Recommended Movies

A story of a young boy’s misfortune as he is falsely accused of stealing a pair of valuable shoes, sent to a desert correctional facility and through a funny twisted course of events, finds redemption.  There he meets the psycho Warden Walker (Sigourney Weaver) and her bizarre sidekick/enforcer ”Mr. Sir” (John Voight).  The twists and turns of the story teach lessons of life from the view of a teenager with an unexpected surprise ending.  Great movie for young adults on up.  Rated PG (violence, mild language and thematic intensity)

The Princess Bride earned its own loyal audience on the strength of its narrative voice and its gently satirical, hyperbolic spin on swashbuckled adventure that seemed almost purely literary.  Using a storytelling framework, avuncular Grandpa (Peter Falk) gradually seduces his skeptical grandson (Fred Savage) into the absurd, irresistible melodrama of the title story.  And what a story: a lowly stable boy, Westley (Cary Elwes), pledges his love to the beautiful Buttercup (Robin Wright), only to be abducted and reportedly killed by pirates while Buttercup is betrothed to the evil Prince Humperdinck. Even as Buttercup herself is kidnapped by a giant, a scheming criminal mastermind, and a master Spanish swordsman, a mysterious masked pirate (could it be Westley?) follows in pursuit. As they sail toward the Cliffs of Insanity…

Recommended by Madeline Brosnan

In this movie, Truman is a man whose life is a fake one… The place he lives is in fact a big studio with hidden cameras everywhere, and all his friends and people around him, are actors who play their roles in the most popular TV-series in the world: The Truman Show. Truman thinks that he is an ordinary man with an ordinary life and has no idea about how he is exploited. Until one day… he finds out everything

Quote
We’ve become bored with watching actors give us phony emotions. We are tired of pyrotechnics and special effects. While the world he inhabits is, in some respects, counterfeit, there’s nothing fake about Truman himself. No scripts, no cue cards. It isn’t always Shakespeare, but it’s genuine. It’s a life.
-Christof

Recommended by Stephen Paul Anderson

Peter Pan has become Peter Banning (Robin Williams), a 40-year-old mergers and acquisitions lawyer with a permanent scowl on his face and a cellular phone in his belt. Banning has lost any memory of being Peter Pan, and he is also in danger of losing his wife Moira (Caroline Goodall) and two children, Jack (Charlie Korsmo) and Maggie (Amber Scott). Peter and his family travel to London to visit Granny Wendy (Maggie Smith) who recalls Peter’s lost youth and asks him, “Peter, dear, don’t you know who you are?” With Peter’s children asleep in the same bedroom where the original Peter Pan story began, there is a blinding flash. Peter comes into the room to discover a note from Captain Hook (Dustin Hoffman), informing Peter that he has kidnapped his children. Granny Wendy now tells him who he really is and encourages him to re-discover his happy thoughts, transform himself into the Peter Pan of the past, and go rescue his children. With the encouragement of Tinker bell (Julia Roberts), Peter recalls the birth of his son and once again takes wing. Then it’s off to Never Land to rescue his kids

Recommended by Peter Anderson

The tale of three unlikely heroes – a misfit mouse who prefers reading books to eating them, an unhappy rat who schemes to leave the darkness of the dungeon, and a bumbling servant girl with cauliflower ears – whose fates are intertwined with that of the castle’s princess.

Despereaux shows us that no matter how small or unlikely a person (or mouse) may be, if one has a big enough heart, he can defeat evil and unite two very different worlds.  Sounds like we are desperate for a Despereaux today!

The inspiring story of Michael Oher, a homeless and traumatized boy who became an All American football player and first round NFL draft pick with the help of a caring woman and her family.   As a true story The Blind Side shows the effects a person, a family can have on another individual.  All people are precious…that’s the message of The Blind Side.   In addition, Sandra Bullock and Tim Mcgraw, cast as the couple whose family takes in Michael Oher, are amazing.  It is fun to watch the Tuohy family, especially Leigh Anne (Sandra Bullock) try to instill her mental toughness into the Michael Oher’s soft 300+ pound frame so that he can find himself and thrive in life.  Rough and realistic with lots of action it is sure to entertain  the whole family.

By: Mike Burton

“The Blind Side is like watching your favorite football team; you’ll cheer when things go well, curse when they don’t, and be reminded that in football, as in life, it’s how you play the game that counts…” Los Angeles Times

When his wealthy grandfather dies, trust fund baby Jason Stevens anticipates a big inheritance. Instead, his grandfather has devised a crash course on life with twelve tasks – or “gifts” – designed to challenge Jason in improbable ways, sending him on a journey of self-discovery and forcing him to determine what is most important in life: money or happiness.

A breath of fresh air…this wholesome movie goes straight for the heart and will enrich your life with its bountiful presents.”
- The Kansas City Sun

“Will bring tears to even the coldest of hearts.”
- The Providence Journal

“If you ever wonder why we still call them ‘movie stars’, look no further than The Ultimate Gift.”
- Orlando Sentine l

WINNER: 2008 Heartland Truly Moving Picture Award

Synopsis

Rick Penning (Faris) lives life just like he plays rugby; fast, hard-hitting and intense.  When life on the edge lands him in jail, prison ward Marcus Tate (Astin) offers him a chance to get back in the game by playing for his rival, Highland Rugby. Reluctantly Rick joins the team where he must adopt the grueling training schedule and unique code of conduct that Coach Gelwix (Cole) enforces, or finish out the season behind bars. Egos clash as bitter competitors struggle to become a team. An unlikely brotherhood is formed with his Highland teammates, just as Rick is released from jail and sent back home to rejoin his former team, coached by his overbearing father (McDonough). Heading into a faceoff with Highland at the National Championship, Rick is forced to choose where his loyalty lies.

About FIREPROOF:

At work, inside burning buildings, Capt. Caleb Holt lives by the old firefighter’s adage: Never leave your partner behind. At home, in the cooling embers of his marriage, he lives by his own rules.
Growing up, Catherine Holt always dreamed of marrying a loving, brave firefighter…just like her daddy. Now, after seven years of marriage, Catherine wonders when she stopped being “good enough” for her husband.
Regular arguments over jobs, finances, housework, and outside interests have readied them both to move on to something with more sparks.
As the couple prepares to enter divorce proceedings, Caleb’s father challenges his son to commit to a 40-day experiment: “The Love Dare.” Wondering if it’s even worth the effort, Caleb agrees-for his father’s sake more than for his marriage. When Caleb discovers the book’s daily challenges are tied into his parents’ newfound faith, his already limited interest is further dampened.
While trying to stay true to his promise, Caleb becomes frustrated time and again. He finally asks his father, “How am I supposed to show love to somebody who constantly rejects me?”
When his father explains that this is the love Christ shows to us, Caleb makes a life-changing commitment to love God. And with God’s help he begins to understand what it means to truly love his wife.
But is it too late to fireproof his marriage? His job is to rescue others. Now Caleb Holt is ready to face his toughest job ever…rescuing his wife’s heart.

MPAA RATING: PG for sequences of martial arts action

Starring Jack Black, Lucy Liu, Dustin Hoffman, Dustin Hoffman, Angelina Jolie, Ian McShane, and Jackie Chan

Enthusiastic, big and a little clumsy, Po is the biggest fan of Kung Fu around…which doesn’t exactly come in handy while working every day in his family’s noodle shop. Unexpectedly chosen to fulfill an ancient prophecy, Po’s dreams become reality when he joins the world of Kung Fu and studies alongside his idols—the legendary fighters Tigress, Crane, Mantis, Viper and Monkey—under the leadership of their guru, Master Shifu. But before they know it, the vengeful and treacherous snow leopard Tai Lung is headed their way, and it’s up to Po to defend everyone from the oncoming threat. Can he turn his dreams of becoming a Kung Fu master into reality? Po puts his heart-and his girth-into the task, and the unlikely hero ultimately finds that his greatest weaknesses turn out to be his greatest strengths. (Dreamworks)

movie synopsis from www.metacritic.com