The Bourne Ultimatum

In The Bourne Ultimatum, Jason Bourne is one movie closer to discovering/remembering who he was before becoming a lethal killing machine.

Back for more is:

Matt Damon, Julia Stiles and Joan Allen. Adding to this movie's cast is all-time-greats David Strathairn and Scott Glenn.

Similar to the first 2 films, the government agencies are trying to hunt down and eliminate Bourne's threat.

Bringing back the vicious hand-to-hand combat scenes along with dizzying chase sequences, The Bourne Ultimatum is a perfect culmination for this trilogy.

But then I heard there are rumors of a 4th movie possibly being ready for 2010 (but we'll have to wait and see)

Just one bit of trivia about this movie: Matt Damon never smiles in this film. Ever. The only smile we see is during a flash-back. Guess if you've been hunted for a while, you'd be somber too.

Meg: Hell's Aquarium by Steve Alten

Hell's Aquarium is the 4th book in the Steve Alten Meg series and they keep the mindless entertainment at peak proficiency. With the influx of all these SyFy channel monster movies, this book has to be made into a film.

The main character, Jonas Taylor, has aged 20 some years since this all started, he and his wife have an attraction like Sea World that is home to a Megalodon (giant prehistoric great white shark) and her pups.

Problems arise and people get eaten. This is a given seeing as it's a shark story.

David Taylor, Jonas' son, is offered a job by the United Arab Emirates to be a keeper of the younger Megs in their new state-of-the-art aquarium back in the Middle East.

These princes want more than just Megs as they desire to capture the largest prehistoric creatures they can find in the ocean's deep. David and his team of submersible pilots are tasked with retrieving them.

In this book you'll find lots of blood and underwater creature chases.

One of the problems with this novel is trying to pronounce all the names of the prehistoric monsters. I needed to look all of them up! And this distracted me from the story a bit.

You won't find deep plots or heavy character development. the Meg series is the Twilight version of Jaws; and I love 'em!
 

Faces in the Fire by T.L. Hines

Faces in the Fire tells the stories of 4 individuals whose lives connect through seemingly random circumstances.

Kurt the truck driver who hears dead people through their old clothes, Corrine the e-mail spammer who had lymphoma, Grace the heroin-addicted tattoo artist who deserted her family and Stan the hitman who can kill just by touching you.

Connecting their stories is the image of a catfish and a long number. What do these things have to do with one another?

Hines writes this story out of chronological order - which means the first chapter you read is not Chapter 1. This adds a different flavor to reading a book; it makes it feel as if you're watching a J.J. Abrams movie.

I wasn't sure I was going to enjoy this book as you read about each character on their own. But by the time I got to the end of Stan's story (the final story) I saw the genius of T.L. Hines and what he was trying to do.

This is a nice book to read if you enjoy stories that are slightly off-center. Meaning it isn't quite realistic but close enough to pull you in.

The Chamber of Lies by Bill Myers

The Chamber of Lies, Book 4 of The Elijah Project, has the family racing to the rescue of Elijah. Shadow Man has plans for him - plans to turn him away from God and to serve his master.

This plan includes trapping Elijah in the Chamber of Lies and giving him whatever he desires.

However, with each vision/dream giving to persuade him away from God, Elijah ends up turning them into a chance to glorify Him.

Piper and Zach, along with their parents and friends, Cody and Willard do all they can to help Elijah but, for the kids, they get trapped in the Chamber as well.

Will they be able to stave off the Shadow Man's tricks or will Elijah have to make a sacrifice for them?

You finally find out what purpose Elijah is to have in the days to come, but the series doesn't really come to an end with this book. Hopefully there will be more as Myers can explore the story further.

Great kid's series by the writer who knows Spiritual Warfare.

Trapped by Shadows by Bill Myers

In book 3 of The Elijah Project, Trapped by Shadows, we find the family reunited, Shadow Man on their heels, and the three goons causing more trouble than help.

Elijah is taken by Shadow Man after his brother, Zach, drives their jeep into a river. The rest of them make it out and onto dry land only to watch Elijah fall prey to a kidnapping.

They decide to pursue and rescue Elijah from Shadow Man's lair...or should I say, his master's lair deep underground.

While all this is taking place, Cody and Willard defy gravity to join in the rescue fun.

But deep in the bowels of the earth, they discover that they will need a lot more help than what they have...

This series is keeping me guessing. At first I thought Elijah was the allegorical Jesus character. Then I thought he might be part of a powerful spiritual kid, now...after learning just a taste of his history I am still in the dark.

Can't wait to dive into the 4th story!

The [Expanded] Bible

I was very excited when The [Expanded] Bible came in the mail. It's promoted as a Bible you can study while you read - plain and simple.

However, it took me a few days to get used to all the "lingo" and what every little symbol means.

For example, you have the text of Scripture (New Century Version) in bold. Then you have the dots beside words or phrases indicating there will be expanded information.

This is followed by phrases in parentheses with things like "L" for literal, "C" for cultural and other somewhat valuable information.

It might be because we've been saturated by the NIV Study Bible for so long that I'm just not used to having my Bible reading be so choppy. It pulls you out of the reading in order to learn more.

With the NIV Study Bible, you could read a passage on its own and then go back to review the additional text.

Another negative about this is the additional study material is very slim. This is by no means an exhaustive study Bible.

But if you're looking for a quick study on biblical phrases, The [Expanded] Bible may be a nice Christmas gift.

2010

As if the first one, 2001: A Space Odyssey was bad enough, 2010: The Year We Make Contact is worse.

Some people would disagree and argue that because this movie had actual dialogue, it was better than the first.

Starring Roy Scheider(Jaws), John Lithgow(3rd Rock from the Sun), and Helen Mirren(The Queen), 2010 takes us back to those black slabs in space that create such a ruckus in our world.

These three characters, along with others from the Soviet Union and United States, travel to Jupiter to do some further studies.

Meanwhile, the two nations go to nuclear war.

What is it about these black things that bring about peace? And why is there a baby on the poster of this film?

Don't bother - this movie is a sleeper.

I mean, you can sleep through it.

The Enemy Closes In by Bill Myers

In book 2, The Enemy Closes In, we find the three siblings on the run in an RV.

Piper, the sister, ends up working in a diner to pay for RV repairs; Zach meets a mysterious girl who is part of a society dealing with dark forces.

The three villains seem more like the comic relief in this follow-up story as Shadow Man uses the leader of the society, Jason, to capture Elijah.

Meanwhile, the parents are working on escaping from Shadow Man's lair.

This second book seemed a lot like Myer's earlier work called The Forbidden Door series which also dealt with dark spiritual warfare stuff.

Outside of the villains seeming too goofy and leaving the menacing for Shadow Man, this series is turning out to be a decent weekend read.

On the Run by Bill Myers

I have been a fan of Bill Myers for a long time. On the Run is the first book of his newest series.

Three siblings, Zach, Piper and their younger brother Elijah are just going about their day - walking to school - when a puppy gets hit by a car.

Elijah holds the puppy and brings it back to life.

What?!

Plus, there's some organization called, The Organization led by The Shadow Man who is out to kidnap Elijah.

The chase is on, from their home, to their aunts, to a hospital where Elijah brings a girl out of a coma.

It seems like this could be an allegory but it's still too soon to tell.

These books are nice and short - you can read one in less than an hour.

Bill Myers is amazing.

The Uninvited

Not really sure why it looks like it's cold in the poster because the movie is not at all like that. Just a little side comment to get us started.

I watched this movie last night with a few friends; 2 of which had already seen it so I knew a scary moment was coming when they would cover their eyes.

This always helps as I don't enjoy scary movies.

The Uninvited is about a girl whose mother died in a fire, her father is living with the live-in nurse, and the sisters believe the nurse killer their mother.

Starring Emily Browning as Anna, the main character, who just got home from the nut house and begins to have dreams/visions of her dead, burned mother along with three children who seem to have a connection to it all (think Stephen King's The Shining).

David Strathairn as her father: maybe he killed his wife...they did it before when the good guy actor plays the villain (What Lies Beneath)

and Elizabeth Banks (Betty Brant in Spider-Man) as the new girlfriend/fiancee.

This is a psychological thriller that has a self-promoted twist ending. You may see it coming if you pay close enough attention throughout the film.

With some situational cussing (in fear) and some sexual content (looking through keyholes), this movie didn't quite leave a lasting impression. The twist was nice but I'd have to watch it again to catch everything.

And I don't think I'd care to do that.

Daisy Chain by Mary DeMuth

Daisy Chain tells the coming of age story of a boy named Jed and how he deals with losing his best friend (did she run away or was she kidnapped?), his abusive preacher dad, and the rest of his bizarre Texas town.

Jed and Daisy have been best friends since they met. She has taken him on many adventures, but on one fateful night, Jed chooses not to walk her home...and Daisy disappears.

The townspeople have their own theories as to what happens and who's to blame, but the real power of this book (the first of three) is the building of characters.

You come to hate Jed's father, cry for his mother and sister, and by the end of the book you still aren't sure about Hixon and his co-hort.

Daisy Chain is a character mystery full of intense family abuse.

And I have to finish this trilogy to uncover the truth!

No More Headaches by Juli Slattery

Imagine my surprise when I opened this book and, by the second chapter, realized this was written for women!

No More Headaches is not a how-to book for successful relationships within marriage.

Dr. Juli Slattery shares her opinion on the generalities found with speedbumps, hiccups, well basically the problems found in the bedroom of marriages and she tackles them from a Christian viewpoint.

Even though it was written for women, I found it interesting reading how women perceive guys and how they function.

I'm not sure if I would recommend this book to anyone however because it seemed to be just barely skimming the topic.

Maybe there'll be a sequel written soon.

North! Or Be Eaten by Andrew Peterson

Readers thrilled to the phantasmagorical adventures in On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness,Book One of the Wingfeather Saga.

Now in Book Two, Janner, Tink, and Leeli Igiby, mom Nia, ex-pirate grandfather Podo, Peet the Sock Man, and trusty dog Nugget flee north to rebel headquarters.

Their escape brings readers to the very brink of Fingap Falls, over the Stony Mountains, and across the Ice Prairies, while villains galore try to stop the Igibys permanently. Fearsome toothy cows and horned hounds return, along with new dangers: a mad man running a fork factory, a den of rockroaches, and majestic talking sea dragons.

Andrew Peterson’s lovable characters create what FantasyBookCritic.com says made Book One “one of the best fantasy novels in a very long time,” and Book Two contains even more thrills, exploring “themes universal in nature, ranging from the classic good versus evil, to the importance of family, and burdens of responsibility.”

Go here for more information.

A Big Little Life by Dean Koontz

Dean Koontz has finally written a non-fiction book about his love for dogs. Particularly the dog that changed his life, Trixie.

In A Big Little Life, Koontz gives you an insider's look at what it was like to be part of the Koontz family while Trixie was alive.

While very similar, in story, to Marley and Me, Trixie is the complete opposite - she's been trained to help handicapped people but because of an injury had to retire.

Seeing as this is a book about the life of a dog, you know the ending will be sad (as most animal stories are) but Koontz adds his special blend of humor so the death is that much more heartbreaking.

After learning about Trixie, you'll come to agree with her family when they say they believe she was something more than a dog.

Excellent read - 5 out of 5 stars.

Real Church by Dr. Larry Crabb

The author of Real Church confesses that he doesn't enjoy going to church anymore.

He takes a few chapters to describe why that is and then the rest of the book describing what kind of church he would enjoy attending.

This book seemed to go on forever. There was alot of postmodern style writing involved. Crabb even mentioned the book had gone on longer than intended.

That's one of the biggest killers for book enjoyment for me, long and boring.

By the end of the book, I could care less what kind of church he was looking for.

Drops Like Stars by Rob Bell

Never before have I been more disappointed with an author and publisher.

Drops Like Stars is the latest book by Rob Bell (Velvet Elvis, Sex God, Jesus Wants to Save Christians) and deals with the connection between suffering and creativity.

I wish I could say this book was impactful like his others but this is far from the case.

First - the book is a coffee table book. It's huge and with it comes a large price, $35.00!

Second - you'd think, with the size and price, you're going to get a lot of Rob Bell goodness...think again, the pages are so large but the words are only printed in the middle - thus wasting entire forests of paper.

Which is ironic seeing as Bell's last book was all about how we abuse this planet and need to take care of God's creation.

Nothing about this book drew me in. It is a waste of paper and talent.

Avoid Drops Like Stars like the plague. You won't miss out on anything.

Clue to Zondervan and Rob Bell (and your creative team): next time, give us a book.

G.I. Joe

I went to see G.I. Joe yesterday. I wasn't expecting much from this film and, because of that, I was able to enjoy a "fun" summer movie.

The term "summer movie" never means Oscar winner but that's okay because I've come to despise the Oscars.

G.I. Joe sports an impressive cast (of cameo stars) including:

Jonathan Pryce as the President of The United States
Brendan Fraser as a G.I. Joe instructor
Arnold Vosloo as Zartan
and Kevin O'Connor as a scientist

3 of those 4 were in the first two Mummy movies directed by G.I. Joe's Stephen Sommers.

The movie itself was full of special effects. They used flashbacks as a way to tell the character stories but other than that, this was one action scene after another.

Which is perfectly fine for a summer movie.

The fighting between Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow are nice to watch and the Accelerator Suit chase sequence is nice eye candy as well.

Snake Eyes doesn't talk but he is played by Ray Park (Darth Maul)

Copying the remake of The Day The Earth Stood Still, G.I. Joe's villain decides to use nanonites to eat away cities in order to rule the world.

It's up to Dennis Quaid's team of Joes to stop them.

The ending has some nice twists to it and sets up the rest of the series - you know the sequel is already being written.

Alien 3 by Alan Dean Foster

I wanted to read this book after watching the movie for the umpteenth time.

Alan Dean Foster does an adaquate job adding detail to a movie that wasn't quite what audiences were expecting.

Alien 3 deals with Ripley as she battles one alien after her rescue ship crashes on a prison planet.

Still with me?

If you haven't seen the Alien movies you won't really be able to follow.

Foster doesn't ratchet up the gore content, but he does keep the prison language high.

These books based on the movie are good for those who want to dive a bit (a tiny bit) deeper in the story and characters.

End of State by Neesa Hart

End of State is the political spin off of the Left Behind series.

You are introduced to 3 brand new characters to the Left Behind universe - main of the three is Brad Benton, White House Chief of Staff.

If you've read any of the Left Behind books, you know the series deals with what is considered End Times theology including The Rapture.

End of State deals with what goes on inside the White House during that event.

I was disappointed with this book. I was looking forward to a political thriller along the lines of The Last Jihad but instead I get endless preaching and a very slow moving plot.

Seeing as there were only 3 books made in this political off-shoot, I can assume the public felt the same way.

Unless you collect everything Left Behind, do yourself a favor and forget about End of State.

40 Minute Bible Studies: Money and Possessions by Kay Arthur

In these days of economic uncertainty, and in a society that values financial security, money is an emotional topic. Appearances and lifestyle matter to us. And money–or the lack of it–often determines whether or not were content. The truth is, our attitudes toward money and possessions reflect the quality of our relationship with God. And, according to the Scriptures, our view of money reveals where our true affections lie.

Prosperity is not a sin, but it does bring responsibilities. And scarcity is not a virtue, particularly when it distracts us from the things that truly matter.

In this six-week study you will discover God’s view of material wealth. As you dig into the Scriptures, you’ll learn where money comes from, you’ll see how we’re supposed to handle it, and you’ll understand how to live an abundant life, regardless of your financial circumstances.

The Friends We Keep by Sarah Zacharias Davis

During a particularly painful time in her life, Sarah Zacharias Davis learned how delightful–and wounding–women can be in friendship. She saw how some friendships end badly, others die slow deaths, and how a chance acquaintance can become that enduring friend you need.

The Friends We Keep is Sarah’s thoughtful account of her own story and the stories of other women about navigating friendship. Her revealing discoveries tackle the questions every woman asks:

• Why do we long so for women friends?
• Do we need friends like we need air or food or water?
• What causes cattiness, competition, and co-dependency in too many friendships?
• Why do some friendships last forever and others only a season?
• How do I foster friendship?
• When is it time to let a friend go, and how do I do so?

With heartfelt, intelligent writing, Sarah explores these questions and more with personal stories, cultural references and history, faith, and grace. In the process, she delivers wisdom for navigating the challenges, mysteries, and delights of friendship: why we need friendships with other women, what it means to be safe in relationship, and how to embrace what a friend has to offer, whether meager or generous

Love & Respect by Dr. Emerson Eggerichs

This book has been out for a while,but I picked it up for Thomas Nelson as a blog submission.

Love and Respect deals with the two areas a husband and wife need from one another: Wives need to feel loved and husbands need to feel respected.

Love & Respect deals with the two areas a husband and wife need from one another: Wives need to feel loved and husbands need to feel respected.

While the author seems to be very knowledgable about the content of which he's writing, I found each section of the book to be very repetitive. How many times do we need to read that a husband should love his wife unconditionally and a wife should respect her husband unconditionally?

I understand the need to go through each scenario, and the first-hand testimonies were a nice addition; and I understand this is based on their Love & Respect Conferences so the book reads as if you're attending one. But once you understand his point: Love & Respect, you're good to go.

Hopefully you'd be smart enough to figure the rest out on your own.

Maybe not...maybe that's why this book has done so well.

The Knight by Steven James

Steven James has done it again. The third book of his psychological thriller series, The Knight, continues James' crazy ability to weave a top-notch whodunit twister.

After reading The Pawn and The Rook, I wasn't sure how much longer James could keep surprising us. With stories like these, you tend to be able to solve the crime before the main character but The Knight keeps you guessing right until the final confrontation.

Patrick Bowers is hunting a killer who is using an old manuscript as his guide to a string of murders and it's quite possible that the final victim will be Bowers himself.

With the body count rising, how will Agent Bowers outsmart this Knight who may be closer than you think?

I enjoy The Bowers Files series which Steven James created. The first three books are very think but with short chapters and enough character development along the way, I can't put these books down for the life of me.

If you love whodunits and trying to figure out the killer before the end, you'll love Steven James' work.

Fusion by Nelson Searcy

Fusion is written for people, who attend a church, and are interested in moving people from first time guests to members.

One of the biggest challenges for churches is keeping their guests and not losing them out the back door.

Searcy has created a plan for all churches to achieve this.

Searcy's plan calls for churches to spend between $400-$600 per guest on free gifts. (books, gas cards, etc...)

Doesn't this almost seem like bribery? I have a friend who would go to a large church that offered free coffee for first time guests. Each week they would go and claim to be first timers.

Having said that, this book is a great resource for anyone interested in church growth.

Beowulf (2007)

Found Beowulf for super cheap, d'never seen it, thought I'd watch it.

The movie is shot using the same motion capture technique as The Polar Express - except the characters look a lot sharper.

Starring: Ray Winstone (Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull) as Beowulf, Crispin Glover (Back to the Future) as Grendel, and Angelina Jolie as Grendel's mother. Co starring are Anthony Hopkins, John Malkovich, Robin Wright Penn and Brendan Gleeson.

This is the story that spawned many of our legends including King Aurther. The film version is told by Neil Gaiman is full of grotesque mosters, seductive demonesses, dragons and blood.

Beowulf was not as horrible as I was led to believe. Outside of the title character being obsessed with his name and screaming, "I. AM. BEOWULF!" whenever he gets the chance, this film is quite entertaining. And if you had to suffer through the boring poem in Middle School or, like me, never read it - you'll find this action movie a nice thrill ride.

Red Eye

I watched Red Eye at a friend's house after small group. With the director being Wes Craven I had a few expectations. The good news is all those expectations were met. The bad news is those expectations were very very low.

The film stars Rachel McAdams (The Notebook) as a manager of a very nice hotel and Cillian Murphy (28 Days Later & Batman Begins) as the man who gets on the plane with her.

If you need any more help, he's the man with his hand holding hers in this picture.

And if you need to promote the film by using the quote, "killer of a thriller" you must know this is going to be a bad-bad film.

Would you do whatever the bad guy tells you if you're flying at 35,000 feet and your dad's life is at stake?

That's the plot of the movie. Add in the assassination attempt of the deputy secretary of Homeland Security and you get the horrible Red Eye.

The casting was awful. I enjoyed these two in their earlier films, The Notebook and Batman Begins but in Craven's world, these two do not act well.

Especially Murphy. His character is downright goofy. And that's not a good thing when you're trying to be a cold-hearted killer.

I know it's an older film, but do your best to avoid Red Eye.

Return Policy by Michael Snyder

Return Policy is not an action-packed thriller that I typically enjoy. Michael Snyder's forte is his character-driven, multidimensional cast that are connected somehow.

Willy Finneran is the main character. He wants to kill his espresso maker.

Ozena is a customer service representative whose 12 year old son is mentally handicap.

Shaq is a homeless man who has blank spots in his memory.

They all have little quirks about their characters and their paths cross through this story.

The nice bow tie to wrap things up at the end is very nicely done.

While not being a fast paced novel, Snyder had me turning the pages while I became more and more invested in how their lives made it through the mistakes and jokes.

This was a terrific read.