Couldn't remember if I posted this article on Christians in public school:
http://oncourse.ag.org/features/classroomattack.cfm
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Kenya - The Suffering of Africa Continues
It is hard to understand why this continent seems to have a disportionate amount of disaster and pain. Perhaps you have been in prayer for the troubled nation of Kenya (if not, why not?)
Sadly, this film (and the review I wrote about it shortly after it came out in 2004) seems to still be relevant:
“Hotel Rwanda”
Throughout the film, “Hotel Rwanda”, the protagonist, Paul Rusesabagina (played by Don Cheadle) deceives, flatters, lies, and uses the property that belongs to others for bribery. In other words, he behaves in a way that I am sure Jesus would commend. Really.
The film (a true story) opens in April of 1994 in Rwanda as two rival parties, the Hutus and the Tutsis, seem on the verge of peace. But it was not to be. The assassination of the President of Rwanda led to a grave escalation in the civil war.
During the colonization of Rwanda by the Belgians, the occupiers almost arbitrarily divided the Rwandans into two groups. The Tutsi were deemed more European, and were given positions of power and privilege during the colonial period. But when the Belgians left, Hutus took charge, and they harbored a pent up hatred of the Tutsi.
Rusesabagina was the manager of a posh French hotel in Rwanda, catering primarily to Europeans and Americans. He was also a Hutu married to a Tutsi.
As hostility and chaos in the country escalated, the Hutus (soldiers and civilians) began to attack all of the Tutsi people. Rusesabagina was initially reluctant to come to the aid of his Tutsi neighbors in need. But eventually he took in many endangered family members, neighbors and orphans into his hotel.
He hoped the United Nations or other Western powers would intervene when it became obvious that genocide of the Tutsi people was taking place. But the outside world did not intervene in the slaughter of the Tutsi.
So Rusesabagina took it upon himself to save as many lives as he could. He flattered the Hutu leaders and lied to them about sheltering Tutsi and the dangers of attacking them. He used the hotel’s food, drink and finances to bribe Hutu soldiers.
After six months, nearly one million Tutsi were killed. But Rusesabagina had saved approximately 1200 lives.
His story reminded me of Jesus’ parable about another manager. In Luke 16, Jesus told about a manager whose boss discovered he was cheating. The manager was still in charge of his master’s goods, but he knew his time as manager was coming to an end. So he brought in all those who owed money to his master and slashed their debts. This won him the favor of the debtors. The manager knew he could turn to the debtors for help when he was fired.
In this strange parable, Jesus commends the manager for being shrewd, for using the resources of his boss (which he held temporarily) to win himself long-term gain. Rusesabagina used the resources entrusted to him by the hotel company to save lives.
Jesus admired that kind of thinking. To be able to trade beer and cigars to save human lives is quite a shrewd deal. Jesus was not endorsing dishonesty with this parable. But He was teaching us that all our resources are temporary possessions. And if we are wise we will use those resources for eternity.
Just as Rusesabagina used the resources entrusted to him to save lives, we can use our resources to save lives and souls. We can use what we have to feed the hungry and preach the gospel to the poor. Jesus commends this as a shrewd business move.
(The issue of deceiving is a tricky one. In Scripture dishonesty is roundly condemned. But Rahab the prostitute is commended in Scripture for hiding Israelite spies and lying when asked if she knew where they were. Rusesabagina seems to be an honest man, but he did lie in the tradition of Rahab. On the other hand, during the Nazi Holocaust, the Ten Boom family hid Jews during the occupation of Holland. The Ten Boom girls knew it was wrong to lie. When asked whether Jews were in the house, Corrie’s sister said the Jews were under the table. The soldiers assumed she was joking and ignored the hiding place beneath the floor under the table.)
“Hotel Rwanda” will be released on DVD and video April 12th. It is rated PG-13 for violent and graphic images. News reports say it has been screened twice at the White House, and that the real Paul Rusesabagina has met with President Bush about the current situation in the Sudan and the Congo.
Tragedies like the genocide in Rwanda are sadly not unique in history. But when such things happen, (to paraphrase the film’s tag line), Christians must not close our eyes to the oppressed, but rather open our arms.
Sadly, this film (and the review I wrote about it shortly after it came out in 2004) seems to still be relevant:
“Hotel Rwanda”
Throughout the film, “Hotel Rwanda”, the protagonist, Paul Rusesabagina (played by Don Cheadle) deceives, flatters, lies, and uses the property that belongs to others for bribery. In other words, he behaves in a way that I am sure Jesus would commend. Really.
The film (a true story) opens in April of 1994 in Rwanda as two rival parties, the Hutus and the Tutsis, seem on the verge of peace. But it was not to be. The assassination of the President of Rwanda led to a grave escalation in the civil war.
During the colonization of Rwanda by the Belgians, the occupiers almost arbitrarily divided the Rwandans into two groups. The Tutsi were deemed more European, and were given positions of power and privilege during the colonial period. But when the Belgians left, Hutus took charge, and they harbored a pent up hatred of the Tutsi.
Rusesabagina was the manager of a posh French hotel in Rwanda, catering primarily to Europeans and Americans. He was also a Hutu married to a Tutsi.
As hostility and chaos in the country escalated, the Hutus (soldiers and civilians) began to attack all of the Tutsi people. Rusesabagina was initially reluctant to come to the aid of his Tutsi neighbors in need. But eventually he took in many endangered family members, neighbors and orphans into his hotel.
He hoped the United Nations or other Western powers would intervene when it became obvious that genocide of the Tutsi people was taking place. But the outside world did not intervene in the slaughter of the Tutsi.
So Rusesabagina took it upon himself to save as many lives as he could. He flattered the Hutu leaders and lied to them about sheltering Tutsi and the dangers of attacking them. He used the hotel’s food, drink and finances to bribe Hutu soldiers.
After six months, nearly one million Tutsi were killed. But Rusesabagina had saved approximately 1200 lives.
His story reminded me of Jesus’ parable about another manager. In Luke 16, Jesus told about a manager whose boss discovered he was cheating. The manager was still in charge of his master’s goods, but he knew his time as manager was coming to an end. So he brought in all those who owed money to his master and slashed their debts. This won him the favor of the debtors. The manager knew he could turn to the debtors for help when he was fired.
In this strange parable, Jesus commends the manager for being shrewd, for using the resources of his boss (which he held temporarily) to win himself long-term gain. Rusesabagina used the resources entrusted to him by the hotel company to save lives.
Jesus admired that kind of thinking. To be able to trade beer and cigars to save human lives is quite a shrewd deal. Jesus was not endorsing dishonesty with this parable. But He was teaching us that all our resources are temporary possessions. And if we are wise we will use those resources for eternity.
Just as Rusesabagina used the resources entrusted to him to save lives, we can use our resources to save lives and souls. We can use what we have to feed the hungry and preach the gospel to the poor. Jesus commends this as a shrewd business move.
(The issue of deceiving is a tricky one. In Scripture dishonesty is roundly condemned. But Rahab the prostitute is commended in Scripture for hiding Israelite spies and lying when asked if she knew where they were. Rusesabagina seems to be an honest man, but he did lie in the tradition of Rahab. On the other hand, during the Nazi Holocaust, the Ten Boom family hid Jews during the occupation of Holland. The Ten Boom girls knew it was wrong to lie. When asked whether Jews were in the house, Corrie’s sister said the Jews were under the table. The soldiers assumed she was joking and ignored the hiding place beneath the floor under the table.)
“Hotel Rwanda” will be released on DVD and video April 12th. It is rated PG-13 for violent and graphic images. News reports say it has been screened twice at the White House, and that the real Paul Rusesabagina has met with President Bush about the current situation in the Sudan and the Congo.
Tragedies like the genocide in Rwanda are sadly not unique in history. But when such things happen, (to paraphrase the film’s tag line), Christians must not close our eyes to the oppressed, but rather open our arms.
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Bill the Warthog books now at Amazon
Here's the link:
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw/002-4313727-2844053?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=full+metal+trench+coat&x=14&y=14
The cool thing is you can buy just one book and check in the next day to see how that shakes up the # rating. Feel free to put in your reviews as well.
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw/002-4313727-2844053?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=full+metal+trench+coat&x=14&y=14
The cool thing is you can buy just one book and check in the next day to see how that shakes up the # rating. Feel free to put in your reviews as well.
Alone?
About eighteen of us at my church, a majority under the age of sixteen, joined together last Sunday night (1/13) to watch the story of William Wilberforce’s struggle to end the English slave trade as portrayed in the film Amazing Grace. Initially, the screen image was pretty dark until Dave jiggled the cable to the projection unit and then there was light. Popcorn was passed and spilled. We laughed together. Some grew misty eyed. All applauded at the film’s end.
And I sit here pondering, “Why do I enjoy watching movies with others more than watching movies alone?”
Because in ways, viewing movies should be a solitary experience; ideally there shouldn’t be discussion during a film or interaction that takes focus off the screen (exceptions to this policy to be mentioned later). So why is moviegoing a social experience? And another question: will movie “going” survive the home theater?
As home screens get bigger and more highly defined, and sound systems get louder and crisper, and Blockbuster and Netflix bring movies straight to the home via mail or downloading, one wonders why anyone would “go” to the movies anymore. (There was an excellent Goofy cartoon about home theaters that showed before National Treasure II. The cartoon was much better than the feature film.) Why not cocoon at home and enjoy at home the movie you want to see at the time of your own choosing? There’s certainly a lot of appeal to the idea compared to theater experiences highlighted by rude cell phone users, sticky floors, projectors with bad bulbs and sound bleeding in from the theater on the other side of the wall.
But there still is something to be said for watching films in a crowd. Comedies seem funnier with others laughing with you. I know some critics don’t like to review comedies they see alone because it isn’t the same experience. Many people won’t laugh out loud when viewing something alone, but they will in the presence of others.
Even the drive-in experience used to have a sense of community. Though all were in their own metal compartments, there were times when they would join together to let their feelings be known. When there were technical difficulties, horns would honk in unison to make the projectionist aware of their discontent. When I lived in Santa Cruz County there was (and still is) a drive-in theater. On warm nights people would bring their lawn chairs to sit on the ground or in the back of their pick-up trucks. (As the great film critic Joe Bob Briggs has stated, “The drive-in will never die.”)
I said before that ideally, conversation does not take place during a movie. We don’t want to hear teens gossiping behind us about who’s hooking up with whom or someone in front of us asking for explanations of the previous half hour’s plot points. We especially don’t want to hear someone referring to future plot points (“I think this is where they shoot the dog. No, that happens later. This is where they find the treasure.”)
But there are other ways that people interact with what’s going on the screen. In recent years there have been movie musical sing-a-longs. The Sound of Music has been a favorite for this. The lyrics appear on the bottom of the screen and the audience is encouraged to sing along.
There was a television show, “Mystery Science Theater 3000”, wherein bad films were shown, and a man and his two robot pals silhouetted at the bottom of the screen would offer funny, mocking remarks throughout the film (really, this is the only way to watch Santa Claus Conquers the Martians). Now, at some special screenings, audiences are encouraged to join in the mocking.
At some inner city theaters, audiences have always been quite vocal in expressing their feelings. Audiences warn on-screen teenagers not to go out in the dark alone and encourage heroes along in their fist fights and gun battles. This talk back viewing is obviously related to the talk back in African-American churches where people encourage the preachers with Amens and Hallelujahs.
That’s what I like about viewing a film with other people. Even during the viewing there is a shared experience. When the film is good, there is a shared exhilaration. There is something in human nature that makes us want to share the things we enjoy and admire. That is part of the excitement of going to see a ball game with other fans or going to a concert. We want to join with others in praising actors, athletes, musicians and speakers we admire. There is something particular and wonderful when people applaud at the end of a film. Obviously, the people who made the movie can not hear the applause. But we still want to express our appreciation in some way.
There is something about this desire to enjoy things together, in community, that relates to the act of worship. Yes, there is a time and place for worship in solitude. We should take time to pray, read Scripture and even sing hymns when we are alone. There are people who say they never go to church because they prefer to worship God “out in nature in my own way”. But real worship leads us to worship with others.
As David said in Psalm 34, “O Magnify the Lord with me, Let us exalt His name together” (KJV). Worship cannot only be a solitary act. We are not made that way. We are not made to keep good things to ourselves. And the best thing we have is God. “To Know God and Enjoy Him” (Westminster Catechism) is what we were made to do. How much better when we can do so with others?
And I sit here pondering, “Why do I enjoy watching movies with others more than watching movies alone?”
Because in ways, viewing movies should be a solitary experience; ideally there shouldn’t be discussion during a film or interaction that takes focus off the screen (exceptions to this policy to be mentioned later). So why is moviegoing a social experience? And another question: will movie “going” survive the home theater?
As home screens get bigger and more highly defined, and sound systems get louder and crisper, and Blockbuster and Netflix bring movies straight to the home via mail or downloading, one wonders why anyone would “go” to the movies anymore. (There was an excellent Goofy cartoon about home theaters that showed before National Treasure II. The cartoon was much better than the feature film.) Why not cocoon at home and enjoy at home the movie you want to see at the time of your own choosing? There’s certainly a lot of appeal to the idea compared to theater experiences highlighted by rude cell phone users, sticky floors, projectors with bad bulbs and sound bleeding in from the theater on the other side of the wall.
But there still is something to be said for watching films in a crowd. Comedies seem funnier with others laughing with you. I know some critics don’t like to review comedies they see alone because it isn’t the same experience. Many people won’t laugh out loud when viewing something alone, but they will in the presence of others.
Even the drive-in experience used to have a sense of community. Though all were in their own metal compartments, there were times when they would join together to let their feelings be known. When there were technical difficulties, horns would honk in unison to make the projectionist aware of their discontent. When I lived in Santa Cruz County there was (and still is) a drive-in theater. On warm nights people would bring their lawn chairs to sit on the ground or in the back of their pick-up trucks. (As the great film critic Joe Bob Briggs has stated, “The drive-in will never die.”)
I said before that ideally, conversation does not take place during a movie. We don’t want to hear teens gossiping behind us about who’s hooking up with whom or someone in front of us asking for explanations of the previous half hour’s plot points. We especially don’t want to hear someone referring to future plot points (“I think this is where they shoot the dog. No, that happens later. This is where they find the treasure.”)
But there are other ways that people interact with what’s going on the screen. In recent years there have been movie musical sing-a-longs. The Sound of Music has been a favorite for this. The lyrics appear on the bottom of the screen and the audience is encouraged to sing along.
There was a television show, “Mystery Science Theater 3000”, wherein bad films were shown, and a man and his two robot pals silhouetted at the bottom of the screen would offer funny, mocking remarks throughout the film (really, this is the only way to watch Santa Claus Conquers the Martians). Now, at some special screenings, audiences are encouraged to join in the mocking.
At some inner city theaters, audiences have always been quite vocal in expressing their feelings. Audiences warn on-screen teenagers not to go out in the dark alone and encourage heroes along in their fist fights and gun battles. This talk back viewing is obviously related to the talk back in African-American churches where people encourage the preachers with Amens and Hallelujahs.
That’s what I like about viewing a film with other people. Even during the viewing there is a shared experience. When the film is good, there is a shared exhilaration. There is something in human nature that makes us want to share the things we enjoy and admire. That is part of the excitement of going to see a ball game with other fans or going to a concert. We want to join with others in praising actors, athletes, musicians and speakers we admire. There is something particular and wonderful when people applaud at the end of a film. Obviously, the people who made the movie can not hear the applause. But we still want to express our appreciation in some way.
There is something about this desire to enjoy things together, in community, that relates to the act of worship. Yes, there is a time and place for worship in solitude. We should take time to pray, read Scripture and even sing hymns when we are alone. There are people who say they never go to church because they prefer to worship God “out in nature in my own way”. But real worship leads us to worship with others.
As David said in Psalm 34, “O Magnify the Lord with me, Let us exalt His name together” (KJV). Worship cannot only be a solitary act. We are not made that way. We are not made to keep good things to ourselves. And the best thing we have is God. “To Know God and Enjoy Him” (Westminster Catechism) is what we were made to do. How much better when we can do so with others?
Monday, December 31, 2007
Treasure Hunts
This is something I was going to use for my church newsletter column, but I decided to go with the 49 Up piece instead.
I'm glad I didn't use it, because I'm sure I'll write about the great film treasure of the year, No Country for Old Men, come Oscar time, and National Treasure II was as dumb as a bag of tacks.
FINDING TREASURE
The fantasy takes many forms, but we all dream about it at times. Whether is be finding an original painting by Whistler in the attic, gold buried in a field or the even more unlikely possibility of buying a winning lottery ticket, we think about what we would do if we found a treasure.
A little way into No Country for Old Men, we see a man find a treasure. Set in West Texas in 1980, a Vietnam vet by the name of Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin) while deer hunting stumbles across the results of a shootout between drug dealers. He finds a number of corpses, many packets of heroin and two million dollars.
For a time viewers think that this is a typical action film about an ordinary guy who outwits criminals on his way to seeing that his fortune is preserved and justice is served. But the film is about much more. It is about the fleeting nature of life, the endurance of evil in the world and responsibility of to do what is right even if we are not assured of being rewarded for doing so.
Ethan and Joel Coen have made a great film. But it is a grim film, a very violent film and one that on its surface seems to enforce a nihilistic view of life. But I think that sense of hopelessness is just the surface of the film. The heart of the film is found in the character of Sheriff Ed Tom Bell, warmly played by Tommy Lee Jones. At one point of the film, Bell says he had always hoped God would come into his life, but He never did. But then he says “I don’t blame Him”. Bell deals daily with the results of human sin and depravity, but he continues to hope there is something more, for a life beyond this one.
Though all in the film are pursuing the satchel full of money, they all come to realize, that there are much greater treasures than the world’s riches. Even Anton Chigurh, a very creepy Javier Bardem, the psychopath killer sent after Moss talks argues that there are things much more valuable than money. And yet character after character risks life, and even their souls, in pursuit of earthly treasure. Perhaps many of the characters pursue the money because it keeps them from thinking about the things that truly matter.
(The movie closely follows novel by Cormac McCarthy, but it leaves out my favorite passage from that book: Sheriff Bell muses about how everyone talks about the bad things that come in their life that they don’t deserve. But he thinks about the good things in life that he doesn’t deserve. Such as the day he met the woman that would be his wife. As Proverbs 31: 10 says, a wife of noble character is worth more than rubies.)
This is not the first film, of course, to show the dangers of greed in the pursuit of treasure. Sam Rami’s excellent A Simple Plan focused on many of the same themes. And John Huston’s The Treasure of Sierra Madre also showed the dangers of greed with the bonus of Bogart and that greasy thief exclaiming, “I don’t have to show you any stinking badges!” Huston made another treasure hunter film in The Man Who Would Be King based on a Robert Kipling with Sean Connery and Michael Caine as men who come to desire more than mere treasure but also obedience and worship.
All of these films aptly illustrate the words of Jesus from Matthew 16: 26: “What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?”
But is treasure hunting always bad? Jesus didn’t seem to think so. The hero of his parable in Matthew 13:44 is a treasure hunter.
One of the all time great fun treasure hunting stories has the bonus of pirates as well. There have been a lot of versions of Robert Lewis Stevenson’s Treasure Island, but my favorite is Disney’s 1950 version. Robert Newton as Long John Silver still provides the best model for “Talk Like a Pirate Day”.
Another film in this genre is coming out December 21, National Treasure: Book of Secrets, a sequel to the 2004 hit which also starred Nicolas Cage. The first film was not exactly profound, but it was fun and G-rated (the rating for the sequel as well).
For sheer fun, though, my favorite treasure hunting film has been and will probably always be, Raiders of the Lost Ark. Though he would protest he was just seeking knowledge, we all knew Indiana Jones was all about the adventure in the hunt. Though violent, this film is wise enough to make the Ark of the Covenant, or in fact, God Himself, the greatest treasure of all.
And that is the key to true treasure hunting. Silver and gold is for pikers: real treasure hunters seek Jesus.
Treasure Island (1950) Byron Haskin
The Man Who Would Be King (1975) John Huston
National Treasure (2004) & (2007)
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
I'm glad I didn't use it, because I'm sure I'll write about the great film treasure of the year, No Country for Old Men, come Oscar time, and National Treasure II was as dumb as a bag of tacks.
FINDING TREASURE
The fantasy takes many forms, but we all dream about it at times. Whether is be finding an original painting by Whistler in the attic, gold buried in a field or the even more unlikely possibility of buying a winning lottery ticket, we think about what we would do if we found a treasure.
A little way into No Country for Old Men, we see a man find a treasure. Set in West Texas in 1980, a Vietnam vet by the name of Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin) while deer hunting stumbles across the results of a shootout between drug dealers. He finds a number of corpses, many packets of heroin and two million dollars.
For a time viewers think that this is a typical action film about an ordinary guy who outwits criminals on his way to seeing that his fortune is preserved and justice is served. But the film is about much more. It is about the fleeting nature of life, the endurance of evil in the world and responsibility of to do what is right even if we are not assured of being rewarded for doing so.
Ethan and Joel Coen have made a great film. But it is a grim film, a very violent film and one that on its surface seems to enforce a nihilistic view of life. But I think that sense of hopelessness is just the surface of the film. The heart of the film is found in the character of Sheriff Ed Tom Bell, warmly played by Tommy Lee Jones. At one point of the film, Bell says he had always hoped God would come into his life, but He never did. But then he says “I don’t blame Him”. Bell deals daily with the results of human sin and depravity, but he continues to hope there is something more, for a life beyond this one.
Though all in the film are pursuing the satchel full of money, they all come to realize, that there are much greater treasures than the world’s riches. Even Anton Chigurh, a very creepy Javier Bardem, the psychopath killer sent after Moss talks argues that there are things much more valuable than money. And yet character after character risks life, and even their souls, in pursuit of earthly treasure. Perhaps many of the characters pursue the money because it keeps them from thinking about the things that truly matter.
(The movie closely follows novel by Cormac McCarthy, but it leaves out my favorite passage from that book: Sheriff Bell muses about how everyone talks about the bad things that come in their life that they don’t deserve. But he thinks about the good things in life that he doesn’t deserve. Such as the day he met the woman that would be his wife. As Proverbs 31: 10 says, a wife of noble character is worth more than rubies.)
This is not the first film, of course, to show the dangers of greed in the pursuit of treasure. Sam Rami’s excellent A Simple Plan focused on many of the same themes. And John Huston’s The Treasure of Sierra Madre also showed the dangers of greed with the bonus of Bogart and that greasy thief exclaiming, “I don’t have to show you any stinking badges!” Huston made another treasure hunter film in The Man Who Would Be King based on a Robert Kipling with Sean Connery and Michael Caine as men who come to desire more than mere treasure but also obedience and worship.
All of these films aptly illustrate the words of Jesus from Matthew 16: 26: “What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?”
But is treasure hunting always bad? Jesus didn’t seem to think so. The hero of his parable in Matthew 13:44 is a treasure hunter.
One of the all time great fun treasure hunting stories has the bonus of pirates as well. There have been a lot of versions of Robert Lewis Stevenson’s Treasure Island, but my favorite is Disney’s 1950 version. Robert Newton as Long John Silver still provides the best model for “Talk Like a Pirate Day”.
Another film in this genre is coming out December 21, National Treasure: Book of Secrets, a sequel to the 2004 hit which also starred Nicolas Cage. The first film was not exactly profound, but it was fun and G-rated (the rating for the sequel as well).
For sheer fun, though, my favorite treasure hunting film has been and will probably always be, Raiders of the Lost Ark. Though he would protest he was just seeking knowledge, we all knew Indiana Jones was all about the adventure in the hunt. Though violent, this film is wise enough to make the Ark of the Covenant, or in fact, God Himself, the greatest treasure of all.
And that is the key to true treasure hunting. Silver and gold is for pikers: real treasure hunters seek Jesus.
Treasure Island (1950) Byron Haskin
The Man Who Would Be King (1975) John Huston
National Treasure (2004) & (2007)
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Top Ten Christmas Films and TV Specials
Over at Liberty Film Festival, the columnist Dirty Harry, http://www.libertyfilmfestival.com/libertas/ had an okay list of best Christmas films, but he included that awful MGM Christmas Carol and put A Christmas Story at #2, so I vent with my list. These are films and specials I like to capture every year.
1) It's a Wonderful Life - This is one of my favorite films of all time. It is called sentimental, but it is also at turns tough and cynical. Jimmy Stewart give his best performance, one of the best performances in film as he shows the grief and frustration of living with broken dreams. But he also shows the genuine love of a father for children and a husband for his wife.
In ways, this film could take place anytime of year. But since it takes place at Christmas, it makes the list.
Also is a bit about the power of prayer.
2) A Charlie Brown Christmas - Because it is one of the few good pieces of popular Christmas entertainments that gets the true meaning of Christmas right. It is also very funny. Just watch the dance moves of those Christmas program cast members.
3) Scrooge - You may ask if I mean the Alister Sim version of A Christmas Carol with the best performance of Ebenezer ever or the Albert Finney musical version? And the answer is yes.
4) Die Hard - Like IAWL, this could happen any time of year. But it does take place at Christmas and because it is one of the best action films ever, it's on the list.
5) How The Grinch That Stole Christmas - Because, as much as I love the presents and food, this makes it clear Christmas is not about the prestents and food (though I'm not sure the good Doctor Suess knew what Christmas was really about). And because it has Boris Karloff.
6) Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer - Though I miss the elves riding through the snow on razors, and it is pretty funny to see them try to get every line of the song quoted, and I can't figure out why some of those toys are misfits; it still just rules.
7) Home Alone - Yeah, some of the slapstick is lame. But the sloppy sentimental bits make my eyes water. And it has John Candy.
8) Miracle on 34th Street (1947) - Ed Gwynn, Natalie Wood and Maureen O'Hara are all wonderful and the script is even better. But they do get faith wrong (which is really "being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see".)
9) White Christmas or Holiday Inn - As long as you get to hear Bing sing White Christmas.
10) MST3000 version of Santa Claus Conquers the Martians - If I have to explain this to you, you still won't understand. But it does involve mocking robots.
1) It's a Wonderful Life - This is one of my favorite films of all time. It is called sentimental, but it is also at turns tough and cynical. Jimmy Stewart give his best performance, one of the best performances in film as he shows the grief and frustration of living with broken dreams. But he also shows the genuine love of a father for children and a husband for his wife.
In ways, this film could take place anytime of year. But since it takes place at Christmas, it makes the list.
Also is a bit about the power of prayer.
2) A Charlie Brown Christmas - Because it is one of the few good pieces of popular Christmas entertainments that gets the true meaning of Christmas right. It is also very funny. Just watch the dance moves of those Christmas program cast members.
3) Scrooge - You may ask if I mean the Alister Sim version of A Christmas Carol with the best performance of Ebenezer ever or the Albert Finney musical version? And the answer is yes.
4) Die Hard - Like IAWL, this could happen any time of year. But it does take place at Christmas and because it is one of the best action films ever, it's on the list.
5) How The Grinch That Stole Christmas - Because, as much as I love the presents and food, this makes it clear Christmas is not about the prestents and food (though I'm not sure the good Doctor Suess knew what Christmas was really about). And because it has Boris Karloff.
6) Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer - Though I miss the elves riding through the snow on razors, and it is pretty funny to see them try to get every line of the song quoted, and I can't figure out why some of those toys are misfits; it still just rules.
7) Home Alone - Yeah, some of the slapstick is lame. But the sloppy sentimental bits make my eyes water. And it has John Candy.
8) Miracle on 34th Street (1947) - Ed Gwynn, Natalie Wood and Maureen O'Hara are all wonderful and the script is even better. But they do get faith wrong (which is really "being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see".)
9) White Christmas or Holiday Inn - As long as you get to hear Bing sing White Christmas.
10) MST3000 version of Santa Claus Conquers the Martians - If I have to explain this to you, you still won't understand. But it does involve mocking robots.
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Finding Treasure
FINDING TREASURE
The fantasy takes many forms, but we all dream about it at times. Whether is be finding an original painting by Whistler in the attic, gold buried in a field or the even more unlikely possibility of buying a winning lottery ticket, we think about what we would do if we found a treasure.
A little way into No Country for Old Men, we see a man find a treasure. Set in West Texas in 1980, a Vietnam vet by the name of Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin) while deer hunting stumbles across the results of a shootout between drug dealers. He finds a number of corpses, many packets of heroin and two million dollars.
For a time viewers think that this is a typical action film about an ordinary guy who outwits criminals on his way to seeing that his fortune is preserved and justice is served. But the film is about much more. It is about the fleeting nature of life, the endurance of evil in the world and responsibility of to do what is right even if we are not assured of being rewarded for doing so.
Ethan and Joel Coen have made a great film. But it is a grim film, a very violent film and one that on its surface seems to enforce a nihilistic view of life. But I think that sense of hopelessness is just the surface of the film. The heart of the film is found in the character of Sheriff Ed Tom Bell, warmly played by Tommy Lee Jones. At one point of the film, Bell says he had always hoped God would come into his life, but He never did. But then he says “I don’t blame Him”. Bell deals daily with the results of human sin and depravity, but he continues to hope there is something more, for a life beyond this one.
Though all in the film are pursuing the satchel full of money, they all come to realize, that there are much greater treasures than the world’s riches. Even Anton Chigurh, a very creepy Javier Bardem, the psychopath killer sent after Moss talks argues that there are things much more valuable than money. And yet character after character risks life, and even their souls, in pursuit of earthly treasure. Perhaps many of the characters pursue the money because it keeps them from thinking about the things that truly matter.
(The movie closely follows novel by Cormac McCarthy, but it leaves out my favorite passage from that book: Sheriff Bell muses about how everyone talks about the bad things that come in their life that they don’t deserve. But he thinks about the good things in life that he doesn’t deserve. Such as the day he met the woman that would be his wife. As Proverbs 31: 10 says, a wife of noble character is worth more than rubies.)
This is not the first film, of course, to show the dangers of greed in the pursuit of treasure. Sam Rami’s excellent A Simple Plan focused on many of the same themes. And John Huston’s The Treasure of Sierra Madre also showed the dangers of greed with the bonus of Bogart and that greasy thief exclaiming, “I don’t have to show you any stinking badges!” Huston made another treasure hunter film in The Man Who Would Be King based on a Robert Kipling with Sean Connery and Michael Caine as men who come to desire more than mere treasure but also obedience and worship.
All of these films aptly illustrate the words of Jesus from Matthew 16: 26: “What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?”
But is treasure hunting always bad? Jesus didn’t seem to think so. The hero of his parable in Matthew 13:44 is a treasure hunter.
One of the all time great fun treasure hunting stories has the bonus of pirates as well. There have been a lot of versions of Robert Lewis Stevenson’s Treasure Island, but my favorite is Disney’s 1950 version. Robert Newton as Long John Silver still provides the best model for “Talk Like a Pirate Day”.
Another film in this genre is coming out December 21, National Treasure: Book of Secrets, a sequel to the 2004 hit which also starred Nicolas Cage. The first film was not exactly profound, but it was fun and G-rated (the rating for the sequel as well).
For sheer fun, though, my favorite treasure hunting film has been and will probably always be, Raiders of the Lost Ark. Though he would protest he was just seeking knowledge, we all knew Indiana Jones was all about the adventure in the hunt. Though violent, this film is wise enough to make the Ark of the Covenant, or in fact, God Himself, the greatest treasure of all.
And that is the key to true treasure hunting. Silver and gold is for pikers: real treasure hunters seek Jesus.
Treasure Island (1950) directed by Byron Haskin
The Treasure of Sierra Madre (1948) directed by John Huston
The Man Who Would Be King (1975) directed by John Huston
National Treasure (2004) & (2007) directed by Jon Turteltaub
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) directed by Steven Speilberg
The fantasy takes many forms, but we all dream about it at times. Whether is be finding an original painting by Whistler in the attic, gold buried in a field or the even more unlikely possibility of buying a winning lottery ticket, we think about what we would do if we found a treasure.
A little way into No Country for Old Men, we see a man find a treasure. Set in West Texas in 1980, a Vietnam vet by the name of Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin) while deer hunting stumbles across the results of a shootout between drug dealers. He finds a number of corpses, many packets of heroin and two million dollars.
For a time viewers think that this is a typical action film about an ordinary guy who outwits criminals on his way to seeing that his fortune is preserved and justice is served. But the film is about much more. It is about the fleeting nature of life, the endurance of evil in the world and responsibility of to do what is right even if we are not assured of being rewarded for doing so.
Ethan and Joel Coen have made a great film. But it is a grim film, a very violent film and one that on its surface seems to enforce a nihilistic view of life. But I think that sense of hopelessness is just the surface of the film. The heart of the film is found in the character of Sheriff Ed Tom Bell, warmly played by Tommy Lee Jones. At one point of the film, Bell says he had always hoped God would come into his life, but He never did. But then he says “I don’t blame Him”. Bell deals daily with the results of human sin and depravity, but he continues to hope there is something more, for a life beyond this one.
Though all in the film are pursuing the satchel full of money, they all come to realize, that there are much greater treasures than the world’s riches. Even Anton Chigurh, a very creepy Javier Bardem, the psychopath killer sent after Moss talks argues that there are things much more valuable than money. And yet character after character risks life, and even their souls, in pursuit of earthly treasure. Perhaps many of the characters pursue the money because it keeps them from thinking about the things that truly matter.
(The movie closely follows novel by Cormac McCarthy, but it leaves out my favorite passage from that book: Sheriff Bell muses about how everyone talks about the bad things that come in their life that they don’t deserve. But he thinks about the good things in life that he doesn’t deserve. Such as the day he met the woman that would be his wife. As Proverbs 31: 10 says, a wife of noble character is worth more than rubies.)
This is not the first film, of course, to show the dangers of greed in the pursuit of treasure. Sam Rami’s excellent A Simple Plan focused on many of the same themes. And John Huston’s The Treasure of Sierra Madre also showed the dangers of greed with the bonus of Bogart and that greasy thief exclaiming, “I don’t have to show you any stinking badges!” Huston made another treasure hunter film in The Man Who Would Be King based on a Robert Kipling with Sean Connery and Michael Caine as men who come to desire more than mere treasure but also obedience and worship.
All of these films aptly illustrate the words of Jesus from Matthew 16: 26: “What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?”
But is treasure hunting always bad? Jesus didn’t seem to think so. The hero of his parable in Matthew 13:44 is a treasure hunter.
One of the all time great fun treasure hunting stories has the bonus of pirates as well. There have been a lot of versions of Robert Lewis Stevenson’s Treasure Island, but my favorite is Disney’s 1950 version. Robert Newton as Long John Silver still provides the best model for “Talk Like a Pirate Day”.
Another film in this genre is coming out December 21, National Treasure: Book of Secrets, a sequel to the 2004 hit which also starred Nicolas Cage. The first film was not exactly profound, but it was fun and G-rated (the rating for the sequel as well).
For sheer fun, though, my favorite treasure hunting film has been and will probably always be, Raiders of the Lost Ark. Though he would protest he was just seeking knowledge, we all knew Indiana Jones was all about the adventure in the hunt. Though violent, this film is wise enough to make the Ark of the Covenant, or in fact, God Himself, the greatest treasure of all.
And that is the key to true treasure hunting. Silver and gold is for pikers: real treasure hunters seek Jesus.
Treasure Island (1950) directed by Byron Haskin
The Treasure of Sierra Madre (1948) directed by John Huston
The Man Who Would Be King (1975) directed by John Huston
National Treasure (2004) & (2007) directed by Jon Turteltaub
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) directed by Steven Speilberg
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