I Can Only Imagine tells the inspiring story of the most played Christian song of all time

Movie Title:  
  I Can Only Imagine

Grade:  B

Rating: PG, 1 hour 50 minutes

In a Nutshell: Imagine what it would be like to walk with Jesus.  That’s the crux of the story line of this movie and the best-selling song by the popular Christian band “Mercy Me.”  Timed perfectly for release during the Easter season, its opening weekend earned an impressive 17.1 million dollars, making it Roadside Attractions' biggest box office debut to date.

I Can Only Imagine - The Very Best of MercyMe is the most played Christian song of all time.  Want to talk about the movie or its message?  Go to: www.ChatAboutFaith.com

                                          

Tips for parents: 

• The movie deals with abuse, a delicate, frightening subject for children…and adults.
• No profanity.  Thank you.

Uplifting theme: 

• Hope
• Father/Son relationships
• Forgiveness
• Jesus changes lives.
• Chase your dream.                       

Things I liked:

• First of all, it’s always great to see people in the theater supporting this and other Christian, faith-based films.
• Dennis Quaid’s smile.  Irresistible.  His twins are actually Extras in the movie in the dinner scene.
• It was great to see Cloris Leachman in a movie again!  I’ve always gotten a kick out of her.  I think the first time I ever saw her was when my dad took me to see the movie Young Frankenstein  I loved that she was the one who said, “Mercy me!”
•  J. Michael Finley did a great job.  This was his first movie!
• You get to hear a lot of Mercy Me’s music.
• You get to see Amy Grant.   I’ve always loved her and her music.  I really love what she did for Bart in this movie.
•  You get to see Rick Burgess, and Bill "Bubba" Bussey Jr. playing themselves.
• The Amazing Grace scene was very sweet and powerful.
• The ending concert is very sweet and made me cry.
• Bart makes a cameo appearance as the first DJ to open a CD case of the song at the end of the movie.
• The release of the song was actually on March 16, 3/16, in honor of the most famous Bible verse (John 3:16).
• You get to see footage of the real band "Mercy Me."

Things I didn’t like:

• Lots of terrible Southern accents.
• The kids are cute, but the acting wasn’t very good.
• It was kind of silly to have J. Michael Finley play a teenager in high school; he looked WAY older than any of the other students.  Shaving off that beard could have helped. 

Interesting lines:

• “You didn’t write this song in 10 minutes….it took a lifetime.” – Amy Grant
• “So, we’re still a band?” – Nathan (Mark Furze)

“No, we’re family.” – Bart (J. Michael Finley)

Funny lines:

• “She will not be joining us.” – Bart

“Well ain’t she the smart one.” – Brickell (Trace Adkins)

• “That was Amy Grant.  She talked to me!” – Bart

If you enjoyed the movie, you're going to want to pick this up:

                                                                     

                              

                                                 @trinaboice

Blumhouse's Truth or Dare gets my grade of D for dumb

Movie Title:   Blumhouse's Truth or Dare

Grade:   D for dumb

Rating: PG-13

In a Nutshell:  Brought to the Big Screen by the same producers as the award winning Get Out   and Happy Death Day this horror teen flick scored a terrible 15% on Rotten Tomatoes for being lame.  

It's so bad that I can see teens renting it on Red Box so they can laugh at it in their mom’s basement while snacking on Cheetos on a Friday night.

                               

Tips for parents: 

• Peer pressure
• Spring Break “debauchery”
• Where are the parents in this movie?
• Where are the bras in this movie?
• Some profanity and crude language.
• A teen sets a woman on fire
• Underage drinking and drunk teens
• Talk of sex and lots of kissing
• Gay teens kissing
• People die in brutal ways.
• Creepy voices and faces
• Lots of risky behavior
• Guns
• Talk of suicide 

Uplifting theme: 

• Choice and accountability
• Sacrifice for others
• Don’t get drunk and make stupid choices 

                                             

Things I liked:

• Shout-out for Habitat 4 Humanity
• My kids make that same creepy face that the “truth or dare” demon made people make, so it actually made me laugh. I'm sure it's supposed to be scary, but everyone just laughs. 

Things I didn’t like:

• Most of the characters are tools, so it’s hard to care very much about them.  You pretty much WANT them to die.
• Super clichéd dialogue
• Super cliched scenes
• Plot holes
• Snapchat opening sequence, which was kind of interesting and lame at the same time.  I hate Snapchat. 
• When one of the friends would die, the other friends never even stopped to mourn, but would just go about their day.
• The last few scenes were just stupid.
• The best friends constantly turn on each other.
• The back story between Olivia and Markie was just lame.
• Stupid jump scares.
• Halfway through the movie, the rules of Truth or Dare change. Lame.
• If you want to see a fun horror movie with a PG-13 rating and still in theaters now, go see A QUIET PLACE.

Funny lines:

• “Your dad didn’t know you were gay?  Your ring tone is Beyonce.” – Lucas Moreno (Tyler Posey)

“Everyone loves Beyonce.” – Brad Chang (Hayden Szeto)

                               

                                          @trinaboice

Avengers: Infinity War packs a punch in Marvel's longest movie to date

Movie Title:    Avengers: Infinity War

Grade:  A

Rating: PG-13, 156 minutes  (the longest Marvel film to date)

In a Nutshell:  Starring…well….EVERYONE!  All of your favorite Marvel superheroes get spotlighted, a difficult task that the Russo brothers capably tackled.

As the 19^th film released by Marvel Studios in the past 10 years or so, with more to hit the Big Screen next month and into the summer of 2018, clearly, Marvel is the big boy at the Box Office.

I've been looking forward to this movie for a long time and I don't want to include a bunch of spoilers here, so this review will be, surprisingly, quite short!  I want you to be able to experience all of the fun excitement and heartbreaking drama for yourself. 

The one word that truly describes this movie is EPIC.

                                            

Uplifting theme: 

·    Hope and desperation

• Sacrifice for others
• Revenge
• Love
• The price of war
• Friendship, forgiveness, mending old wounds
• Genocide

Tips for parents: 

• Some profanity, but no F-bombs.
• LOTS of violence, sometimes with bloody, brutal deaths.  Super high dead body count.   
• LOTS of destruction and people in perilous situations.
• Some characters we have come to know and love actually die in this movie.  Your heart will break.  It’s a bit surprising and especially sad for people who really love these characters.
• Some creepy, scary monsters and characters.

                                                         

Things I liked:

• I loved it when the superheroes met each other for the very first time. The audience I watched the movie with especially howled with laughter when the Guardians of the Galaxy (my favorite Marvel characters) meet Thor.
• Josh Brolin as Thanos is awesome.  Thanos is a truly evil villain because of his motivation.
• The humor is perfect.  The characters play off each other really well with extremely entertaining banter.
• I’m not a fan of the “shaky cam” technique, so I was grateful that the Russo brothers were careful not to use it much.  There is, however, a LOT of action, so you'll want to sit towards the back of the theater in order to see it all without getting dizzy.
• Marvel’s storytelling has an unpredictability to it that makes it even more fun for viewers and fans. You just can't always predict what's going to happen.  
• Keep watching after the rolling credits for a final scene that hints at what’s to come.  The good news is that there is more to come! 
• I love it when Marvel gives Stan Lee a cameo spot.  It’s always so fun to see where they put him in the movies.
• Iron Man’s new nano-tech uniform was super cool.
• I adore Paul Betany and loved seeing him “not” red for a short time.
•  Fantastic fight and action sequences.
• Impressive CGI.  It's truly amazing what they can do in film nowadays.

Things I didn’t like:

• When you mix that many bigger-than-life characters, the film is bound to be crowded, busy, and uneven in tone.
• The ending is a bit vague and unfinished.  We don’t quite know what happened, but one thing is certain…there will be a grand finale!  It kind of feels like the Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, which was good, but somewhat unsatisfying because you knew you’d have to wait another year for the rest of the story.
• Quite a few Avenger-related characters were not present.
•  You really need to have seen all of the recent Marvel movies in order to understand the back stories of the characters and appreciate the many Easter eggs and jokes.

Funny lines:

• “Fun isn’t something one considers when balancing the universe, but this does put a smile on my face.” – Thanos (Josh Brolin
• “Hunk a Hulk of burning love is our favorite.” – Wong (Benedict Wong)
• He’s not a dude.  You’re a dude.  He’s a man.  A muscular man.” – Drax (Dave Bautista) talking about Thor.
• “It’s like a pirate had a baby with a angel.” – Drax talking about Thor
• Kevin Bacon joke.  Ha ha Love it.
• “I seriously don’t know how you fit your head into that helmet.” – Dr. Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) to Ironman (Robert Downey Jr.)
• “You speak Groot?” – Rocket (Bradley Cooper)

“Yes, they taught it on Asgard.  It was an elective.” – Thor (Chris Hemsworth)

• “We do not want another single pop culture reference out of you during this trip.” – Ironman to Spiderman

Interesting lines:

• Why would I lie?” – The Collector (Benicio Del Toro)

“I imagine it’s like breathing for you.” – Thanos

• “Reality is often disappointing.” – Thanos
• “You’ve got some nerve.” – Secretary of State Thaddeus Ross (William Hurt)

“You could use some of that right now.” – Black Widow (Scarlett Johannson)

• “If life is left unchecked, life will cease to exist. It needs correction.” – Thanos
• “The hardest choices require the strongest will.” - Thanos

Movies you need to see to better understand this one:

      

                                                           

                                           @trinaboice

Best-selling author Trina Boice speaks at LDSPMA writers' conference

Guess who is speaking at the LDSPMA writers' conference in November? ME!!! Oh yeah, and my new best friend Orson Scott Card! Check out the impressive list of other speakers. It's going to be awesome!




Come join us!

https://www.ldspma.org/2018-ldspma-annual-conference/

Wildling was wildly mediocre

Movie Title:     Wildling

Grade:  C

Rating: R, 
       92 minutes

In a Nutshell:  A monster coming-of-age story, this creature feature movie feels like a 1980’s horror flick.  

It’s actually a new indie film by director Fritz Bohm, who also had a hand in writing the script. 

I picture a group of teenagers watching this at one of their friend’s house on a Saturday night as they laugh at it and eat pizza.

                                   

Tips for parents: 

• A man shoots himself and you see blood splatters.
• Profanity, including a few F-bombs
• There is blood and talk of a teenage girl’s menstruation.
• You see a teenage girl in her underwear.
• Teenager sex scene with skin and sounds.
• Some violent, gory deaths.
• You see a naked female “wilder.”
• Teenage drinking

                                            

Uplifting theme: 

• Embrace who you are...?
• Don't kill people...?
• Don't eat people...?                                

Things I liked:

• It was good to see Liv Tyler in something again, although I’m kind of surprised she picked this script.
• Anna sees a picture of Aurora Borealis in a book.  Seeing that in real life is on my Bucket List!  I’ve been researching a trip to either Iceland or Finland to see it.  Which do you think is a better country to see the amazing Northern Lights?
• I liked the psychological aspect of the story.  Otherwise, we have already seen this story before.
• Actress Bel Powley was 26 years old at the premiere!  I thought that was so surprising, because she really does look young in this movie as Anna.  What's even more impressive is that she eats a ton of hamburger and sausages in the movie, despite being a vegetarian in real life.

Things I didn’t like:

• The creepy father (played by Brad Dourif) tells this tiny, young, adorable, little girl (played by Arlo Mertz) about the “Wildling”, not holding back any scary details, and introducing you to the horrific childhood Anna experienced.  I was confused by what happened to him later.
• It has a lot of dark, evening scenes, so this will be hard to watch on a TV or computer.
• It’s pretty slow-moving.
• Some of the special effects are pretty cheesy and amateur looking.  According to IMDB, there were 350 visual effect shots.
• There really aren’t any surprises.  The movie poster pretty much reveals what you already suspect is going to happen.
• Some of the make-up on the Wildling looked super fake and ridiculous. 

Interesting lines:

“You’re not sick.  You’re a woman.” – Sheriff Ellen Cooper  (Liv Tyler)

If you love werewolf movies, check out some of these classics:

                                

And my personal favorite:
                                         

                                            @trinaboice

Get movie tickets online with Atom to secure your seat!

This is going to be a big box office weekend with the newest AVENGERS: Infinity War movie hitting the Big Screen!

Movie Review Mom is now using  
to help my readers secure their movie tickets in advance!  Atom donates a percentage of ticket sales to my favorite cause (my son's college tuition)!  Click on either Atom image on this post to get your movie tickets from now on.  My son thanks you.

 

Acrimony shows you what UNHINGED looks like

Movie Title:      Tyler Perry's Acrimony

Grade:  C

Rating: R, 2 hours

In a Nutshell:  This is a Tyler Perry drama that’s being touted as a psychological thriller.  What they mean is that it features a total psycho.  

The movie trailer is misleading, probably intentionally, to make you think the film is going to go in one direction, but there’s a little switcheroo.

For what it’s worth, the more I thought about the movie, the more I liked it.  There’s a huge paradigm shift that’s pretty clever.  Maybe I’m giving Tyler Perry more credit than he deserves.  Maybe that’s just how I interpreted his intention for the movie.  Either way, it’s not that great of a movie, but it’s an interesting journey.

                            

Tips for parents: 

• Lots of profanity, including MANY F-bombs.
• You see the naked rear of a man several times.
• Sex scene with some skin.   
• You’ll read the definitions of words like acrimony, bewail, deranged, and nexorable.  The best word to describe what you see is UNHINGED.
• Infidelity, adultery, pre-marital relations.
• Serious anger management issues.                                                  

Uplifting theme: 

• Love and infidelity
• Revenge
• Forgiveness, Trust
• Persistence in reaching your dream.

Things I liked:

• Music of Nina Simone Her Greatest Hits.  Robert (Antonio Madison) says, “Her music is like going to church.”
• I like that you don’t know exactly what happens after the movie ends.
• A lot of reviewers on IMDB loved this movie.  A lot of YouTubers hated it.  It goes to show you that movie critics only give THEIR opinion and it should only be taken with a grain a salt.
• I really like Taraji P. Henson.  Unfortunately, she could only do so much with the material she was given in this movie, but she still did a great job.
  
• The film was shot in only 8 days.  Wow, that's impressive.
• Ajiona Alexus played the younger version of Taraji's character, just like in the TV show "Empire."  If you missed it, click here to see the Pilot of that award-winning TV drama.
• Maybe this movie will help young people look for the red flags that often show up in relationships.  When you see them, RUN!

Things I didn’t like:

• I didn’t like either of the main characters.  They both lacked integrity and had anger management issues.
• The acting was over-the-top and mediocre at the same time.
• Lots of screaming, fighting, and profanity.  It was like watching crazy people on Jerry Springer.  I can’t stand that.
• There were some really dumb things that happened.
• The dialogue is often completely ridiculous.
• Sometimes outdoor scenes are filmed on an obvious green screen.  Why wouldn’t the director just film outside?  
• Below is another version of the movie poster.  It came out first and was later replaced by the one above of Taraji Henson.  Maybe Tyler Perry thought it would give away the story too much?

                              

Interesting lines:

• “Have you ever asked me what I wanted?” – Melinda (Taraji P. Henson)
• “You cannot negotiate with crazy.” –  Diana (Crystle Stewart)  Ain't that the truth?!

                                   

              

                                            @trinaboice