Madea Goes to Jail

My husband and I are fortunate enough to have Netflix. We only get one movie at a time, but we can receive an unlimited amount per month. We use this to watch movies we didn't want to pay to see in the theaters, movies we're curious about, or movies we haven't seen in awhile but don't necessarily want to buy. This week, our movie was "Madea Goes to Jail." We thought we were getting the major motion picture that came out this year; but instead we got the stage play from 2006. Even though we were disappointed, it was still worth watching.

First of all, for those of you who don't know, Tyler Perry (the director & writer of these shows) plays Madea, an older African American woman who is a little bit crazy and likes her gun. It is HILARIOUS. Seeing a 6 ft. something man dressed up as a buxom, old woman is funny in and of itself, but the dialogue is what makes it.

The other thing I love about the Madea films/plays is that they incorporate Christianity and faith into them. They talk about prayer, faith, going to church, believing in Christ, and having good moral values. It's definitely not what you would expect from the titles (e.g. "Diary of a Mad Black Woman"); but a nice change.

I would encourage anyone who wants a laugh, and doesn't mind minor swearing, to watch any of Tyler Perry's productions.

House Hunters

So I have to admit that the HGTV channel is one of my guilty pleasures. It's all about real estate and home remodels and repairs. One of my absolute favorite shows is called "House Hunters."

The premise of this show is that a home buyer (or two) in different cities around the country are taken by their Realtor to 3 different houses. The audience gets to watch as they tour all three homes. At the end of the show, you find out which one they picked.

For whatever reason, I love this show. I'm not sure if it's because I look forward to being a home owner some day or that I like seeing different home styles and prices or what. But I do know that I like that it's not intense, inappropriate, stupid, difficult to follow, or mentally challenging.

I think the only time I don't like it is when they pick the "wrong" house or when people are being completely unreasonable in their home requirements. For example, there will be a newly-married couple looking for a house with at least 3000 sqft, 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, top of the line kitchen, finished basement, etc. A bit ridiculous in my opinion. So perhaps I also like the show because it is a form of people watching...

Gone in 60 Seconds

The first time I saw this movie, was in my 8th grade band class. We were celebrating having finished a concert. I have seen it a few times since then; so when I saw it on TV, I decided to watch it.

While I enjoy the fast paced nature of this action movie, and the moral value of helping out family no matter what, I found myself wanting the characters to steal the cars and to kill the main villian. I don't consider that to be the best message. I do like that they make an effort to emphasize the negative outcomes of living this kind of lifestyle; but it still seems to glorify being a car thief, and possibly even give people ideas on how to steal cars.

Eureka

So one of my favorite television shows is called "Eureka." It's on the SciFi channel. The premise of the show is that, after WWII, Einstein and other geniuses got permission from the government and started their own town where intellectual genius could thrive. In the present day, this town still exists and it has all kinds of funny dilemmas that result from genius inventions and everyday life. The main character of the show is Sheriff Jack Carter. He isn't a genius, but is experienced and has street smarts. As a result, he usually ends up solving the problems that the Intellectuals have created and cannot solve by themselves.

One of the many reasons my husband and I like this show, is because it is clean. There is very little swearing and almost no sexual references or content. However, the episodes for the last two weeks (that we watched on TiVo at my cousin's) were a different story. There were a number of sexual references and some sexual scenes, including one between two teenagers (the actors are actually teenagers as well). I am not sure why this change happened, but my family and I are certainly disappointed.

Taken

Tonight, my husband and I watched the movie "Taken" with Liam Neeson. While watching it, I found myself become more anxious, tense, angry, and aggressive. For those of you who don't know what it's about, Liam Neeson's character is a retired CIA spy-type. His semi-estranged daughter goes to Europe on a trip and gets kidnapped. He is on the phone with her when it happens, and it turns out that she has been taken by people who traffic women. He goes over to Europe to find her by any means possible. It is a very violent, action-packed film. I did not like the level of violence and swearing, but I did like that it raised awareness of the problem of female slavery/prostitution. I was also disturbed by the number of people injured and/or killed in the search for the daughter. I think it was a well made film, but not necessary the best movie to watch in terms of emotional intensity and visual content.