Alice in Wonderland

Now I never seen the original, but i did know about a mad hatter, a cat that smiles and a random rabbit.

So for me, with little expectations... it still didn't match up to the hype.

Great visual effects, and classic Tim Burton weirdness. Johnny Depp being in the film wasn't a surprise, since he and Burton seem to get on well with films like Sleepy Hollow, corpse bride, the more recent sweeney todd and even Charlie and the chocolate factory-which I feel Depp was harshly dealt with by critics who said his character in this was very similar to Willy wonka-when it really wasn't-just his randomness and weirdness.

The storyline just didn't capture me and it felt really slow throughout.

The plus side was I got to spend time with the wife.... and the vague idea I had of the rabbit, the mad hatter and cat was now something I had some sort of idea of.

If you have kids, it could be a good one with the 3d and all that.

Green Zone

Matt Damon....what a legend, great actor (even if every time you say his name you can't get away from the drone way you say it that was gained from 'team america')

So with this new film Green Zone coming out, especially with the director being the same man that worked with Damon on the Bourne Ultimatum, made for anticipation to be at an optimum level.

With very little knowledge other than this before I arrived into the cinema seat-it was interesting to know that the topic of the film was very controversial and something everyone is bound to have an opinion on-the war in Iraq and the reasons for going out there-and this issue of WMD-weapons of mass destruction.

I loved the camera work-the unsteadyness of it all made for a very real approach and brilliant to watch and feel involved.

The issue for me however was on the issue of trust and authority. Who do we trust? why do we trust them? are they of greater authority? who tells us this?

As a Christian, I find this all very intriguing especially when every argument that people have against Christians comes down to-well, how do we know the bible is true? why trust it? is it of greater authority? how do we know?

The history books testify, the way the world works testifies, the way we are as human beings... and the bible itself testifies to its clarity in truthfulness. It's authority is supreme-over 60 books by over 40 authors spanning over 1500 years and yet one main storyline-God reconciling everything to himself through the redemptive story of Jesus Christ.

Even Green Zone testifies and makes us wonder, were our trust is and who we think should have authority over our lives....

And even if you aren't as sad as me thinking too much into... it's a brilliant movie, go see it.

Invictus

If you're looking for a film with great professional rugby and brilliant accents....don't go and see invictus, but if you do want to see a film with a great Nelson Mandela wave and a heroes story, invictus is the film for you.

A friend of mine always delights in telling me I'm not exactly Mr current affairs, but even with stories of Nelson Mandela (not exactly current affairs) I know the jist but even I could tell that at the end of the story it made Nelson Mandela to be the perfect person every country needs and Francois Pienaar as the captain of dreams that can do no wrong and everyone else in the story are basically idiots that come together at the end because of the inspirational pair.

Even with these faults, it was good to see the casting people involved in trying to get decent look a likes-some where better than others I must add.

Great dialogue and very inspirational...which is what they were going for I imagine,made for a good film, though slow at parts to emphasis rules of rugby for the non educated and to bring across the hatred of the blacks and whites (excuse me for not being pc at this point)

From a Christian perspective it was interesting to see a lot of talk about reconcilation, unity and forgiveness, with one of the tag lines for the film being -'he was in a prison for 30 years and being realised was ready to forgive the people who put him there'

It reminded me alot fo God's grace and how even though we don't deserve it he sent his son, Jesus Christ, to reconcile all things to Himself and to bring forgiveness for everyone ignoring the God that created them and cares for them. What a God!

Romans 5:6-8 ⁶You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. ⁷Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. ⁸But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.'

Philippians 2:⁹Therefore God exalted him to the highest place

and gave him the name that is above every name,
¹⁰that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
¹¹and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.

Even psalms like 96 talk about all peoples and all nations and how we will all one day realise who Jesus Christ really is whether we do now or not!

Then we really will be 'the world in union' under the one true and living God

Never mind Mandela being the hero-Jesus Christ is the real one who is the true source and shows true forgiveness and reconciliation

So go and watch this film and be inspired!

The Book of Eli

'you don't understand'

those were the first words of the movie we heard as we entered the screening...because we arrived late. I was afraid that that would be it as far as catching up with the story but it seemed very easy to follow.

It is a post apocalyptic tale of when the world is in turmoil when things like water are a luxury-bad times, and even books! So this is were Denzil Washington comes in (although he looks slick you can tell hes getting on in years), he has the last bible on earth.

Enter the bad guy-hes been looking for this book because he wants to use it to control people through it. Just shows what happens when it gets into the wrong hands and is handled incorrectly.

As a Christian, someone who trusts and follows Jesus, i didn't walk into the film thinking it was going to evangelise to the world (even though movie mag Empire said that at times it felt like it was preaching, I didn't think so)-so I wasn't disappointed-with classic clique verses being used (if he had of mentioned 'as the deer pants for the water' I think he would have said them all), no mention of Jesus-the one whom this book is all about and a reference to faith being a special feeling rather than based on historical fact did grate me a bit but what did i expect?

What I did appreciate however, was the high standard it gave to the bible and alluded to the power the word has and leaving me with highly hypothetical questions such as-if you had the last bible on earth, would killing people to protect it be justified?

A great movie with the real gritty post apocalyptic feel through stunning background sequences and a fantastic set (at times I thought the screen wasn't as bright as it should be until I realised it was to get this feeling across), but for me they loved their slow motion camera a bit too much but I got over this annoyance through superb camera work for the death of a bird-and a fight scene at a house-superb.

The big thing about the film is the twist which is......well I'm not gona tell ya, not only because it would spoil it but because you should go and see it for this very reason-enjoy!

Daybreakers

'sure it passed the time, didn't it?'

that is the comment that was said after the film finished so hopefully that will tell you what was thought it.

For me, having not got into the whole twilight saga, it was quite an interesting story line considering being a vampire was a central plot to the whole thing. But for me, the one character that kept you on the edge of your seat was Willem Dafoe-great one liners that kept you laughing the whole way through (even if they weren't meant to)-Steven Seagalesc some might say.

But with great considerations on what the vampire world would look like ten years on-it had interesting attention to detail, obvious parts were included such as no exposure to sunlight and teeth marks on the neck, but in this picture it included having a camera as a car mirror so the vampire can check themselves out, and also most vampires smoked with the whole immortality thing.

For me, it was an interesting mix of immortality (living forever, which everyone seems to want), yet when they have it, still hoping for a happy ever after-it just shows what immortality would be in this self-centered, damaged world.... not much being the answer-still looking for the answer to the main problems. (not lack of blood but self-centered ness)

As for the special effects, they went from incredible gore, to ridiculous bore and not really knowing at times if you were in a serious movie or a vampire spoof-all in all, it wasn't a great watch, but sure... it passed the time, didn't it!

Avatar

Did C.S Lewis write this film?

that was the film posed to me as I watched the film. With ideas such as; hope, new world, service, prayer, teaching and training, hell, trust, relationship, rescue and many others-it does beg the question what director james cameron had in mind as he wrote the film.

What stretched my mind:

Was it that the leader of the rescue was both fully human and fully avatar (go with me on this)

Was it that once you have been born again you are part of 'The People'

Was it the training that got my mind thinking of apprenticeships and ministry and the importance of sharing life together while having the source of life at the centre

Was it the hostility shown towards 'The People' and their source of life-the way the world tries to rid the world of the true source of life

or was it wondering what James Cameron had smoked and drank to write the story of random blue people and to produce amazing special effects?

A man named Augustine once used the phrase 'visible words' and this film certainly got me thinking about so many different biblical themes in a visual, tangible way.

I went to the movie to experience the 3d, to see good special effects and avoid the fact it was about blue people but as the movie went on, my mind was racing with various ideas and being part of God's people, sadly for me, I really got into the story line and so came out with the experience of 3d, saw unbelievable special effects and loved the blue people.

Seeing is believing, and I suppose this rang true for me with a lot of hesitation and doubt before seeing this picture, but I was not disappointed by the end.

Whether you like blue people or not, this is a movie to definitely watch on the big screen with those geeky looking glasses on, it could get your mind racing about so many things, not just the phenomenal graphics and design, or it could have you wondering what Cameron was smoking when he wrote it?

Either way, it beats sitting in and talking more about the weather....