We rarely see a new movie in the theatre, with prices so high and the likelihood of disappointment even higher -- I am cheap and hard to please. But we do rent a fair number of films because they don't cost much and I can turn them off if I don't like them. It also gives us a chance to preview what the kids might view later.
When I was in college at the University of Northern Iowa, I wrote movie reviews for the Northern Iowan for one semester. Free tickets each week to a movie of my choice. My rating system was based on black JuJu Fruits. JuJu fruits are sort of like Dots -- a soft, chewy, gumdrop candy. The black ones tasted bad. So, I rated movies based on their weakness. Bad movie = lots of black JuJu fruits.
I recently watched three movies on DVD. Here's how I would rate them ...
"Sky High" is about a high school freshman who is born of two superhero parents, yet himself does not have superhero powers. Sky High is his new high school, where all the kids have superhero parents. This goofy movie is essentialy about our young man coming into his own and deciding who and what he is all about -- sort of a common teen angst movie wrapped into a cartoonish plot involving special powers. Our TV Guardian was used sparingly (mostly clean language) and outside of some mild violence and teen flirting, the movie was sparkling. It was almost cute, but just dumb enough to leave you wishing it were just a little bit more "something." I give it four black JuJu fruits -- about an average movie with extra credit for being family friendly.
"Facing the Giants" is the story of Shiloh Christian Academy's mediocre football team and its unusual season of revival. This movie is best known for having been created by a Baptist church down in Georgia. Members of the church directed, produced, scored, and acted the entire thing on a shoestring budget. It's a movie about Jesus disguised as a a sports story. My wife and I disagreed about the quality of the acting. She thought it was good. I thought it was on the level of watching a well-done home video or training film. We did agree that it was a sweet story with a good message. And kudos to the Sherwood Baptist Church for tackling such an ambitious project. Four black JuJu fruits.
Chivalry is on display in the remake of "Pride and Predudice" released last year. I've seen it three times and enjoyed it immensely with each viewing. It has cracked my top 10 of all-time faves, as I watch this common 18th century English family and the stories of its daughters. Though it is an adult film, there is no objectionable content and the kids watched it with us without the TV Guardian. I have no complaints, and therefore no black JuJu fruits to award.
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Re Facing the Giants: Watch Flywheel, their first movie. Production quality is lower, but the story is better. If you didn't cry during Giants, you will in Flywheel. If you did cry during Giants, make sure you start Flywheel with a full box of tissues.
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