1. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King - Not only the best of 2003, but one of the best of all time.  'Nuff said.

2. Matchstick Men - Whether you like caper films or films where characters find their true selves, this is for you.  Nicholas Cage is outstanding.

3. Hulk - Part art film, part experiment, part human drama, part comic book, part summer action blockbuster, it all works.

4. School of Rock - A laugh-out-loud comedy from start to finish with Jack Black's frenetic performance as a man who truly lives for a cause, rock-and-roll!

5. Kill Bill, Volume 1 - An exercise in ultra-cool by Quentin Tarantino and Uma Thurman.

6. Luther - Wonderfully summarizes and captures the times and influence of the Reformer.

7. Holes - A "kids movie" that's actually hard to define as it touches on philosophy, theology, and relationships, while taking place in a strange, fascinating universe where absurd comedy and human tragedy are equally at home.

8. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl - Fantastically entertaining and the incomparable Johnny Depp as the indescribable Jack Sparrow.

9. Freaky Friday - Jamie Lee Curtis RULZ!!!  And Lindsay Lohan can keep up with her just fine in a comedy that touches the heart.

10. X2: X-Men United - Another superb comic book adaptation that will even appeal to non-fans by Brian Singer and company.

11. S.W.A.T. - Infinitely better than I expected and much better than some of the more hyped and anticipated films of the year.  Well done Cop Drama with great action sequences and atmosphere.

Honorable Mention: Elf - Destined to become a perennial holiday favorite.

Rating: BOMB!!!

One of the characters repeatedly asks "What the ___ is going on?"  Another makes some sort of reference to "incoherent ideas and images." 

And then a character asks, "Are you ___ kidding me?" 

I couldn't have summed this film up better if I tried.

Rating: * * * 1/2

What I thought would be just a "one joke movie" - the joke being that a hockey player known for brawling becomes a professional golfer - turns out to be full of "guy humor," creatively absurd situations, satire, and spoof.  And that one particular joke holds up real well, too.  I laughed so hard during parts of this film that I had to gasp, "Stop it!  Stop it!"  and my chest and sides hurt so much I thought I was having a seizure.  Hilarious!  How could a movie be bad when it manages to use both Richard "Jaws" Kiel and Bob Barker?  But it does contain some crude language and humor, so some people may opt to watch the cleaner cable TV version instead.

Rating: * * * *

Quentin Tarantino delivers a Master Class In Movie Making while he pays homage to the things he loves - Kung Fu movies, anime, spaghetti westerns, old television shows, music, the '60s and '70s, Japanese and American pop culture, and Uma Thurman, who proves that the lead in an action film can deliver an Oscar-worthy performance.  She is INTENSE and works wonders with her face, voice, and body language.  And talk about a physically demanding role!  And the sequence using "The Green Hornet Theme" is one of the most finely crafted, stylish, and cool pieces of cinematic art I've ever seen.

Rating: * * 3/4

There's a sweet story in this film about a 13 year-old suddenly time-shifted into the body of her future 30 year-old self.  It's too bad that the creators felt they needed crude talk and sex jokes to tell it.  While the movie has its grin-producing and tear-jerking moments, it's never quite humorous or emotionally involving enough.  And you've seen the best jokes in the previews.  Another problem is that the plot and dialog aren't internally consistent.  One moment our heroine is a thirteen year-old trapped in an alien world, the next she's a wise beyond her years woman of that world.  Jennifer Garner is a skilled and gorgeous true movie star and she and the other actors give the material their all.  But the writing and direction let them, and us, down.  "Big" and "Freaky Friday" already covered this ground before in 4 star fashion.  Still, the film is okay if you want to have a night out at the movie, and it can lead to discussions about: the decisions in the past that have made us how we are today; repentance, redemption and restitution; priorities; peer pressure; true friendship; God's sovereignty. 
 

Rating: ****
This story of the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team centers on Coach Herb Brooks, and therefore explores the joys and costs of leadership, the relationship between a coach and his players, the drive and determination it takes to win, building a team, self-doubt and the questioning of priorities, "tough love," how a committed married couple works out their difficulties, personal redemption, the thin line between single-mindedly pursuing a goal and unhealthy obsession, being what you were created to be and being the best "you" possible, and thinking outside the box.  It is so much more than a "sports movie", although it is probably the greatest "sports movie" I've ever seen.  It's a movie about life.  And, while it recognizes and celebrates the place of athletics and heroes in our society and our legitimate need for them, it also paradoxically questions why we all get so worked up over something that is "just a game." 

Kurt Russell delivers a phenomenal, Oscar-worthy performance.  He is one of those actors who gets more interesting to watch as he ages.  And what he was able to convey with his face alone, in such scenes as when he returns home from the team's Christmas party to realize that he's missed precious time with his family and when he has to cut a player who has worked so hard for so long, is amazing.  Don't let the fact that you know who wins "the big game" keep you away from the theater. Your heart will still be in your throat as you watch the movie.  And, if you lived through those days or are a student of history, you'll love all the montages and actual news clips from that era.

Rating: * * * 3/4

I have never read a Hellboy comic book, so I didn't enter the theater with any preconceived notions or expectations.  The pulp magazine-ish story of evil Nazis, secret organizations, occult practices, unique heroes, and wizard villains won me over.  As did all the well-realized characters, including Big Red himself, and all the supernatural smackdown action sequence.  The direction, action, and special effects are incredible.  And much humor is mined from the fact that Hellboy, for all his near-indestructibility and alien appearance, is all too human.  But the movie delivers more than just chuckles and jaw-dropping moments.  It also has a heart as it allows we viewers to follow a sweet love story which is all about falling for a person's character instead of looks.  Family is also a theme - as well as the importance of belonging and having people you can respect and trust- and the line, "I call him Son," brought a tear to my eye.  (Frankly Hellboy's team could probably defeat the Fantastic Four and the X-Men without breaking into a sweat.)  A spiritual theme is also explored as the movie asks the question, "What makes a man - the way he starts out or the way he finishes?"  Hellboy must choose either the demonic nature he was born with and the destiny the dark powers have for him, or the morals, worldview, cause, and values of his loving adopted Father.  Christians might want to ponder Rasputin's statement, "Your God is mostly silent while mine lives within me."  Spiritual lessons aside, though, how can one not love a movie that features an amphibian creature named Abe Sapien who was discovered on the day Lincoln was assassinated, a Nazi who always wears a gas mask, has dust in his veins instead of blood and must wind parts of his semi-mechanical body up like a clock, and a re-animated corpse that complains all the time?  Hellboy, at the end of the movie, puts a tough guy spin on a Prince Charming moment that is in character, hilarious, macho, and tender all at the same time.  And when he and Liz kiss and set each other on fire (don't worry - they are flame proof), we know just how they feel.

Rating: * * * 1/4

The controversy that swirled around this film had to do with whether or not it was actually based on a true story.  I don't care!  It's a lot of fun watching an American cowboy prevail in what should be a "fish out of water" situation for him.  And watching the personable, underdog horse go head-to-head with its well-bred rivals.  Viggo Mortensen is an appealing hero and could make a career out of playing the old Clint Eastwood roles of the strong, silent type who gets pushed too far and has to respond.  Themes - of spirituality, of discovering and being true to one's identity, of sacrificing for a cause, of racial bigotry, and of the nature and importance of freedom - are here in the film, but first and foremost it's an enjoyable Western adventure (though set in the Middle East) with some touches of humor and "feel good" moments.

Rating: * * 3/4

A kid's flick that I enjoyed when I first saw it because I was with a kid at that time.  Upon further reflection, I find it to be a movie that will reach its target audience with its tale of a "Mission Impossible/Ocean's Eleven" - type heist.  It has some scenes that even adults will find suspenseful (ex. Maddy climbing up to the vault) and some that will leave them with a "been there, done that" feeling.  The young actors are good and there's a refreshingly innocent "love triangle" subplot that they handle well.  An okay way to pass a few hours.

Rating: * * * 1/4

The enchanting Anne Hathaway shines brightly as the lead character and even gets to display some real emotional range in the midst of the spoofy goings-on.  The film itself is part hearts-and-flowers fairy story, part send-up, and part satire on our modern culture.  All the characters are at heart, children of the year 2004 who just happen to inhabit a medieval fantasy world.  A fun and charming couple of hours at the movies.

Rating: * * * *

A  top-notch children's movie with enough plot, humor, suspense, surprises, thrills, superb acting, satire, fascinating characters, and pleasing special effects to keep adults glued to their seats, as well.  A masterpiece of creativity.  And it bodes well for the franchise that the second film is better than the first.

Rating: * * * *

    If you don't know much about Luther, the Middle Ages, and the Reformation, maybe you won't love this movie quite as much as I did.  But I, being a seminary grad and a reader of theology and church history, was in heaven.  Much of the dialog was direct quotes, and the lives and times were very accurately portrayed.  Some historical figures get a lot of screen time, some just pass through the screenplay, but I got a kick out of seeing them all personified.  Some characters are composites and/or representatives of groups of people, but they are effective in providing the viewer with an understanding of the world back then and how Luther and his allies and foes affected everyone and everything.  If I was to pick nits, I would have wished for more about Luther the man, such as: how he fought against depression, the place music played in his life and ministry, his relationships with his students and his children.  But this movie is more about Luther/The Movement and succeeds admirably in what it sets out to do.  Even non-Church History students will find the film emotionally and intellectually engaging.  And we're left asking important questions such as: Why aren't we as excited about religious freedom, the Gospel of Grace, and the Word of God in our own language today as the characters in the movie were?  Do we have an infinitely fascinating God who calls forth our love, as Luther's God was and did?  What things in our churches today need reforming?  How might God be using the political intrigues, conflicts, and changing situations in our world today for His Kingdom?  As a bonus, the viewer gets a painless introduction to basic Lutheran theology, ideas of grace and forgiveness, and a picture of a man wrestling with God, which are very good things indeed.

    I haven't laughed as much or as consistently through a movie since "Galaxy Quest."  The film wants us to have a great time and it succeeds admirably in reaching its goal.  Jack Black gives a frenetic, career-making performance as the movie celebrates rock-and-roll and will remind you of when you used to be fun, before you became "The Man."  Joan Cusack and the kids are all very good, too.  There are some heartstring-tugging moments, but they serve the laughter and help the audience get into the story and relate to the characters.  Make no mistake, this is a comedy, not a dramedy, and it's even a "sort of" musical.  And you simply MUST stay through the closing credits, though you might need the aid of an usher who isn't rolling in the aisles laughing to help you out after you've busted a gut.  If you're of a theological mind, you might even ask yourself later if Christians are as passionate for their cause as Dewey Finn is for his, why we can't throw ourselves into musical worship and enjoy ourselves before our God, and if Dewey's "god of rock-and-roll" is the God of the Bible.  Believe it or not, I think he is.

Rating: * * * *

    As I was watching "Matchstick Men," I was having a hard time figuring out what to rate this movie.  Part of my problem stemmed from the fact that the film isn't what I expected.  It is much more of a character study and an explanation of the psychology behind con games and swindles than it is a caper movie, and while it does contain humor, it's more of a human drama than a comedy.  But after I adjusted to the idea that it wasn't going to be "Monk" meets "The Sting," I began enjoying it for what it was.  Another aspect of the problem was that I felt the movie spent a long time taking us to where we knew we were heading from the previews we've seen.  But after the film was over, I realized that the long setups were essential for the emotional payoff at the end.  Also, in one of my previous congregations, I had a parishioner who was victimized by telephone con men, much like the protagonists of this film.  I was going to have a hard time rooting for them.  But then the film made me love the sinners while hating the sin.  And I realized that Nicolas Cage's character was being destroyed by internal guilt and conflicts over the "profession" he was so good at and that the suspense in the movie really comes from the question of whether he can give it up and redeem himself or be trapped by his own success forever.

    And then there are the surprises which I certainly won't reveal here.  Suffice it to say, that upon reflection and even more reflection, I realized how well they hold up and fit in beautifully with everything that has gone before.  A masterful job of plotting!

    Speaking of masterful, Nicolas Cage gives an Oscar-worthy, tour de force performance as the conflicted con man and Alison Lohman is superb as the daughter who comes into his life.  Director Ridley Scott delivers a seamless, stylish, no-shot-wasted, satisfying job.  And the retro sound track can be both cool and heartbreaking at the same time.  It perfectly reflects all the many moods of the movie.

    The controversial "One Year Later" ending is, in my opinion, perfect.  It is achingly sweet, wise, affirming and reminded me very much of the biblical story of Joseph and the conclusions that son of Israel came to when he looked back on his life.  It also made me reflect on how both the good and the bad that's happened to me have helped make me who I am and have come from the hands of a loving God.

Rating: * * * *

A perfect update of the classic story with a hilarious and ultimately touching script, and superb performances by the fantastic Jamie Lee Curtis and the talented-way-beyond-her-years Lindsay Lohan.  You'll laugh (frequently), you'll cry, you'll feel good about family, friends, and life.  And you might just consider the wisdom of the old Indian proverb of not judging another until you've walked a mile in his moccasins, and the fact that many people have hidden depths which are only revealed by time and honest communication.  And you'll need to get out your handkerchiefs for the scenes near the end of the film.

Rating: * * * 3/4

Much, much better than I thought it would be!  I was expecting a half-way entertaining, standard, shoot-'em up.  And sure enough, the movie gives us such familiar types as The  Legendary Sergeant, the disgraced cop trying to redeem himself, the tough girl making it in a man's world, and the ex-cop turned criminal - but it makes them all seem like real people we can care about.  And the movie delivers gun battles, car chases, training sequences, showdowns, stealthy operations, booby traps, and summer movie stunts - but they are suspenseful, plausible, and executed by actors and stunt persons, not done with computer software.  The movie has character-driven humor and it spoofs L.A. culture, but the laughs never overshadow the action and drama.  The quick cuts during tense scenes make us feel what it's like for S.W.A.T. team members to try to keep level heads in the middle of chaotic mayhem.  The movie also makes us feel the terror of the hostages and the horror of hearing the words, "Officer down!"  Any policeman, soldier, or even "combatant" in political, corporate, or church wars can relate to seeing friends falling around you.  And while the characters' morals aren't exactly Christian, they still demonstrate the God-given Law written in everyone's hearts, as there are some lines the characters absolutely refuse to cross - even for 100 million dollars.  This is one of the best cop/action-adventure movies in years!  The new lyrics to the familiar S.W.A.T. theme during the end credits are ludicrous, though. 

Rating: * * * *

Brilliant acting, great special effects, dazzling sword fights, cons and gambits, strategic battles, laugh-out loud humor, perfect mixture of spoof and homage, suspense, horrible villains, a beautiful spunky heroine, a brave young suitor, period costumes and settings and weapons, a stirring sound track, and one of the best movie characters of ALL TIME (the incomparable Johnny Depp as the absolutely indescribable Captain Jack Sparrow) - what more could you ask from a summer film?  Go if you want to have a good time and to enjoy the ride at an entertaining, well-crafted movie.  Just leave your brain at home.  There's no sex or nudity and no swearing that I can recall.  There is violence (most of it of the comic book, video game, and old-style swash-buckling varieties, though there is some blood, some deaths, and a pirate whose eye keeps falling out) and the cursed, undead, rotting-like corpse pirates may be too scary for some young viewers.  Otherwise, the movie pretty much lives up to The Steve Bierly Code For Family Movies.  Well, it's more like guidelines than a code. (An in-joke for those who've seen the film.)

Rating: * * * *

Expert, imaginative, cutting-edge direction, perfect casting, excellent acting, an exciting soundtrack, and an absorbing story with a thoughtful, literate script all add up to another cinematic winner for Marvel.  The cutting between scenes, camera angles, and use of multi-panels per single screen to convey mood, action, time passages, and emotional responses are too cool for words.  And the Incredible Hulk himself is pretty cool, too.  Yes, he's CGI, but just as you accepted the King Kongs, Godzillas, and giant robots in the movies you grew up watching on TV, you'll accept him, too.  The creators manage to give him a personality and his battles with the military are pure comic book mayhem.  The effect of the bullets hitting Hulk's skin and bouncing off made my inner fanboy very, very, happy, as did seeing Jade Jaws leaping great distances and climbing on an ascending jet.  There's even a supervillain, Hulk gets to say, "Puny human!" and the last scene pays homage to the TV show before the camera pulls way, way, way back to show us Bruce surrounded by green.  A great ending to a great film.  And if you are in a thoughtful mood afterward, you can ask yourself if you have any emotional hurts inside that are going on forever and, if so, how are you dealing with them?  And what is the proper balance between freedom and restraint in your own life?  Love, according to this movie, is making an effort to uncover the real person and then accepting him or her.  Not a bad message.

Rating: * * * *

"Holes" is one of those delicious, meticulously crafted tales where throwaway lines and seemingly irrelevant situations become significant later on, and the Past, Present, and Future all tie in together and play off of each other.  In fact, Something - Destiny, Fate, Curses, or maybe even God (dwelling under "God's Thumb" becomes important in the film) - is guiding the characters and is at work bringing redemption, closure, and just desserts.  I was reminded of the book of Job at one point when the "counselor" in the film is telling our hero that he has nobody to blame for his messed up life but himself, but we, the viewers, know that isn't true.  There are forces beyond his control or understanding at work.

Set in a detention center/prison camp for juvenile delinquents (and in Europe and the Old West), the movie is full of quirky characters who provide many laughs just by being their strange selves and reacting to what's going on around them, and characters we care about who can bring tears to our eyes as they deal with some very mature themes for a "kid's movie" - prejudice, murder, lost love and broken dreams, friendship, sacrifice, family, cruelty, greed, hope, disillusionment, obsession, revenge, dysfunction, self-image, and redemption.  Actually, although the film is based on a "children's book," it's really for anyone in the later elementary grades up through adulthood.  It would even make a good "date movie."

The acting is uniformly superb.  And Jon Voigt and Sigourney Weaver are amazing.  The cinematography and locations convey the proper emotions and moods at the right times and make you feel as if you are there.  The musical selections on the soundtrack mesh perfectly with what's happening on the screen and in our heads and hearts.  The direction is flawless. 

I'm glad I have a daughter who read and studied the book in school and wanted to see the movie. Otherwise, I probably wouldn't have gone to see it.  Don't make that mistake!  Rush out to see creativity and craftsmanship on display in one of the best films of the year!

Rating: * * * 3/4

Want to see mutants using their superpowers in spectacular ways right and left?  Then this movie is for you.  Want to be introduced to the coolest, most fascinating new cinema character since Gollum?  Then this is the movie for you.  Want to see how special effects continue to take quantum leaps forward? Then this is the movie for you.  Want to see a modern superhero movie with an excellent musical score, for a change, that even utilizes classic music?  Then this is the movie for you.  Want a summer action blockbuster popcorn movie that, nonetheless, has deeper themes, character development, and folks you care about?  Then this is the movie for you.  Want to take the kids along?  Then this ISN'T the movie for you.

One of my pet peeves is parents who take their under-aged children to PG-13 films without checking them out first.  One of the first graders in the theater with us was alternately completely baffled and utterly horrified by what was going on up on the screen and had to react loudly to everything.  Parents, be warned!  This is a "comic book movie," but not an Archie comic book, or one with Superman winking at the reader or Spider-Man swinging through the steel canyons with joyous abandon.  This is based loosely on the graphic novel, "God Loves, Man Kills."  Does that give you a clue that maybe you should leave the little ones at home?  If you need more, then consider that the movie deals with the fulfillment of Magneto's prophecy, as the day does arrive when "they" come to take away Charles and his students.  The sequence in which the school is invaded and children are traumatized and carried off is one of the most intense, harrowing scenes I've seen in recent memory.  Be prepared to shed a tear, particularly if you've ever been forced to leave a job, a school, a home, or a relationship by the actions of uncaring, unthinking people, or have ever been the victim of bullying and prejudice, or have had your heart broken by what you see on the news.  Still need more clues?  Then consider further that: Mystique, Wolverine, and Lady Deathstrike fight viciously, savagely, and cruelly with no holds barred; lots of people die; the United States military and a local police force fire on our heroes; characters suffer physically, emotionally, and spiritually; Mystique uses her bad girl sex appeal to get what she wants; Magneto is utterly ruthless, willing to swat us all away like bugs if he gets the chance; parents in the film despise their "different" children and one even uses and abuses his.  But the biggest clue ought to be that it's rated PG-13!!!

Amidst the battles, stunts, and close calls, questions are raised in the film which resonated with me and that have no easy answers.  When victims of bullying or violence respond with violence, is it always wrong?  How much blame do the bullies bear for their victims' illegal actions?  Can violence only be countered with more violence?  Isn't it true that, at times, there are no other options?  When should world superpowers use force and impose their wills on others and when should they let things just follow their own courses?  In the film, of course, the United States is one superpower, but really Xavier and Magneto are two others.  And Xavier and Magneto don't just possess weapons of mass destruction, they themselves ARE weapons of mass destruction!!!  Is humanity totally wrong to fear them and want to contain them?  But how does one contain threats without violating the rights of potential enemies, and without treating them as sub-human?  How often do we hide our real identifies from others in order to be accepted by them?  And is doing so denying our God-given selves or just being "wise as serpents and harmless as doves?"  Don't we all long to be part of a group that knows who we are deep inside and lets us use our gifts?  (The Church is theoretically SUPPOSED to be such a group.)  We respond to Magneto when, in a bit of brilliant screen writing, he asks the young mutant, "What's your REAL name?"  Magneto doesn't want to know what the boy's given first name is, he wants to know what his mutant code-name is, and wants him to stop trying to fit in and act "normal."  He wants him to reveal his real self and revel in it.  Perhaps this is part of what the Bible is talking about when it says that God will, one day, give each of us a new name in the world to come.  Of course, in this world, as in the movie, once you reveal your real self to people, you are leaving yourself open to be hurt and maybe even persecuted.  But isn't it worth the risk?

Speaking of Magneto, Sir Ian McKellen continues to rule the screen as the tragically complex "villain," whether he is humiliated by what the humans forced him to do, or disdaining the X-Men - showing his superiority while still needing their help, or throwing in a shocking plot twist near the end of the film that's true to his nature and goals, or majestically pulling off a bloody escape from his plastic prison.  The rest of the actors and actresses are great, too, and Hugh Jackman IS Wolverine.  Wolvie's continuing redemption is a theme in the X-Men movies and here he learns what he is apart from Rogue, Jean, and Charles' graces and must make a choice between "the old" Logan and the new.  He also has to decide whether to side with a man who can give him everything he desires, or his new-found, down-trodden friends, leading to a great scene where Wolverine, with a child in his arms, faces Stryker.  The ladies, Storm, Jean, and Mystique are given much more to do in this movie than they did in the last one.  And while Rogue doesn't have much to do power-wise, she's still a central character and does use her power wisely and effectively during the confrontation at Bobby's house.  Bobby (Iceman) and Pyro have bigger parts to play this time around and they are up to it.  The new character, Nightcrawler, has powers that are visually too cool for words (think of him as a teleporting Spider-Man) and is unique in that he is deeply religious (in an old-country, European, Catholic way) and is the most hopeful of all the characters, bearing the least malice towards humans even though he is also the most lonely and alien-looking mutant we've met in the film universe so far.

Long-time X-Men fans will flip at the cameo appearances of other mutants, and some lines and scenarios that reference the comic books, but novices will enjoy the film, too.

I truly love this movie and the more I think about it, the more it grows on me.  So, why didn't I give it four stars?  Well, it's just a tad too long and there are a few short scenes that seem rather slow.  The invasion and destruction of Stryker's base is dragged out a little.  And there are some lines and moments that seem as if they were merely inserted to remind us of the first movie, not because they were truly necessary to this one.  And I still can't decide if the last shots are an affectionate homage to "Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan" or a rip-off of it.  So, the movie's not perfect, but it's very, very good.

Rating: * * * *

  This review has taken me quite awhile to write because I was awestruck by the spectacle of the film and so moved by its themes and performances that I felt no words of mine could come close to describing my reaction to this MASTERPIECE.  I still feel that way.  But, I'll try...

   Peter Jackson once again does the nearly impossible by bringing Tolkein's world, characters, epic storyline, and spirit to cinematic life in a jaw-dropping, totally convincing way, and by making a three and a half hour film that never once made me ask, "When is this going to be over?"  Instead, I never wanted it to end.

   And, in a sense, it never does.

   Men and women returning from wars of any type (whether major armed international conflicts, small town power struggles, church fights, family feuds, or whatever) still today often find themselves and the worlds they perceive around them to be changed forever, and still find that only those who have come through conflicts can truly understand them.  They have fought for their own "Shires," only to find that, in some ways, the "Shires" are lost to them forever.  Not that they would change the sacrifices they have made, even if they could, but they realize that those sacrifices truly were made for others, even others that will never be able to truly appreciate or comprehend those sacrifices, and for The Good, and not necessarily for themselves.

   And yet the impulse for life, love, and normalcy is still so strong that it can break through the hurt and melancholy and lead returnees to establish families, homes, and roots. 

   Everyone in the world today still has a story to tell, whether they have ever been on a quest or a battlefield, or not.  And marriage and child-rearing are still the greatest quests and adventures of all.  Though Sam is finally back "home" at the end of the movie, the sense is that his story will go on.  And many today still find, like Arwen, that they are willing to forego easy paths and instead make themselves vulnerable to pain for the joy of finding their true mates and bringing their sons and daughters into the world.  And Elronds still must give up their beloved Arwens in marriages to uncertain futures.

   Life still continually changes.  The Old passes and The New arrives.  And nothing anyone can do or can stop this.  It's deeply sad in many ways and yet refreshing and Right in others.  Part of the our sadness stems from the fact  that we lack the eternal perspective of Treebeard who can call even Gandalph "Young Master" and who can see beyond the current crisis and look forward to the days when young trees will once again cover the land.  Or the perspective of Gandalph who knows that death isn't The End of anything. 

   Men and women today must still put aside old jealousies, bigotries, differences, and hurts and band together if they are ever going to conquer the greater threats and contribute to The Greater Good.

   Seemingly small actions by seemingly insignificant people, discrepancies between our understanding of prophecies and plans and the way the Higher Powers mean for them to truly work out, and balances between supernatural intervention and human effort are still the things that ultimately determine the destiny of the world.

   And acts of courage, honor, loyalty, and morality are still the things that bring salvation to the world.  And those who do these acts today are (just like the virtuous characters in the film) more mesmerizing and attractive than those who don't.

   Indeed, those who don't and who, instead, fail to realize that they are only stewards of The True King, hold onto old prejudices, want only what they want when they want it, throw their weight around, and use, manipulate, and step on others, can still toady be pitied at first, but then will be despised, and ultimately seen to be insane, whether they be Kings of Gondor, Gollums, or Saurons.  They are still, in the end, fit only to be burned and all that they have built will come crashing to the ground.

   We all still have to face temptations that would consume us and destroy those around us.  And we all still find that our true quest is to destroy that evil part of ourselves, even if at times we become discouraged in the long, slow, hazard-filled trudge up to Mount Doom to do so, at times slip backward and revel in the darkness, and at times need friends to help us carry this burden.  And we still find that, bottom line, no matter how heroic we may be or want to be, we are too weak to destroy the darkness ourselves. 

   And today, behind all our modern-day Aragorns and Frodos, there are still Gimlis and Sams. 

  When our loved ones and heroes of today board the ship that will take them to the Grey Havens, we still feel a deep and profound sense of loss and sadness, yet a sense of closure and comfort as well.

   I would give this movie highest marks for its direction, acting, score, scenery, scale, special effects, action sequences, fantastic creatures, and suspense (I felt it even though I read the book) alone, but it is also a film that isn't just about Middle Earth.  It's about our Earth.  And it is the story of my life and your life.

   I am a better human being and a better Christian for having seen this film.  And I mean that sincerely. 

Rating: * 

Maybe I would have been thrilled with this movie had I not seen many cliche-filled WWII movies, and '50s and '60s monster movies featuring our troops battling THEM, or had I not progressed beyond mid-semester in Philosophy 101, or if I didn't demand that special effects make sense - merely that they fill the screen, or if I didn't realize that that ambiguous, unsatisfying ending was not thought-provoking, but just poor writing, or if I didn't mind the fact that the dialog was unceasingly inept and utterly predictable, or if I didn't care about the three leads from the first movie.  Here Morpheus, Trinity, and Neo spend most of their time off-camera and, instead, the second and third level characters that failed to move me in "Reloaded" take center stage.  When our main heroes do appear, they keep bland expressions on their faces and speak almost all of their lines in a monotone and/or a whisper.  And, hey, let's build ludicrous looking huge defense machines which leave their operators totally exposed.  And, hey, let's have the robotic octopi dramatically swarm instead of just having them get down to business.  Only good ol' Agent Smith saved this movie from a BOMB! rating.  He's still cool and the fights with him in "our" world and in the Matrix were at least entertaining.

Rating: * * * 1/4 

A sweet-natured story about a human equivalent to SpongeBob SquarePants -  a man who was raised as an elf at the North Pole - and who brings his irritating cheerfulness, optimism, and convictions about the way the world should work to New York City as he attempts to meet his real father.  Lots of grins, chuckles, and guffaws for everyone, though adults may wipe away a tear or two from time to time over the love story and the themes of family, belonging, identity, and changing the world with child-like faith.  And stay for the end credits to hear co-star Zooey Deschanel and the incomparable Leon Redbone singing, "Baby, It's Cold Outside."  I've got to get this sound track sometime!

Rating: * * * 1/4

A laugh-filled return to the days of hilarious, spoofy, anarchic Warner Brothers animation, with strong, recognizable characters and the way they interact with each other providing part of the fun.  Homages to, and parodies of, movies abound.  Often, this film is like one of those crowded panels from an old Mad magazine.  There's so much going on around the borders, in the backgrounds, and on the signs that you want to see scenes again in order to catch it all.  Focusing the movie on Daffy instead of Bugs (though the rabbit's presence is felt throughout) was a good idea.  The Daffy presented here is a perfect amalgamation of all of his screen incarnations - the crazy "woo woo" duck, the egocentric star whose opinion of himself outstrips his talent, the "greedy little miser," the conman/salesman, the bumbling frustrated action hero, and the bane of all who would wish to get rid of him's existence.  He's a fascinating personality with endless comic potential.

There are an awful lot of things happening on the screen and tons of special effects to look at, but there's not much of a story to engage the viewer.  In the rare moments when the film does strum the heart strings, it fails to sustain a chord.

This is a children's film in the same way that "Barney" is a children's TV show.  The pacing is S-L-O-W and everything is explained in painful detail.  The movie is quite predictable - Harry makes friends with the misfits, Harry gets assigned to the house where his friends are, Harry's team wins the game, Harry and friends defeat the villain, Harry's house wins the cup, the groundskeeper will keep giving out information that he's not supposed to.  There are some attempts at humor to draw the adults in involving a boarding school which is very properly British, yet is for wizards and witches, but at best they draw quick, mild chuckles, or half-grins.

And the film doesn't stand up to adult logic.  The broomstick game, at least as it is explained in the movie, makes no sense.  Why bother sending teams out on "the field" if the game only depends on what one player does?  The gauntlet at the end of the film was designed to keep the Sorcerer's Stone out of the hands of the masterful evil wizard, yet three first year students can navigate their way through the traps just fine?  And adult Sci-Fi/Fantasy fans will have seen it all before in "The Prisoner," "Dr. Who," the works of C.S. Lewis, and other British favorites (What a coincidence that the author of the books is British, huh?), and in countless comic books, and Star Wars and Indiana Jones movies.

Yes, it's a children's movie - or is it?  Younger children will be terrified during some sequences and the undercurrent of tragedy that runs through Harry's life will be hard for sensitive kids to handle.

I suppose I must weigh in on the whole, "Will this phenomenon lead people to witchcraft," debate.  True, real witches use incantations and familiars just as the fictional characters do, but the magic in this film is all of the "Bewitched," over-the-top, snap your fingers and a banquet appears variety.  No witch I'm familiar with can do that and anyone exploring the occult or Wiccan-like religions, thinking he or she will be able to, will end up very disappointed.  The film is MAKE BELIEVE, people.  Besides, in the movie's world, one is born with magic powers, one doesn't convert to a religion to obtain them.  Once again, as in "Bewitched," witches and wizards are a different class of human beings, not followers of a particular religion.

The moral lessons of the film - friendship is important, sometimes the people who initially seem worthless have a lot to offer, to get ahead requires sacrifice, etc. - are fine, I just wish they were in a better movie.

Every so often something comes along that captures the fancy of the general public (which normally avoids all sci-fi/fantasy like the plague), but which the enthusiasts of that genre of entertainment feel is nothing really all that special.  The Harry Potter books, if they are like this film, fall into that category.

New Comments:

About two years after I saw this film in the theater, I watched it again on home video and was surprised that it seemed to be a much better film than I had remembered.  This time I wasn't approaching it feeling any sort of need to make a moral judgment on it, nor was I disappointed that it wasn't, as some overzealous fans had insisted, "the greatest thing since sliced bread."  I was able to just accept the movie for what it was - a good children's movie with fun special effects and enough suspense for kids, and humorous spoofs of British culture and adult society to keep the grownups interested.  Good acting all around, too!

Revised Rating:  * * * 1/4 

Rating: * * * 1/4

It would be easy just to write this film off as a "sports movie" with all the clichés intact, except that here the "sport" is competitive collegiate marching band and the clichés are extremely well handled.  And so are the three dimensional, likable characters.  The movie took me to worlds I know little about - the fascinating, intense world of the bands, and the world of contemporary black college students.  Both worlds were fun to visit.  And it's always inspiring to watch people grow and commit themselves to a cause higher than themselves. 

Rating: * * 3/4

An okay summer matinee movie, much as the old westerns shown in the movie houses in the 30's and '40s were "okay".  Not very emotionally involving, but then I didn't expect to be emotionally involved in a film with this title.  The stunts, even the improbable ones, look cool, the locales are exotic, there are at least attempts at humor, character development, human drama, and a coherent storyline.  Lara Croft is cool and Angelina Jolie has a riveting screen presence.

(My daughter, a 12 year-old going on 13, loved it.  While we parents were expecting certain plot developments and stunts, she was surprised and very involved by them.  Also, it was never too gory, or too sex-oriented (except for one brief scene), or too bad-language focused enough to bother her.  Fun time.)

Rating: * * 3/4

Compared to the comic book, this film is definitely "The League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen" Lite, but it's still entertaining enough for a summer afternoon at the movies.  There are cool characters and plenty of cool moments - Pete Wilson screaming, "They're mine!" and flying into action, Nemo's hand-to-hand combat, Mr. Hyde fighting a larger version of himself, etc. - and, even after all these years, Sean Connery IS STILL JAMES BOND, or at least he could be.  Most of the effects are quite good, the exception being that the Nautilus looks fake at times, and the stretch aboard her on the way to Venice bogs the movie down.  And seeing a car outrace explosions is pretty ho-hum.  The movie may also have introduced too many concepts for its own good.  But it is nowhere near as bad as some reviewers have claimed and you could do a lot worse than plunk your money down for a ticket.

Rating: * * * 1/4

The latest Terminator movie is like a combination of some of the best elements of James Bond thrillers - humor mixed with thrills and imaginative chase sequences - and the surprised/shocking and philosophical endings of classic episodes of "The Twilight Zone" and "The Outer Limits."  It's highly entertaining, as Arnold is cool, hilarious, and playing the icon he was born to play, and creativity is on display during what could have just been routine action/adventure sequences, which also feature incredible stunt work and great special effects.  The T-X is a worthy successor to Robert Patrick's T-1000 of "Terminator 2" fame.  I found myself caring at least a little bit for the human characters, though the movie is more about enjoying the wild ride than it is about being emotionally invested in people's lives.  And what John Conner says on the radio actually brought a tear to my eye.  But the good news is that Arnold is back, hasn't lost a beat, and delivers a fun popcorn movie.

Rating: * * * *

An absorbing drama based on the story of the Navy's first African-American diver displays the humanness of its characters.  Determined, heroic, people of integrity can sometimes do stupid things and bigoted, troubled folks can sometimes do the right thing.  The film is as much about family as it is about the Navy - how one's upbringing influences one's whole life, how families form, how families stay together, how sometimes unlikely people become, for all intents and purposes, member of a family.  It's also about overcoming obstacles whether they be the numerous ones Cuba Gooding Jr.'s character faces in the way of his becoming and remaining a diver, or the more subtle, behind-the-scenes ones that Robert DeNiro's character faces as he deals with his past, a failing marriage, a disappointing life, and alcoholism.  There is foul language and cruel, uncomfortable situations aplenty in this movie based on a real life story, but that's because of the characters, the time period, and the subject matter.  And the film is still overwhelmingly life affirming.  At its heart, this is a work featuring love stories - the love between fathers and sons, the love between men and their wives, the love of sailors for the sea, the love of career Navy men for the service, and the love of morality which is in every person's heart, however dim, deeply buried, or marred almost to the point of being unrecognizable.

Rating: * * * 1/4

A perfect summer movie which wants to do nothing more than entertain us for a couple of hours.  And it succeeds.  There are laughs and thrills, the crime caper stuff is intriguing, and those little cars are about the coolest things you'll ever see on screen.  The film also actually gives us characters we care about, a sweet love story, and acting that is way better than it needs to be for this type of storyline to work.  Lots of fun and it even tugs on the heartstrings once in a while.

Rating: * 1/2

Though this film has a few mild chuckles, it is mostly boring due to the fact that it keeps you at arm's length by giving you unconvincing characters that are nearly impossible to care about and by putting them in a continued and convoluted story that's an uneasy and unskillful mix of comedy, drama, "slice of life" bits, action/adventure stunts, spoof, and crime story.

Rating: * 

As I was watching this film, I thought of an old quote, possibly from Shakespeare, that describes it perfectly.  The quote goes something like this: "A tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, and signifying nothing."  Let's briefly take up each of these points:

- "A tale told by an idiot." This movie is in serious need of editing.  The unmoving, unromantic, stupid-looking rave/group dance/national "singles bar"/love scene and the scene where The Council is looking for volunteers are merely two of many examples I could cite of scenes that just go on and on, yet advance the plot not one bit.  Subplots and characters are introduced seemingly just to fill up screen time because nothing much of importance is done with them.  The movie is incapable of making us care about what happens to anybody, even the main characters, and generates only a few fleeting seconds of suspense, which quickly turn to indifference, over the course of its long running time.  Morpheus has been reduced to a guy who can't stop talking and he delivers everything in a flat monotone, Trinity is just Neo's girlfriend, and Neo himself has gone from the ultra-cool and confident messiah/hero at the end of the first film to an unsure, led by the nose guy who is troubled by bad dreams, keeps moaning to his girlfriend that he'd be nothing without her, and has forgotten most of the powers he has while in the Matrix.  The Matrix itself is alternately either too brightly lit and normal-looking or too special effect-y and green screen-y this time around.  Some of the FX and fight moves are obviously CGI.  The big plot twist near the end has some holes in it, as do several of the ideas introduced throughout the movie.  Let's hope that, instead of an extended version for DVD, "The Matrix Reloaded" is released as a special "Cut To Shreds" version.

- "Full of sound and fury."  The movie is talk, talk, talk, talk.  Everyone our heroes meet has to make a prolonged, uninteresting speech, and when the new characters aren't flapping their gums, Morpheus is flapping his, endlessly intoning that there's a war going on and/or that Neo is The One and/or that faith should be placed in The Prophecy.  As for the fury, the fight scenes endlessly repeat the same moves and effects, while the freeway chase is standard action movie stuff with some extra, endlessly repeated moves and special effects thrown in.

- "And signifying nothing."  Forget trying to find religious and mythological analogies in this one.  The speeches are all pseudo-philosophical clap-trap.  (I was a philosophy major in college, so I know about pseudo-philosophical clap-trap.  I even wrote some myself!)  And in this movie, we finally get to see Zion.  Big deal.  It looks like the place where Orcs come from.  And despite a supposedly "turn the universe upside-down" revelation, we are essentially left at the end of the movie knowing that The Machines are going to attack Zion, Neo and some new found powers are humanity's only hope, love can fuel a resurrection, and Agent Smith is the main antagonist.  What has really changed here from the first film?

This film earned one star instead of a BOMB! rating because of Agent Smith.  He, unlike all the other returning characters, hasn't forgotten how to be purposeful and cool.  And I still love the way he talks, particularly the snide, condescending way he address Neo as "Mr. Anderson."  Go, Agent Smith!

Rating: * * * 1/2

This is the dark, gritty, yet entertaining superhero movie that Warner Brothers wishes their Batman movies were.  It's "superhero noir," more pulp magazine than comic book. 

Not that there aren't plenty of fast and furious action sequences with superhuman stunts and fighting in the film.  There are.  And the outrageousness of them didn't really bother me.  I quickly accepted that the characters could execute the physics-and-gravity-defying stunts.  After all, everyone in oriental martial arts movies can.  And James Bond, Bruce Willis, and Dirty Harry fight on despite wounds that would incapacitate Navy Seals.  I wasn't even bothered, as I usually am, by the quick MTV-like cuts during the action scenes.  The lightning fast edits conveyed the chaos, violence, and menace inherent in Matt Murdock's masked alter ego's nocturnal walks on the wild side.  And I could still tell when something cool happened on the screen.

And the quick cuts help us experience what our hero does.  This Daredevil is much more vunerable than he is in the comic books.  Daredevil is supposed to be blind with his other senses enhanced and to have an extra "radar sense" due to his super hearing.  In his published adventures, though, his handicap is virtually irrelevant, as Daredevil somersaults around the city and outswings Spider-Man.  But in the movie, Matt dwells in a cloudy, murky, shadowy world where clarity is impossible and lack of input or sensory overload are twin threats that could end his life at any moment.  (The "radar sense" scenes are mega-cool!  Great FX!)  This lends more weight to his "Man Without Fear" nickname as he hurls himself into, what for him could be, the void. 

Hurling into the void and dwelling in a world where clarity is impossible describes Matt's ethical struggles as well.  In many ways the movie is an exploration of vigilantism with all sides being presented.  Our hero himself represents and struggles through all the sides.  Some long time fans were upset at some of the cruelty and disregard for human life that Matt exhibits in the movie, but the point is that he is a work in progress, trying to define himself and his mission and wrestling with his demons to be able to get to the point where he can say what he does in his confrontation with The Kingpin at the end.  Matt is not a perfect person, but has an iron will set on trying to be a man who makes a difference.  So while we watch him make mistakes and would want to talk with him about his love 'em and leave 'em tendencies, he has admirable qualities as well.  He's a three dimensional character who is not all saint, but not all sinner, either.  And his track record with the ladies isn't held up as a paradigm to follow, but is used instead to underscore his loneliness and how, ironically, the man who senses more than anyone else around him is also isolated from humanity, and the man with the mission to help people has few people he himself can turn to for aid.  (The priest in the film is one of them and, as a Christian and a member of the clergy, I appreciated the fact that he was a sympathetic, interesting, and complex character who has strong convictions he acts on, yet he knows that the world isn't all black and white.  He ultimately asks God to forgive whatever sin Matt has committed even when the question of whether our hero's mission comes from the Lord, or the Devil, or Matt's troubled psyche is very much up in the air.  The priest knows that a man making the best he can out of a "gray situation" isn't the same as a person who willfully sins.)  Matt himself admits that there are only two people he has ever loved - his father and Electra.

Speaking of Electra, she has some genuinely moving scenes with Matt.  Their date in the rain is one of the most romantic moments I've ever seen on film.  The love story and welcome bits of humor provide breaks from the violence, angst, and tragedies.

Some other things I appreciated about the film are: the uniformly good acting; Matt finally saying, "Okay," to the bullies' invitation to fight them; the fact that the story is set in NYC and grounded in reality with many locations that are authentically inner city (unlike the "Funhouse designed by crazed aliens" look that Gotham City has in the Batman films); Bullseye (as psychotic, loony, sociopathic villains go, he's a pretty good one); the fact that the villain respected the man of the cloth; the great bit in the hospital that's shown DURING the end credits (make sure you stay for them!); Matt's utter unconcern over the Kingpen's closing threats; the cameo appearances of comic book luminaries and the in-joke name-dropping; the filming of the climactic shot of Bullseye and Electra which matched the classic comic book art; the ability that some scenes, situations, and characters had to bring a tear to my eye; Ben Ulrich's role in the story.

So why didn't I give "Daredevil" four stars?  It has two flaws that I will mention, while explaining why the flaws didn't wreck the film for me or make me rate it lower:

- A putrid, rock sound track.  If practically every movie nowadays has to have blaring, hard rock, or cutting edge songs on their soundtracks, can't the producers and directors at least find some good ones?  Still the music contributed to the urban feel of the movie and the confusion that is Matt's world.

- A slight plot that doesn't always hang together as well as it should have.  But the movie is actually more about atmosphere, mood, and what it's like to be Matt Murdock/Daredevil than it is about story, anyway.

I agree with my son - the studios should have let the director release his R-rated version so that parents wouldn't think they could bring along the whole family, and I credit the discussion he and I had after seeing the movie for sparking some of the thoughts in this review.

Rating: * * * *

I take back what I said in my review of "The Fellowship Of The Ring" about it being impossible to capture Tolkien on film because, with this movie, Peter Jackson has done it!  This is an action/adventure epic spectacle.  It didn't bother me or take me out of the story a bit to know that a lot of the spectacle was CGI, because it is a spectacular spectacle!  (I think I've been watching too many Popeye cartoons.  I'm starting to sound like those characters.)  But the human element isn't neglected either.  Real emotion is expressed by the intense actors following the wonderfully literate script, and is felt by the theater goers.  And the expanded and more complicated love story works.  Nor is magic neglected.  There's always a feeling that the gods or magical beings are somehow involved in the characters' world and struggles - what with omens and portends, dreams and visions being referred to.  I wish, as a Christian, that I'd be more sensitive to God and Satan being actively at work in the world and in my personal world.  Opening people up to the "magic" all around them was one of Tolkien's passions.  Other Tolkien themes - history marches inevitably on and nothing ever stays exactly the same; war is awesome and exhilarating, but also terrible and horrifying and changes forever those who engage in it; friendship and loyalty; family; the nature of good and evil and heroism and villainy; having a home - share center stage with all the pulse-pounding swashbuckling.  Many lines and scenes are especially poignant when one considers what we are facing in our world.  The idea that people can find themselves in a war that they never wanted, yet have no option but to fight, and the imagery of a boy putting on a battle helmet hit home powerfully.  And Gollum is simply one of the greatest characters to ever appear on screen.  Funny, dangerous, horrifying, pitiable, sympathetic, simple, complex, conflicted, trapped, aspiring, guilty, innocent, perpetrator, victim - Gollum is a believable mass of very human contradictions in a monstrous, mutated, tortured body.  And, of course, his voice and manner of speech are just SO COOL!!!!  My family and I kept talking like him for hours afterward.  Though the film is close to three hours in length, the time seemed to fly by.  And although I've read the books and wrote a paper on them, the movie still kept me in suspense.  This movie is a work of genius and destined to be a classic.

Rating: * * * *

A deliciously strange movie that transports Homer's "Odyssey" to the depression-era Deep South and throws in homages to Preston Sturges' "Sullivan's Travels" (my son caught the references).  All the characters are eccentric, to say the least, and the humor is partly sociologically based, partly satire, partly character study, partly Monty Pythonesque, and partly from some other universe entirely.  There are some moments of human drama and emotion, but they don't detract from the laughs and the fascinating, loopy storyline.  Southern fried, fundamentalist religion is lampooned, but there are supernatural things going on and the question of how much of our lives is God-ordained is definitely explored.  Unbelievers are spoofed as well when George Clooney's character turns to prayer in a moment of crisis and afterwards tries to explain away the divine intervention.  The human desires for absolution, redemption, and reconciliation help advance the plot, along with the all- too-human defects of greed, self-centeredness, and bigotry.  It was interesting that the white men who had suffered alongside of black men were willing to give "the colored boy" a lift and risked their lives to save his.  I need to say a word about the soundtrack.  It's not background music.  In many ways, the action on the screen is an embodiment of, or a commentary on, the glorious folk/blue grass/American tunes we hear.  This film is bathed in music and music is as much its raison d'etre as the telling of the tale.  My son and I have been singing snatches of the songs and quoting lines and bits of this film ever since we saw it.  Chances are you will, too.

Rating: * * * *

This R-rated film isn't for everybody, but I found its portrayal of the life of Ed Wood, the cross-dressing, incompetent, writer/producer/director of the worst, cheapest movies of all time, to be alternately hilarious and touching.  Filmed in beautiful black-and-white, the story of Ed Wood is told in the style of an Ed Wood movie in terms of lighting, make-up, background music, and, in spots, melodramatic acting.  Johnny Depp as Wood and Martin Landau as Bela Lugosi (he won an Oscar) are extraordinary.  The stories of their characters can either be seen as examples of the indomitable human spirit or of naive, self-deluded human stupidity.  The movie never tells you which way to judge the stories.  It portrays both points of view and lets you decide whether the stories are either/or cases or both/and cases (as most of our own life stories are).  The stories of Wood and Lugosi are really also stories about the search for love, acceptance, and significance.  Ed gathers a community/family of social misfits around him - washed up actors and TV personalities, drug addicts, and homosexuals who are loyal to him and vice versa.  When they all have to join a Baptist Church together to get funding for a film, it is a hilarious comedy of fish definitely out of water, though they are being baptized in a pool.  It's too bad that the church didn't seem to have anything legitimate to offer them.  This film is about film making and the creative process - the depths some will sink to in order to capture their vision on celluloid, the way the "higher ups" and "moneymen" can subvert everything, and the fact that some are convinced that The Muse has visited them when she clearly hasn't, or if she did she must have been drunk or running a fever at the time.  The movie's wonderful closing focuses on an enraptured Wood, watching "Plan Nine From Outer Space" as though it were "Citizen Kane."  Most films directed and envisioned by Tim Burton disappoint me and I can never quite see why he's considered a genius and why everyone wants to work with him.  "Ed Wood" is different, though.  This is a masterpiece and definitely the work of a genius.

Rating: * * * *

Yes, some of the dialog doesn't work and yes there are a couple of quick distance shots that are a little fuzzy (I didn't see it in a theater with a digital projector), but it's still the best Star Wars film since "The Empire Strikes Back."  The set pieces and action sequences are breathtakingly great and nail-bitingly suspenseful, particularly the coliseum battle which blows "Gladiator" out of the water.  Some critics have said that having so many CGI characters battle on screen is like watching a video game.  I disagree, but even if what they say is true, "Attack Of The Clones" is the COOLEST video game you'll ever see!  However, the film has real human emotions - sorrow, hurt, empathy, and rage when Anakin faces The Crisis of his young life so far; "cheer out loud" Episode One-like hope when Padme announces she's going to help Obi-Wan; comfort, nostalgia, and a hugging of old friends as C-3PO and R2-D2 team up for the "first time" and prove that they (not Jar Jar Binks) are the True Comedy Relief of the Star Wars films.  The sequence in the factory reminded me strongly of the Popeye cartoons "Lost And Foundry" and "Mess Production," which I didn't  mind because I like Popeye and, come to think of  it, Natalie Portman would make a great live-action Famous Studios' version of Olive Oyl.  Speaking of Ms. Portman, she, in partnership with the costuming and hair dressing departments, manages to admirably fulfill what seems to be her main function in the film, namely to be prettier in each subsequent scene than she was in the one before.  But she and Lucas also show us where Leia got her spunk from.  Ewan McGregor is awesomely cool as Obi-Wan Kenobi.  And Hayden Christensen conveys the innocense, nobility, pride, lust, impatience, unfulfilled ambition, love, heroism, and lurking evil supervillain tendencies that are all fighting for dominance in Anakin Skywalker's soul quite well.  Plus, he managed to convince me that he was an older version of the "Episode One" character.  And I have to say something about another player in the film.  Permit me to be a fanboy geek for a moment.  YODA RULZ!!!  Go, Little Man, Go!!!  There, I got that out of my system.  The film contains a lot of expository dialog, but I didn't mind because it was delivered in such interesting settings and served to advance the plot.  Anakin and Padme's love talk has been criticized by some for being rather awkward and clumsy.  But what should we expect from two young people who have lived most of their lives isolated from what one would call normal human contact?  And though the film is fun through and through, it also managed to get me thinking about: all the seemingly little decisions we make in our lives that ultimately lead us either to The Light or The Dark Side; how any of us can really know our destinies or the outcomes of our relationships; the complexity of our world in which an action can be either beneficial or destructive depending on how it is looked at; the way in which how we respond to suffering determines our character;  the impossibility many times of determining what is a "victory" and what isn't.  Whew!  Heavy, Man!  After "Episode One," I couldn't care less whether I ever saw another Star Wars movie or not, but I can't wait to see this one again and am counting the days until "Episode III."
 

Rating: * * * *

Reese Witherspoon owns and electrifies the movie screen with mega-voltage star power as a seemingly shallow, materialistic Valley Girl who follows her ex to Harvard law school and discovers she's more competent and caring than anyone, including herself, ever imagined.  Yes, it's a fairy tale, heart warming, chick flick with positive messages - don't let anyone put you down, be yourself, go for your goals, sometimes social rejects make the best friends - but guys will like it, too, as its "fish out of water" comedy is hilarious.  We care about the characters and the story is fast paced.  There are some adult situations and coarse language, but the movie isn't sophomoric.  And, at its core, it's very sweet spirited.
 

Rating: * * * 1/4

Amusing, not hilarious, and engaging, not riveting, this is a good movie, not a great one, although the acting is outstanding and DiCaprio and Walken are nothing short of amazing.  "Catch Me" has been called a comedy and a caper film, but it's really a character study of Frank and the FBI agent who pursues him.  There's an underlying sadness to the story and our heartstrings are plucked more than once, but the film is fast-moving and so things never get too weepy or maudlin.  Being a baby boomer, I enjoyed the fact that the movie was set in the 1960s.  The cars, home decors, clothing, and Christmas decorations brought back many memories as did "Sing Along With Mitch," "To Tell The Truth," "Perry Mason," and the music.  It was fun revisiting the days when James Bond was ultra-cool, the Silver Age Flash raced through the comic books, airliners were considered modern miracles, and pilots and stewardesses (not "Flight Attendants") were sex symbols.  The '60's style animated opening credits were a kick, too.  Even though the film is about a con man and forger, Christians will appreciate: that Frank has a sweet, though misguided and ultimately naively futile reason behind all he does; the strong love bond between father and son; the depiction of the heartbreak and devastation of divorce; the fact that Frank wants to be disciplined and at one point tries to sort of repent; his sacrifice at the end when he quickly turns away from the family he can no longer be a part of.  And who can't relate to "I just want to stop.  I just want to go home."  However, there are a couple brief sex scenes and the use of a word which used to guarantee an "R" rating.  These didn't detract from my overall favorable impression of the movie, but be warned.

Rating: * *

The 2003 holiday movie season begins not with a bang, but with a whimper.  Actually, the first part of "Die Another Day" is a good, maybe even great, James Bond adventure.  There's a rousing pre-credit sequence.  And the credits themselves imaginatively portray the torture Bond is going through.  (The lackluster title song by Madonna is a different kind of torture.)  Bond is vulnerable, rejected and mistrusted by the Secret Service.  As a rogue agent out for vindication, redemption, and revenge, he becomes embroiled in a plot that involves a prisoner exchange, terrorism (off screen), smuggling, illegal medical procedures for the rich, and a mysterious new player on the international scene.  The action sequences are grounded somewhat in reality and there's a superb sword fight through a private British club.  Brosnan is fine as ex-Agent 007, a hurt man out for justice.  His iron resolve and ruthlessness comes through.  The wisecracks are delivered with a combination of world weariness and laugh in the face of death bravado.  There's a great Bond moment when his spirit, very shaken and stirred, nonetheless shines through in a line to his torturer/captor.  We also hear that Bond plays hard because every moment could be his last.  And a feeling is nicely conveyed in the aftermath of the sword fight that the common people like Bond and he has a type of camaraderie with them, despite his high roller lifestyle, because he deflates and destroys the rich and the powerful.

HOWEVER, as soon as Bond is reinstated and finishes his visit with Q, the movie suddenly takes place in some other universe altogether where the physical rules of ours no longer apply.  Believability goes right out the window and, with it, any suspense and any sense of involvement with the story.  The last half (or is it closer to 3/4?) of the movie is seemingly just one unconvincing, physics defying, poorly staged and executed action sequence and/or set piece after another.  Sound and fury signifying nothing.

And speaking of sound, the soundtrack has only one volume - LOUD!!!  Halle Barry's entire character can be summed up as a tough spy girl who looks good in a bikini. And if I stacked the plot holes in this movie on top of one another, I could probably burrow through the earth and come out in China.  Here are just a few: Why does it take so long for the henchmen to ever shoot at Bond?  How can Bond outrace a beam of light?  Why does the beam quickly destroy the missile, but takes forever to do in the plane Bond and Jinx are in?  For that matter, why does the beam stand still?  And why does it shut off?  Why does the villain don a combat exoskeleton?  When did Miranda change outfits in the middle of a crisis and why?  How come the guards didn't run into the invisible car when they were running all over the area it was parked?  How can Bond and Jinx comfortably recline on a pile of diamonds?  And there's a CGI/bluescreen scene that is among the worst special effects sequences I've ever seen.

WARNING:  This film has one of the most graphic sex scenes ever in a Bond film or one with a PG-13 rating.

Rating: * 

The movie earns one star for some nice "we are family" bits, particularly at the wedding, and for Picard and Data's clever use of a commandeered enemy shuttle.  If not for these things and the competent acting of our old friends, I would have rated the film as a BOMB!  There are so many deep, major plot holes, continuity oversights, leaps in logic, equipment oddities, coincidences, contrivances, and violations of Star Fleet protocols and procedures that I was never able to take anything that was happening seriously.  When my son turned to me during what was supposed to be the suspenseful, climactic battle and made the "wrap it up, wrap it up" gesture, I knew he was feeling the same as I was.  But during the drive home after the movie as we vehemently tore this piece of junk apart bit by bit, I did have happy memories of watching the "Star Trek:The Next Generation" TV series with my wife while we both yelled at the screen, "Have you forgotten that you have transporters?" and "Put up your shields already!" and "Uh, duh! Use a tractor beam!"

Rating: * * * *

There's not a wasted shot or line of dialogue in this masterpiece about a family coping with a past tragedy and with forces bigger than they are over which they have no control.  The lighting, cinematography, and editing all make you feel as though you are right there with the characters.  The writer/director always manages to get extraordinary performances out of children in his movies and this film is no exception.  As for the adults, look for Gibson and Phoenix to be nominated for "Best Actor" and "Best Supporting Actor," respectively.  Especially savor the scene where Gibson's character talks to the vet and all of Mel's conflicting emotions, thoughts, and desires are right there playing across his face.  Close-ups and reaction shots are featured heavily in this movie and prove to be more terrifying and engrossing than any footage from a special effects extravaganza ever is.

The film makes you care about the characters, not by hitting you over the head and commanding, "Care!" but by simply letting the camera follow them around and capturing the mixtures of saint/sinner, quirky/normal, hero/coward that each of them (and each of us) are.

Some will quibble about the resolution of the sci-fi plot, but I maintain that it was foreshadowed all the way through the movie, even in seemingly throwaway lines of crude humor near the beginning.  And the resolution provides the audience with one of those "Yes!" moments that affirms life and humanity.  Besides, this film is really only secondarily about crop circles and aliens.  It's about family, ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances, finding faith again, how to keep on keeping on, the nature of reality and how we perceive it, God's involvement or non-involvement in our daily lives, and yes, wrestling with the Divine (the subject of my new book).  It's also about mood, and suspense, and the terror that comes from realizing how quickly your "secure" world can change - whether through an alien visitation or a driver falling asleep for a few seconds behind the wheel.

The movie uses laugh-out-loud, but unforced, humor based on how thoroughly human the characters are to relieve the tension.  And go see the film in a theater equipped with a good Dolby sound system so you can appreciate the sound track - the corn rustling in the wind, dogs barking far away, chimes tinkling, and the outside world threatening to burst down the walls a family hides behind.

As a pastor, I appreciate the many philosophical and theological points the movie raises and the questions and discussions that can arise out of a viewing.  I also could relate to Gibson who plays an ex-Episcopalian priest.  While he is trying to give up his calling, and even Christianity, entirely, he finds that he can't, because God and the people have made these things so much a part of him.  Every pastor has experienced those feelings at one time or another.

In a summer (2002) filled with terrific movies, this is The Best.  In fact, in my humble opinion, it is one of The Greatest Films Of All Time and will endure and be studied and dissected for years and years and years to come.

Rating: * * 1/4

The cast is back, the writer/director is back, and so are the gadgets, strange creatures, and weirdly cool vehicles.  But the heart and soul are missing.  While the first film felt like a labor of love, this one is pure "Hollywood Product."  Everything is even more over-the-top and outlandish than before, but without the themes, elements, and anchors that rooted the previous movie, however fantastic, in reality and made it relevant - the journey of self-discovery, the importance of family, and humor based equally on the human condition and spoofs of spy movies and pop culture.  The kids aren't learning about themselves, each other, or their parents here.  Instead, they are highly trained agents, skilled in hand-to-hand combat, talented dancers, expert computer hackers, weapons and high tech specialists, and survivalists.  And they are interested in the opposite sex.  The adults in the film are used essentially for only glorified cameo appearances and Dad, especially, comes across as a bumbling sitcom father.  My daughter loved the movie because, as she says, she always dreams of being a great spy who is a kid.  On that level, I suppose the film works.  But older movie goers are going to find the two hours very slow going despite a couple of cute bits like the ballet dancing and the barrel of monkeys.  When the movie introduces yet another "Floop"-ish guy who overcomes his fears and teams up with the kids, and when the creators resort to having Dad reconcile with yet more family members, and to turning Carmen into a Britney Spears clone during the end credits, you know they are out of ideas.

PARENTAL WARNING: There's a nose-picking joke, the rival spy kids land in a pit filled with camel dung, and the Shitake Mushroom line is repeated.

Rating: * * * 1/4

Woody Allen's technical triumph is fascinating to watch and it has a decent enough story, too.  Although there are some laugh-out-loud moments and lines, this isn't as hilarious as some of Allen's other films.  But it is interesting, amusing, and surprisingly warm hearted.  And there's nothing wrong with that.  I loved the attention to details and to history.  The songs composed to pass as period pieces in the movie are pretty nifty, too.

Rating: * * * 1/4

From the trailer, I was hoping for a family movie that would take an absurd premise - what if the animatronic creatures in Disney World's "Country Bear Jamboree" were alive and existed in the "real world" - and have some fun running with it.  Then, I read that one of the "Animaniacs" writers was involved with the project and so, I hoped for a wacky movie with the feel of a live-action "cartoon."  My hopes weren't disappointed.  In the film, puns, sight gags, social satire, pop culture spoofs, and endearing goofiness abound.  My wife, my daughter, and I were laughing out loud throughout the movie.  The plot is basically "The Blues Brothers," but it worked for Elwood and Jake, and it works for The Bears.  The music is just fine and the cameo appearances are fun to spot.  The movie does pluck the heartstrings along with the guitars and "One String Thangs" once in a while, but the creators never let things get too emotional and sticky before bringing in more comedy.  Surprisingly, a weakness of the film is the usually brilliant Haley Joel Osment, who, in some scenes, is not as effective as a voice actor as he is in front of the camera.  The Bears themselves were very expressive and convinced me that they were alive.  I left the theater with a smile on my face.  Thanks, Disney!

Rating: BOMB!!! 

I shocked my wife when I saw this movie - I didn't stay for the credits!  Enough was definitely enough!  You might think that it's impossible to make a boring movie about humanity's last stand against a race of dragons, but evidently the film makers are very accomplished and manage to pull it off.  The only suspense is whether or not anything interesting is going to happen. Spoiler Alert: It's not.  The only time you feel anything watching this movie is when the sheer teror of trying to stay awake to the end strikes you. 

The problems with the film are myriad:

- Thick accents and tons of dialog that takes place under loud sound effects make it impossible to understand what's being said at least half of the time.  Not that it matters. 

- "Acting" that mainly consists of shouting and looking intense and pained.

- Plot canyons  ("Plot holes" is too mild a term for what's in this movie.) :

 - The dragons have survived nuclear attacks, but nets, magnesium tipped arrows, and cannon blasts from tanks can bring them down!?!?! 

 - There's only ONE male dragon in the entire world!?!?! 

 - The dragons leave London when the heroes need them to?!?

 - Humanity hides from the dragons in a huge castle on a hilltop and run search and flood lights all night!!!

 - The human's "dragon detecting system" inexplicably doesn't work when the male attacks and the writers need tragedy to strike. 

 - There's more, but you get the idea.

- Total predictability.  You always know when the dragons are going to strike.  You know Quinn is going to return to London.  You recognize themes and scenes that have been handled better elsewhere.  At one point, my son cracked me up by saying to a character on the screen, "C'mon, Captain Ahab, you're not going to let Moby Dick get away with that, are you?"

On the plus side, the movie allowed my son and I to play "Mystery Science Theater 3000," particularly during the so-called "climax."
 

Rating: * * * * 

As a movie fan, I appreciated the world that Steven Spielberg has created in this film - one not that far removed from ours so that it isn't totally alien, but still futuristic and imaginative.  Spielberg's direction is masterful, the acting is all topnotch, and the film noir/murder mystery/conspiracy plot is a good one, taking twists and turns as the characters and the audience try to figure out what's really going on.  Science fiction, suspense, action, jump-out-of-your seat moments, and some welcome humor blend seamlessly.  And as the film goes on, one's emotions are engaged more and more.

As a theologian/philosopher, I appreciated some of the issues the movie raises.  If there were people who knew your future and your past, how would you react to them?  I expect our reactions would be much the same as that of the holo-entertainment tech in the film or the Apostle Peter's in the Bible - "Depart from me, for I'm a sinful man."  And wouldn't such beings be like gods?  But if a god already knows your future, is it then set in stone, or can you change it?  What is the nature of the afterlife and how much interaction do those that have gone ahead have with us?  Do loved ones live on in alternate destinies where they didn't die?  Which advances in the fields of science and human psychology tend to affirm the existence of God, and are we as quick to acknowledge them as the characters in the movie are?

As a human being and a Christian, I appreciated the value the film places on life and family.  All humans have worth and the right to live their lives.  The movie conveys this message and makes the point that if some must be sacrificed for the good of society as a whole, it should be of their own choice.

As one who has experienced loss, I could relate to the hero's pain.  And the movie explores how the characters escape their personal hells. 

As an American living in these troubled times, I realize that there are no easy answers to certain questions and was grateful that the film doesn't provide any.  Does increased national security mean the diminishing of personal freedom?  Should suspects be detained when it seems probable that they will engage in dangerous activities in the future?

As a lover of good writing and literature, I appreciated how the theme of sight and truly seeing was woven throughout the film, as well as how John and the precog's stories are similar, and the way that seemingly throw away ideas from parts of the film become important later on.  In fact, the plot hangs together very well, which is not always the case in films dealing with mystery and/or time paradoxes.  And Spielberg is an expert at foreshadowing without letting you realize he's doing it and, conversely, making you think you know what's going to happen when you don't.

In short, this is a good one, Folks!  Look for Spielberg, Tom Cruise, and Samantha Morton to be nominated for Oscars, and deservedly so.

Be aware though, that there is profanity in the film and that the movie pushes the envelope just a bit on acceptable PG-13 level gross-outs.  Also