Good News Film Reviews

We are Taking a Breather For Spring Cleanup

noreply@blogger.com (Scott Nehring) — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 00:14:00 +0000

And by "breather" we mean a heckuva long time.

Good News Film Reviews is on an extended leave as we clean up old posts, revamp some code and all around spruce the joint up a bit.

We will return with new content soon.

Testimony: I Was A Total Scumbag, Now I'm Just a Jerk; Praise the Lord!

noreply@blogger.com (Scott Nehring) — Sat, 17 Mar 2012 17:26:00 +0000

Below is a segment I did for CBN's 700 Club. Essentially, it is a short version of my testimony. I hope it helps someone out there.

Blackthorn (2011)

noreply@blogger.com (Scott Nehring) — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 17:00:00 +0000

Reviewer: Scott Nehring

Should I see it?
Absolutely.

Director: Mateo Gil
Written by: Miguel Barros
Starring: Sam Shepard, Eduardo Noriega, Stephen Rea Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Magaly Solier, Padraic Delaney and Dominique McElligott

Rated R for violence and language

Rent of Buy This Movie Here

I adored this film. Then again, I believe that Sam Shepard (with both his acting and in particular his writing) is a national treasure. Perhaps I am the wrong guy to ask.

Butch Cassidy (Shepard), going under the name James Blackthorn, has grown into a leather-faced old man in the hills of Bolivia. Living his post-criminal days breeding horses, Blackthorn decides to act on his desire to return to America. During his preparations to leave the country he is ambushed by Eduardo Apodaca (Eduardo Noriega), who claims to have robbed a mining industrialist of $50,000. The two eventually partner after Apodaca promises to split the loot if Blackthorn helps him evade the posse on his trail. The pair go on the lam across Bolivia and into the Uyuni salt flats on their way to the coast where Blackthorn will hire a boat to take him to America.

Sam Shepard's reserved style can make him an unapproachable actor for mainstream audiences - which is why he does so well in roles portraying authority figures (Black Hawk Down, The Pelican Brief, Thunderheart) and not the hero. His distant persona works in this performance. His Cassidy is a man worn down by the past. Cursed to live in the backwaters of Bolivia, away from his son born by Etta Place (Dominique McElligott), he is a phantom of the spry young man who entered the foreign land to escape U.S. justice. Shepard balances the stark differences between the delicate emotions of an aged man troubled by what he has lost with the cold-hearted individualism of a lifelong criminal who has tried to live on his own terms. Admitting my bias towards Shepard's work, I do think he was overlooked for Best Actor. Of his film performances, I found this to be the best in his career.

The film isn't a one-man show. Eduardo Noriega also gives a notable performance as the thieving mining engineer Eduardo. Noriega is not a well-known commodity in the United States but has made a name for himself in Spain. His performance in this film should secure him some notoriety on this side of the Atlantic. He plays well against Shepard and the pairing benefits both actors.

The story itself is a traditional chase story, but director Mateo Gil avoids many of the usual trappings of the genre. While the chase is at the heart of the story, this is really a detailed character piece by the end. Sure the real Cassidy probably died early on, but the character developed here is fully formed. The audience is given reason to care about him finding peace and resolution - which is saying something given they are rooting for a brutal criminal.

Worldview: Cassidy has been tempered by old age and decades of quiet. He retains the individualistic/survivor nature which helped him make his way out of America, but he has settled down just the same. When we find him, he seems to be living in a tropical Eden. He is secluded, his home is open and clean. He has a comfortable relationship with a beautiful Bolivian woman. All of this is not enough for him however, he longs for home. That's not to say he longs to be around other Americans, or other folks of his racial background. What Cassidy really longs for is the ideal he imagines his "home" America has to offer.

Cassidy is prompted to return to the States when he learns his past love Etta Place has died. He writes her son - who is also his son - as he plans to make his way north. It is the loss of Place that he hopes to resolve. In reality what the film is presenting is a sinful man quietly resenting the fruits of his former self. His criminality introduced him to the passion of his life, Place. It is the same criminality (sinfulness) which also ripped her away from him and put an irreparable split between him and his partner in crime The Sundance Kid.

This is an interesting contradiction many find in their lives. We are lured in by our sin and find something precious in the act. Conversely, we are tortured when our sin rips that precious thing from our grasp. Hmm. Sounds like hell on Earth.

Cautions: There is some violence, although it is relatively mild compared with the content regularly presented on television - there is also some language but I found it contextual and not offensive.

Click on ol' Sam to view the trailer

Movie Poster: Swing Time

noreply@blogger.com (Scott Nehring) — Sun, 11 Mar 2012 02:00:00 +0000

Buy this poster - Click here

Movie Poster: Irma la Douce

noreply@blogger.com (Scott Nehring) — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 02:00:00 +0000

Buy this poster - Click here

Texas Killing Fields (2011)

noreply@blogger.com (Scott Nehring) — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 16:00:00 +0000

Reviewer: Scott Nehring

Should I see it?
A weak no.

Director: Ami Canaan Mann
Written by: Don Ferrarone
Starring: Sam Worthington, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Jessica Chastain, Chloë Moretz and Stephen Graham

Rated R for violence and language.

Rent of Buy This Movie Here

The titular killing fields are a thick bayou where no reasonable man will set foot. Anyone out in the killing fields runs a good chance of becoming a part of the local food chain. This haunting swamp is the backdrop as two local cops, Mike (Sam Worthington) and Brian (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) investigate a series of murders occurring in their dank, backwoods of Texas. Along for the ride is Mike's ex-wife Pam (Jessica Chastain), who is also a detective.

The trio run down leads and interrogate witnesses. Every once in a while someone throws a punch and they get involved in the obligatory car chase. Before too long, the truth is revealed and things come to their conclusion. Then the credits roll.

Honestly, that is really all that happens.

Despite my slighting the plot, there are a number of elements to recommend this film. The problem is that none of these elements mesh together to create a cohesive, thoughtful production. It is hard to place blame on director Ami Canaan Mann or screenwriter Don Ferrarone, but somewhere a lack of vision happened. Ultimately, the responsibility falls on the director, so that is where I have to land my blame.

Mann has talent. She pulled solid performances from her actors and did a fantastic job developing a memorable environment for them to inhabit. Two of the actors Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Chloë Moretz are particularly sharp in their roles. If the script and direction had been more focused, I think it would have been very likely one or both of them would have secured Best-Supporting nods this year. Both actors seem to have had clear connections with their characters and give natural, compelling performances.

If you watch this film you will be drawn into the feel of the film and its possibility for something great. Mann doesn't deliver on the obvious potential available to her. She fails to tie her scenes together, with one moment not matching the next. This leads to a disjointed experience where items are brought up and then dropped, characters are partially developed and numerous promising moments evaporate into nothing.

What did I mean by responding "a weak no" to the question "Should I see it?" I can't recommend this film because it ultimately doesn't deliver on its promises. There are just too many problems with the end product. I can say that I found myself enjoy much of the movie, however. You will not find many movies with the environmental tension available in this production. Mann crafted some very tense, tight scenes. Again the issue is that they end up being stand alone moments in a series of ill-matching plot points.

If you are looking for a suspenseful film and can forgive some broken logic and script issues, feel free to disregard my complaints.

Worldview: One of the points of the script that is left unresolved is the faith questions brought up by Brian. Brian is a cop from New York with experience with serial killers, or at least multiple-murderers. He is a Roman Catholic with a deep sense of responsibility to his faith and to catching those committing evil. These last points are expounded upon but rather gathered from his dialog and actions.

Brian will pause after his initial review of a crime scene to quietly pray over/for the corpse. When he fails to do this he is remorseful and feels as if he wasn't doing his actual work. This aspect of Brian's life which seems to be a reaction to his previous cases is an engaging quality. When he takes interest in helping a troubled teenager, Ann (Chloë Moretz) there is a real sacrificial surrogate father relationship in the making. Without spoiling too much, the script manages to mishandle this critically important relationship, but it is there in subtext.

What I found interesting in Brian's belief system is the notion that he can pray for the dead and somehow make a difference. Our salvation is never found in the direct actions of anyone other than Christ Himself and in my reading of Scripture, this is done in life. The world can pray for me, but if I fail to acknowledge and submit to Grace I am lost. Salvation becomes a choice of the individual to see the Truth and accept it into their life. I believe this can happen in one's final moments and despite the sins weighed against the guilty soul. The notion of praying over a corpse is an act of the living using the dead as a surrogate to express their own desire for salvation. The dead are gone and their judgment awaits them in the great beyond.

Another point residing in his theological action is his inability to do anything about evil acting on the Earth. Like every other thoughtful moment, this is touched on for a fleeting moment a then let go. His partner Mike sarcastically asks Brian to stop praying for him since everyone Brian prays for seems to end up dead. Brian prays and keeps his faith yet evil persists and all he can seem to do is try to keep up long enough to clean up the mess. Evil is our burden, but it really isn't our problem. If it were our problem we could do something about it - we can't. We can attempt to restrain its impact within ourselves (a task destined for failure, but worth the work) but the only resolution comes through Christ. It is He who will bring evil to cease.

Cautions: There is plenty of killing and some of the scenes involve women being attacked. While the violence is sometimes tense, it is all contextual and done with respect for the audience.

Movie Poster: Fargo

noreply@blogger.com (Scott Nehring) — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 02:00:00 +0000

Buy this poster - Click here

Movie Poster: Sherlock Holmes and the Voice of Terror

noreply@blogger.com (Scott Nehring) — Sun, 04 Mar 2012 02:00:00 +0000

Buy this poster - Click here

Movie Poster: Drive

noreply@blogger.com (Scott Nehring) — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 02:00:00 +0000

Screenshot: Take Shelter

noreply@blogger.com (Scott Nehring) — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 02:00:00 +0000

Movie Poster: Duel

noreply@blogger.com (Scott Nehring) — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 02:00:00 +0000

Buy This Movie Poster Here

Oscar Wire: This Just In

noreply@blogger.com (Scott Nehring) — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 02:00:00 +0000

The 84th Annual Academy Awards are still nothing more than a ridiculous trade show.

We'll keep you posted if anything changes.

Movie Trailer: Mozart's Sister

noreply@blogger.com (Scott Nehring) — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 14:00:00 +0000

How many times have we seen the routine of the girl dressing up as a boy and despite the fact that she is OBVIOUSLY A GIRL DRESSED UP AS A BOY no one seems to notice?

There seems to be a presumption that since she is related to Mozart that she must have some genius for composing and it's just because of gender roles that she's not able to prove herself. Cuz y'know genius is hereditary...or not.

Return to the movie trailers page

Click here to buy your copy of

You Are What You See:

Watching Movies Through a Christian Lens

Movie Poster: Halloween

noreply@blogger.com (Scott Nehring) — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 02:00:00 +0000

Buy This Movie Poster Here

Screenshot: Battle: Los Angeles

noreply@blogger.com (Scott Nehring) — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 02:00:00 +0000

Movie Poster: Psycho

noreply@blogger.com (Scott Nehring) — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 02:00:00 +0000

Buy this poster - Click here

Screenshot: The Turin Horse

noreply@blogger.com (Scott Nehring) — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 02:00:00 +0000

Movie Poster: An American Werewolf in London

noreply@blogger.com (Scott Nehring) — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 02:00:00 +0000

Buy this poster - Click here

Han Shot First

noreply@blogger.com (Scott Nehring) — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 17:15:00 +0000

I am a fan of Bill Whittle and find that he manages to encapsulate the conservative arguments in a fresh and logical way. His latest video, Han Shot First, is his best one yet.

Besides calling George Lucas out as the hack that he is, Whittle also points out one of the most critical self-inflicted cultural wounds we have allowed to fester over the past 50 years - the death of masculine individualism.

Movie Poster: Being John Malkovich

noreply@blogger.com (Scott Nehring) — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 02:00:00 +0000

Buy this poster - Click here

Movie Trailer: I'm Glad That My Mother Is Alive

noreply@blogger.com (Scott Nehring) — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 22:00:00 +0000

I'm glad that my mother is alive so I can talk her ear off.

Return to the movie trailers page

Click here to buy your copy of

You Are What You See:

Watching Movies Through a Christian Lens

Movie Trailer: Main Street

noreply@blogger.com (Scott Nehring) — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 18:00:00 +0000

A film about the revival of the American Dream....directed by a Scot and starring a pair of Brits.

Actually, this could be quite good - depending on the film's characterization of business.

Return to the movie trailers page

Click here to buy your copy of

You Are What You See:

Watching Movies Through a Christian Lens

Movie Trailer: The Debt

noreply@blogger.com (Scott Nehring) — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 14:00:00 +0000

Looks good. Then again, everything with Helen Mirren looks good at first.

Return to the movie trailers page

Click here to buy your copy of

You Are What You See:

Watching Movies Through a Christian Lens

Movie Poster: Men in Black

noreply@blogger.com (Scott Nehring) — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 02:00:00 +0000

Movie Trailer: Politics of Love

noreply@blogger.com (Scott Nehring) — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 22:00:00 +0000

She wanted to be a part of history...voting a communist into the White House.

Odd they state that voting for Obama is "taking a part in revolution".

I wonder if the Obama office will have SEIU and ACORN thugs running around. Perhaps they will have a Che poster on the wall.

Return to the movie trailers page

Click here to buy your copy of

You Are What You See:

Watching Movies Through a Christian Lens