Movie Review, The Shell Seekers

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Here is another great movie to watch,

The Reading Room.

http://www.moviepicks.org/movies?movieID=761

The Reading Room is remarkable. Don’t miss this motion picture. It’s one of those films that makes you feel good because you saw it. How many films can you say that about these days? But what’s a reading room? The name sounds like a school library, or perhaps the big building down-town where there are many books—or perhaps a room at home where lots of books are stashed. A room filled with books may not give the impression of a place where an interesting story would unfold. But this story is interesting, and exciting.

This reading room isn’t the conventional kind of library we usually think about. It’s situated in a storefront of an inner-city neighborhood. Think about it. How popular do you think such a place would be? Well, it isn’t popular at all, at least for quite a while. Here’s how it came about. A well-to-do retired business man named William Campbell, played perfectly by James Earl Jones, owns several buildings in this tough, slummy area of a big city. As the movie opens, the last of the guests leave Mr. Campbell’s elegant home which is now quiet following a memorial service for his late wife. Watching a video made by his wife telling him of her love, he pays attention to one of her requests, a rather strange one. She wants him to open a reading room in an empty store of one of his inner city buildings. Knowing he won’t like her post-mortem assignment, she tells him to try it for at least three months.

Being lonely and bored, and through his love and respect for his deceased wife, William follows her wishes and fills walls of bookcases with all sorts of books. He puts up a sign “The Reading Room,” and waits for his first customer. Kids and grown-ups walk by and look in the windows curiously, but no one comes in the first day or the next or the next. William sits at his desk—reading, but is obviously disappointed. Finally, he comes up with a plan. He puts a sign on the window, saying “FREE SODA.” This gets the attention of some kids who come in and help themselves to the pop in the well-stocked refrigerator. Word gets around and other kids and teenagers stop in for free sodas, but complain there aren’t any magazines. They complain because there are no computer games. Trying to please, Mr. Campbell adds a computer, computer games, and even some magazines. It’s a long while before anyone pays much attention to the books. William is even rebuffed by the principal of the school across the street whom he visits suggesting his reading room might be a helpful resource. A minister stops by and instead of welcoming William and his reading room, he and his cronies act threatened by his invasion of their territory.

Things go downhill from there, with gang members loading up on his free sodas, followed by vandalism, broken windows, trashing the place, and being robbed. Add to this, his car is stolen at gunpoint.

William Campbell stays cool and calm through all this adversity, making us wonder why we don’t stay unfazed when thing go wrong in our lives. As the story progresses, we see a nice guy who shows mercy and love even to those who treat him badly. James Earl Jones is the just the right actor to play William Campbell, a role model person of remarkable character. While enjoying a delightful story, without realizing what is happening, we learn something about life, about adversity, and about being a little kinder and a little gentler.

All these things make this film worthwhile. But there’s much more to this motion picture. A significant number of kids, and even grown-ups, don’t know how to read—or stumble their way along as they try. In this story, as we see youngsters and teenagers struggle, they remind me of countless kids just like them whose parents brought them to our clinic because their school grades were terrible, because they didn’t like school, or because they obviously couldn’t read. Although this film doesn’t get into the details about reading and learning problems, about 20% of kids struggle with reading—even in good schools. They need extra help. And in this story, extra help is what some cute kids, obnoxious teenagers, and others get in Mr. Campbell’s reading room. Don’t think this movie is a boring infomercial for reading. It isn’t. The story is solid. It’s well written. It’s fiction, but I can tell you that there are countless kids and grown-ups out there who are just like the characters in this story. I wish there were lots of reading rooms and Mr. Campbells in inner-cities as well as in affluent neighborhoods with exclusive shops.

The filming of this made-for-television movie is excellent. So is the casting, directing, and acting. Of course, James Earl Jones is always a class act. But he lives this story with an inner conviction. Going back several generations, in real life, the great-great-grandmother of James Earl Jones taught his great-great-grandfather how to read. The story of the actor’s slave great-great-grandmother teaching his slave great-great-grandfather is powerful. “They did it in secret and at no small peril,” Mr. Jones explains, “Because slaves were forbidden to read. Those who taught slaves to read were punished; slaves who were discovered with books were severely punished, because reading was acknowledged as freedom.” James Earl Jones believes this so strongly, he works to promote literacy, pointing out that the power to read still equals freedom. He tells all who will listen that in some segments of our culture, many people are now secretly illiterate. I would add, that there are more adults than you would imagine who cannot read, in every ethnic group.. Mr. Jones told members of Congress in a Subcommittee on Education Reform that nearly 100-million Americans have low or very low literacy skills, many not being able to read above the sixth grade level. I would add that many cannot read even that well.

This is a powerful story. It’s fun to watch. You may find tears running down your cheeks at some moments. But, this is not a chick flick. It’s a great film for guys too—and for big people and little people. It’s also one that I’ll want to keep in the film library of our home so we can share it often with family members and friends. So thanks to everyone involved in writing, directing, producing, this excellent film and to Hallmark Entertainment and the Hallmark Channel for making it available to us. I hope you’ll run it over and over.


It is a favorite of mine.
 
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Here is another good movie for those who like Sandra Bullock, and the man who played in the Matrix, Reeves?

The Lake House...
 
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Also, another movie worth watching is Dutch. A funny movie with Al Bundy in it, for Bundy fans.
 

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Now, here is a movie, which the reviews only scored a C+ to, which I totally disagree with being the movie is wonderfully inspiring, warm, and funny. I loved it.


The Theory of Flight

Release Date: Jan 22, 1999; Rated: R; Genres: Comedy, Drama; With: Kenneth Branagh and Helena Bonham Carter; Distributor: Fine Line Features
C+By Bilge Ebiri

In The Theory of Flight a troubled artist (Branagh) finds himself caring for a young woman with a debilitating illness (Bonham Carter) and tries to fulfill her greatest wish — losing her virginity. Partners in real life, the leads are solid (especially Bonham Carter in a technically impressive performance), but the setup is queasy, and the film is more interested in clumsy whimsical interludes and overbaked flight-as-metaphor sequences than in the characters. C+
 

Peanut9199

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Haven't seen it but i love Helena Bonham Carter as an actress she is always impressive in any role she takes on.

There is a movie that is a favorite of mine it's called "Whalerider" it's made in New Zealand and the young girl in it "Keisha Castle-Hughes" was nominated for an Oscar at 12 years old.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fE7-_Z03Aw4&feature=player_embedded
 

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Check this out,


I'd be off that field in a heartbeat. ;)
 
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Well then you will love this movie.

"The World's Fastest Indian" i seen that movie and it's not what i was expecting.
 
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Okay, got a great movie to go see. I just saw in 3 D, The Christmas Carol with Jim Carrey, if you love 3D's you will love this movie. It was just so fantastic.
 
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