The Golden Compass: The Rest Of The Story - pt. 3

This is part 3 of 3 in a series about the new movie "The Golden Compass" and the book series by Philip Pullman entitled "His Dark Materials." View part 1 or part 2.

With the background I've built up in the previous posts, it's time I get to the heart of the matter. It seems that The Golden Compass movie is not so bad on the surface, but with the controversy brewing I wanted to find out more. In all truth, I was awakened from a deep sleep at 4:00am in the morning and ended up researching it in the silence of a Saturday morning.

I was slightly confused at the story and wanted to tie up the loose ends and so I scoured the web for a non-biased summary of the books. I can tell you that there is a lot out there about how dangerous this series is, especially for kids. This movie and the books have really ticked a lot of Christians off. From my research, I found that the book is also known as Northern Lights in the UK and it is the first in a trilogy called His Dark Materials by author Philip Pullman. Pulman is a self-professed athiest (more accurately agnostic) who was inspired to write the series after reading C.S. Lewis' Narnia books. Pullman was especially annoyed by the Christian imagery in Lewis' books and set out to create an equally creative story of his own from an athiest's perspective. One can easily make the comparison in the beginning of The Golden Compass when main character Lyra begins her adventures by hiding in a wardrobe (as did the characters from Lewis' The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe).

THE WHOLE STORY
I will not go into the depth of the His Dark Materials story here, but encourage you to review it for yourself. I found a great summary and analysis here at Barnes & Nobles' sparknotes.com. I suggest you examine the full summary of all the books. It is an in-depth summary and analysis of each book - quite a bit of reading, but worth it if you have kids, grandchildren, or friends with kids. You need to know more about this, because this story is NOT a children's story. It is an adult proposition about the non-existence of God. It contains many subtle and many not-so-subtle attacks to the basics of the Christian faith. The books following The Golden Compass increasingly speak to the topics of original sin, Christ's Church, the existence of God, adolescent sexuality, heaven and hell, homosexuality, freewill and more. In all these areas and more, Pullman specifically seeks to attack the Christian faith.

THE AUTHOR'S AGENDA
As I suspected, the first film/book simply sets up the basis for Pullman's theses. The story itself does not seem that bad. At the same time, New Line Cinema has removed many references to God and the church as well as the entire end of the first book from movie. I believe they've done so as an attempt to lessen the controversy - but I wonder what they will be able to do in following sequels if they're made. In my opinion, The Golden Compass is a stepping stone or an entry way into Pullman's larger purpose - to speak out against a religion that he hates.

From Alber Mohler's briefing on the movie, he reveals some of Pullman's true motives:

"[Pullman] told Hanna Rosin of the Atlantic Monthly,'Why the Christian Church has spent 2,000 years condemning this glorious moment [Adam and Eve's fall from grace], well, that's a mystery. I want to confront that, I suppose, by telling a story that the so-called original sin is anything but. It's the thing that makes us fully human.'"

also

"Pullman hates C. S. Lewis's work The Chronicles of Narnia. He told Hannah Rosin that Lewis's famous work is 'morally loathsome' and 'one of the most ugly and poisonous things I ever read.' Narnia, he said, 'is the Christian one . . . . And mine is the non-Christian.'"

I would recommend Albert Mohler's briefing on the movie and series. While it comes from a Christian point-of-view, it is not heavy handed and does not focus on nit-picky complaints. What Mohler does accomplish is to warn of the real dangers of the movie and suggest an appropriate response.

AN APPROPRIATE RESPONSE
I agree with Mohler on how Christians should respond to the film and series. Take a deep breath. Inform yourself about the entire story and Pullman's agenda. Make sure you are clear on what you believe regarding the points of contention. Check it against the Word of God.

In most cases, I believe Christian boycotts are stupid. When we remove ourselves from the marketplace of ideas, we doing Christ a disservice. It would be better to be informed of the film and series, listen to people's impressions, and be ready to engage others in conversations (not arguments) on the basic truths of our faith.

SHOULD YOU GO SEE THE FILM?
While I believe it could be advantageous to see the film, I do advise caution. If you know me at all, you know that in most cases I don't see harm in most movies as long as we are strong in our faith, but again - I advise caution with this one. I really do not believe the stories from His Dark Materials are appropriate for kids. If you take yours (especially to the upcoming sequels), you better be ready for a long and in-depth debriefing. Whether you should see the film really depends on a number of factors. How strong is your faith? Do you really believe what you believe? How grounded are you in the Word of God? Will it help you engage others for Christ? Only you can answer those questions.

RESOURCES
Full Summary & Analysis: www.sparksnotes.com
Fair Christian Perspective: www.albertmohler.com

The Golden Compass: The Movie Review - pt. 2

This is part 2 of 3 in a series about the new movie "The Golden Compass" and the book series by Philip Pullman entitled "His Dark Materials." View part 1 or part 3.

Yes, that's right. The family and I went to see the movie. (Go ahead and gasp!) By that time, I had heard about the controversy and was pretty sure that most of what was objectionable would be in the following movies, the sequels. And besides, the Christian community has over-reacted before - it was probably the case again.

As for the entertainment value of the movie, it was okay. The CGI was evident in every scene making new worlds seem more real. I found a few elements quite intriguing and will discuss them later. Sam Elliot was pretty cool in his character Lee Scoresby and the other actors gave decent performances as well. At the same time, the movie kind of dragged. While there was some action, the plot was slow and slightly confusing at times. I was most annoyed by the ending - or lack thereof. Similar to my reaction to Pirates of the Carribean: Dead Man's Chest, the movie just left you hanging waiting for a sequel. But in this case, I wasn't quite sure if I was inspired enough to come out see the next movie!

After a little research, I'm pretty sure the movie might have had more entertainment value if they had more closely followed the events in the book. It seems most of the elements are there, but there are a few tweaks. Most notably, New Line Cinema left out the ending of the book, apparently saving it for the beginning of the next movie. There is more to say on this, but I will leave that to my next post.

Finally, I did find a few things to comment on - both good and bad...

DAEMONS
In the world of The Golden Compass, every person has an animal companion called a "daemon." Each person's daemon is actually the external expression of their soul. In many case, the form of a person's daemon represents something about their personality (i.e. a lion, a bird, a dog, a cat). In addition, children's daemons are not fixed - they change form depending on their mood. I found this concept quite interesting while I watched peoples' daemons interact at the same time the people interacted. For instance, when people would argue, their daemons would fight. While I was intrigued, I was also annoyed every time the word "daemon" was referenced. It is pronounced "dee-mahn" like the word "demon." And It wasn't until two thirds through the movie that I realized they weren't actually saying "demon." There is a difference between the two words: a daemon is Greek word depicting a half-God or an attendant spirit, but the two words are closely related.

WITCHES
One of my annoyances with the "Harry Potter" series is the use of traditionally "evil" imagery depicted as supposedly "good." Warlocks and witches are a good example. The Golden Compass does the same treatment with a number of images, but the witches are what stood out to me. The witches in The Golden Compass are supposedly "good," but they seem eerily similar to all the "evil" imagery we're used to - except for being ugly. It just made me uncomfortable, especially since there was no concession like in The Wizard Of Oz's the "Good Witch of the North."

THE ARMORED BEAR KING
In the story, we meet a polar bear known as Iorek Byrnison. (**slight spoiler here**) Taken out of context of the movie, I find his story a compelling tale redemption. Iorek was a great and mighty warrior - an armored bear who was to be king of the armored bears. He was to be king by means of a one-on-one battle with another bear, but before the battle he was poisoned. And he subsequently lost the battle because he was not at his full potential. Because of this, he was exiled from the bears. He was tricked by the townspeople, his armor was taken away, and he pretty much became a slave to the townspeople working only for whiskey. Through a series of events, when Iorek finds his armor, he remembers who he is - a great and mighty warrior and eventually becomes the rightful king of the armored bears. (**end of spoiler**)

We, too, sometimes feel disgrace and shame. Our armor is lost and we live a life less than the potential that God has destined for us. The truth is that we are deceived. We are poisoned into removing the armor that God has given us and end up living a meaningless existence wallowing in our guilt when all we really need to do is to humbly come before our God - and He will return our armor and purpose.

I am sure Golden Compass author Philip Pullman would be pretty upset to hear the spiritual insight that I've gleamed from his story, but more on that in my next post.

The Golden Compass: What's The Big Deal? - pt. 1

This is part 1 of 3 in a series about the new movie "The Golden Compass" and the book series by Philip Pullman entitled "His Dark Materials." View part 2 or part 3

If you are not aware, a new movie called The Golden Compass came out yesterday, December 7. Just that morning, I had first heard of a controversy surrounding the movie. Christians are calling for a ban of The Golden Compass and thoughts of believer's reactions to the "Harry Potter" series and The DaVinci Code came to mind.

To be completely honest, we Christians made a big deal about The DaVinci Code. At Hannaford, we addressed on Sunday morning some of the untruths propagated by the film. But I found DaVinci to be a slow, uninspired film that was just kind of silly. Just because Dan Brown said some things about church history, doesn't make them true. The "Harry Potter" films, too, are fantasy and rather entertaining - but I do understand the concerns. In these cases, I think it is important to keep in mind the nature of our culture. We need to find a way to build a conversation with people about these issues and we may find that these controversies can help people actually come to know Jesus. We need to be known more for what we are for, than for what we are against. If you know me well, I firmly believe that Jesus longs for us to redeem culture by becoming part of the marketplace of ideas rather than withdrawing ourselves.

At the same time, if you know me, you also know I love movies. And more accurately, I love good storytelling - especially with the fantastic ability for movies to speak to our native language - the visual. I also enjoy identifying the story of Christ or elements of our faith in stories, even when the author/director/producer had no intention of revealing these elements. You can see this in my previous posts where I often explore faith at the movies.

With all this said, I had seen the trailers and was intrigued to see The Golden Compass yesterday. More on this in my next post.

Still On Vacation...

In case you're wondering why you haven't heard from us, we're still on vacation. We're home now so I thought I'd check in, so to speak.

• Last week Andrea's parents came into town. We went on the local Last Chance Tour Train for Helena history. We've never been on it and I found it quite interesting. I got a deep sunburn on my face, though - really red, but not blistering.
• We also went on the local Gates of The Mountains boat tour. I've been on it before, but it's still pretty neat.
• All of us also went to Yellowstone National Park. None of us have been there before (except Andrea - see photos here and here from her trip with Erica), but it's only a 3 1/2 hour drive from Helena. We saw lots of wildlife - mule deer, bison, bald eagles, squirrels, a moose, black bears, grizzly bears, and more - AND we took lots of photos. (I haven't gone through them yet, but I'll let you know when they are posted.)
• We explored the Yellowstone for two days, staying the night a hotel in West Yellowstone - very disappointing for $130. While the park experience was wonderful, I thought the drive there on the 191 past the Gallatin Gateway was absolutely stunning!
• On Friday, we all went to see Evan Almighty. I really enjoyed it. It really spoke to how God calls us away from the things we think we need and gives us what we truly need. I liked everything except the whole "random" part - I don't think our acts of kindness need to be random. There is an intentionality, a purposefulness to being a Christ-follower. (We also saw Fantastic Four: The Rise Of The Silver Surfer the previous weekend we liked it.)
• Andrea's parents left on Saturday. Thanks Don and Nancy, we really enjoyed having you. Sorry about the kids - I guess they are just at that age. By the way, the whiskey works great on them - just kidding!
• On Sunday we visited a local church that is doing a major remodel on a warehouse for their first church building. We at Hannaford have been trading technical and materials tips with them for our expansion as well. I also worked with one of the leadership there with the PK Jesus Conference. The church isn't meeting in their new building yet, but it's nice to experience how some of the other churches in town worship.
• We rented a couple of DVDs on Monday. Ghost Rider was done well and generally okay, but seemed kind of weird - a lot more demon and devil content than I expected, and it wasn't really consistent logic. It didn't work for me and I would not recommend it. On the other hand, I really enjoyed the second movie, Deja Vu. The whole time travel is a little difficult for some to follow, but I thought it worked (much better than Next, by the way).
• Today we went to the park and also went bowling. Boy, I stunk. Last past are the day when I used to league bowl with an average of 205. Of course, the boys both struggle with their scoring as well. We're still trying to instill the idea that it sun to play games even when you don't win.
• Andrea and I have also been fighting off colds. That has made vacation a bit more of a struggle, dealing with the kids, keeping active, and trying to blow our noses every chance we get.
• I've also continued reading. I finished Robert Webber's Ancient-Future Faith (really like Donald Miller's Searching For God Knows What but more scholarly), Brian McLaren's The Secret Message of Jesus (great stuff about the kingdom of God. I don't agree with McLaren on all accounts, but great!), and am starting another McLaren book he co-wrote with Tony Campolo, Adventures In Missing The Point.

Finally, I'm still struggling with some issues, I do ask that you still pray for me. I appreciate it. I will be back at work next week and blogging as well. So till then...

God In The Movies - 9 Reviews In 18 Paragraphs

Okay, it's been a while since I reviewed any movies, DVDs or TV ... so here goes a long one. Nine reviews in eighteen paragraphs:

	Pirates Of The Caribbean: At World's End What can I say about the third installment of Pirates? I mean really, I think what I enjoyed about it most is that it finally ended the second movie. My main motivation to see At World's End was to get a conclusion to Dead Man's Chest, not to see a new adventure. I discussed this in my review of Dead Man's Chest, but I think a disturbing trend in recent movies is to simply not conclude the story line in anticipation of the next movie. Pirates and Eragon are just a couple in this trend and I have to say, "I need some resolution." The only series I felt comfortable expecting another movie was the Lord Of The Rings. Other series such as the Star Wars, Harry Potter, and Alien resolve each movie just fine while still allowing room for another movie. As for storyline and spiritual issues, I'm still in a daze from this movie. There was a lot happening and less clear cut spiritual themes. All-in-all, I enjoyed the third Pirates more than the second (because it resolved), but not more than the first.
	Shrek The Third Shrek 3 is more of the same of the first two. If you enjoyed the first two, you'll like The Third. The main themes of this movie involve stepping up and taking responsibility. God has a plan for your life for which He has prepared you. You may not feel prepared, but that is where we need to rely on Christ power and strength.
	Spiderman 3 Like Pirates, there is a lot going on in this movie - there are seemingly at least four villains. But unlike Pirates, it was easier for me to pick out a meta theme. You see really, the main villain in Spiderman 3 is ourselves. We can be our own worst enemy when we allow sin (the black tar-like symbiotic alien stuff) to enter our lives. When we know Christ we have a choice to either be controlled by sin or to be controlled by the Holy Spirit. For more, I'll refer you to Mark Batterson's insights on Spiderman 3. Great stuff in this movie!
	Meet The Robinsons I especially enjoyed Disney's Meet The Robinsons. If course, we saw it for the kids. I was one of the few kids movies that I've seen in a long time that didn't contain a lot of sexual innuendos and adult humor. It's also one of the few kids movies that's been release in a long time that is rated G, not PG. It proves that you can make a great movie for the family without all that other junk! To me it is a story about making a choice to see things in a positive light and not letting negativity take over your life.
	The Invisible I read some foreign reviews of The Invisible and they hated it. Maybe it's an American thing, but I rather liked it. First off, Andrea and I debated whether or not to take the kids (it's PG-13). We're pretty bad at making those decisions, sometimes. In the end, we decided not to take the kids because of "some sexual scenes involving teenagers." Truth be told, it wasn't all that bad in that area. At the same time, there are a number of mature themes, violence, and ... I'm not sure how to explain this, but it's one of those movies from a teen's point of view - where most adults are portrayed as not in control and making a lot of stupid decisions (I might argue that there is some truth in that). Anyway, it was a pretty good movie by my standards. Good storyline, cinematography, and okay acting. I was pleased that one theme portrayed in the trailers really didn't surface - the whole idea that "you're dead, but if you can find your killer you can come back to life." While I take movies that that in stride (it IS fiction after all), The Invisible ended up being more of an out-of-body "find your assailant before you die" kind of movie. It that better? I don't know. I enjoyed it anyway.
	Wild Hogs Guys getting older and going through that mid-life thing. This is one of the better, light-hearted comedies I've seen at the movies in a long time (Now on DVD). While there is some language and sexual banter, I found Wild Hogs to be a delightful refreshment. Somewhere along the way, we learn to enjoy life, take risks, and be content with the blessings we already have - all spiritual themes to be sure.
	Music And Lyrics Andrea and I saw this on Valentine's Day - Awwww, isn't that cute. Now you can see it on DVD. While we enjoyed Music And Lyrics when we first saw it, I have to say it's one of those subtle movies that grows on you. We find ourselves referring back and laughing at the movie time-and-time again. I think I especially connected with the film because of my background in the music industry. With Hugh Grant playing a washed-up 80's band member, I saw a lot of parallels. Again, this is also a good movie that touches on sticking to your principles, being content, and most of all - the sacrifice of love.
	16 Blocks Finally, here's one I caught on cable (also out on DVD). First of all, 16 Blocks has a lot of violence and language in it. But I thought the story was great. Bruce Willis plays an aging cop in New York on an unwanted, seemingly simple job of taking a incarcerated witness downtown to testify. Here's the problem, dirty cops want the witness dead - no testifying for him. It ends up being quite a struggle for the aging Willis to keep the "bad guys" at bay. Why do I like the film? It's a story of redemption and second chances. I suggest you check it out!
	Survivor:Fiji Okay, you had to watch it on television to get this one, but near the end of the season a choice was made that shocked everyone. I like Survivor because it is a study of human nature. If you missed it, there are two contestants you need to know: Yao-Man, a older man who had won a new $60k truck, and Dreamz, a younger inner-city kid who works with youth. Basically it went down like this... You-man won the truck and Dreamz had never owned a car in his life - he wanted that truck bad. So Yao-Man mad a deal. "I'll give you the truck and, when we're the last four and if you win immunity, you'll give it to me." Dreamz went for it saying "I swear to God." Sure enough, it came down to the final four and Dreamz won immunity. The agreement was to give the immunity over. In interviews, Dreamz said "I need to be a man of my word. I need to set an example for my son." Well needless to say, everyone was shocked when Dreamz actually went back on his word and kept the immunity necklace. Understand that you have to have watched this to get the impact and understand Dreamz's character. He's not a lying, conniving, strategist. I find it interesting that, in the end, he chose his "wants" over his "character." That's going to be hard as a role model for inner-city youth.

With all this said, I pray we continue to look for spiritual themes in media. They serve as great touchpoints for conversation with those who have yet to surrender to Christ.

Is Jack Bauer Really Jesus?

Well, of course not. But Jack Bauer, the lead character from the hit television show 24, does seem to be "type-ish" of Jesus. In Christian-ese, that means that his characteristics and actions are similar to, or in some ways mimic those of Jesus.

I've mentioned before that entertainment that follows the life of Christ is always more successful than entertainment that is not. Check out this trailer for the new season of 24. Mark Driscoll points out...

"The trailer repeatedly says that Jack "must be sacrificed" to save the multitudes who will supposedly be given life through his substitionary death. Does this sound like anyone you know? A young, healthy, innocent guy dies for a whole bunch of people and willingly lays down his life as a sacrifice for them?"



Do you see the similarities? Leave a comment and tell us what you think.

God in the Movies - Galaxy Quest

Okay, so here's a movie I saw a long time ago. We just rented it on DVD and saw it again. It stars Tim Allen (a.k.a. Tim "the tool-man" Taylor), Sigourney Weaver ("Alien" movies), and that guy who plays "Monk" on USA. Galaxy Quest is a comedy that is founded on spoofing those Star Trek Conventions where nutty people (no offense - we're all a little "nutty" about something) dress up like Klingons and stuff. These people live and breathe Star Trek. But Galaxy Quest takes the spoof and makes a funny, but interesting movie.

In the movie, the television show Galaxy Quest ended years ago and the actors can only get decent jobs "working" the conventions. Meanwhile, a race of aliens have been watching the tv show and believe it is real. Having been oppressed by another evil alien race, representatives from the first alien race come to a Galaxy Quest convention on Earth to enlist the crew's help. The aliens have no idea that the crew (actors) are not the real thing.

I could go on, but this much sets up my comments well. Quite honestly, I'm not sure where all the spiritual themes are. Of course, as HollywoodJesus.com mentions, there is the examination between reality and myth. But I was looking deeper.

What fascinates me in the story is the first alien race's innocence and naivety. They truly believe in the Galaxy Quest crew. At first, it is comical but later becomes heartbreaking. Things eventually get really bad - the crew is forced to tell the aliens that they are "pretending and lying" on tv. The aliens then struggle with experiencing the same characteristics from the crew as with their enemy.

As I recall my thoughts regarding The Church and faith lately, I can't help but see the parallel with churches. It is difficult enough for people to find Jesus at many churches, but when they do they are presented with a fake Christianity. One that is made up, and it has had disastrous consequences on the church in America.

So, I'd like to open up this discussion. What do you think? Have you seen the movie? What do you think are some of the spiritual themes or parallels here?

Superman Returns: The Gospel Story?

SPOILER WARNING: This post contains info about the plot and/or ending of the movie. If you haven't seen the movie yet, reading this post may "spoil" your movie-going experience.

ANOTHER REMAKE?
Originally, I was not at all interested in seeing Superman Returns. I think I misunderstood the commercials as portraying the new movie as a remake of the 1978 Superman: The Movie with Christopher Reeves. Although I figured the plot line might be a little different and the CGI would be much better, most everything else would be similar (even the music).

While browsing Google reviews, I read that the movie was actually a sequel to the original Superman movies - a Superman 4 if you will. At that point, I was much more eager to see the movie.

LOOKING FOR REALISM AND AUTHENTICITY
First of all, I guess with this Superman movie I was hoping for something a little more realistic and less "fairy tale" than the earlier movies. For instance, I really hated the original Batman movies, but loved Batman Begins. I wasn't looking for a gritty Superman at odds with "truth, justice, and the American way," just something real and authentic. Here are my thoughts...

• Overall, I liked the Superman Returns. I thought it was a little slow in the beginning (and a little long overall), but the end really worked for me - I'll explain later.
• I know that John Williams' original theme score to the first Superman movies is great. But I was ready for a new, yet worthy theme score. Superman Returns comes back with a music score very similar rendition of John Williams' original score.
• Through much of the long beginning of the movie, I kept noticing how much I was reminded of the original Superman movie. Even Brandon Routh reminds me of Christopher Reeve.
• At the same time, I really felt the film had an unbelievable feeling to it. How come Superman looks so young now? How come no one has noticed Clark Kent has been gone at the same time as Superman? How come Lois Lane looks younger now that she has a kid (I swear she looks about 19)? How come Superman can fly and hover? Not in the films, of course, but originally Superman didn't actually fly. He made very big leaps. You know, "Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound."
• So midway through the movie as I was watching, I was becoming disappointed in the movie. Somewhere however, things started to change - I think it was about the time Lois decided to track down the source of the EMP pulse (leading her to Lex Luthor).
• First, Kevin Spacy played a great Lex Luthor. A little crazy, a little sane. Very believable and not as comic a Gene Hackman's.
• We get to see the "seeds" of another Superman sequel. That could be really great depending on how they deal with it.
• We also get to see Superman suffer and actually need help from someone else. He gives all he has and almost dies. He's in coma. He needs to be hospitalized. And then he comes back.

THE CHRIST STORY IN FILMS
As we got to this point in the movie, my old understanding of successful film formula kicked in. You see in every successful, popular film we see the vague rendition of the Christ story...

• The Good guy starts in normal life (Jesus is born, grows up)
• Something changes and that life is disrupted (Jesus' ministry)
• skinflint comes (Jesus' conflicts with religious leaders)
• A final struggle ensues with a climax (Jesus' struggle on the cross)
• The bad guys seem to have won (Jesus dies and is buried)
• The good guy comes back and gains the strength for a final victory (Jesus' resurrection)
• Things have changed forever; a new world begins (Jesus appears to many)
• Normal life returns, but character is different (Jesus ascends)

So then it hits me hard , I'm watching the Christ Story. Yeah, I know it's different and all the points don't line up - but it's a lot like the Gospel. (Another warning: This is a major spoiler)

• God dwelt with Adam until the Fall separated them; Superman had to go away
• People got used to not having God's presence around. They didn't need God; Lois wrote an prize-winning article "Why the world doesn't need Superman."
• Jesus came and was God made flesh. He ministered performing miracles; Superman returned and began catching bad guys and saving people again
• Jesus was betrayed by a man and died on the cross saving humanity; Superman is betrayed by Lex Luthor, but battles to near death saving humanity.
• Jesus lies dead in a tomb for three days; Superman lies in a coma - no one knows if he will return to life
• Jesus raises from the dead, and gives the great commission to the disciples telling them to be His hand and feet - His body; Superman recovers and visits Lois' little boy. He passes on the Superman legacy, "The father shall become the son, and the son shall become the father"

THE WORLD DOESN'T NEED A SAVIOR
There is some dialog between Superman and Lois Lane that goes something like this. Upset that Superman went away for some years, Lois came to the conclusion that "The world doesn't need a savior?" Hmmm... Then Superman takes her up in the sky (yes, kinda like the first one), and responds. He says, "What do you hear?" She says, "Nothing." He replies, "You hear nothing, but I hear a million voices crying out for a savior." (He has "super" hearing.) Wow! That is a definite parallel with the world and the true Savior!

THE POINTI'm hoping you're getting my point here. My point is not whether I liked the movie or not. We can and should use popular culture as a common ground to share our faith. With the story in Superman, you could talk to a child about what Jesus has done!

There are many Christians that shelter themselves from the world and it's culture. It is one thing to not be conformed to the culture, it is another to not even be aware of or understand the culture. Jesus didn't hide in the synagogue during his ministry years. He walked among the people, even quoting lines from common plays of the day. We can do the same.

So get out there. See a few movies. Take a friend, share a lunch, and talk about Jesus. Don't forget to visit HollywoodJesus.com to help you scope out this spiritual themes to discuss. The world does need a Savior!

Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest

SPOILER WARNING: This post contains info about the plot and/or ending of the movie. If you haven't seen the movie yet, reading this post may "spoil" your movie-going experience.

Yes, we are one of the many that have helped this sequel break so many box office records. As for the movie itself, I really enjoyed it. I think it really delivered with swashbuckling sword fights, love, and adventure (until the end).

As far as spiritual themes (I have not yet consulted HollywoodJesus.com), the clearest seems to be those of purpose and choice. The character Captain Jack Sparrow struggles with both in the movie. Sparrow possesses a "magic" compass that will "point you toward what your heart most desires."

Unfortunately, whenever Sparrow consults the compass, it spins around without giving any direction. Even from the first movie, Sparrow struggles between being a typical "bad" pirate, and choosing the "good" path. In the end, he does not know what he wants. Like so many of us, we have a choice. The world tells us we have a certain path, that certain things are okay - but inside we know there is another choice, some of us finally choose that path and become children of God.

A big (really, really big) disappointment for me was the film's end - it didn't. Apparently there is a third movie to be released. I actually understand that they filmed both at the same time, much like the filming of the Lord Of The Rings (LOTR) trilogy. However, it didn't work for me in Pirates. Every single plot point is unresolved like they just stopped and saved the rest of the footage for the next film. It worked for LOTR because it already was an established trilogy. But it does not work for pirates.

Hollywood Jesus - 8 Below

It's time for some movies updates. In the following posts, I'll give you my impression of two big summer hits: Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest and Superman Returns. If you have not seen the movies, you should probably skip the posts because they WILL contain *spoilers*.

In the point of films, a great site to look at the spiritual themes found in popular movies is HollywoodJesus.com. I really like the site, because it takes movies at face value. Instead of expecting every movie to boldly present the Gospel message (which Hollywood is just not going to do), reviewers on the site find the spiritual themes in movies that the makers may not even be aware of. It's a great way to start discussions of faith with friends.

Let me also say that Eight Below is out on DVD. If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it. Check out my previous post on it when we saw it in the theater.

8 Below - Finding Spiritual Themes in Movies

Last weekend we ventured out to the new Cineplex. They can show up eight movies at same time - yes I know, most of you are not impressed. But here in the Powell clan,we love having an up-to-date theater with a whole eight movies to choose from. Plus (sit down for this), it only costs about $20 to get the whole family in at non-matinee price.

Well, we all agreed to see the new Disney film 8 Below. You know me, I would just as well have seen some new sci-fi flick. But alas, Disney it was. It was great - with lots of action, visual, and a great story. It really delivers.

I've also fallen into evaluating even the worst of films, trying to see if there are any spiritual themes I can pick out:

• After having to left the sled dogs exposed to the subzero Antarctica winter, the main character spends a good portion of the film trying to get someone to fly him back down to save the dogs. Unfortunately, he encounters many "closed doors". Only his perseverance seems to be a strong theme in this film.
• A larger theme that I see, really arises out of his desire to save the dogs. Even after the likelihood of any of the dogs surviving, the main character realizes that he must have closure. It is an internal drive - what I compare to a God-given purpose.

Does he save them? Does he get back to Antarctica? Will someone help him? Will any of the dogs survive? I guess you'll just have to go see the film.