The Ultimate Gift -- 2006

The Ultimate Gift
(2006)

Rated PG for thematic elements, some violence and language

My Rating: 5 Stars

Drew Fuller

Bill Cobbs

Abigail Breslin

Ali Hillis

Lee Meriwether

Brian Dennehy

James Garner

I didn't think I would ever find another young actor like Dakota Fanning but after watching this film, I would say Abigail Breslin is right up there with her. :-)

Summary:
When Red Stevens (James Garner) passed away, his family expected to receive the mother-load. Instead, they were all dismayed when they received little more than they had been given during his life. And no one knows who gets the bulk of Red's estate. Not even Jason. But Jason isn't even sure he's living anymore.

Jason Stevens (Drew Fuller) has had everything money can buy since he was a baby. He had never worked a day in his life. He didn't understand the value of anything. But in spite of how spoiled he was, his grandfather saw a fire in him. He saw a man that could be untainted with money and greed and he devised a plan that he thought would change his grandson if nothing else would.

He surprised grandson with a series of gifts... the first being the gift of work. After one month, Jason had missed breakfasts, been blistered, cattle prodded and his girlfriend hadn't understood, for what he thought was a gift of money. It wasn't. He left Texas, vowing never to degrade himself in such a way ever again. To blank with his Grandfather's will and his stupid gifts.

The second gift was the gift of friendship. “You must come back to this office in one month with one true friend.” Easy? Well, when you've been rich all your life and suddenly, you have no money, no home and your mother isn't allowed to help you, you find out how many friends you really have.

That's when Emily walked into Jason's life. This little girl was just the match for trust-fund-baby Jason Stevens. When she found out she would get nothing out of a friendship with him (even though she and her mom needed money badly) she decided it would be worth a shot. For more reasons than one (“designing” would be one of the words to describe Emily). Little did Jason Stevens realize how much one little girl could teach a man... and how much a man can change in a few months.

As the months progressed on and he was given harder tasks, Jason began to understand his Grandfather and... God. And the gift in the end wasn't quite what he had been expecting.

What I Liked:

1: For an inspirational film, I would say this is the best I've watched.

2: The acting. Phenomenal! Bravo!
3: Emily... I really liked her character. She actually made me cry but three seconds later, she had me laughing hysterically.
4: The humor. With many Christian films, the humor seems second hand or it falls flat. Not with this film. It was very unexpected and effective.
5: Bill Cobbs was great. I've seen him on one other film and he was just as good. :-)
6: The romance. Of course.
7: The lessons. They can be applied so easily to my life.
8: When Jason realizes that he doesn't to be like the rest of his family. There was no reason he couldn't change the course of his life.

Things to Know:

1: There is some immodesty... his girlfriend and his mom. It does add to the story because the people they were do dress that way. It's nothing horrible but if you have a problem with it, have a towel handy.

I highly recommend this film. I am now looking for the book (Jim Stovall).

Space Cowboys -- 2000

Space Cowboys

(2000)

Rated PG-13 for language
My Rating: 4 Stars

Clint Eastwood
Tommy Lee Jones
Donald Sutherland
James Garner
James Cromwell
Marcia Gay Harden
William Devane
Loren Dean
Courtney B. Vance

“You have a nice life.”

Summary:
Team Daedalus was made up of four men who trained and tested and experimented with the first equipment developed for space travel. They were there when “rockets were born”. But all the hours of effort and hope were for naught when the US government chose a chimpanzee named Maryanne to go to space instead of human beings. Thus, team Daedalus was put in the closet and left there to rest for 40 years.

NASA has a problem. Russia's primitive, deorbiting Russian satellite, Ikon is going to crash into planet earth. For some reason, their superiors do not want it to come out of space but NASA can't find anyone  who understands the ancient technology of it's system to keep it in space. Except the man who wrote it.

Frank Corvin is still embittered at shelving of Team Daedalus. He had never stopped dreaming about going. So when NASA came to him with the news that his guidance system was on a Russian satellite that was coming down, Frank's mind began work. Sensing how much NASA needed the satellite to remain in space, he played on it and refused to do anything to help... unless he and his team were sent to fix the problem themselves.

In the position they were in, NASA agreed but with terms: Team Daedalus had to be in the same physical condition as all other astronauts. Team Daedalus was 40 years older than most astronauts. But sometimes the wisdom of the years prevails when all else fails.

“You noticed how everyone seems dead lately?”

There was a question that everyone was asking, however: How did a Russian satellite end up with a US guidance system... during the Cold War? Something doesn't feel quite right...

What I Liked:
1: Watching these actors of many years experience was amazing. It felt right... the way they moved/spoke/conducted themselves.
2: The story was interesting but typical. It was a nice mixture.
3: The details were mostly there.
4: Score... there were some really nice melodies.
5: I liked that there was a romance but that it was kept very light.
6: It was pretty clean, despite the language... and a couple scenes that didn't thrill me.
7: Everything was said or done for a reason. It did all fall together.
8: Hawk's sacrifice. It made me sad.

What I Didn't Like:
1: The language.
2: Beginning scene with the magazine and dirty picture. (It is in black and white and pretty quickly off the screen but still...)
3: Jerry is quite the playboy and there are many references to it.
4: Scene in the room with the female doctor. Back nudity of all the guys.
5: Some of the lines seemed to be repetitive. Other than the Hawk and Sara, I wasn't surprised by anything in the movie.
6: Some of the details were skimmed over. For instance, how in the world did they climb aboard that Russian missile while it was floating away at how many thousands miles an hour? Ok, I do have an idea (from other scenes in the movie) but it seemed very detached. Suddenly, there they are, working on it.

 I can certainly tell that Clint Eastwood is used to being the tough guy... the star of the movie. I would now like to see him act in a western... the part seems like it would fit him well.

This film I rated 4 Stars because I did enjoy it and I keep re-watching my favorite parts. But there are things I have only seen once and I intend it to stay that way. Lol!

For mature viewers. :-)