The Blind Side

Yours truly just finished watching the blockbuster hit movie by that name, courtesy of our friends at Netflix.

The biopic is based on the true-life story of NFL great Michael Oher, who was adopted by the Tuohy family of Memphis, Tennessee.

To be sure, this is a feel-good film. It should be, given the source material and the great cast. The latter includes Quinton Aaron as Oher, Sandra Bullock and Tim McGraw as his adoptive parents, and Kathy Bates as his tutor. (It also features cameo appearances by a host of current and former SEC coaches who shall remain nameless here, because none has as yet coached at THE University of Florida.)

But, after watching it, I was not nearly as impressed with Bullock's performance as the Academy was when it awarded her with an Oscar. As a Southerner, I just didn't buy her character's accent. (It wasn't nearly as convincing as Meryl Streep's contemporary conjuring of Julia Child's regional inflections.)

Bottom line: suitable for family movie night, but a little overblown.

Premonition

Just got done watching Sandra Bullock's latest DVD: Premonition.

I figured it would be a no-brainer, perfect for a slow, middle-of-the-week type night.

But, I was wrong.

This flick had more time twists than her last movie (The Lake House), but was only about half as good.

One sub-theme made it somewhat redeeming. Trying to figure out what was going on, Bullock's character consults with her parish priest. He reminded her that we are all vessels and that we can either carry what God intended us to carry (faith, hope, and love); or, we can go searching to fill that void with something else. But, that something else will be un-Godly, and ultimately unfulfilling.

Kinda heavy. Not what I was looking for tonight. But, maybe I'll pop it back in the DVD player on Sunday . . .