Watched "Blind Side" last night on DVD. I'm no big fan of Sandra Bullock, but she was very good in this movie as the mom who takes in a basically homeless black boy known as "Big Mike" and makes him a part of her family. Inspirational and thought-provoking, the story concerns wealthy and sharp-tongued Lee Ann Tuohy(Bullock's character) and her family adapting to this rather large, quiet young man who has kept a gentle and calm attitude about himself all through the hard knocks of his life. He's accepted along with another boy into a Christian school in the hopes of both educating him as well as getting him onto the football team. His knowledge is limited, but it's quickly proven that he isn't stupid, simply that he needs extra help to catch up. Kathy Bates plays his tutor, and she is good in the role. Ray McKinnon has a nice part as the football coach who has to take some heat from Bullock's character. The movie delves into the emotional conflicts and reactions of the various characters to this Sphinx-like boy. Conflicts are caused over his living with this wealthy white family who are huge Ole Miss fans. Lee Ann's friends are clueless, other students spread rumors, issues are raised about Mike's background, and a huge question is raised over his choosing Ole Miss as the school he wants to attend and play ball for over other good offers. An enjoyable movie, good story, excellent casting, and it raises good questions about issues of responsibility and accountability,what is truly important in our lives, and what motivates us to be the people we are. Bullock totally deserves the Oscar she won for this role.

Feel good movie

I watched "Akeela and the Bee" last evening. Even though it was released in 2006, and been on TV mulitiple times, I had not seen it before. I enjoyed it quite a bit. The story concerns an 11 year old middle schooler (Keke Palmer), whose father had been killed when she was 6, and whose mother (Angela Bassett) works constantly with no time for Akeela or the rest of her children. A teacher realizes Akeela has a talent for spelling, encourages her, and invites a professor friend (Laurence Fishburne) to see her in action in a local bee. Fishburne's character is impressed, agrees to coach her for the district bee, which if she wins, she would have a chance at the national bee in Washington, D.C. School problems, home issues, peer pressures, and emotional upheaval are all a part of the story--and the problems are not just Akeela's: her mother, her friend Georgia, her fellow competitors, and even the professor all have their own griefs and needs and hurts. But, as this is an inspirational, feel good movie, Akeela ties them all together in her quest for the national championship and everyone learns something about themselves and each other and life in general. Palmer is really effective as Akeela,  she does an excellent job as a kid who knows she's different but tries to hide it in order to fit into school, and it's interesting to watch her mature in her outlook as she works with Fishburne's professor toward her goal; and Bassett does a very credible job as the tough talking mom trying to hold things together for her family but somehow missing the boat on this gift her child has. Agreeable entertainment with a positive message.

Watched a good little film the other night called "Forever Strong".

I'm not really a huge fan of sports themed films, but this one had been recommended by a friend as a good inspirational movie for family viewing, and they loaned me their copy. Definitely watchable. The main story concerns a basically selfish,teenage boy who considers himself a superstar player on his coach father's high school rugby team and is heading down a path to nowhere, esp. with alcohol, has a car accident while drinking which nearly kills his girlfriend, and is sentenced to a juvenile detention home until he's 18. As part of his rehab, he's given the chance to play for a rival rugby team, Highland, and in doing so, he becomes part of a real team, learning their values, etc., and manages to turn his life around. Yes, it sounds sappy and silly and overly dramatic, but it's better than that. The characters are well drawn, some mystery exists between the two coaches of the rival teams (the boy's dad and the Highland coach), the feelings of being torn between right and wrong, a parent's anguish at being separated from your child, death, redemption, etc. Never quite realized how violent a game rugby is, and how fanatical fans are about the game. No huge names in this movie--Gary Cole, Neal McDonough, Sean Faris; I guess Sean Astin could be considered a big name actor since his "Lord of the Rings" fame, but his role in this, while pivotal, does not give him large amounts of screen time. I found this a worthwhile flick.