the artist/art divide

Last summer I spent a weekend at my great aunt's house in Visalia, CA (near Fresno) because of some financial problems with my grandma's sister's niece. Ya, its complicated, messy, and all that jazz, but thankfully all I had to do was drive and look pretty, so I didn't have to deal with all the paper and phone calls. Well, with nothing to do (seriously, only the God of Sarah could make the place less barren) my sister and I decided to go see a movie. While we were trying to decide what to see, one of my family members decided to chime in: "You can't see War of the Worlds, I won't allow you, I'm boycotting that film because Tom Cruise is in it."

"That's ok," I said, "I've already seen it anyway. I didn't like it."

"Good," they replied.

This is way back when Tom Cruise went couch hopping on Oprah and everything he said was either about Scientology or Katie Holmes and her openness to Scientology. So this person was either reacting unfavorably to his Scientology antics or his woman antics. If I thought it worth it, I would have continued the conversation and found out which, but I could immediately see that their emotional stance would have gotten in the way of a possibly enriching dialogue. So I just let them do their thing.

The reason I bring this up is because of a recent article I read at Christianity Today Online about one of the actor's in last year's movie End of the Spear. The movie is about the five missionaries who were speared to death in the quest to evangelize a tribe in jungles of Ecuador. I haven't seen the movie, so I can't comment on its merit, but I do have a few words to say about the gay actor Chad Allen who took the role of one the five missionaries. Ya that's right, gay. The article, titled "Christian Studio Explains Hiring of Gay Actor", was written to... well, explain the hiring of a gay actor.

And I think they do that quite well. But the bone I am eager to pick is the fact that they had to explain it at all. We Christians can be so egotistical at times. Our "greater-than-though" demeanor is the reason so many people don't give Christianity a second thought. And why should they? If we are always huddled in our holy buildings talking about how lost "those sinners" are out there and how much they need us and our message, we are bound to eventually piss them off.

I may not agree with the lifestyle of Chad Allen, but since when has anyone's life really been "agreeable". Mine certainly isn't. And, dare I say, your's isn't too shiny either. So to suggest that a sinner can not be a part of the declaration of love, goodness, truth, and beauty is to suggest that the whole world shut up.

For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. - Romans 3:23

To say that a sinner, a homosexual in this case, has nothing of value to contribute to the world is a statement based on nothing but discomfort and hate. We don't like the idea that a homosexual might have something to say or show us that might be enlightening, so we just label him an outcast. We avoid talking to them, and distance ourselves from them in hopes that they will never come around and make us feel uncomfortable or wary.

I am a fan of classical music. All music really, but especially classical. Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake and Piano Concerto No. 1 are absolutely beautiful, and I have yet to find someone to disagree with me. But Tchaikovsky was a homosexual. So that's it. Your kids can never listen to Tchaikovsky again.

And while were at it, why don't we just take all of Michael Jackson's records and burn them in our back yards whilst chanting "Jackson's going to hell!!!" like good little soldiers of God.

The Passion of the Christ, a movie about the very act that has given humanity a ticket out of the fiery lake of hell, was created by a self-proclaimed drunk. Mel Gibson.

A lying and conniving drug addict has brought many people to Christ. Ted Haggard.

And some of the greatest men (and writers) of the Bible were liars, adulterers, polygamists, and murderers who went on to become warriors of God that put most of us to shame.

Am I suggesting that we overlook sin? Absolutely not, but we also shouldn't overlook God's knack of using the most sinful of us all for some of his greatest of achievements. Boycotting a movie because an actor's life isn't the way we'd like it to be is just as foolish as boycotting books of the Bible because some its writers' lives were not the way we would have liked them to be.

As far as my venture to the theater that day, we ended up seeing Fantastic Four. Oy vey! I would much rather have seen the disappointedly mediocre War of the Worlds again...

"Al Gore's 'Inconvenient Oops'" - dave burchett

Excellent post. It put me in my place.

hobbits

So this is been out for a while now, but just in case you haven't seen it, you need to so that you can appreciate the even funnier second clip.



This second clip had my cousin and me on the floor:


And now, the entire trilogy in 15 seconds!!!

Fellowship:


Two Towers:


Return of the King:

Blades of Glory (2007)

I didn't think I was going to like Blades of Glory. I could see myself possibly hating it. But, its Will Ferrel...and I have a soft spot for him and his foolishness, so I went.

And I laughed nearly the entire time. The hokeyness of it all was just too good for me not to. Everything wreaked with absolute absurdity from the very beginning and never delved into trying to be serious. I dedicated nearly 8 years of my life to the sport, and still watch it on television, so I can say with confidence that the parody was spot on. The cameos were a nice touch, as well. The only person I didn't see though, and wanted to, was Dick Button. He's my favorite commentator. He always has something to say, and he always says it...and his name is funny. I also saw a few skaters in the background who I used to skate with on a daily basis, and I haven't seen them in yeeears. They look so different now...aww...nostalgia...

Be forewarned, though, it is a bit on the sexually blunt side of things, so it isn't a movie I'd sit down with my family and watch. But even with the few blatant "that's just wrong" moments, it was a nice trip down hardy-har-har-lane.

If an hour and a half of utter ridiculousness is your fancy, its worth it.

B

The Lookout (2007)

Why isn't this at the top of the box office? Seriously, if there ever was an independent-esque film that needed to be marketed like a mainstream blockbuster, it is this one.

Its a funny, sexy, intensely satisfying bank robbery drama about a handicapped young man (Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Brick) reclaiming his life with the help of a blind man (Jeff Daniels, The Squid and the Whale). Gordon-Levitt? Daniels? What's not to like?

Scott Frank, the screenwriter who penned such classics as Get Shorty, Out of Sight, and Minority Report, gives us a wonderful screenplay that doesn't resort to the ultimate of cliches in regards to bank robbery movies: there is no twist ending. Adam Kempenaar of the Filmspotting Podcast said he "kept expecting with this crime movie there to be some big twist reveal at the end." I was as well. And if anything, Frank's straight forward approach is a twist ending in and of itself because of our expectations.

It is a wonderful film with some excellent dialogues between Gordon-Levitt and Daniels that "you just have fun listening to" (Kempenaar). It was fun. And I plan on watching it again on DVD.

A

TMNT (2007)

Explanation: my cousin wanted to see it, I said I wouldn't pay to see it, he said he'd pay, so I reluctantly went. It was terrible.

D

the road goes ever on and on

Its been a long two weeks. I had several speeches, two huge writing assignments, two all-nighters because of them, a car accident (thankfully not my fault) that will likely result in my car being totaled, and a few mental breakdowns here and there because of all the aforementioned tolls on my cardiac muscles and brain synapses.

I could go on and on (seriously, I am an excellent complainer) and talk about how crappy the week was in detail, but I won't, because there were good times (some transcendental) amidst the flood of insanity.

My car accident was on Thursday night, the day before Good Friday, and I spent all night after the accident doing one of my assignments. I didn't sleep at all. Obviously, I had much to moan about on Friday. And that's basically all I did for the whole day, until I finally realized that Jesus was up all night praying and sweating blood in his earnestness and didn't just have to go to school and work the next day. He had to save the freakin' world (us) from itself and its inherent stupidity. He didn't complain, even though he could have. He didn't stop it, even though he could have. He had a job to do, and he did it.

I was at work when I finally understood my absolute selfishness. I asked to take a break, and locked myself in the bathroom and contemplated how easy it had become for the things of this world to discourage me. I was sad for a few minutes, but quickly converted to an attitude of thankfulness and forgiveness, and spent the rest of my shift relishing in the company my fellow coworkers. I no longer hated my teacher for giving me that assignment. I was thankful that I was still alive after my accident. But most of all, I was thankful that I, instead of being whipped to shreds, pierced with nails, and hung on a cross to die, only had 4 classes to go to (one of which I chose to dose off in) and five hours of work in the afternoon. Hardly a reverberation to be had in comparison to that of Jesus' day of Crucifixion.

That evening I chose to sit down and watch The Passion of the Christ. I had been avoiding doing this on Good Friday that past few years because I thought it was a bit cliche to do so. But after watching it, it was anything but. I've seen it about 4 times now, but the movie is still as powerful as the first time I saw it several years ago. The scene where Mary runs to Jesus and He says "See, Mother, I make all things new" and then stands up and embraces the Cross...that is the most powerful scene in the movie for me. Mel Gibson rightly calls it the "hero shot". It is a beautiful harmony of sight, sound, and context that represents His valour in completing his task (for my benefit) as given to him by the Father. It is unequivocally beautiful.

I slept for 13 hours that night, did some homework on Saturday, and went to the theater to see TMNT (there is an explanation for this travesty, later though) and The Lookout. Easter was a highlight. After an early morning, outdoor service, I went out to my aunt and uncle's place in Corona, ate some delicious food and spent the afternoon playing Phase 10, hiding eggs, and perusing the addictive archives of Youtube with my cousin. Hilarity ensued, as usual, and I went home with some stronger abs due to laughing. See? Youtube is healthy!

The week that followed, this past week, was busy, but nice. The new episode of Lost was magnificent and aggravating at the same time. The ending sent me into a tizzy fit for a few hours. I was duped, I admit, and now I'm pissed. Also, I basically quit my job. Starting in two weeks, I will only be working 5 hours a week as opposed to the 30 that I am working now. I did this for several reasons. One, I will have some time to study for finals when they come around. Two, if a job opportunity arises in which they need someone immediately, I can take it. And three, if I don't have a different job by summer, I can start working full time again at the one I have now. I hope number three never comes to pass though.

And last night, I went to see Blades of Glory. And I saw Grindhouse a few hours ago.

A long two weeks, but a rewarding two.