MOVIE REVIEW: The Secret: Dare to Dream

 

This is a 2020 film that follows a young widow named Miranda, who is struggling to raise three children after the death of her husband a few years before. Since the only things that seem to happen to her are terrible, Miranda has lost faith in hope. Then, on the eve of a hurricane hitting their town, a mysterious man suddenly appears in Miranda's life. Named Bray, he is an engineering professor at Vanderbilt University, and he has come to deliver something that is tied to her future as well as her past. However, when the storm causes a tree branch to punch a hole in Miranda's roof, Bray takes it upon himself to help her fix the damage. While doing this, he, Miranda, and her children grow close, causing Miranda to take a step back and reevaluate her life.

This was originally scheduled to be released into theaters but was relegated to video due to the Covid pandemic. Starring Katie Holmes, Josh Lucas, and Jerry O'Connell, it not only has a great cast, but is also well written, and is a feel-good story that can't fail to raise your spirits and leave you with a smile on your face. With no sexual scenes, no strong language, and no violence, this is completely fine for children and a wonderful movie for family night.

BOOK REVIEW: Travel by Bullet by John Scalzi

 

This finds our hero, Tony Valdez, working at a hospital performing the service that he was trained for: killing people. In this world of the future, people who are murdered come back, and to take advantage of this incredible occurrence, individuals like Tony have been trained to dispatch those that are near to death through accident or disease. During his time there, he is called to attend one of his own, a dispatcher named Mason, who, before being killed, gives Tony something that makes him instantly a target for some very dangerous and powerful players. The question now becomes, can Tony figure out what is going on, help his friend, and stay alive at the same time?

The third in the Dispatcher series, this is probably the best of the lot. Performed incredibly well by Zachary Quinto, it keeps you on the edge of your seat wondering just what in the world is going to happen next. With many twists, turns, and constant surprises, this requires the listener's complete and constant attention. A definite audiobook experience well worth having.

MOVIE REVIEW: On a Wing and a Prayer

 

A man who is having a crisis of faith after his brother’s death finds himself flying a light plane with his family on board after the pilot unexpectedly dies. This 2023 film stars Dennis Quaid and Heather Graham, and is based on the true story of Doug White, who brought in a King Air private plane and landed safely with no flight experience, simply by listening to the instructions of a flight instructor and an air traffic controller over his radio and on the phone. This is a short, very involving film as the situation spirals out of control for the family on board, and White becomes the only person who can save the lives of those he loves. This movie is produced by Roma Downey, who is probably best known for her acting career, which included the role of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis in the NBC miniseries A Woman Named Jackie. She is also president of Lightworkers Media, and this film has a decidedly faith-based tone to it. But, though all the cast is excellent, I think it is the naked terror on Quaid’s face as he is forced to do something for which he is completely unprepared that sells this one. Definitely a must see for anyone who loves exciting, tense, and inspirational true stories.

THE EVIL WINS (?): A Perspective

 

I have been reviewing movies on this blog for a few years now, and I have found that there has been an evolving theme going on with many newer productions. These movies have been produced beginning shortly after the turn of the century. After a couple of decades of the next generations cutting their literary teeth on dystopian novels, these same kids have grown into adults that have taken over the storytelling lines of the movie industry. The result has been a quagmire of screenplays that have the evil, or villainous, characters and/or creatures coming out on top.

This is not to say that dystopian novels or the people who write and/or read them are the cause of all society’s ills. In fact, most of these stories have the good guys, after three or four books, winning. The problem is that the young readers who absorbed these awful, and often violent, imaginary worlds put them together with the horrible real-life happenings they saw in their own lives, and out of that has come what we are seeing today. The world that they lived in had little justice, no accountability, and worshiped money and everything it could buy. As they grew up, things only got worse. What with housing crashes, pandemics, and riots brought on by violent racial disparities, is it really any wonder that there are many people out there that believe that evil will always win? And so, this philosophy is portrayed in their stories, their books, and their movies.

Not that there weren’t any bright spots in this era. The Star Trek universe always features a place where all intelligent beings are treated as equals, no matter what they look like. With its reboot films and newest series, it can now speak to whole new generations about acceptance and inclusivity. The Star Wars films are known for bringing beings of all descriptions together to fight for freedom from dictatorial governments. Even if some of the chapters have a noticeably dark tone, they tell the story without flinching over the uncomfortable parts of the history. And those like Lord of the Rings and the Chronicles of Narnia, which were based on books that were written at a time when good always triumphed over evil, also made their mark. These attributes were rewarded by the profits that were brought in by these efforts. Which just goes to prove that, no matter what they claim to believe, people still love happy endings, endings where the good guys come through the darkness to the light of victory, no matter what the cost.

Unfortunately, these are the exceptions instead of the norm. The horror genre, in particular, has been extremely affected by this darker philosophy. It used to be that the vampires and/or werewolves were horrible creatures that were destroyed in the end. Now, they are handsome rock star heroes who have girls trailing at their heels and are worshiped as semi-deities. The demons get away or the main character ends up succumbing to the dark side and becoming one of them. Perhaps this can be viewed as rooting for the outcast, but it is still true that their existence is a terrible, painful ordeal, with their only relief being to make sure others share in their torment. This may make sense to the view that only evil can triumph in this life, but is that really the truth?

Actually, the truth is that, even though it may seem that evil does win every time, it actually does not. Evil has a way of working against itself. An evil man makes a lot of money, only to have his trusted colleague turn on him and take his life. The colleague may do this because he wants what is best for himself, what his erstwhile friend had, but in the end he brings down someone that would have caused more harm than the friend ever will. And, eventually, the same thing will happen all over again. It may take a while, but the chain of events will continue until all the evil men are gone and there are only the decent ones left to make a new way of living. Evil will never triumph. Its very nature precludes that. It will simply last until there are no more left to follow it. Then it will die out. It’s as simple as that.

I believe in good. I believe in light triumphing over darkness. And, frankly, I also believe that there is enough darkness in this world without us having to watch it on the screens in our homes. So, from now on, I am going to make a concerted effort to watch and review only films that bring goodness and hope to the viewer. This will not mean that I won’t be including the high budget hit movies that may come along, but the majority will be in this new vein. I do not want my mind corroded by the darkness that permeates our world, and I am sure that there are many out there who feel the same. So, this will now be the place to come to find those alternatives. Here the heroes will triumph, and the light will find a place to shine. Let us shine with it.