Miracle (Disney 2004)

The United States vs. USSR hockey at the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, NY.

I was...gosh...5 years old when this happened. But I do remember it very well.

I remember watching it with my family on a really cold day. Even though hockey was not a popular sport where I was from, THIS game was important. Why? Because WE were playing THEM.

All I knew was that the Soviets were the bad guys and we were the good guys. My folks told me stories of Olympic pasts where the Soviets cheated their way to gold. I remember being told beating THEM at anything was (and still is) very important.

After the game, I went outside to play basketball with my dad who was still giddy about beating THEM!

The message my parent's taught me that day? Even if we would have lost that game...we're still better.

Here is a summary from IMDb...

The inspiring story of the team that transcended its sport and united a nation with a new feeling of hope. Based on the true story of one of the greatest moments in sports history, the tale captures a time and place where differences could be settled by games and a cold war could be put on ice. In 1980, the United States Ice Hockey team's coach, Herb Brooks, took a ragtag squad of college kids up against the legendary juggernaut from the Soviet Union at the Olympic Games. Despite the long odds, Team USA carried the pride of a nation yearning from a distraction from world events. With the world watching the team rose to the occasion, prompting broadcaster Al Michaels' now famous question, to the millions viewing at home: Do you believe in miracles? Yes!

Here is the trailer...

Ray (2004 Universal)

Somtimes when I watch Ray I totally forget that actor Jamie Foxx is playing Ray Charles and not actually THE Ray Charles. The only time I can recall a similar feeling is when George C. Scott portrayed Patton.

I like watching movies where the underdog makes it...especially when they're true! I love it when the hero fights government and brings it crumbling to their knees. The hero, like all, makes mistakes along the way, but also finds that his friends, his courage and his faith will prevail...not government charity. The story of the late great singer Ray Charles is such a triumph. His humble beginnings to super stardom is one incredible ride and almost unbelievable! Ray is proudly the Movie of the Week!

Ray Charles has the distinction of being both a national treasure and an international phenomenon. By the early 1960's Ray Charles had accomplished his dream. He'd come of age musically. He'd made it to Carnegie Hall. The hit records "Georgia," "Born to Lose" successively kept climbing to the top of the charts. He'd made his first triumphant European concert tour in 1960 (a feat which, except for 1965, he's repeated at least once a year ever since). He had taken virtually every form of popular music and broken through its boundaries with such awe inspiring achievements as the LP's "Genius Plus Soul Equals Jazz" and "Modern Sounds in Country & Western." Rhythm & blues (or "race music" as it had been called) became universally respectable through his efforts. Jazz found a mainstream audience it had never previously enjoyed. And country & western music began to chart an unexpected course to general acceptance, then worldwide popularity. And along the way Ray Charles was instrumental in the invention of rock & roll.

Born in a poor African American town in central Florida, Ray Charles went blind at the age of 7. With the staunch support of his determined single mother, he developed the fierce resolve, wit and incredible talent that would eventually enable him to overcome not only Jim Crow Racism and the cruel prejudices against the blind, but also discover his own sound which revolutionized American popular music.

Nonetheless, as Ray's unprecedented fame grew, so did his weakness for drugs and women, until they threatened to strip away the very things he held most dear. This little known story of Ray Charles' meteoric rise from humble beginnings, his successful struggle to excel in a sighted world and his eventual defeat of his own personal demons make for an inspiring and unforgettable true story of human triumph.

Couldn't find any trailers (in English) but I did find this I think fits my blog perfectly!

Ladder 49 (Touchstone Pictures 2004)

Great conservative flick...and a timely one too considering September 11th is only days away! I don't believe Ladder 49 is a true story, but I can almost guarantee their have or will be families of firemen who have gone through similar struggles.

Like the 18 year old kid who picks up a gun and travels across the world to defend you and me...firemen also take on a merciless and unpredictable enemy that threatens our lives. To be honest, I take firemen for granted. It's only when I really, REALLY need them am I 100% grateful.

Ladder 49 is a great film, and I hope you will take the time to check it out soon. Here is a movie review from IMDb...

Under the watchful eye of his mentor Captain Mike Kennedy, probationary firefighter Jack Morrison matures into a seasoned veteran at a Baltimore fire station. Jack has reached a crossroads, however, as the sacrifices he's made have put him in harm's way innumerable times and significantly impacted his relationship with his wife and kids. Responding to the worst blaze in his career, he becomes trapped inside a 20-story building. And as he reflects on his life, now Assistant Chief Kennedy frantically coordinates the effort to save him.

Here is the trailer...

The Punisher (Lions Gate 2004)

Why do we love 'em?

Who do conservatives love revenge movies?

Guns? Violence?

No.

Justice.

We love justice. We love it when justice is served hard. Is is legal? No. But it's how we would all act IF (and only IF) we could get away with it. It wets our appetite. C'mon admit it. These are our movies! Libs know we love 'em. It's OK. Indulge.

This week's movie is a good one (well aren't they all?). The Punisher brushed off by most critics, is a GREAT film! I always stop and watch it even if it's in the middle! I guess you could say it's one of my favorites.

Here is the review from IMDb...

Special agent Frank Castle had it all: A loving family, a great life, and an adventurous job. But when his life is taken away from him by a ruthless criminal and his associates, Frank has become reborn. Now serving as judge, jury, and executioner, he's a new kind of vigilante out to wage a one man war against those who have done him wrong.

Here is the trailer...be sure to see this version of the movie and not the newer one!

The Notebook (New Line Cinema 2004)

Thanks to ASM826 at Random Acts of Patriotism for the suggestion...

I'm no expert on relationships. No really...I'm not. But I do know when a man and woman deeply love each other it is very special.

After watching The Notebook the values of love and devotion are apparent. Now I know what all you GUYS are thinking. Aw man! A chick-flick? Really Edge?

And my answer would be yes! This is a chick flick. This could be the mother of all chick flicks, but I truly believe both men and women will enjoy this story, and it will beg the question...

Just how far are you willing to go for your spouse?

Here is the review from IMDb...

The movie focuses on an old man reading a story to an old woman in a nursing home. The story he reads follows two young lovers named Allie Hamilton and Noah Calhoun, who meet one evening at a carnival. But they are separated by Allie's parents who dissaprove of Noah's unwealthy family, and move Allie away. After waiting for Noah to write her for several years, Allie meets and gets engaged to a handsome young soldier named Lon. Allie, then, with her love for Noah still alive, stops by Noah's 200-year-old home that he restored for her, "to see if he's okay". It is evident that they still have feelings for each other, and Allie has to choose between her fiancé and her first love.

Being true to your only love makes The Notebook the Edge Conservative Movie of the Week!

Here is the trailer...

The Incredibles (Walt Disney 2004)

Sorry, I've been away for awhile. Been kind of a hectic few weeks for my work and personal life, but I'm back!

This week's flick made the National Review list of the Top 25 Most Conservative Movies in the Last 25 Years! I have to admit when I read that this movie made the list I said "Huh?"

However after reading the review (below) from NR writer Frederica Mathewes-Greene I became convinced that The Incredibles should be the Edge Conservative Movie of the Week!

This animated film skips pop-culture references and gross jokes in favor of a story that celebrates marriage, courage, responsibility, and high achievement. A family of superheroes—Mr. Incredible, his wife Elastigirl, and their children—are living an anonymous life in the suburbs, thanks to a society that doesn’t appreciate their unique talents. Then it comes to need them. In one scene, son Dash, a super-speedy runner, wants to try out for track. Mom claims it wouldn’t be fair. “Dad says our powers make us special!” Dash objects. “Everyone is special,” Mom demurs, to which Dash mutters, “Which means nobody is.”

Here is the trailer...



NO CAPES!

The Passion of the Christ (2004 Icon Productions)

Well folks, I'm back...and just in time to serve up a great Easter movie for the weekend, "The Passion of the Christ!" I hope you guys have had a chance to watch this film already. If not, go down to the local video rental place and check it out...I'm sure it's a popular pick, especially for this time of year! I have to warn those with the kiddies, it's pretty violent so be careful if young eyes and ears are around!

And now here is the trailer of the second film reviewed by ECM that was banned in China! Not surprisingly.



Wow...