Every once in awhile, a movie comes out of nowhere and sneaks up on you with a pleasant surprise. The Big Year is one of those movies. There has been very little promotion for this film which makes one wonder if 20th Century Fox has low expectations for it as well. There has been some talk of disappointment that the film would be rated PG. Why is there such an assumption that a comedy has to be rated R to be funny or any good?

A Big Year is a term that many have never heard of before myself included. It is an informal competition among “Birders” (not “Bird Watchers” as one would suppose) who can see or hear the largest number of species of birds within a single calendar year. This is a big deal as anyone involved in the Audubon Society can tell you. In fact, at the preview I attended, we sat next to a large group of Audubon members. My wife was talking to younger member about the organization and foolishly mentioned that she knew nothing about birds. At that moment, at least three members swung their heads around to see who would utter such ignorance. If you don’t know birds, but would like to see this movie, you have been warned.

The Big Year is directed by David Frankel, the guy behind The Devil Wears Prada and Marley and Me. It stars Steve Martin, Jack Black and Owen Wilson. With a trio like that, you might expect a slapstick comedy, but you would be wrong. It isn’t the funniest movie you’ll ever see, but is very enjoyable. Just don’t expect another Planes, Trains and Automobiles. Instead, Big Year is a hybrid of a road movie, a buddy film and a documentary. And it’s not about birds. It’s about marriage, family and friendship. It’s about following your dream but not to the exclusion of what is really important.

Stu Pressler (Martin) is a high-powered businessman who retires, twice, in order to pursue his dream of a Big Year. On the other end of the spectrum is Brad Harris (Black) who is young and having trouble making ends meet. He struggles with thoughts of failure and dreams of winning a Big Year. In the middle is Kenny Bostik (Wilson) a successful contractor and reigning champ of birding who will do anything to keep from losing his title. In this character driven story, the three actors share the screen time well together and show off each actor’s qualities that we’ve come to know and love.

The Big Year will take you to locations all over the United States from January 1 to December 31 – all in 100 minutes. You’ll experience every kind of weather and season, meet a variety of birders and get up close to lots and lots of birds. The photography is beautiful and the soundtrack is just bouncy enough to keep things moving.

The film features a long list stars playing bit parts including Brian Dennehy and Dianne Wiest (as Brad’s parents), Rosamund Pike (as Kenny’s wife) and JoBeth Williams (as Stu’s wife). Others along for the ride include Anjelica Huston, Rashida Jones, Joel McHale, Steven Weber and Corbin Bernsen.

The Big Year is not only a feel good movie. It’s one that you can take grandma or an older teen and not be embarrassed with the content. And you just might learn something about yourself too.

Originally posted here.

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The most impressive thing I saw watching Larry Crowne was one of the last things shown on the screen. The end credits listed the actors in order of appearance. Sure, Mr. Hanks was number one, but he is also the first character you meet in the movie. Right up there with him is “vacuum shopper.” Although typical in theatre, this isn’t the usual way Hollywood lists their stars and is just another indication that this isn’t the usual Hollywood movie.

Written, directed and starring Tom Hanks, Larry Crowne is a guy friendly romantic comedy. No weepy women, no long lingering shots of a sad man. It’s a good film with a happy message. It’s downright squeaky clean compared to what passes for a romantic comedy these days. Perhaps it has something to do with the co-writer of the film, Nia Vardalos of My Big Fat Greek Wedding fame. She has a knack for this story telling thing.

Larry Crown is sort of a coming of age story except that the main character is already of age. Larry works at U-Mart, a cross between K-Mart and Target. He’s the perfect employee. Larry loves his co-workers, his customers and goes the extra mile because “it is the right thing to do.” Unfortunately, he is downsized from the company because he never attended college. Why that is isn’t very clear. He eventually finds himself at a local college and develops a crush on the ice queen of public speaking, Mercedes Tainot, played by Julia Roberts. All promotional material and trailer for this film shows Mercedes smiling and laughing, but she is a really a very unhappy woman and quite unlikable. While at school, Larry makes friends with Talia (Gugu Mbatha-raw) and her scooter gang of friends. Talia is a free spirit and makes it her mission to help transform middle-aged Larry into something cooler.

This is a character driven story and the characters are great. Hanks and Roberts are good friends in real life and that chemistry shows in this film. You expect Hanks to be funny, but Roberts can hold her own as well. The character of Talia comes off a little strong and smothering at times, but overall, is very likeable. Other characters worth mentioning are Larry’s next door neighbor and full time garage-seller (Cedric the Entertainer), the self-important economics teacher (George Takei) and Hank’s real life wife, Rita Wilson, makes a funny cameo appearance playing a role that is do different than what she usually plays.

Christian couples looking for a date movie that won’t make them feel dirty afterwards will love this movie. It’s not the perfect movie, there is not a lot of conflict and some situations are a bit unbelievable, but it is a good solid movie that is uplifting and shows the best in people. No higher message, no goopy love story. The story is intelligent, doesn’t stoop to lowbrow humor and isn’t mean spirited like Hank’s former You’ve Got Mail. There is some swearing, but it is not too extreme or out of place. The worse thing about this movie is its lame title.

Continue reading Larry Crowne is a guy-friendly romantic comedy – National Christian Pop Culture | Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/christian-pop-culture-in-national/larry-crowne-is-a-guy-friendly-romantic-comedy-review#ixzz1QzKaxQ1O

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A website is ministering to teens by featuring comedy videos, and videos about issues that concern them, as well as building up friendship and trust online as a lead into the gospel.

The Doug and Jon show engages in Internet Evangelism without being religious, and is willing to walk teenagers through building a relationship with Jesus, one teenager at a time, Christian Newswire said.

Jon Taylor, cofounder of The Doug and Jon Show told Christian Newswire, “Student-age young people are looking for answers, and they’re looking for them on the internet. With over half the world’s population, over 3 billion people, under the age of 25, we must find highly effective ways to meet them and share Jesus.”

The website has successfully put together a community of teens who enjoy the videos, forums and activities on the site. The website also has original comedy videos and cartoons, video blogs, and Q & A’s that deal with common teen issues such as being popular, sex, bullying and loneliness, according to Christian Newswire.

Jon’s wife Kara hosts a portion of the site that caters to girls. Doug, Jon and Kara are also very accessible for teens who may want to initiate online conversations. They see this as an important part of building a relationship with the teen and pointing them to the Christian portions of the website, Christian Newswire said.

The objective is to be upfront about their faith, but not to sound religious, and to give teenagers the chance to choose to accept Jesus into their lives.  Doug Hutchcraft, cofounder told Christian Newswire, “In a face-to-face conversation you can usually perceive if someone wants to hear the message of Christ through their body language. We have tried to translate this into the online experience.”

Doug told Christian Newswire that this is not a ‘baiting game.’ “We don’t trick or ‘bait and switch’ anyone into hearing the Gospel. We just create a relationship where kids can share with us what is going on in their lives and we are always ready to share Jesus when asked.”

The website is the product of Ron Hutchcraft Ministries, and was put together when they noticed that there are very few “clean” websites that cater to teens and which offer comedy, Christian Newswire said.

Videos featured

On our visit to the website we see a list of five secrets to having a great relationship with Jesus. The five steps, on the website are: 1) Talk with Jesus, 2) Read what He’s written, 3) Be with His friends, 4) Do what makes Jesus happy and 5) Talk about Jesus. Beside the list is a video which talks about each step, and there is a comment forum where participants can respond and share how they are progressing.

The Life Video Blog section has an interesting collection of videos, some of which use animation. Some topics include “Lonely Facebook Report,” “Born, Breathe Die…is this it,” “Why am I Here?,” “Popularity is Overrated,” and “Bullies…Stop Messing With Me,” among others, a view of the website shows.

While some videos are serious, the comedy videos draw the most attention, including “Lady Gaga ‘Alejandro’ D&J Remix,” “Shark Week Lost Tapes,” and “The Chuck Norris Man Test,” according to Christian Newswire.

So far, The Doug and John show has received visitors from up to 67 countries, which shows that teens and tweens around the world are receptive to wholesome sites that are also conversational, entertaining and educational, Christian Newswire said.

Visit The Doug and John show at www.alrcnewskitchen.com/dougandjon.

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Animated depiction of Jesus in Comedy Central's "South Park." Photo copyright: Comedy Central & Braniff Productions.

A new animated series currently under development for Comedy Central’s 2010-2011 production slate will feature the adventures of a cartoon Jesus Christ as he tries to escape the shadow of his “powerful but apathetic father,” according to “The Washington Post.”

After stirring controversy earlier this year with their depiction of the prophet Muhammad, Comedy Central writers are describing “JC” as, “a playful take on religion and society with a sprinkle of dumb.”

The storyline will follow the animated Jesus as he travels to New York in an attempt to become “a regular guy.”

While depictions of Jesus continue to surface in episodes of the increasingly popular and controversial animated series “South Park,” “JC” will mark the first time the character has received his own show.

The project’s writers and producers hail from Reveille, the production company behind several popular comedy sitcoms, including “The Office” and “Ugly Betty.” According to the original thumbnail sketch, “JC” will depict God as a lazy man who spends his days playing video games and ignoring his son Jesus.

Last Thursday, Catholic League President William Donohue issued a statement concerning the new cartoon and even went so far as to refer to the show’s producers as “deceivers.”

“These are the same executives who delight in bashing Christians while continuing to censor any depiction of Muhammad on ‘South Park,”

Kent Alterman, head of original programming and production at Comedy Central, says the show is just a normal part of producing quality comedy and that “in its purest form [comedy] always makes some people feel uncomfortable.”

Donohue disagrees. “Besides the fact that there is no end to the number of comedians who have made a huge name for themselves without ever offending anyone, what is even more relevant is the fact that Comedy Central has absolutely no interest in making Muslims feel uncomfortable.”

“South Park” producers continue to feature their Muhammad character, but often cover him with a black box, as Muslims believe that any representation of their prophet is blasphemous.

Network spokesman Tony Fox refused several requests from reporters seeking comments both on Donohue’s statements and further details on “JC,” according to “The Huffington Post.”

According to several reports, “JC” is only a few steps into the preproduction process and network executives will have to okay the script and storyline pitch before the show gets the green light.

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