Movie Week In Mississippi

It's been "movie week" this week here in Mississippi. I've been to see FOUR movies this week - more than I went to see in any six month period in the last two years, I think. At least, in theaters. If you're interested, read on!

The first movie we went to see ("we" being Jan and me and Grace and Bill, Jan's brother) was "Blind Side." This was without question the best movie I've seen in a long, long time. Part of the reason it was so good is that it's based on a true story, and the main characters involved are very strong Christians; this comes through somewhat, despite the Hollywoodization of the story. Sandra Bullock does an amazing in-character job of being the (rich but) tough, no-nonsense Memphis mom with a heart of gold, but no tolerance of pretentiousness. Quinton Aaron plays the homeless kid, and as a "walk-on," he does a masterful job. The actor who portrayed the little brother was another delightful surprise, and the entire family "just worked" on screen. It was a feel-good movie that is well worth seeing, and I would definitely want to see it again.

The second movie we went to see was "It's Complicated" with Meryl Streep and Alec Baldwin. This movie was disturbing on many levels, and I would not want to see it again, and I would not recommend it to anyone who asked. The acting was quite good, but the story, and the situation surrounding the story, both made me very uneasy. There were quite a few funny moments in the movie, but they no way made up for the general lack of morality permeating the film. Not only were the characters allowing themselves to fall into affairs, with no more than a casual nod towards "this is wrong," it seems this attitude was accepted as just the way things are. I'm sure many people who have their own casual morality won't see anything wrong with this film, but it deeply disturbed me.

Here's an example of what I mean. In both movies just mentioned, there are scenes in which the lead actress is hanging out with her friends, telling them about what's going on. Meryl Streep, in "It's Complicated," was telling her girl friends about having an affair with Alec Baldwin, and they were all supporting the affair, saying things along the line of "go for it!" and "It's your turn to have some fun!" On the other side of this spectrum, when Sandra Bullock was telling her girl friends about the youngster she had taken in, they were skeptical and negative; Bullock then bristled, saying something along the lines of "I'm doing this because it's the right thing to do, and if you can't support me on this then it's YOU that has the problem." She stuck to her guns, and her friends quickly backpedaled, and mumbled their support of what she was doing. It was a glaring example of the foundational differences between these two shows; doing what's right and the ultimate morality of the one, worldliness and amorality in the other.

The third show we went to see was AVATAR. I had heard several very good reviews of it, and it was actually quite a good movie. Outstanding computer graphics and artwork, and for sci-fi, eminently believable. The movie is over 2 1/2 hours long, and the story is good enough that no one got restless before it was over. We saw it in 3D, and while it was pretty good, I wasn't overly impressed by it, and if I ever see the movie again, I don't have to see it in 3D. Besides, it costs extra. However, I WOULD be interested in seeing the show in IMAX, which I understand is available.

The fourth movie I went to see this week was "2012." Chad (my son) and I went to this one, and everyone else stayed home. Brother-in-law Bill left for home in Missouri yesterday, or I'm sure he would have come with us. They only have one showing per day, and the theater was relatively empty, and I don't understand it, because it was actually quite a good movie. They had excellent end-of-the-world computer graphics, and the premise was at least plausible (except for one section, where they couldn't start the engine until the hatch was closed; that was a head-scratcher). The acting was good, and the plot, while formulaic, was at least interesting. There is a lot of tension in the movie, especially the barely-escape-from-disaster kind, but there is virtually no blood or gore, no monsters or aliens, no sex or innuendo, and I don't remember any profanity, but then, I tend to mentally bleep out any of that in my mind. This was also a long (nearly 2 1/2 hour) movie, but again, it was interesting enough to be worth it.

As I write this, I'm watching my Gators stomp on U of Cincinnati in the Sugar Bowl. With on eminute to go in the first half, Gators are ahead, 30-3. I started watching the game, and told Jan I'd watch until the Gators scored, then I'd write the blog about the movies we saw. They scored right away, and I've been writing, alternating with watching, since.

Now I'll post this and watch the rest of the game.

GO GATORS!