Mothers are Important: A Movie Review of "Moms' Night Out"

Many called 2014 the greatest year for "Christian" films (if you consider Noah, Exodus: Gods and Kings, and Heaven is For Real as Christian films, I suppose). True, there were many films indirectly connected to Christianity. But only one big comedy film came out that was directed and written by Christians. Moms' Night Out is a comedy drama that shows the importance of mothers and their job.

Just as with 2014's God's Not Dead, the secular community bashed this film. It was called disappointing and even sexist. Among Christians, it received fairly good reviews. The film stars Sarah Drew as Allyson, a mother, Sean Astin as Sean, her husband, and Patricia Heaton as Sondra, the pastor's wife.

SUMMARY

   It's Mother's Day and Allyson is overwhelmed with her husband away on business, leaving her alone with their children. She takes the kids to church but with a few problems.

   Later, she plans a "moms' night out" with her best friend Izzy and the pastor's wife, Sondra. The three arrive at a fancy restaurant, only to find that Allyson's reservation has been mixed up. But this is just the beginning. 

   The moms go bowling, but Allyson's sister-in-law, Bridget, works there. She had asked Allyson to watch her baby son but was refused. Out of curiosity, Allyson asks who is watching the baby, Phoenix. Bridget says her "ex," Joey, is watching him. However, earlier in the evening, Allyson had seen Joey at the restaurant. 

   The four moms, including Bridget, find Joey and he tells them he left the baby with the owner of a tattoo parlor. The moms head down there but find out that he is gone.

   The rest of the movie holds one conundrum after another, with the fathers watching the kids, the missing baby, and a police chase.

CONTENT

   The violence in Moms' Night Out is minor. Two men find themselves tied up while children run around. It is implied that a man steps on a bird, though not intentionally. A woman is accidentally tasered. People go into a shady-looking tattoo parlor. 

   It is implied that Bridget is either divorced or separated from her husband or boyfriend. While the two have a baby, it is not clearly stated whether they were married or not (though I felt it implied they never were).

   There is no inappropriate language.

   A couple of men are shown in a somewhat mocking light. The one man is shown to be a bit irresponsible (in fact, most of the men characters are). However, this is a minor point. 

   The biggest lesson to be taken from Moms' Night Out is the importance of mothering. In the Bible, mothers play an important role. Eve was the mother of all humans; without her, indeed, there would be no us! Moses' mother saved his life by separating herself from her infant son, and he grew to lead God's people out of Egypt, out of bondage. Samuel's mother, Hannah, dedicated her son to the LORD and through that, he became a great prophet of God. The most famous biblical mother is Mary, who bore Jesus Christ, God's Son, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit. None of these mothers were particularly special (in fact, they were all ordinary), but by God's grace they all raised godly sons who were great heroes of the faith.

   Christian films are often criticized for their poor acting. Moms' Night Out may not have amazing acting, but it still was very good. It had two famous actors: Sean Astin (Lord of the Rings trilogy) and Patricia Heaton (Everybody Loves Raymond). Also, Alex Kendrick, popular for his Christian movie ministry, is featured in the movie.

   Moms' Night Out is one wild ride, from start to finish. It has enough comedy to make anyone laugh, and also some good lessons about mothers and their roles. The character Allyson says, at the end, that she is a "beautiful mess." While this is true about mothers especially, it is true for all of God's children. We are all a mess, but through Christ, we are made beautiful. 

   I hope many families enjoy this film!

GENERAL INFORMATION

Length: 98 minutes

Rating: PG (for mild thematic elements and some action)

Directors: Andrew Erwin, John Erwin

Producers: Andrew Erwin, John Erwin, David A.R. White, Kevin Downes, 

Elizabeth Hatcher-Travis, Michael Scott

Music: Marc Fantini, Steffan Fantini

Year of release: 2014

Primary audience: Family, adults

Coming Soon: FIM Awards

   The second annual Family-in-Mind Awards are coming soon. This year, the nominations will be posted a week before the awards themselves are announced. But for 2015, there is a new system. There will be two sets of awards: one for Kids/Family and another for Teens/Adults. The same type and number of awards will be under each section.
   Keep an eye out for the nominations coming soon!

~Family-in-Mind Reviews

The End of a Beginning: A Movie Review of "The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies"

In 2003, Peter Jackson released the third and final Lord of the Rings film, Return of the King. Over a decade later, he released the final movie in The Hobbit trilogy, based on the book by JRR Tolkien. Die hard fans will know that The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies is the last Middle-earth movie that Peter Jackson can make, as the "Tolkien estate" will no longer work with him. So this is the last farewell for Peter Jackson to the magical world of Middle-earth.

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies was a huge success at the worldwide box office. In America, it held the top spot for a while after opening, as well as being the eighth-highest-grossing film of 2014. The movie stars Martin Freeman as Bilbo Baggins, Richard Armitage as Thorin Oakenshield, Luke Evans as Bard the Bowman, and Lee Pace as Elven king Thranduil.

SUMMARY

   The third Hobbit film picks up right where the second one left off...literally! At the end of Desolation of Smaug, the dragon Smaug was on his way to Lake-town, with intentions of attacking the human inhabitants. Battle of the Five Armies opens with Smaug beginning his assault on Lake-town. The humans flee the town, though there are many deaths.
   From a distance, Bilbo and some of the dwarves watch as fire lights up the sky above Lake-town. However, Bilbo notices that Thorin seems to care little for the troubles of the humans.
   Bard the Bowman climbs a tower and attempts to fire arrows into Smaug's "weak spot," but fails. His children flee in a boat, accompanied by Tauriel the elf and several dwarves. But Bain, the son of Bard, retrieves a mighty black arrow for his father and Bard has one, single chance to slay the dragon.
   Refugees of Lake-town escape to the shores and make their way to the ruins of Dale, the city Smaug had attacked so long before.

   Back at the Lonely Mountain (Erebor), Bilbo sees that Thorin is becoming obsessed with the reclaimed gold and treasures of his ancestors. He has "dragon-sickness," as it is referred to throughout the film. This plays on some themes set up at the end of Desolation of Smaug. Thorin is maddened with searching for the greatest of all gems within the mountain: the Arkenstone. Little does he know, Bilbo had stolen it during his encounter with Smaug.
   King Thranduil and his elven army arrive in Dale and provide the humans with food. He tries to convince Bard to lead the humans in attacking the mountain, which Thorin has sealed off at this point. Bard wants peace before war, so he goes to speak with Thorin, but the dwarf king will not listen. The humans and elves then prepare for war.
   During this, Gandalf is still trapped in Dol Guldur, the dark fortress, holding knowledge that an orc army has left for Erebor. He is harmed by an orc, but the elves Galadriel and Elrond, along with the wizard Saruman, come to rescue their friend. After battling Nazgul ghosts (Ring Wraiths), the three must confront the Dark Lord Sauron himself. Galadriel sends him to the evil land Mordor, but she is exhausted from the effort. Saruman informs the others that he will go alone to deal with Sauron (leaving a "cliff-hanger" for The Fellowship of the Ring).
   Gandalf rides to Erebor, where he warns Thranduil of an approaching orc army. The elf will hear none of it and tells Gandalf that he will finish what the wizard began.
   The elves, Legolas and Tauriel, travel to Gundabad, land of orcs, where they see a second orc army marching for Erebor.
   At Erebor, Bilbo realizes a way to prevent fighting between dwarves, men, and elves. He sneaks out of the mountain and takes the Arkenstone to Bard and Thranduil, giving it as a "bartering chip." Enraged by the hobbit's deception, Thorin nearly kills Bilbo, though the hobbit escapes. He will not consent to any of the conditions made by Bard and Thranduil.
   As the elves and men prepare for war, Thorin's cousin, Dain Ironfoot, arrives with his dwarf army. But, before anything can be done, the first orc army arrives. Since Dain is greatly outnumbered, the men and elves join in the battle.
   The remainder of the film is mostly the battle (you will have to figure out the five armies for yourself!). The movie ends, however, with a perfect finish for The Hobbit series, as well as a beginning for The Lord of the Rings.

CONTENT

   The Battle of the Five Armies is, by far, the darkest and most violent of the trilogy. However, it still is not quite as tense as the Lord of the Rings films. As Smaug attacks Lake-town, buildings burn and people are killed. There are human remains in Dale, from the original dragon attack. Thorin commands Bilbo to be thrown over the wall (though he is not).   During the huge battle at the end, many creatures and people are slain: humans, elves, dwarves, orcs, goblins, etc. These warriors/soldiers are impaled, cut, and smashed, among other things. There are decapitations, but only of orcs. Women and children are shown fleeing from orcs, screaming the entire time. Some children are nearly killed (and we do see a dead child, briefly). An orc is stabbed in the head. A dwarf and an orc are impaled. An elf is tossed around, slammed into stones, walls, etc. A pair of dwarves are stabbed and one is dropped from a tower. We see his somewhat bloodied body on the ground. A dwarf makes a reference to splitting someone's head open. Also, a man is nearly executed (presumably) before Bard intervenes.
   Tauriel and Kili have some more romantic scenes, continuing from the second film. Also, a man disguised himself in women's clothing to avoid fighting. He is later seen with gold stuffed in the dress, making it almost appear as though he has breasts.
   There is little language, with one use of b***ard. The same character also calls the orc army "the hordes of h***."

   The use of magic is strong in this film. Elves and wizards use their magic in dueling the Dark Lord. Gandalf is revived magically by an elf. Most of the magic is seen in the Dol Guldur scene.
   In terms of acting, I thought Battle of the Five Armies had the best of the three Hobbit films. Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage, and Luke Evans shone out in their respective roles. Also, Evangeline Lilly as Tauriel and Aiden Turner as Kili were marvelous. And, as always, Cate Blanchett gave an excellent performance as Lady Galadriel.
   This film vividly portrays the struggle between good and evil, in the heroes battling the orcs. There is a very real war going on around us. It is a spiritual war, fought by angels and demons. Christians know that good will triumph in the end, just as good always has triumphed eventually in Middle-earth. Perhaps this is what Tolkien was trying to show in The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings. No matter how dark the world seems, we can rest assured that God's people will be the victors in the end.
   Although I knew the end of The Hobbit trilogy was coming, I was still sad to see it come to the finale. Actually, to be honest, it was a bittersweet feeling. Yes, it was sad, but I was also happy with how Peter Jackson handled his final work in Middle-earth!
   On the musical side of things, composer Howard Shore masterfully produced the music for the film. I also thought this music was the best of the three films. Billy Boyd's performance of "The Last Goodbye" during the credits was moving.
   All in all, this was a wonderful ending to the trilogy. Yet this is not a film for children. Because of the large amount of violence, I believe it is only appropriate for adults, of course, and teens who are able to handle this. Still, it is one of my favorite movies of 2014.

GENERAL INFORMATION

Length: 144 minutes
Rating: PG-13 (for extended sequences of intense fantasy action violence, and frightening images)
Director: Peter Jackson
Producers: Fran Walsh, Peter Jackson, Carolynne Cunningham, Zane Weiner
Music: Howard Shore
Year of release: 2014
Primary audience: Teens, adults

Becoming a True Hero: A Movie Review of "Big Hero 6"

Unless you live in Japan, it would not be surprising if you've never heard of the Marvel comics hero team called Big Hero 6. However, they do exist, and in the fall of 2014, a Disney film loosely based on these heroes was released. 

Big Hero 6’s opening week was highly successful, placing it second only to Frozen. It is also the 46^th highest-grossing animated film of all time. The movie includes the voices of Ryan Potter as teen Hiro Hamada, Scott Adsit as robot physician Baymax, and James Cromwell as science professor Robert Callaghan.

SUMMARY

   The film opens with teenager Hiro Hamada participating in an illegal robot fight. He pays his fee and challenges the reigning champion. He is defeated but convinces the winner to give him a second chance. The amused rival consents, and a second round is played, in which Hiro's robot becomes a magnetic monster. Hiro ends up winning that round and all of the cash money.

   However, his older brother Tadashi finds him and scolds him for joining illegal bot fights. He encourages Hiro to use his genius for the benefit of others. Tadashi takes Hiro to his college, where he shows him his robotics lab. Hiro is introduced to Tadashi's friends (by their nicknames): GoGo, Honey Lemon, Wasabi, and Fred. Finally, Tadashi shows Hiro his latest invention: a medical robot named Baymax. 

   Hiro wants into the robotics lab, so he applies for a scholarship awarded to gifted high-school students. He tries to come up with an amazing piece of technology to enter in the scholarship contest. He eventually creates "microbots," mini robots that can join together to create massive structures, all controlled by a band worn on your head. His entry manages to impress Tadashi's professor, Robert Callaghan, and Hiro is accepted into "nerd school," as it is called.

   *SPOILER* But tragedy strikes. A fire breaks out at the college during the exhibition. Hiro and Tadashi escape, but Professor Callaghan is still inside the building. Tadashi returns to try to save him. Neither come out. Hiro enters into a depressed state, isolating himself, and cannot be helped by his aunt who raises him nor Tadashi's college friends. *END SPOILER*

   While in his room, Hiro hurts himself and accidentally activates Baymax, who hears the boy's cry of pain. While Baymax tries to discover the extent of Hiro's injury, the teen discovers one of his microbots, though they were supposedly all destroyed in the fire. He places it in a container, but it appears to be trying to find the other microbots. 

   Annoyed by Baymax's constant medical inquiries, Hiro tells the robot to take the microbot and find the others. However, Baymax takes the instruction to heart and leaves the house in search of the microbots. Hiro chases after him, and the two discover an abandoned warehouse where they uncover lots of crates full of microbots. 

   A dark man in a mysterious mask appears, and it is obvious that he can control the microbots. Hiro and Baymax barely escape to return home. 

   Eventually, Hiro, Baymax, and Tadashi's friends form a team of super heroes, using their gadgets. Their mission is to track down the mysterious villain and defeat him before his unknown plans are fulfilled. 

CONTENT

  Big Hero 6 is much like a kids' version of a Marvel hero movie. There is some violence, but it is pretty toned down compared to The Avengers or other superhero films. Microbots are used to cause chaos, destroying buildings, streets, and cars. They also attack the Big Hero 6 team. A car is driven into the ocean, and it begins to fill with water (they are rescued, however, and no one dies). The team also uses their gadgets in fights, causing some destruction, though not intentionally. In one scene Hiro reprograms Baymax to kill the villain, and he nearly does. In that scene, his eyes glow red, and he harms the other super heroes when they try to stop him (this scene could possibly frighten younger kids). Also, it is implied that a fire kills some people, and we see their pictures at a funeral.

   Baymax says Hiro's bad mood is a result of puberty. He begins explaining that Hiro will have body hair and "urges," but Hiro stops him before he continues. Overall, there is little to be worried about in this scene, though older viewers will likely understand what is implied. 

   There is no language besides a "gosh" and some mild name-calling. 

   When Baymax's battery becomes low, this causes him to seem drunk, as he slurs his words and wobbles around. Also, Fred says that he wears his underwear for extended periods of time.

   One other thing for parents to take note of is that Hiro lies to his aunt in order to cover up his heroic deeds with Big Hero 6. 

   Big Hero 6 is really an enjoyable family film. It is quite unlike other Disney movies I have seen. Some of the content might be too strong for young children to handle, but I saw it with my eight-year-old brother who was alright throughout the film. Parents will need to make their own decisions, of course, but I think a child aged six or seven would likely be fine with at least most of the movie.

   The film has good lessons about friendship and the loss of people we love. Even when we go through the loss of someone close to us, we need to persevere through the trial. God sends trials to us so that we can become stronger in Him. Trials shape us and help us grow.

   While Big Hero 6 was better than I had expected, it was not an amazing film. It was good, even great, but I would not place it among Disney's greatest cinematic achievements. Still, if you have the chance, I would encourage you and your family to watch this movie. I did enjoy it, and I'm sure many others also will.

GENERAL INFORMATION

Length: 102 minutes

Rating: PG (for action and peril, some rude humor, and thematic elements)

Directors: Chris Williams, Don Hall

Producer: Roy Conli

Music: Henry Jackman

Year of release: 2014

Primary audience: Kids, family

Redemption for a Villain: A Movie Review of "Maleficent"

In recent years, there has been an increase in new twists on classic fairy tales, as seen in films such as Hoodwinked!, Mirror Mirror, Into the Woods, Oz the Great and Powerful, Snow White and the Huntsman. The list goes on and on. One such of these more recent films is Disney's Maleficent. It is the story told in 1959's Sleeping Beauty, but now told from the witch Maleficent's point of view. What comes from this is a tale of love, betrayal, anger, and ultimately, redemption.

Maleficent was the third highest-grossing film of 2014 and the fifteenth Disney film to pass $700 million worldwide. The movie stars Angelina Jolie as Maleficent, Elle Fanning as Princess Aurora (Sleeping Beauty), and Sharlto Copley as King Stefan.

SUMMARY

   There once were two neighboring kingdoms that were terrible enemies: the kingdom of humans and the Moors, a kingdom of magical creatures. In the Moors lived a young fairy girl named Maleficent, who had strong, beautiful wings that she dearly treasured.

   One day, Maleficent meets a human boy named Stefan, who intruded in the Moors. The two become quite unlikely friends, and they fall in love. However, years pass and Stefan forgets Maleficent, who grows up to become the guardian of the Moors.

   And yet, Maleficent had not seen the last of Stefan. She is betrayed by him and harmed, so that he can become king of the humans. Overwhelmed by anger and grief, Maleficent becomes bitter and channels her emotions into holding her grudge. She turns the Moors into a land of darkness and becomes the self-appointed ruler (dictator may be more appropriate). 

   Time goes by, and word reaches Maleficent that Stefan and his wife have had a child. Naturally, she turns up uninvited to the christening. The baby girl had been given gifts by some kind fairies, so Maleficent decides to bestow a gift of her own. She curses the infant to prick her spindle on a spinning wheel, falling into a "sleep like death," on the baby's sixteenth birthday. After being implored, she allows that the baby can be awaken, but only by true love's kiss (which she insists does not exist).

   King Stefan sends the baby, Aurora, into hiding, to be raised by three fairies, disguised as peasant women. They are certainly not up to the task, so it is up to Maleficent and her crow assistant Diaval to ensure Aurora will survive until she turns sixteen.

   However, Maleficent begins to feel something for the little girl as she grows, and she wonders whether or not she should have cast the curse in the first place.

CONTENT

   I need to start by saying that Maleficent is too violent for its PG rating. While it could be handled by maybe an eleven-year-old (or around that age), it still is a dark film full of action and tense moments. There are a couple of battles, the biggest one being within the first half hour. While no blood is shown, human soldiers are smashed and tossed by magical creatures. However, there is only one such scene where a person is actually depicted as dying. In this part, a man falls from a castle tower and hits the stone ground below (the body is shown, but without blood or gore). One scene that shows blood is when the princess pricks her finger on the spinning wheel, as can be expected. Iron burns Maleficent, and we see a few scenes where her skin glows, accompanied by shouts. In one scene, a fairy's wings are cut (though the actual act is not depicted), and we see the stubs; this fairy lets out a great cry of anguish. Maleficent also uses her magic to spin soldiers around in the air and knock them against each other. Also, the king slaps a knight.

   Maleficent and Stefan kiss, although only their silhouettes are seen. A prince kisses Princess Aurora while she is in her deep sleep. Also, a crow is turned into a man, and it is implied that he is naked, though we only see him from the waist up (this scene is pretty brief). In another scene, Maleficent and Stefan lie on the ground next to each other, but with no inappropriate effect (I am not even sure if this was meant to be sexual in any way). 

   There is no swearing in the film.

   Maleficent is a film that is magic-heavy, as it is a fairy tale. It is not all "good magic" that is depicted. Maleficent often used dark magic for her evil purposes. However, no magic spells or incantations are actually spoken. 

   Disney's mega-hit Frozen did include romance, but in the end, it was family love that saved the day. The same is somewhat true for Maleficent in the way that a mother-like love saves the day and makes a happy ending. It is also through this family-like love that Maleficent is redeemed from her evil deeds. *SPOILER* On the opposite side of things, Aurora's father, the king, becomes a villain in the movie. This might send out some negative messages to children. *END SPOILER*

   In the film, Maleficent is a gentle fairy bearing goodwill to all. It is only when she is betrayed by her love that she takes a turn into darkness. To quote Glinda from the Broadway musical Wicked, "Are people born wicked, or do they have wickedness thrust upon them?" In today's culture, there is an undeniable view that has risen: that most people aren't actually evil, but have been forced to become evil by others. A shooter who kills many people was perhaps abused by his parents or siblings and had to find a way to release his anger. Right? Wrong! We all are responsible for our own choices. Yes, the actions of others can push us towards good or bad choices, but in the end, we decide for ourselves. God does, of course, control all things, but He has given mankind the freedom to make decisions, so wicked people have no excuse. The filmmakers intended for Maleficent to not be truly evil, but Angelina Jolie insisted that she kept her dark side, as she really was a villain. I am glad they kept this. It makes Maleficent's redemption in the end that much greater!

   Maleficent holds some interesting points of discussion. One such question that arises from the film: is true love real? And, for that matter, is love at first sight real? As the movie shows, true love is certainly an actual thing, though love at first sight may not actually be true love. True love, in a romantic sense, comes only when, I think, people have known each other. Sure, people can be attracted to each other at first sight (I know, it doesn't have the same ring to it!), but love is definitely deeper than just an attraction. Love can take time. 

   By the end of the film, Maleficent is redeemed, and this gives us an illustrative parallel to reality. As sinners, all people are spiritually ugly. When someone repents of their sins and places their trust and faith in Jesus Christ, they are still far from perfect, but they have been made beautiful by and through Christ. 

   Truth be told, although I immensely enjoyed Maleficent, it is definitely not a film for children. Yes, it is a Disney movie, but it is one of the dark ones. While not quite as dark and violent as, say, the Pirates of the Caribbean films, it still holds violent content likely too strong for children. Yet, I would encourage adults and teens to watch this rare treasure. It is not perfect, but apart from the violence, there is little to complain about. Angelina Jolie was stunning as Maleficent. Her resemblance to the original cartoon character was amazing. 

   I have not seen too many movies that make me want to applaud after seeing them, but Maleficent is one of those films. 

GENERAL INFORMATION

Length: 97 minutes

Rating: PG (for sequences of fantasy action and violence, including frightening images)

Directors: Robert Stromberg

Producers: Joe Roth

Music: James Newton Howard

Year of release: 2014
Primary audience: Pre-teens, teens, adults