Archive for the 'real review' Category
March 28, 2007
The Pursuit of Happyness
Movie Review by Lydia Rule
Length: 117 minutes
Rating: PG-13
Starring: Will Smith, Jaden Smith, Thandie Newton, Brian Howe, James Karen, Dan Castellaneta, and Kurt Fuller.
Most people spend their lives collecting the Almighty dollar bill; for Christopher Gardner (played by Will Smith), just having a dollar would be nice. The Pursuit of Happyness is a poignant tale of a young father struggling to take care of his five-year old son after his marriage falls apart due to money problems. The movie balances tears and humor as Christopher frantically scrambles to a prominent internship for a broker firm dressed in paint-splattered clothes and a jacket that stubbornly won’t zip. In spite of his appearance, Christopher’s vibrant personality lands him the coveted internship.
However, there is one major hitch, the internship is a six-month program with no pay, and only the best intern will get a job at the end of those six months. With no money, Christopher is soon put out of his apartment, and he and his son are forced to spend the night in a subway bathroom. Against the odds, Christopher fights to make a better life for his family—even if that includes being chased by angry cab drivers and racing to work with a shoe missing.
The film gives an unflinching insight into the lives of those struggling to climb the American ladder of success from the bottom rung. It also portrays the bond between a father and son who hold on to each other while their world falls apart in unpredictable ways. The Pursuit of Happyness is a gripping film that will make you think about why you are happy, and what the true meaning of happiness is really all about.
The PG-13 rating of the film is due to some language, scenes of homelessness, and one scene between Christopher and his estranged wife. For these reasons, I would not recommend that young children see this movie. Overall, the film is well worth watching, and is perfect for a family with older teenagers.
Oh, and bring a tissue with you. If you’re like me, you’ll probably need one.
Bio: Lydia Rule has been published in NextStep magazine, The Torch, Aboite Independent, Long Story Short, Fundsforwriters, Acceleration, Around the Bloc,
CollegePlus, and Real Teen Faith. She is currently working on her fifth novel as
well as a variety of other writing projects.
Filed under: lydia rule, real review
Posted by T. Suzanne Eller @ 10:55 pm | Comments
March 14, 2007
One Night With The King
Length: 122 min
Rated: PG
Distributor: Gener8xion Entertainment
Release Date: 2006-10-13
Starring: Tiffany Dupont, Luke Goss, John Rys-Davies, Tommy Lister, Omar Shariff, James Callis, John Noble, Peter O’Toole
Directed by Michael O. Sajbel
Produced by Stephan Blinn, Richard J. Cook, Matthew Crouch
Written by Stephan Blinn; Mark Andrew Olsen and Tommy Tenney (novel)
Last night I watched One Night With The King. At first I wasn’t sure if I liked it. I felt it reminded me of too many plays that I had attended, complete with perfect, smiling people, camels, and a busy marketplace. I wanted to see the depth of emotions and the complexities that we all have. It was a slow start to a decent movie.
As the fi
lm unfolded I was drawn into the love story between King Xerxes and Esther, and appreciated Esther’s bravery in defying cultural traditions to save her people. Based on the novel “Hadassahâ€, the movie follows a young Jewish woman by that name (Tiffany Dupont) who lives in ancient imperial Persia during the reign of King Xerxes (Luke Goss).
Orphaned as a child, she has been raised by her kind, wise uncle Mordecai (John Rys-Davies) who works as a scribe in the king’s palace. Political turmoil in the King’s house forces him to cast aside his queen and launch an empire wide search for her replacement. Despite the fact that the Jewish people are at the bottom of the Persian totem pole, the beautiful Hadassah is conscripted into the king’s harem as a candidate to become queen. There she trains for her future queenly duties under the rough but encouraging eye of the intimidating royal eunuch Hagai (Tommy Lister). For her protection, Mordecai gives Hadassah a new name, Esther, and encourages her to keep her Jewish identity a secret.
After winning the king’s heart with her simple beauty and generous spirit, Esther is chosen as queen. Meanwhile Haman the Agagite (James Callis), who sports a 500 year-old blood grudge against the Jews, slowly connives his way up the Persian political food chain. When he gets close enough to the top, he spins a plot that pits the empire against the entire Jewish nation. It falls to Esther to save her people at the risk of her own life by revealing her true heritage to her husband king.
I believe this is an important film in that it puts faces and real-life dilemmas with the stories. It shows that issues like courage, love, hatred, betrayel have played out for generations.
I was surprised to see some errors, such as a “candidate” for the queen being hoisted on to a western side saddle, not yet invented at that time.
But it’s high story and it’s thought-provoking, and worth the time to watch.
RTF gives it 3 stars.
Filed under: real review
Posted by T. Suzanne Eller @ 11:37 am | Comments
March 6, 2007
Planet Wisdom is one of the hottest sites on the web with reviews, articles, forums, and more. Check out their review of Glamorous ” by Fergie featuring Ludacris.
This is an excerpt of Planet Wisdom’s take on Glamorous, reviewed by Krystal Burns.
She begins by painting a pretty picture of life in the fast lane, but says even though she “wear[s] them gold and diamond rings/ All them things don’t mean a thing.†She admits she’s dreamed of this kind of success since she was a little girl, but her dad warned her of the vices. Now she says, “I’ve got problems up to here/ I’ve got people in my ear/ Telling me these crazy things/ That I don’t want to hear.†The chorus, sung with Ludacris, implies the sort of shallow relationships that develop when built on money: “If you don’t have no money go home.â€
We’ve heard a gazillion times that money doesn’t buy happiness. We say it with our mouths, but in our hearts we’re sold on commercials and magazine ads that promise eternal bliss based the right look or latest gadget. Everything in the media seems to tell us you need money to be happy. And let’s be honest, buying things does provide a temporary happy-rush. But the same media that sells the rush also broadcasts the reality of the broken relationships, suicides, and drug-and-alcohol addictions of the rich and famous. Why aren’t they happy? Money is an illusion, and no amount of it will fill us up. Even Fergie, one the top female artists today, is warning that there’s a high price that comes with fame and fortune.
Read the rest of this review at Planet Wisdom.
Filed under: real review
Posted by T. Suzanne Eller @ 4:31 pm | Comments
February 19, 2007
Wow.
I don’t say that often about a book or DVD or resource for teens, but let me say it again: WOW.
I loved this fresh new product, but I loved the message more. Packed with a book that looks like a great magazine, a leader’s guide, and a DVD with Christian music artists, Jami Smith and Kelly Minter, and also several teen girls talk about what it means to tackle issues like modesty, girl politics, conformity, and lots more.
This isn’t preaching. It’s simply being very honest about the pressures you face, and offering great biblical advice on how to be your own person, but also His Girl.
Love, love, love this!
Suzie Eller
author to teens, and founder of Real Teen Faith
Filed under: T. Suzanne Eller, real review
Posted by T. Suzanne Eller @ 6:59 pm | Comments
January 8, 2007
Life changing.
It’s not a word I use very often about a movie, but Born Into Brothels is one of those movies that you think about long after you’ve seen it.
A woman travels to Calcutta as a professional photographer to capture life in the Red Light district. It’s a harsh reality as whole families — many of the dads addicted to drugs, the moms, grandmothers, and even young girls adopted as part of “the line”, another word for prostitution.
Once the photographer arrived she moved into the district. What captured her attention was the many children running around the district. She became friends with several, and she began to teach them how to capture the life around them through a photo lens.
What resulted was greater than anything she ever thought could happen. These children saw their life and the busy streets and harshness around them with an eye only a child could envision.
One class stretched into nearly two years. Kochi, one of the children forced to work from 
4 a.m. until 11 p.m. every night for her mother, grandmother, and the other women in the brothel area, became a true photographer. Others, like Puchi and Gour, scoured the streets looking for new angles, new photos, new ways to show life in Calcutta.
Three years later a documentary was shown to the world. The photos were launched in art galleries. When their “auntie” went back to the children three years later and told them that the sales of their photos would allow them to do whatever they wish — attend school in America, be a doctor. . . it was almost beyond the comprehension of the students.
This documentary is both beautiful and painful. There is some language (translated in print) that is harsh. A child is beaten before the cameras. But that is only a small part of what these children lived in, and it was real life for them.
Want to expand your horizons? Want to see how one person can literally change the lives of others? Want to see how dreams can turn into reality, no matter what the circumstances? Or how to love someone in ways that are creative and awesome?
This is a great documentary that will make you think, may you cry, make you laugh.
T. Suzanne Eller (Suzie)
Real Teen Faith
Filed under: real review
Posted by T. Suzanne Eller @ 2:31 pm | 1 Comment
September 8, 2006
From Flipswitch series - BUZZ
by Marcus Brotherton
Only 64 pages, but packed with graphics, quizzes, factoids, and. . .
TRUTH.
One half of the book is about the BUZZ of alcohol and drugs, then you flip it over and you get to read about the BUZZ of faith.
Here’s an excerpt from page 21.
You know it. When asked to choose your favorite TV commercial in a recent study of teenagers, television, and alcohol ads, more of you chose Budweiser than any other brand, including Pepsi, Nike, and Levis. This past year you saw more television ads for beer than gum, skin-care products, cookies and crackers, chips, nuts, popcorn and pretzels, sneakers, noncarbonated soft drinks, and jeans. (more…)
Filed under: real review
Posted by T. Suzanne Eller @ 8:38 am | Comments
August 3, 2006
Technical Virgin
How Far is Too Far?
by Hayley DiMarco
ISBN 0800730852
Revell
paperback, 160 pages
The best-selling author of Sexy Girls offers a cutting-edge book that gets very real about the myths of technical virginity.
What is technical virginity? It’s a loophole for people who want to have sex, but still remain a virgin.
It’s also a lie, one that has set teen girls back three generations as far as relationships, loves, and self-respect goes. (more…)
Filed under: real review
Posted by T. Suzanne Eller @ 10:20 am | 2 Comments
July 22, 2006
What marks and defines you?
Your social status?
Your family relationships?
Your career or ministry?
A transforming experience of joy or sorrow?
Some circumstances and events can permanently brand our lives. They are moments that reverberate within our souls and can deepen our character. They are marks of eternal significance.
Crystal Woodman Miller is a young woman whose life was forever changed by the tragic events at Columbine High School in 1999: seven eternal minutes that served as the ultimate wake-up call. And in the aftermath of tragedy, Crystal found herself at a crossroads of fear and faith. Marked for Life is the remarkable story of Crystal’s journey from suffering to healing; a journey filled with defining moments that challenge her to choose hope and faith over bitterness and despair.
Filed under: real review
Posted by T. Suzanne Eller @ 11:20 am | Comments
