At the Movies – A Taste of Grace with Bruce Green

“Do Not Seek The Treasure”

When Pete spoke these words to Ulysses and Delmar in the movie theater in O Brother Where Art Thou?, he had given them up to Sheriff Cooley. If they went after the treasure as they were planning, it would be at the cost of their lives. Since Ulysses and Delmar were not the most discerning of individuals (WeContinue reading ““Do Not Seek The Treasure””

“You’re a good nurse”

I’m rewatching Band of Brothers—it’s the WW2 series based on the book by Stephen Ambrose and created by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks—not long after they worked together on Saving Private Ryan. The series focuses on Easy Company, a parachute infantry regiment that is attached to the 101st Airborne Division. Ambrose interviewed surviving members of Easy Company forContinue reading ““You’re a good nurse””

Better Days Are Coming (Places in the Heart)

Places in the Heart is the movie that won Sally Field her second Oscar. It’s the story of the Spalding family: Edna, her husband Royce, son Frank, and daughter, Possum (seriously, she’s never referred to in any other way in the movie). They live in a small town in Texas during the Depression years of theContinue reading “Better Days Are Coming (Places in the Heart)”

Keeping It Safe (The Book Of Eli)

The Book of Eli covers the familiar ground of post-apocalyptic movies: bleak new world, humanity’s descent into savagery, and the struggle for scarce resources (with goodness being the rarest). Where it is different is that it has a decidedly spiritual/Christian element to it. And with Hollywood, you’re never quite sure where that is going to lead.Continue reading “Keeping It Safe (The Book Of Eli)”

Buckling Up (The Bourne Identity)

I’m a big fan of the Bourne trilogy, but especially the first movie (The Bourne Identity). If you haven’t seen it or need your memory jogged, Matt Damon plays Jason Bourne—a man who has been programmed to be an assassin by the CIA as part of an experimental program known as Treadstone. While on anContinue reading “Buckling Up (The Bourne Identity)”

Hope Is A Good Thing (The Shawshank Redemption)

“Get busy living or get busy dying,” Andy Dufresne tells Red in the Shawshank Redemption. It’s a great line from a great movie. But like a lot of Hollywood truths, it doesn’t quite translate to the real word. It needs a little tweaking. We’d like to think we’re either living or dying, but it’s not quite that simple. The reality is aContinue reading “Hope Is A Good Thing (The Shawshank Redemption)”

Rooted Or Roaming (Up In The Air)

Up in the Air is a movie from 2009 about a man (Ryan Bingham), who spends most of his life up in the air, flying from one place to another. He is away from home about 300 days a year and his goal is to reach the 10 million mile mark in air travel— something thatContinue reading “Rooted Or Roaming (Up In The Air)”

Who Needs Your Music?

I watched The Shawshank Redemption recently. I’ve seen it a few times over the years, but it has probably been a couple of years since I last saw it. One of the tests of a picture’s greatness is how it ages over time. When you initially see a movie that impresses you, there are certainContinue reading “Who Needs Your Music?”

Iron Sharpening Iron (Operation Mincemeat)

Well, I liked Operation Mincemeat—despite the lukewarm reviews it received. Of course, I tend to watch movies a few minutes at a time (and often over a few days) while I write or do other work on my laptop, so what is slow-moving to most people often isn’t noticed as much by me. Another complaint,Continue reading “Iron Sharpening Iron (Operation Mincemeat)”

We’re Going To Need A Bigger Boat!

We’re all familiar with the movie director, Steven Spielberg. He’s made a boatload of movies—from franchise pictures like Indiana Jones and Jurassic Park, to the cute movie about the extra-terrestrial, to the powerful, dramatic portrayals of Schindler’s List and Saving Private Ryan. But before he made any of those, he made a movie about three guys, a boat that was tooContinue reading “We’re Going To Need A Bigger Boat!”