RESPECT, Aretha Franklin's Gospel Message and Movie Review

Sometimes a movie comes around that is as close to a classic as one could hope for. It seems as if in recent years some of those films are what are called biopics, specifically biopics in relation to musical artists. The most recent stars the great Jennifer Hudson in her portrayal as Aretha Franklin.  I was excited to see the movie with my fiancé who is Afro American. She as well as I love music. We both love Aretha and I had wanted to see the movie since I first heard of it. Last night, we made it to the theater and to say the least, I was so far from disappointed it was unreal, in fact, I already have plans to see it with another friend for a Friday matinee. 

 The story follows closely as far as I can tell the story of Aretha, (Rhea as called by her family) from the time she was a little girl through adulthood to the time of the recording of her Gospel Album and live video concert. The concert was recently released as a movie, Amazing Grace, and this will tell you something about the movie and ultimately, life of Aretha Franklin. 

 The movie stars a host of notable stars, many who are among my favorite actors out today.  Aretha’s father, Pastor C.L. Franklin, by one of my favorite actors ever, Forest Whitaker. Marlon Wayans also does a terrific job playing the part of her first husband, Ted White.  There are so many others like Marc Maron who plays the part of famous producer Jerry Wexler. The direction by female director Liesl Tommy is impeccable, especially in considering the totality of work involved in this 2-hour, 25-minute movie. While there is a moment of it getting a tad boring due to the length, it quickly picks back up and is the only flaw in the movie, from the score, soundtrack, editing and more. This will certainly be an Oscar contender next year.

 This movie shows the tragedy of life with Aretha, much of what I did not know about, from an abusive father who is a famous pastor to the sexual assault, rape, and pregnancy by another person when she was a small girl. We also see her relationship with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and her role in providing crowds for his Civil Rights movement and speeches. There is so much more to Aretha’s story than many casual fans will not realize. That said, there is another side of the story so eloquently demonstrated. That story involves the story of her faith.

 There is no doubt that Aretha had every imaginable reason to hate God and the Church, from her abusive father to the tragedies she experienced, but, despite all of that, she held on to parts of her faith and when abusing alcohol to the point of alcoholism, it was her faith and belief in God, specifically Jesus Christ and the Church that brought her back to her faith. All along her life there were those like Reverend James Cleveland who was there to remind her of how she was loved by God and that God was always with her to help her through the tragedies and mistakes she had made. In that regard, as the movie ends, it is as if one is at an evangelical church meeting and the message of the Gospel of Jesus, a rarity for a popular movie in today’s world.

 There are many people of faith who complain about the lack of good movies and the disrespect shown to their faith in today’s movie going audience. This movie is a movie that should be heralded, praised, and attended by those people. The numbers to support movies of this nature will only lead to more openness in future movies regarding issues of faith. All movies will have some measure of spiritual concepts to them, few more than movies like this where faith has played such an important role in the characters life.

 Did I like this movie?  NO! I LOVED IT!  My fiancé and I were cuddled up dancing in our seats, and for me, tearing up at the gospel message and revival taking place at the end of the picture. Jennifer Hudson had Aretha Franklin’s character having me repent and thanking God for His Amazing Grace. 

Except for a bit or boredom, (only a bit) it was enough to keep it from being a perfect film, but it does receive an incredible score on a level of 1 – 10 for me. For the near perfection that this movie is, I give a heart pounding, hand raising, glory to God moment of Hallelujah, 9. 

To see the trailer for this movie, click on the following link:

(100) RESPECT | Official Trailer | MGM Studios - YouTube  

For going on some thirty years now I have done the work of The Virtual Pew, in part planting seeds but another huge part is getting to know people and being called by many Pastor Mike by my involvement in social media. From engaging in life, I have seen the impact of my work on people on the fringes all over the world. I have run homeless programs, housed homeless people worked with drug addicts, prostitutes and much more. All while giving back my salary, and for the last 8+ years not taking a salary. You can help tremendously by supporting the work, not just from the movie reviews but the work that goes along side that in the development of relationships of helping save lives and give purpose to the lives of others. I appreciate your consideration in this calling that I have seen and know God uses. 

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Criminal Minds, Suspect Behavior On DVD Season 1

One of my top 10 television shows in all of last year was Criminal Minds. The program in my opinion surpassed CSI and there was no doubt that eventually a spin-off series would occur. Sure enough in February, 2011 it did. What came about was Criminal Minds, Suspect Behavior and with a cast including one of my favorite actors, Forest Whitaker it was enough to have me watching, even with one of my least favorite actors in the cast, Janeane Garofalo. With some of the same cast as the original Criminal Minds, notably Kirsten Vangsness who reprises her role of Penelope Garcia, I found the show different enough to warrant its own viewing and found myself watching each episode of the season. With the new release of the boxed DVD set I found myself able to refresh the experience, comment on the quality of the product, and offer my thoughts.

As is the case with Criminal Minds, Suspect Behavior does a good job at putting together a good story with interesting plot twists and entertaining and thought provoking characters. We first saw this in the spin off episode from Season 5 of Criminal Minds. The series has a flashy theatrical look resembling the old Miami Vice. There is a look of a well put together, postmodern program. The quality of editing which is sometimes lost due to the television commercials is nicely presented in the DVD format. While I normally use the DVR to skip over the commercial interruptions, the transfer without the commercials is much nicer and the stories lose nothing in translation, if anything, as is the case with many programs, it is improved on the DVD versions.

While there is a story continuance from the first episode until the last, as is the norm in many programs now a days, it isn’t disruptive or prevent each episode from working as a stand alone. While I enjoy the style of programs like 24, I also get kind of tired of them. There is character development we see continue through out the series, this is especially true with the characters portrayed by Forest Whitaker, Janeane Garofalo, Matt Ryan and Michael Kelly. We see characters that are holding back information and keeping secrets. In their own idiosyncrasies we see progression and openness develop as they learn to trust and get to know those around them. Much of this comes about not just through the commitment to each other, but the reality of the horrors around them as they investigate serious crimes against individuals by sick people. The group seems to have an ability to understand those committing crimes around them but it takes some time for those skills to develop with each other. While the crimes from week to week drive the series, it is the understanding of each other that takes place over the course of the season that drives the ongoing development of character and ultimately, the overall story.

There is a concept of community and team that comes across. The closeness that develops is more than just a team building concept; it is one that resembles a family committed to each other in a sacrificial, loving way, even towards those where differences exist. Throughout the series we see the concept of family played out, whether in an episode that has young girls disappearing, or in episodes where we see young mothers abducted in the presence of their babies. There is another concept presented; the reality of evil, even to good people who appear innocent. There is a reality where many seem to think they can escape the horrors of life, yet just as we are reminded in the Bible, it rains on the just and unjust. We see that sometimes, good people do have bad things happen to them. While many want to place blame on others or on God, it is as people come together to solve the crimes, to solve the problems that we see that while bad things happen to good people, sometimes the coming together of a society of strangers out of the good for their neighbor can be overlooked. Yes bad happens, but sometimes, out of that bad, it is as if God can use that which was meant for evil to turn it around for good.

There is also the spiritual conflict Forest Whitaker's character goes through throughout the season. He is a man who values God and the spiritual concepts of the church. While there are at times conflict in his beliefs and his vocation, he recognizes how to balance those roles and often uses his faith to keep his strength on the job, as well as to help others who are having issues related to their own circumstance.

While I liked Suspect Behavior, Season 1, I think there is some time before it develops into the quality series of its predecessor. There are some first season struggles, specifically in some of the stories and some of the unlikable characters and situations. I was pleased though with the reality that the season got better from episode to episode and by the end of the season it was a pretty good. The better understanding of characters enabled better scripts and plots likely added to that reality.

I was pleased with the variety of special features on the DVD’s which ranged from various commentaries, to gag reels, deleted scenes, and a variety of documentaries and studies on CSI researchers using behavioral studies to find criminals. The benefit of watching each episode commercial free, along with the special features makes this worth owning. I am looking forward to the continuation of the series and suspect it will get better just as Criminal Minds got better. While it isn’t quite there yet, it has the cast, direction and writing to make it possible.

To see the video posted below, click on the video, if the video doesn’t appear or appears in distorted form, click on the following link:
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