Tag Archives: Drama

Drama in Education

I’ve always found drama an effective tool when teaching children and adults alike. For some reason drama we have seen or been involved in stick in the mind long after the event. I know lines written in puppet plays written and performed around 20 years ago still come back to my husband and me at various times. That’s the power of drama in education and I saw another example of it recently. Drama, yes I know it’s usually Kyle writing about drama. But this time I want to tell you about how a drama in a church service influenced someone … Continue reading →

Challenge for 2009

Yesterday at church we had some of the members of the Huskisson Scripture Union beach mission team come to join us for the day. What a great service! The first song our music team sang, ‘People Just Like Us,’ made me think of my daughter over the other side of the world but doing exactly the same as what we were doing, worshipping Jesus. As the song says, ‘All Over the World people just like us are following Jesus, we’re worshipping Jesus.’ At about that time our daughter was giving her testimony in a service thousands of miles away. That … Continue reading →

Diagnosing the Problem

Today started with a drama. Minutes after being let outside our pup started screaming. I rushed out. I found her still shrieking and our other dog looking guilty. It appeared they had an altercation and she came off worse. When I tried to pick her up, she shrieked even louder. Soon we were in the car, on our way to the vet, with me still in my slippers! The moment we got in the car, our pup started shaking. By the time we reached the vet’s door moments after they opened, our pup was starting to freak out. She knew … Continue reading →

Gracie (2007)

When I first picked up “Gracie,” I thought I was in for a feel-good family film about a girl who wanted to play soccer. What I ended up with was a deeply-involved drama about a family torn apart who struggled to pull things back together. I have to say, though, I wasn’t disappointed in the film, even though my expectations were so far off base. “Gracie” is loosely based on the lives of actors Andrew and Elisabeth Shue, who also have roles within the film. Gracie Bowen (Carly Schroeder) is the only daughter in a family of athletic boys, and … Continue reading →

Untamed Heart (1993)

I liked it—I liked it not. I liked it—I liked it not. “Untamed Heart” was one of those movies that left me confused. I really liked the parts I liked, and really hated the parts I hated. I guess I should elaborate, huh? Marisa Tomei stars as Caroline, a waitress in a seedy diner. Her best friend is Cindy (Rosie Perez) and together they try to figure out life—Caroline’s is a mess. She’s dumped by guy after guy, she’s trying to finish beauty school and can’t seem to manage that, and she wonders if she’s just doomed to failure. One … Continue reading →

The Howards of Virginia (1940)

You’re about to see something rare – I’m going to criticize Cary Grant. Not in a huge way; how could one hugely criticize Cary Grant? But there will be some words said, by me, about him, that aren’t entirely complimentary. “The Howards of Virginia” is set during the Revolutionary War. Grant plays Matt Howard, a man who as a young boy lost his father to war with the Indians. When Matt grows up, he wants to go out to Ohio and start life anew as a frontiersman, but then something happens that changes all his plans – he meets a … Continue reading →

Only Angels Have Wings (1939)

Geoff Carter (Cary Grant) is co-owner and operator of an airline whose business it is to deliver the mail high in the mountains in Chile. The route is treacherous and only the most skilled aviators can go through the mountain pass, and only if the fog has lifted. A man serving as a lookout lives in a hut in the mountains, and keeps in contact by radio. His word is law—when he tells them not to come, they don’t come. One day a young woman wanders into their airport while waiting for the next boat to leave the harbor. She’s … Continue reading →

A Good Woman (2005)

“A Good Woman” is based on the Oscar Wilde play, “Lady Windermere’s Fan,” and stars Scarlett Johansson as Meg Windemere, a young lady who has been married one year to the love of her life, Robert (Mark Umbers). They go to stay for a time at an Italian resort, where they enjoy the lush living, luxurious accommodations, and get swept up in the society. A Mrs. Erlynne (Helen Hunt) is the talk of the town and the focus of all the gossip—she’s said to be a loose woman, a person without morals, and for a time it would appear that … Continue reading →

Catch and Release (2006)

Jennifer Garner stars as Gray, a girl whose fiancé has been killed in an accident, in this strange and unsettling movie. The funeral is held amidst all the wedding presents that have been arriving, and Gray isn’t sure how she can handle the strange juxtaposition. How does she prepare herself to deal with his death when she was getting ready to start a life with him? Going off to the bathroom to seek some solitude, she climbs into the tub and draws the curtain, just wanting everyone to leave her alone. What she doesn’t expect is for the caterer and … Continue reading →

Autumn in New York (2000)

Sometimes I like to review movies so I can tell you about a film I really liked and think you should see immediately. Other times, I like to review movies so I can tell you which films to stay far, far away from. This review is going to be one of the latter. Winona Ryder stars as Charlotte Fielding, a twenty-two-year-old woman who designs hats for a living. When she meets her mother’s old friend Will Keane (Richard Gere) she’s attracted to him, but he’s forty-eight. That puts things in a slightly weird category. For Will, though, there is no … Continue reading →