Insurgent

The thing about watching movies that are made from books I have read is the big test.  I set there a good bit of the movie and go:  "I don't remember that!" and at times, "That's not how it was!"

While everyone was watching the storms on the TV and standing outside looking at the rain, We went to the movies.  We saw "Insurgent" the second of the Divergent trilogy.  Of the books of this type, this series was my least favorite and the same goes for the Movie.  Good actors, great special effects with the computer, but it is the second of three so nothing really moves the story very fast.
It's like I felt with the Lord of the Rings: "Are we there yet?"   The big moment of the movie was when she cut her hair short!

Great popcorn though and I even splurged and ate a whole box of Milk Duds.

I give it **1/2 out of five. 2015 movie #19

Road Less Traveled

Still Alice

I finally got to see the movie that gave Julianne Moore her Best Actress award for her role in "Still Alice."   In this story Alice Howland is a renowned linguistics professor at Columbia University.  She is diagnosed with Early-Onset Alzheimer's Disease.  The story is a family story about how we, as family, deal with medical changes. With a spectacular cast including Alec Baldwin, Kristen Stewart and Kate Bosworth we are witness to the reactions and the problems that develop.  While the story is sad, the acting is so good that I was entranced.  Can't say much more so as not to tell the story.  It is a Must See.

Although classified as a 2014 movie it is a **** star movie.

2015 movie # 18

Run all Night with the new John Wayne

I used to question why they gave John Wayne a character name in the movies. When I watched him he was playing "John Wayne".  I can get lost in the character with most actors but John Wayne always played himself.  Liam Neeson does the same in most movies. I see Mr. Neeson not his character AND that is enough.

"Run all Night" is not one of the Taken movies and he even plays a Bad guy. He is always BAD even when he is good.  This is a father defending his son and it is an intense 24 hour story crammed into 2 hours. You will not be bored with this popcorn movie. Rated R for violence and language.  Good cast and with Ed Harris as his enemy things stay interesting.

If you are also a fan of Liam, this will not let you down.  I give it **3/4 stars.

2015 movie #17 

Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel : Truth in Advertising

I enjoyed the first version of this movie series (I expect a 3rd) so the second seemed safe. AND it is.

It picks up 9 months after the first movie. So the hotel owner is getting married and all the old retired tenants are pairing up.  The running overall story is "everyone is paranoid!"  The movie is fun but chaotic.  Easy good acting with simplistic plot.  The photography of India is worth a visit.

Pure popcorn movie.  I give it **stars. 2015 movie #16

Not looking forward to #3 Best Exotic

Experimental Theology: The Lord Saw That She Was Not Loved

This is COOL!



Experimental Theology: The Lord Saw That She Was Not Loved: The genealogy of Jesus found in Matthew 1 lists five women. And as many have pointed out before, these women are interesting in that they ...

Something to take in, to be still and listen to

Do not fret because of evil men

or be envious of those who do wrong;

for like the grass they will soon wither;

like green plants they soon die away.

Trust the LORD and do good;

dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.

Delight yourself in the LORD

and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Commit your way to the LORD;

trust in him and he will do this;

He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn,

the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.

Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him;

do not fret when men succeed in their ways,

when they carry out wicked schemes.

Refrain from anger and turn from wrath;

do not fret-- it leads only to evil.

For evil men will be cut off,

but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land.

A little while, and the wicked will be no more;

though you look for them, they will not be found.

But the meek will inherit the land

and enjoy  great peace.

From Psalms 37, the thoughts of David

Why the Hub Bub?

I talked to an elderly Christian Lady (not my mother) today who asked me about the Ferguson Incident.  "Why all the talk about the black kid being shot by a white police officer?  I mean THEY destroyed several businesses and no one said anything!"  Where would I even begin in this dialogue?  She then said, "Their families (the Blacks) should have taught them better."  What to say?  Its not that I did not respond, it was that I was talking to someone who doesn't keep up with current events and is in a different world. I mentioned the OU Fraternity scandal and she hadn't heard of it.  I could lay this at the feet of old age. but it is greater than that.

Out in the Panhandle I had a school bond issue defeated because it would raise taxes.  This district had not even tried a bond issue for 20 years and had very little taxes so any size project will "raise Taxes".  We wanted to replace a 95 year old building that does not meet any codes, is not equipped for computers or almost anything else. BUT it is paid for!  Those kids need to understand that it was good enough for their grandmother so what's the problem?

At church we don't meet our budget but we fund all kinds of good causes and missions that pop up. It's just that when a good idea pops up it sounds better than paying the bills. 

A few years ago the younger generation and their parents decided that us baby boomers have created this mess and called us the "Me Generation".  Today that idea is shallow in a society that says "I want what I want and I don't care about you."  Their is no unity of direction anywhere.  There was a time of community now we are just Republicans and Democrats, Left and Right, and my version of good and bad.

The lady finished our conversation by saying that she thought everything went the wrong direction in 1970 when the young did not support Vietnam and went to Woodstock!  I smiled and said, " Now you're talking about me!"

But I digress.

Chappie or Crappie

I went to the movies the other night and saw 2 or 3 different movies rolled into one.  The movie "Chappie" has interested me from the first previews: The story of a discarded droid used by a robot designer to test his program for Artificial Intelligence  or AI for sci-fi geeks.   That movie is the exploration of what it would be like if a robot could think, feel, learn and love.  That movie shows a robot that learns that humans have souls and a new life after death. That's fairly deep stuff.

During this part of the story we see that Police Droids now do all law enforcement of the city and the robot designer is employed by the Corporation that supplies them.

Then the second movie starts: What if said robot is befriended by street gang types who teach the droid profanity and crime!  It is still intriguing even though the profanity and violence ramps up to a very uncomfortable spectacle.

Enter movie three: Our old buddy, Hugh Jackman, is standard issue bad guy who has designed a giant droid that can fly, stomp almost tank-like. He needs all the police robots to fail so that there is panic and he can save the day!  Like just about every old sci-fi story.   Enter the big, kill folks, destroy stuff, have chaos, etc..

All these movies are going at once. Stuff happens.

The weird thing is Christanity Today said this was a good discussion of the soul, the creator, etc.  How they got to watch just two of the stories I don't know.

This was half of a good movie.  I give it ** stars.  Wait for upload and save your money.

2015 movie #15