The gospel of Avatar
Director James Cameron had this to say about his new movie, Avatar,
“When people have an experience that’s very powerful in the movie theatre, they want to go share it. They want to grab their friend and bring them, so that they can enjoy it. They want to be the person to bring them the news that this is something worth having in their life.” (Quote is via Luke Simmons of Second Mile Church in Gilbert, AZ.)
This tells me a few things…
1. We are passionate about things that capture our heart. Has Jesus truly captured our hearts? Why do movies and fiction books move us in a way that the gospel and the Bible rarely do?
2. We talk about what we’re passionate about. I’m not trying to be legalistic here, just simply stating a fact. If I’m passionate about football, I talk about it, If I’m passionate about the environment, I talk about it…you get the point. And we don’t just talk to others who share our passions, we find ways to weave those things into everyday conversations. Shouldn’t this be equally true of Jesus and gospel?
The Avatar movie has taken our world by storm – I actually haven’t seen the movie yet so I’m clueless as to what all the hype is about. However I do know this. No movie, or book, or experience of any kind is greater than Jesus, and so my reluctance to to speak of Him at every opportunity only further reveals my idolatrous heart.
Seven Pounds
Last night Andrea and I went to see this movie…
Stewart (our worship leader) had told me it was amazing, but the review on Crosswalk wasn’t so positive. So I went with mixed expectations and conflicted anticipation.
As usual we showed up to a packed theater right when the movie was supposed to begin. There was no where to park except in the back forty lot so after driving around like an idiot for 5 minutes I finally found a vacant spot along the road right by Red Robin. I don’t want to brag but I pulled off a sweet parallel park job and off we went.
To our surprise the previews were still going as we entered theater number 3. The movie begins with some cool foreshadowing and then launches into what is a very difficult storyline to follow. But those that can track with it, and tolerate the unusual plot arrangement this movie employs, will be pleasantly surprised how good this movie actually is.
The spiritual implications are huge…the moral and ethical lessons are compelling.
Ben Thomas (Will Smith) is clearly a conflicted man who struggles with many things but the self-sacrifice he displays in this movie will make you think through how you treat others.
I highly recommend this movie. There is some language (a few GD’s) and one sensual scene that shows some kissing and then the couple in bed but there is no nudity and it’s fairly short.
We are going to be starting a quarterly movie viewing and discussion night called “Film and Faith” and this will definitely be a movie to crank up for that.
So take some time over the holidays and go watch Seven Pounds you’ll be glad you did.
The Dark Knight
I was very critical of the latest Indiana Jones movie…
But as much I hated that movie I loved “The Dark Knight”. If a movie doesn’t hook me in the first 15 minutes or so, I’m out. I will begin texting friends or blogging on my BlackBerry (which really makes my wife and the people behind me who are now starring at my bright screen happy).
This movie hooked me from scene one and never let go. Yes it’s darker (thus the title) than the other Batman movies and certainly the old show from the ’60’s. But there is an amazing dark vs. light element in this movie as well as some real spiritual implications that are worthy of discussion. Heath Ledger (who is now deceased) is simply amazing as the Joker. Not that I am fond of the Joker’s evil and psychotic role but you can’t help but appreciate genius when you see it.
If you haven’t seen this movie then you are really missing out. Don’t wait for the DVD…this is definitely the type of movie to watch on the big screen. It’s worth the 9 or 10 bucks, if you don’t like it I will personally refund your money (that is after I beat you silly for your sheer stupidity)
Get Smart
In light of my recent trashing of Harrison Ford and his pathetic little movie “Indiana Jones and the search for the ambigious plot” or whatever it was called.
I thought I would balance my criticism with a little thumbs up for Hollywood. I went to see “Get Smart” with my mom tonight. It was awesome! I love Steve Carell and he didn’t let me down at all in this movie. It’s pretty tough to weave a comedy into a semi-serious plot and they pulled it off beautifully.
Now go see it.
Indiana Jones: A Real Letdown
Yesterday my wife I wasted some hard earned money on the new Indian Jones movie…”Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.”
Andrea and I were so pumped to have this childhood favorite come to the big screen once again. We arrived at the cinemas about ten minutes late…just tardy enough to miss the previews. We hurried to get our tickets, skipped the popcorn and soda for fear we would miss the beginning. We entered the theater to what looked like scenes from a war movie…”good it hasn’t started yet.” Andrea whispered with relief. What we realized as we sat down is that it had started and the odd war scenes were simply a microcosm of this movie’s conflict.
It is an understatement to say that I don’t recommend you watch this movie. Often when a movie is mediocre I will say “it’s a rental”. Meaning…wait until it comes out on dvd so you only waste $3 instead of $20. In this case I would suggest that you simply tune into TNT and watch the cinematic expertise of someone like Keanu Reeves in “Speed” rather than torture yourself with this disaster.
This movie is lame beyond description…
The writing is horrible…the acting is cheesy…the plot is confusing…the genre is so conflicted you’re not sure what kind of movie you’re actually watching…oh and the special effects were so phony and unbelievable that I found myself being one of those annoying movie watchers who verbalizes his thoughts.
It’s official…Harrison Ford is washed up. His shtick had a good ride. Everything from Hans Solo to Jack Ryan; it used to be believable. But if this latest endeavor by Ford is any indication of where his career is going he would be better off hanging up the lightsaber. His pathetic effort in this movie reminded me of Michael Jordan playing for the Wizards.
It did get me thinking about ministry though…I know shocking!
If our church isn’t authentic…flowing from the reality of what Jesus is doing in our lives personally then nobody is going to buy in. If our worship is contrived…our conversation empty and our preaching detached then we will leave people with the same feeling I had when I walked out of the theater yesterday…
Disappointed.