Jimmy Grimble

A soundly constructed story with lots of guts and enough touches of fantasy and faith to make it very funny."Just kidding!"he says when the fixation on football returns. "just kidding "
We wait at the throwout trays of video shops to find these gems that are so good for all the family ( the hero is a teenage son of a single mum) and so good to restore our desire to fight to win! never never ever give up .

I'm picking up Good Vibrations

***** Very highly recommended to all ages and teenagers in particular.
Good Vibrations by the Beach Boys - you've got to know it . It was one of the most expensive song productions of its time - but, like so much of BRIAN WILSON 's work, brilliant in content, creativity and execution. THe documentary BRIAN WILSON " I wasn't made for these times" is a thoroughly engaging music (notable intros to "love and grace" , "smile album" , "pets") and conversation feast.
The film is a moving walk with a man whose story needs to be told again and again . Not only is the trip down music lane exceptional( how about all the ways he shared much musical skill with so many) , the trauma and passion of a sensitive man is so well put together and shared by his often times quite alienated family and friends; touching for its honest dealing with the dangerous obstinacy that we all share in some way with him. A wonderful piece of work. No wonder The good guys are still doing back flips with his work.
The title came from reflecting on a dog barking at his mum ,( "bad vibrations" he thought and in his typical way, turned it around!)Round round get around ....to watchin it!

Nobody listens to me

What did you say again? ..Sorry

Seriously . Having trouble getting your message across ? Especially with people who don't listen and/or don't know and/or don't care. Welcome to the club . You are not alone.

What you need after yet another day of trying to reason and press for change is to watch "Mr Britas " BBC comedy. I remember it being a great antidote to the arrogant excesses of local leadership in the 1980's. Bought Series 2 recently -it is great for reminding us that often the people who make our world work are NOT those who take charge. more coming HERE

Greetings . Perhaps you know some great dramas too! Obviously there is Yes Minister or our very own upto date yesminister.blogspot.com

If you are into reading , can i suggest James Finn Garners "Politically Correct Book of Bedtime Stories " Tell your story too on childrenincharge

Australiathemovie- a truly great fantasy

More on here

Churchill's War

Great drama and reality therapy .Churchill's War"There are only two ways to see life" Said Albert Einstein , The first, I suggest, is an example in this film - to see the victory we witnessed as a miracle .

This week saw panic about the world ending with questions over LHC's ability to throw protons predictably. Reminds me of the way so many , even in the info age , get confused between what we know and what we don't.
We still don't know much about protons and they are some of the simplest and smallest bits , be we scientists know enough not to worry .
What we should fear in this great big universe of ours? . Physicists aren't worried. Why should we be? After all, too, the big freeze or fry ( if it happens) is some time away yet and we really can't do anything about it ! Eat drink and be merry????

Maybe we humans fear impotence??????
Physicists know that they are building on the work of Einstein. While they don't know very much really , they know enough to act sensibly in experiment and also to think this :
" what an amazing, predictable ( in parts) and yet unpredicatable( quantum questions) quite mysterious creation we live in" We have very little power - why would we want to think otherwise?

Where does the fear come from then ? Jung said it well. The evil is not outside -its somewhere inside man himself . ( paraphrased)
Back to Einstein -- for a bit of choice stuff for everyone .
" There are only two ways to live. One is though nothing is a miracle. The other is though everything is a miracle" Since he spoke those words, more and more physicists have come to this conclusion from the few facts we know .

So ....what' s worth watching to get beyond the evil. Think about how England survived WW2 . Watch
CHURCHILLS WAR or THE BATTLE OF BRITIAN available on PAYLESS and reflect on what was said and what miracles happened and could have happened - you may need to read some of what was written by people such as Bonhoeffer and Chesterton as well ?

Stations of the Cross -World Youth Day

Its happened before _ every time we stop talking about others( incl the inadequate church of His followers) and focus on the Bloke , we cannot help be touched . He's incredible!

Who is this man who exercised such great power over the powerful - that they complied to kill Him ; Is everything as it seems - does He really have power and a way forward that every man needs ?

What some men consider rubbish.....

Scrapheap challenge ABCTV2 at 6:30
May just prove, like the apple that the Australian Granny Smith threw away, to have the BEST bit of creative potential seen in years . Good on the Brits for reporting and editing with just enough care to keep us guessing . rates with TOP GEAR's Old Porshe challenge ( available on DVD) as something really worth watching !

What better show can you get on TV at that time of day ! Mind you in making this recomendation I can't be considered objective - I am a very biased lover of rusty metal - its nice to know we have some friends.
- cutting and pasting for big kids. Pity its about to finish and we waited years to see it . What are the ideologues doing at the ABC ?

Prince Caspian --A must see

If there was one movie you gotta see this winter ---it is this one . Sure its aimed at children , but the whole family ( sounds trite ) will go away with heaps- if you listen.
Listen , and you will get heaps of ideas, images and gold coins to sell at the next swap meet that matters. Not that you need anything but small change at most swap meets - No these gold coins are ones you get when you listen to mice or when the trees start talking again ;
The story will not only give you treasure enough to share on boring trips on a train but courage for those bears when they come out of the forest to eat you again .
Beautiful, powerful imagery of how to fight real battles and win .

Reality Therapy in Bucketloads

THE BUCKET LIST is cosmic contrast with guts --reality therapy for all those who dare to think about death and the meaning of life . That agenda means, of course that most of the critics and reviewers in the massmedia will be in denial about the subject and content of this good film and its portrait of real men at either ends of the spectrum. Don't listen to them --------GO SEE IT

Healthy to write the list , Healthy to read and reread the list as they did, and healthy to watch the film to awaken you too to the possibility that many of your wishes too, can come true. Even cups running over !

For those too who dare to ask the very legitimate question ( so rarely addressed) of why so many bad things happen around us and near to us even by those we might like to claim as friends and family there is the stark protrait of one man who would destroy the lifeblood of another by destroying the often denied lifeblood of families .Decision time, like vigilance time , is all the time GO SEE IT and be rewarded and challenged.

Drop the dream, if it stops you really living

Spent $15 on ATONEMENT . It was OK. (A theme version for children would be worth a promotion.)
However after watching " FROM HERE TO ETERNITY " last night I'd rather have spent my money on being able to share some more of these old thoroughly human dramas.

We all like to think we know what we want.But really- we don't don't really often know what's good for us; whats best for us .
Each of the main characters in the story is pursuing a dream. Sure, it's a man thing, but its also a woman thing .
But each of the dreams is a shallow one . If only they could see it like we can as observers to their blind spots . If only they could see how the constraints they put on themselves are shallow and pathetic- denying them the relationships they need more than anything else .
I never liked Frank Sinatra, but I loved him in that role of true friend . Treasure your friends - you may not like what they tell you -but thats why they are your friends! Let me say it again - listen to what they are telling you and do something about it - (then they might stop nagging you about it !)


I come from a family who go hard at everything -

So it is very clear ---we must slow down, even TODAY ; jettison the MERE things that those who care about us clearly see as standing in the road of our relationships . No ambition, goal or tangible reality is more important than doing what those who love us tell us is standing in the road of right relationships . If your eye causes you to sin., pluck it out

Its that serious ! Who can take the medicine? Will it hurt ? Only with divine help!
Will life be better? - you bet !

Best new year Flicks

Well , where are they - tell us ? Maybe you have noted some new films worth reporting here for the new year , but this reviewer went through the list and reviews for little .
However My princess called me on new year eve , the unbelieving grouch, to come to never happy ever after land. and despite protest and concern at the start , I have to say, at the end --I was hooked. While the cartoon antics at the start are enough to want you to send the silly romantic dame to a special lockup in the real world ( our dj'ssuggestion), the film brings at least 2 of the four loves to the fore - at what a great time you will have, you old romantics - if you just let yourself go - just this once ! BEWITCHED is great , and it nice to know my princess knows me well enough to know " I would like it " , even if i never believed the reviews!

Comedy/ family fun is not so difficult if thats all you are looking for The Darjeelin Ltd , or for the younger kids Daddy day Camp remind us that while nothing particularly new on offer in basic contrasts - these 2 would probably be some of the best. Keeping away from Bees and the many, many films that seem to oversell their right to the highlights-- claiming gold for themselves in the names they choose.

One of the most consistent, cut through the hype and comprehensive review sites I find is the CTM one . Never more so than on the golden Compass controversy within christendom . CTM will usually give you more than enough detail to make an informed decision on what room of the rambling house of broken mirrors , the producer is dragging you into .
As for any room I am dragging you into, tis only one cinema this new year .
I am grateful to the ABC for puuting on Henry V after the election, but as for cinemas - maybe not we will get the DVD (or and old VHS) like Amazing grace,some old BBC dramas , Sister Act or revisit the Lord of the Rings for the holidays - but we would welcome a few more ideas, just in case

CTM gives some encouragement to the Diving bell....and the Atonement .As for the Golden Compass - the ads alone are enough to make this reviwer throw up in contorted weasing at its technophobic recipes for testing courage, ability and plain stupidity. Those who don't believe in evil are never very good at portraying it.

I want what they've got !

THE ABBEY .ABCTV It's often said, including by our cynical side, that taking God seriously will deprive us of "our selves" . Well- Not if the story of the 5 THE ABBEY girls is any indication!

Who wouldn't want --what they got !

Yes -Is it possible to learn something super special from ordinary people and by taking time just to think and pray and meditate! If you haven't seen this great challenege to do something radical and rebellious ( from the way many people think) this faith seeking stuff is something you need to see .

The five recruits will tell you simply and powerfully and without one sckeric of themeselves lost that they found something! How it happens and how it happens to be so different for each of them is truly amazing .

Monsters in Law

Can something good come out of Hollywood? Shakespeare would, I think be pleased, as I was, to watch this entertaining melodrama. The wonderful paradox is of course that by highlighting someone else's faults, we risk exposing, and having to digest some of our own .

When you need a lift

When we are about to scream, its tempting to think we need a comedy film to calm us. What we may really need then, though, is to hear someone else scream . What we want in the moment of pain ( ie to get out of the dark) may not be what we really need ( to go deeper into it )

There is some great scream therapy out there. The " lucky we are not as bad as them" Kath and Kym scream or the "oh no" scream when we see someone else suffering on Funniest Home Videos " are commonly good value .
While the above are Jolly good shows , the special surprise group I am thinking of is for those times when we really need to be in a dark room to see the light . Maybe we need to be in an even darker room that we are now , or think we are now . The good pictures business I am thinking of here , is telling true stories about tough people in dark places .
Surely a most amazing paradox is that, when we feel "I am the most hard done by person in the world" , we can actually get a restored and balanced view of the world ( its still a wonderful place) from hearing someone else tell us their terrible dark stories. GME
This watching is no good if the content is not real , because when good overcomes evil it sounds too much like a complete piece of fantasy to us when we are depressed - a fiction film is dangerous, but a true story like "The Onion Field"(1979 set in the dark mostly) can be helpful ; even truly wonderful .

Here's the scenario - 2 poorly paid public spirited public servants hard at work ; doing work they felt called to do because "it was important to do it " . Lack of outcomes, daily crap talk and cleanup after others wears hard on them , but the garbage isn't the thing that really gets to them .What makes them feel real bad about doing the right thing is when truth telling and sound values seem be worthless, even pointless - even to talk about ; When doing the right thing makes their lives and that of their families "very hard work" . When trying to do the right thing means they feel that they have to justify themselves and push themselves and their families when others are taking the easy road . When the selfcentred and forceful are EASILY able to push their way through, and get what they should never have .

THE ONION FIELD ( 1970's) is a true story--really worth watching if you as an adult ( not a film for kids) need to be reminded ,that , if you truly care , you do truly have friends out here . We too can feel your emotions and despair at how bad things can really get in this mixed up world ! While you are waiting , try reading the Psalms, "even if you don't think you NEED to-" you might be surpised at how many really good friends you really have ! copyright Scream therapist Emperors Academy

When is a film bad for children ?

The answer - as per the last comment below?

The main thing is that what is bad should not seem right.
---when the script is used to make a walk thats ultimateley deadend and dangeraous look like something worth chasing? - not so much movies, but the post modern lyrics of despair and and self serving that are all over video clips ? What do you think? dressed up directions to nowhere but fun in particular .

Christianity today ran a survey recently to get some feedback over how much of the violence and sin of real life should be in a movie . I thought this response was helpful . esp lAST BIT which, I think , condemns many of carelessly put together pictures of the present.

I agree that you have to have the ugly with the good to be real. I hate plastic and preachy movies that are unbelievable. But even in secular movies I avoid nudity and brutal violence.


The main thing is that what is bad should not seem right. Joyce Weliky

Avoid being sucked in- review before you view

On good authority, we suggest you need a good reason to watch THE QUEEN >. its enough twaddle and tearing down to set us all on edge out here .

On the must see > side don't let the smhmatze title put you off "LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL ( LA VITA E BELLA) is a beautifully crafted funny serious film in that enduring biblical tradition that shows the paradox of people in their weaknesses but seriously and effectively getting beyond them . What advice 1 to a young man trying to find his way --To the mr bean type waiter as he struggles to be useful "God has a servant heart, but he's not a servant" . some great characters . BENIGNI the must have some others - any comments ?

Mr. Beans Holiday

It gets off to a pretty dodgy start, you'll probably think it will be boring, but by the end you'll be laughing your head off!( young member of the family)
We generally enjoy Mr bean , but this movie takes the cake for great content and laughs . Full of our worse temptations and actions, who would have thought one self centred narcisist could upstage another - the gags are great, and the singing mime is an encouragement to all to try being somebody else for the fun of others . Fantastic .

Life is Beautiful

While I love the idea , I found the appearance of "Life is beautiful" ads (for ABCFM on ABCTV recently) a bit out of character with its normally cynical and cautious tone; I thought our particular ABC hills were alive with the sound of cynicism.
MISS POTTER doesn't try to recapture the ground lost since Hair put a sock in too much exuberance about "our favourite things". Helpfully, for us old cynics ,though, this great film just tells the story like it is/was.......and it is truly beautiful.

So, if you , like me, want a rest from the cynical and feel that something really important and inspirational is missing from your life - it probably is! - you need to go see it .

Share with us that great mystery that being denied something that you really, really want does not have to diminish you, your potential, or the beauty that will still exist in many things within the small part of the world in which you have been placed.

While you are at it - LORD OF THE RINGS makes great EASTER watching - Ihe dark side gets an airing and somehow there is more going on than the pink sunset every night!

Finding a happier place

When we are unhappy, we often want to be somewhere else. As our friends, and those who love us can be deeply hurt by the suggestion that their attention and company is "not enough", the "i want outa ere" idea can get some momentum .
FORGET PARIS is wonderfully written reflection on the REAL dilemmas of modern relationships .Exploring the fact that you don't really need to "go places " to enjoy friendship. Its funny seriuos and truthful about selfcentredness and its ruining posibilities . By telling the story truthfully and with legimate dramatic edge( lots of fantasy, hope and good fortune) Crystal takes us on a journey with ourselves and others that is truly challenging .I just loved the way the authors broke the silence on woosiness ( the basketball coach) and its winning form !

Give me Tevye over Jakob anyday

If you haven't seen FIDDLER ON THE ROOF this decade, get yourself a copy of the video and relive the tension that celebrates the discipline we all need to live well with our fragile and sometimes fractured families . Jakob the Liar while a satisfactory drama, only reminded of how my generation denies itself the despair that often drives people back to faith. By denying despair and then the wonder of faith beyond it , it makes the shallow hope of storytelling in that context rather silly and superficial. As a story I found it unconvincing . Nowhere was the denial and "new millenium cynicsm" so forced as when the writers denied the young couple the joy of a marriage celebration. . Go tevye