This is something I was going to use for my church newsletter column, but I decided to go with the 49 Up piece instead.
I'm glad I didn't use it, because I'm sure I'll write about the great film treasure of the year, No Country for Old Men, come Oscar time, and National Treasure II was as dumb as a bag of tacks.
FINDING TREASURE
The fantasy takes many forms, but we all dream about it at times. Whether is be finding an original painting by Whistler in the attic, gold buried in a field or the even more unlikely possibility of buying a winning lottery ticket, we think about what we would do if we found a treasure.
A little way into No Country for Old Men, we see a man find a treasure. Set in West Texas in 1980, a Vietnam vet by the name of Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin) while deer hunting stumbles across the results of a shootout between drug dealers. He finds a number of corpses, many packets of heroin and two million dollars.
For a time viewers think that this is a typical action film about an ordinary guy who outwits criminals on his way to seeing that his fortune is preserved and justice is served. But the film is about much more. It is about the fleeting nature of life, the endurance of evil in the world and responsibility of to do what is right even if we are not assured of being rewarded for doing so.
Ethan and Joel Coen have made a great film. But it is a grim film, a very violent film and one that on its surface seems to enforce a nihilistic view of life. But I think that sense of hopelessness is just the surface of the film. The heart of the film is found in the character of Sheriff Ed Tom Bell, warmly played by Tommy Lee Jones. At one point of the film, Bell says he had always hoped God would come into his life, but He never did. But then he says “I don’t blame Him”. Bell deals daily with the results of human sin and depravity, but he continues to hope there is something more, for a life beyond this one.
Though all in the film are pursuing the satchel full of money, they all come to realize, that there are much greater treasures than the world’s riches. Even Anton Chigurh, a very creepy Javier Bardem, the psychopath killer sent after Moss talks argues that there are things much more valuable than money. And yet character after character risks life, and even their souls, in pursuit of earthly treasure. Perhaps many of the characters pursue the money because it keeps them from thinking about the things that truly matter.
(The movie closely follows novel by Cormac McCarthy, but it leaves out my favorite passage from that book: Sheriff Bell muses about how everyone talks about the bad things that come in their life that they don’t deserve. But he thinks about the good things in life that he doesn’t deserve. Such as the day he met the woman that would be his wife. As Proverbs 31: 10 says, a wife of noble character is worth more than rubies.)
This is not the first film, of course, to show the dangers of greed in the pursuit of treasure. Sam Rami’s excellent A Simple Plan focused on many of the same themes. And John Huston’s The Treasure of Sierra Madre also showed the dangers of greed with the bonus of Bogart and that greasy thief exclaiming, “I don’t have to show you any stinking badges!” Huston made another treasure hunter film in The Man Who Would Be King based on a Robert Kipling with Sean Connery and Michael Caine as men who come to desire more than mere treasure but also obedience and worship.
All of these films aptly illustrate the words of Jesus from Matthew 16: 26: “What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?”
But is treasure hunting always bad? Jesus didn’t seem to think so. The hero of his parable in Matthew 13:44 is a treasure hunter.
One of the all time great fun treasure hunting stories has the bonus of pirates as well. There have been a lot of versions of Robert Lewis Stevenson’s Treasure Island, but my favorite is Disney’s 1950 version. Robert Newton as Long John Silver still provides the best model for “Talk Like a Pirate Day”.
Another film in this genre is coming out December 21, National Treasure: Book of Secrets, a sequel to the 2004 hit which also starred Nicolas Cage. The first film was not exactly profound, but it was fun and G-rated (the rating for the sequel as well).
For sheer fun, though, my favorite treasure hunting film has been and will probably always be, Raiders of the Lost Ark. Though he would protest he was just seeking knowledge, we all knew Indiana Jones was all about the adventure in the hunt. Though violent, this film is wise enough to make the Ark of the Covenant, or in fact, God Himself, the greatest treasure of all.
And that is the key to true treasure hunting. Silver and gold is for pikers: real treasure hunters seek Jesus.
Treasure Island (1950) Byron Haskin
The Man Who Would Be King (1975) John Huston
National Treasure (2004) & (2007)
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
Monday, December 31, 2007
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Top Ten Christmas Films and TV Specials
Over at Liberty Film Festival, the columnist Dirty Harry, http://www.libertyfilmfestival.com/libertas/ had an okay list of best Christmas films, but he included that awful MGM Christmas Carol and put A Christmas Story at #2, so I vent with my list. These are films and specials I like to capture every year.
1) It's a Wonderful Life - This is one of my favorite films of all time. It is called sentimental, but it is also at turns tough and cynical. Jimmy Stewart give his best performance, one of the best performances in film as he shows the grief and frustration of living with broken dreams. But he also shows the genuine love of a father for children and a husband for his wife.
In ways, this film could take place anytime of year. But since it takes place at Christmas, it makes the list.
Also is a bit about the power of prayer.
2) A Charlie Brown Christmas - Because it is one of the few good pieces of popular Christmas entertainments that gets the true meaning of Christmas right. It is also very funny. Just watch the dance moves of those Christmas program cast members.
3) Scrooge - You may ask if I mean the Alister Sim version of A Christmas Carol with the best performance of Ebenezer ever or the Albert Finney musical version? And the answer is yes.
4) Die Hard - Like IAWL, this could happen any time of year. But it does take place at Christmas and because it is one of the best action films ever, it's on the list.
5) How The Grinch That Stole Christmas - Because, as much as I love the presents and food, this makes it clear Christmas is not about the prestents and food (though I'm not sure the good Doctor Suess knew what Christmas was really about). And because it has Boris Karloff.
6) Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer - Though I miss the elves riding through the snow on razors, and it is pretty funny to see them try to get every line of the song quoted, and I can't figure out why some of those toys are misfits; it still just rules.
7) Home Alone - Yeah, some of the slapstick is lame. But the sloppy sentimental bits make my eyes water. And it has John Candy.
8) Miracle on 34th Street (1947) - Ed Gwynn, Natalie Wood and Maureen O'Hara are all wonderful and the script is even better. But they do get faith wrong (which is really "being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see".)
9) White Christmas or Holiday Inn - As long as you get to hear Bing sing White Christmas.
10) MST3000 version of Santa Claus Conquers the Martians - If I have to explain this to you, you still won't understand. But it does involve mocking robots.
1) It's a Wonderful Life - This is one of my favorite films of all time. It is called sentimental, but it is also at turns tough and cynical. Jimmy Stewart give his best performance, one of the best performances in film as he shows the grief and frustration of living with broken dreams. But he also shows the genuine love of a father for children and a husband for his wife.
In ways, this film could take place anytime of year. But since it takes place at Christmas, it makes the list.
Also is a bit about the power of prayer.
2) A Charlie Brown Christmas - Because it is one of the few good pieces of popular Christmas entertainments that gets the true meaning of Christmas right. It is also very funny. Just watch the dance moves of those Christmas program cast members.
3) Scrooge - You may ask if I mean the Alister Sim version of A Christmas Carol with the best performance of Ebenezer ever or the Albert Finney musical version? And the answer is yes.
4) Die Hard - Like IAWL, this could happen any time of year. But it does take place at Christmas and because it is one of the best action films ever, it's on the list.
5) How The Grinch That Stole Christmas - Because, as much as I love the presents and food, this makes it clear Christmas is not about the prestents and food (though I'm not sure the good Doctor Suess knew what Christmas was really about). And because it has Boris Karloff.
6) Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer - Though I miss the elves riding through the snow on razors, and it is pretty funny to see them try to get every line of the song quoted, and I can't figure out why some of those toys are misfits; it still just rules.
7) Home Alone - Yeah, some of the slapstick is lame. But the sloppy sentimental bits make my eyes water. And it has John Candy.
8) Miracle on 34th Street (1947) - Ed Gwynn, Natalie Wood and Maureen O'Hara are all wonderful and the script is even better. But they do get faith wrong (which is really "being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see".)
9) White Christmas or Holiday Inn - As long as you get to hear Bing sing White Christmas.
10) MST3000 version of Santa Claus Conquers the Martians - If I have to explain this to you, you still won't understand. But it does involve mocking robots.
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Finding Treasure
FINDING TREASURE
The fantasy takes many forms, but we all dream about it at times. Whether is be finding an original painting by Whistler in the attic, gold buried in a field or the even more unlikely possibility of buying a winning lottery ticket, we think about what we would do if we found a treasure.
A little way into No Country for Old Men, we see a man find a treasure. Set in West Texas in 1980, a Vietnam vet by the name of Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin) while deer hunting stumbles across the results of a shootout between drug dealers. He finds a number of corpses, many packets of heroin and two million dollars.
For a time viewers think that this is a typical action film about an ordinary guy who outwits criminals on his way to seeing that his fortune is preserved and justice is served. But the film is about much more. It is about the fleeting nature of life, the endurance of evil in the world and responsibility of to do what is right even if we are not assured of being rewarded for doing so.
Ethan and Joel Coen have made a great film. But it is a grim film, a very violent film and one that on its surface seems to enforce a nihilistic view of life. But I think that sense of hopelessness is just the surface of the film. The heart of the film is found in the character of Sheriff Ed Tom Bell, warmly played by Tommy Lee Jones. At one point of the film, Bell says he had always hoped God would come into his life, but He never did. But then he says “I don’t blame Him”. Bell deals daily with the results of human sin and depravity, but he continues to hope there is something more, for a life beyond this one.
Though all in the film are pursuing the satchel full of money, they all come to realize, that there are much greater treasures than the world’s riches. Even Anton Chigurh, a very creepy Javier Bardem, the psychopath killer sent after Moss talks argues that there are things much more valuable than money. And yet character after character risks life, and even their souls, in pursuit of earthly treasure. Perhaps many of the characters pursue the money because it keeps them from thinking about the things that truly matter.
(The movie closely follows novel by Cormac McCarthy, but it leaves out my favorite passage from that book: Sheriff Bell muses about how everyone talks about the bad things that come in their life that they don’t deserve. But he thinks about the good things in life that he doesn’t deserve. Such as the day he met the woman that would be his wife. As Proverbs 31: 10 says, a wife of noble character is worth more than rubies.)
This is not the first film, of course, to show the dangers of greed in the pursuit of treasure. Sam Rami’s excellent A Simple Plan focused on many of the same themes. And John Huston’s The Treasure of Sierra Madre also showed the dangers of greed with the bonus of Bogart and that greasy thief exclaiming, “I don’t have to show you any stinking badges!” Huston made another treasure hunter film in The Man Who Would Be King based on a Robert Kipling with Sean Connery and Michael Caine as men who come to desire more than mere treasure but also obedience and worship.
All of these films aptly illustrate the words of Jesus from Matthew 16: 26: “What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?”
But is treasure hunting always bad? Jesus didn’t seem to think so. The hero of his parable in Matthew 13:44 is a treasure hunter.
One of the all time great fun treasure hunting stories has the bonus of pirates as well. There have been a lot of versions of Robert Lewis Stevenson’s Treasure Island, but my favorite is Disney’s 1950 version. Robert Newton as Long John Silver still provides the best model for “Talk Like a Pirate Day”.
Another film in this genre is coming out December 21, National Treasure: Book of Secrets, a sequel to the 2004 hit which also starred Nicolas Cage. The first film was not exactly profound, but it was fun and G-rated (the rating for the sequel as well).
For sheer fun, though, my favorite treasure hunting film has been and will probably always be, Raiders of the Lost Ark. Though he would protest he was just seeking knowledge, we all knew Indiana Jones was all about the adventure in the hunt. Though violent, this film is wise enough to make the Ark of the Covenant, or in fact, God Himself, the greatest treasure of all.
And that is the key to true treasure hunting. Silver and gold is for pikers: real treasure hunters seek Jesus.
Treasure Island (1950) directed by Byron Haskin
The Treasure of Sierra Madre (1948) directed by John Huston
The Man Who Would Be King (1975) directed by John Huston
National Treasure (2004) & (2007) directed by Jon Turteltaub
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) directed by Steven Speilberg
The fantasy takes many forms, but we all dream about it at times. Whether is be finding an original painting by Whistler in the attic, gold buried in a field or the even more unlikely possibility of buying a winning lottery ticket, we think about what we would do if we found a treasure.
A little way into No Country for Old Men, we see a man find a treasure. Set in West Texas in 1980, a Vietnam vet by the name of Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin) while deer hunting stumbles across the results of a shootout between drug dealers. He finds a number of corpses, many packets of heroin and two million dollars.
For a time viewers think that this is a typical action film about an ordinary guy who outwits criminals on his way to seeing that his fortune is preserved and justice is served. But the film is about much more. It is about the fleeting nature of life, the endurance of evil in the world and responsibility of to do what is right even if we are not assured of being rewarded for doing so.
Ethan and Joel Coen have made a great film. But it is a grim film, a very violent film and one that on its surface seems to enforce a nihilistic view of life. But I think that sense of hopelessness is just the surface of the film. The heart of the film is found in the character of Sheriff Ed Tom Bell, warmly played by Tommy Lee Jones. At one point of the film, Bell says he had always hoped God would come into his life, but He never did. But then he says “I don’t blame Him”. Bell deals daily with the results of human sin and depravity, but he continues to hope there is something more, for a life beyond this one.
Though all in the film are pursuing the satchel full of money, they all come to realize, that there are much greater treasures than the world’s riches. Even Anton Chigurh, a very creepy Javier Bardem, the psychopath killer sent after Moss talks argues that there are things much more valuable than money. And yet character after character risks life, and even their souls, in pursuit of earthly treasure. Perhaps many of the characters pursue the money because it keeps them from thinking about the things that truly matter.
(The movie closely follows novel by Cormac McCarthy, but it leaves out my favorite passage from that book: Sheriff Bell muses about how everyone talks about the bad things that come in their life that they don’t deserve. But he thinks about the good things in life that he doesn’t deserve. Such as the day he met the woman that would be his wife. As Proverbs 31: 10 says, a wife of noble character is worth more than rubies.)
This is not the first film, of course, to show the dangers of greed in the pursuit of treasure. Sam Rami’s excellent A Simple Plan focused on many of the same themes. And John Huston’s The Treasure of Sierra Madre also showed the dangers of greed with the bonus of Bogart and that greasy thief exclaiming, “I don’t have to show you any stinking badges!” Huston made another treasure hunter film in The Man Who Would Be King based on a Robert Kipling with Sean Connery and Michael Caine as men who come to desire more than mere treasure but also obedience and worship.
All of these films aptly illustrate the words of Jesus from Matthew 16: 26: “What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?”
But is treasure hunting always bad? Jesus didn’t seem to think so. The hero of his parable in Matthew 13:44 is a treasure hunter.
One of the all time great fun treasure hunting stories has the bonus of pirates as well. There have been a lot of versions of Robert Lewis Stevenson’s Treasure Island, but my favorite is Disney’s 1950 version. Robert Newton as Long John Silver still provides the best model for “Talk Like a Pirate Day”.
Another film in this genre is coming out December 21, National Treasure: Book of Secrets, a sequel to the 2004 hit which also starred Nicolas Cage. The first film was not exactly profound, but it was fun and G-rated (the rating for the sequel as well).
For sheer fun, though, my favorite treasure hunting film has been and will probably always be, Raiders of the Lost Ark. Though he would protest he was just seeking knowledge, we all knew Indiana Jones was all about the adventure in the hunt. Though violent, this film is wise enough to make the Ark of the Covenant, or in fact, God Himself, the greatest treasure of all.
And that is the key to true treasure hunting. Silver and gold is for pikers: real treasure hunters seek Jesus.
Treasure Island (1950) directed by Byron Haskin
The Treasure of Sierra Madre (1948) directed by John Huston
The Man Who Would Be King (1975) directed by John Huston
National Treasure (2004) & (2007) directed by Jon Turteltaub
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) directed by Steven Speilberg
Monday, December 3, 2007
Films for the Whole Family
Here's how our December goes, maybe yours too:
Three breathless hectic weeks leading to the best day of the year, and then a couple of weeks to breath again. And during that breathing time, there may be time to watch some DVDs with the family. So what is a film for the whole family?
It can be challenge to pick a family film if the criteria include having no offensive material. You might think the problem is just with modern films. We tend to think things are worse today then it has ever been; with today’s sex and violence and offensive language. After all, things were always better in the good old days, right? Why can’t every thing be like the old Disney films?
So why not go with one of the first Disney films? Surely those were safe films.
Why not start with the first Disney feature film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. It’s rated ‘G’, of course. It’s the retelling of the Grimm Brothers’ fairy tale about a young girl waiting for her prince to come. No one would find any sexism here, would they? But if we used it for film night, there are some really scary scenes with the Wicked Witch, the Huntsman ordered to take out a heart and the spooky trees. There are people that who would be offended by the witchcraft in the film. (Some Christians don’t like to see any presentation of black magic; of course these days there are practitioners of Wicca who would be equally offended.)
How about the next Disney film? Pinocchio: a good moral tale of a puppet that learns to be a good boy. There is smoking in that film, though; on Pleasure Island with the cigars. The ratings board have made new rulings that say any smoking will move a ‘G’ to a ‘PG’, a ‘PG’ to a ‘PG-13’, etc. So these days, would it be a ‘G’ film? And then there’s the use of the word, ‘Jackass’. And it doesn’t refer exclusively to the donkeys.
The next feature film from Disney was Fantasia, classical music visualized in animation. This could be a great cultural experience. But if people are bothered by the occult images in Snow White, they’ll surely be thrown for a loop by the devilish images in the “Night at Bald Mountain” segment. The original version of the “Pastoral” segment had topless lady centaurs and black centaurs based on ethnic stereotypes of the time. The Chinese mushrooms in the “Nutcracker” portion are not exactly P.C.
The next Disney feature was The Reluctant Dragon which is just dated and dull.
The next was Dumbo. That film features drunkenness. Sure it is clown, elephant and mouse drunkenness, but alcohol abuse nonetheless. Modern critics look at the black crows in the film as negative racial stereotypes. And where is Mr. Jumbo? Is the film a statement on single motherhood?
Do you know what one of my favorite Disney film's it? Swiss Family Robinson. The novel it’s based on, about a family stranded on a deserted island; a truly Christian novel. There are elements of faith that remain in the film, such as the family’s prayer of thanks when they land on the island. But there are violent scenes with the pirates (arguably portrayed as offensive Asian stereotypes.)
Are there any films without anything offensive? I can certainly understand people who give up on movies altogether -- quite a popular Christian fundamentalist position through most of the last century. But as for me, I think God has used some films and TV shows to teach me about Him. Some films and TV shows have helped me talk to my kids about important issues.
If we want to live a life without any offense, we can drop out of the media world completely. But we'll also have to avoid all other human interaction as well.
Three breathless hectic weeks leading to the best day of the year, and then a couple of weeks to breath again. And during that breathing time, there may be time to watch some DVDs with the family. So what is a film for the whole family?
It can be challenge to pick a family film if the criteria include having no offensive material. You might think the problem is just with modern films. We tend to think things are worse today then it has ever been; with today’s sex and violence and offensive language. After all, things were always better in the good old days, right? Why can’t every thing be like the old Disney films?
So why not go with one of the first Disney films? Surely those were safe films.
Why not start with the first Disney feature film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. It’s rated ‘G’, of course. It’s the retelling of the Grimm Brothers’ fairy tale about a young girl waiting for her prince to come. No one would find any sexism here, would they? But if we used it for film night, there are some really scary scenes with the Wicked Witch, the Huntsman ordered to take out a heart and the spooky trees. There are people that who would be offended by the witchcraft in the film. (Some Christians don’t like to see any presentation of black magic; of course these days there are practitioners of Wicca who would be equally offended.)
How about the next Disney film? Pinocchio: a good moral tale of a puppet that learns to be a good boy. There is smoking in that film, though; on Pleasure Island with the cigars. The ratings board have made new rulings that say any smoking will move a ‘G’ to a ‘PG’, a ‘PG’ to a ‘PG-13’, etc. So these days, would it be a ‘G’ film? And then there’s the use of the word, ‘Jackass’. And it doesn’t refer exclusively to the donkeys.
The next feature film from Disney was Fantasia, classical music visualized in animation. This could be a great cultural experience. But if people are bothered by the occult images in Snow White, they’ll surely be thrown for a loop by the devilish images in the “Night at Bald Mountain” segment. The original version of the “Pastoral” segment had topless lady centaurs and black centaurs based on ethnic stereotypes of the time. The Chinese mushrooms in the “Nutcracker” portion are not exactly P.C.
The next Disney feature was The Reluctant Dragon which is just dated and dull.
The next was Dumbo. That film features drunkenness. Sure it is clown, elephant and mouse drunkenness, but alcohol abuse nonetheless. Modern critics look at the black crows in the film as negative racial stereotypes. And where is Mr. Jumbo? Is the film a statement on single motherhood?
Do you know what one of my favorite Disney film's it? Swiss Family Robinson. The novel it’s based on, about a family stranded on a deserted island; a truly Christian novel. There are elements of faith that remain in the film, such as the family’s prayer of thanks when they land on the island. But there are violent scenes with the pirates (arguably portrayed as offensive Asian stereotypes.)
Are there any films without anything offensive? I can certainly understand people who give up on movies altogether -- quite a popular Christian fundamentalist position through most of the last century. But as for me, I think God has used some films and TV shows to teach me about Him. Some films and TV shows have helped me talk to my kids about important issues.
If we want to live a life without any offense, we can drop out of the media world completely. But we'll also have to avoid all other human interaction as well.
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