Price has a comic touch for sure. But he always has that Sinister presence too. I see him as filling similar roles as Alan Rickman has become famous for (Die Hard, Robin Hood), with a Sinister Wit and a measure of humour and charm. Perhaps a bit less sneery though. And, yes, they are both a bit hammy .

GB

Huston was an atheist, which really kind of surprises me given the unbelievable amount of detail and respect he gives to the Genesis stories. I feel the Noah's Ark vignette is the best of the movie, but the Tower of Babel was definitely another highlight. And his depiction of Sodom and Gomorrah and its destruction was rather eye-opening. It is a shame they don't make them like this. The movie is a bit long in the tooth at times (the Abraham portion stretches out a great deal) but always good to watch.

Huston was an atheist?! I would never have known... I love Genesis: In the Beginning and I watch it every time it comes on TBN. My favorite part is also Noah's Ark. Genesis is one of the few TBN programs I will watch, that and Zeffirelli's Jesus of Nazareth.

I've been wanting to mention a movie I saw about a month ago on DVD. The title is The Island on Bird Street (1997). It is the story of a young boy named Alex (11 years old) who ends up hiding out and living among the ruins of several buildings in a Jewish ghetto in Poland during World War II. He ends up practically all alone at a certain point except for his pet mouse Snow.

Don’t want to give too much away except to say that it is very well done and acted. It was filmed in Wroclaw, Poland and has a very real look and feel to it. I did think that the movie would be mostly about the boy and Snow but I liked the way situations and other characters are woven into the story. And, the Nazis are always just around the corner.

The actors are mostly British with one familiar (to me) American character actor, Jack Warden. The director was Danish. Here is the IMDB link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0119389/
I bought the full-screen DVD at a Bible book store but it is not a “Christian” movie. Not sure whether it was intended for the cinemas in Europe or just for Television.

But it is a “real find” that deserves to be seen by more people. I was pleasantly surprised at how much I liked it.

Day Watch - A brilliantly engaging and original Russian action/urban fantasy sequel to Night Watch (which is more coherent, but less fun and much darker). The storyline and script are a mess at times but the action and characters are so well done I didn't notice. You may have to be in a silly mood to enjoy it. At the very least you'll have to believe the impossible. This movie had the budget of an expensive independent movie (it cost US $4.2 million but it looks like it would have cost upwards of US $80 million). The most fun I've had in ages. 8/10

Speed Racer - I've never been a fan of the original anime series but the movie is even worse. What a disappointment. It has some cool car designs and one or two well-done and fun scenes but overall it was cliche, gaudy and dull. This movie cost too much, about US $120 million (which is quite funny in a manner of speaking. Each original episode probably cost only several hundred thousand yen). It would have worked better as a cartoon. Oh, the irony. 5.5/10

The previews of Speed Racer I saw made it look, as you said, very gaudy and garish. And I was surprised to find Super Mario was in the film until I later discovered it was actually John Goodman in costume as another character. Like you I was never a Speed Racer fan, so there ended the desire to see it right off the bat. I heard that Jack from Lost was in it though...any truth to that?

I'm with you and W4J, Shadow. I couldn't stand Speed Racer as a kid. And the previews didn't convince me that the film would be any better. I loved the other Wachowski Bro's films. I just wonder what on Earth they were thinking remaking the worst cartoon from my childhood . At least Scooby Doo had some redeeming qualities.

GB

Yes, Matthew Fox (Jack from Lost) is in the movie. I also thought John Goodman looked like Mario! Ha, ha!

Confirmed:

It's not even that it's cliche and all the other things I mentioned. It's also that the movie is incredibly long for what it is, is devoid of excitement or any sense of danger (which is curious given that it's all about intense car races) and is just plain boring.

I can't say I'm a fan of Scooby Doo either. Johnny Quest on the other hand was great fun. I'm more familiar with the new adventures but I've seen some of the originals and they were very good too.

My verdict on Fireproof.

The good:
- nice cinematography
- some of the acting
- some funny and touching moments
- the firemen scenes were well-done
- dealt with tough issues
- had a worthwhile message
- watchable
- at times heart-warming
- enjoyable bonus features (the 60 second version is mostly better than the movie)

The bad:
- most of the acting (especially the lead actress)
- symbolism was way too heavy at times
- needless faith exposition (eg. sermonising)
- some moments were unrealistic/Hallmark-ish
- the movie was lit like a soap-opera
- much of the dialogue
- mediocre script-writing
- didn't deal with the issue of pornography with realistic depth (not sure why it was even presented in a PG rated movie - this movie is not aimed at children).

Overall, it was okay, at least much better than Facing the Giants. I hope they continue to improve their craft in all areas, because this had potential and their future efforts could be promising. I'm going to give it a 6.5/10.

I recently watched the Green Mile for the first time, I thought it was way too depressing and wierd.
(I'm trying to watch every Tom Hanks movie, I don't have a life lol)

Yes, The Green Mile is a very sad movie (I wouldn't say depressing though). And I'm not sure why you think it's weird.
I thought it was incredibly moving. The bitter-sweet ending was realistic too.

*coughs nervously* I just finished watching High School Musical...and it wasn't as bad as I expected it would be. In fact, I actually liked most of it. *dives under couch*

I haven't seen that one Avra, but then again musicals were never really my cup of tea. Well, unless you count The Wizard of Oz and Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Those weren't musicals, were they? I just thought they were movies where someone would randomly break into song on occasion.

"Come with me, and you'll be, in a woooooorld of pure imagination"
*eats his candy teacup*

I really love musicals...and one of my very favorite lines in a movie is in Sabrina (the one with Harrison Ford):
"The only shows open are musicals, Mr. Laraby."
"I know."
"Where the actors will occasionally break out into song and dance."
Quoting from memory.

I'm still not sure there is any technical way you can classify those two as non-musicals, Shadowlander, but if it makes you feel better, I'd say go for it.

I have been watching an ungodly amount of movies recently, so I suppose I'll have to restrict myself to a quick run-through.

• Les Misérables (1998, directed by Bille August, starring Liam Neeson, Geoffrey Rush, Uma Thurman, and Claire Danes) - This is one of my very favorite movies but it'd been about a year since I last saw it, so when I found out that a couple of my friends wanted to see it, I lost no time in finding my copy and arranging a movie night. It is exemplary in every aspect—gorgeous cinematography, incredible music, great performances from Neeson, Rush, and Thurman in particular—but in the end it's the story that carries everything along. I get the most magnificent goosebumps in the trial scene. I thought about taking off one point from my rating because the second half appeals to me less than the first, but that's probably the purist in me talking, and very few movies are this good from beginning to end. 10/10

• Dead Poets Society (1989, directed by Peter Weir, starring Robin Williams, Robert Sean Leonard, and Ethan Hawke) - This is a beautiful movie. I don't necessarily agree with everything Mr. Keating, and by extension the movie, teaches, and part of it is definitely depressing, but it's a lovely piece of craftsmanship. Weir is swiftly becoming one of my favorite directors; Witness and Master and Commander were also great, and his landscape shots just wow me. I really do like Robin Williams in less farcical things like this. The boys all do really well too; I can see a lot of myself in certain of the characters, particularly Knox and Neil. 8/10

• Rushmore (1998, directed by Wes Anderson, starring Jason Schwartzman, Olivia Williams, and Bill Murray) - I was recommended this by a friend who thought I would take to Anderson like a duck to water, which proved not to be the case. I really loved the soundtrack and the very distinct filming style. The actors were all great too. It's funny that aforementioned friend described Anderson as being rather awkward in person because that was actually my main impression of the movie - all the characters and situations were markedly, almost painfully awkward. I appreciate awkward ... characters, but only if they're likably awkward, and I didn't find them to be so - except perhaps the teacher, but then it was Olivia Williams and I'm biased. There were some great scenes in there too, like the conversation over the fishtanks, or the bit where Bill Murray comes to her door and finds her eating carrots. But these were a couple of shining stars in a blank firmament. 5/10

• Coyote County Loser (2009, directed by Jason Naumann, starring Nikki Boyer, Beau Clark, and Frederic Doss) - We watched this for my Masterpieces of Film class, although none of us are under any misapprehension that this is a masterpiece. I went in expecting it to be corny and stupid, and yes, it is corny, and a little dumb in a couple places, but it's also very cute. It is so rare to find a fun, clean romantic comedy these day that my rating is probably a little inflated. It is also refreshing to see a film produced by Christians that avoids preaching and can be enjoyed by all. Stand out performance: Wayne Grace as the older gentleman who provides an example to our hero. 7/10

• Fiddler on the Roof (1971, directed by Norman Jewison, starring Topol) - I haven't seen this in years, and the most I could remember of it aside from the actual fiddling and the unforgettable "Matchmaker" song, was the dream sequence, which absolutely terrified me as a child. I did recently give the original Broadway soundtrack a listen, and wasn't incredibly impressed, so I had fairly low expectations going into the film. As with Dead Poets Society, there's one word to describe this film: "beautiful." Okay, and maybe "long" as well. I could have done with a reduced running time—the last twenty minutes or so seem especially long—but overall I'm impressed. The cinematography is gorgeous, and the luscious orchestrations really bring out the best in the songs. "Chava's Ballet" is probably the best ballet number I've ever seen in a move musical; it's short, poignant, and doesn't seem like a digression. 8/10

• Wait Until Dark (1967, directed by Terence Young, starring Audrey Hepburn and Alan Arkin) - Stephen King has described this as the scariest movie ever made, and I would certainly agree that it's in the top 5 or 10. A smart crime/suspense flick for most of its 108-minute playing time, the film starts flirting with the psychological horror genre in the buildup to its terrifying finale. Audrey Hepburn is so good as blind lady Susie Hendrix that one regrets her decision to call it quits on Hollywood for the next decade, while Alan Arkin is pure evil in an early role. Interestingly, I've always felt that suave crook Richard Crenna has more chemistry with Hepburn's character than does her on-screen husband, played by Efrem Zimbalist Jr. 8/10

• The Taking of Pelham 1-2-3 (2009, directed by Tony Scott, starring Denzel Washington and John Travolta) - This was one of my most anticipated movies of the year, and somehow I managed to miss it in theaters. In the end, I enjoyed it, and thought it was a step up from some of Denzel's other thrillers (John Q., Inside Man, The Manchurian Candidate) although not up to the level of his best work. He's great as usual, and John Travolta works very well in his disturbing manic role (this was the first movie I've seen him in, and I've had only my parents' general hatred of his body of work to go off of, so I wasn't exactly sure what to expect). But the language ... grr! The movie pretty much opens with a string of cuss words, and it doesn't get much better after that. This aspect of the movie was so prevalent that I don't think I'll be seeing it again, and it made the rating suffer too. 6/10

• The Swan (1956, directed by Charles Vidor, starring Grace Kelly, Alec Guiness, and Louis Jordan) - This movie was Grace Kelly's, erm, swan song to Hollywood, and it's an appropriately ceremonial affair. She looks beautiful in her Helen Rose costumes (who also did wonderful work for Kelly and Ava Gardner in Mogambo), and the lighting, cinematography, and luscious set design make it clear that this is very much a glamor production. It had the chances of being a great drawing room romantic drama too, but unfortunately the screenplay meanders from pure poetry to absolute schlock. Best line: "You may ask me to dance." Worst: "I'm thirsty. Thirsty for your lips." The ending is extremely aggravating as well. Yet it has a great cast. In addition to the three leads (Guinness being typically entertaining, and Jordan suave and charming), Robert Coote, Estelle Winwood, Brian Aherne, and especially Agnes Moorehead and Jessie Royce Landis give fine performances. Still, pretty forgettable. 5/10

Lysander, it's good to see you're enjoying Peter Weir's movies. Have you seen Picnic at Hanging Rock and The Truman Show? They couldn't be more different from each other but both are very enjoyable. He's one of the few Australian directors I like.

Recently I watched Wanted (2008). As long as you accept it as a ridiculous action movie, it's actually quite good. I found the over-abundance of strong language and graphic violence too much at times though. There were some great inventive, adrenaline-packed action scenes and sets but it's not a character piece or a unique story. I'm going to give it a 7/10.