Ironically, I'm not a movie buff, but the last few I've watched a few with Paul lately were so good I want to recommend them.
By far, the best movie I've seen in a long, long time is "Bella." I'm not even sure what to say about it, because every time I start to write part of the plot, I feel like I'm going to give away the best parts. Let me just say it's about sacrificial love, family loyalty versus family splits, and the abiding joy of doing the right thing. We all needed Kleenex during this one--even the guys. When it was over, I went up to my room and had a really good, hard cry that no film since "The Hiding Place" has evoked from me. There was comic relief in it, don't worry, but the agape love I felt overwhelmed me. I don't remember any bad language (if there was, it obviously hasn't lingered in my mind) nor was there anything overtly sexual. It was clean enough to watch with my teens.
By far, the best movie I've seen in a long, long time is "Bella." I'm not even sure what to say about it, because every time I start to write part of the plot, I feel like I'm going to give away the best parts. Let me just say it's about sacrificial love, family loyalty versus family splits, and the abiding joy of doing the right thing. We all needed Kleenex during this one--even the guys. When it was over, I went up to my room and had a really good, hard cry that no film since "The Hiding Place" has evoked from me. There was comic relief in it, don't worry, but the agape love I felt overwhelmed me. I don't remember any bad language (if there was, it obviously hasn't lingered in my mind) nor was there anything overtly sexual. It was clean enough to watch with my teens.
Two thumbs way up.
Other good ones we've seen:
"Music Within"--based on the true story of a young man, Richard Pimentel, who loses his hearing in a bunker blast in Vietnam, but the injury forces him to learn to read lips and gives him selfless passion for the rights of the disabled. He befriends a brilliant young man in college
who has a sharp wit and severe CP. (No one else can understand him.) When they go to a restaurant for pancakes on the friend's birthday, a waitress tells him he is the ugliest, most disgusting thing she has ever seen and that they should leave since his very presence bothers the other customers. Yes, there actually was an Ugly Law on the books back in the 60s. I had never heard of it but was repulsed to discover such a thing. The two fight relentlessly for the reversal of this law and the making of the Americans with Disabilities Act. (The DVD has a section where Pimental himself gives a witty, intelligent testimony of his experiences that inspired the movie.)
Warning: As with all war movies, bad language is inherent. The guy with CP is pretty crude at times, and there are some sex scenes that could've been cut out. But this movie was so good, I want to see it again. That says a lot about it, let me tell ya! One and a half thumbs up.
Another good one is The Diving Bell and the Butterfly. Also based on a true story, it's about an editor of "Elle" magazine who has a sudden and rare kind of stroke that leaves him completely paralyzed. Not only paralyzed but--because of an eye surgery that he didn't have the voice to protest--he has vision only in one eye. He says the accident took everything from him except his imagination and memory. A very patient, loving, and attractive speech therapist teaches him to spell using blinks. She runs through letters (all in French) and when she says the one the word starts with, he blinks. He dictates letter by letter this way until he has written the book he had promised to write prior to the accident.
Warning: the first 15 minutes (or so it seemed) the camera view is that of what the patient himself sees. He's lying in a hospital bed, so the angles are upward. When the doctor sews his right eye shut, you see the sutures from inside the eye. Yes, gross and scary. When the doc leans close to his eye with a scope, you feel as if you are the patient himself. This movie made me very thankful for my health, my mobility, my family, for the ability to control facial muscles for expression. It convicted me of complaining about stupid stuff. It inspired me to chase my dreams with perseverance. Had the movie done a better job of introducing the main character, as opposed to relying on flashbacks, I would've been more emotionally connected to him. I shed a couple of tears, but didn't need tissues. To me, that means the movie gets just one and a half thumbs up.
Other good ones we've seen:
"Music Within"--based on the true story of a young man, Richard Pimentel, who loses his hearing in a bunker blast in Vietnam, but the injury forces him to learn to read lips and gives him selfless passion for the rights of the disabled. He befriends a brilliant young man in college
who has a sharp wit and severe CP. (No one else can understand him.) When they go to a restaurant for pancakes on the friend's birthday, a waitress tells him he is the ugliest, most disgusting thing she has ever seen and that they should leave since his very presence bothers the other customers. Yes, there actually was an Ugly Law on the books back in the 60s. I had never heard of it but was repulsed to discover such a thing. The two fight relentlessly for the reversal of this law and the making of the Americans with Disabilities Act. (The DVD has a section where Pimental himself gives a witty, intelligent testimony of his experiences that inspired the movie.)
Warning: As with all war movies, bad language is inherent. The guy with CP is pretty crude at times, and there are some sex scenes that could've been cut out. But this movie was so good, I want to see it again. That says a lot about it, let me tell ya! One and a half thumbs up.
Another good one is The Diving Bell and the Butterfly. Also based on a true story, it's about an editor of "Elle" magazine who has a sudden and rare kind of stroke that leaves him completely paralyzed. Not only paralyzed but--because of an eye surgery that he didn't have the voice to protest--he has vision only in one eye. He says the accident took everything from him except his imagination and memory. A very patient, loving, and attractive speech therapist teaches him to spell using blinks. She runs through letters (all in French) and when she says the one the word starts with, he blinks. He dictates letter by letter this way until he has written the book he had promised to write prior to the accident.
Warning: the first 15 minutes (or so it seemed) the camera view is that of what the patient himself sees. He's lying in a hospital bed, so the angles are upward. When the doctor sews his right eye shut, you see the sutures from inside the eye. Yes, gross and scary. When the doc leans close to his eye with a scope, you feel as if you are the patient himself. This movie made me very thankful for my health, my mobility, my family, for the ability to control facial muscles for expression. It convicted me of complaining about stupid stuff. It inspired me to chase my dreams with perseverance. Had the movie done a better job of introducing the main character, as opposed to relying on flashbacks, I would've been more emotionally connected to him. I shed a couple of tears, but didn't need tissues. To me, that means the movie gets just one and a half thumbs up.
We got these movies at either Redbox or the library.
2 comments:
Bella will probably be our next DVD rental pick. I've heard so many good things about it. The real life story about the main actor is also pretty cool!
We are always looking for good movie rec's. Thanks for these. I'll see if I can check them out at the library.
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