It has got to be hard to make a Sci-fi Romanca movie. But this one pulls it off. And I'm surprised by how much I like it.
I think the real beauty of the sci-fi genre, is that the science creates situations that draw out bigger philosophical questions. In this case, how would this anomaly affect a marriage? I can't think of many other sci-fi movies that have gone there before.
[Spoiler Warning:]
My favorite thing about this movie is the ending. Henry's past self travels to after his death, giving his wife a daughter a last chance to see him. I'll admit, I got really choked up here. It made me think of how, as Christians, death really ISN'T the last word for us. In the end, we'll all be reunited with God. I love how this movie gives us a tiny taste of how it will feel - but unlike in this movie, it will last.
Trailer:
Quotes:
I was just hoping you're married to me.
That's your daughter. She's time-travelling.
I wouldn't change one second of our life together.
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.
I wasn’t sure what to think of this movie at first. It had a brooding, eccentric tone which appealed to me, but I wanted to see where the story went.
I wasn’t disappointed.
The movie is made by a simple exchange.
Sander’s character is being threatened. His response is the message of the movie: “I have a love in my life. It makes me stronger than anything you can imagine.”
Trailer:
Quotes:
I don't know if there is anything wrong because I don't know how other people are.
I didn't ask for a shrink - that must've been somebody else. Also, that pudding isn't mine.
Also, I'm wearing this suit today because I had a very important meeting this morning and I don't have a crying problem.
I have to get more pudding for this trip to Hawaii. As I just said that out loud I realize it sounded a little strange but it's not.
I'm lookin' at your face and I just wanna smash it. I just wanna fuckin' smash it with a sledgehammer and squeeze it. You're so pretty. - I want to chew your face, and I want to scoop out your eyes and I want to eat them and chew them and suck on them. OK. This is funny. This is nice.
I have a love in my life. It makes me stronger than anything you can imagine.
Now get the fuck out of here, pervert! - Didn't I warn you? Th... That's that!
I was enamored with 1950’s Americana when I was a kid. I didn’t realize when this movie came out that it actually mocks that idealism.
Though I found that to be disappointing, I enjoyed this movie.
Two kids enter a world where everything is orderly, predictable, black-and-white and “perfect.” But as people discover passion in life, they become colored.
There are a few potential problems with this movie. Two things that give people color are anger and lust – neither of which is life giving in reality. I sorta wish they’d stuck to things like love, music and art. Also, making a black-and-white world a negative thing could be taken as an implication that absolutes are stifling. But a Christian knows that some things are absolute, and its that foundation that gives life, not the denial of it.
But the message I choose to take from watching this movie is that living a safe, predictable idealized life isn’t really living. It’s better to take risks, follow passions and accept messes because doing so allows you to really live life to the full.
Also, the “Pleasantville photographic style” of highlighting the color of a single object against a black-and-white background is completely gorgeous.
Clip:
Quotes:
For those of you going on to college next year, the chance of finding a good job will actually decrease by the time you graduate. The available number of entry-level jobs will drop 31 percent over the next four years. Median income for those jobs will go down as well. Obviously, my friends, it's a competitive world, and good grades are your only ticket through. In fact, by the year 2000... The chance of contracting HIV from a non-monogamous lifestyle will climb to 1 in 150. The odds of dying in an auto accident are only 1 in twenty-five hundred. Now, this marks a drastic increase... from fourteen years ago, when ozone depletion was just at 10 percent of its current level. By the time you are thirty years old, average global temperature will have risen two and a half degrees, causing such catastrophic consequences as typhoons, floods, widespread drought, and famine.
What's outside of Pleasantville?
There are some places that the road doesn't go in a circle. There are some places where the road keeps going. …Yeah, yeah. It just keeps going. It all keeps going.
Where am I going to see colors like that? Must be awful lucky to see colors like that. I bet they don't know how lucky they are.
Nothing went wrong. People change.
This is the only book I've ever read in my whole life, and you're not going to put it on that fire!
I didn`t mean to hurt anybody. I just have to paint ... I need to.
I know you miss her, I mean, you told me you did. But maybe it's not just the cooking or the cleaning that you miss. Maybe it's something else. Maybe you can't even describe it. Maybe you only know it when it's gone. Maybe it's like there's a whole piece of you that's missing, too. Look at her, Dad. Doesn't she look pretty like that? Doesn't she look just as beautiful as the first time you met her? Do you really want her back the way she was? Doesn't she look wonderful? Now, don't you wish you could tell her that?
I know you want it to stay "Pleasant" but there are so many things that are so much better: like Silly ... or Sexy ... or Dangerous ... or Wild ... or Brief ...And every one of those things is in you all the time if you just have the guts to look for them. Look at those faces back there. They're no different than you are. They just happened to see something inside themselves that you don't want to ... But see that's just the point. It can't stop at once, because it's in you. And you can't stop something that's in you.
I did the slut thing, David. It got kinda old.
There is no right house. There is no right car… It's not supposed to be anything.
Every year we focus on this story – it’s cool to have a movie about it.
The interesting thing the movie does, however, is to focus on the experience of Jesus’ parents as much as it does on Jesus himself. It’s the first time I’d ever really considered what a surreal and bizarre feeling it would be to raise the Son of God.
Trailer:
Quotes:
Elizabeth, why is it me God has asked? I am nothing.
I have told the truth. Whether you believe it is your choice, not mine.
There is a will for this child greater than my fear of what they may do.
A great story about how two people who feel adrift in life can be what the other needs.
It’s heartbreaking to see how abandonment affects kids, but it’s something that needs to be acknowledged.
I also like that it’s a story about the value of a father. We need more of that.
Trailer:
Quotes:
He’s in the box. - That is so interesting.
What made you think I’d be a good match for a boy who spends all his time in a box?
I don't want to bring another kid into this world. But how do you argue against loving one that's already here?
Just think of it as a bigger box.
He thinks he’s from Mars and you write about Mars. That’s great!
There’s no harm in being a little eccentric.
Why did they send you here? You know, the Martians? - To join a family and to learn human beingness.
When you’re here at home, it’s okay to be from Mars. But when you go out there with the rest of the earthlings, you gotta go by earth rules.
Never ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever give up. Winston Churchill said that, I think.
There’s nothing you can do that would change the way I feel about you.
Is it good to be like everyone else? - That’s a really good question.
I do know, there's no one on this planet that loves Dennis anymore than I do.
But then I started doing science and realized the Earth was spinning around the sun at 67,000 miles per hour and I thought "What the heck do I need to be a martian for?"
Why do you think they left me? - I don’t know… because they were stupid. I will never ever ever ever ever ever ever leave you.
Key Elements: Story – Characters – Lines – Message – Symbolism – Visuals – Music
My Review:
The conclusion of the trilogy, we see good triumph over evil. Always a likable conclusion.
The only thing I don’t like about this story is that Frodo gets rid of the ring on his own strength. This is a problem if the ring represents sin, because there’s nothing we can do in our own strength to get rid of sin – it’s the work of Jesus, and only the work of Jesus, that makes it happen.
But otherwise, a good movie.
Trailer:
Quotes:
I do not believe this darkness will endure.
Mr. Frodo, wake up... Don't leave me here alone. Don't go where I can't follow...
I do not fear death.
You smoke too much, Pip.
Come on, Mr. Frodo. I can't carry it for you... but I can carry you! Come on!
Hold your ground, hold your ground! Sons of Gondor, of Rohan, my brothers! I see in your eyes the same fear that would take the heart of me. A day may come when the courage of men fails, when we forsake our friends and break all bonds of fellowship, but it is not this day. An hour of woes and shattered shields, when the age of men comes crashing down! But it is not this day! This day we fight! By all that you hold dear on this good Earth, I bid you *stand, Men of the West!*
I give hope to men. I keep none for myself.
I didn’t think it would end this way. - End? No, the journey doesn’t end here. Death is just another path. One we all must take. …The grey worn current of this world rolls back and all turns to silver glass. And then you see it. What, Gandalf? See what? - White shores, and beyond. A far great country under a swift sunrise. Oh, well that’s not so bad. - No, no it isn’t.
Hope is kindled.
That still only counts as one.
Duty? No... I would have you smile again, not grieve for those whose time has come. You shall live to see these days renewed. No more despair.
I think I'm... quite ready for another adventure!I will not say do not weep, for not all tears are an evil.
Key Elements: Story – Characters – Lines – Message – Symbolism – Visuals – Music
My Review:
A continuation of the Trilogy, this movie seems to be a favorite for most.
In it, we are introduced to Gollum, horribly transformed by the ring – a reminder to us all of how sin destroys.
My favorite scene with Gollum is when he argues with himself, trying to banish his darker impulses. Though comedic, it’s hauntingly true to the sort of inner tension we all deal with as we try to rid our lives of sin.
We are also introduced to the Ents. Their fight against the abuse and waste of the forrest makes a statement about the need for good stewardship of our environment.
And I love the symbolism of Gandolf’s part in this movie. First, he returns from death as Gandalf the White – an obvious symbol of Jesus’ resurrection. He then leads the armies of Rohan into victory against the orcs by riding in on a white horse with imagery that could have been taken right out of Revelation.
But the best part may be Samwise's inspiring speech at the end.
Again, gorgeous visuals.
Trailer:
Quotes:
Nothing dampens your spirits, does it, Sam?
You were not so very different from a Hobbit once, were you? …Smeagol.
Leave now and never come back!
Gandalf? Yes... that was what they used to call me. Gandalf the Gray. That was my name… I am Gandalf the White. And I come back to you now - at the turn of the tide.
Be silent. Keep your forked tongue behind your teeth. I did not pass through fire and death to bandy crooked words with a witless worm.
Your fingers would remember their old strength better... if they grasped your sword.
Look to my coming on the first light of the fifth day, at dawn look to the east.
…there may come a time for valor without renown. Who then will your people look to…?
Then I shall die as one of them!
Show them no mercy... for you shall receive none!
Ride out with me. Ride out and meet them.
- For death and glory.
For Rohan. For your people.
- The Horn of Helm Hammerhand will sound in the deep, one last time! …Fell deeds awake... Now for Wrath... Now for Ruin... and the Red Dawn... Forth, Eorlingas!
The fate of the world will now be decided.
I think we might have made a mistake leaving the Shire, Pippin.
I know. It's all wrong. By rights we shouldn't even be here. But we are. It's like in the great stories, Mr. Frodo. The ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger, they were. And sometimes you didn't want to know the end. Because how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad had happened? But in the end, it's only a passing thing, this shadow. Even darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer. Those were the stories that stayed with you. That meant something, even if you were too small to understand why. But I think, Mr. Frodo, I do understand. I know now. Folk in those stories had lots of chances of turning back, only they didn't. They kept going. Because they were holding on to something… That there's some good in this world, Mr. Frodo... and it's worth fighting for.
I think at last we understand one another, Frodo Baggins.
I wonder if we'll ever be put into songs or tales. …I wonder if people will ever say, 'Let's hear about Frodo and the Ring.' And they'll say 'Yes, that's one of my favorite stories. Frodo was really courageous, wasn't he, Dad?' 'Yes, my boy, the most famousest of hobbits. And that's saying a lot.'
- You've left out one of the chief characters - Samwise the Brave. I want to hear more about Sam.
…Frodo wouldn't have got far without Sam. Now Mr. Frodo, you shouldn't make fun; I was being serious.
- So was I.
…Samwise the Brave...
Key Elements: Story – Characters – Lines – Message – Symbolism – Visuals – Music
My Review:
It was about time someone turned Tolkien’s books into movies – and, to my relief, they did an excellent job. Middle Earth feels real as we watch the story unfold.
It’s a hard thing to tell a fantasy story that will appeal to broad audiences of both children and adults, men and women. I think this one does the job. It is both dark and beautiful. Terrifying and affirming. Entertaining and meaningful.
The trilogy altogether is full of symbolism for the spiritual journey – reminiscent of Pilgrim’s Progress.
The ring represents sin - how even though it destroys us, we grasp onto it. And like with the ring, our only hope for salvation is for sin to be destroyed.
I also like that evil is acknowledged as an abomination, not a force in its own right. Tolkien writes how the orcs and other dark creatures were really good creatures gone bad.
And the Fellowship is an illustration of how we cannot make our spiritual journeys alone. We need friends who support us and offer their own unique strengths, as well as more experienced mentors like Gandalf.
We also need places of rest like Rivendell and Lothlorien. Places for our souls to be renourished and strengthened.
The gospel is excellently illustrated in Gandalf’s standoff with the Balrog. Ganalf sacrifices himself to ensure his companions go on to live. In the same way, Jesus faced sin and death to ensure we would live.
Of course, few movies are as visually stunning as this one – gorgeous scenery throughout.
Trailer:
Quotes:
The world is changed. I feel it in the water. I feel it in the earth. I smell it in the air. Much that once was is lost, for none now live who remember it.
It abandoned Gollum. But then something happened that the Ring did not intend. It was picked up by the most unlikely creature imaginable. A hobbit, Bilbo Baggins, of the Shire. For the time will soon come when hobbits will shape the fortunes of all...
It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to.
"One Ring to Rule Them All. One Ring to Find Them. One Ring to Bring Them All and In The Darkness Bind Them."
It comes in pints?
…that is no trinket you carry …I can avoid being seen if I wish, but to disappear entirely, that is a rare gift.
Into the wild.
I will take the Ring to Mordor!
I think there's more to this hobbit than meets the eye.
If by my life or death I can protect you, I will. You have my sword... - ...and you have my bow... - ...and my axe. - You carry the fate of us all, little one.
Why do you fear the past? You are Isildur's heir, not Isildur himself. You are not bound to his fate.
Pity? It was pity that stayed Bilbo's hand. Many that live deserve death. Some that die deserve life. Can you give it to them, Frodo? Do not be too eager to deal out death in judgment. Even the very wise cannot see all ends. My heart tells me that Gollum has some part to play yet, for good or ill before this is over. The pity of Bilbo may rule the fate of many.
All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us. There are other forces at work in this world Frodo, besides the will of evil. Bilbo was meant to find the Ring. In which case, you were also meant to have it. And that is an encouraging thought.
The Quest stands upon the edge of a knife. Stray but a little, and it will fail, to the ruin of all. Yet hope remains while the Company is true.
You shall not pass! I am a servant of the Secret Fire, wielder of the Flame of Anor. The dark fire will not avail you, Flame of Udun! Go back to the shadow. You shall not pass!
Fly, you fools.
The hearts of Men are easily corrupted…
Go back, Sam. I'm going to Mordor alone. - Of course you are. And I'm coming with you.I made a promise, Mr. Frodo. A promise. "Don't you leave him Samwise Gamgee." And I don't mean to. I don't mean to.
Key Elements: Story – Lines – Characters – Message
My Review:
I love this movie.
It’s a difficult thing to tell a story that acknowledges all the filth of life without just leaving us in the midst of it. This movie has teenage sex, homosexual prostitution, drug use, cross-generational promiscuity, lies and hatred. And then there’s the main character’s terminal illness.
But as the story develops, we see a fractured family come together. It’s rocky. It’s difficult. It’s heartbreaking. But just as the old house is torn down and a new one built, old hurts are mended and love is rekindled.
And the tone of the movie is perfect. Light-hearted but grounded in reality. My favorite scene is when they dance to Joni Mitchell in the house frame at sunset. Gorgeous.
The Gospel is also in this movie. Ironically George’s death is the force that restores the family and gives everyone a new start at life. Likewise, Jesus’ death was the force that set us free from the filth of our lives, and gave us new life.
And that life is being built by God daily – like a house.
Tailer:
Quotes:
Build this house with me.
Well, I'll apologize for everything but today! Today I give a shit!
Sometimes things happen for a reason. Something bad to force something good.
Sam, if you were a house, you would want to be built on a rock over-looking the sea.
Hindsight. It's like foresight without a future.
You're the most beautiful woman I have ever known. …Not just physically. Even you anger's perfect.
Do I still Love you? Absolutely. There is not a doubt in my mind. Through all my mind, my ego... I was always faithful in my Love for you. That I made you doubt it, That is the great mistake of a Life full of mistakes.
Well, what you think you know doesn't necessarily have much to do with reality. I mean I hope I'm not the first one to tell you this.
No, Sam, I wasn't trying to get you to like me. I was trying to get you to love me.
- Well, congratulations, you fucking pulled it off!
You know the great thing, though, is that change can be so constant you don't even feel the difference until there is one. It can be so slow that you don't even notice that your life is better or worse, until it is. Or it can just blow you away; make you something different in an instant. It happened to me.I always thought of myself as a house. I was always what I lived in. It didn't need to be big. It didn't even need to be beautiful. It just needed to be mine. I became what I was meant to be. I built myself a life. I built myself a house.
It’s a question that has haunted humanity for ages. This story suggests that, perhaps, it’s better not to know. It’s one of the darkest movies I’ve seen.
It’s interesting to think about how small details have incredible consequences. Things in our childhood have particular influence over us.
Taking these small choices too lightly can be damaging in the long run, but obsessing over these details can be equally destructive. If we had the power to change things would we?
Evan is able to travel through time by reading his past journals. As a journalist, I appreciate the use of the power of writing – particularly the recording of private thoughts.
I also appreciate how the movie illustrates the effects of child abuse – both verbal and sexual. It’s something that happens more than is talked about, and it’s good to be reminded of how serious a matter it is.
Analyzing the plot reveals some holes in the story. The usual chronology of cause and effect is disrupted by the circular story line. But ignoring this technicality, we can focus on the existential questions that are raised – which are the point of the movie anyway.
Trailer:
Quotes:
It has been said something as small as the flutter of a butterfly's wing can ultimately cause a typhoon halfway around the world. - Chaos Theory
If anyone finds this, it means my plan didn't work and I'm already dead. But if I can somehow go back to the beginning of all of this, I might be able to save her.
This is the very moment of your reckoning.
I'll come back for you.
I know who I am – I don’t need a bunch of stuff to remind me.
While past decades had their difficulties – racism, sexism, and ideological prejudice – there were also some really great things. Society of the 40’s and 50’s and even the 60’s had a sense of class, style and manners that has been lost in today’s generation.
Adam is like a human time capsule. He knows the music of the crooners and classic swing. He knows how to dance. He knows how to box. And he knows that a gentleman always respectfully treats a woman like a lady.
In part because he’s lived his whole life in a hole (literally), Adam has a fascination with the simple beauties of the world that is refreshingly immune to our modern cynicism.
Though he has a childlike innocence, his is every bit a man – and a classy one at that.
Clip:
Quotes:
Son. Adam.
- Yes, Father?
Don't forget: stay out of the adult bookstore.
- Adult bookstore. Why?
Poison gas. Invisible.
The sky!
- I see it mommy!
I've never seen anything like it! …or like you!
He said, good manners are just a way of showing other people we have respect for them.
But it turns out, his short and simple definition of a lady or a gentleman is, someone who always tries to make sure the people around him or her are as comfortable as possible.
Eve, a man walks into your life, who's the kindest, most polite, most incredibly rich guy you've ever met...
- And I have him committed.
Uh, Eve, this is Adam. Look, I just wanted to thank you for everything you did for me. And I wanted to tell you that I... that uh... that I wish so many good things for you. I wish so hard that all of your dreams come true, and... and that's all I... that's all.
Viewing this movie forces one to take a hard look at hatred. The black and white coloring heightens the clash of races, but also emphasizes the oversimplified way we view those we hate.
The ultimate message: Hate is stupid.
Trailer:
Quotes:
You prey on people Cam. I lost three years of my life for your fuckin' phony cause, but I'm onto you now you fuckin' snake.
There was a moment... when I used to blame everything and everyone... for all the pain and suffering and vile things that happened to me, that I saw happen to my people. Used to blame everybody. Blamed white people, blamed society, blamed God. I didn't get no answers 'cause I was asking the wrong questions. You have to ask the right questions.
So I guess this is where I tell you what I learned - my conclusion, right? Well, my conclusion is: Hate is baggage. Life's too short to be pissed off all the time. It's just not worth it. Derek says it's always good to end a paper with a quote. He says someone else has already said it best. So if you can't top it, steal from them and go out strong. So I picked a guy I thought you'd like. 'We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory will swell when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature.'
