Jonathan's blog

After opening presents Christmas morning, we went to see The Blind Side (2009,PG-13).  From ScreenIt!:

A confident woman and her Southern family take in a poor and undereducated teen, give him the home life he never had, and help him hone his football skills that make him a top college prospect.

The scenes in the projects of Memphis reminded me of the times Lisa and I visited similar places in Knoxville to bring kids to church.  Although I think some of the film’s critics make valid points, (as I mentioned before) I’m a sucker for inspiring sports movies and themes of racial reconciliation.

I give it 5 out of 5.

A few weeks back Elliot brought Call It Courage (1941) by Armstrong Sperry home from school to read.  From Wikipedia:

Call It Courage is a coming of age story set in the Pacific Islands. It chronicles the journey of Mafatu, the son of the chief of Hikueru Island. Mafatu is afraid of the sea due to witnessing his mother drown as a young child, which makes him a shame to his father, and a coward among his tribe. One night Mafatu takes a dugout canoe and sets sail into the ocean without knowing where he will end up.

Elliot loved it which sparked interest in Finn.  I checked out the book on cd from the library for Finn and me.  Finn loved it too (calling it one of the best he’s ever read).  It’s got plenty to engage a little boy’s imagination: battling sharks and wild boars, fleeing “eaters of men,” etc.

A few weeks back we watched Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981,PG) for family movie night.  I’m sure I’d seen it before, but it was interesting because it felt more like it was familiar more from clips I’d seen, video games as a kid, and the show at Universal Studios theme park.  The kids enjoyed it.  I was kind of surprised that it didn’t seem to spook Finn.  Hopefully it was the first time they’ve seen exploding bodies. :-) 

I give it 4 out of 5.

I recently watched The Upside of Anger (2005,R).  From ScreenIt!:

A woman tries to deal with her anger regarding her husband who's disappeared and left her alone to raise their daughters whose actions and decisions challenge her in various ways.

It was fine but nothing special.  I suspect the fairer sex would relate more to the relationships between the sisters and with their mom.

I give it 3 out of 5.

I recently watched The Village (2004,PG-13).  From ScreenIt!:

Old-fashioned members of an isolated and simple village must contend with what appear to be incursions of monsters from an adjacent forest.

I know this one wasn’t critically-acclaimed, but I generally enjoy Shyamalan’s films including this one.

I give it 4 out of 5.