Mike King

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

So far this holiday season The Boy in the Striped Pajamas is the only "must see" movie on my list.  I saw it last week with Vicki and my parents.  This is a heavy but extraordinary film. 

Here is a summary from Wikipedia; "Bruno is an eight year old German boy who leads a very comfortable life in Berlin during the Second World War. His father is a high ranking Nazi officer, and things change when the family has to move due to his father’s new post. In his innocence, Bruno sees the nearby concentration camp  as a ‘farm’ and wonders why its inhabitants are always wearing striped pajamas. Eventually Bruno becomes friends with a Jewish boy his own age who lives on the other side of the fence."

Seeing the atrocity of the holocaust through the eyes of eight year old boys is very unique.  It humanizes the ugly reality of what was happening in a way that brings it close.  In other words, sometimes the viewing of nasty people doing these atrocious things results in a kind of disbelief that these kinds of things could really happen in our world today.  This can leave us thinking "Those weren't human beings they were monsters."  Somehow this allows us to remain distant from these realities.  The Boy in the Striped Pajamas gives a glimpse into the human tragedy that allows us to realize this kind of thing not only could happen, it is happening.  There were points in this movie where I would realize that I had actually quit breathing, other times I would exclaim, "Oh, My God."  Here is the trailer.

Ordinary Radicals

What: Ordinary Radicals movie (with director/co-founder of The Simple Way, Jamie Moffett, and author/interviewee, Zach Exley)

When: Tuesday, Sept. 23rd

Where: Screenland theatres in the Crossroads

Directions: 1656 Washington Kansas City, MO 64108

Time: 7:30pm

Cost: 10 dollars (buy tickets at door or online: http://www.theordinaryradicals.com/blog/calendar)

Dark Knight

I thought about writing a review of Dark Knight but everyone seems convinced this is a great summer movie.  I am not on the bandwagon that Heath Ledger should win an Oscar for his performance - amazing as it was.  I also liked the storyline in Batman Begins better than the storyline in Dark Knight.  But the special effects in Dark Knight... wow!

The coolest thing about Dark Knight, however, is that Gorman Stanley (one of my closest friends and former youth ministry student followed by staff member associate at Youthfront) produced the media for the Dark Knight Premiere.  He was seeing the movie before the rest of us blokes.  Way to go Gorman, you've come a long way since The Trumpet of Jesus.  Gorman recently worked on the ESPY Awards and rumor has it that he wrote Will Ferrell's schtick upon receiving the Best Male Athlete Award on behalf of Tiger Woods.  It's only rumor...

Anyway, here is a picture Gorman sent me of his stuff from the Dark Knight Premiere.

Coming Soon

 

The Hobbit in 2010 and 2011

YES... this is really good news.  The Hobbit will happen and Peter Jackson will be involved.  YES... i'm glad this is not April 1st.

Merry Christmas.

The Golden Compass Controversy

New Line Cinema's "The Golden Compass" comes out this Friday.  This movie is based on the first book called "Northern Lights" (in the UK) in the trilogy His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman.  Pullman is the son of an Anglican Minister and is quite outspoken about the merits of Atheism.  The story is about Lyra, an orphan who lives in an alternate universe.  Lyra's friend is kidnapped and she begins a journey to rescue him.  Her biggest opposition is the Magisterium.  It appears the movie has been adapted in order to not be as overt as the novel in depicting the evil authoritarian organization (the Magisterium) as the Church or more specifically the Roman Catholic Church.  In the book the Magisterium has monks and an executive group called the Vatican Council (not included in the movie).

Pullman responds to the criticism of being an atheistic, anti-church propagandist by saying that he is against all forms of totalitarianism from any source.  The Kansas City Star had an excellent article about the reaction of many Christians and Churches to this movie.  You can read the article here.  Reading the criticism of most of the religious leaders  in the article seemed trite and full of fear.  Fortunately the article also quoted Christian leaders who expressed  non-fear based opinions.  Craig Detweiler from Fuller Theological Seminary reminds us that this is a work of fiction that appeals to the imagination.  I agree.  My imagination sees the Magisteriums of the world as those who are willing to demonize anyone who doesn't embrace their creeds and world view.  These kinds of Magisteriums exist both inside and outside the Church.  Criticism from the church for this movie and Pullman's trilogy is the wrong fight at the wrong time.  Detweiler states, "For the church to be criticizing a book that suggests religious organizations can harm young people is particularly ill-timed.  Here in Southern California the Roman Catholic Church is facing $1 billion in judgments in sexual abuse cases.  So I don't think these protests are coming from a position of strength.  In fact, they tend to make Pullman look remarkably prescient."

In hopes that I will avoid being accused of an anti-Catholic sentiment, I will quote from a book I finished yesterday by Timothy Radcliffe called What is the Point of Being a Christian?  Radcliffe is an Oxford educated Dominican Friar.  Radcliffe writes, "It is a failure of courage to rush into condemnation... fear never serves the pursuit of truth... even if someone says something which is clearly unorthodox, my first reaction must be to see what truth they are trying to say rather than immediately condemn their error.  They may be struggling to say something true, even if they are putting it in a way that is untrue."  I think we would do well to react to this film in this manner.  I don't think Philip Pullman has an agenda against Jesus Christ, his frustration is with Jesus' followers and institutions that speak arrogantly on Christ's behalf.  Instead of jumping on the fear bandwagon let's go see the movie and have conversations with those around us - conversations that are inquisitive, imaginative and winsome.  Peace.

Prince Caspian - A Return to Narnia

Coming this Spring

Evan Almighty

Last Tuesday night Vicki and I were invited to join other ministry leaders in Kansas City for a private viewing of the soon to be released movie Evan Almighty.  I thought that Bruce Almighty was an interesting movie but one with several uncomfortable scenes.  Making a movie about God can be a dangerous proposition.  My expectations for Evan Almighty were moderate even though it was being marketed to the faith community (maybe because it was being marketed to the faith community).  However, my low expectations were shattered by a really excellent movie.  I am a huge Steve Carell and Morgan Freeman fan.  They did not disappoint me. This movie cost $175 million to make.  Even though it is a sequel, it really isn't.  Steve Carell was in Bruce Almighty but his leading role in Evan Almighty is not because of his scene stealing appearance in the first movie.  Carell has become a real star and amazing talent.  I'm glad Jim Carrey didn't sign on for this movie.  Really, Morgan Freeman is the most continuity from the Bruce to Evan Almighty.  Stand-up comedian Wanda Sykes is the scene stealer in this installment of Almighty.  She got some of the best comedy lines.

I had questions about how the Ark theme would fit in this movie.  They pulled it off.  I was intrigued by the theological themes of Creation Theology and Perichoresis (a world used to describe the Trinity, it means circle dance and the tie in with Creation Theology is the opportunity that we have to enter into the unfolding narrative of the Triune God at work in the restoration of the world and cosmos - there is even a very cool scene where Evan and God dance together).

This is a very good movie with a great message that you can take your family to see.

Into Great Silence

As a part of Holy Week observation, a group of us went to see the movie Into Great Silence.  I had read several reviews of this film and was quite intrigued.  Here is a synopsis of the film from Zeitgeist Films.

"Nestled deep in the postcard-perfect French Alps, the Grande Chartreuse is considered one of the world’s most ascetic monasteries. In 1984, German filmmaker Philip Gröning wrote to the Carthusian order for permission to make a documentary about them. They said they would get back to him. Sixteen years later, they were ready. Gröning, sans crew or artificial lighting, lived in the monks’ quarters for six months—filming their daily prayers, tasks, rituals and rare outdoor excursions. This transcendent, closely observed film seeks to embody a monastery, rather than simply depict one—it has no score, no voiceover and no archival footage. What remains is stunningly elemental: time, space and light. One of the most mesmerizing and poetic chronicles of spirituality ever created, INTO GREAT SILENCE dissolves the border between screen and audience with a total immersion into the hush of monastic life. More meditation than documentary, it’s a rare, transformative theatrical experience for all."

Into Great Silence was a wonderful meditation.  I showed up about ten minutes before the published start time.  The art house theatre was packed at 2:00 PM on Thursday.  I was really surprised.  I thought our group would have the theatre to ourselves.  There were no previews of coming attractions - the movie just abruptly started.  Not everyone was seated yet, the theatre was dark, people were trying to find seats and the silence was loud.  Every noise in the theatre added to the distraction of the situation because there was very little sound coming from the film.  I quickly realized how stressed I was because I wanted to transition from the busyness and noise of my day to the environment of peace set forth by this film.  This seemed to be the experience of the whole theatre because within five minutes the audience was pulled into the tranquility of the monastery.  It was a full hour and some minutes before the movie depicted the first Sunday, a day in which the monks go on a long walk in the countryside and engage in conversation.  Fascinating conversation and very stimulating.  The prayer times in the daily offices were beautiful and reverential, the simplicity was convicting and the devotional rhythm of life - stimulating.  In a world of fast paced consumerism that neurotically drives our lives this movie was a reminder of how beautiful life with God can be at the deepest level.  I found myself, during the nearly three hours of silence and the slow pace of the film, drawn to the beauty of birds singing in the background, light beams coming through a window and snow flakes falling to the earth.  This film in one word - BEAUTY.

That whole Jesus thing is very interesting, isn't it?

Daniel, my son, and I went to the movie Bridge to Terabithia.  It was not what I was expecting.  I was expecting an OK but not up to the level Lord of the Rings type movie.  I think the trailer gave me this impression.  However, I wasn’t disappointed.  The movie focused on fairly realistic 12 year olds (my guess on their age) who were trying to navigate through the issues of early adolescence.  My passion for understanding the world of adolescents pulled me into this movie.  The leading actors in this movie are Jessie, a boy who is really struggling to survive in his world of school and family.  Leslie, a girl, moves into the house next to his.  Leslie, developmentally well ahead of Jessie, has discovered her imagination as a life-giving force and gradually opens up a new world of story, creativity and purpose to Jessie.

    

“The scene” of the movie for me was Leslie, a non-church attendee, inviting herself to go to church on Easter with Jessie’s family.  During the service she appeared to be quite fascinated with the service, the stained glass windows, etc.  On the way home, Jessie, his little sister and Leslie are riding in the back of the pick-up.  Leslie remarks, “I’m really glad I came.”  Jessie is not sure if she is kidding or being serious.  Leslie follows up by saying, “It was better than a movie.”  Jessie replies, “You’re kidding.”  Leslie obviously not kidding responds, “No, I’m not.  That whole Jesus thing is really interesting, isn’t it?”  Jessie asks, “What do you mean?”  Leslie answers, “All those people wanting to kill him when he hadn’t done anything to hurt them.  It’s really kind of a beautiful story like Abraham Lincoln or Socrates or Aslan.”  Jessie’s little sister blurts out, “It ain’t beautiful, it’s scary.  Nailing holes right through somebody’s hand.”  Jessie agrees, “May Belle’s right, it’s because we’re all vile sinners God made Jesus die.”  Leslie responds, “Do you think that’s true?”  Jessie snaps back, “It’s in the Bible, Leslie.”  After a pause Leslie says, “It’s crazy, isn’t it?  You have to believe it, but you hate it.  I don’t have to believe it, and I think it’s beautiful.”

 

At the end of this scene I was sitting there amazed at the dialogue I had just watched.  I’m thinking how often this discussion is true.  I’m afraid the way we present Jesus and the Gospel among youth leads to the kind of callousness demonstrated by Jessie and his sister.  The Gospel is beautiful, powerful, and captivating.  This scene has caused me to reflect on the things we do in the church to mess up the power of the story of Jesus.  When I got home I dug around to discover that Katherine Paterson, a former missionary, is the author of Bridge to Terabithia.  Do you have any thoughts about why so often those who grow up in the church feel like Jessie?