Gandalf is Back

Report: McKellen to play Gandalf in 'Hobbit' - CNN.com

Ian McKellen will again take up the robes of Gandalf the Wizard in the cinematic adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's fantasy classic "The Hobbit," a British film magazine reported Wednesday.

Righteous!

Cal Thomas - Go And See "World Trade Center"

Hat Tip: Evangelical Outpost.

Check out what Cal Thomas has to say about the new Oliver Stone movie World Trade Center.

Chad Thompson on Brokeback Mountain

Townhall.com :: BE Columns :: Breathing humanity into Brokeback by Chad Thompson - Jan 31, 2006

Chad Thompson is a former homosexual who's given his life to Christ. His review of this movie needs to be scene by those on the left and the right; but those who believe in God and those who don't. Personally, I have no desire to see this movie and won't but I'm glad Chad has seen it and has offered his thoughts.

A Recommendation For "Last Holiday"

Last Holiday: A Delightful Film - Just take a look.

Silly Hollywood Awards Shows

Now is that horrible time in entertainment when Hollywood gets together and has award show after award show. I guess the Golden Globes just happened and many of the winners were based on characters with homosexual themes. If Hollywood wants to have small sales then they can keep putting out movies that appeal to a very small segment of the population. Their agenda of pushing alternative lifestyles is just quite silly. Their hatred for Bush and conservatives blinds them and makes them push their way out of the mainstream agenda. If they keep doing this then it will keep them from influencing culture at all, which is a good thing.

So Hollywood can keep putting out crap, give themselves awards for that crap and have very little relevance in our culture.

Narnia Review

Check out my review of the Narnia movie at Blogcritics.

Christmas Movies

I'm a big fan of Christmas movies. All the DVDs are brought out on Thanksgiving and they are put away Christmas night. They are great movies that make you laugh and keep you entertained but they mostly miss the point of Christmas. The story of Santa Claus is fun and adds to Christmas but the movies have that story down. The only Christmas of any popularity that deals with Christ is A Charlie Brown Christmas. We made sure to watch it tonight before going to bed. I think there is a great opportunity for a movie maker to make a Christmas movie that deals, not only with all the fun and festivities, but Christ. Someone needs to do something with the Santa kneeling before the manger. There's some movie material....

A Review - "It's A Wonderful Life"

See my review of It's A Wonderful Life at Blogcritics.

Warning to Christians About Narnia Movie

I know that churches are pushing the new Narnia movie, The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. Personally, I can't wait for the movie as the book is fantastic. Here comes the warning; if you haven't read the book or expect Christian theology then don't go see it. It is a fantasy book with witches, Father Christmas and other things that are fantasy. Yes, it has Christian symbolism but is not meant to be a Biblical story. Read the book first. If you don't like or "get" the book then you will hate this movie. If you are expecting The Passion of the Christ you will be very disappointed. If you enjoyed the Lord of the Rings flicks then you will probably like The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe.

Movie Review - Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

When I take my family to see a movie (wife and two boys, ages 10 and almost 7) I judge the movie on not just what I think about the movie but also what the rest of the family members think. As we decided between seeing Charlie and the Chocolate Factory or Sky High I was concerned that "Charlie" would be either too weird or the humor would be over the kids’ heads. We decided to see “Charlie”!

The first thing when seeing the new “Wonka” movie is to try not to compare the original movie with this one. The key characters are, obviously, Wonka and Charlie. First, Charlie, who is played by Freddie Highmore (Peter in Finding Neverland) is a very compelling character. He’s instantly likeable and believable and is someone you want to root for. Now, as everyone knows, Wonka is played by Johnny Depp (who won me over as a fan as Captain Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean - The Curse of the Black Pearl), is a little creepy, quite strange, a bit of a misfit but a great character. He’s the character you end up watching. Now some of you may have heard that he would remind one of Michael Jackson but I didn’t get that. Watch out for Oompa Loompa’s though as they got very creative with them.

In terms of the visual characteristics I found the movie to be quite pleasant to watch. Too many movies try and overwhelm you in every scene (“Sith” was in that vein) but this one, although relying on plenty of effects isn’t one where you walk out thinking you just saw too much.

So, back to the test, did my whole family enjoy it? Heck yes! One recommendation, bring a chocolate bar with you because you will quickly develop a craving. After the flick we went and bought a couple of Wonka Bars.

Cross-posted at Blog Critics, here.

Tigger Has Died

CNN.com - Voice of Winnie the Pooh's Tigger dies - Jun 26, 2005

But he was perhaps best known for his work as the voice of the lovable tiger in animated versions of A.A. Milne's "Winnie the Pooh" -- with his trademark "T-I-double grrrr-R."

A bit sad. How many of us loved Tigger growing up?

Missing From Greatest Movie Quotes

From MSNBC, AFI's top movie quotes - It's missing "It's not personal, it's business" - from The Godfather

Revenge of the Sith

Check out my review (beware, spoiler) of Revenge of the Sith at Blog Critics.

TenNapel Rips "Sith"

TenNapel.com - Home of Doug TenNapel - Revenge of the Sith... - I've not seen it yet but it's not a good sign that Doug felt so compelled to take George Lucas to the woodshed. I'll have to see it for myself.

Narnia Trailer

Tip to Michael Stecker » Blog Archive » Chronicles of Narnia Trailer Premiere

Go here to see the movie trailer for The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.

Rudy

Just watched the movie, Rudy. As a long time Notre Dame hater (I'm a USC fan) I didn't see the movie until many years after it's release. Of course the movie took some creative turns but here's Rudy's FAQ. Just watch it, (again). It's also one to show (and inspire) your kids.

Saw Fat Albert

If you have kids, be sure to take them to see Fat Albert. We went after our kids went with my parents. Good, clean and funny stuff. Not an Oscar candidate but worth seeing.

Fat Albert Movie Review, Kind Of

My parents took our 2 sons to see Fat Albert. All 4 of them liked it a lot and recommend it. They said it was funny, clever and made some good social commentary. The lovely wife and myself will go see it soon.

Is "Alexander" a Bomb?

It looks like the new Oliver Stone flick, "Alexander" is going to possibly bomb at the box office. Stone made such an incredible impact with "Platoon" but his JFK and Nixon "biographies" took the worst of the conspiracies and rumors and tried to pass those off as fact. Stone has little credibility and it doesn't surprise me that "Alexander" isn't so hot. I won't see it as I don't think I'd learn anything new about Alexander the Great other than Stone's personal views of him.

Christianity Today on "Saved!"

Reviews: Saved! - Christianity Today Movies

A review by somebody who actually saw the Saved! movie. Doesn't seem worth seeing based on the review, mostly because it seems to be just a bad movie.

The 'Saved!' Movie

Interviews: Brian Dannelly - Christianity Today Movies

There's this new controversial movie that begins showing in theaters real soon called, Saved!. From my understanding it is a look at teenage Christian clicks and deals with hypocrisy, judgement, intollerance and all the rest. What bothers me is not the content of the movie (I haven't seen it yet) but the Christians going on talk shows to blast the movie without seeing it just ticks me off. Didn't we all complain about people jumping to conclusions about The Passion of the Christ? Well, I'm here to issue that same complaint to my own crowd. At least wait until you see it before blasting away. If the movie is dealing in some of the realities in the Christian Ghetto then let's deal with it. I will be especially interested to see the feedback from Christian teenagers.

Now, if the movie is crap, it has now gotten a bunch of free exposure due to our "shoot first, ask questions later" mentality. Anyone remember The Last Temptation of Christ? Nobody would have cared but we raised it's profile and many more people saw it.

MVPs of Middle Earth

U-Daily News - FILM

Great article highlighting the some of the unnominated stars from LotR.

Give Johnny Depp an Oscar Nomination

FOXNews.com - Foxlife - Fox Features - Oscars: Can't They Take a Joke?

The movie, "The Pirates of the Caribbean" was good because of the performance of Johnny Depp. He made the movie into something very enjoyable and worth watching more than once. I'd love to see him get an Oscar nomination.

Mandy Moore

Kevin McCullough had James Hirsen on his show and they were talking about Mandy Moore. Although I'm not a big fan of her music she seems like a nice person and seems like a pretty good actress. Here are some reasons to like Mandy Moore:

Who are you in LOTR?

Tip to Neophyte Pundit.

Celeborn If I were a character in The Lord of the Rings, I would be Celeborn, Elf, King of Lothlorien, husband of Galadriel and grandfather of Arwen. In the movie, I am played by Marton Csokas. Who would you be? Zovakware Lord of the Rings Test with Perseus Web Survey Software

Elf - The Movie

We saw the movie Elf today. Pretty darn funny and touching (and pretty clean). My sons are 8 and 5 and they loved it.