**That's my mom. A former Arthur Murray's dance instructor, she liked to party. Just sayin'.**
When I heard about the movie "Moms' Night Out," I thought about my own moms' night out.
First, it wasn't really a moms' night out, because it was really just for my friend Lisa. Lisa had a little boy who was about a year and a half old. She drove up to visit me in Maine for a weekend getaway. She pretty much was in the point of single motherhood where your biggest trip out is to the grocery store or pediatrician. She was a student and a single mom. There simply wasn't a lot of free time.
"I just want to go out" I remember her saying.
I wanted her to have a fun visit so I talked my aunt into babysitting so we could have some girly fun. Back in the 90s that meant dinner and some dancing. Back in the winter of 1993...in Maine...that meant snow. Lots of snow.
Lisa and I got dolled up to our absolute cutest (we were in our early 20s...and...pretty stinkin' cute) and hit the town. Dinner was pretty much forgettable. Dancing was sublime. We had a great time just cutting loose, singing very loudly and enjoying some girl talk. When 2 AM rolled around, we got set to leave the club and decided a late night breakfast was in order.
As we left the club, we were surprised to find a
BIG
MONSTROUS
PILE
OF
SNOW
"Should we just get home?" I asked kind of hopeful.
"NOT ON YOUR LIFE!" Lisa pretty much yelled. Nah...she yelled. She was going to get as much living in this one evening as she could. Besides, we were girls from the East...we could handle a little snow. We figured, it can't be dangerous if people are out and about.
Right?
So off we went to the only breakfast place we knew would be open...Denny's.
All was well until we almost hit the parking lot. A big truck was headed in our direction. It was spinning. It was REALLY spinning. Somehow it only partially hit us. It clipped Lisa's bumper. We pulled into the lot. It didn't look too bad. Since we were already there, Lisa figured we might as well enjoy some breakfast.
WITH
THE
DRIVER
OF
THE
TRUCK
Told you she was going to get a lot of living in this night.
The night mellowed after that. We ate a bunchy kind of meal with the truck guy and two other guys that we had hung out with at the club. One of the guys got lippy with the truck dude. We all tried to laugh it off. Well, all of us except the lippy guy. Finally we called it quits, because once one person sours an evening, you just have to walk away.
Now I don't know how "Moms' Night Out" will unfold, but what about you? Have you ever had a moms' night out? How'd it go?
If you are interested in checking out "Moms' Night Out" here's a little trailer peek.
Oh and big PS here. I posted this because I really remembered my mom's night out and the movie came out. I thought it would be fun. No compensation was given here. No giveaways are to be had. Darn....sorry...still Happy Mother's Day ya'll.
A few months ago, I joined ministry leaders and media representatives in my town for a preview of a film called "Home Run." "Home Run" is the story of true freedom from the darkness that can engulf a person's life when dealing with their past and addictions.
Starring: Scott Elrod, Dorian Brown, Vivica A. Fox, Charles Henry Wyson, James Devoti, Nicole Leigh, Robert Peters, Drew Waters and Juan Martinez.
About the film (from the website HomeRunTheMovie.com) :
Freedom is Possible
Baseball all-star Cory Brand knows what it takes to win in the big
leagues. But off the field, with memories of his past haunting him, his
life is spiraling out of control.
Hoping to save her client's career and reputation after a DUI and a
team suspension, Cory's agent sends him back to the small town where he
grew up. Forced to coach the local youth baseball team and spend eight
weeks in the only recovery program in town, Cory can't wait to return to
his old life as quickly as possible.
As his young players help him experience the joy of the game, Cory
discovers his need to find freedom from his past and hope for his future
… and win back the love he left behind. With this unexpected second
chance, Cory finds himself on a powerful journey of transformation and
redemption.
Based on thousands of true stories, HOME RUN is a powerful reminder that with God, it's never too late … freedom is possible.
Here's the trailer:
PS...Ya'll hear Third Day in the background there? That was their song "I Need a Miracle." YAY!
My opinion:
This is not my review because I saw the unfinished project. I will be seeing the movie again when it comes to theaters on April 19th.
"Home Run" tells a story that many of us are familiar with. It is a story of lives like our own that have been impacted by complications of the past and how those complications can impact our present and future. There is hope. "Home Run" explores that journey. "Home Run" tells that story well. It is full of impact from the choice of actors, location and music. "Home Run" tells an honest story, and it is a story of hope and encouragement. Even if you have not lived a life with its own complications, you most likely know someone who has. This could be a movie to give that person hope. This could be the gentle touch that could bring a person you know to a place of decision and in that decision, solid direction for healing.
"Home Run" is heading to theaters on April 19th. If you like a movie with a message, you should check it out. If you are a fan of faith-based films, you should also check it out. It is not often that we find a movie of this caliber with such a strong message of hope that can truly inspire. Find a theater near you by following this link.
If you are a reader, there is a novelization of the film by author Travis Thrasher. Get the scoop on that as well as read the first chapter here.
Today's review is a movie with a message. The subject matter is probably not young child friendly. It is a film that I have wanted to watch for some time, but I was not sure if I was ready for the subject matter. I watched it via Netflix streaming (one of my favorite ways to watch faith-based films).
October Baby
Provident Films
Starring:
Brian Gall, Carl Maguire, Chris Sligh, Colleen Trusler, Corey Winston, Don Sandley, Jasmine Guy, Jason Burkey, Jennifer Price, John Schneider, Joy Brunson, Lance E. Nichols, Maria Atchison, Mary Tolley, Rachel Hendrix, Robert Amaya, Rodney Clark, Shari Wiedmann, Tracy Miller
About the film (from Christian Movie Database):
OCTOBER BABY is a coming of age story of a 19 year old freshman named
Hannah. Hannah has always felt like an outsider. Something is missing.
Although she is an incredible stage actor with a lovable naivety, She
has always had a deep seated feeling that she has no right to exist.
Because of escalating health and psychological problems her parents
reveal to her that she was adopted and was never told because of the
shocking and heartbreaking circumstances surrounding her birth.
With her identity and world thrown into turmoil she sets out on a
spring break road trip to New Orleans with her best friend Jason, his
girlfriend and a host of misfits piled into a decrepit VW minibus.
Everyone else is on the ride for good times, but Hannah is determined to
use the opportunity to return to the city of her birth and find the
answers she craves -
something her overprotective father has forbidden her to do…
My review:
All in all I liked this movie, but I really had to work at it. Now, I may be overly picky, but the first hour drove me nuts. I did not like Hannah. Hannah is pretty rocked when she finds out she is adopted. I imagine I would be as well, but considering the circumstances, it is no surprise that they kept it from her. It is not something easily told without an impact that could sway the most well-functioning individual, and Hannah is already going through issues (which are hard to understand when we see a clip of what looks like pretty fun times as a young child and we know she was raised by two loving parents). Why she feels she has no right to exist is kind of a lame label.
The solution to go on a road trip to get some answers made some sense to me, it was the cast of characters along for the very short ride that did not. It was something added into the story that really could have been omitted other than the fact that they probably didn't want us to see Hannah intentionally just take a road trip with her guy best friend. It just did not add to the story in any way that mattered, and really just took away from it for me. Like I said, I was struggling. I was waiting for it to get better.
Jasmine Guy's performance was incredible, John Schneider's was also awesome. I actually started to like the movie more once Jasmine Guy came into the film, but honestly it swept the good right back out quickly when Hannah continued with her bratty moments as well as a few from her friend Jason, as a parent, I wanted to smack him.
In the long run, the pay off was really nice. The finally half hour was great, well acted, and had really good moments. I think the film would have been much better if the beginning and middle were thought out better, and if people paid some attention to how other people really act and talk to one another. There were a lot of moments where I thought, "who has conversations like this?" There were points where it seemed they were trying too hard for comic relief. There were lines that just blew me out of the story like when Jason says to Hannah "Remember when we were like nine?" and she says "When you were nine I was 8 1/2." WHAT? That made no sense. Maybe if he talked about his 9th birthday which still would have not made sense. It was just an addition in the dialogue that bugged me and thus pulled me out of the film.
Anyway, I digress. I liked it, but that is to say, I liked what it was attempting and I liked the last half hour quite a bit. I held off watching it for a while, because a friend of mine who was adopted told me that after seeing it, she was glad she never met her birth mother. That gave me pause as to what I would get.
Lastly the music was wonderful! The soundtrack was extremely well done.
I would rate this three out of five smiles. I liked the message of forgiveness. I enjoyed the performances of several of the actors. Will I watch it again? No. I did not enjoy it enough for that.
Lastly, this is a film that has a Christian pro-life message. Some reviews I have read expressed issues with that. I think because of the very important message it had to convey, they should have worked out the kinks a little more. It is a film that I would share with my son, but I know he would be bored long before he heard the valuable message in this film and felt its impact.
I hope that Netflix continues to have streaming for family friendly films with a Christian message. It is so nice having the opportunity to watch films that touch the heart and offer encouragement. This weekend we watched "Set Apart."
Set Apart
Starring: Richard Roundtree, John Schneider, Ary Katz, Brandon Wilson, Sarah Lilly, Randy Gunn, Heidi Gunn, Marina Shtelen, and Ronnie Alvarez.
About the film: Pastor John Gunn sends a group of urban youngsters to spend a summer on a
working ranch, hoping they'll learn what city life can't teach them.
With his brother and sister-in-law and a tough-love ranch hand, the kids
gain some hard-earned wisdom.
My Review: Set Apart lightly highlights the ministry of Power Company Kids Club and their work with inner city youth. There are a few of the children that go to the Power Company Kids Club that are currently in what could be described as a high-crisis situation. Two brothers are struggling with gang participation, one young man is caught up in a cycle of theft, and a young girl has lost it all. When Pastor John's brother Randy and Randy's wife Heidi's ministry GunnPoint come near town for a cowboy mounted shooting event, John shares with them about these kids and their need to have a real life changing experience. John feels that some time spent away from the city and the problems in their lives and instead spent on the Gunn ranch and with their ministry would be a huge help to these kids. His brother agrees and the kids partake in a life changing experience.
Things do not happen easily at the ranch. There are new rules and new skills to learn. The kids draw closer together and closer to the staff. They begin to see themselves with a new confidence and working as a team instead of on their own brings a real change in their lives. They also draw closer to God.
The movie itself is well acted. There are some parts that my son described as corny, but it was sweet. It also drew some tears out of me when I least expected it. It is a low budget film with a good message that I think you'll enjoy. There are violent situations but more implied and threatened. This is not a movie for younger children. I checked out the Dove rating, and they said that it was suitable for ages 12 and up. I would agree with that. The fact is a younger child is not going to get the message that it is giving. It is not a film that a smaller child is going to relate to. I will find some of those though. :)
I would rate it four out of five smiles. :)
I watched Set Apart via Netflix streaming. It is also available for purchase at Amazon.com.
