The Crossing

I was watching the Crossing with Dad this evening and at the end of the movie General Washington asks how many of his men had been killed at the battle, the answer: none. We were wondering if that was really true or not so I logged onto the net to check it out and sure enough it was true. According to wikipedia two men died on the way there, but none were killed in battle. An additional piece of information surprised me though.

Only two Americans were wounded, both during the Americans' rush to capture Hessian artillery before they could be used in the battle. These wounded were officers: Captain William Washington (the General's cousin), who was badly wounded in both hands, and young Lieutenant James Monroe, the future President of the United States. Monroe was carried from the field bleeding badly after he was struck in the left shoulder by a musket ball, which severed an artery. Doctor John Riker clamped the artery, keeping him from bleeding to death.

None of this was anything I can ever remember hearing before. Wow. I guess you're always learning something.

War is Raw

Last night my friends and I went and saw War. I guess its actually a Jet Li movie, but I love Jason Statham and so to me it was a Statham movie. Actually I had never heard of the movie until I saw a poster for it at a bus stop on my way home from work one day; I saw a 4 foot high Statham head and thought 'oh yeah, we're seeing this' without even knowing what it was about.

Anyway, back to the movie itself. It may actually have been a good movie, but I didn't enjoy it. I draw a distinction between movies that are good (in terms of good film making) and movies that I enjoy. To me the plot was hard to follow, and the twists didn't seen to work for me. Well, there were two twists, one worked ok the other didn't at least for me.

There was excessive violence. I don't get instantly bothered by violence in a movie (it is a movie after all) but I don't like the graphic bullets to the head and the unseen murder of small children. There was some nudity in the film that clearly wasn't needed. At one point a woman wearing a revealing evening dress brings Jet Li a suitcase full of money and then disrobes, compliments of whichever guy we thought he was working for at the moment. What was that all about? There was some minor nudity and sex in the almost mandatory movie club scene. Maybe those were integral to the plot in showing the nastiness gang life - who knows? I'm no film critic.

After the movie my friend and I both independently remarked that what the movie was sorely missing was Statham taking off his shirt (ala Transporter). I'm only partly joking. If that had somehow been included in the movie it might have made up a little for the $9.25 ticket.

Oh well, next time I'll just have to pop the Transporter DVD into the player to get my fill of shirtless oil fighting.

Harry Potter

Last night or this morning (whichever it is) I went to the midnight showing of Harry Potter. It might not have been the best idea since I did have work this morning, but it was ok. Overall I thought the movie is good, but I wouldn't classify myself as a Potter-fan. I guess I would call myself as a social Potter person. Basically the only HP contact I have is when these movies come out and I go to the midnight showing with my friends who are big HP fans.

I would also like to post updated information from the Catholic League on the San Diego Minutemen bigotry.

July 10, 2007
SAN DIEGO MINUTEMEN GIN UP CATHOLIC BASHING

Yesterday, the Catholic League criticized the anti-Catholic bigotry displayed by the San Diego Minutemen against St. Peter’s Church in Fallbrook, California. The anti-illegal immigrant group is protesting the cooperation that the church’s pastor, Father Edward “Bud” Kaicher, has shown in helping day laborers find employment in the San Diego suburb.

Today, the group accused the Catholic League of creating “hatred amongst Catholics nationwide against Americans standing up for what’s right and legal.” It also accused the illegal immigrants of increasing “crime and disease in our communities,” and said that the “corrupt Catholic church” was committing “outrageous crimes and deeds.”

Catholic League president Bill Donohue responded as follows:

“We have learned that the San Diego Minutemen are unaffiliated with either the Minuteman Project or the Minutemen Civil Defense Corps. As such, our comments are solely directed at the San Diego Minutemen.

“The Catholic League is calling upon non-Latino Catholics in Southern California to join with Latino Catholics to condemn the flagrant anti-Catholic bigotry of the San Diego Minutemen. Regardless of whether one is sympathetic or not to the plight of illegal immigrants—and/or the grievances of legal immigrants—there is one issue that all fair-minded persons should be able to agree upon: there is no role for bigotry in this dispute.

“We are prepared to work with other Catholic organizations in the San Diego area to put an end to the Catholic bashing. To think there can be a realistic chance of achieving reconciliation without first addressing the issue of anti-Catholicism is pure nonsense.”

Rambo IV “is also a Christian film,” Sylvester Stallone confirms

Rambo IV “is also a Christian film,” Sylvester Stallone confirms

Hollywood, Mar 1, 2007 / 05:26 pm (CNA).- Following his successful comeback in the latest “Rocky” movie, Sylvester Stallone is resurrecting another of his classic action characters for another installment of “Rambo.” And, just as he did for “Rocky Balboa,” Stallone is bringing his re-found faith to the movie with him.

In an interview with the “National Catholic Register,” Stallone recalls his return to Catholicism and how the birth of his daughter in the late ‘90’s was a crossroads for him. “When my daughter was born sick, and I realized I really needed some help here, I started putting everything in God’s hands, his omnipotence, his all-forgivingness.”

The NCR reports that while Stallone grew up Catholic, he stopped going to church after he tasted fame and fortune. Now however, he considers himself a churchgoing Catholic again. “[This] puts me where I should be,” the action star said, noting that before his return to the faith, “I was alone in the world. I though I would have to handle things my own way.”

Speaking about the fourth installment of the “Rambo” series, which Stallone is co-producing, directing, and acting in, “Sly” notes that his protagonist (John Rambo), “is a borderline atheist. He doesn’t believe in anything anymore.”

However, Rambo’s mission in this movement, Stallone continued, “is to bring a group of Christians upriver into a very hostile territory, and they’re there to bring the Word of God and medicine and dentistry to these natives. He starts getting influenced by their faith in the face of such incredible odds.”

“I think it may work,” he said.

“Here’s how it is. I believe that you can have a Christian theme but you can’t hit it too heavy. You can’t hit ‘em over the head with a hammer. You have to be subtle about it,” he concluded.

The new movie is currently in production and has undergone several name changes. It current working title is “John Rambo” and is presently scheduled for release in late January 2008.

Source

You know, I thought Rocky Balboa would be a pretty bad movie, but I really liked it. If Sly can do with this movie what he did with Rocky, I look forward to seeing it.