27th Favorite Movie - Cinderella Man

Make sure you have read the first post in this series ("My 50 Favorite Movies") before you read on...

So one of the problems I have found with this little endeavor of mine is that the order of my list is highly dependent on how I was feeling back in Fall 2006 when I sat down to order my 50 favorite movies. Since I began blogging, I have not changed the order except for once or twice when I moved a movie down one slot because I didn't feel like writing about it that week. Other than that, the list has remained the same. By the way, after I finish I am going to post a list of what would be the next 50, #'s 51-100. I'm not going to write about each one, just post the list.

I have only seen Cinderella Man once, when it was in the theaters. It is the only movie on my list of 50 Favorites that I have seen just once. All this to say... I was a little surprised to see it so high on my list. I am not surprised that I put it in my top 50, just that I ranked it so high back in the fall. We bought it on DVD immediately and haven't gotten around to watching it. With Netflix, it seems we rarely watch the DVD's we own. We have Something the Lord Made here now that we plan to watch tonight. Bethany's parents enthusiastically recommended that movie.

I do remember really really enjoying Cinderella Man. Bethany liked it too. When Kevin and Rebekah H got married last year Bethany and I got them a "chick flick", a "guy flick" and this one as a movie that both guys and girls could enjoy. It's based on a true story and has Russell Crowe playing a boxer, Renee Zellweger as his wife and Paul Giamatti his trainer. What made it stand out to me though was its depiction of life during the Depression. Watching Russell Crowe's character work the docks (shades of On the Waterfront) and do whatever it takes to provide for his family makes me thankful for my job and our economy right now and really impressed by the people who made it through that time. This is a film that truly will make you laugh, make you cry, and make you stand and cheer.

28th Favorite Movie - The Exorcism of Emily Rose

Make sure you have read the first post in this series ("My 50 Favorite Movies") before you read on...

I wasn't planning on ever seeing this movie until three things happened. First, a friend of mine told me how seeing this movie inspired him to be a more devout follower of Jesus (and it wasn't just because it "scared the Hell out of him"). Second, I learned that the writer and director, Scott Derrickson, is a Christian who believes that spiritual warfare is real. And third, I learned that the film was based (albeit loosely) on a true story.

During pre-production of the film, Derrickson's faith stood in opposition to producer of the film's agnosticsm. The two friends would often argue about spiritual matters: "is there a God?" "are demons and angels real?" "does demon possession realy occur or is it just psychological?" Their debates are reflected in the two main characters of the film. On the side of faith is Father Moore, the parish priest who is called to perform an exorcism on his parishoner, Emily. On the side of agnosticism is Erin Bruner, the lawyer who is called to help sort out the mess after the exorcism fails. Should the priest have relied on doctors and psychologists instead of exorcism? Was Emily possessed or just sick? The film does a great job of making a case for either side... although I think in the end Derrickson makes a stronger case for the spiritual explanation. In fact, there are a couple clips that I have shown during talks to the high school group.

So here's why you really should (or should not) see this film: it is dang scary. You WILL have a hard time falling asleep, and you will never look at 3 am the same way again (you gotta see the movie to understand). I had a bunch of the high school guys over to watch this movie one night last summer because they all love horror movies. We were having a good time scaring one another until one of them says, "Danny, there's someone standing on your balcony." I was like, "good one... that would be pretty freaky". And they were all, "no look, really, there is someone there." We turned to look and sure enough, something was there. EVERYONE freaked out and started running into the other room. I figured as the adult, it was my job to go see what he/she/it wanted so I got a little closer... and discovered that when you catch a glimpse of our Direct TV satellite dish at our new apartment while watching a scary movie in the dark, it can easily be mistaken for a head.

So if you don't mind being freaked out for a few nights, check out The Exorcism of Emily Rose. While you will most definitely be scared, you could also be inspired.

30th and 29th Favorite Movies - Ocean's 11 & Out of Sight

Make sure you have read the first post in this series ("My 50 Favorite Movies") before you read on...

Question: have you ever met anyone who does not like Ocean’s 11?

I mean, who wouldn’t like that movie? It's fun, it's funny, and oh-so-cool.

But here’s a question I have: if everyone likes Ocean's 11, why have so few people seen Out of Sight?

Check it out: both are heist movies. Both blend comedy, action and romance. Both were directed by Steven Soderbergh. Both star George Clooney, Don Cheadle, and an excellent supporting cast. Both have that jazzy soundtrack. Both have a high “cool factor”. I don’t get it. Why did Ocean's 11 gross $185 million and Out of Sight just $30 million?

The bottom line is, if you liked Ocean's 11, I can’t imagine you not liking Out of Sight. The problem is no one has heard of it! You wouldn’t believe how difficult it was to find the DVD a few years ago… no one at Best Buy and Blockbuster and Target had heard of it, and Bethany finally found it for me online.

And don’t worry, J-Lo is actually tolerable in it!

31st Favorite Movie - To Kill A Mockingbird

Make sure you have read the first post in this series ("My 50 Favorite Movies") before you read on...

To Kil A Mockingbird is one of my favorite books, and there really is no drop-off with the movie.

How many times can you think of where the movie lives up to the book? I thought of a few:

*Lord of the Rings
*Harry Potter (this shows I am not a true HP fan)
*One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
*Shawshank Redemption (originally a short story by Stephen King)
*Goodfellas

Of the books we were assigned to read in high school, To Kill A Mockingbird was one of my favorites, along with The Catcher in the Rye. The book/movie are about a family growing up in the Jim Crow south. The story centers around the trial of a young black man accused of raping a white woman. The father of the family, played by Gregory Peck, is the defendant in the trial. His name is Atticus Finch... and he is my hero (it even says so on my Myspace!). Atticus stands for all that is good in the world: honesty, compassion, patience, and standing up for what is right. One of my favorite scenes is when one of the men in the town spits in his face for defending someone who is black. Atticus gets real mad... but he doesn't do anything to retaliate. He just walks away.


The title refers to a line in which Atticus says (paraphrased) "it is a sin to kill a mockingbird, because all they do is sing and make other people happy". This idea of it being a sin to kill something or somebody good is related to different characters in the movie, especially the creepy but harmless neighbor, Boo Radley, played by a very young Robery Duvall. One of my favorite moments in all of cinema is Scout saying, "hey Boo..." at the end.


Overall, the movie is a faithful retelling of the book and nothing gets lost in translation.


I only hope that they do as good a job with Catcher in the Rye someday...