At The Movies

We've seen a number of films the last month and a half and while some were good some reminded me that you can never be passive about your entertainment. I'll review, briefly, several of the films we've seen as of late.

1) X-Men 3: The Last Stand- At the sheer entertainment level this is a quality film. The action, the dialogue, the plot are all well done, which was a suprise to many who were upset with Fox Movies choice of a new director for this third film in the comic book trilogy. A few choice words I could have done without (on several occassions they didn't even flow well in the dialogue), one sort of lousy actress, and some cheesy one-liners bring the film down a bit, but it nonetheless remained a good film for me. Of course the theme of evolution is one that I whole heartidly disagree with. The suggestion that humanity will someday evolve into superhuman mutants is, of course, a fictional fantasy, but for those who embrace the theory of evolution it may quite possibly be a future hope. As a biblical Christian I think it is important to remember that this theme is part of the X-Men universe, yet I still think it is acceptable to find value and enjoyment in the film.

2) Hoodwinked- A hillarious, animated twist on an old fairy-tale. While avoiding the crude humour that other types of these films have upheld (such as Shrek and Shrek 2) this film loses none of its wit and charm. One of the charms of this film is, as World Magazine put it, "There's plenty for adults to enjoy, but almost none at the expense of the movies intended audience." It's a rare find in animated films of this genre, a film that can make adults laugh without resorting to the kind of jokes that we fear our children may repeat.

3) Runaway Jury- Based on the novel by John Grisham, this court room thrille keeps the attention pretty well and has a few twists that really work effectively. The film is fast paced, yet at parts can feel a little long. The chief downfall of the film, however, is the glorified evil view. The main characters are sort of vigelante anti-heroes, and in this regard gain the audience's support. As Christians we have to be concious that we do not root for the villians when we go to the movies.

4) Fun With Dick and Jane- The Downfall of this film is the same as the former: the glorified evil aspect. Jim Carey and Tea Leoni do well in their repsective roles as struggle married couple Dick and Jane Harper. Like most Carey films there are parts that are histarical, yet overall it's not going to win any awards in my book.