cinephile-27690

I have seen some good Hitchcock movies: The Birds, Psycho, and The Lady Vanishes rank among them. This does NOT.

I found Number 17 to be such a disappointment! The plot had appeal(some strangers try to figure out what's supernatural about a hotel room), but this movie is an epic fail.

Before I get into that, let me start with what works. The plot did engage me at times, and the acting is somewhat decent. About half the movie was satisfying.(I almost gave this a 4 but decided to "meet the middle man").

Now, let's talk about the issues I had with this movie:

1. The picture quality sucks. Okay, I know this movie is 88 years old, but Frankenstein and City Lights are both a year older and they look much better! And fine, Scrooge from 3 years later looks poor too, but still! Couldn't someone restore this movie a bit?

2. Ben, the sidekick character, talks WAY too softly. His accent also gets out of the way out of understanding 99% of what he says. Unfortunately the DVD I saw this on did not include subtitles.

3. The movie sometimes goes a few minutes without any dialogue, which can work, but here it doesn't seem to. My mind wandered when this happened.

4. Plot-wise, not everything makes sense, and you can't tell why everything is happening in the story. Some of it's even boring, especially the end that seems to drag without a clear destination.

5.There was also a scene that could have been avoided if the characters noticed their surroundings. 2 people lean against a banister and you can clearly hear it crack but it has to FALL for the characters to notice! This makes such a scene cliche and not suspenseful.

Unless you want to see every Hitchcock movie ever made, or want something on while you do housework, Number 17 is the Number 1 Hitchcock movie to avoid.

Note: This is an edit of a review from 10/9/19.

Jesus is a made for TV movie from 1999 that retells the greatest and most famous of all stories-the life of Jesus as told in The Gospels. However, the movie also takes liberties with The Bible, which at times makes it a compelling perspective on the most influential person in history.

Jesus Christ Himself is played by Jeremy Sisto(who is actually a Buddhist that left Catholicism). This film not only follows the 4 Gospels, but it also speculates on His human side. For theological background, Christianity teaches that Jesus was not just a man but God in the flesh.

The Bible and many close movies adaptations of it portray Jesus as a holy and perfect man, and He was. I won't argue otherwise. However, it's also important to recognize His humanity as well. He struggled with sin, even if He never committed any, see Matthew 4:1-11.

It is often hard to portray this to film. One of my favorite Biblically inspired movies, The Last Temptation of Christ, was Martin Scorsese's view of this theological point, and that had violent results from conservative Christians. And a more recent film, The Young Messiah, does this with a youthful Jesus and has caused some polarizing views.

I happen to love both of these movies, and I admire this one as well. If you want a Scripture to script adaptation, this may not be the best fit for you. But if you are interested in another take on it, this is highly recommended.

Many Biblical points on Jesus DO occur in the movie. EG, The Easter Story(Palm Sunday-The Resurrection) is very Gospel based. We also see miracles like Walking on Water, Water Into Wine, and The Catching of Fish, and His teachings are portrayed often.

Some are shown in action rather than taught. For example, someone hits Jesus and asks Him to hit him back. Instead, Jesus turns his cheek and asks him to hit the other, echoing what Jesus taught in Matthew 5:39.

Things like this are what make Jesus, the movie, well worth seeing. However, there are some issues I had with the movie:

1. 23 minutes in, Jesus hears how Mary got pregnant with Him, however, this is the first Biblical thing to happen in the movie. It takes 23 minutes to get to The Bible-based stuff. Again, I don't mind some creative liberties in certain circumstances, but since this is also Gospel-based, I wished it wouldn't take so long to GET Biblical, if that makes sense.

2. 34 minutes in, the story of Jesus at the Temple when He was 12 happens. This can be found in Luke 2:41-52. It's said in the movie that this happened 20 years ago, and Jesus has not preached yet. This can't be Biblically OR mathematically.

Luke 3:23 says he was about 30 when He began preaching and he preached for about 3 years. Assuming He was 30 when He started preaching, that causes a problem. Though, since the number is an estimate, I guess it's not a huge flaw. That was just a perk I had.

3. Jesus asks John The Baptist to be baptized the night before He is. We are told in the Gospels that He asked to be baptized right away. Again, that's minor, but still a perk.

Also, John says He can be baptized if He confesses His sins. We know form 2 Corinthians 5:21 that Jesus was sinless, and yet Jesus never addresses this. The scene also ends and cuts to the baptism. That could have been the procedure for a baptism from a historical standpoint, but that still seemed a bit off.

So Jesus, the movie, has some flaws. But the good most certainly outweighs the bad and the movie is therefore well worth seeing.

I also found an interest in Satan's role in the movie. He's not a scary black ghost or anything cliche like that, he's a regular guy in a business suit. He follows the same temptations that he does in Matthew 4(Bread to Stone, Worship Me, etc.), but He also tries to convince Jesus to not be crucified while in Gethsemane by showing Him that the Crusades and other wicked acts will be done in His name.

Jesus rejects this temptation as well, and suffers for the world's sins. He knows that this will happen, but He also understands that those who truly love and serve Him will gain eternal life due to His death and Resurrection. This was actually my favorite part of the MOVIE, and I saw that part twice due to my emotion for it.

In the end, Jesus DOES die for us and rises again, the core message of the Gospels, and the movie. Again, there's many Biblical things in the movie even if interpretation is added in. And the ending is among the most powerful of any Jesus film I have ever seen.

While I wouldn't rank this with the likes of, say, The Passion of the Christ or Jesus of Nazareth, I was still moved by this movie, and I would see it again.

For Christians, I highly recommend it if you are open to the non-Biblical parts. Anyone else should see it as an uplifting 3 hour pass time.

No matter if you are Christian, of another faith, or even atheist, there is enough here to satisfy the spirituality of any viewer.

Note: This review was originally written in March and was edited in May.

This is simply Steven Spielberg's greatest movie. I dare you to challenge this. Sure, ET is great, and so is Jurassic Park, and so forth. But of all the movies Spielberg has directed, how can any of them top the power and importance of Schindler's List?

Schindler's List is the true story of Oskar Schindler, portrayed wonderfully by Liam Neeson. He is a German who saves the lives of over 1,100 Jews during the Holocaust. Schindler does this out of greed, making them low wage workers in his factory for his benefit, but then he does it out of compassion for his fellow man.

That's the theme of the movie that echoes throughout long after the credits roll, and from where the film's power stems. The Nazis considered Jews to be "vermin" and not humans worthy of love, care, or compassion. Oskar Schindler over time sees that they ARE in fact worthy, and uses this basic human value to change the world.

Steven Spielberg waited over a decade to make this movie. He wanted to it after making E.T., but he felt that he wasn't ready to tackle the Holocaust yet. (Note that Spielberg himself is Jewish.) The time he took is well worth it, since he crafted it so well.

The movie won 7 Oscars, including Steven's sole Best Picture win and his first of 2 Best Director wins(the other being for Saving Private Ryan). All 7 are well earned for this fantastic movie.

Spielberg also chose to shoot this in black and white, based on documentaries he saw with actual Holocaust footage. This was done to make the movie seem even more real, and this goal succeeds.

This was also done so a girl with a pink coat can stand out. While she never speaks, she inspires Schindler to have compassion for the Jews, she's a sight that speaks to him louder than words. In addition, the black and white cinematography is glorious to look at.

Since this movie is centered around the greatest tragedy in all of human history, the film gains an R Rating for it's realistic violence. Prepare for Jews to be shot, burned, or gassed for what they believe in. It's hard to watch, but it's the most effective quality. There were people who took pleasure in killing millions of their own kind, and Spielberg exposes this horror to perfection.

I first saw this in 10th grade in History class, so I was 16. I would say 15 or 16 would be the best age to see this, and 13-14 if there is parental supervision since younger teens may have questions about the Holocaust, and for emotional support. I say this because while everyone should see Schindler's List, it is not for the young, and historical prior knowledge is necessary.

Aside from the flaw of crimes against humanity, my only critique of Schindler's List is that the German accents of Non-German actors are so thick that I needed subtitles to follow the dialogue. Apart from this, Schindler's List is nothing short of a masterpiece.

Despite it's grim subject matter, Schindler's List must be seen, even if just once. Seeing it for the 4th time in my life put it in my top 10. Thank you, Oskar Schindler for your heroic act, and thank you Steven Spielberg for telling us his incredible story.

This is a powerful film that will leave a great impact on you. It should never be forgotten. If all but a few movies are wiped away from human memory, let Schindler's List be one that remains.

Note: This ties with Shoah in my top 10. This is a 9.5 hour documentary with real survivors and witnesses to the Holocaust. It's $100 from the Criterion Collection. This is another movie that I consider to be a must see, despite its cost and run-time.