Music Review: The Mormon Tabernacle Choir Sings Hymns of Faith

 The Mormon Tabernacle Choir Sings Hymns of Faith, Bonneville Communications, 1991

This is a very nice collection of songs for a Sunday, or just a spiritual lift.  It includes gospel favorites as well as LDS favorites.  "How Great Thou Art" is very well done.  As are "The Lord Is my Shepherd," "Abide with Me" and "Abide with Me; "Tis Eventide."  Those represent some of my favorites.  However on the LDS side of music this includes more of my favorites, "Come, Come Ye Saints," "The Morning Breaks," "The Spirit of God" and "Come, Come Ye Saints." Also the popular words written by Bruce R. McConkie and set to music by John Longhurst, "I Believe in Christ."  This is great Sabbath music.

Sandra Bullock Movie Review: ****Miss Congeniality (2000)

This is a very funny movie with enough action to keep it very interesting.  Gracie Hart (Sandra Bullock) is an FBI agent who goes undercover at the Miss USA pageant as a bomb threat has been made.  Her partner is running the operation, agent Matthews (Benjamin Bratt). Victor Melling (Michael Caine) is brought in to make Gracie seem plausible as a contestant.  The pageant hosts are Kathy Morningside (Candice Bergen) and Stan Fields (William Shatner).   Miss Rhode Island (Heather Burns) plays prominently as Gracie's friend and is very funny.  What would be your ideal date?  "April 25th because its not too cold and not too hot."  That really cracks me up.  I like the personalities of the characters.  Bullock is very fun, as are the contestants.  I very much recommend this movie.  The fight over the crown at the end is pretty funny as well.

Sandra Bullock Movies

Sandra Bullock has been in movies for sometime.  I really enjoy seeing her in the movies.  This list contains her movies that are not rated "R".  Some years she was in three or four movies, a testament to her marketability as an actress and the characters she builds.  

Love Potion #9 (1992)

The Thing Called Love (1993)

Wrestling Ernest Hemingway (1993)

***^ Speed (1994) with Keanu Reeves, Jeff Daniels, Dennis Hopper

**** The Net (1995) When your identiy is stolen by the internet

**** While You were Sleeping. (1995). Love story

Love and War (1996)

Speed 2 (1997)

 ***^ Hope Floats (1998) What happens after a broken love.

**** Pratical Magic (1998). A good Halloween movie about siblings who are witches

The Prince of Egypt (1998). Animated story of Moses

Forces of Nature (1999)

28 Days (2000)

**** The Lakehouse (2000) Love story with Keanu Reeves and a time shift of two years, and a dog.

**** Miss Congeniality (2000)

Lisa Picard Is Famous (2000)

Divine Secrets of the Ya Ya Sisterhood (2002)

2 Weeks Notice (2002)

Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous (2005)

***^ Premonition (2007). Julian McMahon portrays her husband

**** The Proposal (2009)

***^ All About Steve (2009) Sandra Bullock plays a woman obsessed with Steve

***^ Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (2011). 9/11 movie

**** Gravity (2013) Sandra Bullock in space and all goes poorly

****^ Aningaaq (2013) Gravity from the erspective of an eskimo

****^ The Blind Side (2014) Very good football movie

*^ Minions (2015) Animated feature I didn't care for

*** Bird in a Cage (2018). Netflix scifi movie

Oceans's 8 (2018)

***^ The Lost City (2022)

Movie Review: National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets (2007)

 The gang is back with another adventure, but this time they also have to disprove that their ancestor was involved in the assassination of Abraham Lincoln.  So Ben Gates (Nicholas Cage) involves his ex (Diane Kruger), his parents (Jon Voight and Helen Mirren) and his partner (Justin Bartha).  Their rival (Ed Harris) is using the groups knowledge to get what he wants.  The clues lead them to Europe, France and London, and then back to the White House.  It even leads to their kidnapping the president to get to the book; the book of government secrets passed down from president to president.  There are two people going for this treasure, the big lost city of gold.  They get there at the same time.  They eventually find it under Mount Rushmore.  

Fun ride.  

In Theaters: **** Project Hail Mary (2026)

This movie is based on the book of the same name.  The book was written by Andy Weir.  It is about a high school science teacher (Ryan Gosling) who is sent to space.  He is the only survivor of the three man crew.  His sleep condition has caused amnesia, but he is much further into space than he realizes on a desperate journey to see if they can figure out why the sun is dying and how to fix it.  

The movie starts very cerebral, and I felt very slow.  However when he meets an alien things pick up greatly.  This is Rocky (voiced by James Ortiz).  Turns out the movie is more about the relationship between the teacher and the alien than it is about the sun.  Sandra Hüller plays the project leader who forced the school teacher to go on the journey.

Very intriguing plot after it got going.  The theme of living with others who are different was also very good.  There is an interesting twist in the end which I won't give away.

Movie Review: ***^ The Great Escaper (2023)

 This movie is a portrayal of an older couple, Bernard and Irene Jordan (Michael Caine and Glenda Jackson), who live in a nursing home together.  The story is based on the true story of Bernard Jackson, 90 years old, leaving the nursing home to attend the 70 year anniversary of D-day in France in June 2014.  The telling of the story brings back many memories, good ones and traumatic ones.  It is also about growing old together.  

I think the movie told its story well.  Especially good was the relationship of the old couple.

In Theaters: ***^ The Super Mario Galaxy Movie (2026)

 This is a movie more enjoyable to kids than adults.  It is very much like playing the game, at least in terms of the music and some of the graphics.  However it does add a plot.  Rosalina, Prince of the Star land (Brie Larsen) is captured by Bowser's son (Benny Safdie).  His goal is to free his father so they can rule the universe together.  She appeals to her long forgotten younger sister, Peach (Anya Taylor-Joy for help, and she turns to Mario (Chris Pratt) and Luigi (Charlie Day).  They want to use Rosalina's star power to power their doomsday weapon.  This movie is about sisterly love, as well as brotherly love.  And finally father an son love.  However it is when Bowser (Jack Black) realizes his circle includes his friends too that things begin to change.