Movie Review: *****Seabiscuit (2003)

Seabiscuit 2003  This movie was totally delightful.  Seabiscuit is the horse.;   It features Jeff Bridges as Charles Howard, the owner of the horse, Chris Cooper as Tom Smith the trainer, and Tobey Maguire as Red Pollard, the jockey.  All the main characters have had their downs, and they all have something to prove.  This movie is about overcoming.  Seabiscuit was used to train other horses.  To instill confidence in the other horses he was held back, and became use to losing.  The trainer sets out to find his real heart.  To  me Smith is too old.  Charles Howard’s son died in a car accident, and his wife left him.  Red Pollard has been kicked around his whole life.  The world of a jockey is a dog eat dog world.  He has lost his vision in one eye from abuse.  This movie has a great positive message.

Movie Review: ***^Leap (2016)

This movie was a great motivational platform about pursuing you dream.  However there were a couple of things about the movie which made it play smaller.  A couple incidents of farty humor.  Even kids deserve better.  And then the other of the competing ballerina at the end going all antisocial and murderous.  It was just a bit not believable.

Movie Review: ****^The Greatest Showman (2017)

This is a positive thinking film of the first order.  It shows what happens when you chase a dream, lose sight of the dream, and then regain your focus.  P.T. Barnum is from a poor family, with a big dream and a love of his life who is from a rich family.  How can he support her in the style she deserves.  He comes upon the idea of presenting those who are on the edge of society, a midget, a bearded lady, a tall man, a fat man etc.  His show in New York keeps getting bigger and expanding.  However he loses sight we he tries to be accepting by the aristocratic society, financing a U.S. tour of a European opera star.
P.T. Barnum... Hugh Jackman
His wife Charity Barnum...Michelle Williams
Co M.C. Phillip Carlyle...Zac Efron
Trapeze artist...Zendaya
Opera singer Jenny Lind...Rebecca Ferguson
Bearded woman Lenny Lutz...Keala Settle
Midget Tom Thumb... Sam Humphrey
Young P.T. Barnum...Ellis Rubin
Barnum children Caroline and Helen...Austyn Johnson and Cameron Seely
This movie is thoroughly entertaining throughout.  Tony and Miranda are still singing the songs.  The theme of pursuing your dreams is prominent.

Movie Review: ****^Pollyanna (1960)

This is one of those great positive feeling movies, with Pollyanna (Hayley Mills, who looks for the good, and the preacher (Karl Malden) who is converted to this thinking.  It makes a big difference in the town, as it becomes known as the glad town.
This movies comes from Disney and also features:
Jane Wyman as Aunt Polly
Richard Egan as her love interest Dr. Chilton
Agnes Moorehead as crotchety old Mrs. Snow, who Pollyanna also converts
As well as Mr. Pendergast, played by Adolphe Menjou
And Kevin Corcoran portrays Pollyanna's young friend from the orphanage.
The town is moving to raise money to build a new orphanage.  they feel it is a civic responsibility.  The current orphanage is in Herrington Hall, and Aunt Polly wants to give money to remodel the kitchen.  She has money, and willing to do her civic duty.  However that is the point, Aunt Polly attends to her duty, but doesn't love people.  Pollyanna brings that love into her life.

Movie Review: ***^The Reading Room (2005)

This is a great feel good movie.  William (James Earl Jones) when his wife dies, takes her challenge to establish a reading room where he grew up.  He became a successful businessman, and the obstacles to his reading room are many.  The community doesn't really want him, the pastor doesn't trust him, he is mugged, his car stolen, and the reading room burned down.  Everything goes against him.  Where will he find the character to stick to it.
This again is a movie about people changing.  Sometimes the people most changed are those who are the changers.

Movie Review: ****^The Inn of the Sixth Happiness (1958)

This movie tells the heroic story of Gladys Aylward (Ingrid Bergman), missionary to China.  It was a struggle for her to get there, as no one thought she could survive, and then after arriving it was a struggle to stay, and tell her story, especially when the missionary who was her mentor passed away in a fall.  However she stuck, and became the inspector of feet.  The government was combating a custom of binding the feet of women, thereby making them crippled and dependent on a man.
The most important thing about this movie is Aylward escaping with over 100 orphans when the Japanese attack China at the start of WWII.  Aylward falls in love with a Chinese military officer, Captain Lin Nan (Curd Jurgens).  Her relationship with the ruling magistrate of the area where she spreads the gospel is very interesting.  Robert Donat portrays the Mandarin of Yang Cheng.  I very much enjoyed this movie, which is based on a true story.