Mormon Movie Review: ***^Sons of Provo (2004)

This is a movie made in documentary style, home video style.  This follows three men who are involved in a Mormon Boy Band.  They call themselves EverClean.  It gives us an idea of what it would be like to be in a band, trying to maintain the squeaky clean image.  They eventually have some success, but they still have some growing to do.  Can the brothers who formed the band, let go enough to let someone else share his music?  If they don't the band will likely fall apart due to jealousy.  Sometimes growth hurts.

Mormon Movie Review: ****The Cokeville Miracle

This is a T.C. Christensen movie, and tells the true story of the Cokeville terrorist attack which took place in May 1986.  The movie is well done for the most part.  There was on line which I thought was odd or out of place, or given with the wrong attitude which is by the police officer when he heard of the hostage situation.
The story is that a former police officer, David Young and his wife, take the rural school of Cokeville, Wyoming hostage and demand a ransom of $2,000,000 per child.  The bomb explodes prematurely, but all of the children and their teachers escape.  Most have burns and other injuries, but it was deemed miraculous that not more died.  Only the hostage takes perished, Young by his own self inflicted bullet.  His wife was severely injured by the blast and he shot her as well before killing himself.
The movie continues after the blast, with the local police officer, who had given up on God, restoring his faith through the stories of the children, as well as attending church and observing the faith of the Children as they sing "Child's Prayer."
The ending of this movie is very well done as it shows the restoration of a family through faith.  I highly recommend this movie.  It has many familiar LDS actors throughout.

Movie Review: Walking Down Your Blood Sugar

This exercise video features Leslie Sansone who walks you through a two-mile aerobic walk.  The part that relates to diabetes is the pep talk she gives while you are walking.  This includes saying we do not let exercise beat us, but invigorate us.  We are only beaten when we stay on the couch.
I found the two-mile workout more than I could handle.  However, Sheri says she has a DVD with the same concept, which has one to four mile workouts.  I think I can handle the four mile.  Sheri says it is pretty mild.  her walks start slow, then build and then cool down and stretch.  That sounds good. 

Documentary Review: It's Incredible How Deep the Hooks Go: Methamphetamine Addiction

I watched a documentary on Netflix Instant, "National Geographic: World's Most Dangerous Drug."  It indicates methamphetamine is 3.5 x more addictive than cocaine.  It talks about the cost of this drug, which has really burst upon the scene in the past 25 years.  This corresponded with the use of ephedrine in cold medicines.  Now most states limit the access to this medications, and some require a prescription.  This had the desired effect of limiting manufacture in the United States, but has not reduced the supply, as Mexican drug cartels have filled this void.
This documentary showed what happened to one's health over time with the use of this drug.  I showed this by showing different mug shots of the same person over time.  The sores and the emaciated faces where undeniable.  They also interviewed addicts, who talked about the delusions and hallucinations that accompany the use of methamphetamine.
The told the story of a young couple that became disoriented with their first use.  They were driving in a storm, and because of illusions and paranoia, and poor thinking as a result of the drug, they did not survive the storm.  This was likely their first use.  The effects of methamphetamine last longer.  The high can last for twelve hours.  This makes the drug more desirable but also more dangerous, because the drug messes up you logical thinking.
It also tells the stories of a couple people with recent sobriety.  One woman destroyed her good looks and her teeth.  The other was putting his life back together, after being in a fog for twenty years, and basically twenty years behind his classmates from high school.
WHAT I AM SAYING IS DON'T USE DRUGS, AND ESPECIALLY METHAMPHETAMINE.

LDS Movie Review: *****A Search for Truth

http://www.mormonchannel.org/come-follow-me-the-apostasy-and-the-restoration?v=2272419549001

This movie is very inspirational. It is the story of the conversion of Wilford Woodruff to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  A family friend, Robert Mason, starts him on a search for the true church of God.  The vision Mr. Mason had is very interesting.  He sees the restoration, but does not partake.
Wilford identified four things he should find in the true church, organization, correct doctrine, ordinances and authority.  He finds these things.  He writes Father Mason to let him know.  However Father Mason passes away before the Elders each him.  The vicarious work was done for him.  I highly recommend this movie.

LDS Movie Review: *****The Guilty BYU 1978

This is on the old church video cassette 27.  I love some of these old movies.  This one has a very poignant theme.  It shows a fast and testimony meeting.  A woman, supposedly recently on her own, comes to the meeting.  She had moved to the city to take a job.  She stands to speak.  She is pregnant.  She stands up and says he is sorry, and confesses her guilt.  However, many other people in the congregation also stand.  The admit, if anyone is writing on the wall those who are guilty, they should also be there.  The bishop who maybe could have been more diligent, the friend, the neighbor who travels to the city, but never stopped by to check on her, and finally her father, who talks about his reaction to his daughter's pregnancy of being one hoping she would not come home, and worried about how her actions were effected "Your mother and I."  He has gained insight and now sees things more from his daughter's perspective, and asks the question, "How has my reaction effected my daughter?"
This movie reminded me of the incident of the savior, and the woman taken in adultery.  Jesus says, "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone."  All of the accusers then fade away, as we all have guilt in our time.
This movie never received a lot of play.  However its message is classic.  We are all struggling to make it through, and we need to stand up for each other to make the journey easier.  We all fall short, and that is where our savior comes in.
This movie stars Gordon Jump.

LDS Movie Review: ****The Last Leaf

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-bscMNNbDNk

This is a 1983 version of the O'Henry story produced by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  This a very well done movie in terms of cinematography as well as the telling of the story and the acting.  This story is a classic story of an artist, who has struggled all his life to paint his master piece.  It is only late in life that he finally is able to do this.  In doing so he sacrifices himself for the life of another.  This version is subtitled: A Parable of Easter or of the Atonement.  As Jesus sacrificed himself for all of us, this man sacrificed himself to paint that masterpiece, and save another.  Is their greater love.

LDS Movie Review: ****The Gift

This is a 1977 BYU film based on a story by Pearl S. Buck.  It is a depression era story on a small dairy.  Father, Tav, gets his twelve-year-old son, Sam, up to do chores at four in the morning.  They work together, and father gives him the choice of jobs.  However he is on him about getting up, and not spilling milk, and not sleeping on the job.  His mother helps him understand that this is father's way of showing love, of teaching him to work like a man.  As Christmas approaches, Sam is struggling with what to get his father for Christmas.  The tie he has purchased just doesn't seem right.  He comes up with an idea, and gets up even an hour earlier to put his idea into action.  The best part of this movie is father's reaction to "The Gift."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OkL4_MMNgnU

LDS Movie Review: ***^The Pump: An Alleghory for Faith with Works: The Consequences of our Choices

Long title for such a short film.  This is movie put out by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1988. This movie takes place near Rice, California, or in other words, the Mohave Desert. This is terrain that can be unforgiving.  It has few words, except the letter reading by an old miner.  It shows a salesman, who takes a shortcut, and gets stranded in the middle of no place.  He walks, and is thirsty, and about ready to give in when he comes to a ghost town; totally abandoned.  He finally sees a water pump, and pumps and pumps and gets nothing.  He then notices an old letter, which leads him to a bottle of water with which to prime the pump.  The letter says the pump will work if primed.  So we have the dilemma.  Trust the old man and pour the water down the pump, or drink the bottle of water that is before
you.
We are asked this question in so many ways everyday.  Whether to live a life in pursuit of worldly and transient pleasures, or to lay up stores of eternal joy.  This movie is a great discussion starter.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cd4S8UoTe0U

Mormon Movie Review; KBYU; In Performance: 1856 Long Walk Home (to mmboe)

I watched this on BYUTV. Everyone else in the family was turned off by the operatic tenure of this presentation.  It is a combined telling of the Martin and Willey Handcart Companies.  It uses poetry, song (piano accompaniment) and poetic recitation to tell the story.  It includes some classic stories from the tragedy.  These include the words of Elizabeth Jackson Horrocks with regards to the death of her husband, and spending the night in the freezing cold under the stars with her children on her lap.  Also the words of Frances Webster, "We became acquainted with God in our extremities."

It also gives a fairly good idea of the conditions on the ships in the journey across the ocean.

However it does have some problems with telling two stories at the same time, and as a result it makes some factual errors.  It has the Martin Saints going up Rocky Ridge and crossing the Sweetwater for the sixth time going to Martin's Cove.  It was their first crossing, and they did not pull the handcarts up Rock Ridge.  It also has Ephraim coming into camp before Martin's Cove, while he met the company after the Cove.

The genre was operatic, and not period, which would have been preferable.  The version of Brigham Young calling or the Saints was enjoyable, and the cords haunting.

This work, I could only mildly recommend. 

Mormon Movie Review: ***Blind Love (BYU 1979)

This is another of the old classic short movies put out by BYU.  This movie is about a romance between a blind man and his wife, who feels she is homely.  When he has the opportunity for his sight to be restored via cornea transplant, she is torn.  What is her husband no longer loves her after he sees her.  She forgets something about humanity, and especially people who are blind.  There other senses over compensate, and they have a sense of things.  In this case, the man in question knew where true beauty lied, and it was with his wife.  It is so touching when the bandages are removed, and he sees the beautiful nurse first, but still recognizes his wife.  Beauty is not always in physical appearance, but is often something totally different. 

Mormon Movie Review: Run Dick, Run Jane

This is a 20 minute movie produced by the church in 1972, and touts the benefits of running, are at least of having a fitness program.  This movie tells me I should be a runner, or at least do more aerobics than I am now.  Even though there is a lot of research since this movie, it provides enough evidence as to the import of a more active life.  Mailmen on the street live longer than those doing clerical jobs.  In England, bus employees who go up and down the stairs of the two-decker buses live longer than the driver who just sits and drives.  There are so many examples, and I am sure current research would be more alarming.  What is interesting is they were worried about obesity then, and the worry would even be more so now that almost half of the population is obese.
This movie takes away your excuses for not running.  It shows a runner over 100 years old.  It shows a runner with no feet.  This movie is old, but still it is a reminder of taking care of yourself.  My niece is a runner, and didn't start until after high school.  You can follow her blog here:
http://runningfortrevor.blogspot.com/
This is the New Era article about the movie
https://www.lds.org/new-era/1972/10/run-dick-run-jane?lang=eng

Mormon Movie Review: ****Johnny Lingo (LDS Church 1969) (to mmboe)

This is one of my favorites.  At home, Mahana is basically a servant, or worse than a servant.  We don't see Mahana's mother, but her father calls her, "Mahana, you ugly."  And that is who she is in her father's house, Mahana the ugly, who hugs the shadows of the hut.  However Johnny Lingo pays eight cows for her.  In the community a man can get a good wife for two or three cows, and excellent one for four or five, and never has there been an eight cow wife.  The local merchant assumes Johnny Lingo is just proud.  However he visits the home after they have been away for a year, and finds Mahana to be beautiful.  These are quotes from that meeting as Johhny Lingo explains the change.
Johnny Lingo: Think what it must mean to a woman, her future husband meeting with her father to discuss the lowest price for which she can be bought. And later, when the women of the village gather, they boast of what their husbands paid for them - three cows, or five. How does she feel, the woman who was sold for one, or two? This could not happen to my Mahana.
Trader Harris: Johnny, I've misjudged you. I thought you were thinking only of how important you would look to your friends, paying 8 cows for a wife. I didn't know you wanted to make Mahana happy.
Johnny Lingo: More than happy, Mr. Harris. I wanted her to be an eight-cow woman.
Trader Harris: I see. In her father's hut, Mahana believed she was worth nothing.
Johnny Lingo: Yes, and now she knows she is worth more than any other woman on the island.
 This is a lesson in self-worth, but also in how are actions are reflected in others.

The message is right on.  My only complaints have to do with the music and the acting.
http://www.lds.org/media-library/video/feature-films?lang=eng

Movie Review: BYU Education Week: Michael Ballam: Recognizing Inspiration in the Arts

This is the third and last Michael Ballam presentation available through BYUtv.  He continues with his inspiring talks about music.  In this talk his them is that if we surround ourselves with the light Of Christ through inspirational literature and music, then we can avoid the influence of the Prince of Darkness.  He starts talking about how people are often appointed to there time and position in life.  He starts with Esther."  Esther 4:14...and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?  He then talks about other prophets, Moses, Joseph Smith who were also appointed to particular times and duties. 

His topic then focuses on how music can bring the light of Christ into our lives.  "We can be protected by the light of Christ....The peace of God."  He uses several examples of this, including Saul being comported by David's harp, and King George finding comfort in Handel's "Water Music."  He notes how different songs and composers have been inspired by God.  "I am a Child of God" is a song he mentions, as well as Bach, Brahms and Beethoven.

He draws the conclusion that if God inspires music, then also Satan.  We have the Light of Christ to help us discern.
http://www.byutv.org/watch/59952d8a-b734-4672-9fb9-bd1a98587125/byu-education-week-michael-l-ballam-2009

Michael Ballam concludes with the thirteenth article of faith.  We are expected to do as Joseph Smith advised, as he quoted Paul.  "If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things."  Seek is an action word. 

Ballam intersperses his discourse with music.  He is a fascinating speaker, and very uplifting.

Mormon Movie Review: ****The Phone Call

This is a BYU movie from 1979.  It is based on a Jack Weyland article published in the New Era.  I wanted to dislike this movie.  It is about a a theme I struggled with, calling girls and lack self confidence.  However it is pleasantly witty and enjoyable.  It is on the light side, but also has a message of gaining self confidence.  Scott has a hard time calling the girl he likes to ask her on a date.  (I had a struggle with the same.)  He calls and hangs up on her before he can say anything.  (I did that too.  Luckily there was no caller id in that day.)  However when he takes a job at a diner, he finds it easy to talk to his coworker, Becky.  Becky helps him work on his confidence, and he helps Becky realize that her boyfriend is no good for her.  He just puts her down.  Scott is still a nerd at the end of the movie, and often says the wrong thing, but he is gaining in self confidence through practice.
It is available on You Tube, but I have an old VCR version.
http://www.lds.org/media-library/video/feature-films?lang=eng

Mormon Movie Review: **^The Trophy Case (BYU 1979)

This is a movie I have seen many times, and watched a couple times over the last weeks, but not sure if I still understand it.  I saw a report talking about this movie.  It addresses the question, "To what extent should a parent direct the life of a teenage child?"  This movie shows a father and a son, who are at odds with each other.  We do not see the mother, but the movie implies she is too busy pursuing earthly things.  The movie starts with the son being arrested, and sent to juvenile court.  Father confronts him, but in the end chases him away.  He runs to his part time job (which his father disapproves of) watching horses.  He is given a place to stay and a job.  The movie presents his love of horses, and after some time, there is a chance for reconciliation, but it gets messed up.  The problem is Father just can't see things from his son's point of view.  He takes off on a horse, and father following on surface streets in a car.  They remain at odds. 
So I wonder, what is the point of the movie, if we don't see a successful resolution.

Mormon Movie Review: ****^The Drop Card

This is one of my favorite of the old BYU movies.  It tells the story of La Nina, freshman age from who is attending BYU.  Her family is very traditional and of Italian descent.  Going from rural Idaho to the campus is a struggle.  Her struggles becomes more intense, as her first assignment in communications class is to talk about something she does well.  She immediately asks the instructor to please sign her drop card.  He decides to not do this, but meet with her to see if he can help her.  Her struggle is the assignment, she does not think she does anything well.  They go through several meetings, and she is still determined to drop the class.  The professor comes upon her in the cafeteria, where she is after skipping an appointment.  She makes a comment on the poor pizza they serve, and the professor has proven his point.  She does have value, and has a skill at making pizza.  I find this movie motivational on two fronts.  The professor goes the extra mile  to work with LaNi.  Lani's struggle is also motivating, as she realizes she has worth, and is able to share this with others.

Movie Review: Michael Ballam: *****The Power of Music to Lift and Teach

http://www.byutv.org/watch/8bf61cd8-434b-4c8a-a458-47999cb684b1/byu-education-week-michael-ballam-1998
byutv, you may have to log in

BYU Education Week 1998
I love Michael Ballam's talks on BYUtv.  They are recorded education week presentations, and he mixes music with his lecture.   His presentations motivate and uplift me.  He is also very insightful on the power of music, and has many tremendous experiences in sharing music with others.  He takes about the great composers, and how they often said they were inspired by God in their music.  He also tells of his teachers, and experiences in which music has helped people think more clearly and touch their imagination, like Albert Einstein.

Musical/Movie Review:****Saturday's Warrior (to mmboe)

This is a 1989 made for video version of the popular Mormon Musical.  I was once in the chorus, and my bias is they could have used the chorus backing up many of the songs.  There is more depth with the chorus, and there were parts where the orchestration was naked.  Maybe they were trying to save money.
The story comes through in both versions.  There were a couple special effects I enjoyed.  Talking through the cloud of heaven at earth didn't work for me.  However when Todd and Julie are singing a duet, even though far apart, their hands are overlapped.  This was very effective.  I enjoyed Julie and Todd the most.  I hadn't realized how whiny Jimmy was.  "Isn't there a some one who will take me as I am, build me up not put me down, make me feel like I'm as good as another.  This just comes off like a complainer.
This movie gives a view of what preexistence may have been like.  However it is not doctrinal, nor meant to be.  It does touch the heart of the LDS community and has done so for many years.

Mormon Movie Review: ****Cipher in the Snow

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yw8_ZZviedI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGXfZFlb46U
This is a 1974 short film produced by Brigham Young University.  It is based on a story by Jean Mizer with screenplay by Carol Lynn Pearson.  It tells the story of a teenager who passes away in the snow.  As the title implies, he was a Cipher, a nothing.  The movie presents his step-father as emotionally abusive and controlling.  It makes you want to reach into the TV and slap him across the back of the head, wake up!
The author of the story, Jean Mizer, makes a commitment to herself to be on the lookout for those who sometimes fall through the cracks.  I am not a teacher, but even so, it leaves you with a desire to do better in your endeavors.  In my case the be more courteous and available for those who might call on the phone.
The original story of Jean Mizer is available here.

http://whilhelmsthoughts.blogspot.com/2013/02/stories-i-like-cipher-in-snow.html