This too shall pass...

Wow, it's been way too long since I've posted. So much has happened I don't even know where to begin. Time seems to just get away from me constantly these days. While this will be a short post, hopefully it will still be meaningful. At any given time in our lives, we as individuals are experiencing some form of trial, or know someone close who is. Whether it's experiencing the difficulties that come with a long-distance relationship, losing a family member, overcoming a divorce, working every day to help a child with special needs on top of raising your own children, there is seemingly no end to the trials we face. But, for me personally, knowing that these times, these trials are temporary, and knowing that there is most definitely someone out there who has it much worse than me changes everything. I hope that regardless of whatever personal trials you may be experiencing that you will be able to find that perspective you seek, and that you will reach out to those who are having a more difficult time than you. I'm so grateful for my Savior Jesus Christ, who suffered everything that I would ever have to face. I know that as I seek His help through prayer and His word that He will turn my trials and tribulations into some of the greatest experiences of my life. 

I discovered this song a few weeks ago and haven't been able to stop listening to it. Even if you're not a big fan of this band, hopefully you'll enjoy the video. :)

I Know that My Redeemer Lives

I can't say I fully understand all the reasons for posting this today. Perhaps, if for no other reason, its to help me think aloud. I was looking over this month's First Presidency Message and as I did so, this song popped into my head. This particular version is so powerful to me personally. I remember hearing it for the first time on my mission, and just having a feeling of peace. Almost every day I spent in the mission field, I needed a reminder of why I was doing this work, because if I ever got to thinking it was just for my benefit, it wouldn't take long for discouragement and disappointment to settle in. But remembering what this message means to me, that my Savior Jesus Christ not only suffered and died for my sins, but continues to live for me today, changes everything. I can't think of a greater message that needs to be shared with this world. I'm so grateful that my elder brother would have the love to do that for me and make it possible for me to return to my Father in Heaven. I'm so grateful for this knowledge in my life. This message is one of hope. All things have been made possible through Jesus Christ, and there is nothing we can't overcome with His help in our lives. I would most certainly not be where I am in my life today without it. So grateful to know that this life is not the end, but that through Christ we may partake of eternal life and live forever with our families in the life to come. May we all remember what the Savior means to us as we celebrate this Easter season, the commemoration of His resurrection. And may we strive to live in such a way that His light will continue to be seen, and bring hope to all those around us.

The Issues With Adaptation (Part 1)

So, this is going to be an ongoing topic for another post or two, but this is something I've been thinking about a lot, given that I've been doing an in-depth research paper of the film adaptation of No Country for Old Men. I'd like to give you a taste of some of the issues regarding adaptations in general. I feel it is important that this issue be addressed because too many people, myself included until recently, think that a film adaptation is only as good of a film as its reflection to the book. I'd like to use the True Grit films as a case study.

Man, and we think the rating system is screwy today. M for Mature? What does that even mean? At least the video game rating system has an age to go along with the letter. It is incredible to me just how much even the way trailers for films are made these days compared to now. While even today no two trailers are the same, the style and the manner in which they are prepared is markedly different compared to four decades ago. Anyway, this film will forever remain a classic for many people if for no other reason than the fact that this was an Oscar-winning role for the Duke. I have no doubt that many people were very wary of having Jeff Bridges step into the boots of the Duke. 

However, if you'll watch them both, you'll notice that these films are not even comparable really for multiple reasons. One being that the Coens drew inspiration from the book rather than the 1969 film for their screenplay. The tone is markedly different as well. While the 1969 version may have received an M rating, I can recall seeing this film at a very young age, and it wasn't because my parents didn't care what I was watching. The 2010 version on the other hand doesn't appear too family friendly. The Duke's Rooster Cogburn may be rough around the edges, but he also has a very likable demeanor about him. Bridges' Cogburn doesn't seem like the guy you'd want to cross anywhere. Period. Now, another problem you face with adapting a book into a film is perspective. The book is written in first person, entirely from the point of view of the 14-year-old female protagonist Mattie Ross. Immediately, you face the issue of trying to make that voice come out in the film without a constant monologue. This is one of the reasons I found The Hunger Games to be a very well done film adaptation because many of the little changes made to the film opposed to the book were simply because you couldn't inform the audience all the details roaming through Katniss's head, not to mention the little details of how the games worked along the way.

So, is it really even fair to ask how the film compares to the book? To what degree can the two be compared?

Because I love this movie and its just plain awesome...

So there's really no other reason for posting this other than the fact I think this is an awesome video that reminds me why I love the actual film so much. Given that this originally came out during my mission, I just barely came across it the other day. But whether you're a fan of the movie or not, I think you'll rather enjoy it. :) From my understanding, this was to help promote the film before it came out, and though it may not have a gazillion views, I'd say it was successful in achieving its goal.



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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.