Monthly Archives: January 2012
100 Movies to See Before You Die- “King Kong” (1933)
King Kong is a 1933 film directed by Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack. It starred Bruce Cabot, Fay Wray, and Robert Armstrong. The story is probably familiar to most since the movie has found its way into pop culture and was the subject of an (inferior) remake in 2005. The film was a box office smash and was ultimately responsible for pushing the studio that released it, RKO, into the black for the first time in its history. The film continues to be highly regarded and has made numerous AFI “best of” lists and it maintains a perfect 100% fresh rating on the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes. So how does this film stand with the all time greats and does it deserve the label “classic?”
Should this film be considered a classic? This is not always the case, but often when a film gets remade it is because the first one was really good and captured the imaginations of the people who viewed it originally and the people who view it in a modern context. King Kong, in its 1933 form is truly a classic work. Granted, the effects are extremely dated and sometimes distracting. However, it maintains a charm and appeal that transcends the effects. The story is tightly written and the 100 minute runtime far more suited to the subject matter than Peter Jackson’s three hour remake. Fay Wray and Bruce Cabot steal the show as Ann Darrow and Jack Driscoll. They carry the movie with their excellent chemistry and provide the human element monster stories desperately need to be successful. I’m going to throw my hat in with everyone else and say this one certainly is a classic!
Would I own this film? While I absolutely agree with the consensus that this film is a classic, it is also not one that I think I would own. Some movies, even the classics, just don’t grab me and this is one of them. I enjoyed watching it and I can appreciate even the dated effects but it just does not feel like one I will need to revisit. Maybe that is why I don’t feel much of an urge to add this to my personal collection. I will say this though, if you were a fan of the 2005 remake you should at least give this film a look. It is far superior in terms of storytelling and proves that even with all the marvels of modern computer generated imagery nothing can replace a good tight story told by competent actors and actresses.
The Elephant Room- Round 2
Yesterday I had the opportunity to drive up to Wichita to attend a simulcast of the Elephant Room. This event is centered around the idea of taking a number of prominent Christian leaders and letting them answer and debate some tough questions. I’m going to take a little different approach with this blog post. I’m not going to try and rehash what was said and wasn’t said (you can find a good rundown here). I’m not even really going to discuss the most talked about session in which Mark Driscoll and T.D. Jakes discussed Trinitarian theology. Instead, I want to focus on something I thought this Elephant Room did really well: it proved you can have a respectful conversation/debate on often contentious issues.
First of all, let me say that I’m a stickler for sound doctrine. There are some things that absolutely have to be right. That said, I am growing increasingly weary of the flaming that goes on in the Christian online community. I absolutely agree that pastors need to be held accountable for what they say but too often blogs turn into nothing more than a feeding frenzy for like minded people to come together and continually bash a mutually disliked pastor/public figure over and over and over and over. This often leads to what amounts to a completely irrational hatred (yes, it really does look like hatred in some cases) for a fellow Christian that is based not on having heard or read anything by said public figure but instead on the raw meat that the bloggers continually toss into the piranha tank that is their following.
The Elephant Room proves something important. When you actually have to talk to someone face to face, get to know them, and let them tell you their heart it changes the way you talk about that person. Even if you disagree mightily on issues (even vitally important issues of doctrine) you can still have a reasoned and reasonable debate where both parties are treated respectfully. There is nothing wrong with respectful debate. There is nothing wrong with engaging someone whose doctrine is purported to be unsound in a public forum. Christians engage in reasoned and passionate debate with atheists and agnostics all the time. Why can’t we do it with each other?
Something like the Elephant Room is exceedingly helpful because it forces us out of our box and away from only reading the blogs and literature of “yes men.” It puts a human face on the other side of the debate and makes it a lot harder to spill blood and bytes on the next “anti-that guy” blog post because you’ve met them, heard them, and realized that even though we disagree we can at least be civil. It’s okay to read the literature of people you agree with. That’s primarily what I read too. However, we should still be able to respectfully and competently engage with those with whom we disagree. That means not just taking the word of your favorite blogger or public figure but instead going out and doing the hard work of getting to know that person they criticize yourself. Now most of us will never personally know these public pinatas, but we can broaden our understanding of them by actually engaing with their works instead of just taking the word of some folks feeding the piranhas and driving traffic to their blog.
A lot of good was said at the Elephant Room. A respectful discussion was had on a variety of topics. Discussion, debate, and dialog are not something to be afraid of. That’s what the Elephant Room is all about. It’s okay to discuss, debate, and dialog with people you don’t agree with. I’m sure that though there was a lot of common ground among the men at the Elephant Room yesterday that there are still many areas where they would respectfully disagree with each other. I think that is the key. Respectful disagreement. We accomplish nothing other than alienating fellow Christians and pushing away non-Christians when we viciously attack each other online. I want to see the online debate and dialog continue but perhaps all these bloggers, authors, and pastors who have a presence online and a large following would do well to ask themselves if the tone of their posts would be different if they were talking to the person they are attacking face to face? If so, change the stinkin’ tone! It’s high time to stop feeding the piranhas and instead engage substantively and respectfully. Oh, and the piranhas should branch out from just listening to/reading those who only reinforce their views and instead engage with the “controversial” material themselves.
Doctrinal fidelity is vital must always be defended (such as the doctrine of the Trinity). Secondary issues are worth respectful and vigorous debate but should not be used to so brutally assault fellow Christians that the cause of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is damaged because of our lack of love and respect for fellow believers.
100,000 Hits!
Today is a big day in the life of my blog. It surpassed 100k hits. Now, I know for some people that is nothing impressive. However, I think it is a pretty exciting milestone when a personal blog from a guy who has no big connections and writes simply for the pleasure of writing and having a record of pertinent events.
A few reflections on my blogging experiences. I started blogging on Xanga (anyone remember Xanga?) back in college. I wrote a lot about politics and specifically the Iraq war which was a big point of contention among many in a protected university bubble. It also contains a record of some of the early events of my relationship with my girlfriend then fiance then wife. Those are probably the posts I value the most and also the ones that I find myself revisiting periodically. It is a lot of fun to think back on the early days of a relationship and seeing where it has all led as we approach eight total years of being together.
I switched to WordPress in 2007 and cross posted for awhile. I posted a lot of politics and theology in 2007 and 2008 as I had just started seminary and was actively supporting Mike Huckabee’s presidential run. After the Huckabee campaign, I pulled way back on politics and now only post about political issues occasionally and most often when I do post about them now they are tied into broader issues.
One of the busiest times for my blog was during Chaplain school (CHBOLC) where I kept on almost daily record of what went on complete with pictures. It was a lot of fun and I got many comments from family members that I met during the graduation events who said they followed my blog to keep up with what their family members were doing. Those three months of blogging were probably the most fun I’ve had writing about a particular topic.
The two most recent developments on the blog have been the “100 Moves to See Before You Die” series and the “Adventures in Fatherhood” series. Both are ongoing and have been a lot of fun to do for completely different reasons.
So, to all those who have happened upon my blog I say thanks for reading! To all my regular readers (who I know are mostly close friends and family), thanks for all the support over the years!
Protected: Adventures in Fatherhood- “Sickly”
100 Movies to See Before You Die- “A Hard Day’s Night”
A Hard Day’s Night is a 1964 British film shot in a mockumentary style and chronicles the exploits of The Beatles over a couple of days in their lives. The film was both a critical and box office success. It was also nominated for two academy awards in the categories of Screenplay and Score. The film was released when The Beatles were at the height of the fan frenzy known at Beatlemania and the film captures a good bit of this in the travel scenes and concert footage. Today the film remains very popular and has made a number of best of lists. So does this mockumentary about one of the biggest bands in history deserve the label of classic?
Source (note- Wikipedia was down today to protest SOPA and PIPA so I used an archived page)
Should this film be considered a classic? Yes, it should. The film successfully combines a broad mix of film styles with some great physical comedy and a score that features some of The Beatles biggest early hits. The film plays out most like a comedy and the script is well written to take advantage of the often deadpan delivery of the four Beatles. One of the highlights of the film is Wilfrid Brambell who plays Paul’s fictional grandfather. He steals every scene he is in and is a perfect foil to the other actors on the screen. I don’t think it is one of the stronger films on the list but its mix of whimsical comedy and music combine to make it a definite classic.
Would I own this film? Unfortunately, I’m not a Beatles fan. I don’t know why but their music (both the early and late stuff) has never really grabbed me. Because of that, I’m sure I did not enjoy this film nearly as much as a personal who really likes Beatles music. Don’t get me wrong, there are some Beatles songs that I do enjoy, just as a whole they don’t have a big appeal to me. That said, I would not own this film. It’s a great one for any Beatles fan and even for those who like a good comedy but the real star of the movie is the music so it lessens the experience if you are not a big fan of the music.
Sermon Illustration from Galatians 3:19-25- “The Law Is a Mirror”
I have been preaching through Paul’s letter to the Galatians during our Sunday morning worship service. On Sunday I preached Galatians 3:19-25 where Paul answers the question, “Why then the law?” As I was preparing the sermon I kept coming back to a picture of the law as a mirror that reveals our depravity and sin, our inability to wash ourselves of our sin, and ultimately our need for a Savior to come and stand between us and the condemnation of the law and the wrath of God. I looked around online and couldn’t find an illustration anywhere that exactly matched the point I was making so I’m going to post it here. I’m sure that in centuries of Biblical exegesis and sermon illustrations something similar has been stated, but it might still be helpful to some.
Think of it like this. You go through life and you never once look in a mirror. All through your life you do your best to keep yourself looking good and sometimes people will even tell you that you look really nice on a particular day. Then one day you find yourself in front of a mirror. You see that, even though you thought you were doing a pretty good job keeping yourself looking good, that you are actually covered in dirt and trash. In fact, you are so dirty that no matter how much trash you pull off yourself the mirror still reveals more and you never make any progress. You have no hope of ever getting all the dirt and trash off yourself. Then one day a man steps between you and the mirror. He is perfectly clean and free from dirt and trash. He does what you can’t and washes away all the dirt and trash but he doesn’t leave after he cleans you off. He stays there between you and the mirror so that now the only thing that is seen is his perfect reflection.
Protected: Adventures in Fatherhood- “Liam vs. The Avocado”
Blogging for Books- “Culture Shift” by R. Albert Mohler Jr.
Have you been looking for a book to help you engage with a number of current or recent events and issues? As long as you are not looking for much more than an introduction, this will be a great book for you. Al Mohler tackles a broad range of topics in this book. They run the gamut from public law to terrorism to natural disasters to retirement and many other topics as well. This is a book of essays so if you are looking for a book with a single thesis and a traditional structure you won’t find that in this book. What you will find is a helpful introduction and engagement with a number of difficult issues from a Christian perspective.
What works-
- Easy to read without being simplistic
- A good introduction to Christian thinking on a wide variety of pertinent topics
- The short essays are easy to digest and make this a great book to grab when you only have a few spare minutes to read because you can typically get through a chapter quickly
- Steady and firm Christian thinking on each topic presented
What doesn’t work as well-
- These are introductory essays. If you are looking for more depth you will be disappointed.
- A stronger introduction and conclusion to tie everything together would make the book feel less disjointed
Overall, this book is definitely worth picking up if you want a good introduction to Christian thinking on a number of tough recent issues but it is weakened slightly by a lacking introduction and an absent conclusion.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review.
http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/bloggingforbooks/reviews/ranking/15346/short:1
100 Movies to See Before You Die- “Vertigo”
Vertigo is a 1958 film directed by Alfred Hitchcock and starring James Stewart, Kim Novak, and Barbara Bel Geddes. Of the Hitchcock films included on this list (Psycho and Rear Window being the others), this is the one that would probably be debated the most for its inclusion. It was not a huge box office draw nor has it garnered the critical praise that some of Hitchcock’s other works have. Still, the film has found its way onto a number of best of lists and has had a great deal of staying power. So does Vertigo deserve to stand among the all time greats?
Should this film be considered a classic? I’m going to say yes with one caveat. I think Hitch’s North By Northwest is a far more compelling film. North By Northwest might be a bit more formulaic in the story department but the pacing, casting, and wit make Vertigo seem a bit slow and heavy handed by comparison. I personally think NBN would have been a better choice for the list than Vertigo. Both films are definitely classics but if I had to choose one to see before I died I would choose NBN. That said, Vertigo is a great film. Hitch uses the acrophobia of Scottie Ferguson to great effect as the story moves along. He also turns what could have been a pretty typical murder mystery story into a compelling and ultimately tragic romantic drama. It’s classic Hitchcock and while it certainly should be considered a classic, I’m not convinced it should be on this list ahead of North By Northwest.
Would I own this film? Yes. I am anxiously awaiting a Blu-Ray release. While Vertigo is not my favorite Hitchcock film it still has much that I like. The story maintains a sense of foreboding even in the lighter moments that always has me hoping the ultimate outcome will be different than the last time I watched. The story also forces us to watch some very flawed people on screen. Each main character has some deep character flaws (Scottie’s obsessions and cold shoulder to Midge, Judy’s lies, and Midge’s inability to express her feelings) with none being particularly likable. This makes the film all the more fascinating as these flawed characters interact on screen and attempt to unravel the mystery.
