THE INN OF THE SIXTH HAPPINESS

THE INN OF THE SIXTH HAPPINESS - 1958

RATING - NR but probably G. VERY family friendly.

RATED - 68 Amazon (4.5/5), 1,010 IMBD (7.1/10)

AWARDS - One Academy Award & two BAFTA nominations.

STARRING - Ingrid Bergman

THEMES - Love, self-sacrifice, justice.

STORY - THE INN OF THE SIXTH HAPPINESS is an Academy Award nominee epic starring Ingrid Bergman as Gladys Aylward, a young British maid who, despite being turned down by the China Mission in London, is determined to go to China as a missionary. Based on the novel, 'The Little Woman', which is based on the true story of Aylward, this is the story of her life in a small village in the heart of China. There she meets up with an older missionary lady who is trying to restore an old inn into an inn for the mule caravans that pass thru the village. The two women finally get it fixed up and then they must attract their customers, a very amusing scene. At first not trusted by the locals, she eventually wins their confidence thru her sacrificial lifestyle and even sees the conversion of a powerful Mandarin in a very moving scene. When the Japanese invade, the lives of many orphans are threatened and Gladys (now Jenai) must find a way to lead the 100 children to safety. This is a wonderful film with adventure and drama and, of course, a little romance thrown in. Well worth watching. They just don't make these kind of films anymore where virtue and self-sacrifice are emphasized the way they are in THE INN OF THE SIXTH HAPPINESS. Lu G. for Lu's Reviews. 11/10/2007.

LINKS - AMAZON, IMBD

THE BELLS OF ST. MARY'S

THE BELLS OF ST. MARY'S - 1945

RATED -NR but a VERY family friendly film

STARRING - Ingrid Bergman & Bing Crosby

AWARDS - One Academy Award (Best Sound) and seven other Academy nominations including Best Picture.

RATINGS - 39 Amazon (4.5/5), 1,633 IMBD (7.4/10) TV Guide (5/5)

THEMES - Faith, reconciliation, teamwork, love

STORY - Probably saying Bing Crosby & Ingrid Bergman in the same sentence would be enough. They were both at the top of their game. Crosby is Father O'Malley who is the new pastor assigned to help the financially troubled St. Mary's. Bergman is Sister Benedict who runs the school. She has great faith that all of their problems will be resolved by praying and O'Malley sees the solutions from a more worldly view. They immediately clash when O'Malley gives the students a holiday his first day on the job, much to Bergman's frustration. That is only the beginning of their differences. They both live under the tension of financial pressure that may force them to sell the school. They had already sold their playground to raise money to repair the ancient building. Will the school survive and will they survive each other? Will faith and prayer carry the day or will it be up to O'Malley to work a more practical solution? A wonderful story and, of course, a few songs thrown in. A reminder that 'feel good' movies can be entertaining and while the 'realism' of the 1940's may not be the 'realism' of today, it is a very worthwhile film. A genuine classic. Lu G. for Lu's Reviews. 11/3/2007.

LINKS - AMAZON, IMBD

NOT ONE LESS

NOT ONE LESS - 2000

RATED - G

AWARDS - Many awards & nominations at various film festivals.

RATINGS - 69 Amazon (4.5/5), Roger Ebert (3/4), 2,942 IMBD (7.5/10)

THEMES - Persistence, love, relationships, overcoming obstacles.

STORY - NOT ONE LESS is in the same category as CHILDREN OF HEAVEN and THE COLOR OF PARADISE. If you like children (especially adorable Chinese children), are interested in education (anybody who's ever been a substitute teacher will definitely identify with Wei-students are no different in rural China than anywhere else when it comes to taking advantage of substitutes), interested in learning about other cultures (we should all be interested in China), then this is a wonderful film. Definitely a film that can be watched by the whole family (should be old enough to read the sub-titles which are not hard). Foreign film makers definitely seem to have the knack of making films that are extremely interesting without all the special effects and craziness that American films seem to need to appeal to audiences. Like the other two mentioned, this is a film about people, real people actually as these are not professional actors. ENJOY!! Lu G. for Lu's Reviews. 10/27/2007.

LINKS - AMAZON, IMBD, TRAILER, ROGER EBERT

BRIAN'S SONG

BRIAN'S SONG - 1971

RATED - G, very family friendly

AWARDS - Emmy, Peabody plus many nominations.

RATINGS - 50 Amazon (5/5), 2,483 IMBD (7.6/10)

THEMES - Courage, love, friendship, racial reconciliation.

STORY - This 1971 EMMY AWARD winning film about the friendship between Gale Sayers and Brian Piccolo of the Chicago Bears is one of the great sports and human interest stories. Brian & Gale were rookies together in 1965, both running backs and great college football players. They became the first black and white players to room together on the Bears. It's hard to believe it was only 40 years ago and many teams still had not broken the racial barriers off the field. I remember watching it on TV when it first aired and it was as good or better the 2nd time. Their friendship transcended their racial difference and their competition for the same position into a genuine love and respect for each other. As Gale experiences a potential career ending injury and Brian is diagnosed with cancer, their friendship grows into something very special. The selflessness of Brian helping Gale to recover from his injury which will ultimately put him back on the bench after replacing Gale is an inspiration. A great family film and especially for young athletes. Many clips of Gale's outstanding touchdown runs and he was one of the all time greats. Have a Kleenex handy for the end. Enjoy!! Lu G. for Lu's Reviews. 10/27/2007.

LINKS - AMAZON, IMBD

CHILDREN OF HEAVEN

CHILDREN OF HEAVEN - 1999

RATING - PG for mild language.

AWARDS - 1999 Academy Award nominee for Best Foreign Language film.

THEMES - Relationships, family, forgiveness.

RATINGS - 141 Amazon (5/5), Roger Ebert (4/4), 3,230 IMBD (7.9/10)

STORY - This 1999 Academy Award nominee for Best Foreign Picture and Award Winner at the Montreal, Newport & Singapore Film Festivals is one of the most delightful, heartwarming pictures I've seen in a long time. As good as the story is, I'd watch it just for the insight into Iranian culture. A chance to see something of the people of Iran. No nukes or bombs, just a look at every day life in Iran. Put it at the top of your list to see. The following is from Amazon: "Triumphant prizewinner at many prestigious film festivals, this uplifting, crowd-pleasing story of family and love was also nominated for an Academy Award(R) as Best Foreign Language Film. When Ali loses his sister Zahra's school shoes, this young pair dream up a plan to stay out of trouble: they'll share his shoes and keep it a secret from their parents! But if they're going to successfully cover their tracks, Ali and Zahra must carefully watch their step on what rapidly turns into a funny and heartwarming adventure! A magical motion picture acclaimed by critics and audiences alike, CHILDREN OF HEAVEN is a charming treat you'll love too. " Roger Ebert sums it up so well: "``Children of Heaven'' is very nearly a perfect movie for children, and of course that means adults will like it, too. It lacks the cynicism and smart-mouth attitudes of so much American entertainment for kids and glows with a kind of good-hearted purity. To see this movie is to be reminded of a time when the children in movies were children and not miniature stand-up comics." Lu G. for Lu's Reviews 10/27/2007

LINKS - AMAZON, IMBD, ROGER EBERT

OLIVER

OLIVER! - 1968

RATING - G (There is some violence and darkness themes that may be a little too much for young children. Otherwise, a great family film.)

AWARDS - 4 Academy Awards including Best Picture plus 5 additional nominations. AFI Top 100 nominee. BAFTA Best Picture nominee.

RATINGS - Ebert (4/4), 109 Amazon ratings (4.5/5), IMBD (7.6/10)

STORY - OLIVER! is the musical adaptation of Charles Dickens famous story Oliver Twist. It is the story of young Oliver Twist who is orphaned and escapes his foster home after first being expelled from the orphanage. He ends up on the streets of 19th Century London where he is 'recruited' by another orphan who is part of a gang of pickpockets who work the streets for their master every day. They are only too happy to have Oliver 'consider himself a part of the family' and learn the trade. In addition to being an outstanding musical, it is a social commentary on England and its attitude toward orphans and child labor, a passion of Charles Dickens. The music, costumes, choreography and settings are all terrific. It deserves every award it received. A classic for the ages. The songs will stay with you long after the movie. Roger Ebert said it best, 'I GUESS IT IS AS WELL MADE AS A MOVIE CAN BE'. If you want to buy it, Amazon has a DVD/SOUNDTRACK combo at very reasonable price. Lu G. for Lu's Reviews. 10/20/2007.

LINKS - AMAZON, IMBD, ROGER EBERT

PATH TO WAR

PATH TO WAR - 2002 HBO TV

RATING - NR but probably PG for tense situations & some language.

AWARDS - GOLDEN GLOBE + 17 Other Nominations

STARRING - Alec Baldwin, Donald Sutherland, Michael Gambon

RATINGS - 19 Amazon (4.4/5), IMBD (7.4/10)

STORY - PATH TO WAR is an HBO film, almost a docudrama, about the war in Vietnam-not the one fought on the battlefield but the one being fought in the White House. Donald Sutherland (Clark Clifford) and Alec Baldwin (Robert McNamara) are outstanding and Michael Gambon (Lyndon Johnson) also turns in a terrific performance of a President fighting the battles of ego and conscience. LBJ was a very complex personality and much of that persona comes through in the film. The eerie part is the comparison between then and now-a President from Texas, with two daughters, a divided country, fighting a war that doesn't seem winnable, against an enemy that is hard to quantify. In fact, it seems like many times during the movie you could just substitute Iraq for Vietnam and it would fit perfectly. Combines actual newsreel footage in the film making it feel even more real. Obviously, a very traumatic period in American history, this is a fascinating look behind the scenes at how we got into Vietnam and, finally, the decision LBJ made to start the peace process and not run for re-election so he could concentrate on ending the war. Sadly, he never lived to see the official end to the war. Watching this and THE FOG OF WAR, the Academy Award winning documentary about Robert McNamara, gives a great inside look at the people behind the decisions that affect millions of people, here and abroad. You see the human frailties as well as strengths. At one point, LBJ was complaining to Clark Clifford about the advice he had been given, and Clifford looked him in the eye, and told him that no matter what the decisions had been there were his and he alone had to take responsibility. A very powerful film worth watching. While younger children probably won't be interested anyway, there is some language (LBJ was no saint) and a little bit of violence during the anti-war rallies. Lu G. for Lu's Reviews. 10/20/2007.

LINKS - AMAZON, IMBD