God Grew Tired of Us
All too often, we hear the term “documentary” and are filled with the dread of being made to watch a boring, educational movie from our elementary school days. Put those feelings aside for 90 minutes and take a fascinating journey to Kenya, the Sudan and your own country. God Grew Tired of Us is a beautifully constructed film that follows the progress of three Sudanese “Lost Boys” who are given the opportunity to come to America. While both comic and heart wrenching, this film gives the viewer the opportunity to see life through the eyes of these sometimes downtrodden, but always hopeful and remarkable young men.
Finding Nemo One of the best animated films ever, for both adults and children. “Finding Nemo” is a touching father-son story in which a clownfish – who has no sense of humor – hooks up with a forgetful bluefish in a journey across the ocean to find his only son. Along the way they encounter surfer-dude turtles, deadly jellyfish, and a group of sharks who have sworn off eating fish (fish are friends, not food). Nemo – the son who has been “fishnapped” – finds friends as well in his new aquarium home, including a hard-bitten angelfish who schemes to escape back to the sea. The adventures and relationships that father and son each forge on their quests to find each other are exciting, amusing and endearing.
Monty Python's Life of Brian This film, a Monty Python classic, is about Brian, who lived at the same time that Jesus Christ lived. Irreverent as always, this film pokes fun at the whole Christmas story and beyond. Justifiably rated “R,” this is not a film for those who dislike foul language or nudity, but will delight those who can laugh at their own religious beliefs.
Simon Schama's Power of Art You'd expect art history to be educational, but what about wickedly funny, poignant, and intensely involving? Rejecting the talking-head-in-a-museum approach, this dynamic presentation combines Simon Schama's witty narration with location footage, beautifully filmed artwork, and warts-and-all biographical reenactmentsto explore the turbulent lives, work, and worlds of Caravaggio, Bernini, Rembrandt, David, Turner, Van Gogh, Picasso, and Rothko. Rather than reviewing laundry lists of paintings and statues, Schama's approach is to reveal the forces leading to the creation of one iconic artwork for each, as well as what makes it so significant; the result is a collection of compelling stories teeming with murderers and madmen as much as masterpieces. If it occasionally flirts with melodrama, that just makes it all the more fun. Don't miss the talented Andy Serkis ("Gollum" from the _Lord of the Rings_) chewing up the scenery (and, quite literally, the paint) as Van Gogh.
