War Horse- (2011)

Millions of men and horses were killed in the first world war.   For over four years men and animals died from bullets, gas, barbed wire, and all manner of causes.  But despite this some survived, some with injuries to both mind and body.  But there are sometimes happy endings, aren't there?

War Horse takes stage on the English countryside of Devon. Albert (played masterfully by Jeremy Irvine) takes it upon himself to break the the free-spirited horse, Joey, after his father buys him on a whim. But when war breaks out the soldiers are in need of horses, and his father is in desperate need of money.    Therefore, Joey must go to a place that all people fear--the battle ground.

As Joey is captured by the Germans he is forced to pull heavy artillery, an activity that usually kills horses within the month.  Can Joey survive the living hell of war?  Will he emerge alive as a hero; as a war horse?


This movie was beautifully made and gives the war an authentic portrayal while giving the viewers something to bond to--Joey, the horse, and Albert, a young man attached to his friend, his horse.  The acting was great and storyline, though perhaps a bit predictable and unbelievable, was satisfying. The story gave the viewers something to love, and kept it from being horribly depressing, like WWI really was. 

It does have a PG-13 rating for very real war violence, though not very graphic, and some language, 
but still I give the heart lifting War Horse 3 1/2stars

The Hunger Games-Plugged In.

This is an interesting article by Plugged In on a extremely popular book series by Suzanne Collins- The Hunger games.  It comes out in theaters March 23.   

Hungry for Hunger Games?

Person of Interest. CBS

The new hit show now airing Thursdays on CBS (who needs it) will remind you of previous shows like 24 on FOX.     Person Of Interest  takes shape as two men team up to stop crimes that the government thinks are to small to deal with.  Reese (former and presumed dead CIA agent) and Finch and eccentric and mysterious billionaire. 

How?   Finch is a software/engineer genius who has created a pattern recognition "Machine"  that can predict peoples violent tendency 's and/or if they are targets of someone else.   Using state-of-the-art surveillance technology they work together to stop crimes before they happen.            
 If someone, somewhere, is planning something, Finch and Reese can find you.  And stop you.   Just remember you are being watched.


For those of you that like intense, fast paced and action packed TV shows, this one is for you.    Now of course you are probably thinking that we have enough Crime Dramas out there,  CSI, 24, Criminal Minds, just to name a few.      But this show was different in a few interesting ways.  Intertwining sleuth work, hacking electronic information, and on the ground action into one.  And a few old  questions that you might remember from 24 are:  Is it ok to break the law to save lives?      And breaking the law is a daily procedure for these two, a action that quite often puts them at odds with NYPD.
 Another question raised about this show is how much of it is imaginary, and how much is fact?   Could our Government ever be able to track all of our every day lives?  Or are they already doing it?     

One other thing I liked about POI so far was how relatively clean it is compared almost all other crime dramas out there.   Sure there are a few swear words scattered through the episodes and all are filled with gun blazing and hand to hand combat.  But nothing like the what is normal on these kinds of shows.   

So yes I enjoy watching this show and I hope they continue airing them.  And I will be coming back for a Second take. 


Episode 13:  Root Cause

Reese and Finch are following their new POI  Scott Powell who is out of work and may have reached his breaking point.  A local Congressmen pushed for state cuts that lost Powell his job,  is he planning on assassinating the Congressman?  Or is he being framed by those who want him dead.     4 1/2 stars

Book Review: 'Through My Eyes'- Tim Tebow

Written by Tim Tebow and Nathan Whitaker, this book goes over the life story of man who has become a star on the NFL, and National stage.    Filled with his life experiences from his mother deciding not to abort him at pregnancy, to playing all kinds of sports while being home-schooled, and ultimately winning the BCS championship twice with the Florida Gators and being drafted into the NFL.  

The book is a wonderful read for a guy or anyone interested in sports and a Christian young man's life, filled with struggles and victories.    A motivational book too, as you read about his amazing drive to win and lead.  


So I enjoyed this book immensely, and will be reading this again in the future.   So I give  'Through My Eyes'  by Tim Tebow 4 1/2 stars and definitely worth The Second Take.   

The Kings Speech

These are dark days for England.  Germany is threatening war.  The Monarch has just died and the new king cares more for his pleasures than for his country.   The government is contemplating asking the king to resign and having The Duke of York(Colin Firth) his brother,  take the throne.   But there is a problem.  The Duke of York has a stammer that so restricts his speech that it makes public speaking all but impossible.   Will he conquer his defect to lead the people of England through "The darkest of times"?

The Kings Speech won four Oscars and with good reason.  The plot is great, it is pretty historically accurate and the acting is superb.    As you watch you will feel for the Duke and soon to be King, as he struggles against his stutter and trying to forget his painful past.

Now there is one serious downside to this film.     On the language scale its probably about a 9 of 10.   Including f--- and sh--.       Now most of these words come in two separate scenes as it helps the king to speak when he swears.      There is some swearing through the rest of the film but it's not as bad.    There is also some innuendo through the film especially when it concerns the the Duke of York's brother.    

So as long as you have something to mute the offensive language its a great movie and I enjoyed it.   So 4 stars (and as longs as you have the mute button ready), worth The Second Take. 

Sense and Sensibility [2008]

-Watch Trailer  
The family of a recently widowed lady loses their fortune and has to leave their family home.  And the two eldest girls find themselves hard pressed to marry the men they love due to their lose of fortune.   Besides are the men really what they seem?

Screen writer Andrew Davies [Who has to be my favorite] did this movie excellently.  The actors and actress' play their characters convincingly and the scenery is beautiful.

I liked the older version of this movie before, but the acting and screen play in this movie was the deciding factor in this version.
The first scene is one that you will probably want to skip and was unnecessary which is the downer to this movie. The guys [who might watch] will love the sword fight/dual between two of the main characters. 

So over all I give 'Sense and Sensibility' 3 1/2 stars.    Worth The Second Take.

Rock Symphonies-David Garret

David Garret fuses two popular genres into one in his newest album.  Taking Classical music from Vivaldi and putting twist of rock onto it.  Or on the other side taking a alternate rock song- [Smells Like Teen Spirit] and putting some classical down-spin on it.    So David Garret's -Rock Symphonies- is interesting as well as unique.

You can listen to his work on Spotify or on iTunes. 

Thor: Movie or Comic?

 Thor starts out re-telling the story behind the Norse gods and their battle for the Human race against the Frost Giants.    Fast foreword a few years and Thor [Oden's Son] is about to be crowned king, that is until a few Frost Giants break into Odens secret vault in the middle of the Ceremony.   Thor; Young, impulsive, and foolish transports himself and a few friends to the Frost Giants land against his fathers command.     Leading to war and and getting himself stripped of power and banished to Earth.  Until he is worthy to earn back his Hammer and Power.

OK when you watch the movie you'll immediately think of a comic book, with a story and characters as unbelievable as the powers they posses.  The visual effects are cool but slightly fake looking. 

As far as questionable content goes, the one problem was that it seemed like they were trying to draw a parallel between the true God and the gods of the Norse.   [Thor coming to earth, sacrificing himself, ect.]     Now this may have been unintentional but it was there nonetheless.

Other content is not to bad,  Thor[Chris Hemsworth] and Jane[Natalie Portman] kiss once and there are a few profanity's scatted throughout. Thor is also shirtless in one scene.
Violence:  Thor and his friends fight and kill a whole army of Frost Giants.  Thor punches and kicks security guards and medical staff.  The last fight is between Thor and his brother and that includes kicks, punches and throwing each other against the floors and walls. 

So I'm giving the cool but rather cheesy THOR 2 stars.   So on the whole?  Eh-Probably not worth The Second Take. 

Great Christmas movies.

Here is a quick synopsis of a few good holiday movies:

-"Its a Wonderful Life"- Jimmy Stewart     A classic around our house, the story of man who is stuck in a small town.  And when he gets in money trouble in his business, needs his guardian Angel to show him that he really has "A Wonderful Life"

-The Shop Around the Corner"- Jimmy Stewart     A movie that's underlining humor will make you smile, follows two young people who are co-workers and don't get along very well.  Both are writing the most wonderful person they've ever met.  Just they haven't really met them face to face yet...  Or have they?

-"The Christmas Carol"- Alistair Sims      A old man who cares for nothing for people but is only interested in his work and Money needs a change of heart.  And the spirit of his dead business partner comes to save him in this Dickens classic.