Welcome to The Message Behind the Movie BLOG

Books on movies written from a Christian standpoint often discuss Hollywood’s messages without teaching readers how to evaluate movies themselves. The Message Behind the Movie (Moody Press, 2009) seeks to accomplish this, as well as instruct believers in what to do about those messages. Readers will be able to understand the basics of movie interpretation, identify and interpret key ideas, and provide an uncomplicated defense of the Christian message. In a fun and approachable style, The Message Behind the Movie will help enable you to wisely engage a film and the culture without disengaging your faith.

The Message Behind the Movie can be ordered HERE.

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This BLOG is for announcements, informal reviews, and comments from the author and readers of The Message Behind the Movie.

 

CA speaking dates in January

• 29th: Fresno, CA (Trinity Southern Baptist Church): The Message Behind the Movies
  
• 3oth: Madera, CA (Grace Community Church): The Message Behind the Movies  (plus Faith and Philosophy)
  

 

Avatar Review

First, WOW! Amazing visuals, just absolutely beautiful. I recommend seeing it in theaters – especially if you can see the 3d IMAX version – it’s really astounding. The digital is seamless and fully integrated with the live action. No plastic Jar-Jar Binks here!

Second, PHHHT! The above-mentioned visuals are pretty much the only reason to see the film. The storyline is about as politically  propagandish as it can get, with obvious references to the eco-liberal, fear-mongering agenda (capitalists / military = evil murderers that hate the environment, while aboriginal natives = peaceful, spiritual, loving, beings that live in complete harmony with nature). The characters are pretty much cardboard cutouts, not good for much more than propagating the popular “noble savage” and “evil capitalist/military” myths. The lines are drawn so clearly that one is forced into choosing sides, and there is not a modicum of evenhandedness in the story’s approach. Worldview-wise it’s a mess. Avatar presents us with a new-age/nature-loving/eastern mysticism mixture (all is one, life is energy flow, mother planet, blah blah blah). The only difference is that all this is couched in quasi-scientific terms (for philosophers, think emergent property theory applied to an entire planet!) Thus, Avatar’s storyline is seriously flawed both artistically, politically, and theologically.

But hey, it’s James Cameron. He’s not exactly known for his subtlety or theological acumen.

Bottom line: It’s 3D, it’s beautiful, there’s cool animals, amazing scenery, and robots blow things up. What more (besides truth) could you want?

 

The Wildest Movie

I LOVE mountain climbing books, and a few of the movies have been good (Touching the Void is the best so far). But this one looks like it might be a contender:  The Wildest Dream

It is the story of George Mallory – a lost climber on the slopes of Mt. Everest who may have been the first person to reach the summit (30 years before Hillary!). It stars Conrad Anker - one of the greatest living climbers, and is narrated by Liam Neeson.

Coooool.

 

Paranormal Activity

I just saw Paranormal Activity - wow, freaky. A good film in the “tradition” of The Blair Witch Project (in more ways than one). Below there are no MAJOR spoilers – but you may know more than you may want to.

The point of the movie is clear: don’t mess around with demons! But there was also a subtle sub-text of anti-naturalism in the way the boyfriend approaches the issue. His reliance throughout the film on research and empirical tests are ridiculed by the girlfriend and are clearly shown to be of no avail. This is a good message as well – the world is not, despite our many successes, under our total control (much less available to scientific understanding).

While the film sends a good message, this is a case where background can be as or more important than the overt message. American Christians have for some time now bought into occult rather than biblical ideas concerning the demonic, and this film may very well reinforce that situation. Very often in movies, demonic issues are explained in non-biblical ways which are simply accepted without much consideration, even by bible-believing Christians. The Bible is largely silent on issues of cause and effect when it comes to demonization and exorcism. The lack of drama in biblical accounts does not make for good horror, and so it is often supplanted by occultic teachings. In this film there is almost no recourse to biblical teachings (which I think is part of the problem!). Rather, a psychic is consulted who basically can’t do anything about their problem. His advice is to consult a “demonologist” (who is never brought in). The book the boyfriend consults during his never-ending research is “Picture Book of Devils, Demons and Witchcraft”, by Ernst and Johanna Lehner. So, while demons need to be taken seriously (and this is the main point), we need to be careful not to think we are being informed about the spirit world by occultic sources even if they do increase the “cool factor” (as the boyfriend might say).

FULL EVALUATION

 

Nov. 13th: The National Conference on Christian Apologetics

I will be speaking on The Message Behind the Movie Nov. 13th  at The National Conference on Christian Apologetics

 

August / September Speaking Dates

This will be the last of the speaking posts as school is back in and I will not have much time. I will only post the biggies. For details see my Speaking Schedule.

• August
• 5th-6th: Sound Rezn Radio Show – The Message Behind the Movie
• 8th Charlotte, NC: Youth Apologetics Conference – The Message Behind the Movie

• September
• 4th: Crosswalk Interview
• 18th-19th: Fremont, CA – California Christian Apologetics Conference: The Message Behind the Movie & Answering Jehovah’s Witnesses Using Their Own Bible

 

California Apologetics Conference Sept. 18th-19th

I will present The Message Behind the Movie (as well as how to answer Jehovah’s Witnesses using their own material) at the California Apologetics Conference in Fremont, CA on September 18th-19th.

 

Gamer (2009)

Pretty interesting movie [content warning] , but the topic was more intriguing than the story. Only the hero/villain storyline contributed much to the overall story – the rest of the characters are pretty cardboard (which was oddly appropriate even though it didn’t make for good storytelling).

The “control” theme was the most obvious, but what interested me more was the idea of freely giving up one’s freedom. The film asks whether some people would not rather give up their autonomy in order to attain freedom(!) from decision-making and personal consequences (as many have in this world).

By the end of the film the critical issue became one of forcible loss of autonomy, but I thought the initial question was much more interesting.

 

Butterfly Circus

Just saw a beautiful short film (20 mins) that really touched me: Butterfly Circus

 

John Hughes, R.I.P.

The man behind the movies that made the 80’s has died. It is a great loss for the film industry.

Check out this resume from IMDB:

1. Drillbit Taylor (2008) (story) (as Edmond Dantes)
2. Beethoven’s 5th (2003) (V) (characters) (as Edmond Dantes)
3. Maid in Manhattan (2002) (story) (as Edmond Dantès)
4. Home Alone 4 (2002) (TV) (characters)
5. Beethoven’s 4th (2001) (V) (characters) (as Edmond Dantès)
6. Just Visiting (2001) (screenplay)
7. Beethoven’s 3rd (2000) (V) (characters) (as Edmond Dantès)
8. American Adventure (2000) (TV) (characters)
9. Reach the Rock (1998) (written by)
10. Home Alone 3 (1997) (written by)
11. Flubber (1997) (screenplay)
12. 101 Dalmatians (1996) (screenplay)
13. Miracle on 34th Street (1994) (screenplay)
14. Baby’s Day Out (1994) (written by)
15. Beethoven’s 2nd (1993) (characters) (as Edmond Dantès)
16. Dennis the Menace (1993) (written by)
17. Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992) (characters) (written by)
18. Beethoven (1992) (written by) (as Edmond Dantès)
19. Curly Sue (1991) (written by)
20. Dutch (1991) (written by)
21. Career Opportunities (1991) (written by)
22. Home Alone (1990) (written by)
23. Christmas Vacation (1989) (written by)
24. Uncle Buck (1989) (written by)
25. The Great Outdoors (1988) (written by)
26. She’s Having a Baby (1988) (written by)
27. Planes, Trains & Automobiles (1987) (written by)
28. Some Kind of Wonderful (1987) (written by)
29. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986) (written by)
30. Pretty in Pink (1986) (written by)
31. Weird Science (1985) (written by)
32. European Vacation (1985) (screenplay) (story)
33. The Breakfast Club (1985) (written by)
34. Sixteen Candles (1984) (written by)
35. Nate and Hayes (1983) (written by)
36. Vacation (1983) (screenplay) (short story “Vacation ‘58″)
37. Mr. Mom (1983) (written by)

For a quick bio, check this.