A Couple of Average Movies

I've seen a couple of 3 star movies on Netflix recently.  Neither of these movies will "rock your world", but if you want an evening of entertainment without much heavy thinking, then these 2 movies might be for you.

"City of Ember":  I haven't read the books, but I'm betting someone who has will say the books were better than the movie.  Well, the movie is slightly entertaining.  Ember is a city that was built underground by some super smart dudes to protect civilization after what we're left to believe is Nuclear War.  They intended for the population to live underground for 200 years, but due to an untimely death in the line of mayors, the 200 years came and went and nobody left. 

This is where the movie picks up.  A couple of kids find the secret to getting out, but the corrupt mayor, played by Bill Murray, wants to stop them.  What ensues is a light hearted "chase" sequence that results in some entertainment while still leaving a low stress evening of movie viewing.

"Tron Legacy":  I'm one of the few children of the 80's who never watched "Tron", but I was told by a friend that it wouldn't matter.  Well, it mattered a little bit, but I read up on what happened in "Tron" so I was good.  "Tron Legacy" has some really cool effects, and probably would have been great in 3D.  Overall, though, it fell short of a great movie, but was entertaining enough.

There was one thing that was a bit off putting, but I eventually got used to it.  There is a CGI version of Jeff Bridges that is 20 years younger than the real Jeff Bridges.  That was sort of creepy for a while.  But, once I got past that, I had an ok time.  Low expectations are key with this movie I think.  I had no expectations, and that helped.

Book Review: "Be a Man!"

Father Larry Richards' book, "Be a Man!: Becoming the Man God Created You to Be" was the handout at this year's Catholic Men's Conference for the Archdiocese of Dubuque.  Fr. Richards is the Keynote Speaker at the 2012 conference, and if his book is any indication, he is going to let us men have it!

"Be a Man" is a very challenging read.  All throughout the book Fr. Richards uses very straightforward language to get the reader to face the fact that he is most likely not living the life that God intended him to be living.  From a man's relationship to Jesus, to his role as spiritual leader of the family, to his duty to change the world, "Be a Man" covers it all.

I really enjoyed this book and was challenged by it.  Fr. Richards starts off the book by telling us that we're all going to die...it ends the same way for all of us.  When we die, we have 2 options for eternity, and the good news is, we get to choose where we spend it (unless you believe in Predestination, but that's a topic for Nuke's blog, not mine).  The problem is, too many men are leading lives that indicate that they are choosing the wrong option. 

Fr. Richards makes the case for Jesus being the ultimate man, and then spends the rest of the book providing ways to live out the life God intends for you.  Each chapter focuses on a new area to work on, and contains practical tips.  Some of the tips are very challenging, such as devoting 1 hour every day for the rest of your life to prayer...I find that one very challenging, but one that I'm also going to pray that I can someday commit to. 

At the end of each chapter, there are study questions, so I think this would be a great book for men's groups looking for something to study.  I highly recommend this book for all men, not just Catholic men.  I think it has the potential to change your life.  I look forward to hearing Fr. Richards speak more on the topics in "Be a Man!" and next year's conference.

I'm Getting Old!

If you are a golfer, this blog will interest you...if not, well, you can read on if you'd like. 

Tonight, I bought a 5 wood with a gift card I got from my mother-in-law for my birthday.  The 5 wood brings me dangerously close to the true old man club, the 7 wood.  I now have 4 clubs in my bag with head covers...and it makes me feel old.  When I was a kid, all the old guys had 4 or 5 clubs in their bags with head covers, while us "real players" had 2...at most.  Never mind that the old guys used to kick my butt...I looked cooler.

I remember when I was in high school and I could rip my 2 iron...now I don't have a 2 iron, or a 3 iron in my bag.  I have a hybrid, which is a cross between an iron and a wood.  Everybody says that woods and hybrids are easier to hit, and they are probably right, but it doesn't change the fact that it makes me feel old and less cool.

But, I do know that I'm a better golfer now than I was in high school.  The problem is, I don't feel as cool as I did then with my 2 head cover set.  It's interesting, because I got reminded today about pride and this is just another reminder that I should have no pride, and just accept how things are.  The truth of how things are is I'm probably going to be a better golfer and have more fun with a 5 wood in my bag than without.  And...well, if I look a little dorky to the teenagers with 2 irons in their bags, I guess I just have to be ok with that.

Movie Review: "Thor"

As you may or may not have noticed, singular movie reviews are becoming a thing of the past on my blog.  But, after seeing "Thor" last night in the movie theater, I decided that it was one movie that deserved it's own review.

"Thor" is a fantastic movie that encompasses everything you could want in a super hero film.  We start off with Thor (Chris Hemsworth) in Asgard as a selfish, proud warrior who thinks he knows better than his father and king, Odin (Anthony Hopkins).  After disobeying Odin, Thor is stripped of his powers, namely his hammer, and banished to earth.  On earth, Thor meets Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), and discovers what it means to be a true hero and care about someone and something besides himself.  Once he does this, he is able to reclaim his hammer and take Asgard back from his rogue brother, Loki (Tom Hiddleston).

Kenneth Branagh does a masterful job directing this super hero film.  It's on par, quality wise, with Chris Nolan's directing in the recent Batman movies.  I still like Batman better, but I think Thor has become my favorite Marvel Comics hero, surpassing the Hulk and Wolverine.  "Thor" was so good, that if I were to redo my Top 5 Super Hero Movies list, this would be #2 or #3. 

Now, the acting is probably not Oscar-worthy, but it's not bad either.  Chris Hemsworth was the perfect actor to play Thor, and Tom Hiddleston was the perfect choice for Loki.  I'm excited to see both reprising their roles in next summer's "Avengers" movie.  Anthony Hopkins and Natalie Portman add a level of class to "Thor", and Rene Russo was a nice addition as Thor's mother. 

In case you can't tell already, I'd give "Thor" a 5 star rating.  I believe this is my first 5 star movie of 2011.  I'm not really sure why it ended up with a PG-13 rating.  I don't remember any bad language, and there were no scantily clad women.  The frost giants were a bit scary, but I'm planning to allow my 10 year old to watch this with me on Blu-ray.  I will be buying "Thor" as soon as it comes out.