Favorite movies
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[edit] 
Amazing Grace (2006)
http://imdb.com/title/tt0454776/
Watched it on: 2007-12-05
[edit] 
Facing the Giants (2006)
http://imdb.com/title/tt0805526/
I didn't think I'd like it since I'm not a fan of professional football, but I did like it. It's an inspiring story about what can happen when you put God first.
I want God to bless this team so much people will talk about what He did. But it means we gotta give Him our best in every area. And if we win, we praise Him. And if we lose, we praise Him. Either way we honor Him with our actions and our attitudes.
http://imdb.com/title/tt0805526/.
The movie was well worth my time. I would encourage anyone who is looking for a good uplifting movie to check this one out. the characters are easy to relate to and the underlying story is very heartwarming. If you are having a bad day, or even if you are having a good day, this would be a great film. I left the movie feeling uplifted and full of hope!! The spirit of the movie is a bit reminiscent of "Pay It Forward". One word of warning, although the film does make you laugh in parts, you will need to bring your own box of tissues. [...] Everyone should be able to find a part of themselves in at least one of the main characters.
Watched it on: 2008-01-06
[edit] The Ultimate Gift (2006)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0482629/
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0482629/.
Spoiled trust beneficiary playboy Jason Stevens is angry with his incalculably rich grandfather Red Stevens, and with his own life. When Red dies Jason shows up late for the funeral and makes a scene when he does show. But Red has prepared a "gift" for Jason's inheritance, unlike anything he leaves to the rest of the family. Indeed, Red leaves the rest of his self-absorbed and greedy Stevens family merely money. However, Jason's "gift" must be earned, and so Jason sets off on the quest. The quest for what Jason initially has no idea. In essence, Jason's quest is the quest of the aspiring knight who must slay his dragon to prove he is a man. Consequently, some may find the plot contrived or even hackneyed. But, as with all fables, it is the struggle that matters, not the circumstance, and what this movie shows is the very real struggle of all young men to find meaning in and a purpose for their lives. For some reason this kind of sentimentality is lately acceptable in war movies, but rarely elsewhere. Thus, it is refreshing to see in a context if minimal violence. When Jason finally gets his "gift" he has become a man that Red could be proud of, and who can be proud of himself. This is a deeply moving picture, and a well constructed one. [...]
Saw it on 2007-12-01.
[edit] Good Morning, Vietnam (1987)
Film: Good Morning, Vietnam (1987)
[edit] City of Joy (1992)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0103976/
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0103976/, rAjOo
Hazari Pal lives in a small village in Bihar, India, with his dad, mom, wife, Kamla, daughter, Amrita, and two sons, Shambhu and Manooj. As the Pal are unable to repay the loan they had taken years ago from a moneylender, their land and property are auctioned, and they are rendered homeless. Hazari and his family re-locate to Calcutta with hopes of starting life anew, save some money and go back to Bihar, as well as get Amrita married. Things do not go as planned, as they lose their entire savings to a con-man, Gangooly, who took their money as rent by pretending to be a landlord. Then Hazari gets an opportunity to take up driving a rickshaw manually through a local godfather, Ghatak. He gets to meet a American, Dr. Max Lowe, and together they strike up a friendship along with a local social worker, Joan Bethel. Misunderstandings crop up between Joan and the Godfather, resulting in the shutting down of their shanty medical clinic. When Hazari sides with Joan, his rickshaw is taken away. Things get worse when the Godfather passes away, leaving his estate to his way-ward son, Ashok Ghatak, who has plans to do away with the slums, especially the lepers who have now started frequenting the locality, Max, Joan and above all Hazari himself, and he is determined to take the "joy" of living in Calcutta.
From an e-mail from amnesty international at wwc, 2007-04-27:
City of Joy is a spiritually sensitive film version of Dominique Lapierre's book set in the slums of Calcutta, India. Director Roland Joffe presents a poignant picture of everyday heroism through the stories of a burnt-out American doctor and an impoverished Indian rickshaw puller. One of the film's themes is a fundamentally religious and spiritual one * the enhancement of life. "Under stress human beings reveal who they really are. We are all survivors; that is what we have in common. What is most important is how a person manages to survive. True heroism lies in the quality of that daily struggle." The characters in this film learn that life can be enhanced by caring, commitment, and community. Another theme, compassionate service, is reflected in the quotation on the screen at the end: "All that is not given is lost." City of Joy illustrates why we must be careful not to violate the integrity of those we help. It reveals how service brings us face-to-face with our limitations and our need for others. And it shows how in the unique equation of compassion, we usually get back more than we have given. Best of all City of Joy is an uplifting portrait of love in action. Doing the right thing for the right reasons can be life transforming.
PG-13, plenty of offensive language
[edit] Iron Jawed Angels (2004)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0338139/
[edit] 
Bicentennial Man (1999)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0182789/
A pretty good comedy, but it also has some pretty deep stuff. It's about the determination of the human spirit -- a human spirit that is, oddly enough, found in an android and not a human. This android, Andrew, is a very polite and dutiful servant... he's also very creative, a trait that its manufacturers consider an embarrassing "anomaly"! The story follows this android as he seeks to express his individuality, increase his freedom, understand his human companions and their frustrating mortality, and become as human as he can -- feeling, loving, mistake-making, and ultimately mortal.
"It becomes an often-elegiac reflection on the transience of life, the meaning of being human and the search for societal acceptance." "There is, indeed, a real sadness to much of the film." (Roland E. Zwick, http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0182789/)
Favorite quote (paraphrased, because I couldn't find it or remember it):
- Portia: Why do you have to always be so agreeable??
- Andrew: I'm not agreeable. [short pause] But I can be if you want me to...
[edit] Cars (2006)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0317219/
[edit] Hoodwinked (2005)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0443536/
[edit] Shrek
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0126029/
[edit] Gattaca
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0119177/
[edit] Lola rennt (Run Lola Run)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0130827/
[edit] Napolean Dynamite
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0374900/
[edit] The Italian Job
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0317740/
[edit] Ocean's Eleven
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0240772/
[edit] Hitch
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0386588/
[edit] The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0363771/
The special features on Disc 2 of Collector's Edition DVDs also deserves . I particularly liked Chronicles of a Director, The Children's Magical Journey, Evolution of an Epic, From One Man's Mind, Cinematic Storytellers, and Creating Creatures (It was simply amazing how they made Aslan the lion so realistic!).
[edit] Tron
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0084827/
[edit] Elf
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0319343/
[edit] The Santa Clause
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0111070/
[edit] Waking Ned Divine
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0166396/
[edit] Monsters Inc
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0198781/
[edit] Over the Hedge
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0327084/
[edit] The Truman Show
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120382/
[edit] Shawshank Redemption
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0111161/
[edit] Patch Adams
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0129290/
[edit] Meet the Parents
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0212338/
[edit] Blast From the Past
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0124298/
[edit] The Gods Must Be Crazy
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080801/
[edit] The Gods Must Be Crazy II
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097443/
[edit] Children of Heaven (1997)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0118849/
An inspiring story about two Iranian children--Ali and his sister Zarah--who work very hard to try to help their poor family get by. When Ali loses his sister's shoes, he and Zarah must take turns wearing the only pair they have left (his worn-down sneakers) to school, since their father can't afford to buy them a new pair. This is difficult and gets Ali in trouble at school. They are afraid to even tell their parents of their loss. When Zarah almost loses one of these shoes in a stream, we start to see just how important a good pair of shoes can be to a family without much money.
In addition to the story of these two brave children, the film also provides us Americans a peek into the life of an Iranian family. We learn about what they eat, what the inside of a living room looks like, what the streets are like (a gutter/stream running down the middle of all the roads!), and how different their schools are (boys and girls in different schools, much respect for the teacher, the girls all covering their heads). The children's father is strict and sometimes gets upset, but he is certainly hard-working and actually, we find out, quite a loving and honorable father. This is a heart-warming story of bravery and love between brother and sister (and parents).
[edit] Wallace & Gromit
Wallace and Gromit - Wikipedia
[edit] Wallace and Gromit's Cracking Contraptions (2002)
Cracking Contraptions - Wikipedia
[edit] Wallace & Gromit in The Wrong Trousers
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0108598/
[edit] Wallace & Gromit in A Close Shave
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0112691/
[edit] A Grand Day Out with Wallace and Gromit
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0104361/
[edit] Ice Age
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0268380/
[edit] Madagascar
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0351283/
[edit] Dumb & Dumber
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0109686/
[edit] Roman Holiday
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0046250/
[edit] Liar Liar
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0119528/
[edit] The Break-Up
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0452594/
[edit] The Twelve Tasks of Asterix (1976)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0072901/
[edit] Clue (1985)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088930/
[edit] Catch Me If You Can (2002)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0264464/
[edit] Drei Männer im Schnee [Three Men in the Snow] (1955)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0048014/
Based on: Book
After having read the book, I was delighted to find that there was a film adaptation. I probably saw the 1955 version (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0048014/) because apparently the 1974 remake didn't work so well (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0071441/).
Stefan Kahrs on http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0048014/:
- "A witty comedy which is not easy to characterise. It is a truthful adaptation of a novel [...]. It is a romantic comedy, but the romance plays second fiddle within the context of the whole story. It is a satire, but its satirical strain is not aggressive, it is more observant. The central theme of the film is the male bonding between three men of different age, different social status, and different education. And yet again, this description is misleading as well, because the film is much less serious than these words suggest."
[edit] Yamakasi - Les samouraïs des temps modernes [Yamakasi] (2001)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0267129/
[edit] The Adventures of Baron Munchausen(1988)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096764/
[edit] Rat Race (2001)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0250687/
Disclaimer: I can't in good conscience actually recommend all of the movies on this page, because many of them don't quite measure up in all aspects to the high standard God has given us: "Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things." (Philippians 4:8) My hope someday is to find/create a media player that can filter out all the offensive material and only show you the good stuff that remains. In the meantime, though, I encourage you (and myself) to stick with the good clean movies!
Video entertainment edit (Category edit)
