Mapril Conference!

Yes, I did just spell that word Mapril, given that we have one day of March and one day of April in this wonderful General Conference weekend. In case you didn't already notice the banner above, you should watch a session if you get a chance! I'm in the middle of a lot of projects, so I only got to watch this morning's session, but it's been wonderful so far! Hope everyone is taking advantage of this amazing opportunity! I've been trying to add a promo for it, but neither the video or the poster (for lack of a better term) is working, so just click the banner above for more info!

5 Movies that Actually Deserve Remakes

Hollywood has been cranking out remakes, sequels, and prequels like it's their job lately. Some classics I think should have remained untouched (such as Footloose) at least for a few more decades or so, but there are some adaptations and films that I believe could truly benefit from a new adaptation. Here are my top five for the moment:

5) Anne of Green Gables

(Side Note: I had never seen this poster before searching for it. Pretty unique!) This three-hour pretty darn faithful to the book adaptation of the times novel was a classic. But, 3 HOURS! With the exception of movies like Lord of the Rings, it's difficult to keep an audience glued to the screen for that long anymore. Granted, this film was originally a two-part miniseries on TV. But, the next three films in the series departed so much from the novels, that by the third film, I got to wondering if I could have kept watching without Megan Follows playing Anne. I think if put in the reins of the right director and actors, there could be some potential to make this more accessible to a new generation, especially with the many books in the series, this could be a very profitable franchise. But if it never happens, so be it. The first film is still one of my all time favorites and a very well done adaptation.

4) Scooby-Doo

One of my favorite cartoons as a kid became the biggest cheap shot adaptations of all time. The only thing that I can say was truly good about this movie was the performances of Matthew Lillard (who completely NAILED the role) as Shaggy and Linda Cardellini as Velma. There was so much potty humor and sexual innuendos, if I ever meet the writer of the film, I may have to slug him. Its sequel was a much better attempt, but still had some serious creative issues and had more ridiculous humor that the first film suffered from. Alas, Scooby-Doo is so steeped in pop culture and has so many direct-to-video sequels, I don't think they'll ever do another big-screen adaptation. I sure wish they would have done some re-writes on that script...

3) The Last Airbender

My gosh. What didn't go wrong with this film? I have very little faith left in the director M. Night Shyamalan (director of The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable, Signs). I honestly don't know how he did it. The only thing he got right about this was the basic story line of the animated series (which is AMAZING and everyone should have a chance to watch). I mean, all he had to do was copy and paste the dialogue of the animated series into a script and the audiences would have fallen in love with it. But instead he decided to strip the film of everything that made the animated series the great series that it is: humor, originality, and heart. I don't even need to mention his previous box office flops prior to this, but if I was a big-wig in Hollywood, I wouldn't trust him with anything at this point after what he did to this film. Just about anyone who tries to remake this film (and hopefully they will given the flop it was among critics and audiences alike) will do a better job than him.

2) Star Wars Episode Three: Revenge of the Sith

I may be inciting the wrath of Star Wars fans everywhere and I understand completely that a remake will never happen, but I've got to say, the biggest mistake of George Lucas's career was allowing Hayden Christensen to fill the shoes of one of the most iconic film villains of all time: Darth Vader/Anakin Skywalker. They may as well have cast Jon Heder. At least I would have known I couldn't take it seriously anymore. Christensen is the worst excuse for actor in this movie (and I really don't care for the other films I've seen him in either). Even Natalie Portman is passable as Padme, but really? REALLY? The most important character arc and aspect of this film was Anakin and the only thing that Christensen could've done worse was tried to hold the script and read his lines as they filmed it. In Lucas's defense, the rest of the movie as a whole is decent. But talk about the biggest letdown ever...

1) All the Pretty Horses

This is another classic "where-to-begin" with what went wrong during the production of this film. First off, let me mention this is an adaptation of one of the best novels of all time by renowned American author Cormac McCarthy. Billy Bob Thornton originally created a somewhere between 3-4 hour cut of this film and then Miramax hauled off and did perhaps the WORST hack editing job ever. Along with that hacking went the original score of the film by Daniel Lanois, perhaps forever ruining any chances of letting the original/director's cut of the film, because in so doing, Lanois refused to let his score be released to the public. Billy Bob won't work with Miramax ever again (at least as a director) after what they did. Perhaps because they didn't like the postmodern Western feel of the book, the studio execs tried marketing the film as a romance. And romance there is in the novel, but that's only a third of the book! Not to mention the other amazing two-thirds of the book! As well as Matt Damon acts in this film, he and his co-star Henry Thomas just don't pass as sixteen and seventeen year old boys. On the bright side, the cinematography is incredible and Lucas Black was the perfect Jimmy Blevins. Another huge issue I think they had with the marketing was releasing it Christmas Day. There are few movies I believe that you should release on that day/weekend, and I think that also contributed it to its low box office performance. If you've read the book, its not difficult to see where the film got hacked like crazy to the point where you wonder how an audience unfamiliar with Cormac McCarthy's novel could ever imagine the true glory that it holds. Being familiar with McCarthy's works and knowing that Billy Bob wanted more than anything to see this adaptation be done justice, I still like the film and will add it to my collection eventually. But man Miramax, if you guys hadn't helped distribute No Country for Old Men, I wouldn't have a very high opinion of you at all. Of all films that really deserve a remake, its this one. I sure wish they'd release the director's cut, but seeing the legal complications involved, I don't think it will ever see the light of day. I have a hard time believing however, with all the toil that Billy Bob took to make the film that a copy doesn't exist somewhere. So, if you know anyone who's in good with him, let me know :).

What do you think? Any films you'd like to see remade? Disagree with any of my choices?

Finding Joy and Love in Service

Today as I was in stake conference, there was a speaker who talked about making home teaching more meaningful, and gave the example of how his own home teacher became so invested in him personally. I was reminded of my mission president and his wife, and how it seemed even before they really came to know me personally, they loved me. I was then reminded of how I grew to love the people of Antonito, the last town I served in on my mission. The town I never would have chosen personally to be sent to preach the gospel, but eventually grew to love with all my heart. I’ve sometimes wondered how I truly grew to love a place that seemed so forlorn and cast off the face of the earth, and what really changed it for me was just serving there. The Lord truly blesses us with the ability to love all those whom we are called to serve, and I’m so grateful for that. With that in mind, I’m coming to understand a little better how the Lord loves us, because really, we don’t merit anything to have His love, but He does nonetheless. I think part of it is simply because we are His children. He created us and loves us for that alone, not to mention the countless other reasons. Knowing that makes such a difference in my life. I know that as we are called to serve others, whether it be as a missionary, a relief society president, or even just a home teacher or visiting teacher, we have the opportunity to expand our capabilities as a servant of Jesus Christ and grow in our love towards our fellow brothers and sisters. I hope that we will all take advantage of these opportunities whenever they present themselves.

Super Short Post

So, as much as I'd like to sit down and do a totally awesome blogpost today, I've decided that getting some much needed research and homework done. But I will give you a hint of what I'm working on and hopefully I'll be able to expound upon it more in future posts.

I'm currently formulating a paper on the dude in this poster:

If you don't recognize this guy, you really should take the time to find out (and believe me it will be worth it).

And I'm also doing another paper regarding this infamous series:

I'm so looking forward to this :)...

Incredible Perspectives

This video pretty much speaks for itself. It is the testimony of a couple who, after just three weeks of marriage, discovered that the husband, Daniel, had cancer. To this, I will just add my own testimony regarding trials that as Daniel says, "Sometimes tests aren't about passing or failing. Heavenly Father is not sitting up there with a pen and checklist while we are enduring a trial". I know that the trials we receive are specifically tailored to us personally and that Heavenly Father never leaves us alone during them. I'm truly grateful for the perspective we are blessed with when we endure our trials well. I'm beginning to learn that not only are we going to have similar trials on more than one occasion, but rather than immediately assuming that we've learned all that we need to from a particular trial, to exercise more faith in the Lord and be patient. It is often in these moments that we learn more than ever before and more than we could have imagined. I know that from personal experience and I'm so grateful that the Lord is patient with me as well and takes the time to help me learn lessons that I constantly need reminders of.

Broken and Eternal Family Trees

The older I get, the more convinced I become that there are few, if any, coincidences in this life. There are so many experiences I have at particular times in my life that I couldn't have possibly planned better on my own. Today I'm so grateful that along with the trials I have received that the Lord has allowed to gain the perspective that I have concerning my more recent trials. I wouldn't go so far as to say that I've learned all I needed to from them, but definitely more than I thought I would this quickly.

I'm also grateful today that through the Atonement of Jesus Christ, our families have the ability to be together forever. I'm grateful for the knowledge that God knows each of us individually and that regardless of our individual and family situations, He will not deny us the blessings of exaltation if we do all we can to obtain them. There is an unnecessary and unrighteous stigma that surrounds divorced members of the church that I wish we could dispel. While we shouldn't condone it per se, I believe it is wrongful to look down upon individuals simply because they became involved in them. We all make mistakes and need the Atonement to heal us, regardless of the gravity of our individual sins.

This song has really taken on a new meaning for me the past couple days and has strengthened my testimony regarding families. I too have no idea how things are going to work out in the next life when it comes to creating and reuniting eternal families, but I take comfort in knowing that this is the first priority of our Father in Heaven, and that "bringing to pass [our] immortality and eternal life" is His greatest joy.

A Pandemic of Perplexing Proportions

I know that we hear about this issue almost every General Conference in the LDS community, but recent events in my life have helped me see why we will probably never stop hearing about this problem. I would just like to add my personal witness that this plague, in no uncertain terms, has the ability to decimate and destroy individuals and families alike. It is truly heart-wrenching to be surrounded by the effects of this sleaze. I hope that if there are any individuals involved with pornography within the sound of this blog that they will have the courage to free themselves from this most damning influence. I know that through the Atonement of Jesus Christ there is no weakness or trial that we cannot overcome. And I hope that all of us will exercise the personal strength to see that any and all forms of pornography stay out of our lives.

Elder Oaks has spoken more in depth on the subject and I'll let him do the rest of the talking.