What are you watching right now?

[angelsaroundme]

Solomon Kane

James Purefoy is great as the titular Solomon Kane. After losing himself to greed and violence, he vows to never kill anyone, until of course God sets him on a mission where he must use his sword to help others. There's no nudity, almost no swearing, and Solomon's journey of redemption felt surprisingly genuine. Sure, there are religious authorities who lost their way in the story, but I was thinking about how Biblical that is from both an OT and NT perspective. So, calling it an outright Christian movie may not be true, but man is it closer than I expected it to be.

I also enjoyed the many Biblical allusions to both his namesakes, Solomon and Cain. Like Cain, he receives a scar or mark, and he's of noble birth same as Solomon. It's definitely an original character but you can see some direct inspirations or Easter egg references. It's a movie that takes itself seriously but also has fun and memorable action moments. I think it's at least a slight hidden gem.

 

[angelsaroundme]

A Christmas Village Romance

It's interesting that there aren't very many Valentine's Day movies. But this Christmas movie was really cute and sweet. The way it handled the relationship between the couple, her being a historical romance novelist, and him, a village blacksmith and historian felt natural. I liked that the other guy, the cover model for her books, wasn't written as stupid. They avoided that trope. The cast and writing were great. Jeni Ross as the lead was wonderful.

 

[DragonFox91]

I watched NBA Memphis @ Minnesota. Grizzlies one of the bottom teams played close all game & were even ahead by quite a bit at one point, but ended up losing to the league-leading Timberwolves (I wanted Memphis)

I watched NHL Arizona @ Philadelphia. Coyotes kept getting 1 goal leads only for the Flyers to keep tying it. But the Flyers dominated the 3rd period & ended up winning comfortably. (I wanted Arizona)

College hockey

I’ve had the Disney Channel on in the background

I watched James & the Giant Peach. I liked it as a kid, now I found it boring. Like what we were discussing w/ Charlie & The Chocolate Factory, there’s some Christian themes & I liked that. I actually liked the parts with the aunts the best, they are so over-the-top. I give it a 3/5.

The DC cartoon movie Throne of Atlantis. I just found it mostly boring. This is another origin story, & I’ve seen his origin several times by now. This one also doesn’t work as well b/c Aquaman himself & his story is mostly sidelined in this movie for the rest of the Justice League. Which isn’t bad itself, b/c in this movie the rest of the League was more interesting. The final battle is pretty good. I give this a 3/5.

As I was saying, I wanted to rewatch the Narnia movies. I started with The Lion, The Witch, & The Wardrobe. I was hesitant on rewatching / starting with this one because it’s very familiar to me, but I’m glad I did. There’s a reason the story stands the test of time. I think the 1st 3rd is excellent, then it gets slow / generic in the middle, then picks up again when Aslan decides to make the sacrifice. I give this a 5/5
I bought the books in 1 volume last year & was reading some. I think this is a rare case where the movie’s better, but I think it’s very faithful to the book. The book is good tho & makes me want to read more of it.
(BTW this story was read to us in 3rd grade – a teacher would never get away w/ reading it in public schools today)

I watched Prince Caspian. This is the 4th time I’ve seen it. It’s a giant step back from the first they made. It reminds me of generic fantasy. But I did really like the scenes w/ the Pevensie children, & the religious allegories & messaging.
I agree the visuals are stunning (just like the first one) & the battle scenes are better than in the first. My problem w/ how Peter acts is they should have given his actions to Caspian. Caspian is sidelined for Peter, & a side-character in his own movie
I was paging thru the book & remember back when I first read it a long time ago loving the first few chapters, then just finding the rest generic. I think one of the reasons it comes across as generic is because it originally wasn’t: back when it first came out, it re-wrote the genre.
I’d give it a 3/5 but, it’s Narnia & I have a soft-spot for the Christian themes & high fantasy in general, so I’m biased & will round it up to a 4/5. But I recommend it if you’re a Narnia fan. I just found it mostly boring

I watched The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. I thought it was a big step up from Prince Caspian. It’s a lot more fun. The adventure story feels fresh after ‘take the kingdom from the bad guys’ was done twice already.
I don’t really remember the book & haven’t paged thru it yet
I feel like the religious allegories & borrowing from the Bible are toned down some, not sure if it was like that in the book too, just generic ‘fight temptation’ although Aslan gets a ‘you know me by another name in your world & this is meant to draw you closer to me there.’ I approved of that. But even the allegory of Aslan’s Country seems pushed down.
It’s such a shame they stopped making them. Prince Caspian movie left me disappointed, this one left me wanting more. Maybe someday we’ll get the other 4. (I really hope they don’t start all over again, just do the other 4, it’s different kids other than Eustace)
Reepicheep & Eustace steal the show, tho Lucy, Edmund, & Caspian all get their time to shine.
I give this a 5/5

 

[DragonFox91]

A YouTube video on all the Satanic or Illuminati symbols in corporate logos.

I think some are stretching it but you can't help but wonder there's something to it.

The eye(s), moon, sun, yin-yang symbols is in a lot of them.

XXXX

Then I was listening to a video condemning all Contemporary Christian Music. While I don't approve of it being used as a show during services, & find many empty, I think there's a lot of good music too.

 

[.Mikha'el.]

I am watching an old episode of TPIR now.

 

[RileyG]

Random YouTube videos

 

[DragonFox91]

A few college hockey games. College hockey has a good-sized following here in Michigan, w/ several D1 teams in the state & in the middle of Red Wings & Blackhawks territory

A few college basketball games

I had Justice League vs Teen Titans cartoon movie on in the background. I’ve seen it already. I find it boring.

I had Shrek 2 on in the background. I’ve seen it already. It’s good. I like it. It's better & better every time I see it.

Justice League: Gods & Monsters cartoon movie. This one is an alternate history which is a good concept. I liked the spin on Batman the best. Then Wonder Woman’s. Then Superman’s. I thought the first half hour or so was interesting, setting up the pieces for a good mystery, but then it just got boring. I used to think these DC superhero cartoon movies were really good but the last few I’ve found boring including this one. I give this a 3/5

All Saints movie. This is about a church that’s going to be shut down by the bishops but is saved when it takes on large groups of refugee farmers. At first I was thinking it was boring, but it got better halfway thru. My favorite part is when the parable of the farmer & mustard seed is being read while they are farming. The movie makes me want to learn more about the real All Saints story. I give big props to the movie, it wasn’t preachy about “social justice" - the characters did what they did b/c a genuineness. I liked it! I’ll give it a 4/5

I have one more episode of Season 1 of Home Improvement. Good show. Al is my favorite. (Singles will be able to relate to him! – Sometimes I think it’s hard to watch the show b/c it’s a show about being married & raising a family, but the creators knew to include a single too) The neighbor is a clear stand-in for going to God when you have questions or a problem. I like how it delivers the show’s message in a natural way & funny way that doesn’t seem preachy too. & the show takes place in Michigan!! I have family that reminds me of the family. They are from Detroit too so it makes me wonder if they’re distant cousins to Tim Allen.

BTW I’ve been watching some older shows, they always end w/ a message. I know people had started to get sick of this in shows, but it’s really a shame they don’t try any more & everything is either just a joke or nihilistic.

 

[angelsaroundme]

Monarch: Legacy of Monsters

I didn't finish this one. The scenes in the past were mostly decent but the main show is with the characters in their 20s who are written like three cliche bratty teenagers who hate everyone and probably themselves. It would be one thing if the show wasn't supposed to be about kaijus. But it's a show that is meant to be about kaijus that is really about cheating, family drama, and most of all, being angry and bitter. When Hollywood makes stuff like this it pushes people to watch older shows, read books, etc.

 

[angelsaroundme]

Jim Henson's Tortoise Vs. Hare

I liked that this was a sequel to the original story with a modern re-match including their kids. Both Tortoise and Hare are determined to prove their methods work, slow and steady versus speed is everything. Most of the humor comes from that so it feels very natural. I'm not saying it's 10/10 but I did enjoy it. The beginning is probably the weakest part. Once the competition starts it's basically solid for the rest of it.

 

[angelsaroundme]

Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire is the best blockbuster of the year IMO.

I really enjoyed how it fleshed out Hollow Earth, handled the kaijus and the humans. The human story this time blends almost entirely into the kaiju story rather than feeling like a separate thing. I think this movie handled characters, human and kaiju, better than any other MonsterVerse film. I will say this is mainly Kong's movie. His arch, especially with the Mini Kong, is a lot of fun. Godzilla does get multiple fights though and his own upgrade. If you like big budget action movies that don't take themselves too seriously but still have a lot of character moments, this is an easy recommend.

 

[.Mikha'el.]

History's Greatest Mysteries. This episode's about the "Battle of Los Angeles".

 

[DragonFox91]

The college hockey Frozen 4 Selection Show, & some of the tournament.

NHL: The Arizona Coyotes are moving to Utah. I watched their last game festivities: the pre-game, game, & post-game vs Edmonton. It was a 5-2 win for the Coyotes. It’s sad to see. I’ve always wanted to see them do well. Their fans are heartbroken. But the League will let them come back automatically if they can find in arena in 3 years.

MLB: Arizona at Colorado. I wanted Arizona. It was tied in the 9th, then the Diamondbacks went ahead 5-3 w/ one out left. In the Bottom of the 9th Colorado got bases loaded with one out left but could not score. Diamondbacks won.

Justice League: Crisis on 2 Earths cartoon movie
Owlman is the kind of villain you love to hate. Christians s/ appreciate the nihilistic views he has is portrayed as villainous (nowadays it’s considered virtuous to be nihilistic).
I liked his squareoff w/ Batman at the end.
Superwoman another good villain.
I liked Johnny Quick’s sacrifice
Yes, the villians are a lot more interesting than the heroes in this
But I think the romance between Martian Manhunter & Slade’s daughter gave the movie some needed heart.
I like the 2nd half much better then the first.
But sadly, most of my likes happen in the 2nd half, which is just too late to start liking it, & I think the ‘evil Justice League’ concept has been done better elsewhere.
I give this a 3/5. If you like the DC cartoon movies, you’ll like the 2nd half

I have a couple more episodes of Season 1 of the Dinosaurs show from the 90s w/ the freaky puppets & scary-looking baby. There are a lot of episodes where the parents are behind-the-times & the kids are enlightened & are gonna change the world b/c their parents are dumb & have never tried to get answers. But the show plays neutral better than shows today. The messages play all sides better than shows today do. It’s easy to see how shows like this led to the ones we have today that skew anti-Biblical messages even more. I like it overall.

 

[sampa]

Raindrops. And about to be falling on my head.

 

[angelsaroundme]

IF is the sweetest movie I've seen this year. The beginning is a little slow, but once you see more and more of the imaginary friends, it hits its stride and delivers a story that will leave you feeling good.

 

[DragonFox91]

I watch a lot of documentaries & histories on YouTube. Honestly I'd rather watch those then pop movies & TV shows. I was always the nerd watching Animal Planet, the Discovery Channel, & the History Channel growing up (although I loved every show on Nickelodeon too!)

 

[.Mikha'el.]

I am watching the Denver Nuggets choke away Game 7.

 

[angelsaroundme]

Inside Out 2

Pixar really knocked this one out of the park. It made me remember how good Pixar can be. The movie manages to have charm and humor while incorporating complex ideas, especially in how it handles with Anxiety. Many films struggle when they have a lot of characters. With the new emotions, that could have happened, but it juggles them all really well, giving everyone their moments.

 

[DragonFox91]

As someone who struggles w/ anxiety, the mainstream's version is much different from mine, & I rolled my eyes when I found they were adding anxiety. Glad you liked it tho.

To the mainstream, anxiety is a hand's breath. They struggle w/ something for a day, a few months, maybe a year, & they get thru it. Some things, you don't get thru so quick. So cling to the Lord.

 

[angelsaroundme]

As someone who struggles w/ anxiety, the mainstream's version is much different from mine, & I rolled my eyes when I found they were adding anxiety. Glad you liked it tho.

To the mainstream, anxiety is a hand's breath. They struggle w/ something for a day, a few months, maybe a year, & they get thru it. Some things, you don't get thru so quick. So cling to the Lord.

I totally get that. The movie does a great job at conveying the onset of anxiety and more complicated situations that comes with puberty. It's probably better than you are expecting. The trailer doesn't show that much. Inside Out 2's portrayal of how Anxiety works in the brain was impressive, but the situation itself is meant to be generalized so anyone can relate.

I think you are talking about moderate to severe longterm social anxiety, particularly as an adult. Mine is pretty bad so I get it. For many with that, life can get very lonely and frustrating at times.

 

[DragonFox91]

A couple college baseball games

MLB: Arizona @ Cincinnati. Reds had the go-ahead run on base in the bottom of the 9th but Diamondbacks won. I wanted Arizona

MLB Arizona @ Los Angeles. Diamondbacks won pretty easily. I wanted Arizona

MLB San Francisco @ Arizona. Close throughout. Diamondbacks won on a walk-off! I wanted Arizona

NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs Game 5 Edmonton @ Florida. Panthers had a chance to win it at home. Oilers won, they look really good. I think they have too much top-end talent & now they’ve found it, Panthers might be in trouble. I want Florida.

I am watching Boy Meets World with my friend. We are skipping around a lot. The show isn’t my favorite. I like the episodes where they’re older a bit better. I think he’s too much of a deviant, & it’s not that funny. I do like Mr. Sweeney.

I am almost done w/ Monk Season 3. Fantastic show. Every episode is good. The cases are always interesting. It’s a really well done show. They replace Sharona w/ Natalie this season. Not sure if it was the best choice. The contrast between Monk & Sharona was one of the hi-lights of the show & there isn’t that contrast w/ Monk & Natalie. Still good. I’m sure Natalie will grow on me.