Hero Complex

I love stories, and I love heroes. So when I head to the movies to look in on someone’s story, I often leave the theater dreaming not just about Superman, or Spider-Man, or Jacob (because everyone knows it should be Jacob), but of what it must be like to be that girl–Lois Lane, or MJ, or Bella.

It’s not about being her. It’s about being the object of his affection.

To the rest of the world he’s strong, capable, smart, handsome, powerful. He protects everyone–but he loves her more than anyone. With her alone he’s also attentive, meek, vulnerable, protective, careful. This powerful being is infatuated with an ordinary woman! Something about her has drawn his faithful attention; she’s worth rescuing again and again; she’s worth his life.

Could I ever be her? Lois Lane! Mary Jane Watson! Bella Swan! Tracie Frank?! [Giggle!]

My soul is hungry for this, absolutely desperate for it. I want to be wildly, passionately rescued! I want to be weak, yet be totally okay with it because I know he can handle it! When I’m afraid, I want his arms to protect me. When there’s absolutely no way out of a situation, I want him to show up, bust some heads, and fly away with me. I may seem ordinary to you, but I’m extraordinary to him. He’d give his life for me; whatever you think of me doesn’ t matter.

No one really talks about Jesus this way. But I know this is true: Jesus is all these things, and I’m his Lois, his MJ, his Bella. I’m his Tracie. I know it’s true! And I want to live this.

I love this quote by C.S. Lewis:

“If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.”

It bears remembering and repeating on days like this, when I’m longing for something I’ve not yet experienced here on earth.

Quick Movie Reviews

Here are some quick reviews on few movies that don’t warrant the full service:

Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian. It was silly and boring. The crisis was completely implausible. I know it’s a family movie, but that doesn’t mean you get to ignore good story development. Hank Azaria is always fun, but even he couldn’t salvage this one. Biggest irk: Where were the guards? This was the Smithsonian! How could the main characters wreak so much destruction and make so much noise with nary an alarm? There weren’t even any pedestrians or cars driving by? C’mon. The special effects were cool though. 2/5 Stars

Ghosts of Girlfriends Past.I’m not sure why I wanted to see this one. I should’ve known the chauvinistic attitude of the lead male would annoy me! Plus it was entirely predictable. (I know, I know. How could it not be?) I couldn’t stand the characters, and I didn’t find anything about Chauvanist Guy the least bit attractive or sexy. Ew. 1/5 Stars

Soloist. I know everyone loved this. And it’s not that I’m not concerned about social awareness and caring for the least of these. But I’m tired of all the dredging up of random true stories for the sake of reality movies. We don’t have to make a movie about everything! I was bored. I’m sorry, but I was! 2/5 Stars

Duplicity. The best part of the movie was the fight at the beginning between the two corporate stuffed shirts! Otherwise it was another one of those pointless movies. Seriously, all the (rather boring) events in the movie from start to finish led to nothing. Why? You can do that with a TV show, but not with a movie! 2/5 Stars

Paul Blart: Mall Cop. I love Kevin James. He’s hilarious, and he’s got that adorably nerdy handsome thing going! But they showed all the funny parts in the previews. The story was implausible–and just to clarify, I have nothing against implausibility if you make it entertaining. I’m sorry, but this wasn’t. The bad guys weren’t even scary, and all their acrobatics were out of place. 1/5 Stars

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Long and boring and selfish and sad. 2/5 Stars

Bedtime Stories.I keep trying to like Adam Sandler comedies, but they’re just not funny to me! (Except Happy Gilmore, that one was hilarious.) This one had so much potential! Sadly, it went nowhere. 2/5 Stars

The Day the Earth Stood Still. I saw it and I barely remember it. Something like, “Oh humans: Be good and kind, and/or save the Earth or we noble aliens will take it away.” Blah blah blah!” 2/5 Stars

Madagascar: Escape to Africa. I didn’t think the first one was all the great, and this one was slightly below the level of the first. 2/5 Stars

Blindness. Oh my gosh I couldn’t stand this movie. It was one of those artsy fartsy deals where they try to make some kind of statement about the condition of the world or some hazy crap like that. Or maybe it was just garbage with no purpose, and the artsy fartsy thing was an accident. It just dragged endlessly on … I didn’t even watch the end, I couldn’t take it anymore. Ugh. 1/5 Stars

Movie Review: Terminator Salvation

It’s the latest installment in the Terminator series, and it’s been worth the wait!

Unlike the others, this one’s set in the post-Judgment Day-future. The world as we know it is gone, replaced with a barren, destructed, monochromatic scape. Pockets of survivors are hidden among the rubble, led by John Connor (Christian Bale), whose wealth of knowledge and encouragement (through covert radio broadcasts) serve to strengthen and unify the survivors–the “Resistance.” 

Connor learns he’s second on Skynet’s hitlist, bested by a name unknown to anyone but Connor and his very pregnant wife Kate (Bryce Dallas Howard). That name is Kyle Reese (Anton Yelchin). Kyle is still a teenager; he’s never met Connor, and he’s surviving in Los Angeles. In the meantime, Skynet is working on a new way to infiltrate and destroy its human enemies: terminators that look like humans (the Arnold model). They’re capturing humans for experimentation, and the breakthrough is on the horizon.

In the meantime, Connor and Reese are about to be connected by a stranger named Marcus Wright (Sam Worthington). Marcus is strong and determined, and he seems like a good ally. But Marcus is also connected to Skynet in a way even he doesn’t realize.

This movie was absolutely stunning in every way. The special effects were gorgeous, but seamless and integral. They simply fit, and they helped to create a tragically believable post-nuclear 2019. The acting was top-notch for the most part (Common was … well, common), and it was impossible not to care for the characters. There was action from start to finish, but it didn’t outweigh the story. In fact, although we already had a general understanding of the back story thanks to previous movies, TS did an excellent job of filling in the details. Plus we were introduced to a number of cool new terminators! There were even a few bright spots of levity, when some of the catch-phrases we’ve come to know and love from earlier Terminator films were casually thrown in.

I especially enjoyed the way this movie respected and connected the historicity of the other movies. For example, Connor often listened to his mother’s cassette tapes for information about Skynet and the war; at one point he looked at the polaroid picture of Sarah captured in the first movie. And Connor still has an uncanny gift for manipulating technology, just like he did when he was a bratty kid in T-2. There’s even room for the story of T-2 to have been established through the story in TS.

Terminator Salvation is the best movie I’ve seen in 2009. I highly recommend it, and I can’t wait to see it again. But before I do, I need to watch the first three movies back-to-back!

5/5 Stars

Movie Review: The Tale of Despereaux

The Tale of Despereaux is the story of a rat who’s in the wrong place at the wrong time, a mouse who won’t cower, and a princess stuck in a tower.

This beautifully animated tale has the lovely feel of an old fashioned storybook, hand written and illustrated with a quill on thick, textured paper. The story begins when a rat named Roscuro (Dustin Hoffman) accidentally causes an uproar with tragic consequences on Soup Day in the kingdom of Dor. As a result, the grieving king banishes both rats and soup; further (I suppose because of all the sadness), the sun retreats, and it has stopped raining.

Enter Despereaux (Matthew Broderick). He’s not like other mice: he’s small, even for a mouse, and he’s brave. He longs for adventure. He meets Princess Pea (Emma Watson), who is scarred by the tragic events and saddened by her father’s rash decree. When Despereaux is later banished from Mouseworld for his failure to conform, he is saved from certain death by Roscuro, and the two become friends. They see themselves as gentlemen, and they’ve bound themselves by a code of honor. This code will eventually propel them to save the princess and restore the kingdom of Dor in their own small way.

The movie has a great message about courage in the face of fear and rejection. It deals with the subjects of pain and grief, and how they affect our hearts and our actions. And the story demonstrates forgiveness by one of its characters, even when it was hard or undeserved. These I liked. In fact, there was a great line that’s probably a credit to the original story’s author (Kate DiCamillo): “Whenever you have hope, you’re never really anybody’s prisoner.” It’s a simple statement and might go over a kid’s (or an adult’s) head, but it’s true. 

Here’s the thing though, and I’m disappointed to say this: In my opinion, the movie was choppy, muddy, and boring. There were side stories that seemed totally unrelated; there were back stories that were never explained. Things were done that seemed out of place for the characters and for the story itself. I’ve never read the book, and maybe it’s amazing on paper. I’d be more than willing to read it and find out. But for me, the movie was a huge letdown.

I give it 1.5/5 stars.

Movie Review: Seven Pounds

Seven Pounds is Will Smith’s latest, and it’s the story of a haunted man trying to make amends for a harm he’s done to seven people.

I’m not going to spoil this for anyone, so I’ll just give you the basic premise without going deep.

Will Smith is Ben Thomas, an IRS agent. His job is to audit people who are delinquent on their taxes, but he has both the power and the desire to extend mercy to those he finds deserving. Along the way he meets Emily Posa (Rosario Dawson), a woman with a congenital heart defect that’s stealing her life. While Ben carries out his duties, using his position, influence and great compassion to serve others, he spends more and more time with Emily. Clearly Ben has a past, a painful secret that affects his present and future. What’s the secret? What does it mean for Ben and Emily, and others? I guess we’ll have to watch and see!

Will Smith is a wonderful actor, and his haunted portrayal was touching. However, the movie was quite predictable, and most of it was too steady and uneventful. I spent most of it feeling very little strong emotion, and that’s not what I’m looking for in a drama. Plus the end seemed contrived and emotionally manipulative. (I guess movies are intrinsically emotionally manipulative, though …)

I will say, however, that the relationship between Ben and Emily was beautiful, and very romantic. They got to know each other carefully and gently, and it was totally believable to me that they fell in love at first sight. Though I found the rest of the movie forgettable, the love story is still stuck in my mind.

I give this movie a 2.5/5 stars.

Movie Review: Bolt

“Bolt” is a new Disney movie (apparently available in 3D although I didn’t see that version) starring John Travolta and Miley Cyrus.

The action starts quickly with a high-speed chase as the heroic, scientifically-enhanced Bolt (Travolta) protects his beloved person, Penny (Cyrus) from the Green Eyed Man. However, we soon learn that Bolt has been living a lie a-la The Truman Story: Though he believes his strength and powers are real and that Penny is truly in danger, he’s really an unwitting actor in a television show. When Bolt accidentally winds up across the country on the East Coast, he enlists the grudging help of Mittens, a streetwise alley cat from New York City (Susie Essman), and later his most devoted fan (and former trailer park couch potato) Rhino the Hampster (Mark Walton) to help him get back to Penny and Hollywood.

I absolutely loved this movie, from start to finish! The animation was beautiful, and I continue to be amazed at how they (animators) are making it better and more realistic with each new release. The story wasn’t exactly original (see Homeward Bound for example), but there were unique elements, and the characters’ loyalty and devotion to one another was endearing. To top it off, the movie was hilarious! I loved all the interaction between Bolt, Mittens and Rhino. But I must say I especially enjoyed the pigeons (particularly the Hollywood pigeons). The way they moved and talked … you’ve got to see it!

Overall this was a great movie. There was none of the hidden sexual innuendo typically found in “kid” movies lately; no bratty kids, no cussing. It was sweet, funny and clean. I think I might have liked it more than my kids.

I give it 5/5 stars. I know, right? Five stars?! Be amazed, people. Be amazed.

OMIGOSH IT’S TOTALLY AWESOME!!!

Derwin and I went to see the new 007. The most exciting part of the movie was when they showed the preview of the new STAR TREK movie that’s coming out in ealry 2009!! It looks FREAKIN’ AWESOME!! As soon as I realized what it was, I promptly lost my mind. I had to force myself to calm down and stop grabbing random people’s arms in witless, violent excitement.

I went online and looked for the latest opinions on the movie. I discovered I’m not the only Trekkie geek who’s thrilled about this PHENOMENAL news!

If this movie isn’t as amazing as I’m anticipating, bitterness may cause me to turn to a life of crime.

Quick Movie Reviews

I’m sorry it’s been so long since I’ve reviewed anything! No matter what’s going on in my life, I have no right to keep you from being as fully informed on my movie criticisms as possible. Forgive me?

So let’s play catch-up:

Burn After Reading | Since I just saw this one last week, I’ll give you a little more depth than the rest. HORRIFYING! They should have burned it before distributing. Incredibly stupid and pointless. I kept waiting for the movie to really start. It was just so stupid. As my husband and I left the theater, we heard another couple say, “That’s 2 hours we’ll never have back.” Ditto, my friend. 0/5 stars

National Treasure: Book of Secrets | Boring. 2/5

Fool’s Gold | Boring. I just always expect more from those two, and I never seem to get what I expect.  2/5

Be Kind, Rewind | Strange, funny at times. I like Jack Black and Mos Def. So for their sakes I’ll be slightly more kind than I ought. 3/5

Definitely, Maybe | Um. Interesting? In a sad, funny way. 3/5

The Spiderwick Chronicles | Cool for older kids on up. A little not true to the book, but that’s not unusual. 3/5

Drillbit Taylor | Just as stupid as you’d expect, but I those nerdy kids grew on me. 2.5/5

Never Back Down | Bad. So bad. 1/5

Nim’s Island | Cute and funny, great for kids. 3/5

CJ7 | Strange. Maybe because it was foreign, but I thought they were just too cruel to that poor creature. And it was so crass! I liked Kung Fu Hustle much better. 1/5

What Happens in Vegas | I. Freakin’. Loved. This. Movie. I know, it surprised me too! But I really did! 5/5

The Forbidden Kingdom | Worth about 25% of the $2 I paid to see it. And that $.50 was for the excellent fight scene Jet Li and Jackie Chan. 1/5

Indiana Jones | Did I already review this? If not, it was sad. 1/5

Wall-E | Frickin’ awesome! 5/5

Kung-Fu Panda | Jack Black makes this movie! Hilarious? Did I already review it? I’m bad with names … 5/5

27 Dresses | Forgetable. 2/5

The Queen | Interesting. 2.5/5

I’m sure I saw others. Maybe I’ll do another catch-up soon!

Movie/DVD Review: Quick Reviews!

Okay, I’ve seen too many movies in the past few months to review them all individually (i.e. I’m lazy), so here’s a quick catch-up review of as many of them as I can remember!

MOVIES

• Kung Fu Panda | 5/5 stars | Hilarious!! Jack Black is the bomb.
• The Incredible Hulk | 2.5/5 stars | I liked the first one better. Started well, floppy ending.
• Indiana Jones | 1/5 stars | Ugh.
• Horton Hears a Who | 3/5 stars | Cute.
• Forbidden Kingdom | 2/5 stars | The Li/Chan fight was AWESOME though!
• Iron Man | 5/5 stars | Much, much better than I expected! I really liked it!

DVDs

• Michael Clayton | 3.5/5 stars | Suspenseful, intriguing.
• Beowulf | 2.5/5 stars | Very, very (disgustingly) graphic. Interesting story though.
• Dan in Real Life | 3/5 stars | Cute story, annoying daughters.
• Enchanted | 2.5/5 stars | Slow-moving, predictable. Sweet for small kids though.
• The Water Horse | 3/5 stars | Cute movie.
• In the Name of the King | 1.5/5 stars | Ray Liotta was annoying.
• 27 Dresses | 2/5 stars | So predictable! Which is acceptable, but do it well if possible!
• P.S. I Love You | 3/5 stars | Surprisingly heart-wrenching, though I didn’t like the end.
• National Treasure: Book of Secrets | 2/5 stars | Didn’t measure up to the first.
• Fool’s Gold | 2/5 stars | I keep expecting Kate Hudson to be more like her mom. My bad.
• Be Kind Rewind | 2/5 stars | Okay, I laughed. But overall it seemed pointless.
• The Spiderwick Chronicles | 4/5 stars | Good stuff! The kids were realistic, the fairies weren’t cutesy.
• Taxi | 1/5 stars | Ugh.
• The Queen | 3/5 stars | Interesting.
• Little Children | 3.5/5 stars | I like movies where we see a realistic slice of someone’s life.

I know there are others, but these are all I can remember.

Movie Review: Get Smart

This movie was just okay, in my opinion.

Don’t misunderstand: I love Steve Carell (Maxwell Smart). Okay, lemme go ahead and say it: I think Steve Carell is good looking, in a nerdily handsome way. (Most people are shocked when I say that, but really, look at him! He’s cute!) I love his subtle humor, his self-deprecating way, and his piercing eyes. Funny, nerdy men are very attractive to me.

I enjoyed lots of belly laughs in this movie too. “Crunchy bone pudding” was especially hilarious, and I also enjoyed the misfired “cone of silence” scene. Classic Carell! (Still, nearly all the funny scenes were in the previews. Sigh.)

I also thought the relationship between Smart and Agent 99 (Anne Hathaway) was kinda sweet and even believable. They were surprisingly cute together.

However, all told, the story plodded along. The laugh opportunities were too few and far between. And the expected one-liners (“Missed it by that much,” and “Would you believe …”) seemed like last-minute add-ins instead of part of the story.

Even my beloved Dwayne Johnson (my goodness he’s beautiful) seemed rather superfluous to the story. Everything that unfolded with him was no surprise.

Altogether I’d give this movie 2.75 out of 5 stars.