God's Not Dead (2014), The Unbelievers (2013)

Often you will watch a set of movies and notice that they have an actor or a director in common and think, "Huh, what a coincidence?" Less often, you will find a set a movies that are meant to challenge your beliefs with a common theme. Even less often, those same movies will also have names in common. The names, in this case, happen to be those of real life people. In the case of God's Not Dead and The Unbelievers I found that both films were too similar in too many ways to avoid speaking of them separately.

The Premise

In God's Not Dead, a college student finds it difficult to sign a statement in a philosophy class saying that "God is Dead". The professor, an Atheist, gives the Christian student a chance to state his case that God is in fact alive. But if he fails to convince the class, he fails the course.

The Unbelievers features famous scientists Richard Dawkins and Lawrence Krauss who are traveling the globe to spread their message that approaching things scientifically and through reason, thus casting off religious and political views, could improve the modern world.

My Take 

God's Not Dead provides a powerful message about faith in God. Kevin Sorbo plays Professor Radisson, who in the movie is a self proclaimed Atheist and wants his students to sign a paper stating that God is dead so that there will be no further discussion of God in his philosophy class. Shane Harper plays the student who, because of his faith in God, cannot bring himself to do so. Radisson gives Josh Wheaton (Harper) a chance to prove his case or fail the course. Josh takes him on despite the odds.

In his arguments, Josh mentions many scientists by name, both past and present, most of whom are renowned Atheists in order to prove his stance that God is not dead. Many of the people this character mentions are in the documentary film, The Unbelievers. In The Unbelievers, Richard Dawkins and Lawrence Krauss are speaking publicly about living life through reason. And part of their reason is that religion is not reasonable and therefore there can be no supreme being.

An interesting dynamic in The Unbelievers is the different faces that Dawkins and Krauss give to Atheism. Dawkins is very adamant and aggressive about his belief that there is no God whereas Krauss is more scientific in his approach and therefore comes across as more approachable. There were also many surprising interviews from celebrities that support their point of view, some quiet and soft spoken, others loud and combative.

The Verdict

Religion isn't something you can put a number on. Both sides are clearly craving more attention. Toward the end of The Unbelievers there was footage from the 'Rally for Reason', a gathering of extremely well known (and not so well known) Atheists. I would never go so far as to call this a revival, in a church sense, but it was definitely a way for people with a common belief system to get together and share their feelings and their message. Christians are happy to have more movies going mainstream, like God's Not Dead. They want their message to get out as well. But what bothers me about both sides is the anger and fear. Why are we so afraid?

If we can both find a way past this, I'll give you as many Darwin fish and Christian crosses as you can carry.

This coming from someone who went to college for Forensic Science and is a Christian.

The History of Future Folk (2012)

There are some movies out there that still have the ability to surprise you. The History of Future Folk is an independent film, which you know I have a penchant for, that manages to be quirky, romantic, touching and even absurd at times, yet rolls it all together in a script that works. Whether it's the dry delivery of the main character, the clueless nature of his sidekick or the catchy tunes of their songs, The History of Future Folk managed to get me swept up in their story line all the way through till the end.

The Premise

The History of Future Folk is quite literally the history of the folk duo, Future Folk. After crash landing on our planet, General Trius of the planet Hondo, abandons his mission to destroy Earth's inhabitants after discovering one of our greatest commodities, music. General Trius goes on to change his identity, marry an Earth woman and raise a family. When fellow Hondonian, Kevin, is sent to assassinate him, things get even stranger.

My Take

One of the things that makes this movie so successful is the dry, deadpan delivery of Nils d'Aulaire. d'Aulaire is General Trius who has taken on the identity of Bill Hunt. When he crashed on Earth, his planet was on a collision course with a killer comet and taking over Earth was their only salvation. However, General Trius heard music for the first time before he could release a virus that would wipe out Earth's population. After falling in love with music he fell in love with Holly (Julie Ann Emery) and settled down.

The years goes by and Hondo's eminent destruction is still looming. They send an assassin to kill General Trius, who has made a happy life for himself on Earth moonlighting as a folk musician. Fellow Hondonian Kevin comes to Earth and fails miserably at the assassination attempt. He is captured by General Trius who introduces him to music for the first time. Jay Klaitz, who plays Kevin, does the greatest job acting like a full grown man who is hearing sounds put together in such a way for the very first time.

In fact he is so impressed, he runs out and learns to play the guitar and sing and write songs overnight in order to join his new friend on stage. They form the duo, Future Folk, and that is the history of Future Folk. But the movie doesn't end there. Hondo is still on a collision course with a killer comet, another assassin alien is coming after the virus, General Trius (AKA Bill Hunt) has to win his family back and Kevin needs to win the heart of the Earth woman he loves (April L. Hernandez).

The Verdict

The History of Future Folk is a surprising must see. When it first started and I saw General Trius put on his bright red costume before going onstage, I decided to give the movie my requisite fifteen more minutes before giving up on it. And I'm glad I did. Turns out the goofy red costumes are a pivotal part of the plot and they are actually quite endearing. Future Folk are very talented musicians and songwriters. Their songs are witty and goofy and their stringed instrument playing is impressive. I give The History of Future Folk 2/2 Aliens From Hondo. My only regret is that I didn't discover them until after they went on tour.

My Night With Paramore... Sort Of

My family thinks I have an uncanny ability for winning tickets on the radio. And maybe I do. I won tickets to AstroWorld (once upon a time ago) and about half a dozen concerts over the years. So I guess my sister wasn't terribly surprised when I called her inviting her to join me on a Meet and Greet with Paramore. I may have been lucky before, winning just the nosebleeds and lawn seats, but this would be my first Meet and Greet and I was stoked.

The instructions given to me by DJ Lauren from Mix 96.5 were to be at the Woodlands Pavilion by 4 o'clock, so of course there was an accident en route and we were ten minutes late. Fortunately for my sister and I, we were the first of our group to arrive, ahead of even the lady from the record label; so all we had to do was wait.

And wait.

And wait.

Fortunately we had some good company from Caren and Kelsey from two local radio stations. We exchanged stories of past concerts and favorite bands while they continued to pass out their respective merchandise and take pictures of fans. Seriously, these two girls are awesome.

I think the problem with winning tickets as opposed to buying a really expensive merchandise packet is that (for obvious reasons) we get pushed aside like the red-headed step child. I was told to go Will Call when we arrived. Will Call didn't know what I was talking about and didn't have a list of winners' names and directed me to the VIP table. The VIP table didn't have me on their list and said that radio winners would go in separately and to just "mill about". The people at the radio booths didn't have my name either. It was all up to poor Nadia from the record label who had gotten stuck even further behind the same wreck than we had.

When Nadia finally arrived (safe and sound) we got our wrist bands and felt official. But not as official as those lucky jerks in the merchandise line that had VIP passes dangling around their necks like shiny little nooses. Those guys got to go in first, with their little bag of swag. I really wanted a bag of swag. We got to stand in the hot August sun for yet another hour sans noose and bag of swag.

When the time finally came to meet Paramore we were herded in, searched for illegal contraband (that we could have successfully hidden away in our sweaty clothes for the last two hours), and allowed entry to the Pavilion. Where we stood waiting around for another half hour.

Here is where we were given a lecture about how to act when we finally met the band. In order to keep the spread of germs down (they were currently battling the flu backstage), we couldn't shake hands or hug anyone. And unfortunately for this writer we wouldn't have time to ask any questions because of the tight schedule. Bummer. By this time the venue was about to open up to ticket holders and I definitely wanted to get a good spot out on the lawn, so I guess I couldn't complain too much. So here we are, two and a half hours after arriving at the Pavilion and we are about to meet Paramore!

And we did. And they seemed super friendly and happy to see their fans. I would have loved to have been able to have a true meet and greet but this was still pretty awesome. Plus I got an autographed picture.

Jeremy, me, Hayley, my sister, Taylor
Paramore
picture property of Laura Romero

After the Meet and Greet, my sister and I found some great spots out on the lawn with the free tickets I scored off the radio and had an absolute blast. I have to say, there are some mighty inappropriately dressed teenagers out there. But then, I guess I'm just showing my age. I did once win tickets to AstroWorld, after all.

The Verdict

The Meet and Greet could have been better organized and had the stations not been on top of things, the whole thing could have fallen apart. But in the end it was, without a doubt, very exciting to meet three people whose music you love and helps to inspire you in your own creative life. The members of Paramore seemed to be smiling because they were genuinely happy to see the fans that make their success possible. Not to mention, the concert was fantastic. New Politics opened up and Fall Out Boy closed it out. New Politics was amazing and made me a new fan out of me. I give Paramore 3/3 members for a giving us a show we won't soon forget.

However, the Woodlands used to be one of my favorite venues, but considering I spent $7.50 on a bottle of water and $15 on parking, my concert days are few and far between. The Woodlands gets a solid 0/$22.50 for gouging us on ridiculous prices. For shame. Take a hint from Fall Out Boy, and Save Rock and Roll by making it more accessible. Music is for everyone.

Fall Out Boy
picture by Laura Romero

The Sapphires (2012)

In 1968, the Vietnam War was in full swing, Americans were fighting for their civil rights, Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated and four Australian Aboriginal girls formed a group called The Sapphires. Inspired by a true story, The Sapphires is a touching film about four girls, with their own lessons to learn about life and love, who are swept off to war torn Vietnam by the only man who believes in them.

The Premise

Family group, The Sapphires, is comprised of three sisters and one cousin from indigenous Australia. Led by their inexperienced talent scout, the girls go to Vietnam to entertain the troops in 1968. While overseas, they experience the world's triumphs, defeats and heartaches together. They overcome their own family dynamics in order to make The Sapphires a success and to get out of Vietnam alive.

My Take

In Australia, the girls of the The Sapphires were not accepted in mainstream society because they were considered to be non-white. In the 1950's, Aboriginal children that were light skinned were literally stolen from their homes in order to be mainstreamed in an effort to breed out the Aboriginal race. So it was no wonder that in 1968 these girls were ready to get out of Australia, go to Vietnam and perform for the colored troops.

Gail, Cynthia and Julie are the sisters that started the group. Gail, played by Deborah Mailman, is the eldest member and is the heart of The Sapphires. She holds them together with her strength and perseverance. Mailman plays Gail in such a way that we grow to love her and understand her plight without being angry with her outbursts and bossy ways. Cynthia (Miranda Tapsell) often acts as a referee between the girls. She bounces between wanting to be mature and grown up and also acting out and being young and foolish, much like any other middle child. Julie is the youngest sister. Played by Jessica Mauboy, Julie wants it all. She is the one with the most talent and is determined to be part of the adventure, despite her responsibilities at home.

Cousin Kay is the last to join The Sapphires. The sisters want her to part of the group, much as she was when they were children before Kay was taken away to be mainstreamed into white society. Shari Sebbens plays conflicted Kay. Kay doesn't know quite who she is when she becomes a Sapphire. She has spent much of her life being told she is white and now she is being thrown into a soul group being labeled as Aboriginal Australian. It is a constant source of conflict between Kay and Gail.

Looking out for the girls is talent scout, Dave Lovelace. Chris O'Dowd is the heavy-drinking, inexperienced, Irish man that takes it upon himself to manage The Sapphires. And I think there might be something going on between he and Gail. I'm just saying.

Adapted from the stage play by Tony Briggs and written by Tony Briggs and Keith Thompson, The Sapphires is inspired by real events. Briggs is the son of original Sapphires member, Laurel Robinson. In the movie, four girls momentarily escape their troublesome lives by going to Vietnam to make music. There, they experience life, love, war and prejudice and form a family bond even deeper than they ever imagined.

The Verdict

The Sapphires is an amazing film. The performances are incredible, the singing is gorgeous and the story is beautiful. The Sapphires is one of those rare films that comes along that can make you feel a wide range of emotions in an hour and a half. You laugh, you cry, you get angry, you get wrapped up in the characters and in the story which is what any good film is supposed to make you do. I give The Sapphires 4/4 sapphires. Well done. In fact, I've already watched it twice.

Jerry and Tom (1998)

I can't deny that my husband has excellent taste in movies. He discovered this little gem for me on Netflix and there are many more that I still have to either watch or write about. I'm going as fast as I can, honey! Jerry and Tom is based the one act play by Rick Cleveland, who also wrote the screenplay. Directed by Saul Rubinek, Jerry and Tom features stunning continuous shots and seamless transitions between scenes.

The Premise

Tom is a pro in the hit man business. Jerry is not. By day they work for their boss at a second-hand car dealership and by night they work as hired guns. As Jerry learns the business, his style and personality begins to clash with that of his older friend's.

My Take

Tom is cool and collected and not easily shaken. Jerry is young and impetuous but eager to learn the role of a hit man. As Jerry learns the ropes, his brash actions could get the duo into trouble with their bosses, Billy and Vic. Mistakes are made, but the final solution will wipe the slate clean.

Joe Mantegna is a very calm and teacher-like Tom. He is "too old for this" and ready to teach Jerry how to do a clean and effective hit. Sam Rockwell plays Jerry and shows us the transition of a nervous young man to an unbalanced, trigger happy hit man. Both men played their parts well. While being near opposites, they were believable as best friends and partners.

Jerry and Tom is like a buddy hit man movie. It starts off with the two men together on a job and transitions back in time to ten years prior when they started working together. The movie moves forward, taking you one job (and one cameo) at a time. They duo moves ahead through their lives as well. Jerry gets married and has a baby. Tom's kid becomes a teenager. But what is most appealing to me about this movie is the way in which it was filmed and put together. The scene changes (forgive me, for I come from a theater rich background) are flawlessly seamless.

The characters can be talking during the summer in a parking lot in one scene and then the camera will pan over to the car lot and it will be snowing outside in the next scene. A woman will be cleaning her gun with plastic sheeting blowing all around her in one scene and the camera will pan over and the movie will continue in a completely different location. My favorite transition had to do with blood, a sock, makeup and a toolbox.

Saul Rubinek also filmed many long continuous shots. I like these kind of shots because it doesn't break up the action. You get a picture of the whole scene and not just bits and pieces. With a script like this, that relies so heavily on dialogue, there is no need to cut back and forth and back and forth. He still managed to make it interesting, though. Mantegna and Rockwell were in constant motion in a lot of their scenes so the camera had a lot to focus on without cutting between actors.

Jerry and Tom may have been led by Joe Mantegna and Sam Rockwell, but a show is not a show without its supporting cast. Playing the mob bosses were Maury Chaykin and Charles Durning. Also making special appearances were William H. Macy, Ted Danson, Peter Riegert, Shelley Cook and Sarah Polley.

The Verdict

Jerry and Tom is a must see for any film buff or photography enthusiast because of the way it was filmed. The only down side, for me, was the way it was written. I know that it was based on a play, but it still read like a stage play to me. I love my theater, I just want it to stay on the stage. All in all I still love it. I give Jerry and Tom 5/7 hits.

People Like Us (2012)

People Like Us is a film about family, death, acceptance and the legacy we leave behind. Directed by Alex Kurtzman, the movie takes place after the death of the patriarch of a small, dysfunctional family. When an only child finds out that his father had another child, a son learns how to accept his extended family.

The Premise

When Sam's father passes away he leaves the bulk of his money to a boy named Josh. Sam discovers that Josh is the son of the sister he never knew he had. He needs to decide now whether to fulfill his dead father's wishes and give them the money or help himself out of his own bad situation and keep it.

My Take

People Like Us is much more than a, "Should I or shouldn't I keep the money?" movie. Sam inadvertently gets to know his nephew, Josh. As the two become friends, and as Sam gets to know his sister, Frankie, he becomes more and more conflicted as to how to tell them who he is.

Sam is a salesman who has gotten himself into a sticky situation with the Federal Trade Commission, his dad has just died, he finds out he has a sister and a nephew he has never met, his mom is sick and he gets into a fight with his girlfriend. And to top it all off, his deceased father has left him with the task of gifting his nephew with his life savings. Things are not going well for Sam.

Chris Pine is the very conflicted Sam. He finds his sister Frankie (don't call her Francis) at an AA meeting and uses that an excuse to talk to her. Elizabeth Banks plays Frankie, the mother of Sam's nephew, with comfort, confidence, and grace and I am not ashamed to say that she made me cry at least once. The performance I was most impressed with was young Michael Hall D'Addario. He played Sam's nephew, Josh, with an ease and poise that matched the performances of his adult counterparts perfectly.

Sam's moral compass was his girlfriend Hannah, played by Olivia Wilde. She and Sam had their differences but were always pulled back together in the end. Rounding out the stellar cast was Michelle Pfeiffer as Sam's mother. This is one of my favorite parts she has played in long time. Lillian was a real person, who throughout all her anger with her son, still loved him and forgave him and struggled to understood his reasons for his actions.

The Verdict

People Like Us made me cry at least twice so I need to give a shout out to the writers, Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci, and Jody Lambert as well as give a nod the incredible direction and performances given. People Like Us, for me, was a rare gem in which an all star cast gives an all star performance. So many times I have been disappointed in movies that boast incredible casts but are lacking in either writing or direction or both. I give People Like Us 2/2 siblings. It's definitely a must see.

Shout Out to the Home Team

I first got interested in the arts when I got my first part in a production of "Raggedy Ann and Andy" at a local theater in the Houston area when I was only thirteen years old. I have auditioned for films, television shows, commercials and more theater productions than I can count. My humble beginnings allowed me to meet the man I would eventually marry and start the next great adventure in my life. And while I may not have made it to the big screen, I have carved out my little niche here on the computer screen which has given me the chance to give a shout out to my favorite talents that have come out of the place I call home.

Jim Parsons of the Big Bang Theory, and upcoming The Normal Heart, was born in Spring and studied theater at the University of Houston. Though raised in Memphis, TN, Missi Pyle (one of my favorite character actresses) was actually born in Houston. Dennis and Randy Quaid were born and raised right here in my home town. One of my favorite childhood memories was watching Faerie Tale Theater, starring Houston native Shelley Duvall. Brent Spiner of Star Trek fame is from Houston as is South Park co-creator Matt Stone. Alexis Bledel, Sean Patrick Flanery, and Hilary and Haylie Duff have the honor of calling Houston their hometown. My favorite country singer, Lyle Lovett is from Klein, Texas which I am going to say is close enough.  

I have had a few brushes with fame, if I do say so myself. Jeremy and Justin Furstenfeld of the band Blue October (one of my absolute favorites) are related to my cousins and were both born right here in Houston. So I can say we are almost related. Actor Sterling Knight got his taste for drama at the same theater where I got my start. In fact, I was the assistant director in one of the plays he did when he was just a wee one. Allison Tolman from the new hit show, Fargo, can also claim to have shared the same stage with me way back in 1995 at that exact same theater. It's a small world. 

All stories have a beginning. Some start with a bang and others with a slow burn. That's one reason I was always drawn to the performing arts. Story-telling is just a.part of me. Maybe that is why I was drawn more to writing than to acting in the end.

And if any of my hometown favorites want to do a small time blogger a solid and give me my first big interview I certainly wouldn't turn you down. I'll even give you a perfect score of 10/10.