking how nothing last, and what a shame that is.
- Some things last.
You're so young.
- Only on the outside.
For what it’s worth, it’s never too late, or in my case too early, to be whoever you want to be. There’s no time limit… start whenever you want… you can change or stay the same. There are no rules to this thing. We can make the best or the worst of it. I hope you make the best of it. I hope you see things that stop you. I hope you feel things that you never felt before. I hope you meet people with a different point of view. I hope you live a life that you’re proud of and if you find that you’re not, I hope you have the strength to start all over again.
Key Elements: Concept - Symbolism - Characters - Story
My Review:
I haven’t read Stephenie Meyer’s book, but I went to see this with my friend at the midnight showing opening night and I had a blast.
The premise is simple but interesting – a girl and a vampire fall in love. The relationship is a dynamic one.
I really got into the story when Edward saved Bella from a gang of guys with sick intensions. That’s the sort of thing I like to see. I was impressed enough by his desire to protect her, but I was blown away by his self control in NOT giving those guys the beating they deserved.
Edward’s self-control was actually my favorite part of the story. Edward wrestles with the inner tension of wanting to love Bella and wanting to eat her. I could identify with the difficulty he faced in trying to deny his urges.
As a single, Christian guy, I am called to discipline and abstinence because purity and faithfulness are worth it. But I am human and I live in a culture where I am constantly barraged by sex. It can be difficult to stay true to my convictions.
That is why I was so pumped when Edward flew backward from Bella when making out became too much for him, and when he was able to stop himself from killing Bella while sucking her blood to save her.
Christian guys need to have that kind of self control and inner strength.
Trailer:
Quotes:
You've got to give me some answers.
- I'd rather hear your theories.
I have considered radioactive spiders and kryptonite.
That's all superhero stuff, right? What if I'm not the hero? What if I'm... the bad guy?
If you're smart... you'll stay away from me.
How old are you?
- Seventeen.
How long have you been seventeen?
- A while.
I know what you are. You're impossibly fast. And strong. Your skin is pale white, and ice cold. Your eyes change colour, and sometimes you speak like, like you're from a different time. You never eat or drink anything. You don't go out in the sunlight.
- Say it. Out loud
Vampire
Are you afraid?
- I'm only afraid of losing you.
And so the lion fell in love with the lamb.
- What a stupid lamb.
What a sick, masochistic lion.
About three things I was absolutely positive. First, Edward was a vampire. Second, there was a part of him, and I didn't know how dominate that part might be, that thirsted for my blood. And third, I was unconditionally and irrevocably in love with him.
I can't ever lose control with you.
Bella is with Edward. She's a part of this family, and we protect our family. We protect our family.
You are my life now.
I should go back there and rip those guys' heads off.
- Um... No, you shouldn't.
You don't know the vile, repulsive things they were thinking.
- And you do?
It's not hard to guess.
- Can you talk about something else? Distract me so i won't turn around.
You should put your seat belt on.
- Haha... you should put your seat belt on!
Did you... follow me?
- I-I feel very... protective of you.
So you followed me.
- I was trying to keep a distance unless you needed my help and then I heard what those low-lifes were thinking
Remember who you are.
I'd never given much though to how I would die. But dying in place of someone I love, seems like a good way to go. I can't bring myself to regret the decisions that brought me face to face with death. They also brought me to Edward.
The message of the movie is that love isn’t easy, but it is worth it.
We have to work at loving, even when we don’t feel like it – the way Caleb has to serve Catherine in different ways each day.
And it takes sacrifice – the way Caleb gives up his dream for a boat to pay for Catherine’s dream of taking care of her mom.
And it takes self-discipline – the way Caleb destroys his computer to stop a porn habit that hurt Catherine.
A big part of the story is, in fact, discipline – learning to “lead your heart.”
But this discipline is balanced with the realization that we cannot truly love the way we are supposed to without Christ. It is through a relationship with him that we find the strength love requires. He is the ultimate role model.
I also liked the importance placed on the role of fathers in this story – even when the children are adults.
And it's great how porn is identified as a destroyer of marriages. It’s not a topic addressed often enough, but porn is tearing our world apart.
So in short, this movie matches reality with truth in a moving and effectively creative way.
Love. This. Movie.
Interesting note: A book based on the movie has already gained wide popularity for mending strained marriages in the real world. The movie’s message works.
Trailer:
Quotes:
I want you to hold off on the divorce for 40 days. I’m going to send you something in the mail. Take one day at a time. Then see what happens.
Everyday has me adding a new concept to the way I treat her. - My advice is: Go all out.
You got to beg God to teach you how to be a good husband. And don’t just follow your heart – You got to lead your heart
A real man’s got to be a hero to his wife before he can be to anyone else – or he ain’t a real man.
Marriage isn't fireproof. - Fireproof doesn't mean the fire will never come. It means when the fire comes that you will be able to withstand it.
How am I supposed to show love to somebody over and over and over who constantly rejects me? - That's a good question.
So, what day are you on? - Uh... 43. There's only 40. - Who says I have to stop?
Buzz surrounding this movie was generated early by the anticipation of Heath Ledger’s last performance. He didn’t disappoint.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen any movie villain – let alone comic book movie villain – as seductive and disturbing as Ledger’s Joker. There is so much darkness in this character, it’s mesmerizing.
First, he’s creepy. His appearance, his pattern of speech, the things he says and does, he just makes skin crawl.
Second, he’s unpredictable. He isn’t after money or revenge or anything that can be understood. He just wants chaos and destruction. This makes him untouchable because there’s nothing you can do to a person who doesn’t mind anything.
But the worst thing about him is that he’s enticing. There’s something about how clever, smooth and surprising he is that just draws people. It’s his charisma that focuses the movie more on him than on Batman.
Amazing characterization. Bravo Ledger.
But Batman is, obviously, important to the movie. The ending of the movie deepens his character. Bruce knows that Gotham needs to believe in Harvey Dent in order to have hope. Rather than revealing that Dent became Two-Face, Bruce allows the city to believe Batman killed Dent. This preserves the city’s perception of Dent as a symbol of hope. Unfortunately it also labels Batman as a villain. The hated of the city falls on the one most deserving of its love.
This is where we see the Gospel. Jesus, who knew no sin, became sin for us to give us the hope of a new life – Just like Batman, who was the hero, allowed himself to be seen as the villain to preserve the hope of Gotham.
Complex, but beautiful.
The only thing I can say against this movie is that it is too bad the Two-Face character was so short lived. In think a lot of people would have liked to see more done with him. But, all the same, his character was significant to the story’s message.
Incredible movie.
Trailer:
Quotes:
Know your limits, Master Wayne.
- Batman has no limits.
But you do, sir.
- Well, can't afford to know them.
It's simple. We, uh, kill the Batman
You're crazy.
- I'm not. No, I'm not.
Gotham needs a hero with a face.
Nothing. No matches on prints, DNA, dental. Clothing is custom, no labels. Nothing in his pockets but knives and lint. No name, no other alias.
some men aren't looking for anything logical, like money. They can't be bought, bullied, reasoned or negotiated with. Some men just want to watch the world burn.
Wanna know how I got these scars? My father was... a drinker. And a fiend. And one night he goes off crazier than usual. Mommy gets the kitchen knife to defend herself. He doesn't like that. Not. One. Bit. So, me watching, he takes the knife to her, laughing while he does it. Turns to me and he says "Why so serious?" Comes at me with the knife,"Why so serious?" He sticks the blade in my mouth. "Let’s put a smile on that face!" And... Why so serious?
You know, you remind me of my father. I hated my father!
Come here. Hey! Look at me. So I had a wife, beautiful, like you, who tells me I worry too much. Who tells me I ought to smile more. Who gambles and gets in deep with the sharks... look at me! One day, they carve her face. And we have no money for surgeries. She can't take it. I just want to see her smile again, hmm? I just want her to know that I don't care about the scars. So... I stick a razor in my mouth and do this ...to myself. And you know what? She can't stand the sight of me! She leaves. Now I see the funny side. Now I'm always smiling!
This is what happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object. You are truly incorruptible, aren't you? Huh? You won't kill me out of some misplaced sense of self-righteousness. And I won't kill you because you're just too much fun. I think you and I are destined to do this forever.
What were you hoping to prove? That, deep down, everyone's as ugly as you? You're alone.
This city just showed you that it's full of people ready to believe in good.
Do you want to know why I use a knife? Guns are too quick. You can't savor all the... little emotions. In... you see, in their last moments, people show you who they really are. So in a way, I know your friends better than you ever did. Would you like to know which of them were cowards?
The only sensible way to live in this world is without rules!
You'll hunt me. You'll condemn me. Set the dogs on me. Because that's what needs to happen.
You have nothing, nothing to threaten me with. Nothing to do with all your strength.
You either die a hero or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain.
The night is darkest just before the dawn. And I promise you, the dawn is coming.
Let me get this straight: You think that your client, one of the wealthiest, most powerful men in the world, is secretly a vigilante who spends his nights beating criminals to a pulp with his bare hands. And your plan is to blackmail this person? Good luck.
Don't talk like one of them. You're not! Even if you'd like to be. To them, you're just a freak, like me! They need you right now, but when they don't, they'll cast you out, like a leper! You see, their morals, their code, it's a bad joke. Dropped at the first sign of trouble. They're only as good as the world allows them to be. I'll show you. When the chips are down, these... these civilized people, they'll eat each other. See, I'm not a monster. I'm just ahead of the curve.
Endure, Master Wayne. Take it. They'll hate you for it, but that's the point of Batman, he can be the outcast. He can make the choice that no one else can make, the right choice.
You thought we could be decent men in an indecent time. But you were wrong. The world is cruel, and the only morality in a cruel world is chance. Unbiased. Unprejudiced. Fair.
there's no going back. You've changed things... forever.
I am whatever Gotham needs me to be. Do I really look like a guy with a plan? You know what I am? I'm a dog chasing cars. I wouldn't know what to do with one if I caught it. You know, I just... do things. The mob has plans, the cops have plans, Gordon's got plans. You know, they're schemers. Schemers trying to control their little worlds. I'm not a schemer. I try to show the schemers how pathetic their attempts to control things really are. So, when I say... Ah, come here. When I say that you and your girlfriend was nothing personal, you know that I'm telling the truth. It's the schemers that put you where you are. You were a schemer, you had plans, and look where that got you. I just did what I do best. I took your little plan and I turned it on itself. Look what I did to this city with a few drums of gas and a couple of bullets. Hmmm? You know... You know what I've noticed? Nobody panics when things go "according to plan." Even if the plan is horrifying! If, tomorrow, I tell the press that, like, a gang banger will get shot, or a truckload of soldiers will be blown up, nobody panics, because it's all "part of the plan." But when I say that one little old mayor will die, well then everyone loses their minds! Introduce a little anarchy. Upset the established order, and everything becomes chaos. I'm an agent of chaos. Oh, and you know the thing about chaos? It's fair!
Why's he running, Dad?
- Because we have to chase him.
He didn't do anything wrong.
- Because he's the hero Gotham deserves, but not the one it needs right now. So we'll hunt him because he can take it. Because he's not our hero. He's a silent guardian, a watchful protector. A dark knight.
I first saw this video when my pastor showed it on Sunday morning, and I was blown away. Giglio is engaging as he presents example after example of beautiful space phenomenon and walks us through the spiritual meaning in it all.
Beautiful.
Meaningful.
Moving.
Montage:
Quotes:
All you have to do is walk outside on a dark night and look up into the sky and you will know when you look up that this God we are worshipping tonight is beyond our wildest dreams.
“The heavens are telling the glory of God.”
We always call it the “known universe.” In other words – translation: We haven’t built a big enough telescope yet to see exactly what is out there that God has created. But every time we build a bigger telescope we’re wowed once again that it’s bigger than we thought, there’s more amazing stuff out there that we’ve never seen.
If the universe is just a habitation for you and me, it’s way oversized. …What if its primary purpose is to show off the splendor and the majesty and the greatness and the glory of the God who created it all?
“By the Word of the Lord, the Heavens were made”
If you step back, you just begin to get this feeling that maybe we’re not so big after all. And we know the one who made this world must be enormous. …Maybe we’re not quite as important as we thought we were.
“I felt very, very small.”
“What is man that You are mindful of him?”
“A mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam”
I’m not trying to make you FEEL small. I’m trying to help you see that you ARE small. But it’s significant insignificance. Because as tiny as we are, we are known and prized by Majesty who sent for us and loves us and knows us even though we are teeny tiny little bitty people on a little bitty speck floating through the vast cosmos He has made. …He knows us and is aware of us and loves us.
