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Reviews
American Sniper (2014)
A polarizing movie
Regardless of how closely the movie follows the "true" life story of Chris Kyle, it is obvious from the reviews that it is very polarizing. Having read a number of the negative reviews, people that do not agree with the U.S. involvement in the middle eastern conflicts must be very capable of ignoring the atrocities of Muslim upon Muslim to actually believe that some of the atrocities depicted in the movie could not have happened. What do the recent events in Paris along with the continual suicide bombings using any gender and age for bombers tell you? The movie did not depict Kyle as a classic hero but as a killer in a time where no one knows how the next killer will be dressed, where the attack will be carried out, and that there is little hope that any ruling group will ever come to any peace talks.
This is the world we live in now. This movie doesn't deny it or change it, and it doesn't glorify the effects these prolonged conflicts have on the returning veterans, but it also doesn't try to analyze that side of it because that is left to the viewers to sort out. It is sad to see that the negative reviewers seem to want the movie to hand them a definitive argument against any response to the current worldwide conflict between various religious, political and economic factions that are not clearly defined by governments and borders.
The movie allows the viewer to figure it out, if capable. Sadly most don't want to.
The Chew (2011)
Give this show a try, if you just enjoy a relaxed program
Here's how I see it. The co-hosts of the show seem to enjoy being there and each other, and even though they have been in the public eye in some capacity or another, they really seem truly relaxed with each other. We were not fans of any of the hosts and came across the show early in the season when searching for a good recipe. We came across Carla Hall's Pumpkin Beignets and the rest is history.
The atmosphere is comfortable, the recipes are great, craft ideas, makeovers and all the rest just needs to be enjoyed for a lighthearted change to all of the high pressure cooking staged competition shows. It is a very pleasant change to much of what is pushed at us on TV today. We DVR it everyday and have prepared many of the recipes.
Give it a try, and it is getting better with every show. It doesn't make any difference if all of the hosts aren't there everyday. This isn't a competition, it is just an enjoyable show, and more real than the reality shows that seem to get all of the hype.
Leap of Faith (1992)
A great movie if you don't mind being challenged and thinking
As there have been a lot of other positive reviews, I will not get into the details of the events leading up to the climatic ending. I have watched this movie numerous times because it is so fascinating as the plot and subplots unfold. Steve Martin is fantastic and I felt like the rest of the cast was well supported by the script and main story. But it is the end that fascinated me, and I think the key really came in the tent scene miracle but not as described in other reviews.
Granted, the line near the end with the exchange between Jonas and Marva's now cured brother Lukas (not son, as erroneously termed in another review) which ends with "it makes all the difference in the world, kid" tells you what Jonas really believes of himself and his own "miracles" is important. And it is true that Lukas' faith was part of the miracle, but when Jonas tells everyone in attendance that night that everyone must believe before the miracle can happen, that is the key message. It is because there are two people in the tent that up until that time don't believe, Jonas and Sheriff Will (Liam Neeson), and the camera pans to the two, and they both believe that it can happen, and it does.
And, I believe, that is the point. None of the characters can turn back to what they were, and although the movie doesn't tell us much and really doesn't need to, that is what we are left with in the end. Believe and go forward.
This is a challenging thought for everyone.