Today's selections are from movies that have inspired me
1. The Prince of Egypt- (1998) voices by Val Kilmer, Ralph Fiennes, Michelle Pfeiffer, Sandra Bullock and more. This is the classic story of the baby Moses who is found by Pharoah's daughter and adopted into the royal family. He grows up to find out he was born a Jew, fleas into the desert because he caused the death of an Egyptian, and is called by God to be a prophet to lead his people out of slavery. I feel a true sense of awe when I watch this. I loved the burning bush sequence and a new look at the huge task Moses was given to do with God as his guide and support is a bit mind boggling. This movie helped remind me of being able to accept that life isn't always what we thought it would be and that sometimes we are meant for much bigger things that we could have ever imagined.
2. Field of Dreams- (1989) Kevin Costner, James Earl Jones, Amy Madigan and Ray Liotta. An Iowa farmer follows a voice he hears in his cornfield to mow down part of his crop in order to build a baseball field so that Shoeless Joe Jackson, a dead baseball player, will come has comedy and drama and somehow moves the soul. Through Ray's journey, he deals with everyone thinking he is crazy, baseball players only he and his family can see, loss of income and near foreclosure of his farm, kidnapping a cranky former peace activist and his ongoing conflicted feelings about his relationship with his late father. This movie inspires me to be willing to take risks sometimes, even if you can't see the end result and that sometimes the journey you think you're on takes you somewhere completely unexpected, but worth all the effort.
3. Tuck Everlasting- (2002) Alexis Bledel, William Hurt, Sissy Space, Jonathan Jackson and Ben Kingsley. Winnie Foster, wanting to escape the restrictions of her mother hides in the woods and meets Jesse Tuck, a boy her age who's family has a huge secret. Many years ago the Tuck family came to the area to settle there. Stopping to drink from a certain stream, they later found that they were impervious to harm, disease and even aging as an effect of the spring water. Now they are immortal and must keep it a secret from all the world. Winnie becomes close friends and learns about them. Now her parents think she's been kidnapped because she never returned from the woods and Winnie must make a choice. Does she want eternal life or not? I love that this movie shows the downsides of one of man's deepest desires: to live forever. I agree with Winnie's decision in the end and hope I'd make the same choice.
4. Pay It Forward- (2000) Kevin Spacey, Helen Hunt, Haley Joel Osment and Jay Mohr. One dark night a journalist is given a new car by a complete stranger. He is baffled by this act of generosity in a time of need and decides to research the motives of this man for a story. He traces it back to a middle school boy named Trevor who in response to a challenge by his favorite teacher, thinks of a way to positively change the world. His plan is to 'pay it forward'. He chooses 3 people and does one act of kindness for each of them. It must be something they cannot do for themselves and they must promise, in turn, to pay it forward and choose 3 people each to help. To be reminded that the positive acts we do are sometimes much farther reaching than we could ever see is something to think on; so too is the knowledge that even though sometimes we never see the effect we have on other people, that doesn't mean we didn't make a difference in their lives.
5. Saints and Soldiers- (2003) Corbin Allred, Alexander Polinsky and Kirby Heyborne. It's based on a true story about a band of American WW2 soldiers who escape execution and are stuck behind enemy lines when they meet a British soldier who has important and crucial information to the war effort. They decide to help him and the information to safety and so doing risk their lives in the process. I like war movies, though I can't watch them often and this is my favorite; they tend to have a high emotional impact since the situation they are in leads to profound thoughts about life and the existence of the human soul. There are some things that these soldiers find worth dying for.
6. Amazing Grace- (2006) Ioan Gruffudd, Romola Garai, Albert Finney and Benedict Cumberbatch. The well known song 'Amazing Grace' was written by John Newton, a man who gave up being a slave trader, repented of his sins and became a clergyman. William Wilberforce, who knew this man, is the subject of this film. Based on Wilberforce's true life tireless and seemingly never-ending efforts which finally led to the abolishing of slavery in England, this film details his long journey and I love seeing the sacrificial efforts he went to and the bold, subtle and clever approaches he used to eventually achieve his goal. This movie leaves me with a strong desire to do the right thing, even though it may be very difficult and take a long time.
7. Finding Neverland- (2004) Johnny Depp, Kate Winslet, Julie Christie and Freddie Highmore. Playwright James M. Barrie has yet another bad review for his latest play. Then one day while in the park he meets Mrs. Sylvia Llewelyn Davies and her boys and dog. He befriends the widow and her family, much to the chagrin of both her mother and his wife. He finds inspiration in the children, especially Peter, who is unfriendly and reluctant to care for anyone new after the death of his father. But slowly Peter comes out of his shell and Barrie finds himself thinking of a new play, something that makes his producer very nervous. It's about a boy who doesn't want to grow up and includes pirates, fairies, lost boys and mermaids. In creating what will later be one of the most beloved tales of our time, Peter Pan, he and the Davies family are changed in ways they did not expect. I love that this movie shows sadness; that not everything may work out the way you want in the end, but still there is hope and inspiration and peace in taking care of those you love.
8. The Five People You Meet In Heaven- (2004) Jon Voight, Ellen Burstyn and Jeff Daniels. Based on Mitch Albom's book by the same name this movie is unique in that it takes place almost entirely in the afterlife. Eddie works at Ruby Pier. He'd been there his whole life. One day a ride breaks down and in order to save a little girl, Eddie throws himself in the way and dies. He is greeted in the afterlife by 5 people who had different roles in his life. Some of them he knew well, some he didn't know at all. Their job is to help him understand his life better. One by one, and step by step they take him through his life. Not knowing the complete story about those who changed his life or those who's life he unknowingly affected helps Eddie gain perspective and learn to forgive and accept that though his life didn't turn out how he wanted it to, it turned out exactly as it should have.
9. A Walk to Remember- (2002) Shane West and Mandy Moore. Landon Carter is good looking and popular. Jamie Sullivan is a self-assured preacher's daughter. They're as different as night and day. But when Landon messes up and ends up being forced into the spring musical, he and Jamie are thrown together. The more he gets to know her, the more Landon notices how extraordinary she is and does anything he can to spend more time with her, even be ostracized by his old friends. Jamie makes him see himself in a new light and he now believes he can do anything he puts his mind to. But there are tough times still ahead for the couple. Jamie's sick and now they wonder how much time they have left to spend together. I love this movie because it reminds me of the people in my own life who I want to be like because they are good and bring out the best in me. I also love Jamie's constant faith, even when the hard questions of life go unanswered.
10. Forever Strong- (2008) Gary Cole, Sean Astin, Sean Faris. Based on the collected stories of real life rugby coach Larry Gelwix, Forever Strong is the story of a young man heading for trouble. Rick is the son of one of the best rugby coaches in the country and never passes up a chance to have a good time. One night while drunk there's a car accident and his girlfriend is hurt. As punishment he is sent to a juvenile detention facility. There he meets Marcus, a past rugby player who runs the facility and was an inmate once upon a time as well. Marcus sees something in Rick and recommends him to play rugby on Rick's father's rival team in order to lower his sentence. He grudgingly accepts and the decision is one that changes his life. His new coach is completely different than anyone he's ever met. In addition to strenuous practices, the team donates their time to help people. They also have very strict rules on behavior that's considered acceptable. Though these restrictions first chafe at Rick, he slowly comes to see a new way of life in the fellowship of good teammates and the guidance of a coach who cares about the success of each of his players, both on and off the field.
11. Soul Surfer- (2011) AnnaSophia Robb, Dennis Quaid, Helen Hunt. Bethany is a competitive surfer and a Christian. She has spent her life in Hawaii on the beaches, perfecting her talent which is encouraged by her surfer parents. Unexpectedly, one day Bethany is attacked by a shark and loses an arm. The story of her recovery and her journey to learn to do things again, including surf, minus one limb is at times heart wrenching and inspiring. I related to a confused and saddened Bethany asking her church leader, "This is what God wants for my life?" But her determination and faith win out and she is able to appreciate what good she can do, with her renewed faith.
12. Courageous- (2011) Alex Kendrick, Ben Davies, Ken Bevel- The tagline for this movie says it all, "Honor begins at home". This is the story of 5 men, 4 of which are police officers and their devotion to their families. Adam Mitchell is a good man but like many fathers he sometimes doesn't make as much time for his kids as he should. That changes the day his young daughter is killed by a drunk driver in a car accident. As he strives to come to terms with his grief, he realizes that he needs to be a better dad to the son he still has alive. He makes a pact which contains all the promises he wants to make to become a better father and spiritual leader in his home. His friends also decide to take this challenge seriously, each of them having their own challenges with fatherhood. I was amazed to find a movie that puts so much emphasis on the role of the father in a child's life. This is a very touching story. Bring your tissues.
13. Charly- (2002) Jeremy Elliott, Heather Beers. Charly is a vibrant and bold young woman who comes to visit Utah and her parents who just moved here. Sam is a religiously observant and anal young man who is assigned by his father to show her around town. Unbelievably, though they get on each others nerves at first, they end up falling in love. But Charly is not of Sam's faith. She learns about God and forever from him and he learns about how to let loose and have fun from her. They marry and have a child. Then they learn that she has cancer. Will their faith be enough to sustain them through the separation of death? I bawl at this movie every time I see it. The ability of love life for what it really is can be priceless. And to be able to step back and look at the bigger picture, that existence extends beyond this life and to have faith that all will be will in the end is a true challenge, but one that can sustain us through anything.
0 comments:
Post a Comment