tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22598696400586565912024-03-14T02:26:26.679-07:00Dean A. AndersonUsually ends up being about movies, TV or books.Dean A. Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18270286512901118184noreply@blogger.comBlogger387125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2259869640058656591.post-7173476627439351362016-12-31T14:54:00.004-08:002016-12-31T14:54:59.725-08:00My Top Ten Films of 2016<div dir="ltr" id="yiv2631712954yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1483224566818_3185" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: HelveticaNeue, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, "Lucida Grande", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span id="yiv2631712954yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1483224566818_3186" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Top ten lists are, of course, silly things. A year or two from now, I may look at films on this list and realize I haven’t given them another thought. There may films I haven’t seen from this year that will become favorites, or films I saw, like </span><span id="yiv2631712954yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1483224566818_3187" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Zootopia </span><span id="yiv2631712954yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1483224566818_3188" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">or </span><span id="yiv2631712954yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1483224566818_3189" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Kubo and the Two Strings, </span><span id="yiv2631712954yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1483224566818_3190" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">that I’ll think I should have found a place for. But I love reading these lists, so I might as well go on making them myself.</span></div>
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<span id="yiv2631712954yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1483224566818_3192" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"><br id="yiv2631712954yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1483224566818_3193" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;" /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" id="yiv2631712954yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1483224566818_3194" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: HelveticaNeue, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, "Lucida Grande", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span id="yiv2631712954yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1483224566818_3195" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">10) </span><span id="yiv2631712954yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1483224566818_3196" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: italic; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Captain America: Civil War</span><span id="yiv2631712954yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1483224566818_3197" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> This film really makes the list because of one scene. The whole film is fun, but the scene where Tony Stark meets Peter Parker captures the character of Spiderman better than even the first, very good, Sam Rami films (I & II, not III).</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" id="yiv2631712954yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1483224566818_3198" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: HelveticaNeue, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, "Lucida Grande", sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">
<span id="yiv2631712954yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1483224566818_3199" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"><br id="yiv2631712954yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1483224566818_3200" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;" /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" id="yiv2631712954yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1483224566818_3201" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: HelveticaNeue, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, "Lucida Grande", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span id="yiv2631712954yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1483224566818_3202" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">9) </span><span id="yiv2631712954yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1483224566818_3203" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: italic; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Witch</span><span id="yiv2631712954yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1483224566818_3204" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> This is a very odd horror film about, not surprisingly, witches. It is set in 17th century New England in the days of the witch trials, but the conceit is that the witches are real. Much of the dialogue for the film is taken from the transcripts of the Salem witch trials, adding a depth of realism.</span></div>
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<span id="yiv2631712954yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1483224566818_3206" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"><br id="yiv2631712954yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1483224566818_3207" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;" /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" id="yiv2631712954yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1483224566818_3208" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: HelveticaNeue, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, "Lucida Grande", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span id="yiv2631712954yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1483224566818_3209" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">8) </span><span id="yiv2631712954yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1483224566818_3210" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: italic; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Lobster</span><span id="yiv2631712954yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1483224566818_3211" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> The last film was odd. This film manages to be even more odd. In the future, single people must find a mate or be turned into an animal. Yes, turned into an animal, of their choice. Colin Farrell has decided that if he doesn’t find a woman to love, he will be a lobster. It’s in the tradition of the avantgarde works of the 1960’s, but writer/director Yorgos Lanthimos doesn’t take it all too seriously.</span></div>
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<span id="yiv2631712954yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1483224566818_3213" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"><br id="yiv2631712954yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1483224566818_3214" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;" /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" id="yiv2631712954yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1483224566818_3215" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: HelveticaNeue, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, "Lucida Grande", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span id="yiv2631712954yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1483224566818_3216" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">7) </span><span id="yiv2631712954yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1483224566818_3217" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: italic; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Captain Fantastic</span><span id="yiv2631712954yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1483224566818_3218" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span id="yiv2631712954yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1483224566818_3219" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Viggo Mortensen gives a great performance as a hippie, homeschooling father of six who must deal with the death of his wife and with in-laws who want a very different life for their grandchildren.</span></div>
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<span id="yiv2631712954yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1483224566818_3221" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"><br id="yiv2631712954yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1483224566818_3222" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;" /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" id="yiv2631712954yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1483224566818_3223" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: HelveticaNeue, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, "Lucida Grande", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span id="yiv2631712954yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1483224566818_3224" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">6) </span><span id="yiv2631712954yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1483224566818_3225" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: italic; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Hell or High Water</span><span id="yiv2631712954yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1483224566818_3226" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Chris Pine and Ben Foster play Texas bank robbers who might be folk heroes if they had lived in the old west or days of the depression rather than the present day. Jeff Bridges plays the Texas Ranger who seeks to bring them to justice.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" id="yiv2631712954yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1483224566818_3227" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: HelveticaNeue, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, "Lucida Grande", sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">
<span id="yiv2631712954yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1483224566818_3228" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"><br id="yiv2631712954yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1483224566818_3229" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;" /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" id="yiv2631712954yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1483224566818_3230" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: HelveticaNeue, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, "Lucida Grande", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span id="yiv2631712954yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1483224566818_3231" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">5) </span><span id="yiv2631712954yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1483224566818_3232" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: italic; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Hunt for the Wilderpeople</span><span id="yiv2631712954yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1483224566818_3233" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span id="yiv2631712954yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1483224566818_3234" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Last year, a film from New Zealand filmmaker Taika Waititi made my top ten (</span><span id="yiv2631712954yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1483224566818_3235" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What We Do In the Shadows</span><span id="yiv2631712954yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1483224566818_3236" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">), and he makes it again with a whimsical story of a foster child taken in by an elderly couple at the edge of the wilderness. </span></div>
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<span id="yiv2631712954yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1483224566818_3238" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"><br id="yiv2631712954yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1483224566818_3239" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;" /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" id="yiv2631712954yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1483224566818_3240" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: HelveticaNeue, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, "Lucida Grande", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span id="yiv2631712954yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1483224566818_3241" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">4) </span><span id="yiv2631712954yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1483224566818_3242" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: italic; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Love and Friendship</span><span id="yiv2631712954yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1483224566818_3243" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Whit Stillman is one of my favorite screenwriters. He is very witty, and he usually directs his own story. For this film, though, he decided to adapt someone else’s work. He managed to find someone else with an equal, perhaps superior wit: Jane Austen. Stillman turns Austen’s unfinished novel, </span><span id="yiv2631712954yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1483224566818_3244" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lady Susan</span><span id="yiv2631712954yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1483224566818_3245" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, into a very complete film.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" id="yiv2631712954yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1483224566818_3246" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: HelveticaNeue, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, "Lucida Grande", sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">
<span id="yiv2631712954yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1483224566818_3247" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"><br id="yiv2631712954yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1483224566818_3248" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;" /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" id="yiv2631712954yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1483224566818_3249" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: HelveticaNeue, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, "Lucida Grande", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span id="yiv2631712954yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1483224566818_3250" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">3) </span><span id="yiv2631712954yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1483224566818_3251" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: italic; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Hail Caesar</span><span id="yiv2631712954yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1483224566818_3252" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Joel and Ethan Coen tell a story of old Hollywood blending Biblical epics with Communist plots (the communists are as real in this film as the witches are in </span><span id="yiv2631712954yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1483224566818_3253" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Witch</span><span id="yiv2631712954yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1483224566818_3254" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">). This is one of the Coens’ “funny” films, more in the vein of </span><span id="yiv2631712954yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1483224566818_3255" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Hudsucker Proxy</span><span id="yiv2631712954yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1483224566818_3256" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and </span><span id="yiv2631712954yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1483224566818_3257" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Burn After Reading </span><span id="yiv2631712954yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1483224566818_3258" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">than serious films like </span><span id="yiv2631712954yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1483224566818_3259" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Fargo</span><span id="yiv2631712954yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1483224566818_3260" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and </span><span id="yiv2631712954yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1483224566818_3261" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">No Country for Old Men. </span><span id="yiv2631712954yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1483224566818_3262" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The critics didn’t regard this film as highly as most from the Coens, but I liked it very much and thought it had some interesting things to say about faith.</span></div>
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<span id="yiv2631712954yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1483224566818_3264" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"><br id="yiv2631712954yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1483224566818_3265" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;" /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" id="yiv2631712954yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1483224566818_3266" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: HelveticaNeue, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, "Lucida Grande", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span id="yiv2631712954yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1483224566818_3267" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">2) </span><span id="yiv2631712954yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1483224566818_3268" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: italic; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Hacksaw Ridge</span><span id="yiv2631712954yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1483224566818_3269" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span id="yiv2631712954yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1483224566818_3270" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Mel Gibson tends to make brutal films, and this is not an exception. But it is a powerful true story of a pacifist, Desmond Doss, who nonetheless desired to serve as a battle medic in World War II. I saw a number of Christian films this year, most of them not very good, but this story of a Christian man was excellent. </span></div>
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<span id="yiv2631712954yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1483224566818_3272" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"><br id="yiv2631712954yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1483224566818_3273" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;" /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" id="yiv2631712954yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1483224566818_3274" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: HelveticaNeue, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, "Lucida Grande", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span id="yiv2631712954yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1483224566818_3275" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">1) </span><span id="yiv2631712954yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1483224566818_3276" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: italic; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sing Street</span><span id="yiv2631712954yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1483224566818_3277" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span id="yiv2631712954yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1483224566818_3278" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> A number of people put the film </span><span id="yiv2631712954yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1483224566818_3279" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">La La Land</span><span id="yiv2631712954yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1483224566818_3280" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> at the top of their favorites for the year. It is a good film, an entertaining musical, but it’s not my favorite musical of the year. This film from John Carney, the creator of </span><span id="yiv2631712954yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1483224566818_3281" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Once</span><span id="yiv2631712954yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1483224566818_3282" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, is an autobiographical tale of his life in Ireland in the 1980’s. A young man in a Catholic high school tries to impress a girl by asking her to appear in his band’s music video. Though, in fact, he doesn’t have a band. But he forms one, which leads to a hope to build a new life. Mindy and I watched this film in the midst of our year long journey of touring the country and found in the film a kindred sense and appreciation of adventure. We’ve watched it twice, and I think we’ll almost certainly watch it many times again.</span></div>
Dean A. Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18270286512901118184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2259869640058656591.post-48443834835342195652016-12-30T20:08:00.000-08:002016-12-30T20:14:38.577-08:002016 Films Viewed in 2016<div id="contentsContainer" style="-webkit-box-flex: 1; padding-left: 72pt; padding-right: 72pt;">
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<span id="E70" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E70" style="display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span>In theaters or through streaming services:</div>
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<span is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E72" style="display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span id="E72" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E72" style="display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Kung Fu Panda - Theater*</span></div>
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<span id="E75" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E75" style="display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Hail Caesar - Theater***</span></div>
<div id="E77" is="qowt-word-para" qowt-eid="E77" qowt-entry="undefined" qowt-lvl="undefined" style="display: block; font-family: "Times New Roman", Tinos, "Baskerville Old Face", "Bell MT", serif; font-size: 12pt; list-style-type: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-indent: 21.6pt;">
<span id="E78" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E78" style="display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Race - Theater**</span></div>
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<span id="E82" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E82" style="display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Zootopia</span><span id="E84" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E84" style="display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> - Theater***</span></div>
<div id="E86" is="qowt-word-para" qowt-eid="E86" qowt-entry="undefined" qowt-lvl="undefined" style="display: block; font-family: "Times New Roman", Tinos, "Baskerville Old Face", "Bell MT", serif; font-size: 12pt; list-style-type: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-indent: 21.6pt;">
<span id="E87" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E87" style="display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Miracles from Heaven</span><span id="E88" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E88" style="display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> - Theater</span><span id="E89" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E89" style="display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;">*</span></div>
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<span id="E92" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E92" style="display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Risen - Theater*</span></div>
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<span id="E95" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E95" style="display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;">God's Not Dead 2 - Theater*</span></div>
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<span id="E98" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E98" style="display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Love and Friendship - Theater*</span><span id="E99" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E99" style="display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;">**</span></div>
<div id="E101" is="qowt-word-para" qowt-eid="E101" qowt-entry="undefined" qowt-lvl="undefined" style="display: block; font-family: "Times New Roman", Tinos, "Baskerville Old Face", "Bell MT", serif; font-size: 12pt; list-style-type: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-indent: 21.6pt;">
<span id="E102" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E102" style="display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Jungle Book - Theater*</span></div>
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<span id="E105" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E105" style="display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;">My Name is Doris - Theater*</span></div>
<div id="E107" is="qowt-word-para" qowt-eid="E107" qowt-entry="undefined" qowt-lvl="undefined" style="display: block; font-family: "Times New Roman", Tinos, "Baskerville Old Face", "Bell MT", serif; font-size: 12pt; list-style-type: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-indent: 21.6pt;">
<span id="E108" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E108" style="display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Captain America 3: Civil War- Theater***</span></div>
<div id="E110" is="qowt-word-para" qowt-eid="E110" qowt-entry="undefined" qowt-lvl="undefined" style="display: block; font-family: "Times New Roman", Tinos, "Baskerville Old Face", "Bell MT", serif; font-size: 12pt; list-style-type: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-indent: 21.6pt;">
<span id="E111" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E111" style="display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sing Street - Theater***</span></div>
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<span id="E114" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E114" style="display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Family Fang- Theater**</span></div>
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<span id="E117" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E117" style="display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Nice Guys - Theater***</span></div>
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<span id="E123" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E123" style="display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Man Who Knew Infinity - Theater**</span></div>
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<span id="E127" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E127" style="display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Meddler - Theater***</span></div>
<div id="E130" is="qowt-word-para" qowt-eid="E130" qowt-entry="undefined" qowt-lvl="undefined" style="display: block; font-family: "Times New Roman", Tinos, "Baskerville Old Face", "Bell MT", serif; font-size: 12pt; list-style-type: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-indent: 21.6pt;">
<span id="E131" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E131" style="display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Central Intelligence - Theater**</span></div>
<div id="E134" is="qowt-word-para" qowt-eid="E134" qowt-entry="undefined" qowt-lvl="undefined" style="display: block; font-family: "Times New Roman", Tinos, "Baskerville Old Face", "Bell MT", serif; font-size: 12pt; list-style-type: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-indent: 21.6pt;">
<span id="E135" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E135" style="display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Finding Dory - Theater***</span></div>
<div id="E138" is="qowt-word-para" qowt-eid="E138" qowt-entry="undefined" qowt-lvl="undefined" style="display: block; font-family: "Times New Roman", Tinos, "Baskerville Old Face", "Bell MT", serif; font-size: 12pt; list-style-type: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-indent: 21.6pt;">
<span id="E139" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E139" style="display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Hunt for the Wilderpeople - Theater***</span></div>
<div id="E142" is="qowt-word-para" qowt-eid="E142" qowt-entry="undefined" qowt-lvl="undefined" style="display: block; font-family: "Times New Roman", Tinos, "Baskerville Old Face", "Bell MT", serif; font-size: 12pt; list-style-type: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-indent: 21.6pt;">
<span id="E143" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E143" style="display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Star Trek Beyond - Theater (IMAX)**</span></div>
<div id="E146" is="qowt-word-para" qowt-eid="E146" qowt-entry="undefined" qowt-lvl="undefined" style="display: block; font-family: "Times New Roman", Tinos, "Baskerville Old Face", "Bell MT", serif; font-size: 12pt; list-style-type: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-indent: 21.6pt;">
<span id="E147" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E147" style="display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Ghostbusters - Theater*</span></div>
<div id="E148" is="qowt-word-para" qowt-eid="E148" qowt-entry="undefined" qowt-lvl="undefined" style="display: block; font-family: "Times New Roman", Tinos, "Baskerville Old Face", "Bell MT", serif; font-size: 12pt; list-style-type: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-indent: 21.6pt;">
<span id="E149" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E149" style="display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></div>
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<span id="E151" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E151" style="display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Cafe Society - Theater*</span></div>
<div id="E154" is="qowt-word-para" qowt-eid="E154" qowt-entry="undefined" qowt-lvl="undefined" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", Tinos, "Baskerville Old Face", "Bell MT", serif; font-size: 12pt; list-style-type: none; padding: 0px; text-indent: 21.6pt;">
<span id="E155" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E155" style="display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Captain Fantastic - Theater***</span></div>
<div id="E158" is="qowt-word-para" qowt-eid="E158" qowt-entry="undefined" qowt-lvl="undefined" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", Tinos, "Baskerville Old Face", "Bell MT", serif; font-size: 12pt; list-style-type: none; padding: 0px; text-indent: 21.6pt;">
<span id="E159" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E159" style="display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Hell or High Water - Theater***</span></div>
<div id="E162" is="qowt-word-para" qowt-eid="E162" qowt-entry="undefined" qowt-lvl="undefined" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", Tinos, "Baskerville Old Face", "Bell MT", serif; font-size: 12pt; list-style-type: none; padding: 0px; text-indent: 21.6pt;">
<span id="E163" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E163" style="display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Insanity of God - Theater*</span></div>
<div id="E166" is="qowt-word-para" qowt-eid="E166" qowt-entry="undefined" qowt-lvl="undefined" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", Tinos, "Baskerville Old Face", "Bell MT", serif; font-size: 12pt; list-style-type: none; padding: 0px; text-indent: 21.6pt;">
<span id="E167" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E167" style="display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Pete's Dragon - Drive-in*</span></div>
<div id="E170" is="qowt-word-para" qowt-eid="E170" qowt-entry="undefined" qowt-lvl="undefined" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", Tinos, "Baskerville Old Face", "Bell MT", serif; font-size: 12pt; list-style-type: none; padding: 0px; text-indent: 21.6pt;">
<span id="E171" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E171" style="display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Secret Life of Pets - Drive-in*</span></div>
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<span id="E175" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E175" style="display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Scout Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse - Hulu**</span></div>
<div id="E178" is="qowt-word-para" qowt-eid="E178" qowt-entry="undefined" qowt-lvl="undefined" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", Tinos, "Baskerville Old Face", "Bell MT", serif; font-size: 12pt; list-style-type: none; padding: 0px; text-indent: 21.6pt;">
<span id="E179" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E179" style="display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Don't Think Twice - Theater**</span></div>
<div id="E182" is="qowt-word-para" qowt-eid="E182" qowt-entry="undefined" qowt-lvl="undefined" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", Tinos, "Baskerville Old Face", "Bell MT", serif; font-size: 12pt; list-style-type: none; padding: 0px; text-indent: 21.6pt;">
<span id="E183" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E183" style="display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sully - Theater***</span></div>
<div id="E186" is="qowt-word-para" qowt-eid="E186" qowt-entry="undefined" qowt-lvl="undefined" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", Tinos, "Baskerville Old Face", "Bell MT", serif; font-size: 12pt; list-style-type: none; padding: 0px; text-indent: 21.6pt;">
<span id="E187" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E187" style="display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Queen of Katwe - Theater**</span></div>
<div id="E190" is="qowt-word-para" qowt-eid="E190" qowt-entry="undefined" qowt-lvl="undefined" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", Tinos, "Baskerville Old Face", "Bell MT", serif; font-size: 12pt; list-style-type: none; padding: 0px; text-indent: 21.6pt;">
<span id="E191" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E191" style="display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Witch - Amazon***</span></div>
<div id="E194" is="qowt-word-para" qowt-eid="E194" qowt-entry="undefined" qowt-lvl="undefined" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", Tinos, "Baskerville Old Face", "Bell MT", serif; font-size: 12pt; list-style-type: none; padding: 0px; text-indent: 21.6pt;">
<span id="E195" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E195" style="display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Miss Perigrine's Home for Peculiar Children - Theater***</span></div>
<div id="E198" is="qowt-word-para" qowt-eid="E198" qowt-entry="undefined" qowt-lvl="undefined" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", Tinos, "Baskerville Old Face", "Bell MT", serif; font-size: 12pt; list-style-type: none; padding: 0px; text-indent: 21.6pt;">
<span id="E199" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E199" style="display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Elvis and Nixon - Amazon**</span></div>
<div id="E202" is="qowt-word-para" qowt-eid="E202" qowt-entry="undefined" qowt-lvl="undefined" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", Tinos, "Baskerville Old Face", "Bell MT", serif; font-size: 12pt; list-style-type: none; padding: 0px; text-indent: 21.6pt;">
<span id="E203" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E203" style="display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Priceless - Theater**</span></div>
<div id="E206" is="qowt-word-para" qowt-eid="E206" qowt-entry="undefined" qowt-lvl="undefined" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", Tinos, "Baskerville Old Face", "Bell MT", serif; font-size: 12pt; list-style-type: none; padding: 0px; text-indent: 21.6pt;">
<span id="E207" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E207" style="display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I'm Not Ashamed - Theater**</span></div>
<div id="E210" is="qowt-word-para" qowt-eid="E210" qowt-entry="undefined" qowt-lvl="undefined" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", Tinos, "Baskerville Old Face", "Bell MT", serif; font-size: 12pt; list-style-type: none; padding: 0px; text-indent: 21.6pt;">
<span id="E211" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E211" style="display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Kubo and the Two Strings - Theater***</span></div>
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<span id="E215" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E215" style="display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Hacksaw Ridge - Theater***</span></div>
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<span id="E219" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E219" style="display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Finest Hours - Netflix**</span></div>
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<span id="E223" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E223" style="display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Eye in the Sky - Amazon**</span></div>
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<span id="E227" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E227" style="display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Dr. Strange - Theater**</span></div>
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<span id="E231" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E231" style="display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;">London Has Fallen - Netflix**</span></div>
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<span id="E235" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E235" style="display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Arrival - Theater**</span></div>
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<span id="E239" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E239" style="display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Moonlight - Theater***</span></div>
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<span id="E243" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E243" style="display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Confirmation - Netflix***</span></div>
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<span id="E247" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E247" style="display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Moana - Theater**</span></div>
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<span id="E251" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E251" style="display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Keanu - HBO***</span></div>
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<span id="E255" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E255" style="display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Magnificent Seven - Theater**</span></div>
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<span id="E259" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E259" style="display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Lobster - Amazon***</span></div>
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<span id="E263" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E263" style="display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Loving - Theater***</span></div>
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<span id="E267" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E267" style="display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Midnight Special - HBO**</span></div>
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<span id="E271" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E271" style="display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Edge of Seventeen - Theater**</span></div>
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<span id="E275" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E275" style="display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Rogue One - Theater**</span></div>
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<span id="E279" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E279" style="display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;">La La Land - Theater***</span></div>
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Dean A. Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18270286512901118184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2259869640058656591.post-15764086291487759282015-12-31T23:30:00.001-08:002015-12-31T23:30:32.759-08:00Top Ten Films of 201510) "What We Do in the Shadow" Because I love the vampire/were wolf comedies.<br />
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9) "Antman" The Marvel Movie of the year (sorry, Avengers)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsksvw68KtvfHWR-_MunGdrSY5ZPWlZERif6hjcjIUnxunVN_M-WXAMOFhRDAU4FCUIFijOmFTv2C6Sy-QI4mcVBEkZlXJ-MXUagRUt7qcDS4-MFvbg33OtIKxrgOUcSMfZZlXbacx6v0q/s1600/Antman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsksvw68KtvfHWR-_MunGdrSY5ZPWlZERif6hjcjIUnxunVN_M-WXAMOFhRDAU4FCUIFijOmFTv2C6Sy-QI4mcVBEkZlXJ-MXUagRUt7qcDS4-MFvbg33OtIKxrgOUcSMfZZlXbacx6v0q/s1600/Antman.jpg" /></a></div>
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8) "Ex Machina" - My favorite Oscar Isaac film this year (sorry Star Wars)<br />
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7) "Bridge of Spies" - Sure, some of it was corny. But Spielberg and Hanks still bring some great moments.<br />
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6) The Martian - Funny and smart, about as good as the book.<br />
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5) "Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter" - Japanese film about a woman who believes "Fargo" was real (we've all been there)<br />
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4) "Mad Max: Fury Road" - Not as good as "The Road Warrior" but what is?<br />
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3) "Brooklyn" - A sweet love story (though the heroine isn't so sweet when you think about it)<br />
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2) "Spotlight" - An ugly story told as well as it could be told.<br />
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1) Inside Out - Once again, Pixar makes the best film for adults, for the kids.</div>
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<br />Dean A. Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18270286512901118184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2259869640058656591.post-47141007167735588512015-12-31T17:31:00.000-08:002015-12-31T17:31:02.697-08:00Bottom Five Films for 2015I'm sure there may have been worse films, happy to have dodged them, but here are the five worst films I saw last year.<div>
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5) "Blackhat" Michael Mann has made great movies. Thor as a computer hacker was not one of them.</div>
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4) "Do You Believe?" was a bad Christian film. But it was almost worth it to see Maddie Hayes married to the 6 Million Dollar Man.</div>
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3) "Taken 3" - I was all for Liam's daughter rescue the first time around. The audience felt taken this time around.</div>
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2) "Pixels" - Adam Sandler crushes your childhood dreams of video games coming to life. The Anti-"Wreck It Ralph".</div>
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1) "Woman in Gold" - The Holocaust used as way to save Ryan Reynolds' career.</div>
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Dean A. Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18270286512901118184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2259869640058656591.post-22190935129002527162015-12-16T15:52:00.001-08:002015-12-16T16:08:18.746-08:00My Top Ten Books of 2015<i>Favorite 2015 Nonfiction</i><br />
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You don't have to got much further than 'Black Lives Matter' to see the Civil War still matters.<br />
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Jesus said we should visit the prisoner. It's sometimes not an easy thing.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDYaaT0BUqcxW_qqgQBn5nlhLwU4JdTCHZvhofHq9gMcv2p2HZUFJSmof0vnRjJvSQ63aWejSb1ajpX5oav26_66CoryJ_MEhJLcT0WYdNv2jEYYtV0ePMOr9xWPKd6P-__GRx3ccZ9rmZ/s1600/Visiting+Hours.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDYaaT0BUqcxW_qqgQBn5nlhLwU4JdTCHZvhofHq9gMcv2p2HZUFJSmof0vnRjJvSQ63aWejSb1ajpX5oav26_66CoryJ_MEhJLcT0WYdNv2jEYYtV0ePMOr9xWPKd6P-__GRx3ccZ9rmZ/s1600/Visiting+Hours.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">That other big boat sinking is also a fascinating story.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvnkQa5aHCvhmD6YxMwushOSs_XrpGBbwCUkTYedmnEJojN1JLcZSOxtiSbEik-av459KjJKlK9IFLP_sILG1wnkVAmnwD82wDFDlx7S6p_NKHVxGCDwSCQNksnNyup3xPbgB_QJK8hCWM/s1600/Dead+Wake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvnkQa5aHCvhmD6YxMwushOSs_XrpGBbwCUkTYedmnEJojN1JLcZSOxtiSbEik-av459KjJKlK9IFLP_sILG1wnkVAmnwD82wDFDlx7S6p_NKHVxGCDwSCQNksnNyup3xPbgB_QJK8hCWM/s320/Dead+Wake.jpg" width="210" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Orville and Wilber come across as two interesting men of integrity.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">The main reason to read this is to laugh a lot. The other to be reminded that people you know are going through difficult things that they are afraid to share.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUnmncDoxtH8C-0i8nYbaldRzrUIqYaIVVyPhUlmoSEWTfUimCbWco07GkFh1jMetKk1BOsaEgASrSz1hPu5pFyIk5DoTWIjL5M4vj84LVoQnmEwsTf1xYBH54dntc2rQucdqmwETW5Jme/s1600/Furiously+Happy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUnmncDoxtH8C-0i8nYbaldRzrUIqYaIVVyPhUlmoSEWTfUimCbWco07GkFh1jMetKk1BOsaEgASrSz1hPu5pFyIk5DoTWIjL5M4vj84LVoQnmEwsTf1xYBH54dntc2rQucdqmwETW5Jme/s1600/Furiously+Happy.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">You get Sherlock and Dr. Who stories in one place.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyJ1MmHAfhTlFfKqhSWr4F_YqYRLm8YROKfFih3flfvCDvCENRa3BeOW90bLGd8thQesH3XMtBNA_iB4e6kuO5EU5geiG6dgw7Ixq8YDbvbE30N4kb2Uk6CIvzMnO0eRS5rZk7foBo41bt/s1600/Trigger+Warning.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyJ1MmHAfhTlFfKqhSWr4F_YqYRLm8YROKfFih3flfvCDvCENRa3BeOW90bLGd8thQesH3XMtBNA_iB4e6kuO5EU5geiG6dgw7Ixq8YDbvbE30N4kb2Uk6CIvzMnO0eRS5rZk7foBo41bt/s1600/Trigger+Warning.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Non Fanny Brice, but an interesting story of the making of a sixties sitcom.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">The TV show did not know how to end the story by Lindsay does. (As for that title...Spoilers!)</span><br />
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Is everyone on the train reading this? They have good reason to.<br />
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This book got hated on a lot. But as a quite imperfect father, I liked reading this part of Aticus Finch's story.<o:p></o:p><br />
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And why are these my top ten? I think the main reason is that these are the only ten things I read this year that were published in 2015.</div>
<br />Dean A. Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18270286512901118184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2259869640058656591.post-12538606752800416042015-11-20T17:24:00.001-08:002015-11-21T20:58:03.159-08:00The Problem with HeroesI'll admit to mixed emotions about the protests against Woodrow Wilson at Princeton University. I first read about the racism of the former president (of both Princeton and the United States) in junior high in a piece claiming he endorsed the film <i>Birth of a Nation</i> as being "History written in lightning." Though I subsequently learned that the quote is dubious, Wilson's favorable writings about the Ku Klux Klan were not, nor was his work to promote segregation in the federal government and in the armed services.<br />
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Seeing a man formerly considered a hero of liberals and the Democratic Party torn from a podium of honor like communist statues after the after the fall of the Wall, as a Republican, has its appeal for me. But another part of me - the better part, I think - sees the foolishness of a cultural revolution to purify unpleasant history from our presence. I think a healthy perspective comes from my faith and knowledge of Scripture.<br />
<br />
One of the great heroes of the Bible is Abraham, the great man of faith who followed the call of God to find the Promised Land. But the book of Genesis repeatedly presents embarrassing episodes of this great man denying his own wife in moments of cowardice. And his son, Isaac, did the same thing. And his son, Jacob, was a momma's boy and a swindler. Yet these men are honored as the founders of the nation of Israel.<br />
<br />
Moses, writer of the first five books of the Bible, was God's agent in presenting the Law to the nation of Israel and, in turn, the world. But Scripture also records the unfortunate fact that he murdered a cruel overlord who was abusing a Hebrew slave. David, of course, murdered to cover his adultery.<br />
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Those of us who grew up with the Bible learned these stories from an early age. And yet, I don't remember any Sunday School protests. Never any occupations of the Christian Education building. Never any talk about throwing the Ten Commandments out of the Bible because the words were given by a killer or throwing out the Psalms because there were written by a philanderer who arranged the death of the man he cuckolded.<br />
<br />
Those Bible stories prepared us to face the ugly truths of life that all men were imperfect and that noting on this Earth was pure. That's why, I think, we were able to accept that many of the Founding Fathers (Washington, Jefferson and Franklin among others) - who wrote so movingly about liberty - were slave owners. Just as Moses presented Laws he himself failed to follow, our country's Founding Fathers often failed to live up to their own ideals. They recognized their weakness, which led to such important concepts as the balance of powers.<br />
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How much better is to have, as an example, men and women who stove to do better, to proclaim virtue greater than they could themselves accomplish than to look for perfect heroes? We who believe in Original Sin are not surprised by the shortcomings of the cast of history.<br />
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There are a great many people in our history more worthy of respect than Woodrow Wilson but - for better or worse - he's an indispensable part of our nation's history and, specifically, of Princeton's. Past or present, none of our leaders has ever been perfect. But many of them served a God who is perfect and sought to honor ideals greater than themselves.<br />
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There is a place for evaluating the honors bestowed on figures of history. This should be done with thoughtfulness and humility. It should not be a temper tantrum. Someday, these campus protesters may come to realize they aren't perfect either.<br />
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(Thanks to Ricochet editors for the polishing.)<br />
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<br />Dean A. Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18270286512901118184noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2259869640058656591.post-69541510731448273182015-09-16T02:20:00.001-07:002015-09-16T04:59:51.271-07:00All the Fun the Actuaries Allow<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 1.2em; line-height: 19px;">
<span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;">In Young Life we routinely sent kids to the electric chair. It was called the Hot Seat. A chair hooked up a 6 volt battery. Some games were in a quiz format with kids getting zapped for a wrong answer. Sometimes the shock came as a surprise at the end of a skit for a kid or leader. (Campus Life actually can take the credit or blame for innovating this particular stunt.)</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;">At Woodleaf (Young Life's camp in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains) during the fall retreats, fields were watered down, if they weren't already swamps of mud. Many years ice and frost covered the field. We then played a game called Wells Fargo. The campers were divided into two teams, the Cowboys and the Indians. Each leader and high school student got a piece of tape on the forehead that became the "scalp". One of the objects of the game (along with stealing gold from the other team's "bank") was to "scalp" as many members of the other team as one could. Girls could scalp guys, but guys couldn't scalp girls. So roving band of ten or twelve girls would target guys, often bringing down linebackers. After the game, muddy campers would jump in the chilly lake to clear off. (Do I need to mention that doctors visits after a round of Wells Fargo were not an infrequent occurrence?)</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;">A game less likely to cause physical damage (though perhaps not free of psychological damage) used a sheet and lipstick as props. Three girls and three boys were chosen as volunteers. The same lipstick was applied to each of the girls who then went behind the sheet. Small holes in the sheet revealed three pairs of lips. Each boy was assigned a pair of lips. They were told to kiss the lips and guess which girl he had kissed. The boys didn't know that each had kissed his own mother who had been asked to sneak into club.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;">Young Life is an interdenominational Christian organization that uses camps and clubs as a means to form relationships with High School students (and Middle School students) and present them with the Gospel. The games and skits were tools.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;">In I Corinthians 9, the Apostle Paul wrote, "Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible... I have become all things to all people so that by all means possible means I might save some." Young Life did a lot of crazy things to win kids over because it was the motto of founder Jim Rayburn that "It's a sin to bore a kid with the Gospel."</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;">Of course, this was all thirty years ago. Now the insurance companies and adult committees have reined in much of the insanity that was common place.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;">I did some fairly stupid things as a youth pastor. Once, the church had a piano that was well past its prime. So I let kids attack it with a sledgehammer. It did make the most amazing sounds but a kid could have gotten badly injured. Not to mention the time we did bowling at color TVs.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;">I'm older now and currently out of youth ministry. I'd be much more cautious these days because that happens with age. Professional Youth Ministry in Churches and Parachurches has been tamed.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;">But I can't say I don't miss the wildness. </span></div>
Dean A. Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18270286512901118184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2259869640058656591.post-34498565429965462712015-09-12T00:56:00.000-07:002015-09-12T02:42:36.093-07:00WWJD with Gotcha QuestionsAs the presidential primaries gear up, it's time again for Gotcha Questions; or at least the accusation of Gotcha Questions.There is much disagreement about what constitutes a fair question. I don't blame candidates for being annoyed by some such questions. If I was on a talk show and was asked to spell the capital of Somaliland, I would not be pleased. ("Dang! The 'I before E' rule doesn't apply for Hargeis?") A candidate that can't recall what the Fourth Amendment is all about gets less sympathy in my book. The motivation behind the questions makes all the difference. Is the questioner genuinely trying to get information or just trying to embarrass or harm the person answering the question?<br />
<br />
Gotcha Questions are not a new phenomenon. They've been around for at least a couple of thousand years. Jesus got a slew of Gotchas. I think it would be helpful for your average presidential candidate (which obviously doesn't include Donald Trump) to look at how Jesus handled them. I think his answers might also be helpful for the average voter...And Christian. So, four observations about how Jesus dealt with verbal traps through looking at for different Scriptures:<br />
<br />
1) <b>Jesus acknowledged the fact that it was a Gotcha Question, but answered nonetheless.</b><br />
<br />
<i>13 Later they sent some of the Pharisees and Herodians to Jesus to catch him in his words. 14 They</i><br />
<i>came to him and said, “Teacher, we know that you are a man of integrity. You aren’t swayed by</i><br />
<i>others, because you pay no attention to who they are; but you teach the way of God in</i><br />
<i>accordance with the truth. Is it right to pay the imperial tax to Caesar or not? 15 Should we pay</i><br />
<i>or shouldn’t we?”</i><br />
<i>But Jesus knew their hypocrisy. “Why are you trying to trap me?” he asked. “Bring me a</i><br />
<i>denarius and let me look at it.” 16 They brought the coin, and he asked them, “Whose image is</i><br />
<i>this? And whose inscription?”</i><br />
<i>“Caesar’s,” they replied.</i><br />
<i>17 Then Jesus said to them, “Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.”</i><br />
<i>And they were amazed at him. (Mark 12)</i><br />
<br />
Notice what Jesus said in verse 15? "Why are you trying to trap me?" He acknowledged that<br />
that his answer could cause real controversy and perhaps even get him in real trouble with certain<br />
answers to those questions. If he said, "Sure, pay your taxes. You don't want to get the Romans<br />
mad", he would have been portrayed as a coward and a collaborator with the Evil Empire and<br />
lost favor with his Jewish followers. If he said, "Caesar is a pagan infidel, don't give him a red<br />
cent" he might have found himself charged with treason by the Romans.<br />
The religious teachers are playing dirty little games and Jesus doesn't let them get by without<br />
pointing it out. But he goes on to answer the question nonetheless. Note first that he slows things<br />
up by asking for a coin. He doesn't rush an answer.<br />
Then his answer is short and succinct and yet profound. His few words have provided fodder for<br />
discussion for theologians, ethicists, and philosophers for centuries.<br />
<br />
2)<b> Jesus questions the premise of the question.</b><br />
<br />
<i>18 Then the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to him with a question. 19 “Teacher,” they said, “Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies and leaves a wife but no children, the man must marry the widow and raise up offspring for his brother. 20 Now there were seven brothers. The first one married and died without leaving any children. 21 The second one married the widow, but he also died, leaving no child. It was the same with the third.22 In fact, none of the seven left any children. Last of all, the woman died too.23 At the resurrection whose wife will she be, since the seven were married to her?”</i><br />
<i>24 Jesus replied, “Are you not in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of</i><br />
<i>God? 25 When the dead rise, they will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like</i><br />
<i>the angels in heaven. 26 Now about the dead rising—have you not read in the Book of Moses, in</i><br />
<i>the account of the burning bush, how God said to him, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of</i><br />
<i>Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? 27 He is not the God of the dead, but of the living. You are badly</i><br />
<i>mistaken!” (Mark 12)</i><br />
<br />
Jesus isn't about to let someone ask a "Have you stopped beating your wife?" type of question<br />
(and not just because he wasn't married). The Herodians are asking a brain teaser that has no<br />
Scriptural basis. Despite the impression you get these days from sappy romantic fantasy films,<br />
the Bible never says romantic love or marriage is eternal.<br />
And again, Jesus moves beyond oratorical games to an issue of great importance: eternal life. He<br />
uses one of the most important passages of the Scriptures, at the heart of Jewish tradition, to teach about the eternal nature of God and man.<br />
<br />
3)<b> Jesus treats everyone with respect.</b><br />
<br />
<i>2 At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and</i><br />
<i>he sat down to teach them. 3 The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman</i><br />
<i>caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group 4 and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this</i><br />
<i>woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5 In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such</i><br />
<i>women.Now what do you say?” 6 They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis</i><br />
<i>for accusing him.</i><br />
<i>But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger.7 When they kept on</i><br />
<i>questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be</i><br />
<i>the first to throw a stone at her.”8 Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.</i><br />
<i>9 At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus</i><br />
<i>was left, with the woman still standing there. 10 Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman,</i><br />
<i>where are they? Has no one condemned you?”</i><br />
<i>11 “No one, sir,” she said. “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.” (John 8)</i><br />
<br />
Most anyone who looks at this story can't help but notice that the woman is used by the<br />
questioners as a prop. The man who was committing adultery is nowhere to be seen. Jesus treats<br />
the woman with kindness. While all eyes might otherwise have been focused on her, Jesus subtly<br />
draws attention to himself by stooping down to write on the ground.<br />
But I recently heard it pointed out in a sermon that Jesus also treats the accusers with kindness.<br />
After his statement, "Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her"<br />
forces the men to examine their hearts, he allows them to do so in private by again stooping to<br />
write on the ground.<br />
Jesus would at time criticize people (calling Pharisees "whitewashed tombs"), but he never<br />
weasels out of answering questions with name calling. These questions were intended to be<br />
confrontational, but Jesus manages to avoid hostile confrontations in these situations.<br />
<br />
4) <b>And on a few rare occasions, Jesus doesn't answer the Gotcha Question.</b><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>One day as Jesus was teaching the people in the temple courts and proclaiming the good</i><br />
<i>news, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, together with the elders, came up to</i><br />
<i>him. 2 “Tell us by what authority you are doing these things,” they said. “Who gave you this</i><br />
<i>authority?”</i><br />
<i>3 He replied, “I will also ask you a question. Tell me: 4 John’s baptism—was it from heaven, or of</i><br />
<i>human origin?”</i><br />
<i>5 They discussed it among themselves and said, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will ask, ‘Why</i><br />
<i>didn’t you believe him?’ 6 But if we say, ‘Of human origin,’ all the people will stone us, because</i><br />
<i>they are persuaded that John was a prophet.”</i><br />
<i>7 So they answered, “We don’t know where it was from.”</i><br />
<i>8 Jesus said, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.” (Luke 20)</i><br />
<br />
Yup, sometimes Jesus just doesn't bother. They asked a Gotcha Question that Jesus saw no<br />
benefit in answering. So he didn't. Jesus didn't let himself be a slave of the question. Because he was the answer.Dean A. Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18270286512901118184noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2259869640058656591.post-33573620453375924592015-08-13T01:48:00.001-07:002015-08-13T01:48:16.831-07:00What Could Possibly Get To Trump Supporters?<div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; direction: ltr; font-family: Georgia, Helvetica, Arial, san-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.6; margin-bottom: 1.25rem; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizeLegibility;">
After Thursday’s debate and aftermath, with the Donald loving on Scottish healthcare and ripping on that darned cute Megyn Kelly, it’s hard to imagine what the man could say that would make a dent in his approval ratings. But there must be something. Would any of these ten things Donald Trump might say or do dim the affection of his followers?</div>
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10) “If elected, I’m bringing back New Coke.”</div>
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9) “You know, Al Frankin really had a point about Rush Limbaugh.”</div>
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8) He shaves his head to make room for a smiley face tattoo.</div>
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7) “If elected, I’m carving over those Presidents on Mt. Rushmore to honor the stars of that new Fantastic Four movie.”</div>
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6) Going commando in the next debate.</div>
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5) Dating Honey B00-Boo.</div>
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4) Asks Bill Cosby to be his vice president.</div>
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3) “You know, I was wrong about Political Correctness. PC is awesome and if you disagree you’re racist.”</div>
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2) Kisses Jeb! full on the lips.</div>
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1) Telephones every supporter and says, “Your mother is a tramp”. (Though you know they would probably brag about it on Twitter and Facebook.)</div>
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Would anything work?</div>
Dean A. Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18270286512901118184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2259869640058656591.post-68752965860801698172015-08-13T01:47:00.000-07:002015-08-13T01:47:08.159-07:00Where Did I Go?It's an odd thing with blogs. They sometimes just fade away. I had a satirical movie blog I haven't written on for years. Because Mindy and I have been doing our "Go To Church" blog and I've been doing my "Movie Churches" blog, I haven't had time to write here.<br />
So blog will probably fade away in time. But I'll still post here occasionally when something just doesn't have another place go. And it probably won't be read. But that's okay. Because historians will enjoy these posts, I'm sure.<br />
And I'll also post today something I posted at Ricochet. Dean A. Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18270286512901118184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2259869640058656591.post-67704921751529220162015-05-08T19:53:00.000-07:002015-05-11T10:42:25.921-07:00Conservatives or Liberals - Who are the Real Christians?<br />
I just finished reading Anne Lamott's "Small Victories: Spotting Improbable Moments of Grace", which is a wonderful collection of essays about unexpected sightings of God's work in the world. But there was one thing that seemed less than gracious in this book on grace. Lamott is a liberal Democrat and she speaks often about the evil policies of conservatives, Republicans and Tea Parties. She takes the last four Republican Presidencies as personal affronts. This is because Republicans are warmongers who manufacture false evidence to start conflict for their own nefarious gain. Greedy Republicans steal food off the tables of the poor. Sure, Republicans call themselves "Christians" but that's to hide their hypocrisy.<br />
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On the other hand, I just read something quite different on the conservative website, Ricochet. Someone put up a post about making the social faux pas of admitting he was a Republican at a party where most everyone was a Democrat. He said he suddenly felt all eyes upon him as if he were a space alien. The post was fine, but the responses were something else. People asked why he would want to spend any time with liberals with Democrats, because such people are either stupid or evil or both. They support abortion which is another word for baby killing. Their policies have torn apart families, particularly in urban and minority communities. And liberals are leading a war on religion, trying to drive Christians back into the catacombs.<br />
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Reading Lamott's work, I'd think she really loves Jesus. And many conservatives I've known, who've lamented the evils of liberalism (another word for "secular humanism") claim to love Jesus as well. But how can both Conservatives and Liberals be Christians, when apparently one or the other is quite evil?<br />
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Gay Marriage is the most obvious dividing line now between conservative "Christians" and liberal "Christians". Those who believe in Same Sex Marriage deny the clear teaching of teaching of Scripture and the tradition of the Church in a vain pursuit to be loved by the world. Those who oppose Same Sex Marriage are bigots who have no love or understanding for those who differ from themselves (especially those who are oppressed or marginalized).<br />
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It's all quite discouraging.<br />
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But I was encouraged by reading the Book of Philemon. It's only a chapter long, so if your time is so constrained that you must choose between reading this post or Paul's epistle, than go to Biblegateway.com now! Philemon deals with an issue that divided the church for most of its history. It was a particularly divisive issue in America in the 1800's. There were Christians who argued from Scripture for the abolition of slavery and Christians who argued for the institution of slavery from Scripture. I think it's fair to say that there is a consensus in the Church today that slavery is a very bad thing. It's an evil thing. So were the people who believed in slavery really Christians? Were they evil?<br />
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This is why I found Philemon very encouraging. The Apostle wrote this letter to a man named Philemon and Philemon was a slave owner. So was Philemon an evil man? How could he have possibly been a Christian? This is what Paul wrote to Philemon the slave owner: "I always thank my God as I remember you in my prayers, because I hear about your love for all his holy people and your faith in the Lord Jesus." And this: "Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the Lord's people."<br />
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Paul treats the slave owner Philemon with civility, grace, love and respect as he tries to persuade Philemon to free his slave, Onesimus. Paul doesn't command Philemon to free his slave ("but I did not want to do anything without your consent, so that any favor you do would not seem forced but would be voluntary") but uses every other means at his disposal, including logic, Scripture, guilt trips and the calling in of favors ("not to mention that you owe me your very self").<br />
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In this short book, Paul took on one of the most divisive issues in the history of the Church and treated someone "on the other side" of the argument with kindness and humility.<br />
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The political issues that divide us are important. Issues of war and peace, family and freedom, life and death are at the core of our faith. When we get to heaven, we'll have God's heart on these issues. We all think we would have been the ones who saw slavery for the evil that it is. We would have been right then and we certainly are the ones with the true views on issues today. But even if we think we're Paul and the other person is Philemon, let's attempt to have the graciousness of the Apostle Paul. Philemon may be wrong, but he's our brother.Dean A. Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18270286512901118184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2259869640058656591.post-63764277400833512452015-04-24T04:35:00.000-07:002015-04-24T04:35:58.152-07:00Sloth – Rest’s Deleterious Doppelganger<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Helvetica, Arial, san-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 25.6000003814697px;">Proverbs 26: 13 – “There’s a lion in the road; a fierce lion roaming the streets!”</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-Yb3ogxcF4_Gnv-hiOudybJRAamIcP3niohnn4-2AKUJ7SSTEqj8XdlHNqxdopyr-7E3VxQhuD7hMEBFWugU2yW1I930IMcDe9pxj6ilTB0hWMnZQNanaMUozm6rWACMbXmDj7DjRCmq5/s1600/Titan+the+lion.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-Yb3ogxcF4_Gnv-hiOudybJRAamIcP3niohnn4-2AKUJ7SSTEqj8XdlHNqxdopyr-7E3VxQhuD7hMEBFWugU2yW1I930IMcDe9pxj6ilTB0hWMnZQNanaMUozm6rWACMbXmDj7DjRCmq5/s1600/Titan+the+lion.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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You won’t find the phrase “Knock, Knock…Who’s there?” in the Bible. Chickens are mentioned in the Book, but there doesn’t seem to be any interest in the reasons for their travels. Light bulbs were not yet invented. This doesn’t mean there are no jokes in the Bible.</div>
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The sluggard saying, “There’s a lion in the streets!” is funny even a few thousand years after it was written. Sure, the joke might have been told differently in another age. In the era of Carson’s Tonight Show it might have been:</div>
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“This guy is so lazy…”</div>
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“How lazy was he?”</div>
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“He was so lazy, he wouldn’t leave the house for fear of shark attacks! Not many Jaws II fans here tonight.”</div>
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Okay, maybe not comic gold, but still kinda funny. </div>
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Why do Biblical writers use this kind of material? Because some behaviors deserve mockery. Laziness is one of those behaviors.</div>
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“Sluggard” is a great word. Sure, we’re talking English here rather than the original Hebrew; but the image of a slug captures perfectly the slow motion ineptitude of a lazy person. The image of a sloth works pretty good as well. The image here in Proverbs is a guy so lazy that he won’t leave his house, perhaps won’t leave his bed, because of the lamest of excuses. “I can’t go out because… um…because there’s a lion in the street! Yeah, that’s the ticket!”</div>
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If Proverbs were written today, the lion might become zombies or an alien invasion. Perhaps, the Stay Puff Marshmallow Man in Ghostbuster proportions. Any lame excuse not to go to work or school or any other effort requiring location.</div>
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These days, one might get the impression sloth is no longer an issue. You ask people, “How ya doing?” and often the response is, “I’m so busy! Work, family, all my obligations, I just don’t have any time to spare!” To which we respond ,”Me too!”</div>
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Though, perhaps, there seems to be no time to spare, we still spare it. Why else would USA Today always be writing about people binge watching a season of Downton Abbey, The Walking Dead or Banshee over a weekend? Someone is taking the time to read those 50 Shades books. And beds are still very popular locations for stretches exceeding eight hours. Much time in our lives is still lost to sloth.</div>
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It is interesting that the writer of Proverbs uses a lion, because many sloths look to lions as immobile role models. A lion can sleep up to twenty hours a day. Is a lion a sloth? (Don’t say Yes or you’ll flunk your biology quiz.)</div>
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A lion may well sleep twenty hours in a day, but only after its taken care of its responsibilities. Its responsibilities pretty much consist of finding enough food to eat. If it can do that in four hours or less, its obligations are fulfilled. Most of our obligations are a little more expansive. We need to not just care for ourselves, but for others.</div>
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Rest is a valuable part of life, neglecting rest is a dangerous course in life. An analogy can be made to eating. An anorexic endangers his or her own life. A person who neglects proper rest does the same. But being a glutton is not healthy any more than being a sloth. We need that balance in life only God's Spirit can fully provide.</div>
Dean A. Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18270286512901118184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2259869640058656591.post-87195566329288524202015-02-13T21:47:00.001-08:002015-02-13T21:49:23.075-08:00Sure, This Is a Tad Cheesy, But...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The Apostle Peter wrote, "But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light." </div>
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So whether weak or superpowered, you are Incredible in His sight.</div>
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<br />Dean A. Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18270286512901118184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2259869640058656591.post-83742010010631332842015-01-31T16:41:00.000-08:002015-01-31T16:41:21.625-08:00One More Stupid Common TV Show Trivia Game and Then I'll Quit for the MonthWhat show do "The Wild, Wild, West"'s Robert Conrad and "Night Court"'s John Larroquette have in common?<br />
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What show do "Boardwalk Empire"'s Shea Whigham and "Gilmore Girls"' Chad Michael Murray have in common?</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbVWd0ALmIAQ60QuLD_-UX3fWi_oLMmVATdrs1vMSQXn-loWSM8_yRBrf9eMkc7Ohbsn8puIBjuPyoiIbYliQCqz3gnA4-rscFPFyxyJSvBsXQegbFSx5fIo3GLX1uQKXqGrn9lGfB6xRC/s1600/Tristan+Gilmore+Girls.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbVWd0ALmIAQ60QuLD_-UX3fWi_oLMmVATdrs1vMSQXn-loWSM8_yRBrf9eMkc7Ohbsn8puIBjuPyoiIbYliQCqz3gnA4-rscFPFyxyJSvBsXQegbFSx5fIo3GLX1uQKXqGrn9lGfB6xRC/s1600/Tristan+Gilmore+Girls.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a></div>
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What show do "Silicon Valley"'s Martin Starr and "Cougar Town"'s Busy Phillips have in common?</div>
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What show do "Barney Miller"'s Ron Glass and "Homeland"'s Morena Baccarin have in common?</div>
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<br />Dean A. Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18270286512901118184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2259869640058656591.post-13674609011639485522015-01-29T21:27:00.003-08:002015-01-29T21:27:56.869-08:00More Stupid TV Trivia - Can you guess the common show without Googling?<div class="MsoNormal">
What show does Timothy Olyphant of "Justified" have
in common with Anna Gunn of "Breaking Bad"?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqLH9S36FvPSsr0UVvvKhhDEGPA9mblQ57ybZGHzlzV8RZU2trMVHbPDEIiLVVMYGYsGZsKS6g0yBqgErFyNh2_7kI-fUjqHE2ERD-czWduhJcFs84DEalzdSGVEVMzV6x5MziyA09hJxR/s1600/Breaking+Bad.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqLH9S36FvPSsr0UVvvKhhDEGPA9mblQ57ybZGHzlzV8RZU2trMVHbPDEIiLVVMYGYsGZsKS6g0yBqgErFyNh2_7kI-fUjqHE2ERD-czWduhJcFs84DEalzdSGVEVMzV6x5MziyA09hJxR/s1600/Breaking+Bad.jpg" height="200" width="166" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9YdIayATMkBwqM1Pz5KE2E3LczQ46FlaoMwS9qMlnmmkPuFIimoRPRhzdGrqdXTvnbM8QIrct9ukxN1dknah1KqKdRAqbSXe990au8nZbUetg6yg7dHYrcC2oYjMB8Jsljj16nE4FTYVo/s1600/Justified.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9YdIayATMkBwqM1Pz5KE2E3LczQ46FlaoMwS9qMlnmmkPuFIimoRPRhzdGrqdXTvnbM8QIrct9ukxN1dknah1KqKdRAqbSXe990au8nZbUetg6yg7dHYrcC2oYjMB8Jsljj16nE4FTYVo/s1600/Justified.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a></div>
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What show does Tony Danza of "Who's the Boss?" have in common with Danny Devito of "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia"?</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_MddxqI7REamCeT9oF2Hw7uWD4VSBF6t3I_eozJSklOpzmqdApOqCURLiaeIYTWHwuA3UAjZ5ePNnQ2cfvfxWtw0vzD8QRNwpz1QnJH4VO1z8xD1BNUwTZSLD7OhYeo6wnKmgMeY755h0/s1600/Danny+Devito.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_MddxqI7REamCeT9oF2Hw7uWD4VSBF6t3I_eozJSklOpzmqdApOqCURLiaeIYTWHwuA3UAjZ5ePNnQ2cfvfxWtw0vzD8QRNwpz1QnJH4VO1z8xD1BNUwTZSLD7OhYeo6wnKmgMeY755h0/s1600/Danny+Devito.jpg" height="200" width="133" /></a></div>
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What show does George Clooney of "ER" have in common with Cloris Leachman of "The Mary Tyler Moore Show"?</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbHAtPsBp1CXVm7BiYLwmWKQ9ziHS0_RZDwKL8Q-R_UEJYc8UL62TChLlo4jlz4dArWFCsSmeoOsAixWLMBI-Hw9Qrs9DWhHo14_oP5ASQAc1KqTpi0T8HVaIWW-itUi3T2mDOaq9z85D7/s1600/MTM+show.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbHAtPsBp1CXVm7BiYLwmWKQ9ziHS0_RZDwKL8Q-R_UEJYc8UL62TChLlo4jlz4dArWFCsSmeoOsAixWLMBI-Hw9Qrs9DWhHo14_oP5ASQAc1KqTpi0T8HVaIWW-itUi3T2mDOaq9z85D7/s1600/MTM+show.jpg" height="175" width="200" /></a></div>
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Dean A. Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18270286512901118184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2259869640058656591.post-71052206648383497942015-01-27T21:32:00.001-08:002015-01-27T21:32:34.384-08:00Stupid TV Trivia...What Show Do They Have in Common? Can you guess without Google?<div class="MsoNormal">
1) What show does James Sikking of "Hill Street
Blues" have in common with Neil Patrick Harris of "How I Met Your
Mother"?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtqsdUmPISegACbyQAUQc2FtpKUbVjTI3Go44Ewq8m90O7mQ7uTw_csnYePGf3P9hiDpt8zKtXrm4BJ6v3SsozUkQoJB1DObVmGKU0LqtthoL2EqCvdmt_-sl6FWjVGtYrx7B7HGBwHJPc/s1600/howard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtqsdUmPISegACbyQAUQc2FtpKUbVjTI3Go44Ewq8m90O7mQ7uTw_csnYePGf3P9hiDpt8zKtXrm4BJ6v3SsozUkQoJB1DObVmGKU0LqtthoL2EqCvdmt_-sl6FWjVGtYrx7B7HGBwHJPc/s1600/howard.jpg" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK0cXTSMuI6XMOXje_SqSl_gIS3LtcUdqwOrVhwc0AKYW-q6zA0Vd26cL2DWWFvT6RACKFX9EtcCV1zrapehwhkNWactSQ4EgIHad6YSq8mxIky3AKxq74Hnov_3xaRTE5HDLiiI1O4mIz/s1600/Barney+S..jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK0cXTSMuI6XMOXje_SqSl_gIS3LtcUdqwOrVhwc0AKYW-q6zA0Vd26cL2DWWFvT6RACKFX9EtcCV1zrapehwhkNWactSQ4EgIHad6YSq8mxIky3AKxq74Hnov_3xaRTE5HDLiiI1O4mIz/s1600/Barney+S..jpg" /></a></div>
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Dean A. Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18270286512901118184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2259869640058656591.post-37944358667504438042015-01-13T22:15:00.001-08:002015-01-13T22:15:18.729-08:00I Already Posted This At Facebook, but...<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">ACTUAL DREAM: I'm at an amusement park and see Foghorn Leghorn. I say to him, "Boy, I say Boy!" as Foghorn says in the cartoons. The guy playing the Loony Toons chicken takes off his costume head and it turns out he's African American. He starts lecturing me on making racist remarks and asks me to apologize to all the children in the vicinity.</span>Dean A. Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18270286512901118184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2259869640058656591.post-61903141604846004152015-01-01T08:27:00.000-08:002015-01-01T08:27:46.625-08:00Direction in the New Year<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdvzfnNY_EnysOpzM-BtvpmSmfaFAxOQLWtVGplt_J8TCQV847GSYUUBAX2eUONZRjLI3fQrA-VMwSpV-uClrn1KLt80uQt8XYFebhYforaSPLu-zj6s7AYIMQn43BN3tUXUcc4e7J9mER/s1600/nuvi-55.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdvzfnNY_EnysOpzM-BtvpmSmfaFAxOQLWtVGplt_J8TCQV847GSYUUBAX2eUONZRjLI3fQrA-VMwSpV-uClrn1KLt80uQt8XYFebhYforaSPLu-zj6s7AYIMQn43BN3tUXUcc4e7J9mER/s1600/nuvi-55.png" /></a>Garmin and I don't always agree. Not as smart as some GPS systems, Garmin doesn't know about road construction or traffic snafus. Garmin doesn't always understand that we want to see the ocean or the trees. But there are times when we do what Garmin says without question because we have no idea where we're going. Garmin usually comes through.<br />
<br />
We'll be relying on Garmin a bit more this year as we begin a new adventure. We're taking our Church Pilgriming on the road, out of Sonoma County, visiting churches throughout California. Just to show (perhaps most of all to ourselves) that we're serious about seeing variety in the state, in the month of January we'll be going to a church as far north as we can, and then to a church as far south as we can go, then east, then west. And we'll be listening to Garmin on those weekends. Not always obeying, but listening.<br />
<br />
In this New Year, we'll all be looking for direction one way or another; perhaps for vocation, finances or relationships. Or you might be looking for spiritual direction. You might be looking to grow in your relationship with God. But, of course, there's no spiritual Garmin.<br />
<br />
Or perhaps there is. God's "Garmin" tools include Scripture, prayer, mediation, and counsel from wise friends. Perhaps even finding a good church where God speaks to you. Just a friendly traveling tip for the New Year: God's direction, unlike Garmin, always gets you where you need to be.<br />
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-- Dean</div>
<strike></strike>Dean A. Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18270286512901118184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2259869640058656591.post-7898630830941730452014-12-31T20:54:00.004-08:002014-12-31T20:54:35.723-08:00Films I watched in 2014The Lego Movie – Theater***<br />
<br />
The Grand Budapest Hotel – Theater***<br />
<br />
Captain America: The Winter Soldier – Theater***<br />
<br />
The Raid 2: Berandal – Theater***<br />
<br />
Muppets Most Wanted – Theater**<br />
<br />
Godzilla - Theater***<br />
<br />
God's Not Dead - Theater*<br />
<br />
Veronica Mars - DVD**<br />
<br />
The Edge of Tomorrow - Theater***<br />
<br />
Million Dollar Arm - Theater**<br />
<br />
Three Days to Kill - DVD**<br />
<br />
22 Jump Street - Theater***<br />
<br />
Chef - Theater***<br />
<br />
Guardians of the Galaxy- Theater***<br />
<br />
Boyhood - Theater***<br />
<br />
Calvary - Theater***<br />
<br />
A Most Wanted Man - Theater**<br />
<br />
The Battered Bastards of Baseball - Netflix***<br />
<br />
Locke - DVD*<br />
<br />
Stage Fright - Netflix*<br />
<br />
The Monuments Men - DVD*<br />
<br />
A Walk Among the Tombstones - Theater***<br />
<br />
Sabotage - DVD*<br />
<br />
Brick Mansions - DVD**<br />
<br />
Alan Partridge - Netflix***<br />
<br />
The Drop - Theater***<br />
<br />
Noah - DVD*<br />
<br />
Gone Girl - Theater**<br />
<br />
Bad Words - DVD**<br />
<br />
Elaine Stritch: Shoot Me - Netflix** <br />
<br />
Need for Speed - DVD* (homeless man's shopping cart)<br />
<br />
Repentance - DVD* <br />
<br />
Ride Along - HBO*<br />
<br />
Fury - Theater***<br />
<br />
Walk of Shame - DVD*<br />
<br />
The Rover - DVD*<br />
<br />
Draft Day - DVD*<br />
<br />
Enemy - DVD*<br />
<br />
Big Hero 6 - Theater***<br />
<br />
Interstellar - Theater***<br />
<br />
Birdman - Theater**<br />
<br />
John Wick - Theater**<br />
<br />
Ida - Amazon**<br />
<br />
Whiplash - Theater***<br />
<br />
Heaven is for Real - DVD*<br />
<br />
Nightcrawler - Theater***<br />
<br />
Joe - DVD**<br />
<br />
Under the Skin - Amazon*<br />
<br />
Babadook - Theater***<br />
Dean A. Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18270286512901118184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2259869640058656591.post-78647328496405122032014-12-31T19:49:00.002-08:002014-12-31T19:49:45.398-08:00My Favorite Films of the Year<br />
<br />
10) <b>Chef</b> - It shouldn't be a revelation a father is important for a son, but it's a concept difficult for many in our culture to grasp. John Favreau wrote, directed and stars in this story of a divorced father who uses his rushed visits with his son for movies, amusement parks and pizza parlors but comes to realize his son needs much more. His son needs an introduction to the dangerous world of manhood, including the world of work. Some have understandably complained about the crude language in the film, but knowing a bit of the world of restaurant kitchens, I'd say it is sadly realistic. A warning, after the film you'll want a good Cuban sandwich ASAP. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRsXy810c68OliHfIA_P-dbrH-EYugaHL9SLmdOOIKbCPUT7LermeJTE0-O7t5oKa2DJBhtMIdlC08o0FbdYFEG1po09_nXQLf5T53eeFoURdnRsaGXbvjRZbDkbhZDzhWukDO3zK17MBP/s1600/Chef.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRsXy810c68OliHfIA_P-dbrH-EYugaHL9SLmdOOIKbCPUT7LermeJTE0-O7t5oKa2DJBhtMIdlC08o0FbdYFEG1po09_nXQLf5T53eeFoURdnRsaGXbvjRZbDkbhZDzhWukDO3zK17MBP/s320/Chef.jpg" /></a><br />
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9)<b> The Battered Bastards of Baseball</b> - You may know Kurt Russell as a Disney hero or as Snake Plissken, Wyatt Earp or Goldie Hawn's significant other, but this film has Kurt as the son of Bing Russell, baseball team owner. The Mavericks were an independently owned baseball team that rebelled against Major League Baseball. And considering how much MLB charges little league teams to put Big League names on their uniforms, they deserve to be rebelled against. There's talk of turning this documentary into a feature film, but it's just fine as it is. <br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFOmWJLuW9HdxMGuwVSx8jUjMgTOryNyrMilnBCYomWv-VwGqARxEn7XoJrjsvNtUkq6M5XMDW04YIrotPb_dZThyphenhyphenVRPCpGoCnPDYROfIRWhOcM47wa0GfXuujDit8W5M79ZRPUIlfcnLv/s1600/battered+baseball.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFOmWJLuW9HdxMGuwVSx8jUjMgTOryNyrMilnBCYomWv-VwGqARxEn7XoJrjsvNtUkq6M5XMDW04YIrotPb_dZThyphenhyphenVRPCpGoCnPDYROfIRWhOcM47wa0GfXuujDit8W5M79ZRPUIlfcnLv/s320/battered+baseball.jpg" /></a><br />
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8) <b>Interstellar</b> - Christopher Nolan may be the only filmmaker these days who can get a big budget for epic film not based on a comic book. This tale of the future, a dying world and hope in space has some weak character and gapping plot holes but also has big ideas and tension and a vision, so you will keep thinking about it and arguing about it after you visit. And you must admire Nolan's hope that we'll "look for our future in the stars rather than staring in the dirt."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjda8hJb0PH9k7b2x1TS_oV-iw5YkPE8unwR8n6wAKXlYGMjIWOosukWl6jGHjdYNOuPDfkAc2WO4CgFR1vInAmI-Y5XfHIX8r8UIQf086QC1VR_mywqNevYW4lopWrVsiBFu6EwZv6FQKl/s1600/Interstellar.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjda8hJb0PH9k7b2x1TS_oV-iw5YkPE8unwR8n6wAKXlYGMjIWOosukWl6jGHjdYNOuPDfkAc2WO4CgFR1vInAmI-Y5XfHIX8r8UIQf086QC1VR_mywqNevYW4lopWrVsiBFu6EwZv6FQKl/s320/Interstellar.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
7) <b>Calvary</b> - Brendan Gleeson is great as a priest in a horrible little small town in Ireland. Everyone in the town expresses disgust with the scandals of the Catholic Church when they actually have scandals in their own lives that are even more horrible. I'm very much looking forward to writing about this dark film in my churches in movies column (at www.DeanandMindyGoToChurch.com.)<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcKa8iYfOTRPBOyure00J9_VLOrngSVlpkDITD2vcQm2IqZFf928sW9la6jx8fy_7B-stSWi392pyBIj_YECOUKVjboHUB0HJekcgJ0B9Vf_FCucYXHJ2OL-LqkeJxYYkFFD-8MhQc8FhJ/s1600/Interstellar.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcKa8iYfOTRPBOyure00J9_VLOrngSVlpkDITD2vcQm2IqZFf928sW9la6jx8fy_7B-stSWi392pyBIj_YECOUKVjboHUB0HJekcgJ0B9Vf_FCucYXHJ2OL-LqkeJxYYkFFD-8MhQc8FhJ/s320/Interstellar.jpg" /></a><br />
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6) <b>Fury</b> - David Ayer wrote and directed one of the worst films of the year ("Sabotage") and this, one of the best. Maybe one of the big differences between the films is that Brad Pitt can act while Arnold Schwarzenegger can't. This tale of tank soldiers trying to hold on to their humanity, to their Christian faith in the hell of war is brutal, yet worthy.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmF4IvXJUDhJeuPsakyFfBC6zMJj03zP0GCwIobkoLdxgZzMBYh8jBhhau6o1pDBahGGSzVZJJ0eXR9ibrEvq5ljy8UpriWvIRPn7U2ZasSWqWcTpYazL1AJ4FVhfj_eW_cflZl-4ImhZU/s1600/Fury.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmF4IvXJUDhJeuPsakyFfBC6zMJj03zP0GCwIobkoLdxgZzMBYh8jBhhau6o1pDBahGGSzVZJJ0eXR9ibrEvq5ljy8UpriWvIRPn7U2ZasSWqWcTpYazL1AJ4FVhfj_eW_cflZl-4ImhZU/s320/Fury.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
5) <b>The Grand Budapest Hotel</b> - Wes Anderson makes his own worlds, and this one about an eccentric hotel manager who loves older women and good living is a world not to be missed.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVT2gbW3RNEFTn3Xi0rrjgnmc_fVfAHoH3nurjv5XH61oW5EfjFLkeWArEP5iPPP7bZnGRQhkBpZY0-u_rzSzJjaPBsuIhjiocoLmdmXmAz9vRlM59kJMNGjypLnB1IpdjjOdQOtZg8ZUm/s1600/Grand+Budapest+Hotel.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVT2gbW3RNEFTn3Xi0rrjgnmc_fVfAHoH3nurjv5XH61oW5EfjFLkeWArEP5iPPP7bZnGRQhkBpZY0-u_rzSzJjaPBsuIhjiocoLmdmXmAz9vRlM59kJMNGjypLnB1IpdjjOdQOtZg8ZUm/s320/Grand+Budapest+Hotel.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
4) <b>The Drop</b> - Tom Hardy plays a bar keep who seems like a harmless, perhaps not too bright fellow who's perhaps a bit too tenderhearted about dogs and women. But why doesn't he feel like he's good enough to take communion at church. James Gandolfini's last film, and he's good. But Hardy is great.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5mH4jLYHXgDvNOHtOqwngQSJV0N6OmjXPri_KAiMeck9EFuKlMx93e3q6qJTrKOYBLS8bBtHytnObU3hfftUoGwoenDZlk6t8Gqj6PtkkGS9n8TO37AOgUsjFsVplrfFbseVyrW02aB05/s1600/Drop.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5mH4jLYHXgDvNOHtOqwngQSJV0N6OmjXPri_KAiMeck9EFuKlMx93e3q6qJTrKOYBLS8bBtHytnObU3hfftUoGwoenDZlk6t8Gqj6PtkkGS9n8TO37AOgUsjFsVplrfFbseVyrW02aB05/s320/Drop.jpg" /></a><br />
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3) <b>Whiplash</b> - Want to see a film about jazz drumming? Maybe you do. Miles Teller plays a drummer who gets wants a mentor who's the best who will make him the best. But is it worth gaining the whole world of drumming excellence and yet lose your soul? Band leader J. K. Simmons says it is.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitaJhnJ6AZ89z0AlTTaiPJJnLQ6vLKZMhHprcJ5WSNm5pT7D-u6tImjZPUtd5jD8vV9R_kDhBpVzqGEUedGKHFNHTd9Z3_GsjCiH3DLL8sYoIif542hmnjAq3AV2QT_GE_w_Pk7M_y6eeZ/s1600/Whiplash.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitaJhnJ6AZ89z0AlTTaiPJJnLQ6vLKZMhHprcJ5WSNm5pT7D-u6tImjZPUtd5jD8vV9R_kDhBpVzqGEUedGKHFNHTd9Z3_GsjCiH3DLL8sYoIif542hmnjAq3AV2QT_GE_w_Pk7M_y6eeZ/s320/Whiplash.jpg" /></a><br />
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2) <b>Guardians of the Galaxy</b> - Okay, so I'm a sucker for walking trees and talking raccoons and Chris Pratt cracking wise. The other Marvel comic film of the year, "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" was quite good but this was even better.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieD0HHNzSrt3AhQLgBRUHwmE10ZL_vep0Qvtl-b8ifmdd5zulJg0TyMoJ4uQaESQ05KMKsCcvzI9GuJSaU3sPiCrTqoqTHVA0tIp8ICUYmP1NI-UiUr1g1aLre3ggLczcvnu2oMmqzU1TR/s1600/Gaurdians+of+the+Galaxy.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieD0HHNzSrt3AhQLgBRUHwmE10ZL_vep0Qvtl-b8ifmdd5zulJg0TyMoJ4uQaESQ05KMKsCcvzI9GuJSaU3sPiCrTqoqTHVA0tIp8ICUYmP1NI-UiUr1g1aLre3ggLczcvnu2oMmqzU1TR/s320/Gaurdians+of+the+Galaxy.jpg" /></a><br />
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1) <b>Boyhood</b> - Writer/director Richard Linklater had his actors keep quiet about this project... for twelve years. That's how long he took to tell this rather simple story of a boy growing up. His divorced parents seem to be trying their best, but maybe it isn't good enough. You come to love the characters as the director does, even when he doesn't take them quite seriously. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-zGqTRsEa-S5bUCDuLYcW2GAGYLTj7kHmny-cs7x3uoqwzUIW3ir5wbHbHJGIxe5BAV8y9Gw3Mh-NHzEoMIynw1FmBM2XtPHWrtpR3gqbVWAkI5DpVJFYQdpmhprJ1nej6eA3DmM2EZj1/s1600/Best+Film+Boyhood.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-zGqTRsEa-S5bUCDuLYcW2GAGYLTj7kHmny-cs7x3uoqwzUIW3ir5wbHbHJGIxe5BAV8y9Gw3Mh-NHzEoMIynw1FmBM2XtPHWrtpR3gqbVWAkI5DpVJFYQdpmhprJ1nej6eA3DmM2EZj1/s320/Best+Film+Boyhood.jpg" /></a><br />
Dean A. Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18270286512901118184noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2259869640058656591.post-74866077375849895062014-12-31T07:03:00.000-08:002014-12-31T07:03:45.114-08:00My Least Favorite Films of 2014<br />
I just finished reading Michael Adams' book, "Showgirls, Teen Wolves and Astro Zombies: A Film Critic's Quest to Find the Worst Film Ever Made" (2010) which provided that whenever you think you may have found a really bad film, there's a more horrible film waiting just around the corner. So I'm sure you may have been subjected to worse this year, but these provided me with the least pleasure this year.<br />
There are "so bad it's good film" such as "Plan Nine from Outer Space" whose very incompetence provide some viewing pleasure. I did not find these films to be like that.<br />
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So here is my bottom five for the year:<br />
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5) Noah - I went into this film with some hope. The director and writer, Darren Aronofsky has made some interesting, even great films ("Pi", "The Wrestler", "Black Swan", "Requiem for a Dream".) And I thought it would be interesting to see how he would handle the very real challenge of turning the Biblical story of Noah into a feature. And with Russell Crowe, Jennifer Connelly and Anthony Hopkins in the cast, how bad could it be? The answer is very.<br />
With magic, rock monsters and a stowaway on the ark the film presses toward all kinds of crazy, but not good crazy. The idea of making the story about conservation of the earth wouldn't be a bad idea if it didn't go over into the extreme environmental nuttiness of the earth being better off without people. Noah as a mad baby killer just doesn't work for me.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-axeV9qYFVpqhItlrrSp1BsDtCikkX6F0ccdYxKra1pwyEVn5sk_UDUyy74ITvcRGH2dlopmXmsvxb_TbNiNy2CkcjMfMYB1pNmoKe4XO6GgvQF8aLmqK8cuL49EjcXdk2WTWml13fjiU/s1600/Noah.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-axeV9qYFVpqhItlrrSp1BsDtCikkX6F0ccdYxKra1pwyEVn5sk_UDUyy74ITvcRGH2dlopmXmsvxb_TbNiNy2CkcjMfMYB1pNmoKe4XO6GgvQF8aLmqK8cuL49EjcXdk2WTWml13fjiU/s320/Noah.jpg" /></a><br />
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4) Need for Speed - To me it seems like it should be possible to make a decent, at least a dumb fun, film out of a video game. To my knowledge the dream of an adequate and not horrible video game movie has not been achieved. It seemed like a possibility with this film. "The Blues Brothers", after all, is basically car crashes and blues music and it's awesome. And this film featured Aaron Paul fresh from "Breaking Bad" glory. Alas, car crashes in this film are sad. It really lost me when it treated crashing into a homeless man's shopping cart, destroying all of his worldly goods, as the funniest thing ever. Maybe in the sequel (may it never be) they can kill a puppy for giggles.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg73f73-0YKrFYrSWJtZwtvUJ0qrF98yMX0AFnvBdFrGuYV1ozjujGTGT5kJkTOMizzs8E4MfC9VKwjK7MhSIzl6_PgNVCwCqfyTvSqkRZYsCoHdO0rJTgiKK9l7YgwtNdp4x37J5o3v6KR/s1600/Need+for+speed.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg73f73-0YKrFYrSWJtZwtvUJ0qrF98yMX0AFnvBdFrGuYV1ozjujGTGT5kJkTOMizzs8E4MfC9VKwjK7MhSIzl6_PgNVCwCqfyTvSqkRZYsCoHdO0rJTgiKK9l7YgwtNdp4x37J5o3v6KR/s320/Need+for+speed.jpg" /></a><br />
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3) Sabotage - Arnold Schwarzenegger has made plenty of "so bad they're good" films. Just last year he made "The Last Stand" and even better/worse "Escape Plan" with Sly Stallone that were objectively awful and I enjoyed them both very much. This story of a special-forces drug enforcement team that decides to score a fortune off a cartel was tastelessly gory, mean spirited and incoherent. A quite strange thing is the writer and director of this film, David Ayer also make one of my favorite films of the year.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGnl70S11NsJkOm1FXCqazZv4lPmroAGUAOMWfoQZNlkWkNkeSAFljsIHA5H7AiC3DyoBDeEuwLAfLTwarcNHxyoN06RuOdTdanfUOxmxhVy9PzDnlE7t48HOu5fvvQ4cwuSGIpzrktvG-/s1600/Sabotage.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGnl70S11NsJkOm1FXCqazZv4lPmroAGUAOMWfoQZNlkWkNkeSAFljsIHA5H7AiC3DyoBDeEuwLAfLTwarcNHxyoN06RuOdTdanfUOxmxhVy9PzDnlE7t48HOu5fvvQ4cwuSGIpzrktvG-/s320/Sabotage.jpg" /></a><br />
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2) God's Not Dead - This has been the Year of the Christian Film. Since the golden days of the studios, major filmmakers have been quite hesitant about making explicitly religious films. It looked like things might change a decade ago when Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ" seemed to come out of nowhere make a fortune. But the studios seemed to make the unusual choice of placing their distant of evangelicals over their usually omnipotent greed. This year though, three film with clearly Christian content took in big bucks; "Son of God", a repackaging of TV's "The Bible" took in $60 million, the studio backed, recognizably casted "Heaven is for Real" took in $90 million and GND took in $60 million. (You could stretch things and include "Noah" in the faith marketed trend and it took in $100 million.) Sadly, all of these films were bad and "God's Not Dead" is the worst.<br />
Kevin Sorbo (who seemed more intellectually astute when he played Hercules on TV) is a college philosophy professor who torments his students into written denials of faith in God. But one bold Christian student makes a stand for the faith and prevails. When I first heard about this film I had a spark of hope, because the persecution of faith, typified by the University of California's treatment of InterVarsity is vital topical issue worth pursuing. This wasn't the film to do it<br />
Besides the lame treatment of the main subject, we have a presentation of women in the film that verges on misogyny; all the women are dim or harridans. And the film also features a Laurel and Hardy team of clergymen of vague denominational affiliation who spend most of the film trying to get to Disneyworld, but at the end of the film accomplish a death bed conversion of a traffic accident victim and then practically give each other a high five for success. Cameos from the News Boys and Duck Dynasty cast members can't save it. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqBinQsi6zkYqgwm3Hm09_6PFoiDxXshnmZpUG7yEkL4MRWjtCuhf7gIHUxclvHWu6XEGKFHjbeTkEYrgM7NbATsyIyQGof0of8EGSr3e7OYe4XjZfu4H9CdI97TZElCqQ2nlKfGQx0EeW/s1600/God's%2BNot%2BDead.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqBinQsi6zkYqgwm3Hm09_6PFoiDxXshnmZpUG7yEkL4MRWjtCuhf7gIHUxclvHWu6XEGKFHjbeTkEYrgM7NbATsyIyQGof0of8EGSr3e7OYe4XjZfu4H9CdI97TZElCqQ2nlKfGQx0EeW/s320/God's%2BNot%2BDead.jpg" /></a><br />
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1) Repentance - This year I've begun writing posts at www.DeanandMindyGotoChurch.blogspot.com about churches in films. The title of this film and a bit of reading about this film starring the Oscar winning Forest Whitaker and Anthony Mackie (Captain America's Falcon) led me to think this might be a worthy subject. A successful "spiritual advisor" takes on a trouble client to lead him to enlightenment. Little does he know that the client blames the advisor for his mother's death in a traffic accident and is seeking revenge. The film blends Christianity with New Age quackery and the occult in thoroughly incomprehensible hodgepodges. There are quite unpleasant sequences of abduction and torture. And a "happy ending" that's as unpleasant as it is nonsensical. <br />
You probably hadn't heard of this film before I mentioned it here. I apologize for bringing it to your attention. <br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGR9ItxXXjETnRpdTTVxmET3L8Tu4bDRxFj3DGswadmG5PhoXnyizzL7RWDbt7iF6zqdoXquQUiysOEPyAJ1gWZTtE4wzJ0oEun-eHG3rN5NQ66EB9K-qjvrwvREuaVKmzFnanTWK9_jjG/s1600/bad+film+repentance.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGR9ItxXXjETnRpdTTVxmET3L8Tu4bDRxFj3DGswadmG5PhoXnyizzL7RWDbt7iF6zqdoXquQUiysOEPyAJ1gWZTtE4wzJ0oEun-eHG3rN5NQ66EB9K-qjvrwvREuaVKmzFnanTWK9_jjG/s320/bad+film+repentance.jpg" /></a><br />
Dean A. Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18270286512901118184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2259869640058656591.post-25480128369052040762014-12-30T18:52:00.002-08:002014-12-30T18:52:37.562-08:00Favorite TV Shows of 2014<br />
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As I've mentioned in the introduction to these lists the last couple of years, TV watching continues to move away from being the communal event it was when I was young. With a few exceptions like the Super Bowl, people watch shows through different venues at different times, sometimes years from when others viewed them. I watched a few shows "live" (when first aired), and others on Hulu or Netflix or DVDs much later.<br />
My rules for these lists are as follows: The show must have had new episodes during this calendar year. I had to watch new episodes in this calendar year. Therefore, a couple of shows that usually make this list, "Justified" and "Mad Men" didn't make it, because I haven't yet been able to watch the most recent seasons. I decided to include five dramas and five comedies, and mention other shows I've enjoyed.<br />
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Drama<br />
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5) "Ripper Street" - A police procedural set in London shortly after the killings by Jack the Ripper. Since the bobbies didn't solve those murders, their prestige is at an all-time low. Modern policing, with the use of forensics and statistical steady is only beginning in this grim but clever drama. I haven't yet completed the second season, but very much enjoyed the show's inclusion of John Merrick, the Elephant Man. (From the BBC, but I watch it on Netflix.)<br />
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4) "Game of Thrones" - Yes, the show continues to include gratuitous nudity and violence, but it also brings the viewer into a brutal yet fascinating world of grounded fantasy with kings and queens, knights and assassins, dragons and magic. Highlights this year included the death of a character much hated and a grand courtroom address from Peter Dinklage. (HBO)<br />
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3) "The Flash" - The CW Network since its inception has been a wasteland of vapid pretty, young people whining. Now it's changed a bit and two of its shows are making my list. "The Flash" is the cheeriest of the superhero shows on the air now. Yes, the actor (Grant Gustin) playing DC's comic book speedster Barry Allen is pretty (as are his friends) but he's also charming. It's just fun.<br />
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2) "Sherlock" - The BBC is miserly in its output of this series about the great sleuth in modern London, but it's forgiven for making all three episodes of every season funny, clever and engaging. The wedding of Watson and return of more than one character thought dead were among the highlights. It's hard to decide if Steven Moffat is more brilliant writing this show or Dr. Who (a great show I have yet to catch up with on current episodes.) (BBC and PBS)<br />
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1) "Olive Kittredge" - This HBO adaptation of a novel in four parts was quite unexpectedly by favorite thing on TV this year. Francis McDormand plays an intelligent but cranky school teacher, wife and mother over the span of decades. It captures life in a small town in Maine better than even native son Stephen King has in his writings. The show is quite sad, but in the end hopeful. And bonus - Bill Murray.<br />
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(Runners up, "Person of Interest", "The Walking Dead" and "The Blacklist".)<br />
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Comedy<br />
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5) "Jane the Virgin" - Amazing but true, another CW show. A spoof of and salute to Telenovelas, this story of a young woman who accidentally is impregnated through artificial insemination really shouldn't work as a story, but it does. Almost shocking to see a network program that presents a character who chooses to be a virgin for religious reasons portrayed positively. Quirky and funny.<br />
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4) "Moone Boy" - One wonders how long this story of a young boy and his imaginary friend can last, since when Martin Moone gets much older he will seem deranged. But in its second year it is still quite fun. (Hulu)<br />
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3) "Brooklyn 911" - I've heard police officers remark that the most realistic police show ever made was the comedy, "Barney Miller". Whereas this police comedy is in no way realistic. Who cares? It's makes me laugh. (Fox)<br />
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2) "Parks and Recreation" - Heading into its last season next year, this sitcom about a small, municipal office in suburban Indiana is apart from an awful first season, consistently the best sitcom on the networks. Libertarian Ron Swanson, a rare advocate of conservative values in the media will be missed after next year. (NBC)<br />
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1) "Silicon Valley" - A warning that this show can be quite crude, but if it wasn't it, one might not believe one was spending time with a group of tech geeks on the verge of the big time with a tech start-up company. Created by Mike Judge (responsible for "King of the Hill" and "Office Space" and some of my other favorite things) the show started slow and built to a quite satisfying conclusion of its first season. (HBO)<br />
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(Runners up, "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" and "Veep".)<br />
Dean A. Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18270286512901118184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2259869640058656591.post-48563233862655544572014-12-30T18:36:00.001-08:002014-12-30T18:36:08.389-08:00Instead of Reviewing Media, I'm Reviewing Life: Top Ten Moments of 2014<br />
10) Posting the first church review on our DeanandMindyGoToChurch blog, beginning our adventure for the next couple of years.<br />
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9) Cheering an Oakland A's win over the Mariners when it still looked like there might be a chance for them to accomplish something with the year. <br />
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8) Puzzling with my friend, Eric Edmund, in a Thessalonians Bible study over what work is worthy. <br />
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7) Watching a 49ers playoff game as our greatly missed friend, Sue Hufford, tried to find the luckiest place to stand in the room to benefit the Niners.<br />
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6) Lighting sparklers in a parking lot with my wife Mindy, son Bret and daughter Jill.<br />
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5) Standing under the trees for a reunion picture with some of my Piner High Classmates.<br />
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4) Praying with thanks during the celebration of my nephew Jordan's 1st anniversary party of his brain surgery.<br />
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3) At standing on a bridge at my brother's Sierra Endangered Cat Haven, to join my mother's ashes with my father's.<br />
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2) I went with my daughter Jill to see the SciFy Channels presentation of "The Birds" in the park and so for a moment you could turn in one direction and see the Golden Gate Bridge on the screen and turn to see the Brooklyn Bridge in the flesh (in the steel?)<br />
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1) I had the privilege of praying at my daughter Paige's wedding (to the very excellent Grant Lowe) and appreciated the laughter when their shared love of Spiderman was acknowledged.<br />
Dean A. Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18270286512901118184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2259869640058656591.post-20809302133414642272014-12-27T17:18:00.000-08:002014-12-27T17:18:16.176-08:00Cool Picture my brother took, can you guess when?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs3iQ4-s_whJO9fNCmqLNcgBIV4KXfb2FxckPZiyBgoni0QCVIr5AA0_OmbDt6AoAg9JZJvkeskbM2XMb6j3naF0RpIKnwji0BeQ4nl6RKzSfQn5q8Prjd_Eb_fO42WOsKUZck2AByeLdU/s1600/Daryl's%2BLawrence.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs3iQ4-s_whJO9fNCmqLNcgBIV4KXfb2FxckPZiyBgoni0QCVIr5AA0_OmbDt6AoAg9JZJvkeskbM2XMb6j3naF0RpIKnwji0BeQ4nl6RKzSfQn5q8Prjd_Eb_fO42WOsKUZck2AByeLdU/s320/Daryl's%2BLawrence.jpg" /></a>Dean A. Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18270286512901118184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2259869640058656591.post-82177199237266982692014-12-19T19:49:00.002-08:002014-12-19T20:34:05.532-08:00Some Books Read This YearThese are the books published in 2014 that I read this year:<br />
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The Southern Reach Trilogy by Jeff Vandermeer:<br />
<i>Annihilation</i>, <i>Authority</i>, <i>Acceptance</i><br />
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<i>Burnt Toast Makes You Sing Good</i> by Kathleen Flynn<br />
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<i>The Thousand Dollar Tan Line</i> by Rob Thomas<br />
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<i>Lila</i> by Marilynne Robinson<br />
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<i>So We Read On: How the Great Gatsby Came to Be</i> by Maureen Corrigan<br />
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<i>Personal</i> (Reacher #19) by Lee Child<br />
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<i>Those Who Wish Me Dead</i> by Michael Koryta<br />
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<i>Flash Boys: A Wall Street Revolt</i> by Michael Lewis<br />
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<i>Five Came Back: A Story of Hollywood and the Second World War</i> by Mark Harris<br />
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These are the books published in 2013 I read this year, because, really, many of these I couldn't get a hold of until this year:<br />
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<i>Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Quest for Gold at 1936 Berlin Olympics</i><br />
by Daniel James Brown<br />
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<i>George Washington's Secret Six</i> by Brian Kilmeade<br />
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<i>The Stench of Honolulu</i> by Jack Handey<br />
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<i>The Disaster Artist: Inside the Room</i> by Greg Sestero<br />
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<i>Sycamore Row</i> by John Grisham<br />
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<i>A Curious Man: The Strange and Curious Life of Robert "Believe It Or Not" Ripley </i><br />
by Neal Thompson<br />
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<i>A Prayer Journal</i> by Flannery O'Connor<br />
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<i>The Ocean at the End of the Lane</i> by Neil Gaiman<br />
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<i>Good Prose: The Art of Nonfiction</i> by Tracy Kidder<br />
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<i>Encounter with Jesus</i> by Timothy Keller<br />
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<i>Ten Years in the Tub</i> by Nick Hornsby<br />
Dean A. Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18270286512901118184noreply@blogger.com0