My Movie Reviews, Updated

[TXMomof5boys]

The Express

This is a really good movie, even for the family (the only word of caution is one (maybe two) words (d****) and one scene where Ernie is with his girlfriend and her blouse is open.  I suggest previewing before family view so you know where to mute and/or fast forward these two parts.  This is a story about a young boy who is brought up in the late 40's/50's and who becomes one of the greatest running back football players in his time  - although short lived.  He began running on the railroad tracks from the white kids in the neighborhood.. who told him he was on the wrong end of the tracks, but his joy was outrunning them, which gave him the power to overcome his enemies/fears.  He begins playing football at a very early age in school and in his high school year meets Jim Brown - who plays for NY Syracuse college football team, but who would be moving on to be with the Cleveland Browns.  Ernie Davis agrees to go to NY  for college where he will face many challenges, differences, various degrees of tolerances including the lack thereof,  as well as prejudices.  I like the way he is portrayed - fight, but do so in the right way with the right attitude and character - one of hard work, as opposed to someone "owing" him something.  He makes a stand for the black folks by the choices he makes in playing football, even in the southern states. Even though he has a conflict with the coach (who is worried about the team staying safe), he believes that together they can make a difference in the way things are viewed in society, instead of allowing them to persist as they are, and convinces him to let him play football like he would in any other game or State.  This was his way in helping to make changes in society during the Martin Luther King, Jr civil rights movement.  The coach agrees and Ernie plays his best in the Cotton Bowl game, making a touch down (in the south where this was not allowed).  He won a trophy after this game and later went on to be the first black man to win the Heisman Trophy.  This (based on a) true story has some powerful and thought provoking truths, as well as great historical information, although it ends sad, since Ernie Davis dies at the young age of 23 with Leukemia, before ever being able to play with the Cleveland Browns - which was the team he was going to play professional football with, along with Jim Brown.  This movie is based on the book written by Robert C. Gallagher.

My  husband and I watched it the night before MLK, jr day and viewed it with the kids on MLK day - since it was our "school" project  for the day.  It created thought provoking questions, viewpoints, and important events in history for a great conversation and learning environment.

I would recommend this movie to everyone.

JULIE AND JULIA

Very funny and heart warming! This is based on a book that Julie wrote after her blogging days of going through Julia's cookbook  - now made into a movie. I enjoyed watching this.... also interesting to note the various perspectives she has about Julia and her life. It is amazing how we will view something and/or believe it because it is the way we see things - not necessarily the way they are.  Hmm... I think that all of history is made up this way. "In the eye of the beholder."  Nevertheless, she determines to fulfill her goal(s) and accomplishes them, realizing many things about herself as well as cooking.  Good movie.

STAR TREK

I actually liked this movie - I wasn't sure what to expect, since many of the movies they make to either complete or finish a storyline that used to be a T.V. series, isn't all that great.  So, I was impressed. You have to remember the Star Trek theme -  different time dimensions and going to different planets/universes - as the U.S.S. Enterprise... going where no man has gone before.  You can rent it at a redbox for only $1 (as you can all the movies I've mentioned so far).

SURROGATES

A little out there, but an interesting movie. I think Hollywood is on a new theme - using computers and or robots to do for us in order to either protect us or allow us to participate in activities without our actual person being involved (See the movie 'Gamer'), while building a case on why these things should not be.  Fear tactics for the new age of technology, maybe???? Who knows, but these two movies are based on similar thought and theme. In this movie, most people have a surrogate robot that takes their place in daily life, while they dictate through thoughts what action the robot should take - living their lives through these robots in order to keep them from getting hurt, etc and to allow them to do things that they could not (or would not) ordinarily do themselves.  Most humans have these, except for a few who have chosen to create Non-Surrogate zones - where they are not allowed.  A special weapon is created to kill the operator of the surrogate, not only the surrogate robot itself,  in order to kill the creator of the idea, who has since changed his mind and wants to destroy all surrogates, including their human operators if necessary. His son is killed instead of him and detective (?)Bruce Willis steps in to investigate, who ends up losing his surrogate and has to physically, himself, finish the quest for "truth"... along the way truly wanting the surrogate lifestyle to end, just to have reality in his life again - real, that is, not virtual.

GAMER

Similar theme to surrogates - in that you control robots or people in a "virtual reality", in this case, they have either been subjected to "robot" use by their own doing, have committed some type of crime, or they are an incarcerated prisoner and are set up to be "played" like a virtual video game - the goal for the prisoner Gerard Butler is to win several battles (though he is controlled by a teenage boy who plays him) in hopes to win the final battle and be set free (supposedly). He is only a prisoner because he was on some "program"  as part of an army experiment that was cancelled, yet he would not submit to doing what the creator of the program wanted - who's only goal is to virtually control all people to do his own bidding. The result for him is...... game over.  I do NOT recommended this movie for kids (or anyone) - I would NOT watch this again. Many lewd scenes and comments, extreme amounts of nudity and the force of various actions attempted (or done) to be played out, violence and blood - rated "A" for Adult, as the video game cover would have to say.  My husband picked this one up, not really knowing what was in it (who would - previews are deceptive), but because of the actor Gerard Butler. So much for that, but if you must see it - definitely rent it for a $1 at the 'Redbox' -  not worth owning it.