Reign of Fire, Latter Days, and The General

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Reign of Fire is modern day dragon tale. It's like Jurassic Park, but with dragons instead of dinosaurs. Unlike Jurassic Park, the dragons have the run of the planet (instead of an island) and they live on the ashes of what they burn (instead of live flesh), so you can imagine that the outlook for humans who survive the scourge is pretty bleak. The film stars Christian Bale as the hero and leader of one of the few remaining human enclaves. Matthew McConaughey is barely recognizable as the American who leads the cavalry, so to speak. He plays the part of the stereotypically ugly American, bold and bald; while Christian Bale seems to be sleepwalking through his part, by comparison. Overall, we liked movie. There was a unique story with suspense and action, but not too much gore. We recommend it for the whole family (as long as everyone in the family can handle suspense and dragons that are a little bit scary).

Latter Days isn't your average boy meets boy, gay love story; it's more of a party boy meets Mormon boy, gay love story. The script is witty and moving, and the characters are interesting and likable. Even the most obnoxious character in Latter Days (with the possible exception of Water Sports Boy) is more compelling than any of the characters in the film Closer (see post dated May 4, 2005). The two leads in Latter Days, Wes Ramsay and Steve Sandvoss, are relatively unknown, but they do a great job. You can't help but root for their characters and hope that they can work out their differences and live happily ever after. Latter Days is a funny film with some poignant and dramatic moments, a lot more like a classic love story than you'd expect from a film about a gay couple. We liked it a lot.

The General is a silent film from 1927 starring Buster Keaton and Marion Mack. Buster Keaton wrote, directed and did all of his own stunts (most of which involved a moving train), for The General. The first time I watched this film, I was in a film class in college and I was awed by how funny it was - even without color or sound (gasp!). This time around, I watched the film on DVD with my 11-year old nephew, Connor. Growing up in a home with film buffs, Con is used to seeing black and white films and even silent films, but I am still surprised when he doesn't complain about the lack of sound or color. He loved this film as much as I did - so much so, he watched it twice. The General tells the story of a sad sack train engineer who loses the two loves of his life (his girlfriend and his train) on the same day, and the hilarious lengths he goes to in order to get them back. If you've never seen a silent film, this is a great one to start with. There are also some funny Buster Keaton film shorts on the DVD, as an added bonus.