Book Review: Redeeming Love, Prologue-Chapter 3

So, I have started reading Redeeming Love, by Francine Rivers. It is a now twenty year old novel that has touched the hearts of thousands.

It's the story of a prostitute during the 1850's who is ransomed by a man named Micheal Hosea and is based on the book of Hosea from the bible.

I just finished the startlingly intense prologue and was so wrapped in the story that I quickly flashed through three more chapters ( and only put the book down because I realized I had not eaten any breakfast.)

My impressions of the prologue and chapters 1-3 are that this book tells it like it is. Ms. Rivers writes about vary "adult topics" in a delicate way, but not in a way that sugar coats it. In the prologue we see the very sad story of a little girl who is basically sold into prostitution.

Sarah is just like any other little girl, wanting to be loved by her parents and to be delighted in. But because her parents were having an affair and her father made it clear that he did not want her, Sarah never received those gifts.

Finally after her mother's death, Sarah is sold to a man who would abuse her from the ages of 8-18.

Chapters 1-3, show us how she finally got away from the man but has been working for a madame in California during the gold rush. Given the name Angel, by her abuser, she now has no hope for any other life.

Micheal Hosea, a man of God, believes that Angel is the woman he is destined to marry and wants nothing but to save her from her nightmare of a life.

To say the least: I am hooked.

DVD Review: Real Steel: A Power Punch of Fatherly Love.

Today the Shawn Levy film Real Steel busts out onto DVD.

Real Steel staring Hugh Jackman and Evangeline Lilly (Kate from LOST), is set in the not too distant future, where boxing with humans has become passé and the world now turns to watching robots beat the oily snot out of each other.

Jackman’s character is a down on his luck, former boxer who is trying to make a buck and pay off his gambling debts by fighting ‘bots in underground fights and state fair bull rings. While he is trying to do this, his former girlfriend dies, leaving him with an estranged son.

The movie is actually just rock ‘em sock ‘em robots with Wolverine and that kid from Phantom Menace (though much less annoying and a way better dancer).

Over all the movie is a fun flick and worth checking out, though it was a little to “auto-tuned” for my taste, (in other words, the makers were trying too hard to be cool). I will say that the heart-warming father/son storyline and the excellent acting, makes it a great movie to bring home for the kids.

The DVD and Blu-Ray comes with special features like bloopers and deleted scenes and would be the perfect “guys night in” flick.

Real Steel is rated PG-13 for some violence, intense action and brief language.

Movie Review: War Horse 2011

War Horse is a critically acclaimed War/Feel Good/Guy/Chick Flick movie.

Now it may not be strange to see a couple of single ladies having a girls night out, but for those two reasonably attractive woman to not only be without dates but also going to see a “guys movie” it becomes something odd.

I recently went to see War Horse with a friend and seeing as she didn’t want to watch Breaking Dawn, we were stuck going to a movie about a young man’s beloved horse who is sold to the British army during WWI.

Surprisingly the film is enjoyable and a great piece of cinematography. With blazing battle scenes, hobbit style rolling hills and Black Beauty moments galore, it is probably the most perfectly bipolar movie that I have ever seen.
It truly would make the perfect date movie, with gushy horse loving scenes followed by guys getting blown up with “ancient” weaponry.

Adapted from the 1982 children's novel by Michael Morpurgo, and the 2007 stage play of the same name, War Horse is defiantly worth a look-see and will probably be remembered as one of the better movies of 2011 (though, that’s not really saying much).

If nothing else the movie does make a good chick flick, because of all the WWI soldiers in their spiffy uniforms and of course the rising star Jeremy Irvine:

'Nough said.