SCREEN SHOTS! Despereaux. Doubt.

New to DVD this week....

TITLE: The Tale of Despereaux

RATED: G

GENRE: Family/Animation/Adventure

STARS: Matthew Broderick, Dustin Hoffman, Emma Watson, Kevin Kline, Tracey Ullman, Wiliam H. Macy

NOTABLE CREW: Directors - Sam Fell & Robert Stevenhagen, Screenwriter - Will McRobb, Based on a book by - Kate DiCamillo

SUMMARY: Once upon a time, in the kingdom of Dor, there was a little mouse named Despereaux. (Dor-mouse. Get it?) Though all the other mice are told to be fearful, Despeareaux defies convention by being brave and curious. He must befriend a rat and save a princess in order to bring light and life back to a kingdom where it never rains and there is no soup!

WHAT I REALLY THINK:  The movie doesn't really grab you, but it's a decent flick with a worthwhile message. I've heard the book is better though. Makes me want to read it...

COOL FACTOIDS: Justin Long was originally cast to voice Despereaux, but the role ended up going to Matthew Broderick.

THE GOD FACTOR: Overcoming grief. Embracing forgiveness. Being brave in a fearful world. The life-lessons in this story are solid and relevant. I highly recommend it for Christian families.

WHO SHOULD WATCH IT: Families. Animation lovers. Anyone really.

NICELY DONE AWARD: Kate DiCamillo, the author of the book! Admittedly, I haven't read it, but I hear that its excellent and the movie doesn't touch it in its Newbery-winning excellence. Hey, it's subtitle is: "Being the story of a mouse, a princess, some soup, and a spool of thread." How can that go wrong? Nicely done, Kate!

TITLE: Doubt

RATED: PG-13 (for adult subject matter. nothing obscene is ever actually shown)

GENRE: Drama

STARS: Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams, Viola Davis

NOTABLE CREW: Director/Screenwriter - John Patrick Shanley, Music - Howard Shore, Cinematography - Roger Deakins, Based on a play by.... John Patrick Shanley!

SUMMARY: Sister Aloysius suspects a priest, Father Flynn, at their christian school of abusing a young boy.  With help from the innocently naive Sister James, she must use all her cunning to gather evidence against Father Flynn in the male-dominated Catholic heiarchy.

WHAT I REALLY THINK: Beautiful. Quiet. Profound. Disturbing. Engrossing in its subtlety and very thought provoking.

COOL FACTOIDS: The character of Sister James was inspired by Shanley's real kindergarten teacher, Sister Margaret James.

THE GOD FACTOR: The movie centers around the basic humanity of the clergy. We see both examples of the unerringly faithful and those that struggle with spiritual doubt. The sermons of Father Flynn are remarkably well-done and eerily realistic. (You wonder if you, like the patrons of his church, would be fooled about his decency.) I would recommend it for the mature Christian who is interested in addressing questions of sin, forgiveness, and doubt. Don't expect the film to provide you with any answers though.

WHO SHOULD WATCH IT: Anyone with an open mind and enjoys movies that force you to think. Don't expect any fast action or shocking visuals. The shock is in the subject matter. The visuals are purposefully slow and poetic, to echo the slow-paced lives of the nuns.

NICELY DONE AWARD: The cast! Wow. I couldn't pick just one of them. Streep and Hoffman are especially impressive as they go head to head. They don't even have to speak. Their eyes twitch with the repressed emotion of their characters. A world of unsaid knowledge goes behind every line. There is a reason why the four stars were ALL nominated for academy awards. Nicely done, Meryl, Phillip, Amy, and Viola!