Benjamin Mee offers romance advice to his 14-year-old son, “You know, sometimes all you need is twenty seconds of insane courage. Just literally twenty seconds of just embarrassing bravery. And I promise you, something great will come of it.” What he seems to be talking about here is a leap of faith.
Benjamin is struggling in his relationship with his son, Dylan. Benjamin, Dylan, and 7-year-old Rosie are grieving the loss of wife and mother. Benjamin is stuck in the fourth stage of grief, depression and loneliness. Dylan is still dealing with anger. Whatever else changes in their lives the life they knew with Katherine is over. In what had to be 20 seconds of insane impulse, recently widowed father Benjamin Mee buys a zoo hoping to provide a new start for his two children. Continue reading
Dickens’ A Christmas Carol is one of those stories that bears retelling. I remember watching the 1951 version starring Alistair Sim on TV as a child and being terrified of the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come. When the Ghost of Christmas Past shows Scrooge Marley’s deathbed scene I think I learned the meaning of mortality before I ever heard the word. It was my first sobering visit with one of Dickens’ ghosts.
I think the Muppets might tell it best, though Donald Duck and Mickey Mouse both do credible jobs. The most recent Disney offering starring Jim Carrey is pretty good as is the BBC version. And I sort of liked Bill Murray’s modern version, Scrooged. With each viewing one of the ghosts has had something different to show me. Continue reading
Yesterday a couple of people I know reposted the same article on facebook entitled I’m Christian Unless You’re Gay . Despite the title, the author, Dan Pearce, is not issuing an indictment against the prejudices of the Christian Church but rather a call to love others. Even if we disagree with another’s beliefs or lifestyle, even if we don’t like something about another’s cultural or religious practices, Pearce contends that hatred is not an appropriate response and does not reflect the nature of Jesus. In fact he lists admonitions to love from every major religion.
Pearce also lists groups of people who are frequent victims of rejection and disgust: “gay people, people who dress differently, people who act differently, fat people, people with drug additions, people who smoke, people with addictions to alcohol, people with eating disorders, people who fall away from their faiths, people who aren’t members of the dominant local religion, people with non-traditional piercings, people who just look at you or me the wrong way.” Maybe it’s because it’s Christmastime but as I read through Dan’s list I had this vision of the Island of Misfit Toys in Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. As a sometime inhabitant of the Island I appreciated Dan’s passion and kindness. Continue reading
Thank you to our veterans who are changed forever to preserve our freedoms. They go when they would rather stay home, they bear the marks of war on their bodies and their psyches. They are our friends and neighbors and our heroes. Here’s a list of my favorite veterans from some of our major wars. Who are yours?
Benjamin Martin (The Patriot) – Revolutionary War. Brings not only his experience, but his wisdom and regrets to his second war. He won’t fight until it’s personal, leads reluctantly as a citizen soldier standing with his neighbors. It’s not about power.
54th Regiment Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry.(Glory.) Civil War. A black regiment led by an idealistic white captain learn to put aside distractions and disagreements and focus on the cause. When one fell another took up the flag, a symbol of their determination to win freedom.
Sergeant York – World War I. Kinda hokey but I love this guy. He resists violence but he fights when his default setting is peace and love for his fellow man. Continue reading
Based on the true story of the Oakland A’s 2002 season, Moneyball looks at how baseball accords worth to its players. Faced with the loss of star players and Oakland’s very tight budget, general manager Billy Beane uses a statistical approach called sabermetrics to recruit undervalued players. Sabermetrics was developed by statistician Bill James who challenged the use of individual players’ stats such as RBI’s as predictors of team success. Beane hires economics major Peter Brand to analyze statistics using James’ formulas so that he can make data-driven decisions about players. Brand says “Your goal shouldn’t be to buy players, your goal should be to buy wins. In order to buy wins, you need to buy runs.” Based on Brand’s recommendations Beane recruits players who have the potential to get on base.
Oakland’s managers and scouts feel threatened by the change, and doubt the validity of Beane’s method. Not only do the traditionalists dislike having their assumptions challenged, they fear that reliance on pure analysis undermines the heart of baseball. For them the romance comes from remarkable plays and individual prowess that make legendary baseball heroes. Billy Beane understands. At one time in his life he was just such a hero. He says “How can you not be romantic about baseball?” Continue reading
I watched Jerry Maguire again. It makes me happy every time I see it. This time I was struck by what it had to say about the search for fulfillment. Jerry’s restored perspective on work and Rod’s understanding of family and abundance merge to create an organic, wholistic approach to fulfillment.
Rod Tidwell’s “quan” incompasses respect, recognition, relationships. He says “show me the money” but quan speaks to a life of quality and quantity focused on the results of bounty rather than bounty itself. Quan approaches the idea of abundance. Rod’s “show me the money” is really aimed at having resources to sustain and bless his family through the fruits of his career. But Rod’s perceived lack of resources and respect causes him to forget the joy of the work itself and to lose perspective on how blessed is already is. Continue reading
Hilly Holbrook is what happens when Mean Girls grow up in the mid-twentieth century South. Hilly is the firmly ensconced queen bee of 1960′s Jackson society. She sets the trends. She pronounces who’s in and who’s out. Hilly uses her influence to hurt those who offend her and advance those who follow her. Hilly seems to honestly believe her own hype. She considers herself superior to others in her social circle which is considered superior to other white people in Jackson, where white people are considered superior to black people. Hilly represents the small-minded, mean-spirited face of Southern pride.
Even Skeeter refuses to confront Hilly. College has broadened Skeeter’s perspective and shifted her allegiances but she knows how it works. Hilly’s pride has to be preserved. Aibileen, Skeeter, and Minny work under the radar to accomplish their agenda. Skeeter and Minny employ some of the same passive-aggressive tactics Hilly uses in order to undermine Hilly. The toilets and pie are funny and Hilly has it coming, but what compelled me about The Help are the powerful acts of grace. Skeeter’s determination to operate outside her comfort zone and help tell truthful stories that might contribute to change is an act of grace. Continue reading
In my last post I wrote about Harry Potter as a messianic figure. He responded to his unique role as Voldemort’s nemesis by willingly sacrificing himself to defeat evil. He joins a distinguished list of sacrificial movie heroes. Some are chosen ones, some just choose. Continue reading
CONTAINS SPOILERS. Since he was marked by Voldemort as a baby it’s been clear that Voldemort’s defeat rests on Harry Potter’s shoulders. The prophecy states that “neither can live while the other survives.” Harry’s already made the choice between what is right and what is easy. His decision to face Voldemort is not “if” but “when” and “how.”
Along with good vs. evil, and the burden of being “the one,” death is a looming theme. Dumbledore paints death as a great adventure. Voldemort fears it and seeks to power over it. Throughout the series and especially in this last installment beloved characters die heroic deaths in the battle against Voldemort. Loved ones grieve their loss. This is the nature of death.
In the first movie Harry gazes into The Mirror of Erised (desire backwards) and he sees his dead parents. Quirrell/Voldemort is mistaken or lying when he tells Harry he can bring them back in exchange for the Sorcerer’s Stone. The Sorcerer’s Stone offers fortune and immortality but it’s the Resurrection Stone that brings back the dead. Since he loves no one, the only person Voldemort would care to resurrect is himself; it is immortality of the Sorcerer’s Stone that Voldemort is after but it is destroyed in the first movie.
In an attempt to gain immortality to go with his quest for absolute power Voldemort tears apart his own soul and commits murders to create horcruxes to house the pieces of his shattered soul. Fear of death motivates a few wizards to choose life as ghosts. Nearly Headless Nick tells Harry “I know nothing of the secrets of death, for I chose my feeble imitation of life.” A ghost is merely an imprint of a departed soul, but having splintered his own this is no longer a possibility for Voldemort. Continue reading
Today I’m having a Princess Bride style argument with myself about “I am Second.” I admire the organization and appreciate what they are doing. I mean no offense, but I think their name should be “I am Third” instead of “I am Second.” If Jesus is first, shouldn’t others be second, and I be third?
But then, if I share this opinion on my blog, aren’t I, in practice, making myself second? If I was really third I would shut up and let I Am Second be second if they want to be second instead of pointing out that I think they should be called I Am Third. So they are probably right, my practical position is that I am second even though my philosophical position is that I am third.
I can’t help wondering what it would look like if I really decided to live like I am third.
Bridesmaids is a funny and somewhat crass look at friendship and competition among women involved in a wedding. Often a wedding party is made up of people who may not socialize together. When a group of women don’t know one another well but end up in an intimate social situation like a wedding insecurities are bound to surface. It’s already an emotionally charged event. I thought Bridesmaids was a refreshingly honest look at some of the ways weddings can heighten insecurities and make women crazy.
Lilian’s bridesmaids are Anne, her childhood friend, Helen, the wealthy wife of her fiancé’s boss, who has become a close friend, Becca, a newlywed co-worker, Megan, the groom’s sister, and Rita, Lillian’s cousin who is a dissatisfied wife and mother.The status of “best friend” changes over the years so when it comes time to choose the “maid of honor” one of the “best” friends is going to be hurt. Continue reading
STINGER ALERT – When you do see the movie stay until after the credits!
In Super 8 Abrams manages to tell an emotionally engaging story about his characters’ journeys without compromising on mystery, plot, or action. The mystery begins when a group of middle school students witness a train crash and find their science teacher in the wreckage with mysterious instructions for the group. It builds as two of the kids, Charles and Joe, actually watch what their dropped camera has caught on film.
Joe’s father, Deputy Jack Lamb wrestles with his own set of puzzling clues. There are mysterious power outages, all the town’s dogs run away, and then townspeople start disappearing. Meanwhile Jack and Joe are grieving the death of wife and mother and trying to establish some sort of working relationship without her. Continue reading
The Tree of Life is a film, not a movie. Films make you work harder than movies. Some movies are also films. If it wins a Best Picture Oscar it’s usually a hybrid. Movies that aren’t films hardly ever win. Films win Oscars but not usually for Best Picture.
If the audience rating is high but critics hated it, it’s definitely a movie. If the critic rating is higher than the audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes it might be a film.
If it’s a trivia question in a bar, it’s probably a movie. If it’s a trivia question on Jeopardy it might be a film.
If the wordless parts are car chases it’s a movie. If the wordless parts are ethereal looking women looking at trees, it might be a film.
I’m a fan of Seth Godin’s blog. His entry for May, 6, 2011 is entitled What’s high school for? In it he lists some skills he thinks the next generation needs to know. Godin’s list is included below in bold. I decided to take a look at some teen movies that illustrate his points. My list is heavy on some of my favorite 80′s and 90′s titles. Does anyone connect any 21st century teen titles with Godin’s list?
Focus intently on a problem until it’s solved: The Harry Potter movies represent seven years of Harry Potter working on a way to defeat Voldemort. Harry’s commitment to solving the problem is reflected in his choices about his relationships and associations, how he develops his gifts and talents, and his educational plan.
Postponing short term satisfaction: Teacher Jaime Escalante pushes his low-income Hispanic AP calculus students to come early, stay late, use vacation time, even sacrifice hours that could be spent earning money at work in order to equip themselves with knowledge that will increase their chances for college scholarships and satisfying careers.
Reading critically: In Dead Poets Society Mr. Keating tells his students, “When you read don’t just consider what the author thinks, consider what you think.” As they discover how to read literature on a deeper level Keating’s students are powerfully and profoundly changed by the ideas they encounter.
Power of being able to lead groups of peers without clear delegated authority: Ferris Bueller’s Day Off presents a character with an incredible sphere of influence. Ferris inspires and leads not only his friends and acquaintances but even people in his school and community who have never met him.Continue reading
Sometimes truth dawns slowly and change comes in fits and spurts. We begin thinking about eternity and seeking purpose. We recognize our baggage and want something better. We find ourselves inching toward truth in the choices we make and the causes we embrace. We want peace and reconciliation and community. While redemption happens in a moment of decision, the journey toward that decision and transformation that follows is often a process.
Jules Winnfield - Pulp Fiction. Jules recognizes that redemptive forces are at work though he has not yet connected the dots. He finds himself longing to change his role from avenger to shepherd. They demonstrate that God’s law is written in their hearts, for their own conscience and thoughts either accuse them or tell them they are doing right. Rom 2:15
Charlie Babbitt - Rain Man. When Charlie realizes that Raymond is the secret friend, the “Rain Man” of his childhood, his self-centeredness and greed begins to break down. It’s not the moment of truth but the truth that leads to the moment. Realizing how much the man understood, Jesus said to him, “You are not far from the Kingdom of God.” Mark 12:34 Continue reading
I just finished all five seasons of The Wire on DVD. The Wire is an astounding artistic achievement and devastating social commentary. I think its going to take several blog posts to discuss it’s effect on me. As profound as it is profane, fans of Dickens, Shakespeare, Classical Dramas, or the Bible will find echoes of those literary themes and characters in The Wire. It deals with big themes like power, compromise, deception, and redemption in the lives of broken people in a broken society. Baltimore is full of the social ills that plague modern society.
The beginning credits run to Tom Waits’ song Way Down in the Hole. Lyrics about about holding on to Jesus, avoiding temptation, and keeping the devil “way down in the hole” are sung against a backdrop of flawed characters and gritty street life. Many reviewers have identified the City of Baltimore as the main character in The Wire. The 2nd and 3rd chapters of The Revelation of John call out churches in particular cities for sinful behavior, compromise, and sins of omission in light of the evils in each of those cities. Just as in the cities described in the Biblical Revelation, the devil is on the loose in Baltimore and its institutions are unable to stem the tide of evil. Season one establishes the police and drug cultures and carries their stories throughout all five seasons of the series. Different artists sing the theme song as subsequent seasons explore corruption and temptation in different city institutions: season two- unions; season three- city hall; season four- schools; and season five- the media. Continue reading
Casey Abrams, the American Idol contestant facing elimination starts to sing but the judges won’t even let him finish. Randy Jackson announces that they’ve decided to use their save. And Steven Tyler makes it clear that the judges clearly disagree with the nation’s vote. Casey’s bends over and looks like he’s going to pass out or throw up. Host Ryan Seacrest steadies him.
Casey finally gets himself together enough to rush to the judges table and say “Are you really? Why would you do this? I can’t believe it.” “I thought that they wouldn’t use the save, because there’s 11 people,” explains the shocked Casey Abrams. The timing does seem wrong. Using the save on this night changes the dynamic of the summer tour. They’ve never had a “Top 11.”
After Casey finishes his round of hugs and congratulations he stands before the judges again.
“We just want you to get back to being the musician that you are,” Jennifer Lopez tells him. “No more antics. You deserve to be here.” Casey doesn’t fit the “Idol” image and up until this point he hasn’t really seemed to care. He’s done what he wanted to do. Former judge Simon Cowell might have called his last two performances ”indulgent” but current judge Steven Tyler compliments Casey on his “perfect pitch and …out of control ego.” Randy Jackson calls Casey “fearless.” Continue reading
SPOILERS. What are our motives for charity? Does giving out of guilt cancel out the good we do? Nicole Holofceners’ award-winning screenplay explores motives behind acts of charity with Please Give. She may not have intended them but I saw lots of little fables in her storytelling.
Kate and her husband Alex run a trendy mid-century furniture store on 10th Ave. They purchase items at estate sales for a fraction of what they make reselling them. Alex gleefully explains to customers who ask where they get their stuff, “we buy them from the relatives of dead people.” Business is good enough for Kate and Alex to purchase the apartment of their 91-year-old neighbor Andra so they can expand their home after she dies. Kate feels so guilty that much of her life hinges on the grief of others that she becomes obsessed with charity.
(Contains spoilers) I honestly would have liked Sanctum more if it had been a 3-D IMAX movie with trippy music and no dialog. I found the cave scenes and the 3-D effects riveting. Not so the story. The story is loosely based on a true event in a cave in Australia in 1988 in which everyone survives. Apparently for the filmmakers survival movie = lots of death and not too much survival.
Now I’m a fan of disaster and horror movies. Everyone knows at the start of the movie that out of the initial group of characters some of them are going to get killed along the way. One by one. I wonder if Vegas runs a book on this sort of movie. Seems like there should be some sort of movie death pool where we can bet on the order and method in which characters in a movie are going to die. Continue reading
My husband knows how lucky he is. I’d rather watch a mountain blow up than watch a relationship blow up. I’ll admit it. I haven’t seen Blue Valentine, Black Swan, or any of the Twilight Movies. Once in awhile a dramatic love story comes along that actually captivates me. Once in awhile a film captures a truth that makes me nod my head, maybe nudge my husband, and seriously examine my sense of romance. Most of the time, though, if I’m going to watch a love story I’d rather watch a romantic comedy. Continue reading
WARNING: CONTAINS SPOILERS The King’s Speech affirms Proverbs 11:2 & 15:33 which say that “humility precedes honor.” With a king for a father and a name like Albert Frederick Arthur George Windsor, Bertie has become accustomed to being treated with extreme deference. There are rules about how he is to be addressed, how far from him to stand, etc. He is used to people adapting their schedules and practices to his expectations. He is firmly rooted in the pride of his position as Duke of Windsor, the Prince of his father King George V of Great Britain.
Royalty are usually trained to feel separate and above their subjects. One might expect that people who are in this sort of position of authority and power would have some trouble with pride. Yet submission seems to be a prerequisite to getting help, and Bertie needs help. Continue reading
Like the 1969 version, the Coen Brothers’ True Grit is a traditional western. Characters in the movie speak with the theatrical elocution of the nineteenth century that Charles Portis uses in the novel. While there is something rather funny about criminals involved in courtly verbal exchanges, the language also seems to fit the Old Testament concept of vengeance and retribution. The sepia tones and sweeping natural panoramas in the cinematography further remove the film from a modern setting. All these choices authenticate the sense of time and place and further reinforce the western ideals of rugged individualism and self-reliance. Continue reading
I enjoyed the movie Voyage of the Dawn Treader for the story it told. Dawn Treader is my favorite of the Narnia books so, of course, I was disappointed when my favorite parts didn’t make the screen. I do understand that telling a story like this one on screen will look different than telling it as a written narrative. Making the story a quest for swords and a battle against a defined and visible evil made it an easier story to tell. However I do think the movie failed to give the audience enough credit.
Having to struggle with temptation, distinguish good from evil and admit our faults is something everyone faces. Some of the best movies I’ve seen deal with internal struggles like this. The characters’ internal struggles with pride were evident enough without using green smoke as a visual cue for temptation and evil. It would be nice if green smoke showed up so we could know that evil is in the process of tempting or deceiving us. But we don’t. We face struggles without visual cues. We take internal voyages toward internal change and personal resolution. This is really the heart of the book and the place where I think the movie missed its mark.Continue reading
We get small glimpses of some of the old crew from Hogwarts but for the most part the players in Deadly Hallows Pt. 1 are Harry, Ron and Hermione. While Harry and Hermione seem to be focused on battling Voldemort’s minions and destroying horcruxes, Ron’s battle is with his own envy and insecurity.
Ron operates under misplaced perception that status is a criterion for worth. Though Harry makes a concentrated effort to downplay his importance, he is “the boy who lived.” Hermione’s the smartest. He’s not the most talented quiddich player on the team. He’s never the smartest or most talented person in the room. In Ron’s family Fred and George are the funniest, Ginny is the most magically talented, and Bill is the bravest. On top of that Bill is about to marry the beautiful Fleur, Ron’s idea of the perfect woman. Ron has no superlatives associated with himself. He sees himself as an unnecessary add-on in the groups to which he belongs.Continue reading
From the first movie pride has been an underlying theme in the Harry Potter story. It’s an undercurrent in the personalities of many of the characters. The stories have bit by bit eliminated fate, accomplishments, talent, position, heritage, or associations as means for judging personal worth.
Throughout the series Harry’s mentors have been taken away and now he’s reached a point of self-reliance. The prophecy that names Harry as Voldemort’s nemesis puts him in a unique position in the wizarding world. Harry fears for the safety of those who associate with him so he distances himself from others. Harry’s sense of being uniquely fated for his task makes him feel separate. Because of his connection with Voldemort, Harry is vulnerable to the self-absorbed egocentrism that defines Voldemort himself. Harry fights hard to pull out of himself and engage with other people, to appreciate other’s contributions and talents so that he’s not so into himself.
Hermione Granger seldom admits when she is wrong. While her advice and conclusions are often right on the money, her intellectual arrogance tends to annoy even her friends. Because her parents are Muggles Hermione may feel she has more to prove. She manifests an attitude we see in many bright and talented people: an assumption that her giftedness makes her contributions more important than those of others. Continue reading
The Office went to church this week to see Jim and Pam’s baby christened. In interviews as everyone is filing into church Toby says “The Big Guy and I…it’s been a few years.” Throughout the christening Toby stands under a “You are Welcome” sign over the doorway of the church waffling between going in and remaining outside. After it’s all over Toby finally goes inside, looks toward the altar and asks “Why do you always gotta be so mean to me?” The depth of Toby’s misery is revealed in this one devastating question.
Disappointment with God is a common emotion. Toby has a number of broken relationships behind him. Divorce has breached his closeness with his child. Michael, his boss, despises and ridicules him. He’s experienced some professional set backs. He’s socially awkward and doesn’t have a lot of friends. Toby seems to blame God for his unhappiness and difficult circumstances.
I suspect there are lots of Tobys walking around wondering why God isn’t coming through. These people have two questions that need to be answered.
The Social Network touches on just about every one of the seven deadly sins: pride, greed, envy, and revenge, with a little lust, gluttony and sloth thrown in for good measure. Like any good fable it serves up some pretty obvious morals about relationships and business.
1. Hell hath no fury like a lustful hacker scorned.
2. Envy makes it easier to justify less than ethical behavior (Note to self: write down and date the details of the idea, make sure a non-compete is signed before revealing the details, and invite the tech guy all the way into the club or meet somewhere else.)
3. Hubris makes communication and conflict resolution nearly impossible. In the scene between the Winklevoss twins and the Dean, hubris oozes from both sides of the desk. Continue reading
Felix Bush is the subject of myth and legend in 1930′s rural Tennessee. Few know his real story. Felix has spent forty years of his life as an isolated hermit in a self-imposed penance for some mysterious long-ago sin. Felix becomes troubled by dreams and visions from his past. The inevitability of death is punctuated when he learns that one of his contemporaries has died.
Felix recognizes it may soon be his time to “Get Low” and decides to have a funeral party for himself while he is still alive. He goes to the local minister who turns him down because he refuses to repent to God. Felix initially rejects the idea put forth by Rev. Horton that “Forgiveness is free but you do have to ask for it.”Continue reading
Often marriage offers a comfort level that can make taking one another for granted or taking advantage of one another standard practice. Anger and resentment builds when one or both members feels undervalued. We may also resent it if we feel our spouses want more or demand more than we are able to give. We may end up feeling trapped in our most intimate relationship. When the seven deadly were first named anger was called wrath. As opposed to the occasional episode of anger that is a reaction to a specific event, a wrath is a general disposition of malice, fury, vengeance or bitterness.
Lloyd and Caroline Chausseur in the movie The Ref are experiencing these emotions. Bickering has become a way of life. The title character, Gus, kidnaps the Chausseurs after a bungled burglary in order to hide out at their house but instead finds himself “reffing” this dysfunctional family on Christmas Eve. He describes the experience as “the fifth ring of hell.” Exasperated he gives them an ultimatum “Married people without guns – for instance – you – DO NOT get to yell. Why? NO GUNS! No guns, no yelling.” But even the gun cannot keep them from arguing.Continue reading
Last Saturday when I sat down to watch my Texas Longhorns the sports pundits said that they expected more of a running game since they would need to adjust their game to match their new talent. I groaned. I love the thrill of seeing the football hurtling down the field to a receiver who catches it and runs it for a long gain.
But that’s not what happens in real life. In real life we inch forward, lose ground, and sustain hits that knock us down. In most football movies the struggle on the field, that tedious inch-by-inch progress punctuated by blocks and tackles, unjust calls and rookie mistakes is a metaphor for the way life usually works. Sure football movies are full of clichés, but the stories they tell can serve as reminders of how often our attitudes thwart our relationships and our forward progress.
Any Given Sunday – In the half-time pep talk Coach D’Amato says that, “the inches we need are everywhere. They’re in every break of the game, every minute, every second. On this team we fight for that inch.” Life events come at us from every direction and sometimes seem to conspire to lay us flat. I can figure I’m just a victim of fate and envy the lucky ones; or I can learn some patience, figure out the holes in the line and rejoice in progress by inches. Continue reading
Sinema7: A Movie Watcher’s Guide to the Seven Deadly Sins
Can watching movies make us better people? Sinema7's approach provides relevant thoughts about pop culture and ethical behavior for everyone. Check it out!
