Last Holiday

—1. Overview
—2. Cast and Crew
—3. Photo Pages
—4. Trailers, Clips, DVDs, Books, Soundtrack
—5. Posters (Queen Latifah)
—6. Production Notes (pdf)
—7. Spiritual Connections
—8. Presentation Downloads

(Minor Spoliers Included)

Have you ever been mad at God?

Have you ever felt like He has forsaken you? Was there a time when you felt the Man Upstairs had given you an unfair shake in the game of life? Have you ever felt as if He’s ignored all of your hopes, dreams and prayers? Have you ever felt like walking up to the praise and worship leader at church and punching him in the stomach as he so animatedly compels you and demands that you “Praise The Lord for all He has done� while your life is in shambles? Have you ever sat in church and stared blankly at all those people who happily clap their hands, stomped their feet and worshipped Him while comparing their lives to your own, and wondered to yourself, “Why me, Lord?�

If you’ve ever felt that way, then this movie is for you!

Georgia Byrd (Queen Latifah), a salesperson in the cookware section of a big department store, has seemingly felt that way about God all of her life. When we meet her in the opening frames of Last Holiday—set during the Christmas and New Year’s season—we see a woman who is the total antithesis of the actor who portrays her. Georgia seems to be gearing up for a life of spinsterhood. Her hair is pulled in a bun. She walks the streets of New Orleans nervous and unsure of herself. She has desires and passions that she keeps hidden under the surface as well as in a scrapbook called “Possibilities.� Her three biggest passions are for cooking (she faithfully watches “Emeril� every night, cooking the same dishes he makes on his show—but never eats them herself), a lavish European hotel famous for its chef and his culinary delights, and for her longtime co-worker Sean (LL Cool J). Georgia teeter-totters on the edge of two of her passions by demonstrating her cooking abilities on the merchandise she sells and also by purchasing numerous items in Sean’s area—just to be ever so close to him.

During one of her “stolen moments� with Sean, Georgia suffers one of those klutzy and atypical bumps on the head (a staple of any good romantic comedy) and is rushed to the store’s doctor (!) who has an MRI machine (!!) ready to examine the damage of Georgia’s blow to the head. Our forsaken heroine finds out that she has a rare brain disease and only has 3 weeks to live. She reacts in shock, sadness (obviously) and disappointment with God. The scene I described in the first paragraph of this review comes to life in the film when Georgia stands with her church’s choir stand vents her frustration with God by asking that fateful question, “Why me, Lord?!� In the background is a church full of people happily clapping their hands, stomping their feet, and worshipping Him—and completely oblivious to Georgia’s plight. But, instead of spending the rest of her time (not to mention the audience’s 90 minutes) crying and sulking, Georgia quits her miserable job and spends her life savings on one last holiday at the aforementioned lavish European hotel.

Upon arrival, the “ugly duckling� immediately transforms into a beautiful swan. She takes a helicopter into the hotel (we discover that the last time that was done at the hotel was when Elton John stayed there—so she must be somebody big, powerful and special); she stays in the Presidential suite of the hotel (only because the suite she booked wasn’t ready when she arrived); she gets spa treatments and goes on lavish shopping sprees; lastly, she dispenses pearls of wisdom and gains the favor of just about everyone she meets in the hotel including the bellhops and concierges, the famous chef in her “Possibilities� book (Gérard Depardieu) who is totally smitten by her love for his food, and her local congressman (Giancarlo Esposito) who is vacationing there as part of an entourage of Matthew Kragen (Timothy Hutton), the multimillionaire owner of the department store that Georgia just quit. Also part of Kragen’s entourage is his secretary and (reluctant) mistress (Alicia Witt) who doesn’t quite get the message that she’s nothing more than an easy-access roll-in-the-sack to Kragen. Georgia’s presence and favor with Kragen’s entourage ultimately causes him to be jealous of her. He devises a plan to prove to his cronies that, although they’re smitten by her, all that glitters isn’t necessarily gold.

No one is more shocked than Georgia to see the favor that is bestowed upon her. Throughout the film she looks up to God bewildered and confused with that patented “I Must Be Dreaming� look on her face. People (except for Kragen) are drawn to her not simply because of her looks or her style or sense of humor. They’re drawn to her because her inner presence is radiant. There is genuineness about Georgia that compels people to reconsider their choices in life. Georgia becomes the living embodiment of that Tim McGraw song, “Live Like You Were Dying.�

Last Holiday is a funny and inspiring film. By far, it’s Queen Latifah’s best starring role. She, like the character she plays, prances across the Panavision screen with radiance and beauty. The audience is drawn to her just as the folks at the hotel are. The film is also quite hilarious. We laughed so hard at some parts that I’ve got to see the film again just to catch all the lines I missed from the audience’s uproarious laughter.

As good as Latifah is, LL Cool J is just as good as her leading man. He plays a simple guy who’s just as passionate about Georgia as she is about him. There is definitely some good chemistry between the two of them. The rest of the supporting cast gets good marks too… especially Gérard Depardieu as the chef. You can barely understand what he’s saying thanks to his heavy French accent (thank God for subtitles!) but the fondness and love he develops for Georgia transcends the verbal realm.

Ultimately, as I said before, this story takes a humorous approach to a serious subject—and not just the prospect of seeming impending death. It’s a film about a crisis of faith. Many times we have felt forsaken and abandoned by God because of tragedy, suffering, or for what we feel is an unfair shake dealt by Him. Ultimately this “last holiday� was God’s way of proving to Georgia that He did indeed love her and care for her. Through this trip, He awakened the desires of her heart, He used her to be a blessing to everyone she met, and He gave her the freedom to be the Georgia she was scared to be for most of her life.

As we watch Last Holiday, let us think about our own lives. Let us think about the times we may have been mad at God because He’s seemingly forsaken us. And may this simple little film help us realize that He does love us and will never leave nor forsake us. May this simple little film be used by God to awaken the true passions within each of us. Then we, too, can be a blessing to everyone we meet and, ultimately, gain the freedom to be the people He created us to be.

Glory Road (Spoilers Included Throughout This Review)

—1. Overview
—2. Cast and Crew
—3. Photo Pages
—4. Trailers, Clips, DVDs, Books, Soundtrack
—5. Posters (Josh Lucas)
—6. Production Notes (pdf)
—7. Spiritual Connections
—8. Presentation Downloads

I’m a sucker for a good sports film. They are so euphoric and energetic. Even though the game being played on screen is fictitious and the outcome can be seen from miles away (and even though, at times, the source material is a true story with an already publicized outcome), I still find myself on the edge of my seat cheering with every scored point and cringing at every strikeout, missed touchdown catch, or missed 3 point shot at the buzzer. That’s the mark of a good sports movie—when I feel as euphoric as if I’m in the arena watching a real life game.

File Glory Road in the “good sports movie� category. It’s loaded with energy and left me very euphoric. This film is based on the true story of the 1966 NCAA champion Texas Western University college basketball team. At the start of the film, the team’s new coach Jim Haskins (played with energy and vigor by Josh Lucas) finds himself at the helm of a desperately under-talented basketball team due to the lack of support by Texas Western’s administration and boosters (unofficial benefactors of the team). Coach Haskins has a plan that’s totally out of the box. Since most of the mainstream (White) players scoff at the thought of playing for his tiny little school, he recruits (and sends his coaching staff to recruit) Black players. As with most sports films—and films that deal with racial issues—the players initially reject his offer then reluctantly accept it. What follows next is 90 minutes filled with the obligatory scenes with the players complaining about his training methods; the conflicts—and later the bonding—between the Black and White players; players with grade issues, girl issues and health issues; and the customary “am I doing the right thing� soul searching speech by the head coach. In addition, we’re treated to some pretty exciting scenes of basketball that will leave audiences hanging on the edge of every slam-dunk and 20- foot shot.

We are also shown the team’s seemingly non-stop struggle with racist attitudes and behavior throughout the film. As mentioned before, this film takes place during the 1965-66 basketball season—smack dab in the middle of the Civil Rights Movement. The Black players are initially rejected by their home crowd—especially by the aforementioned boosters who can’t understand why Coach Haskins has loaded his team with so many coons/Coloreds/niggers. As usual, once the wins start piling up they have a change of heart. Once they take their show on the road, however, the racism becomes decidedly more violent. One player is viciously assaulted in a men’s bathroom at a restaurant following a game. Coach Haskins gets hate mail loaded with threats. The team as whole gets cursed at, spit upon, and their hotel rooms get desecrated with “Nigger Go Home� spelled on the walls in blood. No matter how many times we see displays of racism against African Americans on screen or in the history books, it still leaves us deeply affected—and, for me personally, sometimes angry and disillusioned at the White race as a whole. I especially get upset when I’m called out for expressing my anger at stuff that happened so many years ago. Then again, I realize (of course) that it’s not one singular race that’s the problem. The problem is that those individuals allowed Satan to infuse them with the spirit of hatred. That’s a very interesting paradox considering, in spite of what their belief system clearly states, the South was known as “The Bible Belt� where the upholding of God’s/Christ’s standards reigned supreme. Thankfully, those in the South who chose to uphold the standards of 1 Corinthians 13 were able to break the spirit of racism and hatred.

Coach Haskins did his part to dismantle that spirit by doing something unheard of at the time: he started and played the entire Black roster of his team during the championship game— something that, according to the film, the White players accepted and agreed to (the actual accounts tell a different story). By doing so, he forced the opponents, the crowds and the naysayers to respect those men not as Black men who could play the game of basketball, but simply as men who could play the game.

Despite the heavy subject matter, Glory Road is, first and foremost, a sports movie—and a darn good one at that. We’ve seen this story numerous times—and, this being a Disney film, that Disney touch is laid on nice and thick. But, in spite of all that, we, the audience, will still clap, cheer, and walk out of the theatre with big grins and warm, fuzzy feelings in our hearts. Speaking of walking out of the theatre—I advise you not to walk too fast. The closing credits feature interviews with the real life Coach Haskins, his players, and their most notable opponent in that fateful game: legendary coach Pat Riley (a member of the Kentucky squad who lost at the hands of Texas Western).

Glory Road is an excellent film—a great way to kick off the 2006 film year. It was as euphoric as a sports film can be and as touching as any true life story can be.

— Overview

Brokeback Mountain

Those of us who have labeled Brokeback Mountain as “the gay cowboy love story� have it wrong—Dead Wrong. It’s not a movie about cowboys. It’s not a love story. It’s not even a movie about gay men. Instead, it’s a movie about a subject that haunts all of us regardless of gender, culture, spiritual beliefs or sexual orientation.

It’s a film about isolation.

Ennis Del Mar (Heath Ledger) has sold his mind, body and soul to the evil spirit of isolation. His life is plagued by what his wife Alma (Michelle Williams) refers to as “all that loneliness.� His isolation is captured in his posture, his body language, and especially in his heavily mumbled voice. He is truly detached from not only the world, but from his very soul.

When Ennis meets Jack Twist (Jake Gyllenhaal) on that fateful mountain, and Jack continuously presses him to engage in some sort of conversation, his isolated world is threatened. Jack possesses a force that is pushing Ennis, luring him and calling after him. Contrary to popular belief, that force is not lust, as many folks in both the Christian and secular media have perceived after witnessing the cold and blustery night in which their bodies—and souls—are joined together. The force that is drawing Ennis to Jack is the one thing that Ennis has lacked for all of his life: the desire for Connection.

That’s our #1 God-given need: Connection. Our souls desperately long for Vertical Connection (with God/Jesus Christ) and Horizontal Connection (with one another). To ignore the pursuit of either connection leads to life that is characterized by isolation and withdrawal—which ultimately opens our souls to a myriad of temptations from the evil one. The stuff that Paul lists in 1 Corinthians 6:9-10—which disqualifies ALL OF US from inheriting God’s kingdom—is rooted and grounded in our willful decision to forsake Vertical and Horizontal Connection and to dwell in isolation. This film has reignited the oft-debated subject of homosexuality and its (unofficial) standing as The Most Sinful of All Sins. One could use this argument to label homosexuality as a result of a lack of Vertical and Horizontal connection. But as we go down Paul’s/Christ’s list, we can conclude that our own self hatred and inferiority towards our neighbors and competitors (slander), our lust for money, power and prestige (greed), our narcissism and worship of material things (idolatry), an endless stream of corporate scandals that rob hardworking people of their hard earned money (swindlers), the destruction of families at the hands of divorce (adultery), and living in a society where at the click of a button, we can download the latest Jenna Jameson movie are by-products of the same lack of Connection. If we tell the truth, all of us know full well that we need Connection like fish need water to survive. If we tell a bigger truth, we’ll admit that we’re too damn scared to go after Connection. So we settle for other things… like slander, greed, idolatry and sexual immorality.

Whatever our sins may be, they’re all rooted and grounded in our inability to pursue Vertical and Horizontal Connection.

Ennis Del Mar settled for a disconnected, empty marriage that is merely a substitute for what he feels is the real thing. He freely gave his body to his wife, but nothing more. During one of their love scenes, Ennis even tries to replicate the same manner of physical connection that he had up on the Mountain with Jack but to very different results. Shortly thereafter, via a postcard, the “real thing� is reintroduced back into Ennis’s life—and explained to his wife as Jack being an old “fishing buddy.� We see Ennis incredibly anxious and fidgety as he waits for Jack to arrive at his apartment. When Jack’s beat up Ford truck pulls up, Ennis barrels downstairs with the anticipation of a 6-year old on Christmas morning where the two old friends hug—then embrace—then proceed to a hidden corner where they reignite their Horizontal Connection with the fury of two speeding freight trains colliding head on. It is then that we discover the first victim of their “collision�: Ennis’s wife Alma. The shock and awe that is displayed on Michelle Williams’s face alone is worthy of a Supporting Actress Oscar nomination; her subsequent journey into a chasm of deception, betrayal and pain becomes supporting evidence of why the Academy should remember her performance.

Back on that fateful mountain, Jack gives Ennis a golden opportunity to make their Horizontal Connection permanently secure. He proposes that they buy a ranch, get some horses and sheep, and live forever connected. Ennis refuses, citing his marriage, and the fear of being “outed,� as excuses to continue to live in the abyss of his own isolation and disconnection. The years pass on, Jack gets married, Ennis gets divorced and eventually hooks up with another woman—with his spirit of isolation guiding him every step of the way. That isolation ultimately destroys his new relationship as well as putting a strain on the relationship between him and his oldest daughter. But the two men still make their annual Reconnecting Summit at Brokeback Mountain. After years of these pilgrimages, Jack gives Ennis an ultimatum, one last chance to break the cycle of isolation by fulfilling their dream of being together. Ennis, once again, forsakes his need for Connection and the two men never see each other again. Ultimately, a tragic event forces Ennis to come to grips with his own isolation and, through the marriage of his daughter, he makes a small, yet bold step to come out of the abyss of isolation and into the realm of Connection.

While the theme of isolation struck a major chord within my soul—as I continue to struggle with the spirit of isolation in my own life and the sin by-products of my decision—I strongly disagree with the mainstream critics’ view of this film being a “landmark love story.� I never got a real sense of Ennis and Jack being truly in love with each other. Their "love" was hardly a “force of nature� as the film's tagline states. As I mentioned throughout this review, I think that Ennis was trapped in his own isolation while Jack, on the other hand, was more driven toward the aforementioned “substitutes� for connection—mainly sexual immorality. I just did not buy into the “love story� that is suggested by the film’s marketing. The classic love stories of cinema all feature deep connections by their given protagonists. In those stories, it’s the love that drives and motivates the characters, not the other stuff. In this film, our protagonists are clearly driven by other things… but love is not one of them.

Some of you may be shocked that ended up seeing the film after I stated in the roundtable that I wasn’t going to see the film because I was fearful of seeing its sexuality displayed on screen. In retrospect, I realize that my fears were driven by the same sort of hysteria that has folks believing that the Harry Potter movies are going to drive children headlong into witchcraft. We are so quick to pass judgment on a work of art based solely on what we’ve heard someone else say instead of having the guts to investigate for ourselves. The fact is that, while some scenes between Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal do feature intense sexual situations, there are also HETEROSEXUAL sex scenes that are just as intense. In addition, the film DOES NOT show Ledger and Gyllenhaal hopping in bed with each other every 15 minutes either. Other films such as Wedding Crashers, the American Pie films, The 40 Year Old Virgin and even the Austin Powers films contain much more intense sexual content than this film does. Listening to the media had me believing otherwise. But I never would have known this had I not seen for myself. I am very thankful to God for giving me the spirit and the courage to judge for myself instead of other peoples' hearsay. I also want to thank fellow HJ staffers Elisabeth Leitch and Mike Furches for seeing the film with me and helping to get over my unfounded (and ultimately silly) fears and trepidations.

In the end, Brokeback Mountain just may walk away with the Best Picture Oscar. I don’t think it deserves it… in fact, I think the film is one of the most overrated films I’ve ever seen. But it’s definitely not to be ignored. A landmark love story? I think not. An intriguing case study of the damage caused by a lifetime spent forsaking Connection? A definite yes.