The African Queen....another classic review

So apparently I just watched a classic movie...I was unaware until right before I viewed The African Queen (1951). This film won an Oscar (for Humphrey Bogart, best actor).

With today's standards, this film is nothing special. The dialogue has its moments, but also can be a little "eh". (The "eh" happens mostly at the beginning.) For its time the special effects were probably great, but now they can be a little painful. I could see the green screen quite well. I'm not going to knock this film for its effects, because the technology wasn't developed yet.

Humphrey Bogart's Charlie was the highlight of this film. His Oscar winning performance livened this film, gave it some character, and in my opinion, made this film enjoyable. Without him, I would probably have hated it.

With a little research by my fiance, I've figured out why this was a classic. There were 2 factors: (1) It was the first film truly filmed in Africa (the Congo to be exact) and (2) It is widely available throughout the world (the copy I watched had Chinese subtitles).

I wasn't really impressed with the music, all in all it was over-the-top, which made the movie funny when it wasn't supposed to be.

Although this is considered a classic, I hadn't heard of it before I watched it. That may or may not be my fault. I don't think it stands up to other classics that I've seen though...it is not really the most memorable film.

Eh... it is kind of hard to judge...

The African Queen runs 105 minutes and is was too old to be rated in the US (it was only "approved"). I give it 7 ramheads out of 10.

Short devotion: Psalm 57:10-11

Passage to consider:

Psalm 57:10-11 ¹⁰ For great is your love, reaching to the heavens;
your faithfulness reaches to the skies.

¹¹ Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;
let your glory be over all the earth.

How many people can you put your FULL confidence in? Not many, I’m sure. For me it is my parents and my fiancé.

But God is different. His faithfulness is so great it reaches “to the skies.” HE will never leave us; HE will always have our back. HE loves us.

David is writing this psalm while fleeing from Saul. David was afraid for his life. He knew his situation was grim, but he cried out to his God for help. He trusted in God’s love and faithfulness, and praised his God. “Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let your glory be over all the earth.”

We can have that same confidence in God’s love and faithfulness. We should praise his name.

So I'm part of this awesome thing....

I'm a member of a team involved in the Kapco Charitable Challenge. We have 20 days and $1000 to do something really cool for the community. The details of what we are doing are not quite here yet, but you can visit our website: www.projectripples.com or our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/projectripples or follow us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/projectripples. I'll let you know more soon, and for now just watch for updates on the website, facebook page, and twitter account!

One of those movie that you're embarrassed to watch with your mom...

About five minutes ago, I finished watching The Hangover (2009) for the first time. This movie wasn't the funniest movie I've seen, but it was one of the best written comedies. It is creative, not generic.

If you haven't seen it, here's a brief summary: 4 guys go to Vegas for a bachelor party, get really drunk/drugged, wake up with a lot of weird stuff, realize the groom is missing, and have to figure it out from there... It was really cleverly written. The acting was really good, especially from Zach Galifianakis (Alan). (You'll know him when you seem him.) There is quite a bit of language and one naked Chinese guy (Ken Jeong, Community), but all in all, this movie was hilarious.

This movie runs 100 minutes and is rated R. DO NOT show this to kids, it will screw them up. I give it 8 ramheads out of 10 for a creative screenplay and because it was really funny.

One of my favorite Christmas movies....

We all make choices, choices that decide our path in life and choices that define us. All of our choices define us. What if we could get a glimpse of what our life would be like if we chose otherwise? The Family Man (2000) explores what Jack Campbell's (Nicolas Cage) life would be like if he changed his mind in college. Jack gets the glimpse of a lifetime.

This film stresses priorities and choosing love over career. It is a wonderful, wholesome message wrapped in a humorous package. This film is brilliantly written and hits me right in the heart. I adore this film and will make a point of watching it every Christmastime.

The Family Man runs 126 minutes and is rate PG-13. Aside from some language (two words) this film is one that the whole family can watch. I give it 10 ramheads out of 10.