I watched 4 films in July, which brings me to a total of 37 so far this year. Two of the ones I watched I wrote about in my series Films Christians Should Watch. The other two were new to me.
I shed tears every time I watch Sense and Sensibility. It’s beautifully shot and masterfully performed and there are scenes of such incredible depth and power you cannot help but be moved by it all.
I am always impressed by the opening scenes. Thompson, who not only stared in the movie, but also wrote the screenplay, does a wonderful job of showing us the true nature of every character within seconds of their first appearance on the screen. It is a master class in writing.
The characters produce such strong feelings as you watch their actions and interactions. Fear, anger, disgust, love, pity, and contempt are all experienced. I love it when that happens and I think it’s important when that happens to ask ourselves why we are experiencing those feelings. The actors’ performances and the writing and directing and everything that goes into crafting the scene speaks to us on a deep level. It touches something in our souls and that is worthy of consideration.
To me, this movie is about love and suffering and how often those two coincide.
It is interesting to me that in Hector and the Search for Happiness he never once seeks God. It is assumed that happiness can only be found within yourself and in how you manage the circumstances of your life and indeed that is the ultimate conclusion and in that sense, it is an unsatisfying one for any Christian watching this movie.
Hector’s search for happiness leads him to encounter many kinds of people from all walks of life, each of whom are on the same search and have different ways of trying to find it. That may be money and comfort or family and friends or service to others. Some of them are truly happy and some of them only pretend to be. But in the end, one cannot help but think like “the Preacher”, “Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity.” (Ecclesiastes 1:2)
There are some funny moments in this film and some beautiful ones. It will definitely make you question your own search for happiness and where it might be found and that is good. But, as a Christian, it should also help you to think more deeply about your walk with Christ and where true JOY is found because happiness is a poor substitute for joy.
I am a sucker for a good gangster film and The Alto Knights is not too shabby. It’s got DeNiro in two roles, so come on, you know it’s going to be pretty good. In fact, he does such a great job playing two different men, you sometimes forget it’s the same actor.
It’s based on the true story of the battle between notorious New York crime bosses Frank Costello and Vito Genovese in the 1950’s. Once they were best friends but petty jealousies and a series of betrayals place them on an unavoidable path to war as they battle for control of organized crime in New York City.
I didn’t know the story behind the film, so I found the ending a surprise and, honestly, funny. It’s not a great gangster movie, but it is a good one if you go in for that sort of thing.
You can emphasize the FREAKY in Freaky Tales. I had no clue what this was about.
My wife and I turned it on because we just wanted something entertaining, that wouldn’t require too much from us, and we like Tom Hanks (who’s barely in it) and Pedro Pascal. What we got was something mildly entertaining and weird.
It kind of reminded me of a Quentin Tarantino movie only not as good.
It takes place in Oakland, CA in 1987 and you’ve got green space dust that gives people weird powers, Nazis, crooked cops, a local criminal trying to go straight, a couple of up-and-coming female rappers, and a ninja basketball player.
Yeah, freaky.
On the Watchlist
Here are the films I will review for August’s series on Films Christians Should Watch.
- Pan’s Labyrinth
- Hugo
- JoJo Rabbit
- Babette’s Feast
Here are the other films on my watchlist that I hope to see for the first time.
- Wings of Desire
- The Wolfman
- Wicked Little Letters
- Past Lives
Joseph McBee 