Here are some capsule comments about movies that have come out this summer:
March of the Penguins: Did you know that emperor penguins lead an arduous life involving a lot of difficult treks each year back and forth between ocean and Antarctic breeding ground? Did you know that the father penguins hatch the eggs of their offspring? Do you know how big these creatures are? You’ll learn about these and other fascinating facts in March of the Penguins. Probably no film better shows the Lord’s creation in all its majesty than this one. The big question is how the movie could actually have been filmed. It was, though. Narrated by Morgan Freeman.
Film Rating: G
My Rating: 3 1/2 stars out of 4.
Ladies in Lavender: This movie is worth seeing just for the performances of British actresses Maggie Smith and Judi Dench. It’s the late 30s in Cornwall, Britain. Smith and Dench play spinster sisters who live together in an old house on the water. One morning they see a body on their beach. On investigation, they discover that the body is actually a still-alive young man. They nurse him back to health and are instrumental in helping him find his niche in life. The film has beautiful scenery, many touching moments, and powerful acting.
Film Rating: PG-13
My Rating: 3 stars out of 4.
War of the Worlds: This one pleasantly surprised me. Tom Cruise, who in my view usually plays his grinning pretty-boy self, is normally my absolute least-favorite actor. This time, however, he isn’t half bad. War of the Worlds is ostensibly based on H. G. Wells’s novel about Martian invaders, but that’s only the backdrop. Cruise plays a divorced father who is estranged from his children, especially his son. His ex-wife, now remarried, drops the kids off for a weekend, and that’s when the invaders appear. The film is really about the pain and tragedy of divorce, and it’s a powerful commentary on that theme.
Film Rating: PG-13
My Rating: 2 ½ stars out of 4.
Cinderella Man: Russell Crowe and Renée Zellweger star as Depression-era boxer Jim Braddock and his wife Mae. Jim had been a boxer and is now a New Jersey dock worker desperately trying to support his family. Times are extremely difficult, and the family often goes hungry. Against the wishes of Mae, Jim returns to boxing and … well, I won’t reveal what happens. It's enough to say that Jim and Mae are admirable characters who embody Christian virtues in their love and devotion to each other and their children. In one powerful scene, Jim makes his older son return a stolen sausage, saying, “We don’t steal, no matter what.” The film is heartwarming, realistic, and complete. Warning: One character in the movie is foul-mouthed, spewing forth a number of four-letter words and abuses of the Lord’s name. There is no excuse for this, of course, but if you can get beyond that language, you’ll probably be moved.
Film Rating: PG-13
My Rating: 3 1/4 stars out of 4.
Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith: There’s nothing overtly objectionable about this movie; that is, there’s no swearing, gratuitous violence, or sexual innuendo. Ewan McGregor gives a good performance as the young Obi-Wan Kenobe. Beyond that, Sith has little to recommend it. Sorry, but I found it deadly dull. Some of the sets look like close-ups of the Star Wars toys my son played with when he was nine. It’s true that the film is about the struggle between good and evil, but what’s really at play here is director George Lucas’s presumed New Age philosophy, forever embodied in Obi-Wan’s statement in Return of the Jedi: “Use the force, Luke.” God is not a “force” to be used at whim or will. I had no real interest in the characters and didn’t really care whether any of them survived. Mercifully, this is the last of the prequel Star Wars pictures — or so we’re told.
Film Rating: PG-13
My Rating: 2 stars out of 4.
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