Thursday, December 29, 2011

Bridesmaids

Why do comedy writers believe they have to write in so many swear words in their script to make their movie funny?

Bridesmaids had one redeeming value and it was not the script, the women or the humor.

What happens when two best friends are divided because of a woman with money? You get the plot for Bridesmaids. Lillian is getting married, her best friend Annie is supposed to plan her party and all the fun. Unfortunately everything Annie plans fails. Enter Helen to the rescue. Her money will buy all kinds of love. Including a bridal shower in which the guests go home with puppies as party favors.

Touted as the year's funniest movie, but I didn't laugh once.

Even when they try to devolve to bathroom humor with food poisoning puke and diarrhea, this movie barely registers on the funny meter.

As I said, the only redeeming value for this movie comes in the form of the loveable police officer played by Chris O'Dowd. (From tv's The I.T. Crowd) He is a breath of fresh air in this putrid calamity.


This movie isn't even worth a rental.

Crazy Stupid Love

At first glance I thought this was going to be another Hitch movie - man can't get girl so "Rico Suave" comes along and teaches geek/nerd to be a lady's man.

Boy was I wrong.

Steve Carell plays Cal, a man whose wife has just told him she wants a divorce and that she slept with another man.

In his depressed stupor, Cal meets Jacob (Ryan Gosling) a lady's man who goes home with a different girl every night. Jacob makes it his mission to get Cal back in the dating scene.

Meanwhile, there's a girl who brings out a new side of Jacob that makes him awkward. He begins to feel like he's in a real relationship.

Carell saves this movie as he does with every film he's in. There are some truly awesome comedy moments in this game, but they are always marred by taking the crude humor/language too far.

A case-in-point is at the cliched "speech" moment at the end of the film. It could have ended with the cheese but the son just has to add one more sentence which pretty much ruined it.

This is not exactly a romantic comedy in the traditional sense. Yes, it deals with the foibles of romance and fleeting love but it also touches on some darker aspects of married love that looks to have failed.

I was surprised with the twist in this film. It was great and created a wonderful collision mid-climax for an awkward-paced movie.

Steve Carell seems to be a fantastic actor who gets cast in some crude movies.

Saturday, December 17, 2011

The Daniel Fast by Susan Gregory

Susan has created a blog that goes into the facts behind her Daniel Fast as given by reading the book of Daniel.

Inside you'll find two parts. The first part deals with the back-story and information for the blog (who is Susan Gregory), where the fast came from (looking into the life of Daniel in captivity), and the steps to take for a successful fast.

Part two gives you recipes, menus and a list of the foods that are acceptable for the fast. Gregory then provides a twenty-one day devotional to assist you in your "cleansing".

For those looking for a healthy alternative along with practical advice for fasting, The Daniel Fast is an excellent resource.

I am always surprised at how few people drink only water. In this book we're told how hard it is to drink only water, as Daniel did, and stop drinking tea, coffee or soda. Am I the only person who orders water at restaurants?

The food aspects of this fast are a little more challenging. But the recipes look fascinating and worth the try.


This book was provided for review, at no cost, by Tyndale Publishing.
I Review For The Tyndale Blog Network

Friday, December 16, 2011

Thunder of Heaven by Tim LaHaye & Craig Parshall

Book two of Tim LaHaye's new End Times series follows the trend of his Left Behind books and the previous Joshua Jordan novel, Edge of Apocalypse.

Things we learn from reading a LaHaye book:

The U.N. is ultimately an evil entity.
If you're from Romania, there's a good chance you might be the anti-Christ.
It's not good to be Russian either as they will always be the failed attacker of Israel.
If you are a feminist, believe in global warming and wear your hair short (as a girl), you will be evil as well.

This book doesn't hide the fact that it's anti-liberalism.

As with LaHaye's other novels, these characters are one dimensional. I understand this isn't the fault of LaHaye but it is interesting that his writing partners have the same style of writing easy-read summer books.

The political intrigue is a new twist on the End Times/Rapture tale but, by the end of this book, you'll imagine you're re-reading the Left Behind books. It goes so far as to claim the anti-Christ will be Romanian and that he will want to create New Babylon.

Even if you don't agree with Rapture/LaHaye theology and can deal with the light character development, this book is still only slightly entertaining. I'm not sure if the third book will even be worth a glance as I'm guessing we'll read more the same ala Left Behind.

This book was provided for review, at no cost, by Zondervan Publishing.

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Cowboys and Aliens

For whatever reason, Westerns have not been a hot genre in the movie business for quite some time. Cowboys and Aliens did not bolster that confidence.

I will give the team credit for creating an interesting mix of western and sci-fi. Kudos as well for combining Han Solo with James Bond. These are two iconic actors with great acting chops.

Harrison Ford does a great job as a cynical old war horse who's plagued with a fool for a son. Daniel Craig passes as a man who has forgotten everything about his past yet loves his hat...that crazy hat.

I thought the aliens were well done. Even though Steven Spielberg had a hand in this film, you will not find friendly ETs anywhere. These creatures want our gold and are insanely fast.

The script was decent. You can't blame the film too much whenever the script passes through as many hands as this one did. While the plot seems to drag often, you can always play the fun game of guessing how many times Craig will take off or put on his freaky hat.

Bottom line: good attempt at creating something fun & new but I was really hoping for something so much better.

What Do You Think of Me? Why Do I Care? by Edward T. Welch

Are you looking for the answers to the big questions in life?

Perhaps Edward Welch can help you navigate to the answers in this book. Inside he talks about peer pressure, codependency, shame, low self-esteem and many other identity issues for people in their teens and twenties.

Welch takes a biblically psychological approach to most of life's difficult questions. This may put readers ill at ease to start with, but by the third chapter, you'll understand that Welch maintains God within his profession.

This book includes questions for group or individual study to help you uncover your own personalized questions.

Broken into five parts, which are:

The Problem, where we learn about the big issue
The Heart of the Matter, where you dig into the background issues
Who is God, which is exactly what it sounds like
Who am I?, deals with identity issues
Who are They?, is all about those around your sphere of influence.

Don't let the biblical or psychological aspects scare you away. Try this book out if you have been asking these questions.

This book was provided for review, at no cost, by New Growth Press.

Saturday, December 10, 2011

Do You See What I See by James Sallie

I thought this was going to be a humorous collection of "fixed" photos. Instead it's just a really expensive book of photo-shopped pictures.

There is nothing about this book that I couldn't find for free online.

I would not recommend this book for anyone unless you don't have Internet and have no idea what photoshop is.

Toss in some photos with nudity and you end up with a book as low on the entertainment value as possible.

This book will end up on the 75% off bargain bin just as soon as it hits shelves.

This book was provided for review, at no cost, by Bookmasters Publishers.

The Help

It's not often that a single movie can pull out every emotion the human body can produce in one viewing. This was accomplished by watching The Help.

I wasn't sure what to expect outside of the fact that it was full of top-notch actresses. I am willing to go out on a limb and say this was the best movie I've seen in 2011 based on how it connected emotionally.

You will hate Bryce Dallas Howard's character, Hilly, as her racist venom stays just beneath the surface. Your heart will break while watching a little girl and her pathetic excuse for a mother who has no idea that a girl needs to feel special and loved.

The ladies who make up "the help" don't come across as the stereotype nor a caricature that insults.

This isn't emotion manipulation either. These ladies simply know how to act and create an authentic experience from the days of the growing unrest in the South during the 60s.

Skeeter(Emma Stone) has returned to her home after graduating with a degree for writing and getting a job with a paper. She wants to write a book from the maid's point of view, ("How does it feel to raise a white woman's baby when your own child has to be on its own?")

This is a movie everyone has to watch. You will laugh till you cry, and probably cry till you're exhausted. But you will finish this movie in awe.

Thursday, December 8, 2011

Did Adam and Eve Really Exist? by C. John Collins

Who were these two figures of Scripture and why should we care about them?

These are the questions that Collins tackles in a very academic book.

You know this will be a challenging book when you see that the chapters are divided such:

2.a
2.b
2.c

A product of MIT, Collins provides a somewhat overview of how the story of Adam and Eve shapes up with other ancient worldviews, mythology and other biblical views.

He then zooms into specific texts that talk about these protohumans to discover if they actually existed or were just created to tell a larger story.

After raking through the Bible, Collins discusses how unique humans are and how we reveal the character of God.

If that isn't enough to cause your ears to bleed with academia, we try to look at how or if science can provide the biblical evidence.

The first few chapters give the biblical exercise in discussing Adam and Eve's existence while the latter chapters (and appendix) jump all around different topics.

This is not a book to read on a flight or just to pass the time. This is a study book for only those seriously interested in proving Adam and Eve's existence.

At least he uses N.T. Wright to support his position. If you need to add weight to your book, quote Wright.

This book was provided for review, at no cost, by Crossway Publishing.

Healing is a Choice by Stephen Arterburn

Arterburn has revised and updated his Healing is a Choice book. It now includes a full workbook which makes this a very thick paperback.

Each chapter has a choice you have to make in order to be healed along with a lie that you must deny. Ending with a segment from the workbook, these chapters can be daunting.

The ten lies are:
"All I need to heal is God and me"
"Real Christians should have a real peace in all circumstances"
"It does no good to look back or look inside"
"Time heals all wounds"
"I can figure this out myself"
"If I just act like there's no problem, it'll just go away"
"Forgiveness is only for those who earn it or deserve it"
"I must protect myself from any more pain"
"Until I am completely healed and strong, there is no place for me to serve God"
"There is no hope for me"

You will find plenty of biblical support for each choice and lie and practical application to help give you ideas and open possibilities.

So many times, well intentioned people offer advise that adds to the pain and makes you feel worse. I can't tell you how many times I've heard people say, "You just need to get over it" when "helping" their friends.

If you are dealing with a hurt or feel like you've been wounded and it just won't heal, this book might be the resource to aid you in recovery.

This book was provided for review, at no cost, by Thomas Nelson Publishing.
I review for BookSneeze®

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Conan the Barbarian

What are we to expect from a movie called Conan the Barbarian? As it turns out, we get exactly what you expect.

Horrible script, atrocious acting, excessive nudity and over-the-top bloodbath.

Seriously, no one thought this was going to be a huge blockbuster right? This is the origin story of a boy who witnesses his clan be decimated by another clan led by a man who wants to resurrect his sorceress wife. And when Ron Pearlman is your dad, you know you've reached that level of barbarianism. Conan learns, years later, that this man is still alive, and sets off on a revenge journey.

There is absolutely nothing of value to this movie. I suppose it attempts to stay close to the heart of the Conan books but the transition fell short.

I began laughing out loud at the number of blood bags busting open during the sword fights. (The sword taps a man's back and suddenly there's blood splashing everywhere) The dialog matches the dregs of an episode of Barney & Friends ("Barbarian, I don't like you anymore")

It felt like I was watching The Scorpion King meets Temple of Doom.

Leave this movie on the shelf.