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Page 16 of 17

The Many Rewards of a Sexually Successful Brain


QUESTION: Sometimes I want sex with my wife because I'm seeking pleasure, not romance. I feel guilty. Should I?

ANSWER: Well, an honest man! Not every guy is motivated by a deep longing for an emotional encounter every single time he wants sex. The good news is, not every woman is either. Sometimes she just wants to feel the rush of the orgasm you produce for her. God created us to enjoy sex, so that's just being human. read more

What If I Have Another Woman on My Mind?


Question: How concerned should I be if I start to think about other women while my wife and I are having sex?

Answer: An intrusive thought every now and then isn't cause for alarm. During sex, it's possible for you to have thoughts about nonsexual things as well as thoughts about people. But if these thoughts regularly invade your lovemaking and include beautiful women who talk dirty to you, then you may have a problem. read more

The Top 10 Worst Pick-Up Lines


1. You can forget about going to heaven because it's a sin to look that good.

2. How do you like me so far?

3. Do you believe in love at first sight, or do I need to walk by again? read more

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Captain America: The Right Kind of Hero

Not since the first Spider-Man hit the big screen had I been looking forward to catching a superhero at the cineplex as Captain America this summer.

After all, I remember as a small boy being hooked on the alter ego of Steve Rogers, a frail young man who was enhanced to the peak of human perfection by an experimental serum in order to aid the United States' World War II effort. read more

Thorkneeling

Thor: Hammer Time for Action, Adventure

If Spider-Man's creed is "with great power comes great responsibility," the mantra of Thor could easily be "with great power comes great arrogance."

The latest superhero movie from Marvel Studios, Thor features an out-of-this-world arrogant, reckless and selfish warrior (Chris Hemsworth), who is about to be named king of the mystical kingdom of Asgard by his father, Odin (Anthony Hopkins). But Thor's reckless actions reignite an ancient war with the frost giants—a provocation that runs counter of Odin’s advice: “a wise king never seeks out war, but he must always be ready for it.”

Odin justly calls Thor a "vain, greedy, cruel boy," but the son fires back with, "You are an old man and a fool!" Bad move, as his father removes Thor’s power, and casts him and his mighty hammer Mjolnir to Earth—forcing him to live among humans. Speaking of Thor’s hammer, it can be thrown like a boomerang, spun like nunchucks and can alter the weather—"a weapon to destroy or a tool to build," according to King Odin.

From a celestial sword-and-sorcery fantasy ala The Lord of the Rings, the film then becomes a fish-out-of-water action/comedy as Thor must adjust to the new world around him, while earthlings are dumbfounded by his Viking ego and mannerisms. For example, he storms into a diner and yells “I need SUSTENANCE,” and “I need a HORSE” as he stumbles into a hamster-and-hound-packed pet store.

The best parts of the movie are when Thor is banished to Earth, and he must find out what it takes to be a true hero when his crafty half-brother, Loki (Tom Hiddleston), threatens the whole planet. After he  crash-lands in a New Mexico desert, Thor literally runs into astrophysicist Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), and he must learn to embrace a humble attitude to become heroic.

Despite earning more than $440 million at the global box office this summer, I was leery to watch Thor largely because the character was heavily promoted in the box office as the “god of thunder.” Getting over my trepidation, I decided to catch the movie's recent release on DVD and Blu-ray. After all, I recall as a youngster reading about the Mighty Thor—a superhero who doesn't have a costume to be the hero when he was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby for Marvel Comics back in the 1960s.

Thor, Odin, Loki and other denizens of Asgard are "gods," according to Norse myth and in Marvel's original comic books. In the film, the inhabitants of Asgard don't see themselves as gods, although they acknowledge that they were taken to be such when they came to Earth about a thousand years ago. Although they possess god-like powers and reside in a heavenly place, the movie portrays them as aliens from a faraway world—a realm where science and magic are basically one and the same.

By getting around this cloudy spirituality, the film does offer a nod to Christianity, turning Thor into a Christ-figure when Loki sends a robotic Destroyer to eliminate his stepbrother and Earth's inhabitants.

Best known for film adaptations of several plays by William Shakespeare, director Kenneth Branagh deftly handles direct this large-scale superhero drama as he wisely sets the stage for a Shakespeare-like fallen hero who must find humility in order to rise to greatness. Thor is a worthwhile summer flick, offering plenty of hammer-wielding action, but it's not exceptional as Captain America—which I'll save for another review.

Besides deleted scenes, featurettes and teasers for next summer's The Avengers, the next superhero movie from Marvel Studios, the DVD and Blu-ray features the first "Marvel One Shot"—short films that are meant to link The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man and Thor, members of the Avengers. The short stars S.H.I.E.L.D. (Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division) man-on-the-ground Agent Coulson (Clark Gregg).

Content Watch: The film is rated PG-13 for sequences of intense sci-fi action and violence, and brief, light foul language. It features some family-friendly content, although I wouldn't recommend the film for children 10 and under because of the scary frost giants and relentless battles. Although there's no sex or profanity, Thor is seen out-drinking another character. Parents should discuss with youngsters the difference between the gods of Norse mythology and the one true God. read more
Mr. Popper's Penguins

Props for 'Mr. Popper's Penguins'

My three young boys were not Jim Carrey fans, but that changed this summer when Alex, Andrew and Chase saw trailers of the rubber-faced actor in Mr. Popper's Penguins.

After reading the 1939 Newbery Award-winning children's book with my wife, Tammy, last year, the brothers were excited to watch the “loose film adaptation” of Richard and Florence Atwater's classic in 1938. In the book, Popper is a house painter who starts breeding trained penguins and takes his animal act on the road, creating a national sensation.

In the 2011 contemporary movie version, Carrey plays Popper, a successful Donald Trump-like real estate mogul, whose cold relationship with his family warms up after he “inherits” six cute but trouble-making penguins from Antarctica from his recently-deceased father. read more

Wisdom From Wooden

John Wooden is someone I have always looked up to as a role model and a hero. Coach Wooden, who was nicknamed the "Wizard of Westwood," led the UCLA Bruins basketball teams of the 1960s and 1970s to a never-since-equaled 10 NCAA National Championships.

All those titles came during his last 12 coaching seasons, including seven in a row from 1967 to 1973. His UCLA teams also had a record-setting winning streak of 88 games and four perfect 30-0 seasons, and won 38 straight games in NCAA tournament play. read more

More articles in site-archives

  1. Becoming Vulnerable
  2. Hornets in the Middle East
  3. Daydream Believer
  4. One in a Billion

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