Scream 4

I look back in fondness for the first Scream movie. It's one of those movies where you remember where you were the first time you saw it. It was the film for the 90s teen scene.

When I heard they were making a fourth film I was not pleased. My worry was tamed a bit when I learned that the main characters were coming back. But once again, we're dealing with a series that was successful many years ago and they're trying to bring it back ten years later. I'm trying to think of any positive example where this worked...

Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) returns to her hometown with her new book. Police Officer Dewey (David Arquette) is now the Sheriff and his wife, Gale (Courtney Cox) is trying to get her swagger back.

Since they are too old for the current generation, new characters have been added to the bloodbath. We have Sidney's younger cousin and her classmates who basically rehash the original characters with less depth. (If that's even possible)

The reveal is one of the worst of all time in horror who-done-it. The motive frighteningly resonates with the current media-saturated/youtube loving kids. But this movie isn't as scary as the originals were. Ghostface was relegated to the jump out and "gotcha" moments instead of the truly horrifying pursuit moments.

I thought the language was extreme for this outing. I couldn't remember this many F-bombs being thrown around with the first film. The blood was obviously fake and perhaps they were aiming for the camp near the end of the film.

I'm afraid Emma Roberts was not ready for this level of spotlight. I don't care if you're related to Julia.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes

Everyone said this was going to be the biggest flop. Then people watched it and everyone said it was the surprise hit of the year.

When you have only CGI apes, even the promise of Andy Serkis donning the motion capture and James Franco being anything other than Spider-man's back-up kept me from hoping this movie would be decent.

Then I watched it on DVD.

This movie is a prequel-like movie to the original Planet of the Apes (with Charleton Heston). It sets up the idea of how the apes took over the planet. There are the honorary nods and winks to Heston's epic: "Get your stinking paws off me..." and "It's a mad house!!" are woven into the movie. Names of the original apes are quickly given and then dismissed. You'll even get a hint at the space vessel that crashes in the future. We're bound to get a sequel with a possible re-telling of the original.

James Franco does a decent job as a scientist who's on the verge of curing Alzheimer's. His character arc is bound to his father who suffers from the disease. Serkis certainly deserves some kind of award or honorary mention for his bringing a CGI creation to such life. Other characters are simply there to fill the void. Tom Felton (Harry Potter's nemesis, Malfoy) continues his mean streak by abusing the apes in his father's so-called sanctuary. Brian Cox is shuttled to the side as Felton's sleazy father. John Lithgow never ages. He looks the same as when he was in 3rd Rock from the Sun.

They leave enough threads open for future films if the studio decides to green-light the sequels.

I enjoyed this movie. If you can deal with easy-viewing, popcorn flicks, you'll sit back and enjoy this one.

Contagion

Mix one part Traffic with one part Outbreak, mix for 104 minutes and you'll get Contagion.

How in the world did they collect this many boom actors and actresses? Gwyneth Paltrow, Matt Damon, Jude Law, Kate Winslet, Lawrence Fishburne, John Hawkes, Chin Han, and Sanaa Lathan. This is the ultimate cast where you'll spend more time trying to figure out where you've seen these actors instead of following the many plots.

Paltrow brings an ugly virus back to her home after spending some time in Asia. This virus has an extremely high mortality rate and has no vaccine.

With the fears surrounding Bird Flu and Swine Flu, this movie strikes a sensitive nerve. The first two-thirds of this film are fantastic. Kate Winslet is the point person in order to set up the response to the pandemic. However, once her character story leaves the film, the movie goes into a comatose-like state.

Jude Law is a blogger, with twelve million followers, who thinks the government is keeping the cure from us and pushes a homeopathic treatment.

Damon is Paltrow's husband who, someone, is immune.

Good luck keeping up with the multiple stories. Even the writers of the film left many holes unattended or answered.

You will feel a little ill after watching this film. It's just like talking about lice and then feeling like you have to scratch your head.

Watch the first part of this movie for intriguing storytelling then finish it while reading a book.

The Jesus We Missed by Patrick Henry Reardon

Is there some surprising insights about Jesus' humanity that Christians have missed all these years? That's the premise of Reardon's book.

You'll go through eleven chapters that pass through the life of Jesus as told throughout the Gospels and Paul. Reardon attempts to portray the Jesus told in the many narratives we find in the Bible.

This may be a decent book for someone who is just beginning his/her research into the historical context of Jesus and his culture. However, I have been reading books on the Jewish Rabbi Jesus for many years and all of the information found in this book have been written about many times over.

I did not find the truth to be surprising at all and I felt that the Jesus portrayed has not been missed.

This does not speak ill against Reardon's writing or information. The book is very well written. I guess it's just really hard to build interest in Jesus without trying to "surprise" people.

Nothing surprising to be found in this book. Unless you've never considered the historical context of Jesus, you will not have missed this Jesus.


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

Star Trek Volume 1 (Graphic Novel)

This graphic novel is the first of a series of comics meant to hold you over between films.

You have the same characters from the J.J. Abrams Star Trek film mixing with the story from the pilot of the Original Series.

Captain Kirk has brought two of his friends from the academy. As they are ordered into the brink of the galaxy, they discover a beacon which has a warning.

As per the pilot, once they cross the barrier of the galaxy, one of Kirk's friends, Gary Mitchell gets the weird silver eyes and begins to manifest certain god-like qualities.

This is where volume one leaves us and we await the continuing saga. All the while, fans will be racking their brains over where this will leave us for the next movie.

The artwork is pristine and it feels right at home with the IDW comic family.

This graphic novel was provided for review, at no cost, by IDW publishing.

The 13th Tribe by Robert Liparulo

What if there was a group of people who, after worshiping an idol at the foot of Mt. Sinai, were punished with immortality?

This group, this tribe, has been trying to earn their way back into God's good graces by killing as many sinners as possible.

Jagger Baird is working security at an archaeological dig near the mountain when he encounters members of the tribe. The horrific result of this exchange is his son gets caught in the cross-hairs and takes a bullet.

Now Baird is an ex Army Ranger with a mission. He will stop at nothing to find this 13th Tribe and do what any avenging father would do.

This book took a long time to get going. The set up was not the easiest to get through, but once the action crashes into the developed characters, this book will not let you put it down.

Liparulo enjoys teasing you with sleek action sequences mixed with cutting edge technology. None of this takes away from the amazing characters that will be fleshed out. And just behind the slam-bam action/thrills, you'll probe into some deep questions about what God desires of us, grace, justice and an almost, "what-if" from the days long ago.

You'll be on the edge of your seat with suspense and he'll even throw you a twist or two to keep you on your toes.

Once you get into it, The 13th Tribe is another win for Liparulo.


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

Twilight's Last Gleaming by Robert Jeffress

Robert Jeffress is the pastor of a $130 million megachurch campus in Texas. His sermons are heard around the country and, by the end of this book, you'll have those facts memorized.

Jeffress believes The United States of America is seeing her last days. But there's good news for Christians; you can be the salt that Jesus has called you to be to help delay the collapse. This book goes hand in hand with the Left Behind books and theology. Since the Bible does not talk about America in The End Times, it means the country will not exist. But it's all good because that means the end is near.

Inside you'll Jeffress will explain how this country will implode. Much like their old church building did when they began construction on their new $130 million campus. (Have I mentioned that yet?) The country is being destroyed by tolerance. But not simply tolerance; a misunderstanding of what tolerance actually means.

Now, in this point I was in agreement with Jeffress. It seems that tolerance only works for certain people and against a select others. For example, Christians are called to be tolerant of other beliefs while there isn't so much a call for tolerance of the Christian belief or believer.

Jeffress discusses how there are criteria that politicians must meet in order for Christians to vote for them - namely they must be Christians and prove it.

Cynicism aside, Jeffress does stand up for truth. He does call out the crazies who sent out e-mails blasting the Democrat presidential candidate(s) claiming the wrong scripture for their life-verse. While it was supposed to be John 3:16, the candidate said John 16:3. In the e-mails it was attributed to both Howard Dean and then John Kerry when truthfully, it was George H.W. Bush.

I do admire when people can point to the truth in all things.

This is a book written for the Religious Right and the Left Behind crowd. I don't think you'll see much kudos from any other demographic.


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

Attack of the Theocrats by Sean Faircloth

Faircloth is not a fan of religion. He despises the fact that it interrupts to flow of rational governing. Or so was my perception of reading Attack of the Theocrats.

Faircloth is Executive Director of the Secular Coalition for America. Before that, he served in Maine's legislature.

When the forward is written by Richard Dawkins and the cover has a three-headed monster with the likeness of Sarah Palin, Mike Huckabee and Mitt Romney(wait, what?) you kinda have an idea where this book is heading.

The cover is a misrepresentation of the actual book, I'd have to say. You may expect a vindictive attack on people who use faith in their policies but that isn't the complete picture.

Faircloth is not happy with how religious non-profits get a tax break and a bending of the rules while horrible stories have been shared about how a child was killed because a faith-based care center didn't have the same safety rules as a head-start program. He rails against some of the countries Founding Fathers were actually quite secular when it came to writing their thoughts about governing.

You'll read how the religious are breaking down the wall of separation between church and state, how the Religious Right's fight for their kind of morality is actually harming the country.

His big push is for Secularism to be the new Born Again in the United States and the West. It is his belief that common sense and reason alone are the saviors of humanity.

Let me say it again, he really hates religion and the fact that they get tax breaks. He does not, however, write as a crazy leftist loon. His arguments are quite admirable. He's been at this for a while and he knows his information. I'd like to see if religious organizations/people are the only ones who have horrible stories about children dying or maybe we could find those kind of stories involved throughout the world regardless of faith-based rules.

He includes a list of groups you can contact and join to help him in his cause, including his own (which he lays out fairly heavy).

Let's admit that there are some political characters who haven't expressed themselves in the best of way when it comes to the heart of following Christ and how that looks in the political arena. However, I'm not a big fan of this book. Christians will bash this book while atheists will sing its praises. Is there any room for middle ground?


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

When Work & Family Collide by Andy Stanley

A re-release of Stanley's Choosing to Cheat. Like every other book he writes, you either completely love it or totally hate it.

It may feel like this book was written to Stanley's suburban yuppy (do we even use that term anymore?) congregation and anyone else who attends a mega-church. This is simply a book on creating and maintaining priorities.

Divided into two parts and discussion questions at the end, this book starts out by identifying and explaining why we cheat or let our priorities slide. Part two provides the plan to keep our priorities.

Throughout this book, like every other Christian Inspirational/Business/Leadership instruction book, you'll read about Stanley's personal life, other "friends' stories" and experiences as well as anecdotes from the secular and sacred societies.

This is a short book that can be used as a four-week small group study. The questions are meant to get the ball rolling and not simply stick to them as the only questions you can ask. If this were so, it'd be a fairly boring study group.

This book was decent. It may be of some use for the workaholic but I doubt if a book like this would truly be useful for them...maybe their spouse could use it as ammunition.


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