On The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Uncle Ralph (Henry Winkler) is the ultimate gift getter. For his little great-nephew Brian (Connor Christopher Levins), that is. Unfortunately, old Uncle Ralph hates shopping for girls. He finds a Christmas present for Brian's mom Jen (Brooke Burns), but when he meets a handsome stranger on his way to visit Jen and Brian, he can't resist a little match-making. So he talks Jen into letting this handsome stranger, named Morgan Derbie (Warren Christie), stay in her house for a night while Morgan's waiting for his plane. But Jen isn't too pleased about it. And neither is her boyfriend.

Pros: This was surprisingly well acted. Both the lead parts are pretty good, which is more than I can say for most Hallmark movies. It was also really funny. Uncle Ralph in particular has some great lines, while Morgan's facial expressions are hilarious.

Cons: Okay, so the story is a little unbelievable. Believe it or not, the romance isn't particularly well done. I don't mean that it's lame (although it kind of is); I mean there are pretty much zero romantic scenes, and there seems to be almost no chemistry between Morgan and Jen. Very strange for a Hallmark movie.

My Rating: OK (sexual references)

In Relation To Eldorado

(Written by Baroness Orczy. Eighth book in the Scarlet Pimpernel series.) Louis XVI and his lovely wife Marie Antoinette have been murdered by the French Republicans. The only hope for those who wish to see the monarchy in France restored lies in the young Dauphin - a prisoner of the cruel and bloodthirsty revolutionaries. Sir Percy Blakeney, known as the Scarlet Pimpernel to most of the world, is determined to rescue the boy. But matters get rather complicated when one of Sir Percy's league - his brother-in-law Armand St. Just - falls in love with an opera singer and places her safety above that of his fellow league members and the French prince.

Pros: Very well written. Armand drives me crazy at times, but his character is fairly likable. Sir Percy is awesome, of course, as he always is. The ending was completely unexpected. I absolutely love Marguerite!

Cons: Okay, the ending was a little confusing. I must admit I had to read it more than once - and I'm still not sure I understand it.

My Rating: OK (violence)

*Spoiler Reflections* On Ivanhoe

This post contains spoilers for the 1982 movie Ivanhoe, based on the book by Sir Walter Scott.

Ivanhoe is a story of prejudice. As it was written during the fight for Jewish emancipation in England, the book was obviously intended to be an eloquent defense of Jews. But in the 1982 movie, the story of Brian de Bois-Guilbert's love for Rebecca, the lovely Jewess, takes precedence over the story of prejudice. This love begins as lust but deepens into true love as the story progresses, ultimately giving him the chance to redeem himself.

In Brian's first encounter with Rebecca, he is only interested in her beauty and cares nothing for her religion, reputation, or sensibilities. He removes her veil; a breach of decorum according to her faith. His disregard for everything but her beauty continues when she becomes his prisoner. First Brian tries to convince her to become his mistress, warning her that he could rape her if she refused. But when Rebecca responds by threatening to kill herself, he backs down. His concern for her life is the first hint that his lust is beginning to turn to love.

When Rebecca is accused of bewitching him by the leader of a Templar Preceptory and condemned to be burned at the stake, Brian makes a half-hearted attempt to rescue her while still preserving his rank and reputation. He tells her to demand a champion to fight for her - if a knight designated as her champion can kill a member of the Knights Templar in combat, she will be declared innocent of all charges. Brian plans to be her champion himself, but the Grand Master names him as the knight who must fight against her champion. Although Brian does nothing to change the man's mind, his attempt to save her life at the risk of his own - albeit while still preserving his rank and reputation - shows that his love for her has deepened more.

Brian then goes to Rebecca and tries to talk her into converting to Christianity and admitting that she's a witch. He also offers to break his vows and give up everything he holds dear if she, without converting, will flee with him to the continent. (Whether he should have offered to break his vows and run away with her or not is not the point.) Rebecca, of course, refuses both. When she is tied to the stake, about to be burned for crimes she did not commit, he pleas with her one last time to run away with him. Again she refuses. However, his willingness to sacrifice his rank and reputation to save her is proof that his love has progressed yet another step.

Finally, when he is about to kill Ivanhoe, who fights as Rebecca's champion but is not yet healed enough to be very good in combat, Brian glances up and catches Rebecca's eye. In that moment, his journey from lust to true love is completed. He gives up his life for Rebecca, allowing Ivanhoe to pierce him in what should have been a futile stab. Ivanhoe's victory, according to the laws of the Knights Templar (or, at least, that particular section of the Knights Templar), is proof of Rebecca's innocence, and she is allowed to go free.

Lust is when a person (man or woman) uses another as a sex toy. True love is when a person gives him or herself completely to or for another. When Brian first meets Rebecca, he cares only about her beauty and the potential pleasure she could give him. But as the story progresses, God's grace transforms him from a selfish, lustful man with no concern for Rebecca's religious beliefs, feelings, or honor into a man who is willing to give his life for the woman he loves.

Regarding Ivanhoe

Ivanhoe (Anthony Andrews) has just returned from the Crusades. The son of a Saxon lord, he defeats Brian de-Bois Guilbert (Sam Neill), Front de Boef (John Rhys-Davies), and De Bracy (Stuart Wilson), the three best Norman knights in England, in a tournament. Unfortunately, he is injured in the process. When a wealthy Jewish merchant named Isaac of York (James Mason) and his beautiful daughter Rebecca (Olivia Hussey) decide to take him to their home in York in order to heal, the three become attached to the party of Ivanhoe's estranged father - and his childhood sweetheart, Rowena (Lysette Anthony). The little group is captured as they travel past the castle of Front de Boef, and find themselves in the clutches of three knights with less than honorable intentions.

Pros: Rebecca is an awesome character, and Olivia Hussey played her very well. A lot better than Elizabeth Taylor did in an older version of this movie. I also like Rowena, although she's kind of boring compared to Rebecca (partly for reasons discussed in my "Cons" section). *Spoiler Warning* I think Brian de Bois-Guilbert is probably my favorite villain of all time - although villain isn't the right word to describe him - he's a hero. Even though he acts like an unfeeling jerk through nearly all of the story, he gives his life to save Rebecca in the end and redeems himself.

Cons: Christians, and the Catholic Church in particular, don't come off very well in this story. But then, the story is a good deal about prejudice - about how Normans and Saxons hated each other, and about how both groups hated Jews, who hated them in return. But the main characters - Ivanhoe, Rebecca, Rowena, and King Richard - aren't prejudiced at all. Also, Ivanhoe might be the title character, and might be the one character that really ties everyone together, but he's not much more than a prop. Talk about a boring character! Oh, and I really like Rowena's character, but the actress was not very pretty, and she couldn't act at all.

Note: Based on the book by Sir Walter Scott.

My Rating: OK (violence, mild sexual references)

On Sherlock: The Blind Banker

(Second movie in the BBC series with the twenty-first century Sherlock Holmes.) Someone broke into a bank and vandalized it. No money was missing; nothing was stolen at all. But two spray-painted Chinese symbols were left on the wall: A message for someone. The owner of the bank calls Sherlock Holmes (Benedict Cumberbatch) for help. Sherlock proceeds to investigate the crime with the help of his flatmate, John Watson (Martin Freeman), and they soon discover the dead body of a man who worked at the bank. What do the symbols mean, and how did the person who painted them get into the bank? Only Sherlock Holmes has the brains to find out.

Pros: Hilarious, just like the first one. The story was sufficiently mysterious. Oh, and Watson has a girlfriend! A very nice one, too. There are very, very few gay references in this one; I believe there was only one. That was a bit of a relief after the first movie. See my review of Sherlock: A Study in Pink for my opinions on the series in general.

Cons: *Spoiler Warning* That nice Chinese girl from the museum ends up dead! That was very disappointing.

My Rating: T/MT ((depends on the person's exposure to homosexual people) sexual references, mild homosexual reference)

Pertaining To I Will Repay

(Written by Baroness Orczy. Fourth book in the Scarlet Pimpernel series.) A decade before the French Revolution, Paul Deroulede killed the young Vicomte de Marny. It was an accident that happened during a fair fight; anyway, de Marny was asking for it. But the Vicomte's deranged father forces his daughter Juliette to swear an oath to God that she will repay Deroulede for his deed. Ten years later, now a beautiful young woman, Juliette receives a chance to fulfill her oath and avenge her brother's death. But should she really do it? Or does vengeance belong to God alone?

Pros: I'm a huge Scarlet Pimpernel fan, and a fan of Baroness Orczy's style of writing. Paul is really sweet (although a bit dim-witted at times), and Juliette tries her best to muddle her way through her problems. Sir Percy is, of course, perfect.

Cons: There's a misguided idea that Juliette's Catholic faith is somehow partly responsible for her feeling that she has to fulfill her oath at all costs. Now, I find that idea offensive. Juliette swore her oath at the prodding of her father when she was only fourteen and had virtually no idea what her oath would entail; the Catholic Church would not hold her to it. On the contrary! I'm quite certain the Church would wish her to give it up, particularly becaue what she swore to do was wrong. Very annoying. Also, Sir Percy wasn't in the book nearly enough.

My Rating: T (crimes commited by republicans, some anti-Catholic themes that almost border on anti-Christian themes; in fact, if I hadn't known of Sir Percy's faith in God, I would have said the book was anti-Christian)

Picture from Bookapex.com.

Concerning A Battle Won

(Sequel to Under Enemy Colors, written by S. Thomas Russell.) Captain Charles Hayden, new master and commander of a little sloop, is spending time with his lovely sweetheart Henrietta, waiting for his ship to come into port. Unfortunately, a certain Captain Cotton has other plans. Hayden is reassigned to be a job-captain for the frigate Themis to escort a convoy to Lord Admiral Hood at Toulon. Quite naturally angry at this change of plans (job-captains take ships from one place to another and then hand them off to others, reverting back to lieutenants when they have completed their tasks), Hayden must deal with back-stabbing officers, twisted clergymen, disgruntled Army officers - oh, and the French as well.

Pros: This is terribly exciting, and a little easier to follow in the battle scenes than the first book. I just love Henrietta, even though she's not in it very much. Just about the whole crew from the Themis is back - from the doctor to Wickham.

Cons: A nasty, cliff-hanging ending. Very unsatisfying.

My Rating: MT (language, sexual references)

Picture from sthomasrussell.com

In Relation To Under Enemy Colors

In S. Thomas Russell's book, Lieutenant Charles Hayden is at the end of his rope. He's a promising young officer in His Majesty's Navy shortly after the French Revolution, but he has no connections. If one is to advance in the Navy, one must know powerful people. So when the First Secretary offers him a position as first lieutenant aboard the Themis, a frigate captained by a man whose nickname is "Faint" Hart, Hayden reluctantly agrees. In the coming months, he will have to battle not only the French, but also his touchy captain - and a mutiny.

Pros: I thought this was really realistic; Russell obviously spent a lot of time researching. There was a lot of focus on characters other than Hayden, too, which was nice for this genre of book. Best of all, Hayden is actually a likeable guy, which I have not come across in any other series like this. Oh, and the sentences were very old-fashioned, but not confusingly so. They helped set the mood.

Cons: I must admit, I got lost among some of the jargon. The sails, etc. could be ignored, but I was totally clueless about some of the ship sections during battle scenes... "Okay, where is he, exactly?" was a question I put to myself not infrequently.

My Rating: MT (language, violence)

Picture from sthomasrussell.com

On Awakening

(A Crossroads in Time book; written by Claudia Cangilla McAdam.) Nothing is worth dying for. That's what Ronni thinks, anyway. She should know. Her dad and brother were killed a year ago. But when Ronni gets feverish and loses consciousness, she is awakened by Jesus - who will die in two days. Can she stop his death? Does she really want to?

Pros: It was pretty cool to see how most of the things fit into the bible stories really well, from Mark to Longinus. I really liked Mark, the guy Ronni has a crush on. It wasn't too cheesy for a religious book.

Cons: I had two problems with this book. First, the crucifixion scene was in fast-forward or something. Everything happened so fast! But the biggest beef I had was with the Last Supper scene. *Spoiler warning* I mean, I know Ronni is an altar girl (which I don't really approve of, btw), but the Last Supper wasn't just the institution of the Eucharist; it was the institution of the priesthood! And women cannot be priests. I know Ronni was just a server at the Last Supper... but what the heck was she doing there?!

My Rating: OK (the crucifixion)

Picture from claudiamcadam.com

Regarding The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game

(Written by Michael Lewis.) Lawrence Taylor, one of the greatest NFL players ever. Michael Oher, a homeless kid on the streets of Memphis. What's the connection? Lawrence Taylor changed the game of football. His play forced teams to find extremely talented offensive linemen to block him. Michael Oher began to play offensive line in football when Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy took him into their home. His talent for football helped change his life.

Pros: The movie, while it was pretty much as good as a movie adaptation could be, does not do Michael's story justice. He was pretty much completely clueless about everything - and even continued to learn a lot of basic things when he got to college. The movie gives only a hint about how much he grew as a person from when he first came home with the Tuohys to when he graduated from college. Also, this book was absolutely filled with NFL history. Which is awesome for a football fan like me!

Cons: The writing style was much more "tell" than "show" - in other words, there weren't "scenes," there were "stories." Which is a little annoying for someone who likes fast-moving novels. But, I might add, there really wasn't any other way to write the book without excluding all the history.

My Rating: MT (language, sexual references)

Picture from austinchronicle.com

Concerning Slight Mourning

In Catherine Aird's Slight Mourning, Detective Inspector C.D. Sloan is on another case. Although this time, he's not entirely sure it even is a case. A man got killed in a car accident while escorting a dinner guest home. But was he going to die anyway? Amidst a lot of confusing terminology spewed forth by the pathologist, Sloan deciphers a disturbing fact: That the dead man had been poisoned. Did he commit suicide? Or did one of the eleven others at dinner that night - or the farmer who visited him that day, or the cook, for that matter - try to kill him?

Pros: A lot of detectives in old mystery novels get to be the same. Unreadable eyes, handsome face with a chiseled jaw, doesn't say a lot, amazing deductive powers... Blah, blah, blah. But Sloan is pretty much an ordinary guy. Every once in a while he'll get this great insight and solve the case, but it isn't presented in a "this guy is the greatest detective ever" kind of way. He's just an ordinary cop doing his job. I like his wife, who is really sweet. The humor is very dry, which is right up my alley. And his partner, Detective Constable Crosby, is stupid in a funny, not-too-over-the-top way. It's pretty well written, and flows easily.

Cons: A little too much information. Ms. Aird was the daughter and assistant of a doctor for years, and the terminology she uses is, at times, way too technical. But it is explained, which helps. Sometimes I got lost during conversations between Sloan and his supervisor, but their deductions were fairly obvious or were explained in a simpler way later on.

My Rating: T (thematic elements)