Seven Days in Utopia (2011)

I went to go see this movie last weekend primarily because I wanted to see Robert Duvall on the big screen; he is a favorite actor of mine. Duvall's character is an old rancher who used to be a former pro golfer, but now lives in the small town of Utopia Texas with his wife (Melissa Leo). The main character of the film though, is a burned-out golfer named Luke (Lucas Black, the young boy from Sling Blade) who gets stranded in Utopia for seven days while his car is repaired.  During that time, Duvall serves as a coach to Luke, helping him with his physical skills and mental focus, and eventually teaching him that there are more important things in life than golf, which is basically what the whole movie - and book that it is based on - is about. In one interesting scene, Duvall compels Luke to dig a hole in a cemetery and literally bury his lies and frustrations  (written down on paper).

I learned that the author of the original book - David Cook, a motivational sports coach - based this character on all his own mentors that he had over the years.

The film also features a bit of romance between Luke and a pretty young waitress, and a memorable scene with fireflies.

The end of the film features a lengthy sequence of Luke at a nationally-televised professional tournament featuring some real-life players. (Read about the filming here) If you think golf is boring to watch on TV, then this film may put you to sleep.

There is no traditional climatic scene you might expect in a sports movie. Rather, you have to return to the "electronic world" (as Gerald would say) to finish the movie experience. Yep, at the end of the film on the big screen, a website address is displayed and encourages the viewer to go online to find out more, a gimmick that may be a foretaste of things to come in this modern movie-going age.  I can't help but think that one day we may be seeing a code on the big screen for us to wave our phones and tablets at for a more "connected" experience.

Now on DVD: Soul Surfer (2011)

Based on the book 

I saw this movie in the theater last spring and enjoyed it very much. It is now on DVD and has some interesting special features and documentaries. The film is based on the book of the same name by surfer Bethany Hamilton who lost her arm in a shark attack back in 2003. I remember in 2003 when the news story came out and how sad I felt for her. Then I listened to her follow-up interviews after she recovered and was impressed by her faith and determination. This high-quality production tells that story of  how she overcame her disability emotionally and physically to become a professional surfer.

Annasophia Robb (age 17 playing 13) played this part very well and convinced me when she felt pain, depression, and thought of giving up. I thought the film does an excellent job at explaining how she becomes inspired to keep on keeping on, and Bethany's book, I'm sure, goes into much more detail.

There is an amazing sequence where Bethany's church group goes on a humanitarian outreach to help Tsunami victims in Thailand. As I understand, it was all filmed in Hawaii, but it was meticulously recreated. It is during this mission scene where Bethany starts to think about life outside of surfing (which completely absorbed her life), and realizes how helping out others really takes your mind off yourself. This is the best part of the movie, in my opinion.

One more thing that I think deserves attention is this visual effect throughout the movie where the actress' arm is shown completely removed. During filming the actress had to wear a "green screen" glove and her arm was digitially removed later. It's a pretty common effect nowadays, but I can not help but think that such a visual trick could never have been done so realistically 25 years ago. It really amazes me!

Helen Hunt and Dennis Quaid, who last appeared together in 1983's Bill: On His Own, play the surfer's parents and to my surprise there were several scenes where we see both of them riding the waves; they looked like they were having so much fun! Both of them are in fantastic shape and look great. Quaid's other shark-movie connection was Jaws III but I don't know if that was taken into consideration during casting. Quaid really does look like a surfer dad - if you don't believe me see this film. Hunt I had a little trouble accepting as a Hawaiian mom because I still see her in Mad About You.

But overall this is a great wholesome movie with plenty of great surfing action and beautiful scenery. One of my favorite sequences is the Hawaiian Thanksgiving scene. I remember thinking to myself, "ah, to be without snow or cold weather on Thanksgiving!" 

Highly Recommended. On DVD.

Read Laura's review here.