IRON MAN 3 — My rating: 8/10

Every critique of a movie is actually the opinion of the “critiquer” or the person doing the critiquing.  Having said that, I feel it’s okay to further interject with a personal opinion about certain actors portraying a character.  Iron Man 3 is the subject of this critique.

For a long while, I had given up on one of my favorite actors.  Writing him off to the wilds of drugs and too much partying.  Just when it looked as though he was about to cancel out of society, a remarkable thing happened.  As he had fallen, he got back up for the umpteen time.  Only this time, he stood tall and continues to do so.  Even though I don’t know Robert Downing, Jr. personally, I am so proud of his achievements.  In a strange way, he reminds me of Johnny Depp.  His larger than life personality and aura brings a uniqueness to every character he plays.  I believe he is up there on genius status.  He is brilliant to watch and quite pleasing to the eyes.

Iron Man 1 and 2 were so good, I didn’t want either to end.  I gave each a 10 out or 10 rating.  Iron Man 3 was also good, however I felt there was much to much destruction.  Too many scenes had us witnessing building after building being destroyed.  It really became tiresome.  The “one man’s revenge” thing has also been overdone.  Somebody has run out of fresh ideas on how to come up with a scenario that renders a good plot for evil vs. pretty good.  I know the Iron Man idea is a fantasy, however there are a select number of  folks who sometimes convince themselves that this might be possible somewhere down the line.  Therefore, some semblance of normalcy would be appreciated.  Suffice to say, I didn’t like this third sequel as much as the first and second films but I liked it enough to rate it 8 out of 10.

PAIN & GAIN — My rating: 9/10

How refreshing to see a really good dark comedy!  I just saw Pain & Gain.  Not knowing what to expect, I was open for a rough and tough ride through the streets of a gangster type neighborhood with lots of crime and lots of action.  Instead, I saw a really dark comedy and a true story (not based on a true story, but a real true story).

There were parts that had me laughing so hard, I missed some dialogue from the next scene.  What a cast !  Usually, when there are a lot of stars in a movie, it sucks.  Surprisingly, this movie was really good and very entertaining.  I don’t understand the “so-so” rating and I definitely disagree with the critics and the fans.  Mark Wahlberg out did himself, as did the rest of the cast.  The acting, the deliverance of their lines and direction was phenomenal.

Do yourself a favor and see this one.  You won’t be disappointed unless you don’t like dark comedies.  It was tastefully done.

For Christians, This is a Serious Eye Opener!

Someone asked me, who is Tammuz?  The Old Testament mentions him in Ezekiel 8:14. Not really knowing the answer, I researched it on the internet and found this story I’d like to share with everyone.  It raises a lot of questions regarding our celebration of Easter, which I call “Resurrection Sunday”.  Please read and if you are a Christian, seek answers from your church ministry.  Please comment with the answers you find.

This resource is located on the following web address:  http://www.lasttrumpetministries.org/tracts/tract1.html

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The Pagan Origin Of Easter


Easter is a day that is honored by nearly all of contemporary Christianity and is used to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

The holiday often involves a church service at sunrise, a feast which includes an “Easter Ham”, decorated eggs and stories about rabbits.

Those who love truth learn to ask questions, and many questions must be asked regarding the holiday of Easter.

Is it truly the day when Jesus arose from the dead? Where did all of the strange customs come from, which have nothing to do with the resurrection of our Saviour?

The purpose of this tract is to help answer those questions, and to help those who seek truth to draw their own conclusions.

The first thing we must understand is that professing Christians were not the only ones who celebrated a festival called “Easter.”

“Ishtar”, which is pronounced “Easter” was a day that commemorated the resurrection of one of their gods that they called “Tammuz”, who was believed to be the only begotten son of the moon-goddess and the sun-god.

In those ancient times, there was a man named Nimrod, who was the grandson of one of Noah’s son named Ham.

Ham had a son named Cush who married a woman named Semiramis.Cush and Semiramis then had a son named him “Nimrod.”

After the death of his father, Nimrod married his own mother and became a powerful King.

The Bible tells of of this man, Nimrod, in Genesis 10:8-10 as follows: “And Cush begat Nimrod: he began to be a mighty one in the earth. He was a mighty hunter before the Lord: wherefore it is said, even as Nimrod the mighty hunter before the Lord. And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, and Erech, and Accad,and Calneh, in the land of Shinar.”

Nimrod became a god-man to the people and Semiramis, his wife and mother, became the powerful Queen of ancient Babylon.

Nimrod was eventually killed by an enemy, and his body was cut in pieces and sent to various parts of his kingdom.

Semiramis had all of the parts gathered, except for one part that could not be found.

That missing part was his reproductive organ. Semiramis claimed that Nimrod could not come back to life without it and told the people of Babylon that Nimrod had ascended to the sun and was now to be called “Baal”, the sun god.

Queen Semiramis also proclaimed that Baal would be present on earth in the form of a flame, whether candle or lamp, when used in worship.

Semiramis was creating a mystery religion, and with the help of Satan, she set herself up as a goddess.

Semiramis claimed that she was immaculately conceived.

She taught that the moon was a goddess that went through a 28 day cycle and ovulated when full.

She further claimed that she came down from the moon in a giant moon egg that fell into the Euphrates River.

This was to have happened at the time of the first full moon after the spring equinox.

Semiramis became known as “Ishtar” which is pronounced “Easter”, and her moon egg became known as “Ishtar’s” egg.”

Ishtar soon became pregnant and claimed that it was the rays of the sun-god Baal that caused her to conceive.

The son that she brought forth was named Tammuz.

Tammuz was noted to be especially fond of rabbits, and they became sacred in the ancient religion, because Tammuz was believed to be the son of the sun-god, Baal. Tammuz, like his supposed father, became a hunter.

The day came when Tammuz was killed by a wild pig.

Queen Ishtar told the people that Tammuz was now ascended to his father, Baal, and that the two of them would be with the worshippers in the sacred candle or lamp flame as Father, Son and Spirit.

Ishtar, who was now worshiped as the “Mother of God and Queen of Heaven”, continued to build her mystery religion.

The queen told the worshipers that when Tammuz was killed by the wild pig, some of his blood fell on the stump of an evergreen tree, and the stump grew into a full new tree overnight. This made the evergreen tree sacred by the blood of Tammuz.

She also proclaimed a forty day period of time of sorrow each year prior to the anniversary of the death of Tammuz.

During this time, no meat was to be eaten.

Worshipers were to meditate upon the sacred mysteries of Baal and Tammuz, and to make the sign of the “T” in front of their hearts as they worshipped.

They also ate sacred cakes with the marking of a “T” or cross on the top.

Every year, on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the spring equinox, a celebration was made.

It was Ishtar’s Sunday and was celebrated with rabbits and eggs.

Ishtar also proclaimed that because Tammuz was killed by a pig, that a pig must be eaten on that Sunday.

By now, the readers of this tract should have made the connection that paganism has infiltrated the contemporary “Christian” churches, and further study indicates that this paganism came in by way of the Roman Catholic System.

The truth is that Easter has nothing whatsoever to do with the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.

We also know that Easter can be as much as three weeks away from the Passover, because the pagan holiday is always set as the first Sunday after the first full moon after the spring equinox.

Some have wondered why the word “Easter” is in the the King James Bible.

It is because Acts, chapter 12, tells us that it was the evil King Herod, who was planning to celebrate Easter, and not the Christians.

The true Passover and pagan Easter sometimes coincide, but in some years, they are a great distance apart.

So much more could be said, and we have much more information for you, if you are a seeker of the truth.

We know that the Bible tells us in John 4:24, “God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.”

The truth is that the forty days of Lent, eggs, rabbits, hot cross buns and the Easter ham have everything to do with the ancient pagan religion of Mystery Babylon.These are all antichrist activities!

Satan is a master deceiver, and has filled the lives of well-meaning, professing Christians with idolatry.

These things bring the wrath of God upon children of disobedience, who try to make pagan customs of Baal worship Christian.

You must answer for your activities and for what you teach your children.

These customs of Easter honor Baal, who is also Satan, and is still worshipped as the “Rising Sun” and his house is the “House of the Rising Sun.”

How many churches have “sunrise services” on Ishtar’s day and face the rising sun in the East?

How many will use colored eggs and rabbit stories, as they did in ancient Babylon.

These things are no joke, any more than Judgement day is a joke.

I pray to God that this tract will cause you to search for more truth.

We will be glad to help you by providing more information and by praying for you.

These are the last days, and it is time to repent, come out and be separate.

David J.  Meyer

Last Trumpet Ministries International
PO Box 806
Beaver Dam, WI 53916

THE CALL (2013) – My rating: 8/10

There’s something to be learned here!

I was expecting a mediocre movie about the over done topic of serial killers.  While the topic is certainly popular the movie was much better than I expected.  Halle Berry keeps reminding us, over and over, why she was and is Oscar worthy.  Her performance in The Call was believable because it was well acted.  I tried to place myself in her character’s shoes and quickly found comradery.  Needless to say, I liked The Call.  The suspense keeps you guessing throughout the movie.  I particularly liked the suggestions on how to trap a serial killer and free yourself in the meanwhile.   Morris Chestnut as Hallie’s love interest was played down to a dull roar as to give credibility to the issue at hand.  A stellar performance was also given by Roma Maffia who played Maddy (Police Supervisor of the Hive).  Got a minute?  Check The Call out, it’s worth your dime!

2013 OSCARS ARE HERE!

There are 9 nominees for Best Picture this year and I must say, I can’t decide on a winner.  These 9 movie are truly Oscar worthy.  The nominees are:

Lincoln,  Argo,  Zero Dark Thirty,  Life of Pi,  Silver Linings Playbook,  Les Misèrables, Amour,  Django Unchained  and  Beast of the Southern Wild.

LINCOLN:      My rating:  10/10     Daniel Day-Lewis won Best Actor!
I picked Lincoln to win Best Picture because I was mesmerized from the onset of the movie.  I was in tears by the time the Gettysburg address was recited.  By the time Tommy Lee Jones came on the scene, I was frozen to my seat and taking in every word.  By the end of the movie I was totally engrossed not wanting Lincoln to end.  Performances by Sally Field, Tommy Lee Jones and Daniel Day-Lewis were extraordinary.   I finally understood what it takes to pass a bill.  The entire process is just amazing.  Lincoln was a real history lesson and an insight into current day issues.  Washington is just one big courtroom trying our life’s issues where everyone believes they’re a chief and we the people are the Indians!  I loved this movie the most out of all the other Oscar nominations.  I believe it should win.

AND THE WINNER FOR BEST PICTURE IS:
ARGO:           My rating:  9.5/10
Argo ran a close second for me, as it told a true story that everyone knew the ending of but managed to keep you on the edge of your seat.  I found Argo exciting, well acted, well cast and quite humorist in all the right places.  Argo is up for Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor, Best Film Editing, Best Music (Original Score), Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing and Best Writing (Adapted Screenplay).  Considering this was Ben Affleck’s first directing endeavor, “he done good”.  I’m sorry to see that he was snubbed by the Academy for a director’s nod but am glad to see that he won other awards for this project.  Argo was another history lesson that showed us what determination and team work can do, even with an impossible situation like this one.  Even though Lincoln is my first pick, I wouldn’t be upset if Argo won.

ZERO DARK THIRTY:         My rating:  8.5/10
In my humble opinion, Zero Dark Thirty was not as good as Argo or Lincoln but none the less, entertaining and well acted.  Up for Best Picture as well as Best Actress and Sound Editing, Zero Dark Thirty didn’t spark my interest as much as I thought it would.  Most of the focus was concentrated on Jessica Chastain’s character which didn’t seem credible in the real world.  Since this is a true story I think it should basically stick to the facts.  I have nothing to base any misinformation on, so I will focus on the entertainment factor rather than the factual aspect.   Zero Dark Thirty told a pretty good story for the most part, I just didn’t think it was truthful.

THE WINNER FOR BEST DIRECTOR IS:
LIFE OF PI:   My rating:  9/10
This story was told with all the guts and hardship one could muster.  Life of Pi is up for Best Picture, Best Cinematography, Best Director, Best Film Editing, Best Music (Original Score), Best Music (Original Song), Best Production Design, Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing, Best Visual Effects and Best Writing (Adapted Screenplay).  I loved the graphics and technical aspects of this movie.  Based on one man’s powerful imagination, a tragedy emerged that was pushed to the background so that we could be a part of a story of all stories.  I found Life of Pi exciting, entertaining, well acted and well directed.  This movie was a relief and an escape from some of the not so good stories I’ve seen lately.  Oscar worthy, I highly recommend Life of Pi.

SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK:      My rating:  10/10     Jennifer Lawrence won Best Actress!
I saw this movie on my birthday.  What a birthday surprise.  I laughed out loud throughout the movie.  I was so entertained I had to see it twice.  Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence (both nominated for Best Actor and Best Actress, respectively) were incredible.  I was being hit from every angle of this movie (in a good way).  I don’t want to say too much because I don’t want to give anything away.  I think the element of surprise was one of this movie’s strong points.  I think this movie is a “must see”.  I would not be upset if Silver Linings Playbook won for Best Picture.  Comedies usually don’t win so I don’t hold out much hope and Lincoln is still my pick.  Silver Linings Playbook is also up for Best Supporting Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Director, Best Film Editing and Best Writing (Adapted Screenplay).

LES MISÈRABLES:   My rating:  8/10      Anne Hathaway won Best Supporting Actress!
Les Misèrables is up for Best Picture, Best Actress, Best Actor, Best Costume Design, Best Makeup and Hairstyling, Best Music (Original Song), Best Production Design and Best Sound Mixing.  I saw Les Misèrables on Broadway and loved it.  On the big screen, I think it losses some of its misery.  Russell Crow was amazing, as was Hugh Jackman and Ann Hathaway.  Don’t get me wrong, the story was still sad and unfortunate and I still fell in love with the actor’s singing and ability to tell such a sad story in song.  I just didn’t fell the misery as I did on Broadway.  This just could be inclusive of my feelings but that’s all I have to go on.  I also felt Les Misèrables was done to death.  Part of me was a little tired of the same old songs.  Overall,  Les Misèrables was a very good musical that deserved the Oscar nod because of the acting and talent it took to bring it to the big screen.

AMOUR          My rating:  8.5/10
What a story.  Up for Best Picture, Best Foreign Language Film, Best Actress, Best Director and Best Writing (Original Screenplay).  Amour dealt with a problem we will all experience if we continue to live.  So in love and compatible were these two people.  Old age problems struck and the rest was Amour telling the story of two elderly people who depended on each other for survival.  This is a story I can relate to since my parents were in a similar situation.  I think these actors deserve kudos for their performances and the director, Michael Haneke did a brilliant job bringing a much needed issue to the audience’s attention.  There is a twist to the story that really deserves deep thought.  I found the movie a little slow at times but overall, it was well done!

DJANGO UNCHAINED:       My rating:  9.5/10    Christoph Waltz won Best Supporting Actor!
Oh my, what shall I say?  I went on a fantasy, gun totting, America at its worse, wanted for bounty killing spree ride that hasn’t been seen since the likes of Natural Born Killers.  And I was rooting for the killers all the way.  Django (the D is silent) is up for Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor, Best sound Editing, Best Writing (Original Screenplay) and Best Cinematography.  Django is an action packed thrill ride and a feel good movie that I don’t expect will win Oscar.  However, this movie will go down in history as one of a kind.  The entertainment factor is endless.  The acting was superb and the German, played by Christoph Waltz was unsurpassed.  I don’t believe he will win Oscar but I can tell you this character was unforgettable.  I loved the movie and highly recommend it.

BEAST OF THE SOUTHERN WILD:         My rating:  10/10
Beautifully told, this movie was quite a surprise.  Its raw footage and documentary styled format will hit you right where it hurts.  It’s hard to believe people actually live like the folks in this story but they do and if we didn’t know it before, we know it now.  The amazing talent of the star of this movie was very moving.  Only 5 years old when she auditioned and 10 now, Quvenzhanè Wallis is youngest actress to be nominated for an Oscar.  I found it hard to believe how well she portrayed her character.  I was duly impressed.  The movie was real and told a pretty harsh story of a little girl who had no mother and only a very sick father to raise her in the back woods of Louisiana.  Her journey is Oscar worthy as this movie is up for Best Picture, Best Actress, Best Director and Best Writing (Adapted Screenplay).  Overall I loved this movie and highly recommend it to all.

LINCOLN – My rating: 10/10

What a Great Movie                                                                                               I saw the latest release of “LINCOLN” (2012) and I highly recommend it to all. It does delve deep into politics but it’s not boring and you may learn a thing or two. The stars are endless, Daniel Day-Lewis, Sally Field, David Strathairn, James Spader, Hal Holbrook, and Gloria Reuben to name a few. Therefore you can expect it’s not amateurishly acted. Despite what you may have heard about Abe Lincoln, this movie really puts it all into perspective. It’s as if this movie had a telescope into today’s issues. I laughed, I cried, I applauded and I even commented a couple of times (out loud). Although the movie was 2-1/2 long, it was time well spent. BTW: Don’t miss the opening scene — Steven Spielberg, as always, jump starts your emotions! I say it’s a MUST SEE!

15 MINUTES (2001) My rating: 10/10

I’d Like To Convince Everyone To See “15 Minutes”!                             I don’t think this action packed, really good movie received enough exposure. I had no idea when I saw it, I’d be so well entertained and emotionally moved. Aside from a great cast, this movie is different and goes where most movies will not. Do yourself a favor and see 15 Minutes, you won’t regret it. Non-stop action with an excellent story behind it and Robert De Niro too!