Dark Knight

Ray Ortlund, upon viewing the movie The Dark Knight:

Visually stimulating. Technologically impressive. Hollywood has fast-forwarded a gazillion years since my favorite films by Steve McQueen and John Wayne. But peel off the layers of glittering presentation, and what's actually there? A ripping good yarn. I grant that. But not much else. In fact, it comes down to a lie of human idealization being passed off on the public because they're supposed to be better off thinking the lie. That violates everything I believe. I learned nothing. I was not enriched in any way.

Immanuel Church cannot compete with Hollywood in terms of raw momentary impact. No church can. But that's one of the great things about church. It can be real. It can be entry-level discovery, for anyone, of the Lovely One who will amaze us forever.

I'm weary with the world's disappointing stimulants. I want more of Christ.

Though I reacted negatively at first to this "review," I can't help but think he's at least partially right. I often wonder if my sensibilities are not as offended at entertainment as they should be. Yes, we should engage the culture in order that we bring people to Christ. But where is the line? Unholy means never justify the glorious end when it comes to the gospel. Our actions must be a direct reflection of the gospel, not only a way to it. I suspect that we (read: I) do things in the name of cultural engagement and gospel witness when we are really only getting a pleasure fix. Though Ray's piece might be an overstatement, we should not avoid the basic teaching.

HT: JT

Batman Freaked Me Out

It's 2:35 AM and I am freaked out. I just got out of the film The Dark Knight about an hour ago, and now I can't sleep. This was a different kind of hero movie and a far cry from Tim Burton's original. It was really dark. Really. But, sadly, this drama is much more a reflection of what our world has become.

Heath Ledger's portrayal of the Joker had been so hyped up after his death that I doubted the on-screen performance could match it. It did. By far, the Joker was the scariest, best villain I have seen on screen. He was so convincingly scary that part of me hoped each scene he was in would be his last. I suspect the Joker will make an appearance in my dreams tonight.

This movie was highly complex. I need to see it about 5 more times to pick up on the narrative's nuances. It did feel a bit disjointed at times, but I can't help but think that was intentional. Evil does not come in a neatly wrapped up package. It is untamed, brash, and unscripted. That was this movie. Now if only I could get it out of my head.

This film is not for kids, and, even at PG-13, probably not for some adults.

Get the Scoop on Movies

CT wrote up a good overview of the best sources that review/talk about movies. Here they are (I personally subscribe to EW and love it):

Entertainment Weekly
Informative, investigative, and intelligently written, EW is the standard bearer of entertainment magazines. If you want all of the inside scoop, go to Variety, but if you just want most of it, presented in a fun way without being gossipy or “fanboy,” EW has the write stuff — especially now with the sharp-witted Diablo Cody, Oscar winner for Juno’s script, as a back-page columnist.

MovieWeb, ComingSoon
Want to know what’s coming down the pike — not just in the next few months, but even a couple years from now? I rely on these two sites to keep me informed on upcoming releases — when they’re due, who’s directing, who’s starring, what’s the latest news on each, images, trailers, and so on.

IMDb
The Internet Movie Database has just about everything you could possibly want to know about any movie ever made. Want to know if 1961’s The Guns of Navarone won any Oscars? (It did: Best Special Effects.) Or who played Juror No. 11 in 1957’s 12 Angry Men? (It was George Voskovec.) It’s all here.

Looking Closer
Jeffrey Overstreet was the first critic on the CT Movies team when we launched in 2004 (he’d been writing Film Forum for CT for a while), and I’ve always appreciated his insights into the movies. I’ve learned more about how to watch a movie from Jeffrey than from anyone. His Looking Closer blog keeps me abreast of what’s happening in film, music, and more, and his thoughtful commentary goes the extra mile.

FilmChat
If I only went to one website a day to find out what I had to know that would be relevant to CT readers, Peter T. Chattaway’s FilmChat blog would be that one-stop shop. It’s comprehensive, but especially zeroes in on films, themes, and news relevant to a Christian audience. Bookmark it.

Movie Review: The Golden Compass

I finally saw the movie The Golden Compass the other day. I blogged about it when it first came out and said I wanted to see it. Well, life does not always allow jaunts to the movie theater these days, so I waited until it came out on video. Thank God. I would have cried over each of the ten bucks had I bought a ticket. The movie is just plain bad. It is so chaotic and adds so many characters throughout the two hours that I lost attention at least a few times. The graphic art is impressive and well done, but even this seemed empty.

There should not have been any hoopla over it's anti-religious themes. Yes, the books might propound atheism and freedom from religion/the church. However, the movie trips over itself trying in avoiding blatant, unflattering remarks about religion (though one immediately discovers that the oppressive "Magesterium" represents the Roman Catholic Church). And as is the case with so many (post)modern movies, the overarching topic is freedom. Freedom from what? The church, or religion, or perhaps something else? I guess the other movies will fill out the bizarre story more.

Though the anti-religious themes were subtle, one got the feeling that the movie did not exist to esteem goodness. You did not feel any love or grace emanating from the characters (the prime actor, a young girl, played the part quite apathetically and even a bit rudely). And it is not because the film is dark (which it is). Even in the darkest scenes of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, one always felt as though redemption was around the corner. And even in the midst of the tragedy, all the virtuous characters acted, well, virtuously. Not so with The Golden Compass.

I can't really recommend the movie. It is quite violent and unsuitable for kids. But beyond that, it really doesn't offer anything edifying. Good CGI and clever fantasy can't cover up simple insolence.

Lars and the Real Girl

Like I said, I've been watching lots of movies lately. Many of them have been coming from CT's Most Redeeming list. I watched their #2 last night, Lars and the Real Girl. No words can express how delightful and moving this film is. Though I hesitate to say this, this is one of the best movies I have ever seen. Not unlike Juno, it just felt real and in fascinating ways exemplifies Christian community and sacrifice. There were a few scenes that were potently endearing. And all of this in a movie about a guy who falls for a life-size doll. Not kidding. Here's the trailer:



Christianity Today said: "Long before we saw this film, its official synopsis made us nervous: 'A lonely, delusional young man buys a life-size sex doll on the Internet and falls in love with her, telling people it's his girlfriend.' Based on that premise alone, we considered skipping it outright. But we're very glad we didn't, because this was one of the sweetest, most sensitive movies of the year, and, surprisingly, a powerful look at the body of Christ in action—and the relentless and patient nature of God's love. When Lars brings his new 'inflatable friend' home—and yes, their 'relationship' is pure and chaste—it's heartwarming to see how his family, friends, and fellow churchgoers (including even the most skeptical among them) love him unconditionally by playing along and embracing him in spite of his bizarre behavior. You'll laugh, you'll cry, and you'll walk away with a smile and warm fuzzies."

As always, check out the Kids in Mind review before seeing this (though the movie is very tame for PG-13).

Juno

For whatever reason, I've had some time to watch some movies as of late. My wife and I watched Juno last night, finally. My brother and sister, and about a million other people, had told me (ok, begged) me to see it. I am glad I did.

Running about 92 minutes, there doesn't seem to be any wasted space in the thing. It follows the 9 months of a girl named Juno and her ill-timed and unwelcome pregnancy. Beyond the super cool phraseology and the obscure pop-culture references, and beyond the alien-like quirkiness of Juno herself, the movie just feels real. Usually, movies dealing with issues like teenage pregnancy, choice, abortion, adoption and marriage do so at either end of the ideological spectrum (usually to their detriment). And that usually means much of their content is untrue, and therefore feels unreal to the viewer. Juno deals deftly with said issues, but in an intensely personal and real way. And that's only because the movie is so open. For example, the opening scene has Juno buying multiple pregnancy tests in the corner store and taking them right there in the bathroom. As she comes in and out, she debates with the cashier about what the tests might mean. And this happens in full-view of anyone around. This sort of openness does not stop for the whole movie, and the viewer is better off for it.

I know that the makers of the film are not happy that the pro-life crowd has claimed this movie as a pro-life vehicle. And I can understand why. Juno is not meant to be an apologetic for choosing life and adoption, or an argument against abortion. Its only intention is to shine a bit of light on a little girl named Juno and the big issue she faces.

I do heartily recommend Juno, but of course advise you to check out the content review at Kids in Mind before you see it.

Expelled

Released just yesterday, the movie Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed has stirred up a lot of controversy. Though the surrounding rhetoric includes words like Creationism and Evolution, the movie is really about Intelligent Design (ID) and, more to the point, about the scientists and scholars who propound this view. Simply put, ID is the theory that the universe was not created by chance or out of nothing, but by an intelligent creator. Now the movie (really a documentary) is not a pure defense of ID and critique of Darwinism. Rather, it is about the ramifications of believing ID and questioning Darwinism. The movie brings attention to the fact that many in the scholarly community who have espoused belief in ID, or who have questioned Darwinism, have been shunned, fired from their jobs, or, in some instances, black balled. Here's the trailer for the movie:



I doubt the film would have garnered so much attention had Ben Stein not signed on to host it. But I am glad for that. Now I'm not glad because I believe that the universe was intelligently designed (though I do) and want it promoted. I am glad that there is a bit of light being shed on the fact that many who claim to be tolerant of all views are, in fact, very intolerant. I don't think it's a coincidence that this sort of intolerance usually shows itself when God is pointed to. Let's pray that changes.

Read the CT review here or read all the reviews here. Darrel Bock has a good post on the reviewers that just plain misunderstand the movie here.

Reel Theology

I am going to start posting all GPCC the sermons here for you to listen to each week. Maybe someday I will figure out how to podcast them. Here is Steve's first message from the series Reel Theology.

CT's Most Redeeming Films of 2007

Every year the Christianity Today movie reviewing department puts out a best-of list called "The 10 Most Redeeming Movies." Here's the list for 2007. What's a "redeeming movie"? Here's their explanation:

"They're all stories of redemption—sometimes blatantly, sometimes less so. Several of them literally have a character that represents a redeemer; all of them have characters who experience redemption to some degree—some quite clearly, some more subtly. Some are 'feel-good' movies that leave a smile on your face; some are a bit more uncomfortable to watch. But the redemptive element is there in all of these films."

I'd love to hear from you if you've seen any of these movies and what you thought of them. Were they "redeeming"? The only ones I have seen (including the "Ones that Got Away" list), are Ratatouille, Rescue Dawn (which I highly recommend) and Spider-Man 3.

CT's Review of The Golden Compass

Christianity Today's Peter Chattaway just posted his review and it is a good one. The important section for us, at least as we try and understand this movie from a Christian world view, is pretty interesting:

"And so we come to the film's treatment of religion. Serafina says the coming war—which, in the second and third books, is revealed to be a war against the Judeo-Christian God—will bring an end to "destiny" and establish a new era of "free will." What that means exactly is not spelled out, not in this movie, but we can get a sense of it from the fact that nearly all of this film's villains work for the church-like Magisterium, which spends much of its time "telling people what to do."

He Continues:

"The filmmakers have been at pains lately to say that they toned down the book's anti-religious content, and that may be true to the extent that the movie never uses words like "church" or "God." But the word "magisterium" does refer, in the real world, to the teaching authority of the Roman Catholic Church, and the film is still peppered with religiously significant words like "oblation" and "heresy," as well as a cryptic reference to "our ancestors" who "disobeyed the Authority"—that is, to Adam and Eve and their disobedience against God in the Garden of Eden."

As you know, I am comfortable watching some movies that others are not as long as I do so actively and not passively. This is one of them. (Make sure to read "The Family Corner" at the end of the article or check out Kids-in-Mind. As far as I can tell, this is not a movie for kids.) Much of the Christian community has serious reservations about this movie. I understand why and have those same reservations. The film's atheistic bent is obviously not a message we should esteem. But my reservations do not go so deep that I would avoid seeing it. In fact, this is a perfect film for Christians to engage and use to talk about Jesus. Your Christian friends may avoid this film, but those who do not believe surely won't.

Check out Jeffery Overstreet's great article on why we should not fear The Golden Compass.

A Discerning Movie Goer

I don't have kids yet. But when I think about them (especially my little girl that will be born in the spring), I think about how I will parent them. Will I be too strict? Not strict enough? This always leads me to think about entertainment. Magazines, TV, movies. It will all affect them in profound ways. Take movies, for example. How do we decide what is appropriate for our children? For that matter, how do we decide what is appropriate for ourselves?

A few years ago I decided that I was going to be a "discerning movie goer." I decided that rather than avoiding every movie that was rated PG-13 and above, I would see most movies, but do so with a two-fold purpose: (1) Be entertained and (2) Learn about life, culture and the world. That is what I hope to teach my kids. Yes, be entertained, but be discerning, too.

I hear people say that they watch movies to "get away." That is, they use the movie medium to escape their own reality and live in another one. To me, that means they "check out" and I think that is harmful. When we check out, we stop looking out for ourselves. When we check out, we fail to see how what we are watching affects our culture and then use that information to shape it for good. When we check out, I think that we are unable to, as Paul says, "Do all to the glory of God," (1 Cor. 10:31). It is usually the case that when you have decided to use movies purely for your own enjoyment, you will eventually watch anything.

What about the other side of the coin? Many think we should engage this medium in a very strict, controlled way. They would say that the movies we watch should reflect our Christian values. That means avoiding movies like "Harry Potter," "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind," and "The Golden Compass." Or, sadly, it means cutting a movie up, removing any harsh language or sexuality. I understand this point of view. However, it seems to me to be too extreme and, much of the time, is based out of fear.

As with most the things, the extremes are not where we should live. We should, to the best of our ability, use movies to engage those who do not yet know Jesus. That is why I try and be a discerning movie goer. I watch everything with a careful eye and ask myself what makes the movie, a scene or a simple piece of dialog important. What does this have to do with my life? What is this movie trying to say? Does it reflect a very narrow opinion or something much of the world believes?

We must not forget that movies are there for our enjoyment, too. But we can have discerning joy. What makes this movie good/bad? Can you follow the plot? is the cinematography and editing good? Did I like it?

Something that helps me in this process is reading what mainstream critics are saying. Also, though their arrival seems a few years late, there are some excellent Christian movie reviewers. To me, the best Christian movie reviewer is a guy named Jeffery Overstreet at Christianity Today Movies. He, as well as others there, deftly and discerningly watch and review most movies, bridging the gap between culture and Christianity. Their reviews are usually insightful, thought provoking, and illuminating, helping you understand movies in a Christian context. Beyond that, at the end of each review they detail what, if any, language, violence, or sexuality is in the film so you and your family can decide if it is right for you and/or your kids.

Movies are amazing. Who knows if they affect the culture more than they reflect it. Whatever the case, they should be viewed with a purpose in mind. Enjoy them. Discern them. Give God glory. I hope my kids benefit from that.