Archive for the ‘Movies’ Category

Movie Review: John Adams

Wednesday, April 21st, 2010

I originally posted this article November 18, 2009.  As I read through the news today I decided to watch it again.  If you missed this on TV or have not had the opportunity to view the DVD, I still recommend this as to what the spirit of America should be.  Just as in the birth of our country, the tide is moving today.  We must remind our government that the political power in OUR country derives from the people not from the established regime.  Watch this series and learn from our own history because it may soon become our future.

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johnadamsI know…  This is technically not a movie.  It is a TV mini-series, but it is SO GOOD that I had to tell you all about it.  If you want to know about what America is SUPPOSED to be, watch this film!  I highly recommend that you read the book as well, on which this is based.

Watching the events unfold that led to the birth of our nation filled me with pride and anger.  Pride that a handful of brave men would stand up for their liberties to the point of death.  Anger that more of us don’t have that desire to protect our liberty today.  This mini-series shows that even then our country was divided, as it is today.

Benjamin Franklin, “We must, indeed, hang together, or assuredly we shall all hang separately.”

John Adams, ” Democracy… while it lasts is more bloody than either aristocracy or monarchy.  Remember, democracy never lasts long.  It soon wastes, exhausts and murders itself.  There is never a democracy that did not commit suicide.”

George Washington, “Firearms are second only to the Constitution in importance; they are the peoples’ liberty’s teeth.”

And finally, the words of Thomas Jefferson, “A democracy is nothing more than mob rule, where fifty-one percent of the people may take away the rights of the other forty-nine.”

Our great country was founded as a Republic, not a Democracy.  ”A republic and a democracy are identical in every aspect except one. In a republic the sovereignty is in each individual person. In a democracy the sovereignty is in the group.” [source]

If you want to know more about what took place in the founding of our country and where we went wrong throughout our short history, start with watching this mini-series or reading the book.

– The Patriot


Movie Review: Angels & Demons

Monday, December 7th, 2009

angels_and_demonsThe plot of this latest Dan Brown and Tom Hanks thriller evolves around an ancient feud between the Catholic church and a secret organization, the Illuminati.  The book on which this movie is based was written before The DeVinci Code, now a Dan Brown classic.

The story opens with the death of the pope and revolves around a terrorist plot against the church.  Throughout the film, it seems to strive to show the close-mindedness of the catholic religion toward modern thinking and the scientific world around us.  Just as in The DeVinci Code, Robert Langdon, our hero and favorite Harvard symbologist, gallops through the movie from clue to shining clue with his beautiful accomplice, Ayelet Zurer, in tow.

One of the highlights of the film is a brilliantly written monologue by Ewan McGregor in whic he passionately talks about the cold-war between science and religion, which has existed for thousands of years.

The final sequence is worth wading through the entire movie.  And just when you think the movie is over, Director Ron Howard masterfully throws you a brilliant twist worth all his accolades.

Overall, I think Tom Hanks and Angels & Demons is another home run from Dan Brown and Ron Howard.

– The Patriot

Movie Review: Babylon A.D.

Friday, October 16th, 2009

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Last night I popped into my local Wal-Mart and hit the RedBox for a movie.  After finding out that the local Movie Gallery charges $.79 + tax PER MOVIE, I decided not to rent from them.  Plus the fact that they wanted me to create a membership for that specific store because, “We are not networked.”  Also, when I waled up to the store, BOTH employees were right outside the door smoking THE SAME cigarette.  Nice huh?  Lets just say I don’t like walking through a cloud of smoke to enter a place of business.

Anyway, I digress.  I decided to watch Babylon A.D. The story started off pretty good.  I like Sci-fi, I like Action and I like Vin Diesel.  The action scenes, were filled with action.  The plot took some mysterious twists, which wasn’t bad.  The special effects kinda sucked, but I’d seen worse.  So this was shaping up to be a fairly good mediocre movie.  And it was, right up until they needed an ending.  It almost felt like they fired one writer, hired another and told him to write a one page ending.  We had just gotten to the good part, the climax, the final battle between good and evil (if you will) and with one explosion (actually seen twice), the movie craps out.  He dies, is resurrected 2 hours later only to be forced to relive the events over.  The girl, somehow survives a huge explosion (we are never told how) and escapes…  only to die in childbirth 32 seconds later in the film.  Who wrote this crap?

I honestly, said aloud last night, “What a crappy movie.”  Mind you I was in my hotel room, ALONE!  That’s how bad this movie was.

Don’t buy this DVD.  Don’t rent this movie to watch with the guys.  I know the cover looks cool and Melanie Thierry was fun to watch for an hour or so.  But save yourself the heartache and money.