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).

The Doctor Digs a Grave -- 1998

The Doctor Digs a Grave
(1998)

Robin Hathaway

(...His own mother had had no delusions about her sons and would have been pleasantly surprised if anyone had wanted to marry them.) [Chapter 16]

Summary:
Dr. Andrew Fenimore was not your typical doctor. He actually cared more about his patients than the almighty dollar. So that was why, on the evening of October 29th he could be found helping a young boy bury his pet cat.

Even 200 years after his decease, the people of the city of Philadelphia remembered their founder, William Penn. And not just for his broad brimmed hat and somber clothing. They remembered his compassion for the people who had lived there before he and his had come: the Native Americans. That is why there was a place held with some esteem in the midst of the city. With MacDonald's on one side and a hotel on the other, an ancient burial ground of the Native tribe Lenni-Lenape that the city was not allowed to encroach on.

This was where Dr. Andrew Fenimore had taken his new friend to bury his pet. Obviously, he knew all about the history of the place which is why he took Horatio there. But the good doctor didn't expect to find it recently used. However, a newly inhabited grave was just what he discovered. This in itself was odd, of course, but not unexplainable because the body had been placed in the grave in the custom of their people: in a sitting position, facing east. Dr. Fenimore probably would have written the burial off as nothing if he hadn't been mugged in the process of discovery... with his own shovel.

The body was of a lovely young Lenni-Lenape woman. From all appearances, her death was from natural circumstances. But the further our doctor dug, the more dirt he found. (Forgive the most awful pun you have ever read. Please.) Even with the experience Dr. Fenimore had in detective work, he didn't suspect the whole truth... and it almost cost him his life.

What I Liked:
1: The humor. Excellent. Some of it was pretty corny but the good stuff was so good that it made up for it.
2: The mystery was good.
3: It was fairly clean.
4: It was well written... definitely a first novel. You can tell Mrs. Hathaway was still trying to find her style but that made it unique in a nice way.
5: Everything fit in it's own place. Nothing was in that book without a good reason. I liked that. :-)
6: The in depth look at the Natives and their customs. I really appreciated the effort Mrs. Hathaway went to explaining and making sure everything was accurate.

What I Didn't Like:
1: There was some language.

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. :-)

Shrek -- 2001

Shrek
(2001)

Rated PG for crude humor and frightening images
My Rating: 3 Stars

Mike Myers
Eddie Murphy
Cameron Diaz
John Lithgow
Vincent Cassel
Peter Dennis
Clive Pearse
Jim Cummings
Bobby Block

Chris Miller
Cody Cameron

Summary:
Shrek (Mike Myers) is a huge, green Ogre. He likes no one and no one likes him and he'd like it if you left him alone in his smelly swamp, please. Please is while he's chasing you with the pitchfork you brought to chase him with. (Wait a minute, this doesn't seem quite right.)

Anyway. His life is about to change forever. (Talking Donkeys [Eddie Murphy] do that to you. It's kind of inevitable.) All fairytale creatures in the Kingdom are being banished to a swamp... Shrek's swamp. Suddenly, he goes from being a loner to tripping over blind mice, dodging fairies and Pinocchio's ever growing nose. In a huff, he marches straight up to the castle and demands the removal of his unwanted company.

Lord Farguaard (John Lithgow), malnourished ruler of the kingdom, was on the verge of having our ogre killed when one of his advisors advised him that this might be a chance for him to get the Princess of his choice (he had to marry a Princess before he could claim his kingdom). So, a deal was struck: Shrek (with his ever present tag-along talking Donkey) would fetch his Princess and on his successful return, all the fairy-tale creatures would be gone from his swamp.

So Shrek and Donkey set off on an adventure that would change both of them forever (fire breathing dragons also have a way of rearranging lives). But it doesn't end the way they think it's going to.

What I Liked:
1: Sometimes the humor was really funny. I would watch it again for just that.
2: I love the satire on fairy tales... and the characters in them. I would watch it again for that, too. Lol!
3: The romance.
4: The mystery.
5: The singing competition between Princess Fiona and the song bird is my favorite scene. Period. It still makes me laugh and it's been months since I saw it.

What I Didn't Like:
1: The crude humor.
2: The music didn't thrill me. Not my style.

This movie was a maybe four but mostly definitely a three. A lot of people like this film and it's sequels... I must admit that it has it's own genre all to itself. Very funny, very unique. Not the same quality as Monster's Inc. or Cars, but still... pretty good.

Shades of Grey -- 2009

Shades of Grey

(2009)

Jake Dewhirst

My Rating: 5 Stars

Dawson County (Jake Dewhirst)
Kentucky Rail (Jake Dewhirst)
Willow Garden (Trad. Arr. Jake Dewhirst)
Nashville Blues (Earl Scruggs)
Fly By (Jake Dewhirst)
Armor (Jake Dewhirst)
Beaumont Rag(Trad. Arr. Jake Dewhirst)
Priceless (Jake Dewhirst)
Heads Up (Jake Dewhirst)
Driftwood (Jake Dewhirst)
Southbound Train (Jake Dewhirst)
Amazing Grace (John Newton)

Musicians:
Jake Dewhirst – Guitars, Mandolin, lead vocal (tk 6)
Luke Dewhirst – Banjo
Erin Dewhirst – Stand-up Bass
Alex Goldman – Fiddle (tks 1, 2, 4, 6, 11)
Martin Stevens – Fiddle (tks 7, 9)
Zach Driscoll – Lead Vocal (tks 2, 11), harmony voc. (tk 6)

It's not often that young talent is so satisfying. Usually, it seems like younger musicians are praised because they do so well for their age, regardless of how bad it sounds. But in this case, teenager Jake Dewhirst has produced a top quality recording. It's his first solo album and I expect that we will be seeing more from him.

The style of his music is bluegrass but I often catch a blues sound combined with it. He plays -- and writes -- with a unique style that I haven't heard elsewhere. I really do like all of the songs on this recording and for different reasons. It's hard to pick one or two favorites... I guess I will say to check out “Priceless” because it is beautiful. :-)

One thing I really liked about this recording was the fact that his mother and brother both played on it. But I also appreciated that he got his friends and fellow musicians in the studio as well. I think it helped make his sound what it is.

http://www.myspace.com/jakedewhirst

Saving Sarah Cain -- 2007

Saving Sarah Cain

(2007)

Rated PG for brief teen smoking
My Rating: 4 Stars

Lisa Pepper
Elliott Gould
Tess Harper
Tom Tate
Abigail Mason
Soren Fulton
Danielle Chuchran
Tanner Maguire
Bailey Madison

Summary:
The phone call came just as Bryan Ford (Tom Tate) was about to ask Sarah Cain (Lisa Pepper) to marry him. That instant began his intended's transformation into a new woman. And it began a series of events that rocked two worlds, the lives of five Amish children whose home and family are the world and a young Englisher whose career means everything to her.

When Sarah Cain's sister died, leaving her custody of five children who had no idea about the outside world, she opted to bring them back to Portland with her. Picture it: five Amish children, big city. Five Amish children, Englisher home. Five Amish children, typical public schools. The move from Pennsylvania was more than a change of scenery for them; it was culture shock.

But if the children had problems adjusting, so does Sarah. She offers to buy them new clothes so they will fit in better. But Lyddie (Abigail Mason) is adamant, “Plain we were raised and plain we will stay.” Sarah buys more groceries in a week than she goes through in two months... and eating out? Chopsticks are lethal weapons!

And what about her writing? Before the phone call, her columns were being cut out of newspapers but everyone loves to read about Plain People fitting into 21st century world. It's like time travel without the fantasy. Her column is popular... and gaining. But there is a problem.

It's when her world falls apart that Sarah Cain finds her cross-roads. She must decide who she will live for, no matter what she loses or what the end gains her.

What I Liked:
1: It was fairly well acted... very well directed. I would say this is the best I've seen of Michael Landon Jr.'s films.
2: The 21st century language in a Christian film. I appreciate that they were willing to go the second mile to insure the accuracy of the story.
3: It was indeed inspirational. :-) :-)
4: The score was lovely!
5: The story. I can see why this, of all Beverly Lewis' books, was chosen. It's unique but not so unique that we can't learn from it.
6: The romance. Hehe. :-)
7: I love her boss. He's a jerk, a creep and someone I totally wouldn't like in real life. But he's great on screen. ;-) Elliot Gould was an excellent choice for the part.
8: The buggy/car chase was a very interesting addition to the story. Including that was a wise move on the part of the director.

What I didn't Like:
1: Some of Sarah's lines were said like she was reading them.
2: Since they were careful to keep the language and dress accurately for the setting, I think they should have taken another step and had Sarah and Bryan kiss... or at least indulge in long hugs. It felt wrong when it was only a peck on the cheek. However... who am I to say. :-P

Things to Know:
1: One of Sarah's co-workers... and some of the fellow students of Anna Mae were dressed typically. It did help the story but if you're sensitive to this, I would recommend a screen cover.

Pistachio – The Little Boy That Woodn't -- 2010

Pistachio – The Little Boy That Woodn't

VeggieTales
(2010)

Rated G
My Rating: 5 Stars

Lisa Vischer
Mike Nawrocki
Phil Vischer
Tim Hodge
Trevor Devall
Lee Tockar
Megan Murphy

“Moralizing runs very deep in my family.”

Summary:
Gelato was an kindly old man who lived in the small town Italian town of Balogna Salami.  He never married so he had no wife or children and his three brothers disappeared mysteriously one day while delivering meatballs to the island of Boyardee. But Gelato wasn't lonely because he loved carving things out of wood. He had also adopted three little ducklings and a caterpillar named Cricket. He took them everywhere with him and since they were his 'children', he taught them everything there was to know about life.

One day, Parcheesi, a fellow woodcarver, stopped him on the street and asked if he would like a piece of wood. Of course he would, Gelato replied.. only, he didn't have very much money and he didn't like to spend all he had. But Parcheesi said he could have it for free, so joyfully, Gelato took the wood home with him and spent the night carving.

There was something strange about this piece of wood. It had come from a pistachio tree and even when it wasn't carved, it moved... by itself. Gelato thought it a little strange but didn't give it's behavior another thought. Cricket, on the other hand, had a bad feeling in his legs about it. But he didn't even imagine what was going to happen when Gelato had finished carving his new son, Pistachio.

What came next was not only a learning experience for Pistachio and the ducks, but also for Gelato and Cricket.

“High fives!”
“No hands, numbskull.”

What I Liked:
1: The twist on the fairytale.
2: The humor. Wonderful as always.
3: The corniness of it is mixed with everything else so you don't mind it. ;-)
4: The moral.
5: The music.
6: The ducks.
7: Cricket, alias Khalil.
8: The Extreme Re-do was really clever. It made me laugh more than once. :-)

Gaither Gospel Series -- Nashville Homecoming -- 2009

Bill and Gloria Gaither

          Present
Nashville Homecoming
(2009)

Gaither Gospel Series

Songs:
The Hallelujah Side
featuring Charlotte Ritchie, Welsey Pritchard, TaRanda Green, Chris Freeman
(gospel sound with some added licks... great talent here)

I Wish I Could Have Been There
featuring The Perrys
(family group singing a faster song; again gospel)

Try A Little Kindness
featuring Tim Surrett
(this guy has the sweetest voice... country/gospel song; slower)

I Wouldn't Take Nothin' For My Journey Now
featuring George McDonald, Glenn Dustin
(Very old gospel tent song)

God Is In The Shadows 
featuring The Collingsworth Family
(another family group singing a sweet song... more of a modern sound; very soft)

Over and Over
featuring Jeff and Sheri Easter, Charlotte Ritchie
(modern sound; faster; wonderful tune and words... one of my favorites)

I Don't Regret A Mile
featuring Johnny Minick, Guy Penrod, Sheri Easter (Howard Goodman from The Happy Goodmans: 50 Faithful Years)
(old gospel song; hymn sound)

Child Of The King
featuring Mike Allen, Tim Duncan (Brock Speer from Moments to Remember)
(old gospel song; hymn sound; nice)

I'm So Glad
featuring Jessy Dixon, Alicia Williamson
(very southern/African American sound; get ready to tap your toes!)

The Dearest Friend I Ever Had
featuring The Homecoming Friends
(old gospel song that brings back really good memories)

Feet On The Ground
featuring Dallas Holm
(a slower song with a very rock beat)

O Happy Day
featuring Lillie Knauls, The Talley Trio
(Lillie Knauls always makes me smile... very southern gospel with Lillie's special sound)

Jonah, Job & Moses
featuring the Oak Ridge Boys
(nice song; very country/gospel sound... guitar)

I Just Came To Talk With You, Lord
featuring Dottie Rambo
(I love this song! It's a good reminder... very gentle sound)

The Promise
featuring The Martins
(modern sound; good words)

Ain't Gonna Give Up On God
featuring Gordon Mote
(Gordon Mote never ceases to amaze me. This time, he's on an organ. More bluesy sound.)

Meeting In The Air
featuring Joshua Pope on piano
(Joshua Pope was 14 at the time he performed on this DVD. He was pretty good. :-) Old gospel/spiritual favorite)

Strike Up The Band
featuring Legacy Five
(Old gospel sounding favorite with bluesy licks. Watch their pianist.. he's amazing.)

In The Upper Room
featuring The Gatlin Brothers
(I really enjoyed this one. Great guitar playing; great voices; great song)

The One I'm Dying For
featuring The Isaacs
(The Isaacs have always been a hit with me. One of their softer songs)

It Won't Rain Always
featuring Janet Paschal
(Janet's voice is like early morning dew drops on rose petals. Pink rose petals. She not only has a beautiful voice, she is beautiful. Jesus simply shines through her...)

Make It Real
featuring Mark Lowry
(Mark's voice isn't a typical one but it has a wonderful quality to it that I like. The song is nice too.)
I Need Thee Every Hour
featuring The Homecoming Friends
(This hymn is one of my all-time favorites and it sounds even better with all of these wonderful folks singing.)

Yahweh
featuring The Hoppers
(The Hoppers always do unique songs... this one is one of their good ones.)

Send It On Down
featuring Reggie Smith, TaRanda Greene
(very gospel sounding... Reggie Smith is among my favorite male singers.)

I love Gaither's Gospel Series. We have a few of them and they are such a blessing. God especially used this DVD during a hard time... when you need encouragement listen to Jeff & Sheri Easter sing “Over and Over Again”. :-) “It Won't Rain Always” with Janet Paschal was inspiring as well... both songs really resonated with me for more reasons than one. Both Janet and Sheri have gone through cancer and are still praising God with overflowing hearts of joy... thanksgiving through trials says more about God speaks louder than anything else.

Watch Linda Randall. She's sunshine. :-)

Oliver Twist -- 1997

Oliver Twist
(1997)

Not Rated ('G')
My Rating: 4 Stars

David O'Hara
Alex Trench
Elijah Wood
Richard Dreyfuss

“Is stealing the work the boys do?”
“Uhhh. No! More like... redistributing the wealth.”

Summary:
Young Oliver Twist was an orphan. He had been born in a poorhouse, his mother dying as soon as she'd given birth to him. The only clue to her identity was the golden locket she had in her hand when she died. This was to become the boy's beacon through the coming years.

The mistress of the poorhouse was a mean old hag who loved to torment the children in her care, but she promised that if Oliver was good, she would let him have his locket when he was twelve. The day before his twelfth birthday, Oliver was forced by a bully to commit the worst sin in the Mistress' book: ask for more food when he'd finished his breakfast. She was only too glad to throw him out because this meant she could keep the locket... and have one less child to feed to boot. But she misjudged the boy. He was not about to leave without it. He snuck back into to the place that night and took back what was his... plus a little chicken for his supper.

Then, he was off to London to find the address engraved in his locket. He walked for miles, hungered and weary. Finally he snatched a ride in the back of a pig cart and was driven straight into the heart of the great city. Once there, he had no idea where to go. He hadn't thought London would be so immense. He wandered about in a daze, looking at the people, animals, merchants and their ware. Just then, his stomach alerted him to the fact that one little stand had apples for sale in a bucket. His stomach said yes. But the Mistress of the poorhouse had raised him to be honest if nothing else, and his heart said no. His stomach won.

Just as he was reaching for the fruit, someone caught him around the shoulders and said in a very put on Cockney accent (Lol!), “Oh no you don't! You were going to go and get yourself caught and then there goes the market and what would happen to hard working, dishonest chaps like me?” Thus, Artful Dodger entered Oliver Twist's life. Here was a boy who had been raised to be a professional thief. But in spite of his cynical attitude towards life and the people in it, Dodger became Oliver's first true friend.

Dodger saw Oliver Twist as a boy with no home, no food and no friends. A perfect candidate for their gang of boy thieves. Over the next few months, Oliver was carefully instructed in the fine art of thievery... and how a good person, regardless of occupation, never peaches on his friends. But in spite of the new family he's come to be a part of, all the food he can eat and the kindness of his new friends, Oliver still feels a yearning to find his true family.

What I Liked:
1: Elijah Wood made this movie. Completely. Watching the conflicting emotions on the face of the character of Dodger was a joy. That is true acting.
2: Although this movie is truly a children's version, it was good. I wouldn't go as far to say that it was wonderful but it tells the story well enough and it's clean. Violence happens (one evil man meets his end on a rope and a good girl gets killed) but it's very toned down. Since the story hinges on these happenings, you can't really do without them.

What I Didn't Like:
1: I would have liked them to include more about Oliver's inheritance and the conditions in his father's will. Why is it that Oliver can't ever become a thief, no matter how hard they try to push him into it? And  why is that so essential to the story (other than for good morals)?
2: On the same subject, there were some unexplained things that I wouldn't have understood, if I hadn't known the story before.
3: It isn't a movie I would watch a second time (except for the experience of watching it with my children).

If you want your children to watch a movie based on a classic, this is a good one. There is nothing bad in it. Thievery is shown in a new light... and the viewer is still left with the feeling of pity. Keep in mind that Dickens wrote allegorically sometimes. :-) It makes the story very funny.

“Goodness is always rewarded.”

National Treasure -- 2004

National Treasure

(2004)

Rated PG for violence
My Rating: 5 Stars

Nicholas Cage
Diane Kruger
Justin Bartha
Sean Bean
Jon Voight
Harvey Keitel
Christopher Plummer
Stewart Finlay-McLennan


Summary:
“In 1832, Charles Carroll was the last surviving signer of the Declaration of Independence...” It is with his last breath, this man bequeathed a clue to the one person he could: Thomas Gates. “The secret lies with Charlotte”, it read. The clue passed from his feeble hand to Thomas' sturdy one was to a treasure... a treasure beyond imagination.

Since that say, the Gates family had been searching relentlessly for it. Convinced of it's existence while others laughed at them; searching when all hope seemed gone... but finally, one of them seemed to be getting somewhere: Benjamin Franklin Gates (Nicholas Cage). He had gone through his boyhood years hearing stories about his family's history and had decided at a young age that he would follow in his forefathers' footsteps. But with one small difference: he was going to find the treasure.

After years of studying and training, Ben Gates believed he had finally found Charlotte. The Charlotte was not a woman but a ship. With the help of his navigator/computer/science geek, Riley Poole (Justin Bartha) and his sponsor, they discovered that the whims of nature had most likely landed and trapped her in ice, North of the Arctic Circle.

Sure enough, The Charlotte lay there, waiting for them. But it wasn't treasure they found in her; only a beautiful meerschaum pipe with this legend inscribed on it: “The Legend writ. The stain effected. The key in Silence undetected. Fifty-five in iron pen. Mr. Matlack can't offend.” After Ben realized where the next clue was located, he wasn't sure what to do. But he did know that stealing it was out of the question and said so. Unfortunately, his sponsor was as unscrupulous as he was wealthy and proceeded to destroy The Charlotte... with Ben and Riley in it.

Surviving this, the two made their way back to civilization. They knew they could not let something of such importance fall into the hands of Ian Howe but no one would believe that the most guarded document in the United States of America could be stolen. After trying all law enforcements in Washington D.C. and anyone else who might have even a small chance of thwarting Ian, Benjamin Franklin Gates decided that in order to do what is right, he would do something wrong:

He would steal the Declaration of Independence before Ian could.

What I Liked:
1: Two of my favorite actors, Sean Bean and Stewart Finlay-McLennan were on this film. Actually, I must admit that everyone on this film was wonderful. This is the first film I saw Nicholas Cage in and it remains my favorite. He's good in this character.
2: I love Riley. He's hilarious. You really have to be good to pull off an act like that... facial expressions, tone of voice... etc. etc.  
3: The humor. It's clean.

4: Speaking of clean, this movie is definitely a family film...
5: Even though this film revolves around masonry, etc, it doesn't ever sanction or judge the society. It leaves that up to the viewer.
6: The story was very unique and very interesting.
7: The fact that this is one of the best films I've ever seen.
8: Having a very light romance was good.
9: There is enough adventure to be interesting but not so much that kids get too scared.
10: The historical value to this story. It would be a good one for history class.
11: Very little language.

“We probably have our own satellite by now.”

What I Didn't Like:
1: Abigail's clothing is sometimes a little revealing. Nothing horrible, though.
2: One time, Abigail and Ben were changing their clothes in a store and you can see their shoulders above their prospective doors. Nothing that a screen cover can't take care of.

Things To Know:
1: There is some language but it's pretty light.
2: There is a reference to Abigail being pregnant (she's not).

This film made me interested in studying further on the subjects mentioned and read the full version of the Declaration of Independence. As I mentioned above, this film might be good for learning history in a fun way.

“Uh Ben, thee.. the mean declaration lady is behind you.”