Sunday, December 12, 2010

The Chronicles of Narnia: Voyager of the Dawn Treader

Went to see the third installment of Chronicles of Narnia based on the C.S. Lewis series of the same name with my mother. Voyage of the Dawn Treader proves to be quite intense, and that was just the 2D version. I would not recommend the 3D version unless you can handle the excitement of 3D. 3D can cause headaches, motion sickness and other ill effects.

For parents with children who enjoy the series, I would not recommend this film for anyone under the age of 10 due to the extremely intense moments. 

The third installment finds Lucy and Edmond staying with a cousin, Eustace, while older siblings Susan and Peter are in America. Young Lucy finds herself envious of Susan as she does not believe that she is as pretty. Edmond tries to enter the army. And Eustace is just an impish child who despises his cousins.

In this latest installment, the entrance to Narnia is through a painting. We are re-acquainted with Caspian and Reepicheep as well as some other familiar characters. We are also introduced to the seven lords as the quest for the seven swords takes place in order to restore good to the world of Narnia. 

But restoring good to Narnia involves a lot of testing of everyone. Each person has his or her own test to pass in order to accomplish the task they have at hand. Each person has to resist the temptation that evil puts in their way as they pass their tests and face their fears and challenges.

We also see at the end just how much like God Aslan really is as he converts Eustace back into a human boy and gives Caspian a choice of whether or not to go to Aslan's country while we say good-bye to Reepicheep as he sails off to Aslan's country. For it is in this scene that we can draw the comparison that Aslan's country must be like Heaven. 

But alas, Lucy and Edmond are growing up and may not return to Narnia. But Eustace may be drawn back again. 

My favorite line from this film is from Reepicheep when he told Lucy, "We have nothing, if not belief."

Monday, November 1, 2010

2nd & Charles

Okay, so this is not exactly the typical media review since it is about a store, but it is about a store that deals with media, so technically, it is a media review.

In the Birmingham, AL area, we have a new store called 2nd & Charles, and let me just say, it is one of those kind of stores that not only can you literally get lost and absorbed in for several hours, but the first time I took in boxes of books for sale, my one and a half hours turned into three hours very quickly.

But thanks to 2nd & Charles, I am one CD shy of having EVERY Jump5 CD that had ever been released before the group called it quits because they were about to take different paths in life. Their self-titled debut album seems to be the ever-elusive one.

But during an age in which the other pop stars were Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera, I have to say Jump5 was one of the best alternative pop groups available during that time period. With songs like "All I Can Do," "Do Ya," and remixes of "God Bless the U.S.A.," "Celebrate," and "We Are Family," there are few people that would not like Jump5's music.

However, I veer slightly off topic.

2nd & Charles will buy back most any form of media. They offer store credit or cash. Store credit is almost double and can be used for any purchase in their store. Secondhand DVDs for $5.50, secondhand CDs for $3-$5 in most cases, books as inexpensive as $1, and even record albums. Some of the selections of records would be to-die-for for avid collectors of things like Elvis Presley, U2, and The Beatles. Or in my case, Jump5, Christmas music, Disney films, animal films, or avid book readers.

Too bad I could not find any Paddington Bear the last time I was there, but who knows? They are still relatively new, so maybe the next time I am there, I might find some.

Monday, October 25, 2010

Reflections on Disney's "A Christmas Carol"-Did the Ghosts of Christmas Past and Present Read the Bible? copied from Facebook Notes and My Thoughts on Life and Other Things

I hesitated on seeing YET another version of the same old tale. They're all the same. Boy, was I wrong! Disney did such a great job on the special effects, and that was just the 2D! But I dare not venture the 3D. I wish I could remember the exact lines, I was too enraptured by the special effects, but I plan to revisit the old classic book version at the end of the semester at any rate, but there were some lines spoken by the Ghosts of Christmas Past and Present that speak to the nature of mankind as sinners. I mean, you take the transformation of Scrooge. It correlates with the transformation of the believer. Perhaps the Ghosts in the Dickens' tale represent in some part that act of questioning, revelation, belief, faith, acceptance, repentance, and transformation which seem to pretty much describe the steps the new believer takes to get to the point of accepting Jesus. Or at least, it does me. Of course, the challenge is finding other believers who can help keep us steady. But it is an interesting thought.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jlk63UeRfCs&feature=related

Friday, October 22, 2010

Samantha Stays Safe by Clare Mishica

In Samantha Stays Safe by Clare Mishica, we find young Samantha in the store with her mother. Her mother, like all good parents, tells Samantha not to stray very far when Samantha realizes she left her teddy bear in another department of the store. When Samantha returns, she cannot find her mother and starts to panic. Then she calms down and asks for God's help. As though an answer to prayer, Samantha remembers what her mother taught her to do when she gets lost in a store and her mother and her are reunited.

This book reminds me of the fact that God never leaves us to our own resources no matter how far we stray from Him for He never really lets us out of His sight.

The recommended ages for this book are 3-7 but parents will probably love turning to this book to remind their children that they are never out of God's sight no matter how far they may stray.

Thursday, October 21, 2010

GMUASH

I ended up receiving a book with a rather intriguing title recently when I acquired a $5 kid's surprise box. It was filled with about $30 or more worth of items. This book stood out though.

It is green. It has animals on the front cover. We're talking alligators, rabbits, hippos, frogs and hogs to name a few. It is called Superhero Swamp. And it is by a man named John Trent, Ph.D.

In the book, all these different animals that ordinarily do not get along in the wild get along just fine in the swamp in Louisiana. That is until the day that the hippos decide not to share the swamp with the smaller animals. Somehow this leads to the alligators snapping at everything, the crabs getting bossy, the frogs getting annoying and the parrots repeating everything anyone says.

Then one day one of the rabbits is praying softly in the woods for God to help things return to the way they were. Suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere, a rabbit wearing a cape with GMUASH and mask appears. He calls himself the Superhero Superhero-maker. Instantly, upon putting on the different outfits GMUASH hands them, the animals become super nice again. That is until they realize that the superhero really is not a superhero after all.

The bottom line message though is that the outfits did not change the animals. Rather the outfits reminded them what they were like all along and just served to remind them of that. But before the story can end, one question has to arise. What does GMUASH stand for?

"God Makes Us All Super Heroes."

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Ramona and Beezus

One very anticipated family film dedicated to the dynamics of a relationship between a father and his middle daughter, Ramona and Beezus, starring Selena Gomez as big sister Beezus and Joey King as Ramona Quimby, comes from the Beverly Cleary series of books about Ramona Quimby and her sister Beezus and the dynamics of their relationship. The book, titled, Beezus and Ramona, was written back in the 1950s.

Beverly Cleary's Ramona series has obviously passed the test of time as generation after generation falls in love with the story of Ramona and her sister Beezus. Cleary has other series which includes the Ralph S. Mouse trilogy of which there were a series of films for as well.

Although the film version of the story had some significant differences from the original book by a similar name, it adequately portrayed the ever-changing Ramona as she learned how to interact better with friends and family. Ramona's keen imagination was one of the things that made this film enjoyable.

This film teaches that without imagination, life would be a bore.

I personally give it two thumbs up and can hardly wait until its DVD release later this year.

Welcome to the Media Review!

This is a welcome message to establish what this blog is about. Anything! Reviews of movies, DVDs, CDs, music, television shows, theater plays, concerts, books, websites, products, magazines, etc. And I want this blog to be a collaborative blog meaning that I don't want to be the only author on here. After all, one of the best ways for people to learn about media that they might be interested in and even like is through other people. Write on here as often or as little as you like. Send a copy to me if you want and I'll edit it and send it back for you to post. But this blog is not my blog. It's everyone's blog!

Only one rule: Keep it PG in language and no gluten free product reviews as I have a dedicated blog for that. I said one rule, but here's another: Keep it civil.