12 Monkeys Rocks

I have to say that 12 Monkeys is one of my all-time favorite films.

Yes, I know the subject matter is a tad on the macabre side; definitely not a movie for the kiddies but 12 Monkeys really has it all.  It’s science fiction, drama, futuristic, comedy, and global climate propaganda all wrapped up in one.

I could watch Brad Pitt rattle those cages in the psych ward all day long and his litany on consumer spending is simply outrageous. Brad Pitt plays his part of mental hospital tour guide to perfection. “Wackos everywhere. Plague of madness.” Who thinks this stuff up?

The story opens in the wintry wasteland of the year 2035, where a virulent plague has forced humans to live in a squalid, oppressively regimented underground.

Bruce Willis plays a societal outcast who is given the opportunity to erase his criminal record by “volunteering” to time-travel into the past to obtain a pure sample of the deadly virus that will help future scientists to develop a cure.

But in bouncing from 1918 to the early and mid-1990s, he undergoes an ordeal that forces him to question his own perceptions of reality. Caught between the dangers of the past and the devastation of the future, he encounters a psychiatrist who is initially convinced he’s insane, and a wacky mental patient with links to a radical group that may have unleashed the deadly virus. Equal parts mystery, tragedy, psychological thriller, and apocalyptic drama, 12 Monkeys ranks as one of the best science fiction films of the ’90s

This is a must see movie. Just be sure to wait until the kids are in bed.

Fireproof Review

FireproofFireproof is a film for today’s struggling husbands and wives. With the fall of the housing market, the rising unemployment rate and inflation, let’s face it, men and women have a great deal on their plates. Add in a couple of kids to support, the family dog, running a household and all that entails and you have a recipe for disaster.

Fireproof is about a couple on the precipice of divorce not because they’ve “grown apart” as so many couples claim when the going gets a little rough but because they both lost focus. They lost their connection to each other; their support system.

In Fireproof you will finally seek Kirk Cameron skillfully play the part of a full-fledged, inconsiderate, tightwad jerk, whose obsession with pornography and purchasing his dreamboat — literally — that he treats his wife with little regard.

In a clingy co-dependent way his wife reaches out to a colleague for companionship and the attention she craves after losing her husband’s affections.

But there is more going on under the surface than meets the eye.

I truly enjoyed Fireproof because it shares their all too-typical family problems with you, and enables you to watch as they work through them.

The movie has been criticized as being more than a little one-sided, and I tend to agree, but the message comes through loud and clear. It’s a message we could all heed as we struggle to work through the relationships in our lives. I watched the movie twice, and then ordered the book from the movie [The Love Dare]. I’m looking forward to reading and working through it. Who knows — maybe something will stick.

For additional information visit: Fire Proof My Marriage

Twelve and Holding

I selected Twelve and Holding to watch with my 12-year-old son but after viewing this terribly sad, coming of age tale, I’ve decided against it.

Amazon describes , …
Shocking and intricate pre-teen coming of age tale where adolescence and adulthood collide, exploring the complexities of children losing their innocence and adults struggling to guide them. Sparked by the tragic death of Jacob’s twin brother, a trio of friends band together as they grapple with feelings of revenge, grief and experiences of growing up. As each family’s personal challenges are revealed, they learn to better understand each other and their own realities.

While Twelve and Holding would provide a means to discuss with pre-teens the issues of thinking before you act and the consequences of our actions as well as death and dying, some of the situations these children find themselves in, is not appropriate for my son at this stage of his life.

One particularly disturbing event happens when young 12-year-old Malee, becomes infatuated with an older construction worker and decides to give herself to him, showing her despiration for love and acceptance.