Movie Bites that are Hopefully Sound…

March 29th, 2012

What are you looking forward to this year?

Personally, I see a particularly compelling slate of films that, from my perspective, create a fascinating landscape for exploration and conversation. We’ve already had Chronicle, The Grey, and The Hunger Games, all providing some intriguing looks at human nature, from depraved to animalistic and, finally, sacrificial. Coming up tomorrow is Wrath of the Titans, looking at relationships between flawed gods and their equally compromised and confused men.

A Hunger Games review will hit the site this weekend, although I’ll be in costume somewhere amidst rows of graphic novels at the Emerald City Comic Con. I thought it might be good to lay down a primer on the films coming up in the spring and summer. It’s one thing to read a spiritual review with meganarrative comparisons after seeing the film, but the real question is are we all developing a hunger to walk into the theater and engaging the films in a deeper way that stimulates our growth and ability to see God’s story? We’ll look at some of my favorites coming up in the ensuing months (follow the links below for the film trailers):

This Week at Cinemagogue: Kate, Liam, & going Haywire

January 23rd, 2012

You could choose between a leather-clad vampire or an MMA fighter to see women overturning evil government plots with guns, fists, teeth and plenty of action last weekend. This week, we’ll feature reviews of both Underworld: Awakening (Tuesday) and Haywire (Thursday).

This weekend, however, belongs entirely to Liam Neeson as he goes all Wolverine with travel-size bottles, taking on wolves and snow and, well, I guess nature itself in The Grey. Whether he’s wielding a lightsaber, ripping up Paris, training Batman or leading the A-Team, we just can’t seem to get enough of Liam Neeson kicking ass and taking names…

Underworld Tour 2012

January 16th, 2012

In a post-Matrix 2003, characters in leather and longcoats shot and fought it out in a subway with slow-motion intensity. While these cinematic battles weren’t uncommon after the Wachowski brothers had Neo set a visual trend in 1999, Underworld added a new wrinkle… as we found out the black-clad goth characters were actually vampires and werewolves caught in a centuries-old feud. (To be fair, Blade the vampire hunter actually preceded The Matrix by a year in setting some of this “leaping-leather” visual style, so although Keanu Reeves mainstreamed the action eye-candy, a vampire movie actually established the look and even bullet-time. The first Underworld film continued Wesley Snipes’ toothy style (and expanded on it) by adding a gothic backdrop and a hairy love story. Also, 2003 positioned this story of Lycans versus Vamps–with a “forbidden romance” in the middle–two full years before a little-known book about Edward and Bella would rock the world, “eclipse” book sales and bore us with roll-eye cinema.

Team Victor or Team Lucien, anyone?

Now it’s 2012, and vampires are everywhere in books, film and television. It’s not surprising, then to see that the death-dealing Vampire Seline is back for Underworld: Awakening…

A New Hope: You’re All Clear Kid…

January 13th, 2012

Star Worship?

So… after all this cinemusing on Star Wars and Theology, does this mean we should start worshipping Luke Skywalker?  Of course not—no more than we should erect a lion statue and worship Aslan from C.S. Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia.  Certain images and circumstances cross-referenced in Star Wars are simply analogous to the truth found in Christ.  Furthermore, Lucas may not deserve the same kudos for his work that, say, Lewis or Tolkein might—the latter two men were believers who either purposely or inherently (and both beautifully) entwined Christian theism into their work.  Lucas didn’t set out to promote Christianity; he’s far more concerned with merchandising action figures and Jar Jar Binks (“Mee-sah muy-muy stupid”).

However, no matter what their motivations are down at the Skywalker Ranch, God’s dabbling fingers are still evident in the Star Wars films; intentional or not, George’s narrative portrays the Jedi and Sith as flawed, and threads of true faith are manifest within the story’s context.  This is the phantom message of Star Wars, and the Believer’s task is to use it as a springboard when dialoguing with other Star Wars junkies like me (still in recovery…)

Star Wars & the Problem of Evil

January 12th, 2012

Darth Vader: God’s Tool?

We’ve spent a week’s worth of posts forcing the Star Wars narrative to reveal its secrets, and Redemption by the Son is perhaps Star Wars most powerful message (and will always be the climax to the trilogy, or sextet, whichever you prefer).  It is curious, however, to see new elements emerging from the prequels.  In Episode 1, we find out that Anakin Skywalker is created by mysterious, symbiotic organisms; he has a destiny, and Mace Windu mentions a prophecy of a “chosen one”, who will bring balance to the force.  However, we know that in the following two prequels Anakin falls, embraces the dark side, becomes Darth Vader, and crushes the Jedi Council.  He nearly destroys their order, while effectively only Ben and Yoda will survive.   Without the original trilogy to shine some light on the story, these prequels will look pretty bleak.

Star Wars: The Skywalker Legacy

January 10th, 2012

Fallen Man, Son of Man

Continuing our series on the Star Wars Saga (just arrived? Start here).

In Episode 1: The Phantom Menace, Anakin appears innocent enough– not a bad bone in his body.  We even discover that he is “divinely created”.   Still, we know from subsequent movies that he will be tempted and fall from grace to embrace the dark side.  Skywalker will serve the Emperor, his Lord and ruler,shackled to him like a dog.   “I must obey my master”.  The Emperor—perhaps better known to the discerning Christian as a representation of Sin Incarnate—takes Anakin under his wing. (Notice in The Phantom Menace, the first “Sith” apprentice we see is Darth Maul—who looks a lot like Satan, “sin’s” first apprentice.)   Under “Sin’s” tutelage, Anakin, like the biblical Adam in the garden of Eden, becomes corrupt of mind, spirit, and body, literally masked by the face of death itself.  By himself, Anakin is now helpless to reverse his condition.  (All have sinned, and fallen short… if you will.)  Little Anakin is now Darth Vader, his innocence lost.  He has become much like you and I… trapped in bondage to a wrinkled, lecherous old master call the sin nature.

Wrong, Yoda Was

January 8th, 2012

A Disturbance in the Force

As we continue exploring the Star Wars Saga (see the first post), let us return to my personal favorite of the films, The Empire Strikes Back… Luke has his vision of Han and Leia in danger, but Yoda tells him to stay on Dagobah to train.  “If you go now”, he insists, “help them you could… but you would destroy all for which they fought and suffered.”  Forfeit his friends for the greater good—how utterly sensible.  Luke loves them, however; he willingly puts his life on the line, (spoiler alerts) loses a hand, and discovers that Vader is his father.   And guess what, ladies and gentlemen…(with a drum roll, please, and a dash of John William’s incredible music) Yoda’s prophecy is wrong!

Theology, FORCEd

January 7th, 2012

The Force Unleashed

Hold please. This review series was supposed to be about Star Wars, not me… well, it just so happened that about the time I got “thawed out” (1998) and began to retrain in the ways of our Lord—“unlearning what I had learned”, as Yoda would say—it was announced that a new Star Wars film would soon be unleashed on the world.  Another seven year cycle, curiously… and now, at twenty-six, I both reconnected with my Savior and prepared to revisit my childhood love.  Watching all three films with my newly-converted cadre, then attending the first midnight premiere of Episode 1: Phantom Menace (now, about to be re-released in 3D), I saw the movies with reshaped eyes.

These movies were originally a point of controversy…

Solo Life Imitates LucasArts…

January 6th, 2012

Will the “Real” Han Solo please stand up?

I was so upset that Han Solo sold out… (see previous post, “Confessions of a Star Wars Junkie”)

MY hero would never let himself be saddled by a woman; he would never become an upstanding member of the Rebel Alliance. Fortunately, I remembered this was war, and realized that stress must have simply made Han suffer from temporary insanity. After Return of The Jedi, I knew he took off with Chewbacca to soar the spaceways—to find his own path—romancing a new girl on very planet (or very large asteroid) they encountered. Occasionally he would bump into Leia—courting and bickering in equal portions—or he would race to Luke’s side, when the young Jedi was in trouble. Han stayed one step ahead of the bounty hunter (Jabba had friends, after all) and two steps ahead of responsibility.

What a cool guy… what a real man…

After seven years, and with no promise of future episodes back in the 80s, my interest in Star Wars began to wane. I moved on to more adult pursuits (like comic books and transforming robots) but the spirit of Han Solo remained. My heroes were those which embodied his spirit (don’t kid yourself…. Indiana Jones and Han Solo are the same person). At nineteen, I determined to live like that “noble pirate”, to slide through life dodging duty; and, just as Han had no use for the Force, I had little use for religion. I believed in God and the Bible stories, yet overlooked the need for Christ; I would make it my way, and no one would stop me. God would have to let me into heaven, because I would be too damned cool to go to Hell.