I was channel surfing last Saturday night when I came across a movie in HBO. A guy dressed drearily just entered a classroom filled with normal American teenagers. Some minutes later, I saw Sandra Bullock sporting a blond hair and driving a luxury car.
I later learned that the movie was called The Blind Side. Sandra won her first Best Actress trophy in the Oscars here.
Since this is an Oscar-worthy movie, I thought I was off to watching a tear-jerker dramafest or a suspense-filled highly political movie. As it went on, however, I was pleasantly suprised that it was inspiring, the story was simple yet powerful.
The movie was about Big Mike, an African-American teenager who was headed towards the rots because (1) his mother was a drug addict who had several kids with different fathers, (2) he lived at the bad side of town, and (3) he did not get a chance to get good education. Jumping from one foster home to another, he ended up sleeping in the couch of one his father's friends. This person helped him get accepted in a nice school where he met a little boy whose family was rich. He eventually became part of this rich family. They legally adopted him, hired a tutor for him, and made sure he lives a comfortable life until he graduated from college.
This is a true story. Big Mike or Michael Oher is now one of the more famous NFL players, a first-round draftee of the 2009 NFL Draft.
See the real Big Mike with the Tuohy family.
I was most affected by Big Mike's pure heart... how he showed his appreciation to the help he was given and did not abuse the support of his adoptive family. Instead, he returned the favor by doing his best all the time. The Lord saw that Big Mike deserves a better chance in life so He led this boy to the Tuohys.
And because this is a movie, one would think that the story is extraordinary (to which I agree). But goodness exists everywhere. I find it all the time in my family and friends. In their own little way, they have made things a bit easier and happier for me. I hope I am doing the same thing for them.
I wish more movies like this would win Oscar awards. I bet there are a lot of stories to tell. It's about time that we hype the good.
It's the end of an era so it must NOT be a one-of-those-movie-dates feeling. It had to be special.
For that, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 was seen at one of the newest cinemas in town... Newport in Resorts World.
It was my first time in the mall actually so I had to take a lot of pictures of the scenes inside.
This is so The Venetian in Las Vegas.
The cinema area has a nice The Venetian concept, too. Lots of chandeliers and nice lounge chairs... but can feel a bit crowded because of the lack of space and low ceiling.
The best part about the Resortsworld cinema is their 24hr cinema (or was it just for HP7?!)... Very suitable for my hubby's work schedule and our date time.
I was a bit teary-eyed at the last part of the movie because I will surely miss Harry, Ron, Hermione and everyone else. The book (story) is an epic and so are the movies. I don't think there will ever be another brilliant writer out there for very long time so I seriously felt the actual closing of the last book while seeing the credits of movie.
But it was a VERY GOOD Harry Potter date and a very nice cinema. The night ended with a nice HP7 chat with hubby on the way home.
Harry, I will see you in Book 1 again soon.