Romantic comedy junkies are in for a treat. As a Bullock fan I couldn't resist the sneak preview of The Proposal. Even after the first five minutes of the film were soundless due to technical issues in my theater, I have to say it's one of the best films romantic comedies I've seen in quite some time.
Ryan Reynolds doesn't need words to act, his eyes and facial expressions make his thoughts loud and clear. Are there more expressive eyes in Hollywood? And sarcasm, oh, there is plenty of sarcasm from both main characters. Nobody does psycho/prickly/vulnerable like Sandra Bullock. Anyone who loved While You Were Sleeping and Two Weeks Notice is going to find similar flavors of fun and fire in The Proposal.
The story is quirky and odd enough that I smirked through much of the plot as it unfolded. You can't have romantic comedy without some predictability, but it was a joy to watch. Oscar Nunez (The Office) played multiple scenes and one left me laughing until I squirmed. If you can't stomach the thought of Oscar dancing in a Speedo, you might want to wait for the DVD version so you can skip it. A semi-nude scene with Bullock and Reynolds, along with the Speedo dance make it iffy for kids, as does a smattering of off-color comments and a bit of language. The semi-nude scene runs in the previews I've seen, but there are a few prolonged moments with Bullock covering up but showing lots of skin and a side view of a collision that make it longer in the movie. Betty White looks great and plays a grandma with a special connection to Mother Earth. The scenery is breathtaking.
Overall, though not perfect, this is a movie worth the few hours and the full-price movie ticket investment. A charming, fun, summer evening movie.
WARNING: Before you click on the link below.... The clip is great but the website is written on the corner of the screen. Website name is: crazys---.com. I looked for another version but didn't find one without the "brand." So, you've been warned. : ) Click HERE.
I had it all backwards. The main thing was not my love for God, but his love for me. And from that love I respond to God as one deeply flawed, yet loved. I’m not looking to prove my worth. I’m not searching for acceptance. I’m living out of the worth God already declares I have. I’m embracing his view of me and in the process discovering the person he created me to be.
In Eyes Wide Open, Jud Wilhite invites you to discover the real you. Not the you who pretends to be perfect to satisfy everyone’s expectations. Not the you who always feels guilty before God. Not the you who secretly feels God forgives everyone else but only tolerates you. Not the you who looks in the mirror and sees a failure. The real you, loved and forgiven by God, living out of your identity in Christ.
A travel guide through real spirituality from one incomplete person to another, Eyes Wide Open is a book of stories about following God in the messes of life, about broken pasts and our lifelong need for grace. It is a book about seeing ourselves and God with new eyes–eyes wide open to a God of love.
My Review:
Eyes Wide Open ended up containing more content than I expected. Not for the steeped in church doctrine crowd, but a solid little resource for brand new baby Christians or seekers. Similar in content to Purpose Driven Life but geared more toward those who don't quite know how all this Christian stuff is supposed to play out, Eyes Wide Open is full of anecdotal stories and examples from Jud Wilhite's life, town and various friends.
Written conversationally and with plenty of contemporary language and slang, it's lacking Christianese. It begins with the assurance that God loves us, to our new creatureship in Christ, to the assurance that we are designed to be unique beings with created purposes, to our response to all of this truth. This 180 page quick read would be a very good resource for a small fellowship group study/discussion and it would lend itself to a mentoring/discipling relationship. No discussion questions are presented but some could easily be put together. There are four sections and twenty-one chapters which could be adapted into a month long study with homework.
Ode to Sultry Summer Walks on Delightful Walking Paths.
Recite with the cadence of The House That Jack Built. If you don't know what I'm talkin about or smokin then just move on, it only goes downhill from here. This is the path that the state built...
There are concrete and concrete blend products in Iowa...on and near the path that the state built.
The sunlight on the path that the state built makes for lovely walks.
The dogs, Lily blue, Lola pink, on the grass that the state planted make use of said grass for unmentionable purposes.
The sights and smells and sounds on the path that the state built are mostly pleasant...birds singing, wildflowers blooming, traffic humming, grass growing. Unless an unmentionable thing left near the path or on the grass that the state built and/or planted rides in a recycled plastic bag dangling at my side.
Hope you enjoyed your guided tour of the path that the state built.
Book: The Disappearance of God Author: Dr. R. Albert Mohler
Book Summary:
More faulty information about God swirls around us today than ever before. No wonder so many followers of Christ are unsure of what they really believe in the face of the new spiritual openness attempting to alter unchanging truth.
For centuries the church has taught and guarded the core Christian beliefs that make up the essential foundations of the faith. But in our postmodern age, sloppy teaching and outright lies create rampant confusion, and many Christians are free-falling for “feel-good” theology.
We need to know the truth to save ourselves from errors that will derail our faith.
As biblical scholar, author, and president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Dr. Albert Mohler, writes, “The entire structure of Christian truth is now under attack.” With wit and wisdom he tackles the most important aspects of these modern issues:
Is God changing His mind about sin? Why is hell off limits for many pastors? What’s good or bad about the “dangerous” emergent movement? Have Christians stopped seeing God as God? Is the social justice movement misguided? Could the role of beauty be critical to our theology? Is liberal faith any less destructive than atheism? Are churches pandering to their members to survive?
In the age-old battle to preserve the foundations of faith, it's up to a new generation to confront and disarm the contemporary shams and fight for the truth. Dr. Mohler provides the scriptural answers to show you how.
My Review:
My faith is simple. I can often see both sides of an argument and even though there is usually one side I support strongly, I do tend to try to be the peacemaker. So, why am I drawn to deeper looks at some of the most explosive issues that divide those who share my faith? Because I don't want to crush any growth that God's got in store for me or stifle any truth that God would want to give to me.
I've not read Albert Mohler before. The title, The Disappearance of God, intrigued me though the struggles within the Christian denominations and generations exhaust me. I tend to get frustrated when the biting and snarling ends up defeating the whole point of telling people that God so loved the world...because those who define Jesus by His followers don't really have an interest in what any of us are saying when we can't stop the snarking long enough to get it said. The fight within is not attractive in the least. And that is tragic.
However, being informed, defining beliefs, discussing the issues behind the issues make sense to me. Mohler, though a theologian with theological terms and teacher delivery, cuts through the issues and boils it down into a common sense opportunity to see the forest in spite of the trees.
Someone who hasn't spent time in church, or is clueless to what the word doctrine even means may struggle with wanting to go beyond the first few pages. But the rest of us who've been around for awhile, hung out at the doctrinal water cooler, kicked around the usual debates over baptism and eternal security could benefit from Mohler's cut to the issue teaching. Beginning with the idea of an emergency room triage team, Mohler divides the struggles within the Christian faith into those that are non-negotiable life and death, the category of dividing but not deadly, and then the minor irritations that may take nothing more than the balm of human respect to clear up.
If you are curious about the beliefs of the Emergent church, the God is ALL love teaching, the bottom line of who Jesus was and is, you could benefit quite a bit from picking up this information packed look at those questions and more. Mohler is respectful and generally quotes from published and public statements. You may not like what you read, may not agree, but Mohler goes on to recommend other books and quotes from many others.
Back to the emergency room analogy. I feel like Mohler checked my ears for wax and shined bright lights in my eyes and made sure all my senses were synchronized.
I'm suffering from too little time and too many good books syndrome.
Sigh. I've been reading my little brains out. (Wide open, insert snarky comment here.) But, I'm just not quick enough to get everything done in a timely manner.
So, thanks to friends, I can post info about Never the Bride stating that I will read and review it, but that pressure is off because Nora did read and review it and did a fine job of making me want to read it even more. Whew.
Rene Gutteridge has visited the Dregs before. So click away. I'll return to cyberspace with a review...soon.
Summary:
Jessie Stone has spent thirty-five years fantasizing about marriage proposals, wedding dresses, and falling in love. She’s been a bridesmaid eleven times, waved dozens of couples off to sunny honeymoons, and shopped in more department stores for half-price fondue pots than she cares to remember.
But shopping in the love-of-her-life department hasn't been quite as productive. The man she thought she would marry cheated on her. The crush she has on her best friend Blake is at very best…well, crushing. And speed dating has only churned out memorable horror stories.
So when God shows up one day, in the flesh, and becomes a walking, talking part of her life, Jessie is skeptical. What will it take to convince her that God has a better love story than one of the thousands she’s cooked up in her journals? Will she trust Him with her pen when it appears her dreams of being the bride are forever lost?
A romantic comedy with a spiritual twist, Never the Bride is what it means to lose control—and getting more than any woman could ever imagine.
Author Bios:
Cheryl McKay is the co-author (with Frank Peretti) of the Wild and Wacky, Totally True Bible Stories series, which has sold nearly 200,000 copies, and the screenwriter of the award-winning film The Ultimate Gift. Rene Gutteridge has published thirteen novels including Ghost Writer, My Life as a Doormat, the Boo Series, the Occupational Hazards Series, and the Storm Series. Together, McKay and Gutteridge are the authors of The Ultimate Gift, a novelization based on the feature film and popular book by the same title.
I had no intention of seeing this flick. My daughter, who spent a few years as a nanny, didn't care for it. And I didn't know what to expect. But at the video store, with coupon in hand and slim pickings, I rented it.
I ended up being charmed by the unique quirkiness of this film. Nanny Diaries includes a hint of Mary Poppins along with a museum-type look at family norms and not so norms throughout the movie. This film has elements of terrible sadness and that is why my daughter didn't like it. The viewer gets to see the inside of a very unhealthy family. Annie (Johannson) doesn't come from much healthier stock with a mom who is over-bearing and hard to please and a father who is a non-figure in her life.
Annie hits her crossroad moment when a potential new employer asks her who she is. Annie discovers who she is by her short time as a nanny.
I was impressed with the total lack of on-screen sexuality. Annie has a behind closed doors moment with a kissing scene leading up to it and Mr. X is in two compromising situations that mostly play out off camera. One or two F-Bombs and a smattering of the usual curse words give it the PG-13.
I was pleased with the ending and overall really liked this film. The acting is very good, Giamatti was very easy to despise and Linney played her role as vulnerable selfish socialite flawlessly.
My Review:
