These movies will change your life (or not)

Until five days ago, it had been several months since I'd seen a movie in a theater. But last week I saw two new films. The first one, "God's Not Dead," came highly recommended.

I knew it was in the theaters for a short time. So I picked the kids up from school one day last week and headed to a matinee. I'm not sure what I expected. Annie was convinced I was trying to orchestrate a conversion experience of some sorts. About 10 minutes into the movie, Charlie leaned over and whispered, "Mom, this is going to be one LONG movie." 

Why do Christian films have to be so bad? The acting was ok. The script was mostly heavy-handed and predictable. The bad guys were almost unbelievably jerkish. One thing that really bothered me about "God's Not Dead" was the negatively stereotypical portrayal of Muslims (controlling and violent) and Asians (defiant of God and singularly focused on success).

Annie said "That movie needed a comic relief." And she was right. Maybe that's what "God's Not Dead" needed -- to not take itself so seriously.  "Mom's Night Out," another Christian film I've had the chance to preview, got its point across without smacking the viewer upside the head with the Bible. 

Would I see "God's Not Dead" again? Probably not. Am I glad we went to see it? Yes. There was one particularly moving scene when a woman with dementia had a haunting moment of clarity. That scene was one of the things we talked about in the car on the way home. After I acknowledged the film's drawbacks, I asked the kids what they thought about the messages in the film. We talked about the old woman's assertion that sometimes the devil lulls us with an easy life so that we don't feel a need to turn toward God. Even the next morning on the way to school, Robbie brought up the movie and we had another discussion about things we had see on the screen. 

Did "God's Not Dead" change my life? No. But it might change yours. I've talked to several people who felt very moved by it. Maybe you will be one of them. 

The second movie I saw this week was "Farmland." This is a documentary, set to make an appearance in a limited number of theaters in May. The movie profiled six young farmers and spoke of their commitment to their family farms, their industry and to bringing food to America. It answered questions about corporation farming, pesticide use, organic farming and animal cruelty and raised questions about public policy and the future of agriculture in America.



Watching "Farmland" made me want to hug a farmer. Honestly. It also made me think about where our food comes from and where it will come from in the future. The average age of today's farmer is mid-60s. So who is going to run these farms and grow our food when those farmers retire or pass away?

"Farmland" also gave me an appreciation for the amount of work and faith that goes into farming. The planting, the watering, the tending, the praying for good weather, the harvesting. It negates the image of farmers as country bumpkins and showcases how intelligent -- book smart and field smart -- these people are.

I have to admit to having a long-held crush on farmers and the lives they lead, so maybe it was easy for me to find myself enamored of this film. That's a possibility. Did "Farmland" change my life? Hmmm...I'm not sure exactly, although it did make me think differently about where our food comes from and how that might (or might not) change in the future. Will it change yours? Maybe. Visit the Farmland website to watch the trailer (not shareable here) to see for yourself.

Late night fragments

Well, it's actually not that terribly late by my standards. Only 10:47pm. I'm just getting warmed up. Whether you're stopping by here late at night or early in the morning, welcome to Friday Fragments, hosted as always by Mrs. 4444s.

I bought a new pair of tennis shoes last week. I'm ashamed to say (but of course I'm going to say it) that I haven't been exercising because I lost one of my tennis shoes. And it's been gone for a LONG time. So last week, Mike and I rode up to Marshall's and bought a new pair for $30. The dog is happy about that. And I even went out walking on my lunch hour the other day. Good investment for sure.

We took Robbie to see Zookeeper, the movie, tonight. I got free passes from Gofobo. I smuggled in some fruit snacks and we were set for a cheap night at the theater. When we got there, we saw a poster advertising free popcorn. So while we waited in line, Mike and I each fired up our iPhones and went to popcorn.yahoo.com and got instant coupons for free popcorn. Woohoo! The popcorn was the small size -- about the same size as a brown paper lunch sack. Do you know how much they wanted for that stinkin' bag of popcorn if you actually had to pay for it? $6/bag! For about 25 cents worth of popcorn kernels. I'll keep walking softly and carrying a big purse, thankyouverymuch.

Charlie comes home tomorrow. He's been at my parents house since Monday, going to basketball camp at my high school. I miss that kid.

Is anyone else shaking their head, wondering how it's already July 7th already? The kids go back to school in just 5 and 6 weeks! I feel like I'm just getting warmed up to summer. Time to get out the calendar, try to squeeze in some memory-making activities and start watching for back to school sales. Where is the "pause" button?


Next week, I'm headed to Cincinnati to attend Bloggy Conference. (See the button to the right. I tried to paste it in here and it kept jacking up my entry.) I got my conference registration in exchange for volunteering to work the conference. And I'm sharing a room with another blogger, Judy, who writes at Dirt Road Musings. We've only spoken on the phone, but I'm pretty sure she's not a serial killer. She is younger and skinnier than I am, but I'll try not to hold that against her. Funny thing is that Judy is from the same town as one of my favorite bloggers, Annie, of Annie Weighs, but they don't know each other...yet. Bloggy Con will be the first not-for-business social media conferences I've gone to. I'm excited (and a little nervous). Anyone else going?

Don't forget to enter the Chex Mix Muddy Buddies giveaway. I'll draw the winner Saturday night at 9pm EST.

One last thing before I wrap up. God is good, all the time. All the time, God is good. No details necessary (no job offers for Mike to share, either), just thankful to be on the receiving end of His faithfulness today. 

Be sure to stop by Mrs. 4444s's place for more Friday Fragments.

From munchies to frags

 

Eight days before Christmas seems like the perfect time to de-frag. Thanks to Mrs. 4444s for hosting Friday Fragments.

The thing most pressing on my mind right now is actually pressing on my esophagus. Holy acid reflux, Batman! I didn't take my Nexium -- make that generic omeprazole -- this morning and boy am I hurting now.

Thanks for all your prayers/positive thoughts for Robbie's dental surgery yesterday. My sister and sister-in-law didn't realize he was having oral surgery until they saw it online. Guess that's because there's an element of "my kid's teeth are rotting and I'm an awful parent" that I just didn't feel like calling everyone to share.

All went very well. They didn't have the IV clotting factor he was supposed to get, so the hematologist ordered a nasal spray instead. Woohoo! Saved him from having the IV poke and infusion. The clotting factor makes him flushed in the face and kind of hyper. Mike and I were laughing at how wound up he was after the spray. When it was go time, he walked down the hall into the OR with the nurse like it was no big deal. Of course, he wasn't quite as happy 2 hours later -- 4 fillings, 3 extractions, 2 silver crowns. The only thing missing was a partridge in a pear tree. I kept him home from school today (Thursday), but he'll be good to go tomorrow.

I'm finding there is benefit to putting off Christmas shopping until late -- Amazon.com is having some BIG discounts. Some of what I'm finding will go into hiding for birthday gifts later.

We still have to go see Santa, which we'll do on Saturday. Our options are bowling with Santa, Christmas at the farm or the Indiana State Museum. Robbie would vote for bowling with Santa, but I'm thinking Christmas at the farm sounds so festive. Of course, I might feel differently when my bones are so cold from being outside that I can't actually feel anything.

I am absolutely thankful for my job, but I so wish I didn't have work next week. The kids are on Christmas break and will be home all day, every day next week...hmmm...on second thought, I'm so lucky I get to go to work next week!

'Tis the season for great movies in the theater. It's been a while since I've seen one -- The Social Network -- was the last one. Little Fockers is on my list. Not sure what else is coming out in the next few weeks. What do you plan to go see?

Off to do something about this heartburn...Have a great weekend!

Let's talk movies

Given that I've admitted to my couch potato tendencies before, I'm sure it won't surprise you when I say that I love to watch movies. Very often, if Mike and I go out on a date, it will include catching a flick at the theater near our house.

But I like watching movies at home just as much. There are certain movies I consider to be "laundry" films. These are the movies that I've seen so often that I don't have to sit an watch every scene to know what's going on. So I pop one one while I'm doing the laundry, that way if I have to get up and switch the load from the washer to the dryer, or I need to carry a pile of folded laundry upstairs, it doesn't matter if I miss a few minutes.

Currently, my favorite laundry movies are:

• Fever Pitch
• The Holiday
• The Devil Wears Prada

Then there are movies to match my mood. On Friday, I was feeling a bit melancholy and really wanted a movie to complement -- not heal -- my mood. So I asked for suggestions on Facebook. The nominees included:

• Stepmom
• Gone with the Wind
• The Family Stone
• Love Actually
• The Way We Were
  

I ended up going with Dan in Real Life because a) I had it easily accessible and b) I LOVE that movie. It's just such a different role for Steve Carrell (of The Office fame) and the soundtrack is awesome.

Last night, we had a few friends over and we rented Away We Go with John Krasinski and Maya Rudolph. What a surprisingly funny and entertaining film that turned out to be. But definitely wait until the kids are in bed or out of the house.

The kids love to have "Family Movie Night." Some of our favorites for that are:

• Night at the Museum
• Paul Blart: Mall Cop
• Star Wars
• The Game Plan
• Garfield: The Movie

Of course, I love to introduce them to movies like Free Willy, Space Camp and Big -- movies that were popular when I was a kid.

The Heartland Film Festival is going on now in Indianapolis for the next two weeks. If you're at all within driving distance, I highly recommend trying to get to a few of the screenings. Check out the write up I did for the Indiana Insider blog. I'm hoping to see a couple of the films myself.

Of course, I can't see every movie that I want to see. That's what the Redbox is for! Movies I'm waiting for on the Redbox include Julie and Julia and Rachel Getting Married.

Are you a movie watcher? In-theater or at home? What are some of your favorites?