I watched the Power Rangers Movie this past week. That's right, a grown man with children went back and watched a movie he hadn't seen since he was 10. That movie had a lot going for it, conceptually. The writing was bad, most the acting was awful, and the premise of the plot was about pot-hole deep, but I still enjoyed watching it more than the recent terminator movie.
I started watching it because it was featured on Hulu, and figured that I'd get sick of it and turn it off after five minutes. When I had finished watching the whole thing, I thought, "how, on earth, did that keep me entertained for 90 minutes?"
Well, the first answer is Paul Freeman as Ivan Ooze (the bad guy) was hilarious. He was a good enough actor to make up for the over-done acting of Amy Jo Johnson (the whiney pink ranger). Second, was the values that it (attempted) to portray.
This scene almost made me cry, since I haven't seen anything like it in a long time. This is at the end, after they defeated Ivan, and are watching fireworks together.
Look at their eyes--and how Tommy is holding Kimberly. It's totally innocent. They aren't just pretending to be happy here, like most actors do. They are happy. They enjoy each other's company, and that's good enough for them. There's no lust in their eyes or in their body language. I haven't even seen a scene like this in real life for more than a decade. Teenagers always are looking at members of the opposite sex with only one thought on their mind. Even most the young adults I'm around show in their demeanor and body language that they are preoccupied with less-than-wholesome intentions. In this scene, Tommy is being very respectful of her, and she isn't doing anything to tempt him.I know this was a movie for 9-year-old boys (that's when I saw it), but how many actors and producers do you see today emphasize values of chastity and modesty? Think of the last time you ever saw someone demonstrate through quiet and subtle example that value?
Power Rangers in 1995 was it for me, 14 years ago.
I tried using IMDB to browse through all the movies that came out in 1995. I found "A Little Princess," which definately beats out Power Rangers for quality, but came out a month before Power Rangers. Sadly, I also realized (after looking through the complete releases of 1995 alphabetically) that around 40% of all films that came out that year were pornographic.
So, I like going for nostalgia and "vintage" because it's the only enertainment left that doesn't try to seduce me.
Finally, you guys are now posting regularly. You guys make me laugh! Especially the pet peeves. Note to self, never ask Todd to fix my computer :(
ReplyDeleteI was just thinking about a similar thing yesterday. And thinking about posting about it on my blog. It was more on the lines that most, if not all, movies that are refered to as great/amazing/incredible/oscar nominated/award winning are lined with innapropriate (and unnecissary) scenes and rated R. Why is it that good cinematography and thought provoking story lines have to come with vulgar language and imagery? Kuddos to Tommy and Kimberly for being so dang cute. Go, go Power Rangers!
ReplyDeleteHey, this is Lisa (a friend of Dani's). Just last week in institute I learned that in 1995 Pres. Hinckley presented The Family Proclamation at RS General Conference. I realized how much the world we live in now needs to hear this amazing proclamation because there are so many skewed perceptions about an individual’s identity, gender roles, and responsibility. Mostly since the 1960’s Satan has been creating doubts and those doubts have turned into porn and a lack of a father presence in the home. However, I know that’s not the case in your family. : )
ReplyDelete