Where's My Anchor - A Review of "Marley & Me"

- Marley & Me: a real-life story, but not just a "dog lovers" movie -

If you've viewed the flick, you'll find:

• family values - a sound marriage, 3 children, living life together
  
• contrast of life between the married guy and the single "world traveler" guy
• perseverance with real life situations
  
• real life - infertility, miscarriage, multiple children, sleep deprivation, husband/wife disagreements, in-laws, job dissatisfaction, job change
  
• choices and consequences
  

All of the above, along with the main characters made for an entertaining movie, and, I admit that towards the end, my eyes filled with wet matter (aka tears). Afterward I conversed with my date, the lovely Catherine Miller, and told her that I was bothered by something in the movie.

At first I was unable to voice the lingering distraction, but the more I replayed the highlights of the film in my mind, I realized that the movie did not show a key to the reason why this family enjoyed life. I had questions:

• how did the wife stick to her choice to be a full-time mom when she apparently was a very successful career woman?
  
• what enabled her to get past her emotions which contributed to some spontaneous, serious, intense spats with her husband?
• how did the husband persevere with his wife through the infertility, sleep deprivation?
• what drove him to believe he could be successful by moving his family 1,000 miles away from the current home and job for a new location and job?
  

Finally, the lightbulb turned on for me: The husband and wife both operated from a foundation of faith and hope that: 1) it all would either turn out okay, or, 2) they would just continue with life and make the most of the situation. But the movie's director chose not to reveal their source of their hope and their understanding of how the world works.

True, not blind, faith must have an object to be faithful to. A camper must secure his or her tent with anchors to ensure that it's not washed away by a sudden downpour. A homeowner in Florida relies on roof anchors screwed into the dwelling to prevent the loss of head covering during a tropical storm or hurricane.

Hope is more than just a feeling. I think you would agree that feelings change more than the weather.

So what object then is to be my focus for faith? What or who does not change?

If you are a Christian, then you may have read (from the ESV, all bolded text mine):

• OBJECT: "...but God shows his love for us in that while were still sinners, Christ died for us." - Romans 5:8

• OBJECT: "Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God." - Hebrews 12:1

• TRUTH & HOPE: "...for the sake of the faith of God's elect and their knowledge of the truth, which accords with godliness, in hope of eternal life, which God, who never lies, promised before the ages began..." - Titus 1:1-2

• ANCHOR: "Unless the Lord builds the house, those who labor build it in vain..." - Psalm 127: 1

--CFM

Movie Reviews: Prince Caspian

I have missed Narnia.

And I know that I was expecting bit more out of the filmmakers since the The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. I knew plot changes were added, I knew it would be more intense. I hoped beyond hoped that it would still be the Narnia that I love so dearly. And it was.

The magic of the world Lewis created is ever present in this latest film. I kept thinking during the movie that many of the events could happen "only in Narnia." It was almost a sigh of relief that the film jumped from England to Narnia within the first 10 minutes or so; it was so good to get back.

All this to say, I was disappointed in some aspects of the movie.

Add a Little Here and a Little There...

The Pevensies are older and with age comes change. Yet (and perhaps I am an old stickler for staying true to the story) it doesn't mean the story has to be changed. One of the key alterations were the additudes of the two eldest, Peter and Susan. Peter first.

He is struggling with the fact he is no longer a king. He is a bit tiffed at having to return to the "normal" world. Who can blame him? Pride combines with stubbornness to produce a real mess. Peter wants to prove himself, that he "coulda been (or still is) a contender." In this spirit, a raid on Miraz's castle is formed and ends up costing the lives of many Narnians. I even got a bit choked up when at one point part of the group has escaped and the other part is trapped inside the castle with no way to out.

I sympathize with Peter. As he tells Lucy, he just wants proof that Aslan is real, that he called them, and that he has a plan for them. But don't we all? Lucy comes back with, "Well, maybe we need to prove ourselves to him." Unfortunately, she didn't see the faces of the Narnians who knew they couldn't escape the doom descending upon them in the castle when Peter's attack failed. Attempting to prove our worth or maturity won't work and Peter learned that the hard way. We under no certain terms can ever prove ourselves to God. On the contrary, God proved himself to us, establishing himself as both just and the justifier of our sins (Romans 3:16).

On to Susan. I'll admit, I may be too hard on female characters in movies. Nevertheless, I stand by my conviction that this portrayal of Susan was really off the mark. The actress who plays Susan is pretty and rightly so. Queen Susan was the fairest of all while in Narnia. However, this beauty comes off as too much of Hollywood's babe mentality. Susan catches the eye of Prince Caspian. She says some of those phrases we all know from the romantic movies, such as "You may need to call me sometime." And she even kisses Caspian in the end! There were audible groans and a few forehead slaps after that one in the theater.

Somehow I don't see Lewis's Susan doing any of those things. It was written in one of the books that Susan received at her court the requests of many lords for her hand in marriage yet she was unswayed by all of them. She wasn't easily wooed. Was she a strong woman? Yes, but she didn't need to fight single-handily in the woods against Telmarines to prove it (another addition to the story I didn't quite appreciate).

Now could there be room for creative liberty in Lewis's story for developing typical teenage feelings and attitudes? Perhaps. But as we must remember, these were no ordinary children. These were kings and queens. These were called by Aslan.

Steadfast

Lucy (and Edmund) was very much the same. She was a bit taller and she had grown up but she as a Lewis character was still there.

It was almost as if Lucy was the only character who understood that major changes had been made to the story and she wasn't impressed with them. Peter wants to charge the castle and Caspian wants to hunker down in Aslan's How. Lucy pipes up with, "But you only seem to think there are two options." Anyone for Lewis's idea for the story?

In another scene, Susan bashfully looks down from a horse at Caspian and tells him to keep the horn because he may need to call her again. Lucy repeats the line to Susan later in the story as if to say, "What was that?!" She never got a full explanation.

Finally, when Susan runs back to Caspian for her kiss, Lucy's jaw drops and she says, "I don't think I will understand that until I am a grown up." I didn't understand it so I doubt she ever will.

Even with these major changes, the magic of Narnia was there. The first film had the story but lacked the magic. This one has the magic but lacked the fullness of the story Lewis penned. Maybe the next film will prove itself to combine both elements.

Conclusion

I'll say it again, I have missed Narnia.

Perhaps as much as the four Pevensie children did. However, while they have tasted the sweetness of Aslan's breath and have felt the warmth of his golden mane, I am still waiting for that day. The day when "we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is" (1 John 3:2). See the movie if for nothing else to be stirred with the longing to move beyond this world into the next; to move "further up, and further in"; to kneel before the great Lion who isn't a tame lion but loves us and has "called us out of our darkness into his marvelous light," according to his purpose (1 Peter 2:9).

-- HM

Movie Review -- "The Family Stone"

To be honest, I did not think I would ever end up watching this movie. After reading a Christian review of the film when it first came out, I wrote it off as an unworthy object of my attention. If a reviewer wrote that the movie "Stone deserves to sink like one" (1), how good could it possibly be? But after my mom watched the movie on DVD (plus all the extras, which is a rare feat), I thought I would give The Family Stone a chance.

The Gist of It

The movie revolves around the Stone family, a group of interesting characters to say the least, during a three day Christmas period. The parents, Sybil and Kelly (go ahead and try to figure out which one is the mom and which is the dad) have 5 unique children who fit every characteristic children could have: one is the professional businessman, one a professed freak, another a rebel, one a wife and mother, and one is deaf and gay. The eldest is Everett, the professional, who is bringing his uptight, high-strung, extremely nervous girlfriend, Meredith Morton, to meet his quirky family. They are all predisposed to believe the reports of the rebel Amy that Meredith is a stuck-up, proud, party-pooper. And so the gossip begins. Yet as the time passes and we watch Meredith's interaction with the Stone family, we begin to see not only a tight-knit family but also the attempts of a woman who wants to be accepted by them. Moments in the movie range from moving to the extremely painful, but, by the end, not only is the family circle larger, it is stronger as well.

A Diamond in the Rough

Forgive the cliche but I figured I better stick with the theme. The diamond part of this movie is it's focus on family relations. No one, and I mean no one, in this movie comes off as even a goody-two-shoes. Each character has its issues and flaws which are blazingly apparent. Yet even with flaws, the parents love each one of their children dearly.

For example, the gay/deaf son is welcomed joyously with his partner for Christmas. Some may argue that promoting positively a gay couple is inappropriate and wrong especially for Christians. The Bible does clearly state that homosexuality is a sin and we are not to live in sin. Nonetheless, this does not stop Christians from loving our gay friends or family members any more than it stops us from loving those who deal with other sins. The nonjudgmental love of the Stones was moving. If a family of nonbelievers can have such depth of love, can not Christians have it, if not more?

This movie is a glimpse, a snapshot, into family life. It is taken to an extreme but that is how the points of the story are made. Meredith Morton is an outsider who just needs to relax. As the movie moves on we get to see her relax a little bit. I wish we could have seen it revealed more. We have all felt like an outsider, that no matter what we do it is never good enough or never meets the expectations of those we want to please. Even in trying to understand the different relationships in the family, Meredith comes off the wrong way and is misunderstood. As Ben the "freak" told her, she has a freak flag; she just doesn't fly it.

So what is the point then of portraying a loving family? What is the truth in this? The truth is revealed in a pivotal scene after an event in which Meredith says something perceived to be completely offensive to the family. Sybil is in the kitchen with her son, Everett, who is still bent on marry Meredith. The mother explains to her son simply that she is dying and that nothing he does can save her: not being the perfect professional, not having a good job, not even by getting married. The screenwriters reveal an inherent truth: a family's love is glue that keeps them together but no matter how much we as humans love, we are utterly incapable of saving each other. Unfortunately it isn't communicated who can save us --only God : Jesus Christ.

Everett not marrying Meredith isn't going to keep the family intact. When this is realized, a resentment is eased towards Meredith. It also helps that Meredith, for all her striving, buys the best Christmas presents the family needs at this time of death: a beautifully matted and framed picture of Sybil, in the vitality of youth and life pregnant with one of the children. Thus, the family embraces Meredith, grasping that though she is different and is still discovering who she is, she needs a loving family; that their love can help her in this journey.

We are all a bit like Meredith. We strive to do the right thing, to say the right thing, to be the right person in order to please and to be loved by our family, friends and/or others. But that then is not love; it is simply an acceptance based on merit. As Meredith comes to realize, love is not founded on performance. It is unconditional, no matter how well we pull ourselves together, or, don't.

It was God's love for us that saved us; that "while we were still sinners Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). We are then to channel this love to shower on others. Love as I have loved you, Jesus said (John 15:12). Sadly, Stone doesn't recognize this source of their love.

The rough part of the film comes from the language and sexual innuendos that lace the dialog. Though a good movie (which had me in tears at the end, a rare feat), it isn't for those who don't want to think about what they are watching. For that type of viewing, I would recommend something along the lines of Veggie Tales.

In the End...

The Family Stone works at showing family relations realistically. Life isn't easy nor are the people in your life but a family that loves each other no matter what will survive, even the most devastating of blows. Nevertheless, our human love is only good to a certain extent and, happily, Meredith gets to experience this love by the end of the film. It is only through God's fullness of love and grace we are saved from the trials of this life and our sinful nature. For those who feel up to the challenge, the movie is a warming picture of family. The film isn't perfect but neither is family life which in some ways enhances the story even more.

--HM

1. http://www.pluggedinonline.com/movies/movies/a0002456.cfm

Movie Review: Spiderman 3 -- A Sermon on Steroids

Introduction

In May of this year, Spiderman 3 was released as a mammoth summer blockbuster . The DVD came out a few weeks ago. Invariably, the third installment stays true to the swinging, combat, special effects loaded structure of the previous two movies. However, Sam Raimi, the director-writer, and Ivan Raimi, co-writer, try to impart a message of forgiveness, loyalty, doing right, and reconciliation which though good, overloads the story until it is a preachy sermon on the subject.

General Overview

Spidey 3 picks up where Spiderman 2 left off: Peter Parker is basking in the glory of being the famous Spiderman and, finally, getting his girl, Mary Jane (MJ). Quickly, his world is disrupted, first, by the fact MJ breaks up with him and, second, by the mysterious substance from space. To top it off, Harry is trying to kill him, the city is in danger from the Sandman, and he (Peter) is struggling to keep his job at the newspaper and to rid himself of the evil space creature. Peter now has to fight not only the evil that has attached to himself but also the city's criminals.

Preach it, Preacher

To commence, the movie was more than a tad too long in telling the story. From the beginning, the film starts on its positive messages. Peter is cocky in his Spiderman success. So cocky in fact that he is blind to MJ's pain (she lost her starring role in a stage play). Lesson number one: don't get so caught up in your own glory that you fail to communicate with and aid others in their struggles. "A man's pride brings him low" (Proverbs 29:23).

Next, the filmmakers show us the negative side of revenge as both Harry and Peter contend to redress the death of their father and uncle respectively. Also, Peter who is struggling with the lost relationships with MJ and Harry, now finds out that his uncle's killer is still on the loose. Meaning that the man he interposed retaliation on in the first movie was the wrong guy. Lesson number two: Justice cannot be satisfied by revenge and it only destroys more than it rectifies. "Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," [ Deut. 32:35] says the Lord" (Romans 12:19).

In this state, the martian creature from outer space attaches to Peter and his suit, transforming him into a darker version of himself. With this creature, he has more power but he is also more cocky, prideful, smooth with the ladies and down-right annoying. Lesson number three: If it is black goo from outer space, don't touch it! But seriously, "do not let sin reign in your mortal body, so that you obey its evil desires" (Romans 6: 12).

Peter is freed from the goo and it, in turn, attaches to another man turning him into the creature Venom. In an attempt to kill Spiderman, Venom and the Sandman kidnap MJ. Peter and Harry are reconciled, working together to save their friend. In the end, Harry is killed, having taken the death blow from Venom in Peter's place. Lesson number four: The ultimate sacrifice is to die for someone you love. "No greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends" (John 15:13).

A desperate struggle ensues as Peter battles Venom. The man, Eddie, entrapped by Venom "likes to be mad" as he puts it. He actually relishes the evil that has inhabited him. Peter finally extracts Venom from Eddie but in his love for the creature, Eddie joins it in its final destruction. Lesson number five: Giving into one's sin leads to destruction. "He who pursues evil goes to his death" (Proverbs 11:19b).

Since Venom is taken care of, Peter goes after the Sandman. He comes face to face, then, with his uncle's killer. Instead of a mad rush to destroy this man, Peter has a brief conversation with the Sandman, hearing the true tale of his uncle's death. The Sandman doesn't expect Peter to forgive him but a moment later, Peter tells him, "I forgive you." Both are then freed: one from guilt and the other from revenge. Lesson number six: Forgiveness is pretty powerful stuff and should be used instead of revenge. "Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you" (Colossians 3:13).

Finally, Peter and MJ are reconciled and, the audience is led to believe, take up their relationship where they left off--in love. Lesson number seven: Never give up on a person, no matter how badly they may behave or inconsiderate they may seem. "Love never fails" (1 Corinthians 13:8a).

Conclusion

The above lessons are excellent and it is hard to find a film today which displays this kind of biblical truth. The problem is that this is a story, not a sermon. The multiple morals weight down Spiderman 3. Every story has a lesson or two to be learned but it doesn't beat the audience over the head with it. Never should a story bombard its audience with its lessons. Instead it should subtly and beautifully allow the audience to discover the lesson on its own. The lesson is a treasure to be found.

Spiderman 3's story is also old. It's the same one audiences experienced in the other two: Peter Parker struggles with his identity, his relationships, and the evildoers; in his relationship with MJ, every two steps forward result in three steps back. The tag line for this movie is: "the greatest battle lies within." Jesus summed up the law by stating that mankind is to love God with all his heart, mind, and strength and to love his neighbor as himself. This was his essential message, as the writers of the Westminster Confession showed, but Jesus varied the message through parables, stories or sermons. The Spiderman trilogy can be summed up with the quote from movie #1: "With great power comes great responsibility." Sadly, Spiderman 3 over uses this mantra and the result is a less than satisfying story.

--HM

Movie Review: Nancy Drew

Introduction:

When we begin to read a book, literary experts encourage us to enter into the "Great Conversation." We are to interact with the story, inquiring into its message. Ask the 5 W's of journalism: Who, What, When, Where, Why. In the end, learn from what we read.

Movies are no different. The same "Great Conversation" occurs in movies; but instead of reading the story, we watch it unfold before our eyes. Directors, actors, and special effects experts do all the work of making a tale come to life, leaving very little for our imagination to create. Consequently, it takes less brain power to watch Sense & Sensibility than it does to actually read Jane Austen's classic. However, this doesn't give us license to check our brains at the door when we go to the movie theater.

Geoff Botkins, a film producer who has helped produce Vision Forum's Independent Christian Film Festival in San Antonio, Texas, stated that films are a teaching medium. Those who write the screenplays and direct the films are communicating their beliefs. We are to never watch films as passive entertainment but are to be active in understanding what these people are trying to teach us--the "Great (Film) Conversation."

Hence the goal of these movie reviews: to identify what the screenwriters, directors, and actors are trying to teach us and what worldviews they set before us.

A Plot Overview:

When I was younger, I read a few of the Nancy Drew books but never got into them though I am a great mystery novel fan. From the little I read, I could appreciate who this girl was: an inquisitive, go-getter who was always thinking outside the box.

The film then is no different character-wise. Emma Roberts embodies the innocent and inventive Miss Drew wholeheartedly which gives the film a cheery, light-hearted overtone.

As the writers and director work, they incorporate the classic 1930s and 1940s character with modern technology. This time Nancy Drew has to solve the mystery of her and her father's rental mansion in L.A. with the help of her iPod, cell phones, and the Internet.

Girl on a Mission:

From the very first moment of the film to the closing credits, we are shown a young girl who is unique and interesting. Modern movies are consistently parading characters who try their very hardest to be "cool", "hip", and "in-style." (The Princess Diaries and Freaky Friday come to mind.) In this movie, however, not only is Nancy Drew not trying to fit in but she doesn't even try to be "normal." When confronted about her style of clothing, she confidently states with a smile, "I like old-fashion things." The film makers show, quite well, that it is acceptable, and even encouraged, to be who you were created to be (and we would say as God created you to be). It is a refreshing message to be sent in a world of constant peer pressure.

Nancy Drew's wardrobe is topic of discussion in the film and will be here as well. Ms. Drew's entire wardrobe seemed to be constructed of modest, yet tasteful clothing; fashionable yet covering. On the other hand, the teen-age girls who do wear the modern style which is quite revealing are presented as well, rather distastefully dressed. Again, a message that is not normally sent via the silver screen.

Finally, in the center of all of Nancy's sleuthing is the desire to help other people. This is a lesson we are told she learned from her father. Together they try and help those who cannot do it themselves. With powerful gifts, they have a unique position to aid others and this they do most willingly.

A Few Words of Caution:

Though the film has a great deal of positive messages, there are a few of disappointing areas.

Nancy and her father move from River Heights to L.A. where her dad takes a temporary job. Because he is going to be very busy with work and Los Angeles is a very different world from River Heights, Mr. Drew asks his daughter not to do any sleuthing while in the new city. Directly against his wishes, Nancy investigates the mystery of their mansion. The desire to be who she is (a detective) conflicts with her father's request to not solve mysteries. The film shows "following who you are" overrides the command to obey your parents. Scripture tells us, "Honor your father and your mother that it may go well with you." Not once did I hear an apology from Nancy for not obeying her father.

Nancy's father also encourages her to be "normal" which to him means doing the normal thing teenagers do such as throw a rowdy party (see next paragraph). It is disappointing to see that the filmmakers showed this stereotype of a father. Instead of encouraging his daughter to not compromise who she was and just not sleuth, he told her to go be like the "other kids." This is not a happy thought when we see who the other kids are.

A word might be said here to those worried about the party scene that is shown in the trailers. Nancy Drew was throwing a birthday party and handed out invitations at school. However, two of the girls invited decide to bring their own friends to party. Thus, the event gets rather out of hand. Loud music is blared, teens are destructive to the property, and a reference is made to "making-out". At the end the police are called because of the disturbance. Mr. Drew congratulates Nancy on trying to be "normal" and having a rowdy party. This type of get-together between teens is not necessarily encouraged but neither is it discouraged.

In Conclusion:

My mom and I had a thoroughly wonderful time together at this movie and it is truly a girl flick!

Much can be said for this film who's main character doesn't compromise who she is and never once feels bad for being so. As my mom likes to quote, " 'Normal' is just a setting on the dryer!" This is the truth that could have been this films tag line. Nancy is just fine the way she is. In fact being "un-normal" makes her all the more likable.

So for an afternoon movie that is a mile wide and an inch deep, it is a lighthearted story that encourages young girls to be modest and innocent, yet not oblivious to the wonderful world around them.

--HM