movies &mdash; Dallineation https://dallincrump.com/tag:movies A personal weblog. Fri, 17 Apr 2026 07:10:28 +0000 https://i.snap.as/Xmr1St6g.ico movies &mdash; Dallineation https://dallincrump.com/tag:movies Better Late than Never to the "Avatar" Party https://dallincrump.com/better-late-than-never-to-the-avatar-party?pk_campaign=rss-feed <![CDATA[A relative bought us movie tickets to see Avatar: Fire and Ash with them on Christmas Day. Since I have never seen the first two films, I thought it would be a good idea to catch up. So I subscribed to Disney+ for a month (and promptly cancelled) and finally watched Avatar and its sequel Avatar: The Way of Water this week. !--more-- I tend to be less critical than most when it comes to movies. If I'm entertained and engaged, I like it. So, naturally, I really enjoyed the first two Avatar films. It's at the intersection of genres I enjoy - sci-fi, fantasy, action. "Visually stunning" doesn't adequately describe the world of Pandora that James Cameron and crew have created. Even the original film, released in 2009, holds up 16 years later in terms of CGI and visual effects. The story, while mostly predictable, is still compelling and relevant. You can't help but get attached to the protagonist, Jake Sully, and to the Na'vi people. I found myself envying their connection to one another and to their world. And I felt sick that I could relate so much to the human antagonists - their lust for profit and resources, their disregard for life and nature. Versions of this story are playing out in real life every day, except it's our own people and our own planet that are suffering. Many stretches of the movies are a welcome escape from reality, but they also regularly force you to confront it - and want to do something about it. I'm looking forward to watching the third (and unless it does really well at the box office, likely the last) installment in the Avatar film series. a href="https://remark.as/p/dallincrump.com/better-late-than-never-to-the-avatar-party"Discuss.../a #100DaysToOffload (No. 118) #movies]]> A relative bought us movie tickets to see Avatar: Fire and Ash with them on Christmas Day. Since I have never seen the first two films, I thought it would be a good idea to catch up. So I subscribed to Disney+ for a month (and promptly cancelled) and finally watched Avatar and its sequel Avatar: The Way of Water this week.

I tend to be less critical than most when it comes to movies. If I'm entertained and engaged, I like it. So, naturally, I really enjoyed the first two Avatar films. It's at the intersection of genres I enjoy – sci-fi, fantasy, action.

“Visually stunning” doesn't adequately describe the world of Pandora that James Cameron and crew have created. Even the original film, released in 2009, holds up 16 years later in terms of CGI and visual effects.

The story, while mostly predictable, is still compelling and relevant. You can't help but get attached to the protagonist, Jake Sully, and to the Na'vi people. I found myself envying their connection to one another and to their world.

And I felt sick that I could relate so much to the human antagonists – their lust for profit and resources, their disregard for life and nature. Versions of this story are playing out in real life every day, except it's our own people and our own planet that are suffering.

Many stretches of the movies are a welcome escape from reality, but they also regularly force you to confront it – and want to do something about it.

I'm looking forward to watching the third (and unless it does really well at the box office, likely the last) installment in the Avatar film series.

Discuss...

#100DaysToOffload (No. 118) #movies

]]> https://dallincrump.com/better-late-than-never-to-the-avatar-party Thu, 18 Dec 2025 16:20:53 +0000 Thank You for the Fleas https://dallincrump.com/thank-you-for-the-fleas?pk_campaign=rss-feed <![CDATA[I never did fall back asleep last night. My soul was in too much turmoil. So I decided to watch a movie to distract me. I think there was a little divine intervention at work because the movie I picked was exactly what I needed. !--more-- Of all movies on my Amazon Prime watch list, I picked The Hiding Place. It's based on the true story of Corrie ten Boom, who with her sister and father ran a safe house and helped smuggle Jews fleeing the Nazi-occupied Netherlands during World War II. They were arrested and imprisoned, Corrie's father dying in a matter of days and she and her sister being sent to concentration camps. It's a difficult, moving film to watch, and it wrecked me, but in the best way. It brought tears, but also clarity and peace. In my last post, I shared frustration about the latest drama on Twitch and was seriously considering quitting as a streamer and viewer. But a line from The Hiding Place hit me hard. I actually had to pause the movie after hearing it and weep for a few minutes as it sunk in. There's a scene where a couple members of the underground are talking to Corrie and her sister Betsy, asking them if they really do want to use their home as a safe house for Jews. Betsy says: Truthfully, I’d rather do anything else. I’d like to close the door and never open it again until this whole hideous thing is over. But that’s me. My Lord Jesus tells me to open the door to whatever comes, to give His love in whatever way I can. And I will listen to His voice, not mine. This is exactly how I feel about what I do on Twitch. My voice is telling me to quit. God's voice is telling me to give His love in whatever way I can. And I cannot deny that Twitch has been a way for me to do just that. Several people have told me that tuning into my stream has helped them out of a dark place or made them feel good or brightened their day. And I have to believe that alone is worth all the trouble and drama that comes with Twitch. So I'll keep trying. Another aspect of the film that moved me was Betsy's unwavering faith in Jesus Christ despite the horrific conditions of Ravensbrück concentration camp, where she eventually died. Their beds are infested with fleas and lice and Corrie says she doesn't think she can give thanks for the pests. But it's soon revealed that the fleas and lice are what keep the Nazis from going any further into their barracks than the doorway, giving them some privacy and freedom at least in that space. So they were thankful for the fleas. There's another line from the film and something Corrie ten Boom often said when telling her story. No pit is so deep that He is not deeper still; with Jesus even in our darkest moments, the best remains and the very best is yet to be. And that's from a lady who survived a concentration camp. I aspire to have even a fraction of the faith in Jesus Christ that she and her family did. And it makes my problems seem so manageable by comparison. I believe the very best is yet to be for me and for you - for all of us. And now I need to add the book The Hiding Place to my reading list. a href="https://remark.as/p/dallincrump.com/thank-you-for-the-fleas"Discuss.../a #100DaysToOffload (No. 114) #faith #gratitude #life #movies #books #Twitch #Christianity]]> I never did fall back asleep last night. My soul was in too much turmoil. So I decided to watch a movie to distract me. I think there was a little divine intervention at work because the movie I picked was exactly what I needed.

Of all movies on my Amazon Prime watch list, I picked The Hiding Place. It's based on the true story of Corrie ten Boom, who with her sister and father ran a safe house and helped smuggle Jews fleeing the Nazi-occupied Netherlands during World War II. They were arrested and imprisoned, Corrie's father dying in a matter of days and she and her sister being sent to concentration camps.

It's a difficult, moving film to watch, and it wrecked me, but in the best way. It brought tears, but also clarity and peace.

In my last post, I shared frustration about the latest drama on Twitch and was seriously considering quitting as a streamer and viewer. But a line from The Hiding Place hit me hard. I actually had to pause the movie after hearing it and weep for a few minutes as it sunk in.

There's a scene where a couple members of the underground are talking to Corrie and her sister Betsy, asking them if they really do want to use their home as a safe house for Jews. Betsy says:

Truthfully, I’d rather do anything else. I’d like to close the door and never open it again until this whole hideous thing is over. But that’s me. My Lord Jesus tells me to open the door to whatever comes, to give His love in whatever way I can. And I will listen to His voice, not mine.

This is exactly how I feel about what I do on Twitch. My voice is telling me to quit. God's voice is telling me to give His love in whatever way I can. And I cannot deny that Twitch has been a way for me to do just that.

Several people have told me that tuning into my stream has helped them out of a dark place or made them feel good or brightened their day. And I have to believe that alone is worth all the trouble and drama that comes with Twitch. So I'll keep trying.

Another aspect of the film that moved me was Betsy's unwavering faith in Jesus Christ despite the horrific conditions of Ravensbrück concentration camp, where she eventually died. Their beds are infested with fleas and lice and Corrie says she doesn't think she can give thanks for the pests. But it's soon revealed that the fleas and lice are what keep the Nazis from going any further into their barracks than the doorway, giving them some privacy and freedom at least in that space. So they were thankful for the fleas.

There's another line from the film and something Corrie ten Boom often said when telling her story.

No pit is so deep that He is not deeper still; with Jesus even in our darkest moments, the best remains and the very best is yet to be.

And that's from a lady who survived a concentration camp. I aspire to have even a fraction of the faith in Jesus Christ that she and her family did. And it makes my problems seem so manageable by comparison.

I believe the very best is yet to be for me and for you – for all of us.

And now I need to add the book The Hiding Place to my reading list.

Discuss...

#100DaysToOffload (No. 114) #faith #gratitude #life #movies #books #Twitch #Christianity

]]> https://dallincrump.com/thank-you-for-the-fleas Thu, 27 Nov 2025 15:59:26 +0000 VHS Memories https://dallincrump.com/vhs-memories?pk_campaign=rss-feed <![CDATA[We had a decent VHS tape collection in my family when I was a kid. Some were store-bought. Some were recorded from TV, like episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation or Disney Sunday Movies. !--more-- Sometimes, when we were in the mood to watch a tape, one of us would stand or sit in front of the VHS shelves and read off titles until there was a consensus among everyone present on something to watch. Every so often we'd go to a video rental store like Blockbuster or Hollywood Video and bring home a few movies to watch - that was always a treat. For a while, we lived in a house with a neighbor who had the biggest VHS collection I've ever seen. They gladly lent out tapes to their neighbors - they even had a sign-out sheet and log to keep track of who had checked out which tapes. I still have a VCR and a very small VHS collection which includes just a few of the tapes from my family's old collection. I even have a tape rewinder. Occasionally I'll bring home a tape from the thrift store to add to my collection. The picture and sound quality of VHS tapes can't compare to DVDs, of course. But it's not about the quality, it's about the nostalgia. It's about the intentional experience of watching a movie on physical media. It's about the memories, the feelings of peace, comfort, and safety I had in my youth watching movies at home my family. As convenient as it is today to watch video on-demand, I miss those days when we were limited to watching what being broadcast over the airwaves and what was in the collections of family and friends and video rental stores - and we were happy all the same. a href="https://remark.as/p/dallincrump.com/vhs-memories"Discuss.../a #100DaysToOffload (No. 103) #nostalgia #TV #movies #retro]]> We had a decent VHS tape collection in my family when I was a kid. Some were store-bought. Some were recorded from TV, like episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation or Disney Sunday Movies.

Sometimes, when we were in the mood to watch a tape, one of us would stand or sit in front of the VHS shelves and read off titles until there was a consensus among everyone present on something to watch.

Every so often we'd go to a video rental store like Blockbuster or Hollywood Video and bring home a few movies to watch – that was always a treat.

For a while, we lived in a house with a neighbor who had the biggest VHS collection I've ever seen. They gladly lent out tapes to their neighbors – they even had a sign-out sheet and log to keep track of who had checked out which tapes.

I still have a VCR and a very small VHS collection which includes just a few of the tapes from my family's old collection. I even have a tape rewinder. Occasionally I'll bring home a tape from the thrift store to add to my collection.

The picture and sound quality of VHS tapes can't compare to DVDs, of course. But it's not about the quality, it's about the nostalgia. It's about the intentional experience of watching a movie on physical media. It's about the memories, the feelings of peace, comfort, and safety I had in my youth watching movies at home my family.

As convenient as it is today to watch video on-demand, I miss those days when we were limited to watching what being broadcast over the airwaves and what was in the collections of family and friends and video rental stores – and we were happy all the same.

Discuss...

#100DaysToOffload (No. 103) #nostalgia #TV #movies #retro

]]> https://dallincrump.com/vhs-memories Sat, 15 Nov 2025 04:00:02 +0000 Christmas Video: Mr. Krueger's Christmas https://dallincrump.com/christmas-video-mr?pk_campaign=rss-feed <![CDATA[It's old, cheesy, and obscure. Just the kind of Christmas video I like. !--more-- It stars Jimmy Stewart and features the Tabernacle Choir. Need I say more? iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/wLypLqWxn-U" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen/iframe Merry Christmas! --- 100DaysToOffload (No. 73) #Christmas #movies]]> It's old, cheesy, and obscure. Just the kind of Christmas video I like.

It stars Jimmy Stewart and features the Tabernacle Choir. Need I say more?

Merry Christmas!

#100DaysToOffload (No. 73) #Christmas #movies

]]> https://dallincrump.com/christmas-video-mr Fri, 09 Dec 2022 03:28:30 +0000 Non-Streaming Media Experiment https://dallincrump.com/non-streaming-media-experiment?pk_campaign=rss-feed <![CDATA[I accidentally left a Pluto TV stream running overnight (the Judge Judy channel, don't judge me). I don't know what my data cap is with Comcast Xfinity, but I'm probably at risk of hitting it this month. So now seems like a good time to try an experiment. For the remainder of November, I am not going to stream any video or audio for personal use. !--more-- With one exception: I am a huge fan of the Star Wars TV series Andor (you need to watch it whether or not you are a Star Wars fan), and I will be streaming that when new episodes are available on Wednesdays. Unfortunately there is no other way to watch it right now and I am too invested in it. Aside from that single exception, I will be relying on physical media or digital files already on my computer, as well as old-fashioned over-the-air broadcast TV and radio. Perhaps I will get a little extra reading and music practice in, as well. I just started Book 4 of the Wheel of Time series. And while my clarinet will be in the shop for a few weeks, I have my penny whistles, recorder, and Native American flute! Can I survive without YouTube and Apple Music??!? (Yes. Of course.) a href="https://remark.as/p/dallincrump.com/non-streaming-media-experiment"Discuss.../a --- 100DaysToOffload (No. 46) #music #TV #movies #tech]]> I accidentally left a Pluto TV stream running overnight (the Judge Judy channel, don't judge me). I don't know what my data cap is with Comcast Xfinity, but I'm probably at risk of hitting it this month. So now seems like a good time to try an experiment. For the remainder of November, I am not going to stream any video or audio for personal use.

With one exception: I am a huge fan of the Star Wars TV series Andor (you need to watch it whether or not you are a Star Wars fan), and I will be streaming that when new episodes are available on Wednesdays. Unfortunately there is no other way to watch it right now and I am too invested in it.

Aside from that single exception, I will be relying on physical media or digital files already on my computer, as well as old-fashioned over-the-air broadcast TV and radio.

Perhaps I will get a little extra reading and music practice in, as well. I just started Book 4 of the Wheel of Time series. And while my clarinet will be in the shop for a few weeks, I have my penny whistles, recorder, and Native American flute!

Can I survive without YouTube and Apple Music??!?

(Yes. Of course.)

Discuss...

#100DaysToOffload (No. 46) #music #TV #movies #tech

]]> https://dallincrump.com/non-streaming-media-experiment Sat, 12 Nov 2022 00:10:44 +0000 Keeping The Darkness At Bay https://dallincrump.com/keeping-the-darkness-at-bay?pk_campaign=rss-feed <![CDATA[ I was recently watching the film The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and was struck by this observation: Galadriel: Why the halfling? Gandalf: I don't know. Saruman believes that it is only great power that can hold evil in check. But that is not what I have found. I have found it is the small things - everyday deeds of ordinary folk - that keeps the darkness at bay. Simple acts of kindness and love.!--more-- Imagine how different the world would be if more of us focused on the small things. Everyday deeds, simple acts of kindness and love. Less "do what makes you happy" and more "do what makes your neighbor happy". Doing so out of genuine concern for others, not doing it for the Gram (for social media content). Joseph B. Wirthlin once shared the following story: [A]n elderly man and woman ... had been married for many decades. Because the wife was slowly losing her sight, she could no longer take care of herself the way she had done for so many years. Without being asked, the husband began to paint her fingernails for her. “He knew that she could see her fingernails when she held them close to her eyes, at just the right angle, and they made her smile. He liked to see her happy, so he kept painting her nails for more than five years before she passed away.” That is an example of the pure love of Christ. Sometimes the greatest love is not found in the dramatic scenes that poets and writers immortalize. Often, the greatest manifestations of love are the simple acts of kindness and caring we extend to those we meet along the path of life. How do we keep at bay the gathering darkness we see in our world? Be kind. Serve. Love one another. a href="https://remark.as/p/dallincrump.com/keeping-the-darkness-at-bay"Discuss.../a --- 100DaysToOffload (No. 20) #life #Christianity #movies]]>

I was recently watching the film The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and was struck by this observation:

Galadriel: Why the halfling? Gandalf: I don't know. Saruman believes that it is only great power that can hold evil in check. But that is not what I have found. I have found it is the small things – everyday deeds of ordinary folk – that keeps the darkness at bay. Simple acts of kindness and love.

Imagine how different the world would be if more of us focused on the small things. Everyday deeds, simple acts of kindness and love. Less “do what makes you happy” and more “do what makes your neighbor happy”. Doing so out of genuine concern for others, not doing it for the Gram (for social media content).

Joseph B. Wirthlin once shared the following story:

[A]n elderly man and woman ... had been married for many decades. Because the wife was slowly losing her sight, she could no longer take care of herself the way she had done for so many years. Without being asked, the husband began to paint her fingernails for her.

“He knew that she could see her fingernails when she held them close to her eyes, at just the right angle, and they made her smile. He liked to see her happy, so he kept painting her nails for more than five years before she passed away.”

That is an example of the pure love of Christ. Sometimes the greatest love is not found in the dramatic scenes that poets and writers immortalize. Often, the greatest manifestations of love are the simple acts of kindness and caring we extend to those we meet along the path of life.

How do we keep at bay the gathering darkness we see in our world? Be kind. Serve. Love one another.

Discuss...

#100DaysToOffload (No. 20) #life #Christianity #movies

]]> https://dallincrump.com/keeping-the-darkness-at-bay Tue, 18 Oct 2022 22:18:39 +0000 Topics https://dallincrump.com/topics?pk_campaign=rss-feed <![CDATA[To see posts related to a topic, just click on a hashtag below. You can subscribe to specific topics using an RSS reader. Topics of Focus faith - thoughts related to my religion tech - self explanatory Other Topics 100DaysToOffload accessories AI automobiles Bandcamp books business cassette charity Christianity Christmas ChurchOfJesusChrist climate community compactDisc contention COVID19 decentralization DigitalMinimalism economy electronicMusic EveryDayCarry eWaste family FOSS (free-as-in-freedom and open source software) friends gratitude haiku health hobbies HomeOffice humor intentionism internet laptop LessConvenient libraryMusic life Linux loneliness media meditation mentalHealth misc movies music news nostalgia physicalMedia planning poetry politics privacy prophets retro smartphones SocialMedia synthwave travel TV Twitch unity (not the game engine) Utah vaporwave writing]]> To see posts related to a topic, just click on a hashtag below. You can subscribe to specific topics using an RSS reader.

Topics of Focus

#faith – thoughts related to my religion #tech – self explanatory

Other Topics

#100DaysToOffload #accessories #AI #automobiles #Bandcamp #books #business #cassette #charity #Christianity #Christmas #ChurchOfJesusChrist #climate #community #compactDisc #contention #COVID19 #decentralization #DigitalMinimalism #economy #electronicMusic #EveryDayCarry #eWaste #family #FOSS (free-as-in-freedom and open source software) #friends #gratitude #haiku #health #hobbies #HomeOffice #humor #intentionism #internet #laptop #LessConvenient #libraryMusic #life #Linux #loneliness #media #meditation #mentalHealth #misc #movies #music #news #nostalgia #physicalMedia #planning #poetry #politics #privacy #prophets #retro #smartphones #SocialMedia #synthwave #travel #TV #Twitch #unity (not the game engine) #Utah #vaporwave #writing

]]> https://dallincrump.com/topics Sat, 13 Mar 2021 23:20:27 +0000