Film Review: The Proposal (2009)

Plot Outline: A pushy boss forces her young assistant to marry her in order to keep her Visa status in the U.S. and avoid deportation to Canada.

Director: Anne Fletcher

Actors: Sandra Bullock, Ryan Reynolds, Mary Steenburgen, Craig T. Nelson, Betty White

Genre: Comedy, Romance

My Review: 3 out of 5 stars. I think this particular scene with Betty White and Sandra Bullock is worthy of 5 stars for a LOL moment. This was definitely the funniest part of the movie.

History for the day: Pope recognizes Knights Templar

January 13

1128 : Pope recognizes Knights Templar

On this day in 1128, Pope Honorius II grants a papal sanction to the military order known as the Knights Templar, declaring it to be an army of God.

Led by the Frenchman Hughes de Payens, the Knights Templar organization was founded in 1118. Its self-imposed mission was to protect Christian pilgrims on their way to the Holy Land during the Crusades, the series of military expeditions aimed at defeating Muslims in Palestine. The Templars took their name from the location of their headquarters, at Jerusalem's Temple Mount. For a while, the Templars had only nine members, mostly due to their rigid rules. In addition to having noble birth, the knights were required to take strict vows of poverty, obedience and chastity. In 1127, new promotional efforts convinced many more noblemen to join the order, gradually increasing its size and influence.

While the individual knights were not allowed to own property, there was no such restriction on the organization as a whole, and over the years many rich Christians gave gifts of land and other valuables to support the Knights Templar. By the time the Crusades ended unsuccessfully in the early 14th century, the order had grown extremely wealthy, provoking the jealousy of both religious and secular powers. In 1307, King Philip IV of France and Pope Clement V combined to take down the Knights Templar, arresting the grand master, Jacques de Molay, on charges of heresy, sacrilege and Satanism. Under torture, Molay and other leading Templars confessed and were eventually burned at the stake. Clement dissolved the Templars in 1312, assigning their property and monetary assets to a rival order, the Knights Hospitalers. In fact, though, Philip and his English counterpart, King Edward II, claimed most of the wealth after banning the organization from their respective countries.

The modern-day Catholic Church has admitted that the persecution of the Knights Templar was unjustified and claimed that Pope Clement was pressured by secular rulers to dissolve the order. Over the centuries, myths and legends about the Templars have grown, including the belief that they may have discovered holy relics at Temple Mount, including the Holy Grail, the Ark of the Covenant or parts of the cross from Christ's crucifixion. The imagined secrets of the Templars have inspired various books and movies, including the blockbuster novel and film The Da Vinci Code.

Film Review: Duplicity (2009)

Plot Outline: Two spies with a steamy past find themselves on opposites sides of a corporate war.

Director: Tony Gilroy

Actors: Julia Roberts, Clive Owen, Paul Giamatti, Tom Wilkinson

Genre: Thriller

My Review: This film sucked. I've attempted to watch this movie three times and could just not sit through it. I thought my first time watching this was because I just wasn't in the mood, but the second (snoozed a bit) and third time (wanted to snooze and just stopped paying attention while using my laptop) validated that I just wasn't into it. I really tried to like it since I am a fan of both Clive Owen and Tom Wilkinson and definitely not Julia Roberts (except for her role in Mystic Pizza!), but the movie just didn't capture my interest long enough to find it even slightly entertaining.