Divide, Conquer, and Control is the Plan of the Party

Just saw “Left Behind”

If you can get past the made-for-television quality it can actually be engaging.

The main goal of this movie, and the book series that the movie is based on, was to illustrate what the rapture might look like and how the remainder of humanity would deal with the situation; basically a more realistic version of “This Is The End” with Seth Rogen. Unfortunately it is still bogged down by limitations that most faith based films suffer from; low production quality and sermonizing dialog just to name a few. Nicholas Cage however does liven things up with his usual off-beat personality that any lesser actor would have made too stoic.

Not the best attempt but I did leave the theater curious about what would happen next.

FrontPageMag.com Cartoon

A Cartoon: The Death-Wish of Islam-Denial

Frontpage Editor Jamie Glazov and illustrator Luke Kruse have joined forces to depict the taboo truths about the Unholy Alliance between the Left and Islam. Below is their first production:

Just saw “The Equalizer”

A fun action movie whose main purpose is to say Denzel Washington is awesome.

As cool as it is to have a good guy be near-perfect its just so hard to make him/her interesting except during the moments of violence that contrast his/her kindly behavior. Denzel’s character is a man who’s past is revealed over time but it’s never really used to give the story more depth, most of which is already established in the beginning by referencing The Old and and the Sea and Don Quixote books the man is reading. Fortunately the action scenes are great and there is a awesome last fight which makes up any short comings of the film.

There could have been more to this but that would get in the way of saying Denzel Washington is awesome.

Just saw “The Boxtrolls”

A movie that looks so beautiful that you can’t hep but notice the sub-par story.

This was a concern that I had after the later trailers came out revealing details of the plot and characters. The story is not necessarily bad but it’s presentation is so mishandled that there is no overarching theme like there was in ParaNorman or clear a adventure like there was in Coraline. However the movie does try to compensate for this lack by having a cast of bizarre and awkward characters that feel as if they came from Monty Python universe. I’m not sure how consistent that is with the book the movie is based on but it is something to enjoy along with some witty dialog and astonishingly beautiful and detailed practical stop-motion animation.

Although I have mixed feelings I am ultimately disappointed and hope Laika Studios will do better again in the future.

Finding Christ in Steven Universe

Being born in a Christian home I believed that anything and everything was complementary to Jesus Christ and Christianity, especially my favorite cartoon series. As I got older and became a believer I realized that almost nothing is complementary to Jesus Christ and Christianity, much less my favorite cartoon series. However because cartoons are essentially fiction I could try to find middle ground between the messages in the series and the message of the Gospel. But after a while I realized that trying to find Christ in entertainment is not only tiresome but often fruitless. Cartoons are made primarily to entertain not edify so any connection I can find to Christianity is more or less a coincidence. Recently however one show has had enough Christian coincidences contained in it that I am compelled to wonder if I’m the only one noticing them. That show is Steven Universe, which is in my opinion, the most awesome cartoon currently in existence.

For those who haven’t heard Steven Universe one of the is the newest animated series on Cartoon Network created by Rebecca Sugar; former writer and storyboard artist of the same studio’s popular series Adventure Time. Best described as a coming of age story Steven Universe follows the life and adventures of a boy named Steven as he figures out his place as one of the Crystal Gems; a quartet of heroes who protect humanity by wielding weapons and abilities from the magical gems attached to their bodies. Steven inherited his magical gem from his late mother and throughout the series he learns new abilities while dealing with the with magical monsters, the Gem’s conflicting personalities, and just being an curious, musically-inclined, and always-willing-to-help little boy.

At this point you might be wondering how one could possibly find Christ or Christianity in such a show and at first I didn’t. I only saw a series of magical adventures and a possible middle ground message of “putting away of childish things” (1 Corinthians 13:11). That was until the 20th episode that one Christian coincidence made me remember and reconsider the other Christian coincidences that I previously disregarded.

(Warning: The following will have spoilers to elements of Steven Universe)

In the episode “Coach Steven” the most intellectual and protective of the Crystal Gems, Pearl, is concerned that Steven is too focus on achieving physical strength rather than inner strength. Disheartened, Pearl starts off a musical soliloquy where she eventually states:

“And I want to inspire you
I want to be your rock
And when I talk
It lights fire in you”

The song itself was beautiful as Pearl’s voice actress Deedee Mango-Hall carried the lyrics with such conviction, but what struck me the most was the use of word “rock”. My mind immediately thought of Jesus’ beatitude of building you house on the rock (Matthew 7:24-27), and Jesus himself being the cornerstone of the church. It’s so rare for me to hear the word “rock” used in that way during sermons or worship, much less in a cartoon about a magical boy.

Another Christian coincidence was in the episode called “An Indirect Kiss.” After realizing that he doesn’t have his mother’s magical healing tears Steven is worried that he will never be useful to the Crystal Gems and won’t be allowed to be with them because of it. However his lady friend, Connie, reminds him that he doesn’t need powers to be with her and starts leaning in to kiss him. Suddenly Connie twinges in pain and realizes that she can see without her glasses; her eyesight has been healed. It turns out that Connie was taking a drink out of Steven’s juice box and came into contact with his saliva. It is concluded that Steven doesn’t have healing tears but healing spit. At that point I couldn’t help but remember the stories of how Jesus heals the blind; where Jesus uses His spit to restore a person’s sight. (Mark 8:22-25) (John 9)

It was when these coincidences were considered that I reassembled a collection of coincidences that form together what I like to call the “Aslan Parallel.” In C.S. Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia, Alsan was the name of a sentient lion who was a literary metaphor for Jesus. During a Crystal Gem mission in a desert Steven befriends a lion, who he also names Lion, who has some very interesting characteristics. Although Lion was found in the wild he actually tame. While technically being Steven’s pet Lion only selective obeys Steven’s commands, only helps Steven in dire moments, and mostly wonders off doing whatever he wants. While giving Steven and Connie a ride Lion takes a detour into the nearby ocean revealing that he can walk on water. Aside from being able to open teleportation portals and smash structures with his magical roar Lion can deliver a magical sword to Steven by taking a royal bow and having the sword emerge out of his head. So just to recap: Lion is a tame lion, who does what he wants but helps in dire times, and can walk on water. All that Lion needs now is to have the sword emerging out of the mouthinstead of his head and have a voiced played by Liam Neeson for the parallels to be complete on an almost transcendent level.

To be clear I am not suggesting that there is direct Christian influence in the creation ofSteven Universe. For all I know the “I want to be your rock” line was inspired by Beyoncé’s “You are my Rock” while the healing spit and “Aslan Parallel” are just whimsical hodgepodge ideas created for the sake of humor and entertainment. Not to mention that most of the series have almost no middle ground connections to Jesus Christi or Christianity. The newest episodes, “Mirror Gem” and “Ocean Gem,” are long awaited epic moments of action with hints of greater adventures to come. These coincidences are as superficial as the Zeitgeist Movement’s Christianity-to-Paganism connections, and are merely speculations born from the mind of a Christian fanatic. What I am trying to say is that it is rather amazing that a cartoon show that engages me in every secular way actually reminds me of Jesus Christ and Christianity. I am also gratified to realized that Jesus didn’t need to be referenced directly in order for me to be reminded of Him, a factor that I plan to implement in any future artistic endeavors. However I do hope that at least one member of the staff at Cartoon Network is at least aware of these Christian coincidences. I can’t be the only one who notices them.

Just saw “A Walk Among the Tombstones”

Not quite as deep as the trailer implied but this film is morbid and thrilling.

This movie is basically what would happen if “Silence of the Lambs” was more action oriented. It maybe harder to sympathies with the main character since Liam Neeson can act as if he could take down a dozen Buffalo Bills but his character has his own past and demons to be redeemed from. The movie seems to have a theme about misplaced fears since the film is set in 1999 with the Y2K scare but it never gets a relevant conclusion. The movie does remotely appeal to God as a source of strength and it is always awesome have Neeson be the outlet of that strength.

Its not the best movie but its always great to watch a fallen hero find some kind of redemption and evil get what’s due.

Just saw “The Drop”

A mafia movie that remands you how ruthless people can be.

When you watch a film involving mafia type situations like the Godfather or The Departed you are given the opportunity to see which characters are even more damned than you otherwise assume them to be. What’s great about this movie is that you never really know what the characters are all about until it is all said and done. This intense drama is also brought to life by the incredible performances of Tom Hardy and the late James Gandolfini.

There are no heroes in this movie's world, only characters you can care about after you have compartmentalized their behavior.

Just saw “The Maze Runner”

A somewhat interesting premise that becomes too convoluted as time progresses.

A stories that features a characters with amnesia is the perfect way to have an audience follow a unique situation because you only know as much as the main character. However unlike “fish out of water” characters who you relate to before the action scenes there is always a mystery about the main character that you expect will be revealed and that will have all the loose ends tide up. That is true for this movie as a whole but unfortunately some loose ends are just explained away with exposition while others are still left unresolved for the possible sequel. It also doesn’t help when story twists just happen with no clear explanation.

It was very exciting watching our hero Thomas master his unusual situation unfortunately I wished all the pieces of that situation fit together better.

Amethyst's Reverse Moments

A fan video I just made.

In the latest episode of Steven Universe “An Indirect Kiss” Amethyst is injured which causes her to speak in reverse.

This is a collection of those reverse moments followed by audio translations.

Note: They are out of order and might count as spoilers

"Steven Universe" created by: Rebecca Sugar

Produced by: Cartoon Network Studios

SFV Patriots Image

An image that I made for the San Fernando Valley Patriots' website

http://www.thenewpatriotguards.com/meetings.htm

To their complete website:

http://www.thenewpatriotguards.com/index.htm

Just saw “The Identical”

A faith based film with a great sense of cinematography, enjoyable music, but runs on a little too long.

If nothing else Christian themed movies are slowly learning how to be entertaining. Its just a shame that this movie used the difficult-to-amuse-genre of the dramatic biography; and having it based on a fictional Elvis-like character doesn't change the fact that you are not going to get a movie arc. It was very refreshing to see Christian characters committed to serving the Lord and each other which provides the interesting set up for the story of identical twins separated at birth. It was also very refreshing to watch a movie that knows how to use a camera properly. However it just feels like the movie was a collection of the mostly interesting events where the faith was made more faint as time progressed.

I’m not saying I wasn't amused but the movie had no real peak or trough to be truly memorable. Nice try though.

Just saw “Cantinflas”

Maybe if I was bilingual I would appreciate the comedy better.

Although watching the varied but steady progression of Mario Moreno from obscure nobody to Hispanic superstar is interesting, reading subtitles gets a bit strenuous overtime. As refreshing as it is to watch a movie that uses engaging cinematography and classical musical I can’t ignore the frustrating fact that it is being used on the biography of an actor I didn't really know until now. Overall there here are a couple comical and heartfelt moments that a humorless xenophobe like myself can appreciate even with the limitations inherent in dramatic biographies; being constraint by the sequence of historical events rather than a conventional character arc.

If nothing else you can appreciate the movie as a microcosm of the transition that the United States is experiencing at the moment, especially when the English speaking parts are accompanied by Spanish subtitles.

Just saw “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014)”

The one-liner shout outs, reasonably impressive CGI, and fun actions scenes cannot cover the fact that this latest revision of the well establish franchise is excruciating for childhood fans like me.

Virtually all the characters’ personalities and back stories have been altered if not completely changed. Splinter and Shredder no longer have an intertwined past anymore. April O’Neil is completely obnoxious and uninteresting but unfortunately it's only partially Megan Fox’s fault. And of all the other characters they brought back they have Will Arnett playing Vernon Fenwick, April’s Channel 6 camera man/rival from the 1987 cartoon series, and Whoopi Goldberg as a gender/racial swapped cameo of Burne Thomson, April’s Channel 6 boss from the 1987 cartoon series. What? They couldn't bring back Irma while they were at it?

-Sigh- My childhood just took another fatal blow.

Just saw “Wish I was Here”

Once again Zach Braff proves he can direct and act at the same time extremely well.

This movie is a funny and emotional ride through the life of a wannabe actor who is now confronted by the realities brought on by his dying father. With comedic timing and great acting talent this movie does an incredible job at illustrating the importance of responsibility, family, and faith. Normally I would get picky about what you have faith in but I’ll save that rant for another time as I remember this best lines in this film.

Thought it didn’t catch my attention at first I am so glad I didn’t miss out on this movie.

Just saw “Hercules”

A dumb silly action movie that has its moments.

This is the kind of action movie that you would normally see Arnold Schwarzenegger or Sylvester Stallone star in however Dwayne Johnson has a much more clear accent. What was interesting for me is that for being a Greek mythology flick there was actually very little Greek mythology in it. In fact the movie is basically a revision of Hercules as an ordinary (though super strong) man who gets carried up by his own legend. Although the CGI was pretty cheap the actors were having a lot of fun bring their characters to life.

Just goes to show that a movie directed by Brett Ratner can still be fun . . . sort of.

Just saw “Lucy”

An interesting diversion, and nothing else.

This movie is very similar to “Transcendence” in that it is attempting to illustrate the possibilities of scientific discovery with a very popular actor/actress as a main character along with Morgan Freeman. The problem comes when the illustration is promoted at the expense of having an interesting story. In “Transcendence” the only conflict was whether or not the trans-human was still human and in “Lucy” the only conflict is how much theoretical quasi-scifi abilities can be shown off before the movie ends. What is even more perplexing is that the film might be moving its illustration so fast that people might not be able to follow it or appreciate what it means. I’m still not sure what the illustration was.

Scarlett Johansson is a spectacular actress but I prefer to see her again as Black Widow.

Just saw “Planes: Fire and Rescue”

Another strait to DVD movie with a few good moments.

Although both of the "Planes" movies were pretty much uninspired they both never shy away from the physical dangers and emotions that the characters go through. I'm not saying that they have Pixar, Disney, or DreamWorks level depth but they are better then the trailers make them out to be. If nothing else the movie has moments of ambition, honor, duty, and sacrifice that other movies would fail to convey properly.

I love animation but this movie seems to be just another small profit footnote in Disney's animation history.

Just saw “The Purge: Anarchy”

An interesting premise but an execution that is too annoying to be taken seriously.

The biggest drawback in this movie is the dialogue with none of the protagonists saying something believable in the given situations they are in. It's so terrible it actually distracts from the Rich v.s. Poor conflict that movie is suppose to be propagating. By the end part of me wanted to believe that the movie was being cleaver by explaining that the real conflict was the The State v.s The People and that the Purge itself was a failed government program that is being pushed for the governments own sake. However I doubt many will care to notice or even remember that point even as it is revealed so near the end.

Movies like this are meant to be politically insightful entertainment but the only amusing insights I had came from my own imagination filling in the gaps after I muscled through the annoying dialogue.

Just saw “Begin Again”

Every striving artist cliche brought to life by great acting chemistry and music.

This movie is basically the musician version of an underdog story except the only real antagonist is the emotional duress of the characters. Mark Ruffalo and Keira Knightley are great as the two leads of the film and so is everyone else for that matter. There is also a wide variety of musical numbers with Knightley actually being a great singer.

This film isn't my first choice for a movie day but it was enjoyable.

Just saw “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes”

Prequels can be exciting after all!

A problem with prequels is that the people who know the franchise already know how the story basically ends; so when handled poorly it will seem too convenient or ridiculous when certain plot points take place. The Star Wars prequels are the best examples. However this movie compensates that by having richly developed characters, defining action scenes, and incredible computer animation. Best of all if you don't know the franchise the movie is pretty engaging on its own merits. The only real problem is that the human characters are very underdeveloped as the human race is more like a prop to frame the changes of the ape society.

After watching this movie I am very curious if there will be a trilogy that will successfully fill in the details about the world before the Carlton Heston character arrives.

Just saw "Tammy"

A slightly humorous film that only serves to normalize secular life and sin.

As entertaining as it is to watch Melissa McCarthy and Susan Sarandon act together there isn't much to this movie's entertainment value except for the set up of watching Tammy lose her job, her car, and her marriage. Its basically broken people having a broken field trip which makes it funny to watch but it also makes it less memorable. As par for the course the most interesting and decent characters are the homosexuals with the only good male characters being Tammy's new love interest (Mark Duplass) and Tammy's dad (Dan Aykroyd) who wishes to murder Tammy's cheating husband and is only in the movie for 10 minutes.

The movie certainly isn't boring but it's just not as funny as the trailers would imply.

Just saw "Earth to Echo"

This mockumentary reversion of E.T. is an perfect reminder that cheap gimmicks and melodrama are no substitute for fully developed characters and a well paced story.

The movie is basically driven by the assumption that if you have an adorable alien character or precocious child characters that automatically makes the movie good. However the reason why mockumentaries like Paranormal Activity, Cloverfeild, and Chronicle are good is because we have time to meet and relate to the characters and absorb the environment. The events of this movie, which mainly revolve around the course of one day, have the kind of story and character arcs that should have taken place over the course of a week; for example a girl who suddenly joins the adventurous boy trio despite having no previous friendship establish with any of them. The techno alien Echo is interesting to see but there's noting really original nor miraculous about him, except for the scenes that have already been exploited by the trailers.

This movie was suppose to be a surprise adventure of true enduring friendship but overall I left the theater board and yearning to watch E.T. again.

Just saw "Deliver us from Evil (2014)"

It may have a positive illustration of faith but the only redeeming factor of this jump scare exorcism movie is having been based on actual events.

It's near impossible to make a traditional movie arc with materiel that is based on a true story. You can't really add to the characters or alter the events that occurred which is very difficult in this case because so many things are happening; criminal investigation, hand to hand combat, strain on family relations, the exploration of a supernatural, exorcisms, and the rediscovery of faith. This movie could have been more informative on the subject of demonology as the main character, Officer Ralph Sarchie, begins his inevitable leap into it however that might have distracted from the story of personal transformation. With so many things going on the film feels a bit disjointed at times and the overall experience is more like a sample of what might have been. Also the heavy reliance on loud noise jump scares does get a annoying, if not painful to the ears.

This movie is supposedly based on real events, so shouldn't I be more scared?

Happy Fourth of July!!! Movie Recommendation: 1776

As part of a new fourth of July tradition I watch one of my favorite movies; 1776.

Just Saw Dinesh D'souza's "America"

Although simplistic and rather scatter shot in its presentation this documentary inevitably makes some points that some might not know or consider.

The information in this documentary might be old history but for those who adhere to people like Michael Moore (I use to) or the American left narrative you would think this information didn't exist. D'souza doesn't try to be fully in depth as he is only trying to illustrate a point that most politically aware people already know. Some might say it's preaching to the choir but it's also informing to anyone who bothers to buy a ticket.

Documentaries like this are meant to start debates so if you are on the American right and you're going to see this documentary then bring along a friend on the American left and debate.

Alenta Fights on for New Selah!

Just saw "Transformers: Age of Extinction"

This movie demonstrates that it is possible to fall asleep on a roller-coaster ride, especially if it lasts for nearly three hours; but is anyone really surprised?

Maybe it's just me but whenever I watch a Micheal Bay movie I am always struggling to stay amused, especially with the Transformers movies. All the fight scene as almost identical: exposition, robot tumbles, robot shoots back, robot makes a snaky comment, watch humans not get crushed, repeat. The characters are all basically unlikable, and when they are not unlikable they are boring, and when they are not boring they are empty shells. I will admit that it is fun to watch the CGI robots fight each other but their fights are always interrupted by the plot and by the fact that I'm not emotionally invested in their situation.

With this "little" reminder of Micheal Bay's directing style I dread to think how uninteresting the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are going to be in a month and a half.

Just saw "A Million Ways to Die in the West"

A pretty funny comedy when it's not cursing itself out.

This is the kind of movie I should hate myself for laughing at. Raunchy visual gags, cheap shot jokes at God and Christianity (although not as many as I was expecting), and cursing every other minute when Seth McFarland is above that kind of cheap extreme. Fortunately the movie has hilarious slapstick, great comical timing, and acting that makes you emotionally invested in the characters in an otherwise absurd setting.

I know that I am not the target audience for this movie but it was very funny when it wasn't offending me.

Just saw "The Rover"

A bleak modern western set in Australia where life is cheap and mercy is only for the killed.

This movie is not so concerned with telling an interesting story but with having the audience immersed the world of economic collapse, despair, and grit. Guy Pearce's Eric is only likable because we have to follow him as the the protagonist. Side characters and quickly introduced and just as quickly pushed aside or killed to reinforce the hopelessness of this environment. Robert Pattinson is an incredibly good character actor as he plays Rey, a bubbling emotional fool who is eager to prove his worth.

This is the kind of movie that can leave a stain on your soul if you take it seriously. If nothing else you can leave the theater with a sense of schadenfreude, grateful that you don't live in that world.
. . .
And hopefully never.

Just saw "Think Like a Man Too"

The continuation of a romantic comedy that I normally wouldn't watch but did enjoy watching.

Now this movie probably isn't worth the ticket price but it is relentlessly funny with all the actors and actresses it has. Kevin Heart of course is the source of most of the laughs with all the other characters having a great time as the latest incarnations of the typical romantic movie situations. My favorite was Dennis Haysbery as the ultimate romantic stud as he rescues the ladies from Jenifer Lewis' overbearing mother character. The movie is basically a series of misadventures with random observations about marriage which ultimately concludes with a happy ending and an unresolved comical twist.

It was enjoyable to watch but if your first instinct is to not see this movie then your first instinct is right.

Just saw "The Signal"

A movie that tries to be artsy and exciting at the same time but ultimately fails on both counts and turns into a pointless endeavor.

One would think that a movie about aliens and government cover ups featuring Laurence Fishburne would be interesting but not when the plot events are disjointed segments with random flashback separating them. The main characters are have no real development as they are constantly pushed aside so that the movie can try really hard at being bizarre and interesting. And to top it all off there is a surprise ending that completely undercuts, if not contradicts, everything that that transpires between the beginning and the end.

"The Signal" was waste of time, so proceed at your own risk.

Just saw “Chef”

A very feel good movie with no real conflict but a lot of good food.

This movie does everything right as far as feel good movies are concerned, even with the occasional script hiccups that come with having a child character. (Emjay Anthony’s child character was awesome by the way) The only real conflict I can see in the story seems to be main characters own insecurities which are ultimately solved by his refusing to be reluctant and willing to give things a try.

This movie is about giving its audience a good time and if you haven’t seen it yet I recommend you give it a shot.

((By the way can someone explain to me why the movie is rated R aside from using bad language? There is no sexually explicit content and there is no horrific violence. At this point I think an R rating just means, "might Resemble Real life."))

Just saw "Jersey Boys"

If you like movies like “Dreamgirls”, “Cadillac Records”, and/or the music of the “Four Seasons” you’ll probably like this. I sorta did.

It’s very difficult to judge a movie like this because biographies don’t follow the typical nature of a movie arc. Movies like this are basically great drama sections with musical stage numbers separating them. The one unique element in this movie is that rather than using voice over to tell the story the different characters break the fourth wall to the audience with their own perspectives. That was nice change of pace I thought.

This movie was informative with great acting, but when I watched the end and saw Christopher Walken in what can be best described as a singing and dancing curtain call I though to myself, “I need to watch “Hairspray” form 2007 again for something more upbeat.”

Movie Review: How to Train Your Dragon 2

My personal review of How to Train Your Dragon 2

What should I review next?

Movie Review: The Lego Movie

My personal review of The Lego Movie.
What should I review next?