Change Your Image
zoemorn
Reviews
The Very First Noel (2006)
Overall charming and sincere shines through this underrated little show
So this precious little show is the original title of what has been since reissued as "The Three Wise Men" in 2020 and is available on Amazon. Highly encourage purchasing this to support and encourage the creators and current owners ( i have no relationship, just have a lot of love for this little show).
Originally by Exclaim Entertainment, Andy Griffith stars and narrates as one of the wise men.
So what is so great about it? Maybe it looks like a 'too cutesy' or underwhelming kids program. Sure it has a very traditional take on the Nativity story. Sure it has Andy Griffith's warm southern voice that may be 'too southern' for some tastes but is appreciated by others. Just don't let that put you off from the important and subtle details throughout this film.
If your heart and mind is familiar with the Biblical narrative, and familiar with the setting and all that took place in that history, you will find wonderfully sincere nuances throughout the show. And it is all those little details, little precious nods, glances, and moments that make this show worth repeated watches.
The music is fresh even by today's standards. And it is 'fresh' in a good way. The animation is cute, warm and inviting.
I really think it is a film that can touch people, particularly if you already have some inclination and love for the story. If not, what it presents may be lost.
The Chosen (2017)
Impacting, relevant, fresh, personable, relatable...
I didn't go into this series necessarily expecting much. Trying to relay experiences of Faith, experiences with God, experiences with the spiritual, the emotional, such nuances can be hard to materialize effectively for a show. This isn't the Old Testament (in general, there are some flashbacks) so you don't have "pillars of fire" and "Ark of the Covenant" to display. In this series what you have are relationships, and the impact of coming into contact with the greatest figure in history (whether you believe that He is or not).
So even if you don't identify with the history & setting that this show is about, or that you THINK it is about, the show is still worth watching as it provides interesting drama around relationships, struggle, and people arising from turmoil in a time of peril.
The first episode is a slow build-up, so give it time to simmer until the end of the episode. The rest of the episode have a much more flowing pace.
The show is good for all ages, (and being a parent, i don't say that lightly). And to that end, i recommend it for the whole family particularly if you care to stir up some interest in this topic and setting. Remember you CAN watch this even if you don't identify AT ALL with the synopsis. And you may well be surprised. I would hope it may be interesting if at least from a historical and relational perspective. The series aims to bring a fresh relatable Jesus down to a personal perspective, to get Him out of the clouds to the dusty road that we all walk so we can look Him in the eye and see for ourselves, what He is all about.
This isn't a 'surfer Jesus' and He isn't distant or stoic. This isn't a 'hallmark' or 'Kirk Cameron' kinda 'Christian' show. (no offense to hallmark or Kirk Cameron) This just isn't that vibe. This has a kind of grassroots authenticity, which is poetic as it was a crowdfunded project, in fact at the time it was the LARGEST crowdfunded project. That means folks from all over the world were contributing to this project without even having seen the first episode. And now after it has been out, multitudes are STILL crowdfunding, hungry for more. So give it a chance as something different at least. You may be surprised like i was.
To those that are concerned or overly critical about whether details match the written Word.. hey i get it, i tend to be a purist. But every movie or tv project is gonna take some creative license, i mean the point of this show was to dig into some of these people's lives that we frankly don't have a lot of detail on anyway.. which wasn't the point of the Bible. So of course there's gonna be speculation, there's gonna be imagination employed. But was the outcome disagreeable with the 'message' of the Bible. That certainly wasn't the creators' desire which is pointedly obvious when watching the behind the scenes content and hearing the director talk. The show isn't meant to be a dramatized documentary of the Bible, that simply wasn't their aim.
If you go in with the desire to hate it, well i'm not sure why you bother... not a very fun way to live life. But if you feel like you have a lot of 'hate' in your life, give this a chance, watch at least a few episodes. The show is coming to us during a time when the peoples are tense, angry, hurt, and spewing hate.. this show is totally counter to that, this show is like a balm for that hate.
I sincerely hope you'll give it a chance to speak to you.
Lady in the Water (2006)
Lady swims but may be too slow for some
Without giving anything away, I felt that Lady in the Water was fine. This statement sounds, as it should, like a response to many around me who felt it was not fine, many stated it was the worst that Shyamalan has done. I am a fan of his films thus far and was excited when hearing about this one. Perhaps his earlier successes lead up to some feeling like Lady didn't cause them to react as much. Shyamalan is well know for his style of movie-story telling using twists, turns and subtleties to detail his suspenseful work. Really, I found that he basically adhered to his normal style but it didn't seem to hold the impact its predecessors. The speed of the movie felt slow, similar to "Unbreakable." The storyline is based on a bedtime story that Shyamalan would tell his kids, which you'll find out in the DVD Extra's but I almost enjoyed the setting of the storyline better than how it was setup in the movie.
Overall, a decent movie at least worth a movie rental. Perhaps some felt like the movie didn't contain twists that were as potent as previous movies, seemingly substandard to Shyamalan's previous attempts at fooling the audience.Also, many I've talked with didn't appreciate the nature and level of role that he wrote himself into. In past films, it seemed novel like an easter egg for there to be Shyamalan having a cameo somewhere in the film- people enjoyed noticing or hunting for him. In Lady, he has a major role (as a great writer no less)- and this seemed a little haughty whether intentional or not. But still, an interesting fantasy with humble characters- at least worth a look.
Crank (2006)
Crank only achieved with its soundtrack
After suffering this film I felt like I needed a shower, no, make that a delousing. Mundane and useless garbage (gratuitous language,sex,drugs,violence) abounds in a futile attempt to create edge or shock value.Much like trying to douse a crappy cut of meat with a bunch of sauce, but sadly for Statham, your still eating a crappy cut of meat. The sauce itself is garbage though, so you have a big heaping pile of garbage (sauce) on a big heaping pile of garbage (the dialog,acting,plot). The end product was supposed to have been this edgy, fast action movie boiling over with intense excitement. But they should have thrown in a 6pack of your favorite energy drink with the movie rental because it was anything but. The movie DID have a few moments that were entertaining (thus the 2 rating and not the 1 I meant to give), but they were like a few sprinkles of tasty seasoning amidst the nasty sauce and steak. The only goal that the movie seemed to achieve was to manufacture a movie that is hopefully crude and obscene to most, and the obscenity didn't add enough to the plot line, in other words I didn't feel that it was necessary for the overall story.
Statham needs to do more Transporter type of films. His character never really gains your respect or concern throughout the film as he seems just as vile as his enemies with no redeeming attributes. Amy needs to get "smart" (sorry) and work on her skills like in The Butterfly Effect and hopefully Peaceful Warrior.