Live.Awake

Didn’t Enjoy a Christian Movie? Permission Granted.

// January 11th, 2010 // 4 Comments » // Christian Living, Movies

I have a staggering confession to make.  I didn’t enjoy the movie Fireproof.  I wasn’t entertained or particularly moved by it.  I didn’t cry.  That’s saying a lot because I recently got misty-eyed at the end of a re-run episode of Full House.  Kirk Cameron didn’t revolutionize my marriage or inspire me to become a fire chief who makes good chili and inspires his men to be soft-spoken and wear dockers pants.  However, his idea of pounding the outside trash can with a bat is a good one that I plan to implement soon.  Looked like fun.  But, seriously, if my house was on fire and Mike Seaver showed up to lead the effort in saving my cigar collection from smoking itself, I would be more than a little concerned.  I’d probably ask him to call in a favor to Kurt Russell for assistance.

“Didn’t this movie come out a while ago?  Why are you talking about it now?”  Everyone that has asked me if I liked the movie has gotten some kind of awkward response like, “I thought it was pretty good.  I mean, it could have been a lot better but considering how this church gave up so much and all those volunteers worked so hard, it’s amazing.”

Sigh.  It’s taken me this long to get up the gumption to come out of the closet on this.

You see, the problem is that I watched the extras on the DVD.  You know, all the behind the scenes footage of regular church folk praying before each scene in the movie, volunteering their time, believing in the project, eating Chick-fil-A, doing morning devotionals, all while Third Day plays softly in the background.  It’s touching.  In fact, I was far more moved by the behind the scenes stuff than I was by anything in the movie itself.  But then I was confused.  The rules of criticism are different between a movie you pay for, and ministry you receive.  Is it ok for me to say that I really didn’t like a Christian movie?

Y E S !

If movies made by Christians are going to get better, they need to be held to the same critique as other films in the marketplace.  They need to be treated the same.  In my opinion, it’s patronizing to the good people that made the movie to pat the movie on the head and say, “For a Christian, you’re ok.  Bless your heart.”

Now, I know that many people really liked it.  They say that Kirk is a sexy-in-a-christian-kind-of-way male lead.  They found the plot riveting.  MANY MANY people say that it (and the accompanying devotional study) helped their marriages.  That’s awesome.  I’m not saying we should NOT like Christian movies.  That would be like someone saying that all Ninja movies are bad.  That would be crazy because any time throwing stars are involved, great entertainment is sure to follow.

Now THAT’s an idea.  A christian ninja movie.  Does James Caviezel know karate?  I bet he’s available.

Blockbusters I’m Looking Forward To

// January 13th, 2009 // No Comments » // Movies, Video

I’m a sucker for a good movie.  I like all kinds.  Comedy, drama, action, independent film, etc.  But there’s something about the big budget blockbusters that get me excited.  No deep explorations of the human condition.  No social commentary (hopefully).  Just pure escapist junk food for the senses.  I’m a total sucker for the trailers and media hype.  Here’s three I’m looking forward to.  Add more in the comments if I missed any.

Terminator 4

When I first heard about this one I was pretty skeptical.  But then I saw Christian Bale was playing John Connor, and I saw some hope for it.  The trailer looks great.

I like the gritty look to it and Bale will give it a little more realism and character depth. Either way, that “dundun dun dundun” gets me every time!

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Paul Newman – A Real Cool Hand

// September 30th, 2008 // 6 Comments » // Movies, Video

Paul Newman has died at age 83.  I thought I’d post a clip from one of my favorite movies, “Cool Hand Luke”.

It’s interesting to me that Newman has very few lines in this scene and the camera focus is rarely on him yet he remains the focal point.  Maybe that’s what they call “presence”.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xVXKOb5EE7Y

Why I’m Mad at Curious George

// June 18th, 2008 // 5 Comments » // Family Life, Movies, Pet Peeves

I credit Curious George and Louis L’Amour with my love for reading. When I was a kid, Mom would take us to the public library. I was only interested in Curious George books. I would collect every one of those yellow books that I could find, bring them home, and devour each one.

I liked George because he got into trouble about as much as I did. I also loved the illustrations in the books. But, I always understood that the hero of the book was the Man in the Yellow Hat. He was the ultimate father figure. He was a safari adventurer. He was confident. He always corrected George when he did wrong, but he was also incredibly patient and understanding. He knew George was only a silly monkey and didn’t expect him to act like an adult human. He also loved George, but he loved him as a father not as a friend. He also had great fashion sense. He wore that yellow outfit before anyone else knew how cool it really was.

Recently I watched the Curious George movie. I was more excited than my kids were because I still really dig Curious George and the Man in the Yellow Hat.  Boy was I disappointed.

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Movies I Don’t Understand

// May 28th, 2008 // 5 Comments » // Humor, Movies, Video

I’m watching Johnny Mnemonic right now.  And I just don’t get it.  First, there’s the casting.  Keanu Reaves makes sense, I guess.  When you need a guy to act without personality, he’s your go-to guy.  But, Ice-T?  Isn’t he a rapper that moonlights on Law and Order?  His name makes no sense and has a hyphen in it, so he must be.

He makes me laugh when he’s not being funny.  That’s not a good sign.  He should do a movie with that other rapper/movie star with a funny name: Ice-Cube.  After all, you really can’t have Ice-T without Ice-Cube.

The thing that puzzles me about this movie is the whole premise.  We only use 10% of our brains, so they say.  Why not use the rest of the un-used space to traffic illegal information in an apocolyptic Mad Max world where all the buildings are rusting and everyone wears punk rocker clothes?  Makes sense, right?  Right?

Then there’s the random dolphin/brain hacker that can blow stuff up by shooting powerful brain waves out of a satellite dish attached to its head.  Don’t try to tell me that plot twist wasn’t conceived of after a few too many shots of tequila on a lonely night.

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