Movie Review: *** Babylon A.D.

Ariel: Back to Buenos Aires

AT the Movies: ***^ Elijah Peel (2026)

Elijah Peel is a delightful movie.  The things that makes it so is the young lady, Jessica Sanchez (Evelyn Grace Kite).  But I am ahead of myself.  Elijah Peel (Robert Malcolm Cumming) is a successful rock star whose life is spiraling out of control.  He is late for his sound check.  And the Paparazzi is unbearable and fans just as bad.  His manager, Rock (Kevin Sorbo) manages to get him to his sound check.  He is obviously impaired with drugs and booze.  He has a heart attack at the sound check, and his heart stops for a time.  He is revived and wakes up in the hospital.  He is on strict rest, but Jessica visits him.  She is a bald patient and has aggressive brain cancer.  She asks some questions after hearing things about Elijah Peel on the T.V.  Why is he self destructive?  They fast become friends, and Elijah Peel is thinking about his relationship with God.  Jessica's mother (April Billingsley) is a little bit wary but the relationship blossoms.  Peel has a change of heart, and starts to write songs about Jesus and his relationship with Jessica.  However record contractors are wary.  

This is a very good feel good movie.  Peel maintains his sobriety, but almost has one fall.  Jessica's mother, who is a probation officer helps rescue him.  Peel's nurse,  Nurse Hattie (Princess Elmore) is very helpful in bringing Peel to Jesus.  She seems to have the right questions.  I really love the characters, Peel in his pain, Jessica's mother in her grief and Jessica with her determined faith.  

Music Review: Half Nelson: Willie Nelson

Half Nelson: Willie Nelson, Columbia, 1985.

This Music C.D. gives us ten duets, some Willie Nelson songs and some songs of others but Nelson is always part of the duet.  We have: "Poncho and Lefty" with Merle Haggard, "Slow Movin' Outlaw" Lacy J. Dalton, "Are There Any More Real Cowboys" Neil Young, "I Told a Lie to My Heart" Hank Williams, "Texas on a Saturday Night" Mel Tillis, "Seven Spanish Angels" Ray Charles, "To All the Girls I've Loved Before" Julio Iglesias, They All Went to Mexico" Carlos Santana, "Honky Tonk Women" Leon Russell and "Half a Man" with George Jones.  Of these songs the one I preferred because it is most familiar is "To All the Girls I've Loved Before."  I also really like "Texas on a Saturday Night."  It really seemed like a party and everyone is having fun.  

At the Movies: **** The End of Oak Street (2026)

 A very exciting movie and a bit too graphic a couple of times.  A suburban dinosaur romp, with the dinosaurs winning for the most part.   Denise and Greg Platt (Anne Hathaway and Ewan McGregor) and their kids Audrey and Brian (Maisy Stella and Christian Convery wake up one morning and their neighborhood is infested with dinosaurs.  Denise and Gregg were having their problems with communication, but an event like this will solve that.  They see friends and neighbors eaten or killed and left for later.  They pick up another party in their struggle, Jeannette (Jordan Alexa Davis).  Her parents did not make it.

Plenty of tension and action.  The dinosaurs are having a hey-day.  But the dog manages to survive. Even though they had to throw in an "F" word towards the end people clapped for this movie.  I enjoyed the philosophical and theological questions brought up during the movie.  Do you believe in God?  Is this the end?  And discussion of pessimism vs optimism.  

Movie Review: ***^ Æon Flux (2005)

Æon Flux is a futuristic world that is not going perfectly.  Trevor Goodchild (Marton Csokas) and his brother, Oren Goodchild (Jonny Lee Miller).  Æon Flux (Charlize Theron) is assigned to kill him.  She is joined by Sithandra (Sophie Okonedo).  They get to where they can kill him, but then Æon recognizes him from her somewhere.  Sophie is highly motivated for the rebellion because her sister was murdered.  But now she is in a quandry trying to figure out what is going on.  

She discovers that the world is based on clones.  However this is her first cloning, while others have been cloned seven or eight times.  The clone master (Pete Postlethwaite) was told to destroy her DNA but instead he saved it for the right time.  The reason for cloning is there was an illness which prevented people from having babies.  Cloning was the only way to keep going.  

Turns out that people have been getting pregnant.  Oren has been wanting to keep the old ways so he has been killing those who get pregnant, including the sister.  Of course there is a big battle, actually starts with three sides, Æon's handlers want to kill her, and the brother wants to kill Trevor.  We are relieved to know things will work out if they are left alone.  

Music Review: Sarah Brightman and the London Symphony Orchestra: Time to Say Goodbye

 Sarah Brightman and the London Symphony Orchestra: Time to Say Goodbye, Angel Records, 1997.  Sarah Brightman has a beautiful high soprano voice.  Most of this CD is sung in Spanish some in Italian and some Latin and a few in English.  It is all enjoyable.  She sings the titular song with Andrea Bocelli.  It is a classic.  It is mostly in Italian with a bit of English thrown in.  She sings "Just Show Me How to Love You" and "There for Me" with José Cura.  Even though I could not make out every word, it was all beautiful.  I really like the last two numbers, "O Mio Bambino Caro" and "Alleluja."  "Naturaleza Muerta" is about the sea takijng a man because it is jealous of him, and his girl waits for him and turns to stone.