"Shadowlands" 1993 Movie Review

Pain is unavoidable. For anyone, even a child, who wasn't allowed dessert that night. Now, that may not seem like a big deal, but to a child, not having ones dessert could truly cause grief. However, have truly loved the Narnia books by Clive Staples Lewis since I was 7. I have a memory of staying up late in bed, reading the last few chapters of "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" before seeing the movie the next day. Little did I know of C. S. Lewis' (Jack) personal life. He was a very reserved man as is shown here, and he doesn't have much of a life outside of teaching and writing. That is, until he meets Joy Gresham, an American woman living a hard life with her abusive husband and young son. Jack takes them in and for the first time, begins to love like he never thought he could. There is much more to this film than what meets the eye. It it is a story of compassion, love, loss, grief, and faith. As a Christian, it is wonderful to see a film with such deep and moral messages that revolve and even feel aimed, at me specifically. Anthony Hopkins does a magnificent job in portraying the famous and troubled writer. This is a movie worth watching again and again.

10/10

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"What's Eating Gilbert Grape" Movie Review

Notice that the title of this film does not end with a question mark. It is not a thriller or a mystery; it is simply a visual description of the problems affecting a family with problems. The movie follows the daily life of an unhappy young man by the name of Gilbert who is dealing with caring for an autistic younger brother and a morbidly obese mother. This is a film that I believe everyone should see because it gives you a must greater respect for obese people and for caretakers in general. The acting is top-notch with an exceptional performance by Leonardo DiCaprio as the autistic boy. When everything comes together, what you get is a sad and moving experience.

9/10

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"Mrs. Doubtfire" Movie Review

Dear children of the world,
Why hello! My name is Euphegenia Doubtfire, dears, and I am very happy to be here today and to tell you about my movie. It all starts with a man by the name of Daniel Hillard. He and his wife, Miranda, were blessed with three wonderful children, like all of you. But their parents didn't get along, dears, and they had to separate  It was a very sad day for everyone. Daniel could not be without his children and soon after he was transformed into a housekeeper, me, Mrs. Doubtfire. I tried my best to be the most loving housekeeper in the whole city of San Francisco! In this way, Daniel got to see his children every day. I hope you watch this glorious film that is hilarious and heartwarming at the very same time, dears. It goes to show a fathers devotion to his children and also that divorce can be a painful thing.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Doubtfire

9/10

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"Groundhog Day" Movie Review

What would you do if you had to relive the same day over and over? Would you go insane? Kill yourself? Fall in love? On one of Phil Conners least favorite days of the year, February 2, he reports the weather just like he does every other day. But somehow he makes it through the day with his sarcastic comments and bad-mannered nature, waiting for tomorrow; hoping it is better. But tomorrow never comes. This movie brings so much more to the table than one would expect. Bill Murray is perfect in the lead role who learns important lessons throughout. The fact this it is labeled as a comedy is one that I think is wrong; that is merely one of the qualities that it offers. It is hilarious, heart breaking, touching, and inspiring, all of which I would hope to see in a film. I loved it so much that I even want to put the song "I Got You Babe" as my alarm in the morning.

9/10

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"The Nightmare Before Christmas" Movie Review

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to combine the holidays of Christmas and Halloween? If so, Tim Burton answered it in 1993 with his release of "The Nightmare Before Christmas". The film opens in Halloweentown with shots of ghosts, skeletons, vampires, and witches. Jack Skellington is the pumpkin king and a highly respected citizen. He is lonely and sad, though, because he wants something more than scares and frights. When walking through a forest, he comes across a door that takes him to Christmasland and he instantly knows; this is what he has been looking for. What he decides to do is this: replace Santa this Christmas and put his own spin on things. To do it his own way. This movie, inspired by Tim Burton's poem, is enchanting to look at and the animation is unbelievable. However, don't be expecting a lot of Christmas cheer in this holiday story because it is lacking in that aspect. Also, being a Christian, I found the lack of any mention of the birth of Christ disappointing. However, Christmas is portrayed as something special, so much so that Jack can't even explain it to his friends. And that in itself shows that Christmas is not a regular holiday like any other. Jack's intentions also are good, for he wants to give and make people joyful. Though it is not perfect, I still think it is quite a good movie, primarily because of its creativeness and originality, both of which are qualities that always appeal to me. I also highly recommend reading the original poem or even better, listening to Christopher Lee read it with the animation and art from the movie. You can watch it on Blu-ray or DVD and I actually enjoyed it even more than the movie. I also found it on YouTube (I will provide the link below). The poem itself is available in a beautifully animated storybook that I will be sure to purchase.

8/10

Tim Burton's Original Poem read by Christopher Lee:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XbPCwc_Cdz0

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