Ephraim's Rescue

This is a movie made by Mormons for Mormons. I loved it!
There are so many good messages in this movie. One of my favorites is it that no matter how many mistakes we make, no matter how many times we fall down, the important thing is that we keep trying. Just don't give up! God knows we're not perfect, but he wants us to try to do our best.
This movie made me feel like I have no excuse for not helping people. There are always people who need help. It made me really want to be a better person.

The Princess and the Frog

[Tiana looks out her bedroom window]
Young Tiana: Charlotte's fairy tale book said, if you make a wish on evening star it's sure to come true.
Eudora: Hmm, won't you wish on that star, sweetheart?
James: Yes, you wish and you dream with all your little heart. But you remember, Tiana, that old star can only take you part of the way. You got to help him with some hard work of your own. And then... Yeah, you can do anything you set you mind to. Just promise your Daddy one thing? That you'll never, ever lose sign what is really important. Okay?
[Tiana nods yes]

I just watched this movie again for the first time in about three years. It's a good one! It teaches the value of hard work. But, working hard and getting what you want isn't everything. We all need nourishment, too: love, good relationships, and some time to rest once in a while.

The Great Gatsby

All in all, I'd have to say that I liked this movie a lot, especially after talking about the story with my dad for just a couple minutes. It makes me think: How do I want to live my life?

Jurassic Park

I love this movie! It holds a special place in my heart because I remember watching it for the first time with my dad back in 1993 (and, of course, I still have my 20-year-old movie ticket). It's scary, but it also has lots of cute moments, especially as Alan Grant learns to not only tolerate children, but to also love and cherish them. It also makes you think a lot: What matters most in life? What is true success? What is the role of God, and what happens when we forget him and try to do everything on our own? Do we take more responsibility for something when we work for it? Do we stop to consider all of the possible consequences of our actions?
The 3D worked well; it was just as good as what I saw in the trailers for new movies, so props to all of those people who worked so long on the conversion. The effect was especially good on the first scene with the T-rex.

El laberinto del fauno

If this movie doesn't freak you out, I doubt that many things will.
It's a gorgeous film with lots of little touches that make it cool. I find anything in the Iberian Peninsula fascinating, including the language spoken by the Faun: quite archaic indeed, but still very much Castilian.
The character of Captain Vidal was so despicable and reprehensible that the movie made me want to do only good things for the rest of my life. How could anyone act like that monster?
The use of magic in the movie was also very well done. It could all be in her mind, right? But then how did she get out of the locked and guarded room? It was kind of like Midnight in Paris in that the private investigator gets stuck in the 18th century, if you know what I mean.

Lincoln and Schindler's List

I find it striking how similar Steven Spielberg's portrayals of Abraham Lincoln and Oskar Schindler are. Lincoln is very heroic in this movie, even though he sometimes resorts to less than honorable means to achieve his goals. I also thought it was interesting how we see him on the ground, bending over and stoking the fire like a servant, even though he was the president.  I was glad that I had enough prior knowledge to understand almost everything that happened in Lincoln. I enjoyed the band of misfits that the secretary of state unofficially hired to basically buy votes from the democrats.
I'll tell you what! In the film, Thaddeus Stevens (brilliantly and humorously played by Tommy Lee Jones) is portrayed as a hero of epic proportions. After seeing this movie, I had to look Stevens up on Wikipedia. I really hadn't heard much about him before, and I really enjoyed the first part of the Wikipedia article that explained how historians' perceptions of Stevens have changed over time. And I had no idea that Tommy Lee Jones was even going to be in this movie.
In a lot of ways, Schindler's List is much more intense than Lincoln. It also seems to have a more powerful effect on me. What if those had been my parents that he had saved from certain death? It just makes me want to do only good things. It's so funny and so terrible that the only thing that
Amon Göth cared about was money. Good grief. He never got the chance to enjoy any of that money since he was imprisoned immediately after the war and then hanged in 1946. Why did he even bother charging Schindler so much money to let those people go? He should have let them go free. Yeah, he probably still would have been hanged, but there was really no point in trying to amass wealth. Just let it go. This is a lesson for all of us. No matter what happens, we won't be able to take any of our wealth with us when we die, so we should follow the counsel of the Savior and lay up for ourselves treasures in heaven. These are two different movies, but both Lincoln and Schindler used the influence and resources that they had to do the most good that they knew how to do.

The Sixth Sense

Malcolm Crowe: [after realizing the time has come for him to move on] I think I can go now. Just needed to do a couple of things. I needed to help someone; I think I did. And I needed to tell you something: You were never second, ever. I love you. You sleep now. Everything will be different in the morning. 

Anna Crowe: [in her sleep] Good night, Malcolm... 

Malcolm Crowe: Good night, sweetheart.

I love this movie. It has such a big heart, and I think it can teach us a lot about life. Doing the right thing can be scary sometimes! People can be scary, but we have to look past that and see them for who they are: children of God, all of whom need help every once in a while. And I love the relationship between Cole and his mother.