Some Animations

Here's an animation of the universe that I did (you'll recall the earlier pictures posted on this blog of the planets I was creating). The second part of the video is a simple walk-cycle of a character I created following a tutorial. Of course, these were both done in Blender, which I love more and more as I learn more about it.

In the future, 'us4HIM Productions' hopes to produce some animations. Please pray that the Lord will guide us story-wise and give us the skills we need when we attempt to create these animations, and please continue to pray for us and our current productions. May God bless all of you!

Geno

P.S. The quality of the video is better if you watch it on YouTube with the full-screen enabled. Just make sure to never click on any links to other videos as we have no control over what pops up. You can visit our account directly here.

Taught of the Lord

Taught of the Lord is a relatively new site. It is basically a Christian eBay. It's just starting out right now, and I think if more people find out about it, it could really be successful. We hope to sell Loving the Enemy on there in the not-too-distant future. So, go check out Taught of the Lord and tell others about it!

God bless!

Geno

A Post

This post is just to say that there's a new post.

Yours Cheesey,

Dominic

P.S. We might do another meaningful post some time.

Ezekiel and John's Tower

Here's a video of a tower Ezekiel built, with the help of John and mom. It took, as he says in the video, about 4 hours a day for about a week to build it.

God bless!

Geno

Why Beowulf is dangerous

The film Beowulf is set to open tomorrow. Undoubtedly, many of you have seen trailers, teasers and TV spots for the film all over the internet and, most likely, all over TV. It is supposed to be one of the most visually captivating and impressive films to date, due to its incredible animation.

Robert Zemeckis is the man behind it all, the director of the film. He has long been involved in this new wave of 3-D animation. And his films have grown steadily, and significantly, worse.

Over a decade ago he was involved in 2-D animation combined with live action in the ungodly film Who Framed Roger Rabbit?. He has since been heavily involved in this new and growing form of animated film, which is basically motion-capture animation, pretty much like what Peter Jackson's crew did with Gollum in Lord of the Rings and with Kong in King Kong, only these new films have no live-action elements in the final versions.

Zemeckis a few years ago teamed with Tom Hanks to present the visually spectacular movie version of the book, Polar Express. Despite its obvious worldview flaws (the all-knowing Santa and such), the film was, from what I remember, relatively clean. However, the intenseness of several scenes clearly warranted a PG rating, but, of course, it got a G.

Then last year, he teamed with Steven Spielberg to produce the Academy-Award nominated, halloween film Monster House. According to reviews I've read and comments from people who have seen the film, it is scary, crude, and has a horrible worldview. Some have said it pushes the PG rating.

Now he is getting ready to release Beowulf. I have read the poem. I admit that the way in which it is written made it very confusing for me, however, it was still a decent poem that had references to God and The Flood and with an at least somewhat biblical worldview. I don't remember much about it, except that when I heard about the movie version a while back, I thought it would be a great film. I didn't think they'd be able to ruin a movie based on a poem that had no language, as well as no romance or sexual content at all.

But, alas, they have. It is rated PG-13 for: intense sequences of violence including disturbing images, some sexual material and nudity. I guess they changed things from the poem. I have read some reviews of the film, and it seems that this is yet another Zemeckis film that pushes its rating. The sexual content and nudity are worthy of an R rating and, were the film live-action, it would carry that R rating. Of course, one of the things it seems to boast is its amazing 3-D that looks almost exactly like live-action.

One secular website referred to the film as, I believe, a "sex and creatures-filled spectacle." Angelina Jolie, who is one of the reasons for the horrible content, stated the final version "shocked" her and she didn't know how it obtained a PG-13 rating with its content. She also stated she will not be taking her kids to see it due to its content. What's sad is that many Christians will take their kids to see it.

Anyway, this content obviously makes the film dangerous to its viewers. The Bible admonishes men to guard their eyes and women to be modestly dressed, and a chapter in the Old Testament directly condemns viewing the nudity of others, although in that passage it is referring to relatives. However, in the New Testament we are admonished to treat "younger women as sisters and older women as mothers." So, if you wouldn't want your mom or sister portrayed in the way a movie portrays a woman, you probably shouldn't watch it. Thus, we can clearly see that God does not want us viewing films with nudity/sexuality. There are other applicable verses, I'm sure, but this post is not geared toward that subject, so I will refrain from giving my long-winded opinion on that.

So, to get back to the intent of this article. You're probably wondering why I would spend an entire post talking about a film with such horrible content. There are numerous PG-13 films with similarly bad content. But I feel Beowulf is especially dangerous because of its filmmaking style. The method of motion-capture 3-D animation is relatively new, and, as we all know, Hollywood is very rarely original. If Beowulf is a success - and perhaps even if it is not - I believe this stlye of moviemaking will become more and more frequent, just as the traditional 3-D animation of Pixar and such has become so popular. And Hollywood will only make the content worse. When they see that a certain movie with certain content is popular, they will use that style of film until it dies for the sole purpose of making money. This means that if all of these motion-capture films that follow Beowulf copy its content, this will be a ruined genre.

This is upsetting, as the motion-capture look is so amazing and impressive, that I would love to be able to see future films with this style. But if all of these types of films follow Beowulf's example, I may never get see one of them. Perhaps Hollywood should read this post and realize that they can keep their special effects and technical innovations that draw secular crowds, and provide clean stories that draw Christian crowds, and they will make big, big bucks.

But that will probably never happen. And Hollywood is paying for it. They are going bankrupt. Several weekends this year, box-office sales have been down 1,2, or even 5 percent from last year.

What makes matters worse for them (and better for us Christian filmmakers) is the strike declared by the Writer's Guild. If it lasts long enough, it could result in a $1 billion loss of potential profit for Hollywood and those involved with the industry.

Although it doesn't seem like it on the outside, Hollywood certainly is dying. The evidence is there. I believe the main reason is that they are not making stories people want. People can only take so much sex and special effects before they long for something deeper. That's why such films as the newly-released Bella, Facing the Giants, The Passion of the Christ, The Chronicles of Narnia, The Lord of the Rings, and numerous other films, some on a smaller scale, such as The Last Sin Eater and TimeChanger, have been so successful. Although some of these films have their flaws, for the most part they tell good, inspiring, solid, clean stories. They all have a deeper purpose than to just entertain.

That is why, if we work hard and honor God and rely on Him, we can redeem filmmaking and destroy Hollywood. What a glorious day that will be!

Apparently, next year will find Robert Zemeckis releasing A Christmas Carol, based on Dickens' classic. I don't know how they would ruin that film content-wise, besides making it scary, but it is obviously possible, seeing what they did to Beowulf. We can only pray that God will change Robert Zemeckis' heart and the hearts of others in Hollywood to use their talents for Christ and His glory. What a glorious day that would be!

God bless!

Geno

The Vision Cover Art

Well, I'm not able to upload the Green-Screen video that I wanted to, but I've got something even better...The COVER! This is the cover for 'The Vision'.

Yours Cheesey,

Dominic

The Vision: Behind the Scenes

Well, now that we're done with 'Loving the Enemy', it's time to start updating on our next project, 'The Vision'.

It's time to show some 'Behind the Scenes' photos from our pick-up shoot yesterday.

Isn't Geno's new beret AWESOME!

Yours Cheesey,

Dominic

P.S. I hope to post a video of our Green Screen tests soon. Check our website for some info on new projects.

'The Journal' Film Recommendation

I have just recently met Chad Stembridge through the Christian Media Forums, and he is already a very good friend of mine. He, too, is a young Christian Filmmaker, and his first commercial film is The Journal. I just had the opportunity to view The Journal and have already watched it twice, as well as all of the bonus features once. I encourage everyone else to consider purchasing this movie, if only to support the up-and-coming Christian film industry. It has a very good message and sports some impressive cinematography, as well as good acting and good direction. I have posted the trailer below:



Click Here to purchase and learn more.

God bless!

Geno

'SEEK' Finished

NOTE: 'SEEK' IS COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL

Here's the last of 'Seek'. Hope you all enjoy it!

God bless!

Geno



“What are you doing here!?” yelled Robert.

“I’m going with you!” she replied. “I have to. It’s the only way.”

“Then let’s go!” said Robert.

Wasting no time, he took Jenny by the hand, led her out of the alley, and explained where they were going.

The two rushed through the streets as quickly as possible. As people saw the glasses on Robert’s head, the alarm was raised. Several people took up a chase behind the two of them, and they were forced to take backstreets and alleyways to avoid being caught. Sirens became audible in the distance.

After many detours, the two could see Salem’s Street just fifty yards away. As they turned a corner, two men grabbed them forcefully. Without missing a beat, Robert broke his captor’s hold and quickly threw him head-first onto the street! He then knocked Jenny’s captor unconscious before he had a chance to defend himself, and the two continued on. They reached the street.

“Now what?” asked Jenny.

“I don’t know,” replied Robert. “Look for writing.”

They looked around, but saw nothing. The sirens were only a couple blocks away now. They reached the middle of the street. Then everything froze. There was no more noise. The people around them were suddenly frozen in place.

As they looked around in awe, Jenny spotted something lying in the street. “Look!” she said, pointing.

It was a book. They rushed over and picked it up. Even without the glasses currently on, Jenny found she could read what the book said. Only one page had writing.

It read: ‘You have done well in finding this Text. You have been given the ability to see that you are being hunted by the Reaper. He moves about invisibly, and strikes without warning. The Light is the only escape. You may live a long life here, where you are, but you will still be killed by the Reaper. You will still face death. The only way to True Life is found in The Light, what you call, The Wall. You have been given the ability to see. Leave the glasses, so that others may see. You must go into The Light. The choice is before you. Time is running out.’

Around them, time started slowly unfreezing. People were beginning to move again and sound was gradually returning. Robert looked Jenny deeply in the eyes.

“What should we do? We don’t have long,” he said.

She looked at him and smiled. He couldn’t believe it. He had expected her to be angry and upset, but she wasn’t. She was happy.

“We have to go,” she answered. “I have to go.”

Robert gripped her hand tightly. There was peace in his heart. Smiling back at her, he said: “Then let’s go together.”

Just as the people and sounds around them came fully back to life, Robert and Jenny took of toward The Wall.

Having been a police officer for several years, Robert knew his way around the streets, and he led Jenny in the safest way possible.

A police car approached from behind and quickly gained on them. The officer yelled orders over a loudspeaker for them to stop, but they continued on.

Ahead, Robert could see a train approaching the tracks they had to cross. Behind, the officer in the car was threatening to shoot as an officer in the passenger’s seat pointed a gun out the window.

“We’ve gotta beat that train!” Robert yelled to Jenny as they quickened their pace.

Behind them the car was only ten yards away. Ahead, the train was fast approaching and closing off their way of escape. Robert and Jenny took the best angle they could. As they approached the tracks, the train’s horn sounded with a deafening roar! The two took a giant leap in front of it! Behind they heard a gun go off and a bullet struck the tracks just beneath them.

They barely cleared the tracks as the train blew by behind them with incredible force.

They looked at each other and each took a deep breath. One hundred yards down the street was The Wall.

Having heard the gunshot and seen the commotion, the people on the streets disappeared into stores and wherever else they could find cover; cars pulled over as their inhabitants ducked down inside. This provided Robert and Jenny with a clear path to The Wall.

They made one final run for it. Soon, they passed the last of the stores. The gate was all that stopped them now.

“How are we going to get through?” asked Jenny.

Before Robert could answer, the chain unlocking the gate fell to the ground. The door was unlocked! They rushed through without hesitation. Now Robert realized how others were able to get through the gate so easily: the power of The Wall unlocked it for those trying to get inside.

They ran within fifteen feet of The Wall before they heard a voice behind them shout, “Freeze!” It was Jeff, whose jaw dropped as Robert and Jenny turned toward him.

“Rob, what are you doing? Is this some kind of joke?”

“No, Jeff, listen to me,” answered Robert. “The Wall isn’t what we thought it was.”

“You both must be insane. Now, please, don’t make me shoot you. We can work this out. We’re friends, right? Just take off those glasses and come over here peaceably.”

“Jeff, just listen,” said Jenny. “Put on the glasses. You’ll see that what we’re saying is true.”

“No,” answered Jeff angrily. “Now come over here.”

“I’m sorry, buddy,” replied Robert. “But we can’t.”

Robert suddenly removed the glasses and threw them toward his friend. As Jeff’s gaze was distracted by the glasses, Robert grabbed Jenny by the hand and, before Jeff could react, the two disappeared into The Wall.

Inside, Robert and Jenny found themselves suddenly engulfed in glorious light. A peace filled their hearts.

Just ahead, they could see the fog fading away, revealing a marvelous, golden street leading into a bright city. Singing voices filled the air.

“Are you ready to start over?” asked Robert.

Jenny smiled back at him. “The right way, this time.”

Without any more hesitation, the two walked into their new life, never to be seen on the other side again.

Back on the other side of The Wall, Jeff stared down at the glasses. His first impulse was to leave them alone. But as he looked, a sudden, unquenchable curiosity took hold of him.

Making sure no one was looking, he leaned down and picked them up, concealing them in his pocket. He had to learn more…

'SEEK' Continued

Here's some more of my short story. Hope you all enjoy it!

God bless!

Geno



‘You are being hunted. Someone is trying to kill you. The secret to Life lies in the Ancient Text. That is your only escape. Seek the text. You have been given the eyes to read what is therein transcribed.’

Robert removed the glasses, but the writing was still there! Nothing else was changed. He looked around the rest of the house and found nothing strange. His heart was racing now.
He crawled into bed, assuring himself that the letters would be gone in the morning and everything would be normal.

But upon waking the next day, he found the messages still there. Every thought of them and glance at them brought terror into his heart.

Quickly, Robert left the house and made his way to work, not wanting to be around the messages anymore. The glasses he left at home, now not sure what to do with them.
As he drove, a new phenomenon exposed itself: The Wall had changed its color overnight! It had gone from pitch black to bright white, still impossible to see through for the thickness, still looming above the city, but the highest pitch of white.

He expected to see everyone in a panic over the change, but no one else seemed to notice. After arriving at the station, he rushed inside to find Jeff getting ready to go out on his patrol.

“Jeff, what’s going on here?”

“What are you talking about?” replied Jeff.

“Haven’t you seen The Wall!?” cried Robert. “It’s changed color!”

Immediately Jeff rushed outside, followed closely by Robert. They stared at The Wall.

“What do you think happened to it?” Robert asked.

“Um, Robert, The Wall hasn’t changed. It’s the same as it is every day,” replied Jeff.

“What are you talking about? It’s pure white; can’t you see it?” answered Robert in surprise.

Jeff stared warily at his friend. He looked at The Wall again and shook his head. “It’s still black, Rob.”

Robert looked at him in wonder for a second, then grabbed his cell phone and dialed Jenny’s number. She worked only a few blocks away and was soon at the station.

“What is it, Robert?” she asked worriedly. “You seemed nervous on the phone.”

Robert looked at her, shocked. “Can’t you see? The Wall’s changed colors. It’s white!”

Jenny looked at The Wall and then back at Robert. “What are you talking about?” There was concern in her voice. “It’s still black.”

“Is this a joke?” inquired Jeff.

“No,” answered Robert. “It’s white! Why can’t you two see it?”

Jenny and Jeff exchanged worried glances.

“Rob, I think what happened last night did something to you. Why don’t you take some time off? I’ll go call the chief and tell him you need a break,” said Jeff, walking quickly inside.

Robert stared at Jenny in awe.

“You put those glasses on, didn’t you?” she asked, knowingly.
Suddenly Robert gasped. “You think-? But why would putting on those glasses do this, too?”

“What do you mean, ‘too’?”

“Look at my hand,” Robert said, showing her his right hand. “Do you see those words?”

Jenny looked closely. She shook her head. “I can’t see anything.”

Jeff came back out. “Rob, the chief said to head home and rest. He’ll take the time off your sick leave.”

Robert looked at Jenny. “Come with me. I’ve got to show you something.”

Soon they were both at Robert’s house. Robert quickly headed inside, followed closely by Jenny.

“Robert, did you put the glasses on or not?” she asked.

Robert ignored her and pointed to the writing on the wall. “Do you see this writing?”

Jenny peered closely. “I don’t see anything. Now, did you put on those glasses or not?”

Robert sighed and finally admitted, “Yes, I put on the glasses. And now I keep seeing these messages.”

“And what are they telling you?”

“The one on my hand just says: ‘Mark of Death’ and then words on my wall tell me that someone’s trying to kill me. It says the only escape is found in the Ancient Text.”

Robert fell on the couch in frustration.

“I don’t know what to think,” he groaned. “I don’t know what to do from here. In my heart I’ve got this horrible feeling that those words are true.”

“What’s the Ancient Text?” asked Jenny, concerned.

“I don’t know,” replied Robert. “I think the only to find out is to put the glasses back on.”

“Are you crazy!?” she exclaimed. “Look at what they’ve done to you already! You’re seeing things.”

“But I’m not just ‘seeing things’! This is real.”

The two stared at each other, neither knowing what to say. Finally, Robert broke the silence. “Jenny, why don’t you put the glasses on?”

“Are you crazy, Robert? Look what they’ve done to you. Why would I want that? Why would you want that for me?”

“Because they’re showing me the truth! I need to know whether I’m just imagining these things or if what I’ve seen is real.”

Jenny immediately wanted to refuse, but then she saw the glasses sitting on the counter. A sudden and surprising curiosity took hold of her. A strange feeling came into her heart. Was she being hunted as well? Were the glasses the only way out of the death that awaited her?

“Please,” begged Robert. “Just try them.”
“I can’t,” she answered.
Then a new thought entered Jenny’s mind, “Could the answers held by these glasses give her the happiness she longer for?” She longed to be truly happy, but no matter what she did, she never seemed to accomplish that. But as she looked at the glasses, there was something about them that told her they held the answer.

Despite the part of her mind telling her not to put on the glasses, she reached out and grabbed them.

Robert watched as Jenny slowly brought them to her eyes.

Looking around, everything seemed the same to her. Then it happened: looking down she saw the writing on her wrist, then she saw the writing on the wall. She saw it on Robert’s wrist as well. She ripped the glasses off of her face in terror.

“Do you see it!?” exclaimed Robert. “Do you see the messages?”

Jenny just stared at him, wide-eyed. “We’re both being hunted,” she finally gasped.

Robert grabbed the glasses. “I have to know what the Ancient Text is,” he said. “I’m putting them back on.” He slipped them onto his face again.

A message appeared on a different part of his wall: ‘Go outside. The glasses will lead you. Don’t be afraid.’

“But that won’t work,” thought Robert. “As soon as someone sees the glasses they’ll call the police and I’ll have to make a run for it.” He had been involved in many similar chases himself – only before he was the one doing the chasing. Suddenly he remembered, “the only people they ever caught were the ones who took the glasses off. Those who kept the glasses on escaped every time!”

Jenny’s voice interrupted his thoughts. “Do you see anything?”

“Yes. I have to go outside. The glasses will lead me to the answer.”

“You can’t do that!” she insisted. “They’ll arrest you – or worse.”

“I have to. The message says to not be afraid. Once I find whatever this is, I know it’ll help us. I have to go; I have to find the answer.”

He headed to the door, then turned back to Jenny.

“Don’t worry, I’ll be fine. And I’ll see you soon.” With that he disappeared outside.

He walked down the street with his head down, hoping no one would see the glasses. When he reached an alley, he disappeared inside and looked around for new messages. On a dumpster to his side he found writing, just as it appeared in his house: ‘The Text can be found at Salem’s Street.’

Salem’s Street was only a few blocks away – but it was one of the busiest streets in the entire city.

Anxiety came into Robert’s heart and he couldn’t move. Suddenly a person appeared in the alleyway. Robert looked up. It was a neighbor. Seeing the glasses on Robert’s face, the man gasped. Recovering, he yelled out: “Radical! Call the police!” and ran off to spread the word.

Robert prepared to take off down the street, but was stopped when Jenny appeared in the alleyway.

Short Story: 'SEEK'

Here's a short story I wrote for a contest. I entered the Popular Fiction category with my story classified as a Suspense/Thriller, although it probably could also be classified in the Mystery/Crime genre as well. Anyway, here's the first part of it. Hope you enjoy!
God bless!

Geno

P.S. I don't in any way recommend that you read any stories you find on the Writer's Digest website, particularly in the Popular Fiction section. In glancing through a few I found harsh and crude language; I only link to their site to alert any other writers of a place that hosts competitions they may be interested in.



The sun slowly became visible above the city’s skyline. Robert Chapman made his way to work just as he usually did, sipping his coffee, trying to shake the sleepiness out of his eyes. With all the traffic, it seemed the entire city of Acirema had the same schedule as he did.

After an upsetting forty-five minute drive, he finally reached the edge of the city, where he was currently stationed. He pulled his car into the parking lot. To his left was The Wall; a looming, black fog that marked the end of the city. It seemed to stretch on forever. Robert’s job was to guard it so that no one would venture into the place of death. They had lost many to The Wall. Radicals with misguided views of peace and happiness insisted that The Wall was a portal to a new life; a life void of suffering; a life full of joy. None of these people were ever seen again. Every time a new person was lost to The Wall, Robert and his co-workers hoped desperately that the victim’s radical ideas would die with them, but that never seemed to happen. Just two weeks ago, another had fallen victim to The Wall. Robert and his team were determined not to let it happen again.
Robert gazed at the hideous monster. The pitch black fog was impossible to see through, looming high into the sky as far as the eye could see. He turned his eyes away; looking at The Wall only filled him with fear; a strange fear, one he never felt on any other occasion, but entered his heart every time he looked at The Wall.

Tearing his eyes away, he walked inside to get dressed and ready for guard duty.
The day passed quickly and without incident – until 5:45, just fifteen minutes before Robert got off. He was looking forward to being done: he had a date with Jenny, his girlfriend, and wanted to go home and freshen up before picking her up. It would have been a great end to a great day. But at 5:45, the frantic voice of Jeff, his co-worker and good friend, came through the walkie-talkie: “Rob, we’ve got a problem! There’s a guy trying to get into The Wall – he’s coming right to your street! I’m in pursuit!”

“I’m on it!” Robert answered as he took off toward the enormous gate that blocked the city from The Wall. He opened the door, got out, locked it again, and took off down the street, hoping to cut off the radical as he came around the corner.

Robert drew his taser as he came around the corner of the last building on the street and looked in the direction he thought the criminal would come. But there was no one there. He scanned the area, looked across the intersection, yet still saw no one. Everyone who had seen Robert running had rushed into nearby buildings to hide in case there was gunfire.

Suddenly, behind him, Robert heard the gate open. He turned to see a man, in his early thirties, disappearing behind the gate and heading for The Wall.

“Ah!” thought Robert, “How did he get through?” Somehow these radicals always found a way through the gate, even though it was always locked.

But Robert didn’t miss a beat. He took off after the man as fast as he could go. He yelled: “Stop, stop! I’m a police officer, stop now!” But the man only glanced behind and ran faster than ever.

The radical was getting closer and closer to The Wall. Robert saw something strange about him: he didn’t seem afraid. He actually looked happy and calm, despite being chased and in danger of losing his life. And he was wearing a pair of glasses – white glasses, even the lenses were white. “What is it with these glasses?” thought Robert. “Every victim’s had a pair.” But he didn’t have time to think about that now. The man was only ten yards from The Wall, and Robert was about five yards behind him, gaining little ground.

Too far away to use it, Robert threw down his taser and pulled his gun. As the man drew within steps of The Wall, Robert stopped running and took aim. He froze for a second, unable to fire. He had never had to use his gun before. Now, he was going to kill a man with it. Robert shook the doubts and fears out of his head and, just before the man reached The Wall, fired. But the man ducked just as Robert pulled the trigger! The man dove right into The Wall, disappearing into the fog, laying his glasses on the ground as he rolled inside.
Robert rushed forward and tried to spy the man, but couldn’t see a thing. He looked down. Lying on the ground at his feet were the glasses. He gazed at them, suddenly mesmerized, unable to look away. “Don’t touch those,” his mind told him. But another voice in his mind answered, “If you put those on, maybe you can see what drives these people to do what they do.” He was rationalizing. To be found with glasses like these would mean losing his job and spending years in prison. But there was something about them, some mystery he needed to know. Curiosity got the best of him. Seeing no one around, he quickly picked up the glasses and slid them into his pocket.

A couple hours later, Robert found himself rushing to pick up Jenny, already late for his date. He had had to give his chief a report regarding the latest victim of The Wall, and it took more time than he thought it would.

It wasn’t the best night for Robert. He was distracted, unable to take his mind off the glasses that were still tucked away in his pocket. Jenny knew something was wrong, but didn’t say anything until they were in the car that evening.

They drove in silence until Jenny spoke up, “Robert, what’s wrong with you?”

“What do you mean?” he asked, not wanting to answer.

“You know what I mean. You’ve been distracted all night and I can tell something’s bugging you. Now what is it?”

Robert sighed and contemplated telling her. Finally, he forced the whole story out. As he finished, he drew the glasses out of his pocket.
Jenny’s mouth dropped and for a second she was unable to speak. Then she said forcefully: “Robert, you’ve got to get rid of those. If someone finds you with them you’ll be thrown in jail. Why would you take them in the first place!?”

“They’re for research,” Robert insisted, trying to convince himself as much as he was trying to convince Jenny.

“Research?” she answered, not believing him.

“I just want to know what drives these people to do what they do. Maybe once we know that, we’ll be able to stop them.”

“Robert, listen to me: don’t put those on. What if they make you become one of those radicals? You can’t risk it,” she insisted worriedly.

“There’s just something about them,” Robert said, gazing at the glasses. “I have to find out what it is. Every victim has had a pair of these – I need to know why.”

“You know, I think I’m gonna just go home tonight,” said Jenny, getting out of the car.

“But I thought we were gonna watch some TV. And you don’t have a car, how will you get home?”

“I only live a few blocks away; I’ll just walk.”

“You won’t tell anyone, will you?” he questioned.

“No,” she assured him. “But you’d better get rid of those soon if you want me to keep it that way. “You’re gonna get hurt.” And with that, she walked off down the street.

Robert got out of the car and headed inside. He locked all of the doors and closed the blinds on every window. Slowly he slipped the glasses out of his pocket and set them on the coffee table in front of his couch and sat, staring at them. He tried to resist putting them on, but to no avail; Robert’s curiosity got the best of him and he slowly reached out and took the glasses. Shakily, he brought them up toward his face until they rested in place.

He looked around. Everything seemed the same. He could see clearly through the bright, white lenses, and nothing looked any different. Then he looked down at his hand. Inscribed on his right hand were the words: ‘Mark of Death’. He frantically rubbed the letters, but they didn’t disappear!

Looking up, he spotted something else. On the wall were more letters, written in red, just as the letters on his hand were. He walked over and read these new words. Their message sent horrible chills down his spine.

Flags Of Our Fathers

Just last week I received Flags Of Our Fathers in the mail. I got the edited version of the film, and they took out about 15 or so minutes of footage at least. And still the movie's a solid 2 hours long, and still it is an absolute masterpiece, surpassing its companion, Letters From Iwo Jima in storytelling. The Flags book (youth version) is probably my favorite book, and I am currently reading it for the second time. It is powerful and endearing. The movie is the same. It is told in flashback from the perspectives of the 3 raisers of the American flag above Mount Suribachi in that ever-popular picture that has become a symbol of valor. As the book and movie show, however, the raising of the flag was barely noticed by those on the island. It was the second flag raised; it replaced the first one, which was taken by an officer as a souvenir. The first flag raising had been cheered on the island and on ships offshore. The second flag was barely noticed, as fighting on the other side of the island continued to rage, and the battle of Iwo continued for 35 days, resulting in the deaths of 3 of the 6 flag raisers.

The movie perfectly mixes the amounts of drama and action. Every time the story begins to drag there is a flashback to the battle of Iwo. The battles are expertly filmed. The coloring is outstanding, and it alone makes the film enjoyable to watch.

Flags is every bit as tragic as Letters, as well. The stories of the three surviving flag raisers, particularly the story of Pima Indian Ira Hayes, are quite sad. The characters are very real. Although others disagree, I felt that the acting was quite good and the characters were very 3-dimensional and easy to believe and feel for, at least the majority of the time.

The only thing I did not like was the underdevelopment of the other 3 flag raisers. However, this was inevitable, as there was already a ton of story to tell about the 3 flag raisers the movie focused on. If you want to really get to know the flag raisers, read the book (the youth version; the adult version contains a lot of profanity). Also, the ending of the movie is a bit drawn out, but the final shots really make up for that and are very powerful in a unique way.

I have seen edited versions of Saving Private Ryan, Black Hawk Down, Saints and Soldiers, and an un-edited version of Letters From Iwo Jima. Flags Of Our Fathers is the best of these, followed closely by Saints. Of course, they are all very good and very powerful, and I enjoy each one immensely, but Flags was simply the most powerful.

It's just too bad I've had to see edited versions of most of these films. Not one swear word added anything to any of them. It was all completely unnecessary. Flags has over 100 curse words - all unnecessary. The writer for the film is Paul Haggis, who previously wrote and directed Crash, which pretty much explains why Flags has so much language. To be quite honest, I feel language is a sign of unintelligent writing. If you can't think of a way to better display emotions than having your character drop an F-bomb, that is a lack of good storytelling. And it's not all "realistic." Not every soldier cussed. In the Flags book, the writer, James Bradley, son of flag raiser Doc Bradley, states that the one thing his mom liked about his dad was that he didn't swear. In the movie, of course, he swears several times, and not always in battle, either. After coming back to America, he still uses the F-word - in public. Back then, you simply didn't swear in public. That's pretty unrealistic, if you ask me. And not every soldier swore. In Flags, pretty much every character cusses at least once.

Thankfully, I got to see the edited version, which muted out the cuss words. I would have preferred that this company did the same as the company I used to buy edited movies from, and cut out the word completely, but at least I didn't have to hear all that bad language.

In all, I give Flags Of Our Fathers a 9 out of 10, ranking it just behind The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy, which I give 10 out of 10. If you can see it edited, do it. It's a great movie.

God bless!

Geno

Note: Just wanted to let everyone know, I had to use a couple TV spots rather than the trailer, because the trailer has a cuss word in it.

Monstrous Regiment

Here's a clip from the SAICFF award-winning and controversial documentary, The Monstrous Regiment of Women.



God bless!

Geno