The Gospel - I love this trailer. I'm not sure how the movie is going to portray church and the good news, but I think I'm going to like the music. (Kirk Franklin is part of it.) I'll definitely find this one if it releases here.

North Country - this is a piece of history that needs to be seen. I think it will be an uncomfortable movie to watch, but probably very good. (Also - I wonder if Sean Bean will die at the end?...)

Casanova - talk about taking liberties with history...although - actually that's part of the whole Casanova story anyway, so I guess it's par for the course. :-) This looks fun. I'm a little bit wary because of the "R" rating. I would be much more likely to see it if it was rated "PG-13."

Nanny McPhee - Huh. I'm not sure what to say other than "huh?" This looks really interesting and maybe really fun. I love Colin Firth, Emma Thompson, and Angela Landsbury. But I must admit that Emma Thompson's makeup scares me a little! :-)

Trailers and hello

Hi Everyone. Sorry it's been so long. Parent/Teacher conferences are this week, so next week should be great. :-) Actually, I'll just have more time. Here are few trailers for your enjoyment.

Green Street Hooligans - Elijah Wood and British street fighting gangs that are passionate about...soccer? Yes - I've heard quite a bit of good buzz about this one and it's got Charlie Hunnam in it. I've followed his career for several years and have been impressed with him.

The Family Stone - What's not to like other than the poster? (It's a little tacky.) And on a weird note - my best friend's sister's friend's daughter is in it. (Yeah, it took me awhile to figure that out also -- my friend Jessica's sister Trish's friend's daughter plays one of the kids in the family.) I have no idea how to put punctuation in that sentence. I gave up after far too many commas. :-)

2nd attempt at this Amazon thing...

It worked! :-) I'm not sure it I'm going to keep this up. Those links are fairly large and intrusive. We'll see. I do feel a sense of victory that the computer did not conquer me! :-) :-) I don't like the feeling that I can't figure something out.

BTW - I thought it worth mentioning that Serenity opens in less than a week! Shiny!

Shameless attempt to defray expenses

Hello Everyone,

I just wanted to point out a little change to my site. As you can see, there is a search engine for Amazon off to side. While I still support the local bookstore, I do buy quite a bit of my media collection online. This is there for your convenience and to hopefully earn a tiny bit of money for me. When I mention a TV show or CD, I usually link to Amazon. With this system, if you decide to purchase that item, a tiny (I mean, tiny...) referral fee gets sent my way. For testing purposes -- here is


Okay - it's not working. I'm going to figure this out later! It's time to head to Radina's for coffee with a friend. That is so much more important, it doesn't even enter the same picture.

Trailer

The Ice Harvest - It's about a guy who steals money from the mob and is desperately trying to get out of Wichita at Christmas time. Hmmm... stuck in Kansas...could be fun! :-) It also stars John Cusack. I'll probably wait for a recommendation from a trustworthy source, but I like the Kansas angle.

A Christian makes a horror movie! (gasp!)

A friend recommended I read this interview with Scott Derrickson, director and writer of The Exorcism of Emily Rose. (Emily Rose was the top grossing movie in the U.S. this last weekend by a very large margin.) I was impressed with the interview. Derrickson articulates several points that I have often wished for Christians in Hollywood. Personally I don't watch horror movies. Not because I have a moral objection to them, but because they terrify me. My imagination is far too vivid and I carry frightening stories around with me in a way that I don't quite understand. That said, I wish I could see this movie. It sounds like an awesome starting point for a deeper conversation.

Here is a quote from Derrickson that I particularly liked: "So with this film my agenda was not to persuade people to think the way I do, it was not to try to propagate my point of view. I did want to make a film that really forced the audience to ask really significant spiritual questions. It's not about providing the answers to those questions."

New Harry Potter #4 trailer

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - looks good. I haven't read the book yet, but I'm looking forward to the movie. Ron and Snape are my favorite characters and I have my own thoughts about what's going to happen in this series. Let's just say that I predicted the surprise death in Book #6 quite awhile ago. Primarily because it was inevitable. It had to happen for Harry's character to grow.

I'll get around to reading them after #7 is published, but for now - I'm enjoying the movies.

Joss talks

Nice interview with Joss Whedon from Australia.

ABC National Radio interview by Fran Kelly

Old shows, new to me

I've been watching two television shows recently that I missed the first time around. Both have been highly recommended, I just never got around to them. (or I was living in China when they were on.)

The first is Felicity. It's about a girl in college. Created by J.J. Abrams (Alias, Lost, and Mission Impossible:3), it looks it finding yourself out in the adult world for the first time. The title character is a very introspective girl who probably over thinks everything in her life, especially her relationships with men. I can certainly relate. It's kind of fun to watch the train wreck that her life can become, but at the same time -- there is a sense of honesty in the emotional crisis. I'm about 1/3 of the way through Season 2. I'd recommend it.

The second show is even better. It's called Once and Again and tells the story of two divorced parents who start a relationship and all the people in their lives. This show is truly amazing. It has all the characters talk to the camera (in black and white) and comment on the story lines. They talk about why they do what they do, or how they don't understand what they do. It's brilliant. Almost every episode there is a moment that I could pull out to start a conversation with someone. The show doesn't shy away from hard topics and almost all of the characters are complicated with layers and layers of motivation. No one is stereotypical. Even characters that you think are one-sided become complicated as you begin to hear their voice. I've just started the 2nd season and I can't wait for the 3rd to come out on DVD early next year. Unfortunately, that's all there is. Like so many well written shows, it was cancelled before its time.

Trailers

The Greatest Game Ever Played - I know nothing of golf history, but this might be nice...

Capote - I haven't read In Cold Blood and I know more about Capote from Harper Lee's description of Dill in To Kill a Mockingbird, but I like Phillip Seymore Hoffman and this could be good.

Bee Season - Apparently, it's the season for spelling bee movies. This was based on a book that I've picked up several times, but haven't purchased yet. :-)

Lord of War - Nicolas Cage, lots of guns and big explosions...what more could you ask for in an action flick? (okay - another Die Hard I would have been nice...) :-)

Brokeback Mountain - this controversial film just won top honors at the Venice Film Festival. It stars Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal as cowboys in the 60's who fall in love. It's based on a short story by E. Annie Proulx, who wrote the screenplay with Larry McMurtry (Lonesome Dove). It's directed by Ang Lee (Sense and Sensibility, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, The Hulk). I am interested to see how this does at the box office. Excellent cast, excellent director, and excellent writers. We'll see what the public thinks of the topic.

Another Serenity clip

Here is the fifth (and reportedly final) viral marketing clip from Serenity.

R. Tam Session 416 (First Excerpt)

And for something completely different....

A scene from The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe has been on my mind lately. I thought I would share it with you. I don't think I'm breaking any copyright laws due to the shortness of the scene and its use as an illustration. I'm assuming the same rules apply as academic papers that are published. Anyway - here it is. Attribution to follow.
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"Is--is he a man?" asked Lucy.
"Aslan a man!" said Mr. Beaver sternly. "Certainly not. I tell you he is the King of the wood and the son of the great Emperor-beyond-the-Sea. Don't you know who is the King of Beasts? Aslan is a lion--the Lion, the great Lion."
"Ooh!" said Susan, "I'd thought he was a man. Is he--quite safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion."
"That you will, dearie, and no mistake," said Mrs. Beaver; "if there's anyone who can appear before Aslan without their knees knocking, they're either braver than most or else just silly."
"Then he isn't safe?" said Lucy.
"Safe?" said Mr. Beaver; "don't you hear what Mrs. Beaver tells you? Who said anything about safe? 'Course he isn't safe. But he's good. He's the King, I tell you."
"I'm longing to see him," said Peter, "even if I do feel frightened when it comes to the point" (86).
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Lewis, C.S. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. New York: HarperCollins, 1950.

This image of God has been on my mind in recent days. Up to this point, I have not used this blog to talk about my faith. I thought that I wanted it to be a place for me to discuss culture and media and I didn't want potential readers to be turned away by pre-conceived notions of what "Christians" talk about. However, I've come to realize that this is really stifling what I want to say. How can I talk about the impact that media has in my life while leaving out a huge part of it?? So - from now on, I'll talk about whatever. :-) I hope you stay and join the conversation.

Back to the image of God as Lewis portrays him. At other points in the series, characters talk about how Aslan is "not a tame lion." He is not safe, but he is good. What a beautifully terrifying picture of God. I mean that in a good way. I believe that I should have a healthy (emphasis on healthy) fear of God. I think my concept of God has turned into someone that makes my life work that way I want Him to. Then, when something doesn't turn out the way I anticipate, I am angry at God. Why? Have I been given my version of the future? Absolutely not. Then why do I feel as is I have lost something I never had in the first place?

I'm reminded of a quote by Jim Eliot. (This is from memory, so it may not be exactly correct.) "Whatever is--is actual. What might be, simply is not. Therefore, I must not query God as if he has robbed me of things which are not. Furthermore, the things that are are good, God-given and enriched. Let not my longing slay the appetite of my living." How do I "slay the appetite of my living?" When I focus on what could have been or what I wish had happened, instead of realizing what God has for me today. When I allow fear or a desire to make everything okay for people kill the urge to share my heart.

I have been reading Captivating by Stasi and John Eldridge. There is a phrase that has been on my mind. Stasi says women often feel like they are both too much and too little. That captures, in a nutshell, many of my issues. I often feel that I am too much. I tend to hold my heart back, not because I don't long for people to see me or because I don't trust them, but because I am afraid that they just don't want to deal with it. It's too much.

I guess this image of God as both a fierce and good lion is forcing me to look at some patterns of relating that I have, both with God and with people. It never ceases to amaze me how God uses literature and story to touch my heart in the deepest places. Thank you, Father.