dentonsfarm Reviews

Pilgrim's Progress (1978)

Why Are There So Many Terrible Christian Made Films?

[1/10 · 11 November 2006]

The Pilgrim's Progress is the greates English Alegory and one of the greatest works in the English Language. Why could they / did they not strive to make this film stand up to par with Bunyan's classic masterpiece. Just because the film was obviously low budget doesn't mean they have to have low imagination also. But, it was a Ken Anderson Production and that means don't watch it if you you want to live to see the next day. True, Liam Nesson is in it. As a matter of fact this was his first movie debut. Take in mind, that I love The Pilgrim's Progress, and I believe that it can undoubtedly be made into an awesome movie, but I would advise anyone, "Stay away from this version."

Lady in the Water (2006)

Simple Movie With Complex Meaning

[9/10 · 23 July 2006]

I love this movie as I love every Shyamalan movie; from the Sixth Sense to the present, Lady in the Water. However, this film takes a somewhat different approach in its unraveling. No one really questions whether or not the character STORY is really a Nymph. Each character seems to accept the seemingly impossible as being very real and genuine; something we as adults loose at some point in our lives.

This movie is about simple people with simple faith. Where the diversity of the melting-pot of characters should be, commonality dominates. Everyone, the world, has a common history. And no matter where you were born or how your life is lived we all share in that same ancient heritage.

The Visitation (2006)

Not Too Bad!

[7/10 · 2 March 2006]

Although I am a Christian I don't exactly like all the Christian films that have come out in recent years. However, I would definitely rank this film over Left Behind anytime. I loved the camera work in this movie. It was very Tony Scott like in parts. However the exorcism scenes towards the end of the film seemed like nothing more than cheap rip-offs of The Green Mile. You can use flys exiting out of mouths only so often before loosing originality. Perhaps they should have focused on less CGI and more simple on location camera effects of some kind play on shadows. Anything would have been better than the flys exiting out of the mouth stuff. However, I felt the actors had done very well for the overwhelming majority of the film, even though Randy Travis is by no means the greatest actor of all time. So all in all, Christian films should focus on making films a little more simplistic in there style but more complex on the undertones.

Empire Falls (2005)

I Liked It Even Though I Am A Southerner And Have No Business In A Place Like Main

[9/10 · 27 January 2006]

I must admit that I had never watched the HBO mini-series when it aired. As a matter of fact I was just looking at the DVD selection in Wal-Mart one day and saw that the cover and description looked appealing, so I purchased it. What can I say, the characters were very strong, the cinematography, and direction was great, and the story was excellent. I can't help but love films that have you guessing every minute, and once you think you have things figured out they through a whammy on you. The all-star cast was wonderful. Ed Harris, Paul Newman,... They each added the familiar faces that make you feel as though you yourself lived in this town of Empire Falls, a town of beauty, laughter, and secrets.

End of the Spear (2005)

I've Got A Question?

[19 January 2006]

I haven't seen this movie as of yet. I certainly hope to see it soon. But I have one little question I'd like to ask. If this is a Christian themed movie about an event that occurred in Christendom about Christian Missionaries spreading Christianity and who where martyred, why did they choose a well know homosexual to act in the film? I remember being told the story when I was kid. I believe my Mother still has the book on the accounts of the martyrdom and the wives returning to pick back up where their husbands had left off. I know Chad Allen is well known for his part as Matthew on Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman (A pro-family show)But that does not make up for the fact that he's gay and portraying a young Christian family man who died for his faith, the very faith that teaches against homosexuality.

1492: Conquest of Paradise (1992)

The Best Columbus Film Ever Made

[10/10 · 16 October 2005]

Ridley Scott's masterpiece, 1492: A Conquest of Paradise, is a visually compelling film and well acted. Those who gave low viewer ratings in the viewer comments obviously do not see the beauty of epic films. Epics are supposed to be kind of lengthy. It is, to me, the best depiction of Columbus I have ever seen. True, the lead actor is a Frenchman, but if you set that aside you can see that he looks and acts like what one would picture Columbus to be. Durring the sailing scenes it almost made you feel as though you were sailing along with Columbus. I think that the people who are down on the historical accuracies and "inaccuracies" of this film do not cease to realize that Columbus was out for more than spices from India but also a conquest to spread the Gospel to the people of the Far East. The other inaccuracies of the film have only been brought to light years after the films release. They discovered that Columbus was probably not from Genova.

Elizabethtown (2005)

Life, Love, Death, Family, Roadtrip....

[10/10 · 16 October 2005]

I just watched this movie for the first time last night and I would have to say I enjoyed it immensely. This is a movie about the little things in life that we often take for granted. Furthermore, this is always the underlying theme to a Cameron Crowe film. Somehow Crowe has obtained the gift for writing about life and things we can all relate to. He has the ability to write the nonsense dialog we all speak and understand, yet can step away from the norm just long enough to grasp our attention and make us laugh. Elizabethtown, will make you laugh, make you cry, and make you think about the importance of living, and telling the folks around you how you feel before it's too late.

The Shining (1980)

One Of The Best Edited Films Ever

[10/10 · 30 September 2005]

Stanley Kubrick's "The Shinning" is recognized for many things. Some have said in other user comments that it is perhaps the best horror film ever made. I'm not quite sure about that. I personally would give the film and 8 on the viewers fear factor scale. However, I am convinced it deserves a 10, due to the beautiful editing job by, Ray Lovejoy. I'm sure Kubrick, probably had some hand in how his masterpiece was edited. So the next time you really want to watch "The Shinning" take a closer look. Don't just watch it but pick it apart and really study it. I'm not quite sure why my editing/aesthetics class never chose this film to critique.

Sergeant York (1941)

In My Top 10 List

[10/10 · 24 September 2005]

This film really shows Howard Hawk's flair for story telling. Turner didn't have to put this masterpiece in color for it to be colorful. The characters are extremely memorable, such as Walter Brennan as Pastor Pyle. I believe there was a comment made on IMDb that Sergent York was an Ozark hillbilly. I would like to correct that because in fact and according to the movie he was from the Cumberland Mountains of Tennessee. The Ozarks are around Oklahoma and Arkansas.

However, to get back to what I was say about the film, it is perhaps one of the greatest films ever made. It is for sure, an under rated film by the American Film Institute. Why it was never placed in the top 100, I don't know. Or, why Michael Medved never placed it in his top 10 list of greatest Christian films.

On top of this it is a good family film with extremely high redeeming values. The war scenes toward the last half of the film have some mildly violent images, compared to now days. I'm saying this because there are some families out there who may not want to subject there children to any violence what so ever, not even on screen.

The Dukes of Hazzard (2005)

Why is everybody down on it?

[5/10 · 6 August 2005]

I really don't understand the heavy criticism about this film. I have always been an avid Dukes of Hazzard fan. I loved and still love the series. However, the new Dukes of Hazzard Movie, though by no means academy worthy, was for me very entertaining. It is a guy movie about fast cars and fast women. The shot composition of the General Lee's many chase and race sequences were awesomely constructed.

True, it is not like the original series, but who in their right minds could ever compete with the original. It's a Dukes of Hazzard from a different approach. Although, the film still carries a similar feel to the original. They still have narration, though it is not Waylon Jennings, and they still freeze frame the shots like they used to do in the original series.

One particular aspect that I enjoyed about the movie was its soundtrack. They combined a nice blend of Country and Southern Rock Music. One moment you'll hear AC DC the next Lynard Skynard.

All in all I think that the people who downed the film didn't really watch the film. They probably heard some of the language, and I admit it did have more language than the series. But what movie now a days don't have some element of language and sexual innuendo. The Duke Boys are portrayed in the movie as two young testosterone driven guys. In the original series, the Duke Boys were portrayed as two testosterone driven guys, however most of that was censored for television.

The Rocketeer (1991)

Into the Wild Blue Yonder

[8/10 · 13 April 2004]

This movie has the tendency to fly off the screen at you, especially if you saw it on the big screen like I did. I was 9 years old when the Rocketeer came out, and after seeing it I couldn't help but day dream about flying, and winning over the girl. Of course I tended to have the same day dreams after watching Superman the movie. But this film is a little different. It seemed more believable to me, as a kid, in that it incorporated some semi historical facts with the story line. I believe it to be one of Disney's finnest films, perhaps a modern epic. It's one of those films you've got to watch at least once a year. However I do have a question concerning it, "How did the Rocketeer manage with all those flames blasting at his ass?"