The Passion of the Christ

I just love Mel Gibson movies! I know all of them tend to be bloody and violent but Gibson makes it look like organized chaos. Anyway, The Passion Of The Christ is an awesome movie about the arrest, trial, torture, crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This movie is in Aramaic, Latin and Hebrew and has subtitles. The film came out in 2004 and was one of the highest grossing non-English movies ever. It starts off with Jesus praying in Gethsemane before He's about to be betrayed by Judas Iscariot. As Jesus is praying the devil appears to Him and starts to tempt Him. The portrayal of the devil is great because Gibson made him look something like a young woman but with a man's voice dressed in a black hooded cloak. He's androgynous which adds mystery and creepiness. Later Jesus is betrayed by Judas and is taken away where he is beaten, whipped and humiliated. The governor, Pontius Pilate, doesn't want to crucify Jesus even though the large crowd and the Sanhedrin do so he tells them to take Him to Herod. Herod is from Egyptian royalty where again Gibson does a great job of portraying an Egyptian royal. Herod with thick eyeliner around his eyes, is interrupted from his partying when they bring Jesus in. He tells everyone to shut up as he puts on a disheveled wig and goes over to Jesus in a half jokingly way and asks Him questions. Jesus doesn't answer him and in the end Herod tells them to take Him back to Pilate. Throughout the movie, Jesus and different characters in the film like Mary and Mary Magdalene, think back on Jesus' life. In the end, of course, they crucify Him. After everything is done there is a short scene where you see Him get up from death and walk away.

Deliverance

Some years ago, I worked at Hollywood Video which was a lot of fun because I got to watch any movie I wanted. What I decided to do was to rent movies that I had heard were good or controversial. One of the movies I saw was Deliverance and let me tell you, that was so not what I expected! This movie came out in 1972 and it's about 4 Atlanta businessmen who decide to go canoeing down the fictional Cahulawassee River. Lewis, played by Burt Reynolds, is an experienced outdoorsman and is one of those guys that has to keep proving how macho he is. Ed, played by Angelina Jolie's father Jon Voight, has gone on a few outdoor trips with Lewis but isn't that experienced. Bobby and Drew are new to the whole outdoors trip and to canoeing. What they thought was going to be a great time with the guys turned out to be a nightmare. A couple of "locals" who are depicted as inbred hillbillies, decide they want to rape them and in their attempt to do so one of the hillbillies is killed. The other one flees but keeps taunting and trying to kill the others. One of the cool things about their trip was the banjo playing scene with a young odd looking local. The Dueling Banjos became a big hit and is still recognized today. Although this movie is creepy and weird, it is also a well made movie. It got 3 Academy Awards including Best Picture and 5 Golden Globe Awards. This film, although disturbing, is worth seeing. On a side note, Burt Reynolds and Jon Voight were hot back in the day!

I Love You Man

I saw I Love You Man last night and it was good! It was somewhat of a romantic comedy except it was about a bromance. Peter is a real estate agent who just got engaged to Zooey but when he realizes he doesn't have any friends close enough to ask to be his best man, he begins going on man-dates. Each man-date was either awkward, confusing, ridiculous and/or embarrassing. During one of his house showings, he ends up meeting Sidney who is charming and opinionated. Their bromance starts off as usual, awkward and weird, but soon Peter starts getting the hang of it and starts to really bond with Sidney. At first Zooey is really glad he found a friend but later Peter starts hanging out with Sidney more than with her so it starts to create problems for their relationship. In the end, everyone gets along, the wedding proceeds and Peter gets his bro back.

I've loved you so long

I've Loved You So Long

This was a French movie that came out in 2008. It was about a woman, Juliette, that had not seen her family in 15 years and both her parents had disowned her. She now comes back and lives with her younger sister, Lea, who is married and has two daughters. At first, you are not told why she was gone for so long or where she was but then bits and pieces of her whereabouts are revealed throughout the movie. The actors were good but the movie was a little boring. I felt like the ending was supposed to be this huge revelation but it really wasn't and I was a little disapointed. The reason I didn't have any huge emotions when it came to this movie was because no passion was invoked. I cared somewhat about the characters and the reason she was gone was not as powerful as I had hoped it would be. You can't help but just shrug your shoulders and say, Oh well, whatever. I rented this movie for free and I liked that they spoke French so I guess it evened out. The picture at the top is not part of the movie. It's a reflection of more or less how I felt about this film. I did, however, add the trailer to I've Loved You So Long below.

The Boy In The Striped Pajamas

This movie is based on the the New York Times best-selling novel by John Boyne. It's about two eight year old boys who form a friendship during War World II. What's odd about this friendship is that Bruno is the son of a Nazi commandant and Shmuel is a Jew in a concentration camp very near to Bruno's new home. This story is interesting because it is told through the eyes of these eight year olds which is very innocent, curious and endearing. In one scene, Bruno betrays Shmuel by lying to a young Nazi that he did not give Shmuel a piece of bread. Due to fear, he told the heartless Nazi that Shmuel had taken the bread which then got Shmuel a cruel beating. Several days after this, Bruno finally sees Shmuel who had not been showing up to their meeting place and asks Shmuel for forgiveness and if he'd still be his friend. With his bruised little face, Shmuel looks up at Bruno and accepts his apology and tells him they are still friends. He sticks his frail thin hand through the electric fence and shakes Bruno's hand. It was a powerful and moving scene. Some of the movie lagged a little but for the most part it was a good story. The ending will also shock you. It was definitely not the ending I thought it would have. Make sure to have Kleenex nearby.

The Family That Preys

I rented this movie recently and it was really good. By the way, if you all haven't tried the red box I suggest you do. You can rent newly released movies for a dollar a day. Anyway, The family that preys has a great cast that includes, Kathy Bates, Alfre Woodard, Robin Givens and, of course, Tyler Perry who also directed, wrote and produced this film. It's about two families whose matriarchs are close friends and whose grown children are getting into all kinds of trouble. This movie includes marital affairs, shady business dealings, betrayal and a paternity secret. One of the highlights of the movie is that Bates' and Woodard's characters take a trip to my beloved New Orleans which Perry did on purpose because it's his hometown. Although Perry did not come out as the hilarious Madea, if you like Tyler Perry movies then you're going to love this one.