17 Again (2009)

Directed by Burr Steers
I really enjoyed this story, but it has a lot of mature adult content. There is physicality and mature themes. However, the way that the film deals with the themes is very encouraging. For instance, in one scene when Mike O'Donnell (played by Zac Efron) is in the classroom, the teacher talks about health. Mike stands up and gives a pretty inspirational moving speech about how abstinence is right and good. Even in the beginning of the movie, the film’s undertones of life are evident. In one of the first scenes, we learn that high schooler Mike can get a basketball scholarship but instead decides to get a not-so-good job in order to stay with his pregnant girlfriend.Throughout the whole film, Mike learns how his family matters more than his career and that his kids matter more than him getting his future right (which means obtaining a basketball scholarship). I loved this movie. It was clever, well-acted and had a good worldview. The only problem is the mature themes, and kissing. In short, I would recommend this movie but not for young children.
Review by Beckyelsie

The Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011)

Directed by Rupert Wyatt

I may know what you might be thinking 'Why in the world would a christian girl go and see this movie'. True it is about evolution and has pretty much no reference to God. But it is a surprisingly entertaining movie. The reason I saw this movie is because one of my youth leaders, David Oyelowo, starred in this film as Steven Jacobs, the man who owns the company that the testing of apes is being done on. Now again I may know what your thinking 'Why would a youth leader take a job that is about evelutionist', I don't know exactly why he took the role but I am guessing that the project intrigued him, and that he would challenge himself with this role. His Character is nothing like him and David is one of the sweetest, most-dedicated-to-the-Lord people I know.

In the movie you see Will Rodman(James Franco), a lead scientist in a company's project of trying to find a cure for Alzheimer's. Will's father is plagued with the terrible disease, and is failing quickly. At the lab Will is about to present his project to the board of the company, when the ape they had been testing on went viral and had to be killed. Will later finds out that the ape was only protecting its child, who had been born at the lab. Will takes the baby ape home to where he and his father live.
Charles Landon(John Lithgow) immediately bonds with the ape, and Will discovers that the formula they had injected into its Mother had transferred into the baby ape.
Will takes it upon himself to raise this ape. He teaches Caesar(the ape) sign language, and how to interact with other people. But apparently not enough. After Caesar attacks one of Will's neighbors, he is locked up. When Will tells him he isn't going home, Caesar plans an escape.

This movie kept me on the edge of my seat pretty much the whole time. You end up wanting Caesar to win but you don't want him to do the things he did in order to win. This film not for those who scare easily. The ending was a little disturbing and might have the cause for more Ape films. There is definetly some intense scene that are not for young children's eyes.
The evolution in this movie didn't bug my all that much, sure it was a little annoying, but I was watching a movie where Apes learn to talk. So obviously there is evolution in it. I would recommend this movie.
Review by Sweetie Pie

P.S. If you are interested in seeing my youth leader in other things (he is an amazing actor) then here is the list of stuff he is in or will be in:
The Help (He plays a preacher and had to write his own sermons that ended up changing the end of the film)
Red Tails

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (2010)

By Michael Apted

I enjoyed this movie much more than I enjoyed Prince Caspian, but it did not quite live up to my expectations. I have read this book many times and it is my favorite in the series, so I have a high standard for the moviemakers to perform up to.

The technical parts of the movie (the acting, costumes, effects, design, etc.) were all astounding and beautiful. I loved the Dawn Treader and how it looked as I had imagined it to be. The acting was quite well done; I already knew that Ben Barnes, Georgie Henley, and Skandar Keynes would perform well, and was quite impressed with Will Poulter's portrayal of Eustace.

My one problem with the movie is with the plot and the storyline. The writers decided to add an element into the story in an effort to unify the plot. However, I found that it merely cheapened it and made it more of a flimsy usual story. My favorite part of the book had been that the adventures were there just to be just adventures - they had a point (to find the seven lords) but it was not a life-and-death, urgent driving force. I liked that Edmund and Lucy had been called into Narnia merely for fun and not to complete a mission, as in the other books. However, the movie does away with this element. I think that without the green mist (a people-eating evil mist) Fox would have made a good movie.

Besides the mist, there are only little glitches with characters that I have a problem with. First, Edmund seems to be a little jealous that Peter left Caspian in charge, in essence making the same mistake that Peter did in Prince Caspian. But it's not a major part of the movie and Edmund fixes his attitude well enough. My second character trouble (which is really just a matter of preference) is that Eustace becomes nice much too quickly. In the book, he's a positive nuisance without one nice bit at all until the island where he turns into a dragon. But in the movie, they show that he does want to be nice, he just doesn't show it (which is perhaps more realistic and makes him more likeable of a character).

Overall, this is a good movie and though it does not follow the book to all the islands, it gets a good deal of adventures in and you get to see the great lion himself. One of the best lines of the book was included in the movie, too: "In your world I am called by another name. You must learn to call me by that name," talking about how Aslan is Jesus in our world.

This was much better than Prince Caspian and I look forward to see how Michael Apted does his next Narnia adventure: The Magician's Nephew.

Review by Beckyelsie

Ocean's Thirteen(2007)

Directed by Steven Soderbergh

First of all, this movie is all about thievery. Not the best subject but the movie is still intriguing.
It is the third installment of the Ocean series and I think it is the best.

It is about about eleven men all master thieves, teaming up to take down someone who hurt on of there friends(one of the eleven).
Since this is the third movie you already know the characters of Danny Ocean, Rusty, Linus, Reuben and the rest of the gang.

Well it has been a while since the gang has done a gig together. And everyone is doing small things on there own. Reuben made a deal with Willy Bank. A very rich man planning on making the granddaddy of all casinos. Reuben put everything he had into it, but Willy Bank's betrayed Reuben. That sends Reuben into a stroke. And all the other Oceans decide to have pay back.

This movie was the first I saw of the Ocean series and to me it is the best. There are some inappropriate scenes. And some cussing(I am not a big critic on the cussing but some may say that it is unbearable but it isn't that much. You would have to be very uptight) and then the whole thievery thing is the main plot.
This movie does have good acting which is surprising for me to say seeing as George Clooney is in it, and I absolutely hate his acting. I guess Brad Pitt and Matt Damon's acting is good enough to not have me focusing on George Clooney's.
I wouldn't suggest it to those who cannot not watch movies with cussing or some little inappropriate scenes. But to those who like puzzles you will probably like this movie.

Review by Sweetie Pie

Star Trek(2009)

Directed by J.J. Abrams

Space, the final frontier. These are the voyages of the star ship Enterprise.
This movie is a prelude to the popular TV show of the 70's Star Trek.
I never really enjoyed the original Star Trek's with William Shatner as Captain James T. Kirk, and Leonard Nimoy as Spock. Mainly because I did not like William Shatner's acting skills.
But in this movie its all new people playing a lot younger characters from the original Star Trek. Chris Pine plays James Kirk and does a great job. Zachary Quinto is Spock, Zoe Saldana as Uhura, Anton Yelchin as Chekov, Karl Urban as Bones, John Chu as Sulu, and my personal favorite character, Scotty is played by Simon Pegg.

The movie starts at the birth of Kirk and jumps to when he is around 10-12 years old, It also shows Spock at this age too. Then it jumps to when both of them apply to Starfleet, in completely different ways.
Three years later it jumps to when Kirk is about to take a test that is supposed to be unbeatable. The test itself was designed by Spock, a well-thought-of Starfleet Officer. Kirk cheats on the test, and while being judged a distress message comes from Vulcan. Starfleet immediately sends of many cadets in the greatest ships Starfleet has, including the recently built Enterprise.
 The movie then  follows Kirk and Spock during a rocky road of betrayal and death. Which ultimately ends in the formation of one of the greatest Starfleet teams.

I enjoyed this movie immensely. I grew up watching Star Trek: The Next Generation, so to see the beginning of the Enterprise is a really treat. It is probably even more of a treat for those who enjoyed the original.

Review By Sweetie Pie

P.S.
Hello Viewers
July was a off month as you probably noticed. I had an acting camp I was going to everyday, so I didn't have much time to post reviews but now I am back and reviews will be coming quite swiftly.
~Sweetie Pie(Senior Admin)