Tag: Review

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“God’s Not Dead: A Light In Darkness” Review

“God Is Good, All The Time”

“And All the time, God is God”.

The same dialogue echoes though the God’s Not Dead trilogy as Christians are tried in new ways.  First it was a student vs. professor, in which a freshman student is made to prove the existence of God in front of his collages.  Then a public school teacher vs. the state, where for the first time a teacher is taken to the supreme court to be made an example for speaking the name of Jesus in her classroom.  Now in the next film, it’s the pastor, himself that faces the ultimate test of faith.

Produced and starring David A. R. White, God’s Not Dead: A Light In Darkness shows that even a pastor is human as Reverend Dave faces the ultimate backlash after being arrested at the end of the second film, now his church is burnt down.  To throw more heat onto the scene, the university which has offered sanctuary to the church now wants the church gone, as they seek to lay blame for the disrupt in campus life and hate crimes.  As far as acting goes, David A.R White exceptionally portrayed a pastor which we have watched in all three movies as he himself is now feeling the persecution that the student and teacher equally felt.  White’s expressions on his face when he has his breakdown in the church as well as the encounter with the student responsible for the fire, ultimately shows the humanistic characteristics that undoubtably all people of faith go through when all seems lost.  It shows that even pastor’s aren’t exempt.

Likewise, the film, conveys the same subtle message, that of whether or not to believe in God or not, allowing the audience to make their own decision in the end, though it is slightly more bible based then the previous too, which one could deem is because of the attack on the pastor and the church.  The setting and lighting is perfect in using colors to depict just how low humanity can get, but  the multiple images of fire serves as both a destroyer as well as a symbol of hope similar to a scene out of the second with the students showing their support for their teacher at her house.  This very same scene repeats itself with the university students showing support of Rev. Dave.

The return of Josh Wheaton (Shane Harper) is also a nice touch as those loyal followers of the Gods Not Dead franchise, might have wondered what happened to the outspoken freshman who stood up to the overpowering agnostic professor.  Harper’s addition as a student minister, showed the affect of the church on the campus as a new student, Meg (Jennifer Taylor) is introduced as an underlying story supplementing that of the church vs. state.  We see a further development in Harper especially from the first film to this one where he has know transitioned from the freshman trying to prove God’s existence to a actual pastor figure who wants to reach others, which I can totally see.  Harper’s performance in this one is just as strong and motivating as the student becomes the teacher in an essence both with Rev. Dave when he seems to question himself as well as the new young girl who is in the same boat. 

The God’s Not Dead franchise is based in large part by the Christian Musicians Newsboys, who’s song, God’s Not Dead was performed in both the first two movies and one might expect another reprise, which didn’t happen.  I found myself slightly disappointed by not hearing and seeing the band, but the music was prevalent in the background as the story continued.

Another difference between this one and the first two was the call that was made.  Instead of showing the message, to text everyone, “God’s Not Dead”, there was a live message at the end from Michael Tait, of the Newsboys as he closed out with a public message, to be the light.  He also promoted an app which was created for the movie.   I liked the notion, but showing the message after the credits, make it difficult to reach, especially since most people don’t stay til the end.  While the message was powerful, they might have been better to still have the text message at the end for those that didn’t wait all the way through.

God’s Not Dead: A Light In Darkness is a fitting close to a powerful franchise.  It upheld the same standards as the first two, with more emphasis on a pastor’s point of view and of course the call to “Be the Light” was still there.  The religious sequel came out in theaters March 30 and is currently playing in a theater near you.

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“Love, Simon” Review

The Next Gay love story is bringing a handful of people to the theaters this weekend at the box office as it brought in roughly 11.5 million ranking number 5 for its opening weekend.

20th Century Fox’s Love, Simon stars Nick Robinson in his third consecutive teen romance film, this time as he is playing a character with a huge secret.  In this day when the world is becoming much more acceptable of the LGBTQ, it still brings light to the fact that these people are the only ones that have to come out about their identity.  All in all, Simon does a good job of trying to conceal his feelings, that is until he falls in love with a mysterious “Blue” online.

Throughout the movie, the love grows making Simon brave enough to come out to his family finally by encouraging Blue to do the same, but will it be enough to make them realize that they can be together outside the email messages and not worry about what others will say.

The film also stars, Josh Duhamel and Jennifer Garner, who play Simon’s liberal parents who must confront the truth and be okay with it.

At an hour and 50 minutes, Love Simon will have you wrapped around the story and rooting for love in a new way that is becoming more the norm as the lgbtq community is accepted by the freestyle world.

Love Simon is currently out in theaters.

 

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“Every day” Review

It’s a tragic love story of an individual doomed to live in a person’s body every 24 hours, though the audience doesn’t understand why, they see a struggle in the person as they fall in love with a girl only to have to convince her that they are still them only in a new body.

Based on the best selling novel by David Levithan, Every day stars a long cast of teenagers including Angourie Rice as Rhiannon, the girl that A falls in love with as well as Justice Smith, who plays Rhiannon’s boyfriend, whom A first possesses and creates the perfect first date for them, as well as Jeni Ross as Amy, Lucas Jade Zumann as Nathan, Rory McDonald as David, Katie Douglas as Megan, Jacob Batalon as James, Ian Alexander as Vic, Sean Jones as George, Colin Ford as Xavier, Jake Sim as Michael, Nicole Law as Kelsea, Karena Evans as Hannah, Owen Teague as Alexander and Hannah Alissa Richardson as Katie.

15 days and 15 bodies inhabited and A for the first time wishes to stay in them to be able to fully love Rhiannon, but the question is can they really live in another body and be their full self?

At an hour 35 minutes, Every Day is a typical teenage love story similar to others including The Vow, where we see how deeply teenagers and first loves can be, but ultimately it stands out, because the outcome is not at all what you would expect.  It’s a daily journey that shows the importance of living for the day and not for the week or even month and it’s a great message for any adolescent to cherish every moment, because you never know when it might me your last.

Every day was produced by Orion Pictures as it’s first full length motion picture to be produced and distributed by the company.  It came out February 23, 2018 and is currently playing in a theater near you.

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Storybook “Rabbit” Comes To Life

One of the World’s most popular children’s books by English author Beatrix Potter has made its debut to theaters and is expected to finish in second at the box office just behind the Fifty Shades finale.

Peter Rabbit follows the adventures of the lovable yet mischievous young rabbit as he seeks to get into Mr. McGregor’s Garden.  When the old man (played by Sam Neill) finally passes away, Peter and all the animals think they have won and move in on the territory, that is, until Young Mr. Thomas McGregor (played by Domhnall Gleeson) discover’s his long lost Uncle’s property and moves in to get ready to sale it.

But there’s a catch, the next door neighbor, and long time friend to the rabbits, Bea (played byRose Byrne) comes over and sparks up a slight romance with the new McGregor.  Now, it’s time for Peter and his family to lay claim to what is theirs and try to drive this new McGregor out.

At just 1 hour and 33 minutes kids and adults alike will be entertained with the adventures of Peter Rabbit (James Corden), his sisters: Flopsy (Margot Robbie),  Mopsy (Elizabeth Debicki) and Cottontail (Daisy Ridley) and their cousin Benjamin Bunny (Colin Moody) in this live action/ animated fused movie about a tale from their childhood books.

Overall, the film stayed true to the book by including all the familiar characters.  It brought life to a rooster as it painted a picture and answered a question as to why the rooster crows every morning, which added a comic relief to the mischief that the rabbits go into in the garden.

Peter Rabbit came out in theaters February 9 and currently is playing in a theater near you.

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“Justice” Slips

The Latest DC Franchise falls to number two this week at the box office as Justice League brings in just over 40 million domestically as the latest Disney Pixar Coco takes first with 49 million at the box office.

Justice League picks up right after Batman V Superman left off as the world is morning the heroic death of Superman.  At the same time, crime is at an all time high as Batman and Wonder Woman struggle to recruit a new replacement for their fallen crony and Wonder Woman’s home is over taken by Steppenwolf who has plans to take over the entire world.

Justice League starsBen Affleck as Batman and Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman as they recruit Aquaman (Jason Momoa),  The Flash (Ezra Miller) and Cyborg (Ray Fisher) for their Justice League Team, but will they be strong enough to defeat Steppenwolf (Ciarán Hinds) without their fearless leader, Superman (Henry Cavill) and be able to save the World?

At two hour run time, the action adventure will have audiences on the edge of their seats wondering what will happen next.   With just enough back story from the previous DC films, viewers don’t have to know a lot about the characters in order to understand what is happening and be entertained.  All in all, it’s a powerful movie with a message of how much power a team has as each member of the Justice League brings their own strength in order to defeat the villain and save the world.

Justice League came out in theaters, November 17 and though it dropped its second weekend, it brought in over 171 million from its debut opening weekend to date at the box office.

Justice League is currently playing in a theater near you.

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“Geostorm” Takes Two

The Warner Brothers sci-fi feature about an uncontrollable storm conspiracy is bringing a few to the theaters this past weekend though it wasn’t nearly a match for Medea’s sequel that took number one.  The film has brought in over 16 million to date at the box office.

The Weather phenomenon stars Gerald Butler as Jake Lawson, the one person that created the satellite controlled weather storms to prevent natural  disasters, until the wrong person gets his hands on the plans and has other ideas for his own benefit.  Now its a race against time to protect everyone and sacrifice oneself for the good of the planet.

At just 1 hour 49 minutes, Geostorm will have audiences sitting on the edge of the their seats as the discover the secret that the CIA doesn’t’ want anyone to know about and ultimately will have everyone in suspense until the time gets to zero.  Will Jake be able to save everyone including himself?

Geostorm came out in theaters October 20 and is still playing in a theater near you.  See it today before it goes away.

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“Mountain” Takes Two

Its a survival of the fittest type of love story that had thousands of people flooding the movie theater the past weekend to witness what happens when two strangers set off on an airplane trying to get back to their future.

Alex Martin (Kate Winslet) is a successful businesswoman on the eve of her wedding and Ben Bass (Idris Elba) is a Surgeon trying to get back to his patients to perform an important surgery in order to save the person’s life.  When the airport cancels the flight that both are supposed to be on, they seek travel on another pilot’s carrier (Beau Bridges).  Unsuccessful, the plane crashes on the mountain and the two are stranded trying to survive until help comes.

At 1 hr and 44 minutes, The adventure will have one sitting on the edge of their seats as Ben and Alex attempt to survive the harsh forces of the cold weather and everything in between as they discover what they really want in life and love.

The Mountain Between Us came out in theaters a week ago on Thursday October 6 and since released has already brought in 13.3 million at the box office, coming in second behind the recent sequel to Blade Runner.  It’s currently still playing in a theater near you.

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Spider-man Reaches Over 200-million

Sony’s Spider-man Homecoming has passed the 200-million mark this weekend at the box office bringing in another 45 million for its second week though it was still knocked to second because of this week’s new blockbuster War of the Planet of the Apes that barely managed to take first with just 10 million over.

The third reboot within the turn of the century, follows Peter Parker as an awkward teen who is trying to balance school life with that of being a superhero.  He goes to the Avengers Headquarter on a “retreat” where we briefly see Captain America, Hulk and the other Marvel superheroes. Then he is sent home with his own suit and given instructions to take it slow.

Frustrated that he can’t do more, Parker sets out on adventures on his own, after school looking for crime fighting opportunities.  He ends up uncovering a heist, that was 8 years in the making, but the Avengers still can’t take his 14-year-old self seriously.

At 2 hour 13 minute run time, will Peter Parker be able to prove himself to the Avengers and be able to save New York from the Vulture?  Spider-man Homecoming stars newcomer, Tom Holland as Peter Parker, along with Marisa Tomei playing is Aunt May, with cameos from of course comic creator Stan Lee as well as the Avengers themselves, Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark, and Chris Evans as Captain America, as well as Michael Keaton as the Villain “Vulture” and Gwyneth Paltrow as the reporter Pepper Potts.

Overall, Spider-man Homecoming will have audiences laughing at the awkward comedy as well as cheering for Spider-man when he finally realizes who he is on the inside.  Make sure to see Spider-man Homecoming in a theater near you.

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“Circle” Review

Emma Watson is teaming up with Tom Hanks this time in the latest STX Entertainment thriller, The Circle.  Based on the book by Dave Eggers, ambitious dreamer, Mae Holland (Watson) gets the job of her dreams for a tech company with hopes of making the world a more open place.  She does this by using a tiny camera in order to record every moment of her life and show that openness and honesty are the best ways to live in harmony, but she soon discovers that not everyone is willing to be honest and her honesty costs the life’s of the people she loves most.

Now Mae has to decide what is more important, the honest life that she’s been living or the life of her family and friends.

At 1 hour and 50 minute run time, The Circle will have you engrossed in the world of social media that everyone holds dear and inevitably makes you wonder, how close is too close for comfort.  The drama also stars John Boyega and the late Bill Paxton who passed away earlier this year and whom the film was especially dedicated to.

The Circle opened in theaters the last weekend in April and henceforth has already brought in nearly 20 million domestically at the box office.

It’s still currently playing at a theater near you.

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“The Promise” Review

In the midst of WWI, the Armenians faced an unforeseen fate when the Turkish government decided to exterminate their entire race.  Survival Films’ The Promise captures this reenactment on film in order to bring light to one of the darkest times in our history, one that the Turkish Government denies even to this day.

Christian Bale plays the American reporter, sent to cover the outcome of the war in Turkey, when he discovers the truth and almost gives his life for a chance to convenience America that this is real and that one thing still exists in the midst of the war, love, in the form of a love triangle between medical student, Mikael (Oscar Issac), Sophisticated Ana (Charlotte Le Bon) and the journalist, but is it enough to survive in the midst of all the chaos of the fall of the Ottoman Empire.

At 2 hours and 15 minutes, The Promise will have you reliving the fear and devastation of an entire community as children are orphaned, families separated, but one thing remains the same, love.

The Promise came out April 21 in theaters and though it was at the bottom of the box office, it’s a film that all should see as it deals with history especially one that not too many people realize even existed.  The acting is powerful as is the realistic portrayal of the last part of WWI in Europe and Turkey.  The movie is timely for when the genocide of 80 percent of the Armenian population perished beginning in April 1915.

See The Promise before it leaves the theaters.  It will have audiences ravaging over the genocide that happened over a hundred years ago.