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An avid movie collector reviews movies, games, and TV shows for the common man, among other things. Spoiler Free

Tuesday, January 27, 2004

Supporting Actor of the Week

It’s been a little while since my last supporting actor blog, my apologies to those who would have been selected, you will know have to wait until I remember you again. If you want to speed up your selection send me free copies of your movies and I will be sure to include you.

Sean Bean



I have seen a good bit of him lately, and often that is what leads to my selection. Sean Bean will now probably be remembered for his role of Boramir in Lord of the Rings, but before that he would probably be noted for his role as 006 in the Bond movie Goldeneye. I have loved him in many movies and he recently was admitted to my exclusive All-Star list. My favorites from his catalog would be the two mentioned above as well as Ronin, Patriot Games, Equilibrium, and Don’t Say a Word. He plays the hell out of villain roles but after seeing him in Equilibrium and Lord of the Rings I really hope we can get more hero roles for him. For my recommended movie of the week, umm…watch Equilibrium I guess I have been pushing that one a bit lately, but it’s good, and that’s important.




Van Helsing



If you haven’t seen the trailer for Van Helsing yet, than you are truly missing out on something. I would be willing to pay eight bucks to see the trailer on the big screen, let alone the movie which looks like it is going to be wall-to-wall awesome. I do yearn for the approach of May which is when it will be released.

Fargo



Fargo was one of my wonderful Christmas presents and I was able to view it on Sunday while working. I had even more love for this movie after watching it again, and I would recommend it with a few reservations. It is gruesome at points; let’s just say that someone travels through a wood chipper. I think that Fargo is my favorite movie that the Coen Brothers have produced with Raising Arizona as a close second, and I plan on investigating a few other Coen movies that I missed because of this one’s quality. It is a dark tale involving many of the worst people that have ever been portrayed on screen, and the portrayals are all excellent by the likes of Steve Buscemi, William H. Macy, and Frances McDormand. The movie is very unique, I am having a hard time reviewing it, but if you don’t mind some wood chipper than I would insist that you view it.

Mythbusters



My favorite new show would definitely be Mythbusters which is the Discovery Channels first show to be garnered for me. I do enjoy the American Chopper series and the different shows starring Jesse James, but I am not into Motorcycles and don’t fully appreciate anything they do. Ah but Mythbusters is another story. It stars two special effects guys who take popular myths and put them to the test with their great knowledge of machines and science. For example, they took the popular myth that Cell Phones can ignite a gas station in flames. To test it, they build a see-through building fill it with gas fumes and call the cell phone that they placed inside it. The myth is false, but while they have the building already built they show the real culprit and we are rewarded with a giant flaming explosion. That rules. I have yet to see a disappointing episode, and for an added bonus…it’s educational.

Black Hawk Down



I remember being disappointed with this movie when I first saw it, but several things from it stuck with me so I decided to watch it again to re-evaluate. Luckily, I was able to score the 3-Disc special edition of this movie from a Pawn Shop for 7 bucks to make the whole venture possible. The reason I was disappointed was that the movie is mostly a portrayal of the event, there is much less drama and plot and the dialogue was often forced and overwritten. Plus, Josh Hartnett is one of the lead characters and it’s his misshapen face on the front of my DVD case. But, the movie is intense, and the turmoil and insanity of the situation was captured in such a way that you feel much like one of the soldiers. The thing that I find continually strange is that I kind of want to be there, even though many of them are dying and being shot to bits. I think the military could have been a vocation of mine, and it is enjoyable for me to get a glimpse of the life I could have had…or maybe the life I could have lost. In addition to the ground level view of the horrific nature of the battle, you get a great cast minus the nearly incompetent Hartnett with Tom Sizemore, Ewan McGregor, Eric Bana (this is before The Hulk, so forgive him), Jason Isaacs, and Jeremy Piven.

Aqua Teen Hunger Force



I bought this DVD set just for the episodes featuring the Mooninites, which are the funniest animated characters that I have seen in a long time. I didn’t think this show was funny until like the fifth time I watched it, mainly because I couldn’t get past the main characters being living pieces of meat, fries, and a shake. But once I trained my brain to allow such a thing I have been very amused with the show. And after listening to some Commentary I discovered that the Mooninites will be getting a show of their own, which will be very good.

Thursday, January 22, 2004

Top Sci-Fi Movies of all Time

First, I have to explain what a Science Fiction movie is. Most importantly Science Fiction is not Horror, it can have that element within it but it is not required. It isn’t Fantasy, so Lord of the Rings does not qualify as Science Fiction. It has to be intelligent in its portrayal of the Scientific Fiction that exists, coherence is more important in Sci-Fi then in most genre’s. It generally takes place in the future, or in space and often is both; and it usually involves the exploration of something unknown. I have excluded many Science Fiction movies because within my list I chose movies that excited me and I could get mentally involved with them in a dreamlike fashion. So while 2001: A Space Odyssey is brilliant, I don’t dream about floating in space and talking to a robot computer, so it failed to qualify. With all that said…

Aliens

Its Cameron again with another great Sci-Fi film. He threw in some humor which Ridley Scott left out of the original and he also stepped up the effects. The battle in the metal suit is awesome, and the stakes were much higher in general. I didn’t accept the whole series because the first movie is really just a horror film and the last two were lousy with Resurrection being one of the most repellent movies of all time. Aliens also gets points for having two of the roughest women in movie history, and Bill Paxton the biggest whiner in all Marines history. “Game Over Man, Game Over!”

Pitch Black



I was a big fan of this one and I’m putting it on the list despite my being the only person who liked it. Vin Diesel was excellent as Riddick, and you know I love Keith David. The conflicts and situations within the movie were all very original, and I really got into the characters. The story follows a crew of people who crash land on a planet that is about to go into solar eclipse, the problem being the inhabitants of the planet only come out when the sun is down. Diesel is the evil prisoner they were transporting who they now have to rely on because he kicks far more anus than they do. Overall, very good, it just disappointed people who wanted a horror film instead of a Sci-Fi.

The Abyss

James Cameron was so good before he made Titanic, and this is one of his finest pieces. The movie had enough action, romance, suspense, and intrigue to delight any audience and the movie has a great ending.

Cube

This movie was intense throughout, and the confinement of the Cube started to get to you as you watched it. The conflicts between the survivors were all very interesting, and the only thing in the movie that was suspect is the ending. But you know how symbolic endings go… The story begins with a bunch of random people who have awoke within this giant cube and are trying to grasp where they are and how they can escape. The cube rooms that make up the inconceivably larger cube are often booby trapped and the conflict is that you have to try to figure out what the trigger is for the trap so that you can determine if the room can be traveled through or not. Its good, don’t refuse it.

Starship Troopers

One of Paul Verherhoeven’s many inclusions on this list; Starship Troopers is one of the best futuristic movies around. As I said in my review a few months ago, it’s an interesting look at the world as if Fascism had won over the world instead of Democracy, because most Sci-Fi movies either go for Utopia or Apocalypse for their landscape and this twist was refreshing. I still think about this movie and what it said on a regular basis, and as an added bonus you get Doogie Howser as a telepathic war strategist.

Total Recall

Paul Verherhoeven’s second to make the list, this one delves into the future colony of Mars. Arnold Schwarzenegger stars as Quaid who unlocked part of his memory and begins upon a quest to discover his “special agent” past and take down the corrupt leaders of the Mars Colony. It has everything that you would want from Verherhoeven and it is one of Arnold’s better roles from his long career. Plus, I think it is the best movie about Mars, let me think about that…yeah…I think it’s the best one about Mars.

Star Wars – The Series
Star Wars/Empire Strikes Back/Return of the Jedi/The Phantom Menace/The Clone Wars

Despite the flak the prequels have gotten the whole series does deserve to be included on the list. We (Speaking mostly of men) have all dreamed of flying the Millennium Falcon and I would give one of my arms to be able to equip my remaining arm with a light saber. The simplistic world within Star Wars is too appealing not to dream of, because I would love to live in a world where Good and Evil were so clearly made known. I would enlist in the rebellion, snort MetaChlorians until I made it into the Jedi Order, and then wreck on storm troopers in all my one armed glory. The world of Star Wars is very coherent, and it is still the Bible for any Science Fiction series.

Star Trek (The Next Generation Movies)
First Contact/Generations/Insurrection/Nemesis

I thought about ruling this one out because the brilliance of the movies lies in the depth of the characters which is rooted in a TV show and not in the movies alone. However, they are good enough on their own merit to grab a spot on the list, and they deserve it so much more with consideration of the backstory that the show provides. Few ensemble casts will work as well as the Next Generation crew, and the writers for the show were probably some of the best that have ever been assembled. The action was stepped up for all the movies, but the great intelligence of Jean-Luc Picard still rules over might and wins the day. I would hope that most of you would be willing to watch them despite the fear of becoming a “Nerd”, because it is a deep and thrilling series.

Robocop

Paul Verherhoeven’s final entrance to the list is the graphic and stylish Robocop. It takes place in a more depraved version of today’s society, and as crime became more cruel and rampant the police decide to try out a Robocop who would be more likely to survive encounters with criminals. The Robocop was built out of a recently dismantled officer (and by dismantled I mean shot to bits for all he viewing audience to enjoy) but he retains little of his memory and personality. The action is great, but once again it is the worldview within the movie that made it so interesting. The special effects are a bit lacking because this one was right at the beginning of many of our great advancements in effects, but they are still enjoyable and effective.

The X-Men Series
X-Men/X-2

I debated whether or not this was a science fiction, and obviously I decided it was. X-Men is taking today’s society and throwing in the idea of mutation which is founded on a scientific idea. Bryan Singer is a great director and the source work for the movies is so vast that I suspect the movies will be good for as long as they make them (Although that didn’t save Daredevil, The Hulk, Batman, etc). The commentary of the movies is almost as good as the comics, although CJ thinks that X-2 is more of a satire of our view on Homosexuality instead of Racism. Our society loves gay people now though, so maybe we can thank the X-Men.

The Mad Max Series
Mad Max/The Road Warrior/Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome/Waterworld




The series is hinged upon the second movie because it kicked so much rear it forced its way onto the list. Mad Max set up the world and the character, much like George Romero’s Dead series where each movie reveals the world as more and more dissolved from what it was. In another similarity Dawn of the Dead the second movie in that series is by far the best, but I digress. I think Mad Max is not as far from possible as people assume, because if Anarchy was to set in, I would expect some Mad Max like factions to be created. Waterworld took Mad Max and placed it in the water, and although not as good, it takes many of the same elements and just changed up the pieces. In Mad Max gas is money, in Waterworld Dirt is money and so on. I may be the only person to group them together as such, but if you watch them you’ll see why. And you can’t tell me that Waterworld is much worse than Thunderdome so I don’t think it degrades the trilogy in any way.

Logan’s Run/Minority Report/Demolition Man

The price of Utopia was probably the most intriguing element within Logan’s Run, Demolition Man, and Minority Report. Since Logan’s Run is an older choice I will explain its premise. The society is based entirely on hedonistic pleasure and the society is built up entirely of young people. So when someone is born they have a jewel implanted in their hand, and when they reach a certain age the jewel lights up and they are due for extinction. If they choose to run then the Sandmen find them and finish the job. Michael York stars as a Sandman who finds something he shouldn’t and has his jewel set off early, so he must run from his own kind. The effects are a bit dated, and I would be interested in a modern remake, but the movie was still cool even today. Minority Report is similar in many respects but it’s Utopia is based on Pre-Crime which has telepaths reveal crimes before they happen so that they can be stopped ahead of time. And in a similar way Tom Cruise gets screwed and has to run from his own unit to find out the truth. They are both good, but I think I liked Logan’s Run better. As for Demolition Man the price of their Utopia was that everything was illegal, and when someone commits a crime they are frozen and removed from society. When Wesley Snipes busts out of Cryosleep they need to bust out Stallone (An older policeman frozen before the Utopia began) as well to bring him down. This one is less intelligent than the previous two but I felt like throwing it in for fun.

The Matrix

The sequels are not worth admitting, and they actually could almost remove this first one they sucked so badly. But on its own merit this is a great Sci-Fi movie which takes a funky fresh spin on today’s world. During the first movie there is a lot of philosophy and religious subtext so much that books are still being written on the subject. The philosophical depth of the movie as well as the stunning special effects make it one of the best, and despite the jokes I thought Keanu Reeves did a good job in the movie. Because, if I learned Kung Fu in 30 seconds I think I would react much the same…”I know Kung Fu.?!.” The combat sequences are pants-wetting and I only wish that I could fight and move at a quicker fragment of time. The characters were much better in this one as well, Morpheus still destroyed worlds, Trinity had only floated in the air once so far, Cyrus was a nice Judas-like villain, and agent Smith was a clever enemy twist. This movie is groundbreaking, it is such a shame that the sequels used the broken ground to bury itself.

Equilibrium



This movie was panned over because it was “too Matrix-like” but this one was still very unique and the fighting in it was quite wondrous. The other reason it was avoided was its star, since Christian Bale has yet to fully establish himself as a leading man of power. In my mind, there is no longer a question, Christian Bale is amazing. This movie is rooted in Fahrenheit 451, which is one of my favorite classic books, with just a few twists for action sake. The story follows Christian and his partner who are both two of the most elite fighting men in the world. So when things get really bad, you send in one of them instead of the SWAT team. The world in which they live is entirely devoid of individuality, pleasure, or emotions and therefore peaceful; the reason being is that everyone takes a shot in the morning which keeps them from feeling emotions all day. Outlaws are then people who “feel” because they have stopped taking the medicine. When Christian screws up his meds one morning he begins to feel and opts out of taking them; Action and drama ensues. The action is intense and tight, and worthy of many repeat viewings. And since it is rooted in a quality book the story and characters are well done. I recommend highly to those who have missed this one.

Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within



Another pick that was largely panned over in America, the reason being it was a bit too Eastern for most people. I liked it. It was like a big-budget Japanimation that made sense, how much better can it get? I placed Akira on this list too, but even that one has about 15 minutes of stuff that makes no sense to me, while I understood Final Fantasy all along and ate it up. The best part is the voice-over cast that they somehow pulled together; Steve Buscemi, Donald Sutherland, Keith David, Ving Rhames, James Woods, and Alec Baldwin. OK, maybe that isn’t the best part; the best part is actually the animation which is so real I forgot a few times that it was animated. Even though it made less money than they hoped, I am interested in future movie products from Square because they are the closest to being able to replace actors with animation. This movie is really good, and it has almost nothing to do with the game title if that is why you skipped it, it is just like I said “A big-budget Japanimation that made sense.”

Artificial Intelligence (A.I.)

I had to put Kubrick on here at least once and since I gonged 2001 in the intro, I had to allow A.I. Actually, I liked A.I. and I wish Spielberg didn’t ruin it with his fruity ending. (Kubrick was set to make it and had most of the script work together before he died and Spielberg took over to honor/piss on him) The story can be easily explained, it is simply a futuristic telling of the Pinocchio story. Haley Joel Osment stars as a robotic boy who has emotions, and dreams of being a real boy. The movie has Kubrick’s edge in the beginning as the events seem to be so pointed they dig right under your skin. I’m not sure but I think you might like it better if you stop the movie right after Haley descends into the waterat the end, before Spielberg gets to make his mark.

Akira

Probably the best Japanimation that I have seen, but I have seen only a few. (Fist of the North Star, Ninja Scroll, Ghost in the Shell, Animatrix, Fatal Fury, Some movie about killing red demons, and Street Fighter 2 the Movie) It has your standard Japanimation elements, uberviolence, takes place in an Apocalyptic Neo-Tokyo, and people scream a lot. Canada (it may not be spelled the same as the country, but I felt it did in my head) stars as the nice young motorcycle gang member who ends up getting sucked into a conflict between children of mental powers and the new government. Canada’s friend develops some of these powers and goes too far, and before long…tentacles. But it all has a happy ending, and we get to see at least one rocket launcher during the movie. Its good fun stuff, and those of you who don’t watch Japanimation should at least watch this one since it has arisen as the father of all Anime.

The Terminator Series
Terminator 1-3

The First Terminator was a good 80’s Sci-Fi movie, it had Michael Biehn and Arnold as a robot so the equation came together well. The second movie took all the good things from the first movie and made them golden, and then poured money all over it to make on of the most popular movies of all time. The basic premise of all three is that in the future Machines take over the world and one of the humans of that day starts to wreck on them. So instead of beating him up in the future, they go back in time to kill him early. So in the first movie they try to kill his mom, in the sequel he is about 16, and he is in his twenties in the third movie. Arnold is the robot warrior who is sent back, in the first movie he is the villain but in the sequels he is the hero who defends against a more advanced Terminator. It’s an action extravaganza, and T2 has some of the sweetest action sequences ever in it. And honestly the first movie is good, most people skip it, but this is a mistake. Watch all three, in a row and then smile.

The Running Man/They Live

These are the guilty pleasure movies, the ones that you watch to laugh along with. They Live is epic in how funny it is to watch, and the Running Man has some of Arnold’s best stupid dialogue in the span of his career, plus you get Jesse “The Body” Ventura. The Running Man is the best combination of two good things Arnold and Stephen King. That’s right Stephen King wrote the basis for The Running Man, and it details the futuristic reality show where criminals get their death sentence handed to them by glorified WWF wrestlers. It’s hilarious. They Live follows Rowdy Roddy Piper (A Glorified WWF Wrestler) who is a lowly blue collar guy who stumbles upon evidence that aliens live among us. The sunglasses that he found that reveal them, set off a chain of events that ultimately bring Keith David’s knee to his crotch about 5 times. You cannot continue living without seeing They Live.

The Fifth Element

Luc Besson steps into the world of Sci-Fi and unites Bruce Willis, Chris Tucker, and Milla Jovovich into one movie. If that wasn't enough for you, then consider the fact that D-Bo from Friday aka Tim "Tiny" Lister plays the president. Still not excited? Stop reading my blog, your not my friend.

Galaxy Quest

Probably the best farce or parody ever released. The movie took its premise and ran with it cashing in on every possible joke but without overdoing it or getting too goofy like a Mel Brooks movie would be. The comic prowess of the cast is excellent especially from Alan Rickman and Tony Shaloub who are joined by the likes of Sigourney Weaver, Tim Allen, and Sam Rockwell. Worth repeated viewings.

Ultra Warrior



This movie isn’t good, actually this is probably the worst movie ever made. But since my friends always want to watch it despite my warnings I thought I would take the time to smash it in my blog. The Premise…well there is no premise. In the future roving gangs fight, and for no reason at all a naked three breasted woman dances in the moonlight. As far as I know that was symbolic of our Checks and Balances government, and the Judicial Branch was rocking it out in the middle. This movie also had your token obnoxious black guy who had white guys trying to write his jive talk, and it’s awful. The special effects were poor and I think they filmed in a junkyard to give the apocalyptic feel of destruction. I can’t find anything good about this movie and I was searching hard to find some. It was the worst thing that ever happened to me.

Thursday, January 15, 2004

Another Christian Related Blog

A defense of Jesus Christ Superstar



Since becoming a Christian I have consistently run into trouble with the ignorance of the masses of Christians. Everyone knows that these people exist and they laugh at the Christian faith because of them. A clear indicator would be the ones who picket the local Marilyn Manson/Eminem/Teletubbie concert because most intelligent Christians can scheme up a better waste of time than trying to convince people that music is evil by whining and being immature. But since they are plentiful and for some reason in charge of the Christian Faith I have to battle them. So in this Blog I will occasionally distinguish myself from the blabbering mass of mindless Christians who pollute the world, and demonstrate their ignorance. One point on which I find they are universally ignorant is in hatred of Jesus Christ Superstar. Now there are reasons to dislike the movie (it is a musical) but I have never met someone who had actually seen it and disliked it and the movie is misinterpreted more than any other in Hollywood.



Jesus Christ Superstar is the musical portrayal of the life of Christ, it isn’t entirely founded on the Biblical narrative but it is enough to be considered Biblical (it is more Biblical than the no-denim rule at LBC which I am breaking at this moment). There are going to be inherent problems when bringing the life of Christ to the screen, but most of them should be understandable to a common audience. And I will attempt to make them Crystal clear.



Reasons the movie is hated, but shouldn’t be

It is a Movie
Because it is a movie and would like to be interesting Jesus is going to do things other than lecture and I think this turned off some Christians. The movie couldn’t go from sermon to sermon, and instead went from his entrance into Jerusalem to his death, and most of his interaction is between the disciples. And when Jesus confronts Judas before the betrayal, people get upset by scenes like this that are extra-biblical, but it serves to fuel the drama between the two characters. This is a movie that has to develop characters and propel a plot, things have to be added and deleted.

It is a musical
The problem with musicals based on a real life account is that they have to choose critical moments in the person’s life to turn into a song. So the key problem with Jesus Christ Superstar is that songs are made out of points that are often downplayed within the Christian retelling of the life of Christ. So when we look at the life of Christ from a dramatic point of view one of the most important events would be Christ’s moment of questioning, and the movie made this one moment into a six minute song. So the outcry is “They made too much of the moment of doubt!” and the response is, “When else did Jesus demonstrate emotion in such a pointed way”, of course they had to make a song about it.

Hippie’s Made It
Lots of Hippie’s did think Jesus was the Man, but I don’t think this movie embodies that idea like critics want it to. Jesus doesn’t show himself to be a hippie, he doesn’t promote free love or some crap, so I think this is another argument of ignorance.

The points of view
Each character sings their songs within their point of view on the whole drama. The problem lies in that everyone in the movie has the wrong view of Jesus on some point. If you take what Herod says and weigh it equally with what Jesus said you’re already an idiot, so the problem is you.

The Message
Christians didn’t make this movie, so it doesn’t end with a Gospel presentation. Most of the Christian movies dance around all of the issues and portray Jesus poorly and then end with the Gospel as Jesus dances with Children and sheep to the latest hit by Jars of Clay. I have yet to see a good Jesus movie, and it is a shame that this heathen version has more to say than the Christians who should honestly have the corner on the truth on this subject.

The Characters
Once again the movie has to pick characters who do things. So when you wonder “Where is John, Jesus’ beloved?” well what did he do in the gospels? “Um…he was friendly, and he was Jesus’ friend…in a friendly way.” He didn’t really do anything that you can translate to the screen, so then who did? Jesus, Mary, Peter, and Judas. The movie had Simon portray the emotions of the disciples at one point, but other than that these four are the only characters.

Mary
Much of the controversy of the movie lies with Mary, or the rumor that Jesus lies with Mary. The idea that the movie indicates that Jesus and Mary are intimate comes out of the same idea that the movie makes too much of the moment of doubt. The fact that Jesus sings a song in defense of her means he loves her and sleeps with her. And once again the problem is your misinterpretation. There is no other indication that they are intimate, except that Mary sings that she loves him…with Peter and the other disciples...So is Jesus gay?? The movie wanted a female lead, who wouldn’t, and the fact that she gets a few songs in doesn’t mean she was banging the lead.

Peter and the Disciples
People get upset that the disciples are portrayed as idiots. Well read the book of Mark and just look at the Disciples. The book of Mark shows the disciples constantly getting it wrong and when the book ends they have run away so as to not be killed with Christ. Mark doesn’t make an effort to clean up their image, Why? Because we are the disciples too. We are just like they are, and they are just like Israel in the Old Testament. The Bible doesn’t pull punches, the Disciples who were with Jesus in person are just as stupid as the Jews who were with Moses and us who are with the completed Bible. If this movie got anything right it was the portrayal of the disciples.

Judas



Judas is the other key point of dissention. Once again the convention of a movie is the culprit. What is more interesting and important; a man who is Jesus’ friend and who likes to eat bread dipped in honey and plays mancala twice a week, or a man who travels with Jesus and is lead to betray him? “Oh, so that’s why they chose Judas!” But besides the reason for making him important there are reasons to have issue with the Judas narrative, and some of them have ground so I will address them later. Oh, and people hated the fact that he was black, but if you wanted to be accurate the whole cast would have had dark skin since Jesus and the disciples were all middle-eastern. So not quite black, but closer. I think racism would probably be the point of contention here, and Judas being black isn’t nearly as bad as a woman playing Peter Pan so…

Sympathy for Pilate
People like their villains evil, bad to the bone, rotten to the core. But Pilate killed Jesus because the people kind of blackmailed him and put him in a corner. That isn’t evil enough for some people. But these same people didn’t read the Bible, or any of the History of Jerusalem at that time.

Reasons why you could dislike the movie

These are reasons I would consider valid excuses for disliking the movie, but I don’t usually hear these arguments I usually hear “Mary is a slut and Jesus had relations with her in the movie and I saw a Baby and the Baby looked at me!” But that was The Last Temptation of Christ, and maybe the two get mixed up in Christian’s minds, especially since they probably didn’t watch either one I guess it would be easy to confuse them.

Sympathy for Judas



There are many different groups and people who have sympathy for Judas, so this movie couldn’t be faulted for creating this problem, but they do embrace it within the movie. The core is that if we believe in Predestination (Which I do) you understand that Judas was chosen for his role in the betrayal and that the crucifixion could not have happened without his help, or someone like him. Therefore, Judas was a necessary evil and that maybe he should be appreciated for something. The sympathy goes beyond though, when they have Judas realize his predestination in the movie and blame God for making him do it. That argument isn’t entirely without merit but it is a more controversial inclusion in the movie so I understand this point as valid.

The Ending
The movie ends with Jesus’ death and does not show the resurrection. Although this doesn’t necessitate that the movie disowns the Resurrection, it doesn’t give Christians the warm fuzzies. I believe the movie ends with a Question, “Who is Jesus to you?” I think the movie portrays what is generally received as true and avoids what is sometimes perceived as false. Jesus doesn’t do any miracles in the movie. And in the final song Judas is singing in white “Buddha is he where your at, is he where you are, could Mohammed move a mountain or was that just P.R.” The question is unanswered by the movie, and I would be scared if the Non-Christian writers did try to answer it. But, it isn’t wholly Christian so there is a point of contention and this does have some ground, so I would understand if someone objected to the ending. But it shouldn’t negate the whole movie.

The Reasons the Movie should be liked

The Portrayal of the Disciples – See Above

The Portrayal of the People’s desire for a political King and not a spiritual savior

Throughout the Bible and the movie the people and Disciples are awaiting the King of Judah from the line of David to rise up and crush the Romans and make Israel powerful again. When Jesus arrives He comes to be a light to mankind, and not a political leader. And everyone got that one wrong. The disciples didn’t get it until after He died, and they didn’t understand why Jesus felt He needed to die because you can’t destroy Rome from the grave. The reason that Rome was afraid of Jesus was that he might unite Israel against them. So the expectation of a King was critical to the whole movie and Biblical narrative. And it was this Kingship that Jesus denies before Pilate, Jesus did not come to rule, He came to save. We have yet to see the Return of the King. (That was a sweet pun wasn’t it, but I won’t dwell on it because it might be heretical)

The Music
Man I still rock that CD, mostly the second disc which has Gethsemane, and the best songs by Pilate and Judas. You show me another song that can be exciting as it counts slowly to 39…not even The Count could get me to count that high without getting bored. And Jesus can scream like a banshee, and I only wish I had them pipes. If I ever learn to sing I want to do a one man show if this movie where I play all the parts. But I guess if I had to choose a role I would play Pilate.

It’s a Rock Opera
Musicals and the Opera and the like are generally crap, rolled up in feces and lathered with urine. But Rock opera’s rule. Bum-Bum-Bamp-Bamp-Bampanamp
Note – This blurb is me being ignorant, it was my turn

It’s Good
Despite the two possible Theological issues the movie is awesome, and if you have no religious fervor you have no excuse. For shame.


Big Fish

Probably in the top five drama movies of all time. This movie was beautiful and brilliant and stunning. The cast is immaculate and could hardly have been better cast, and the story is excellent. I think I used all my big glorifying words in those sentences, oh wait it was supefundimicious. But honestly, very good, and to be very honest it was the first movie to make me cry in my life.

What Happened to Me?

I used to be a cold hard man when it came to emotions but now I have cried at a movie and Fatal Frame 2 can scare the bejesus out of me. I have fallen. Oh and by the time to read this there will be a post on a musical above. I should change my name...

Note: The scream tally for Fatal Frame 2 has been increased but I forget the exact number. I missed the best one on Monday Morning because I wasn't looking at the screen when it happened but it even got newcomer Joe to scream. We were all very proud. Oh and if you see George congratulate him for destroying a critic of the game who made it clear in his review that he didn't even play it.
Dumb Funny Movies

Bubble Boy

Surprisingly, it was a bit funny. The movie follows a boy who was born without immunities and has to live in a bubble. He falls in love with the girl-next-door who used to come over and hang with him, and when she is set to get married to her ignorant boyfriend he decided to make his bubble portable and haul himself across the U.S. to stop the wedding. Along the way he runs into the dumbest situations and people that have graced the screen in some time but for some reason it is funny. The cameos were what surprised me because I wouldn’t touch this movie if I was in Hollywood, but there they are; Danny Trejo, Verne Troyer (I can’t fault him) and Zach Galifinakis. Jake Gyllenhaal is the star and I enjoyed him for the first time in his career, which has the highlights of this, Donnie Darko (Premise – To make you wonder how they got Drew Barrymore and Patrick Swayze in this movie), and The Good Girl (Premise – Jennifer Aniston being someone other than Rachel). The movie is beyond ridiculous and if you hate zany comedy like Dumb and Dumber (it’s not as good as D&D) then skip this one, but if you do then you will get a few laughs out of Bubble Boy.

Johnny English

Rowan Atkinson (Mr. Bean) is the star as the last secret agent in commission after a horrific accident that killed off all the top agents in England. The movie is less zany than Bubble Boy but the comedy relies heavily on Rowan Atkinson and his physical comedy and his comic timing. And this movie is a better demonstration of his comic power than in the Mr. Bean movie. The other stars of the movie were John Malkovich (huh?) and Natalie Imbruglia who was surprisingly decent. I expected that she would be O.K. since she was an actress in an Australian soap opera before she hit the charts with her album, but she was more than decent she was good and compared to Beyonce she was worthy of an Academy award (In case you missed it the worst performance of all time was by Beyonce in the third Austin Powers movie). The plot and all is secondary to allowing Rowan to be funny, and I laughed out loud a few times. I think I enjoyed it more in retrospect because a lot of the comedy came quickly and I laughed more about it later than I did as it happened. It was funny, but it wasn’t uproarious and my girlfriend fell asleep so I would choose a different movie to watch with your lady-friend. Expect a review of the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen soon, I have to make it up to Julie for making her watch this silly British movie.

Sunday, January 11, 2004

And to Continue the News...

In a response to its excellent sales on DVD and ratings on Cartoon Network, Family Guy may be rising from the grave to return to TV with as many as 35 episodes in its first season. The show wouldn't begin until the beginning of 2005, but man is that something to look forward to. The news lately has been so good, I am well pleased. Oh here's the news article if you wish to read it. And now I am going to shamelessly parade Family Guy pictures.







I will plug the site I got these pictures from too, since he has exceedingly more than everyone else and is nice enough to share. Check out EvilMonkey.tv.

Saturday, January 10, 2004

This is a quote from IMDB's news section

Peter Jackson has some very special support in his quest to film J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit - the author's great-grandson. The director, who made a trilogy of Tolkien's Lord Of The Rings books to massive critical and commercial acclaim, is hoping disputes over the novel's rights will not prove an obstacle to making the movie prequel - and Royd Tolkien, 34, has now given Jackson his blessing. He says, "I would love to see Peter Jackson make a film of The Hobbit. That would be the perfect ending." (bold mine)

You heard it here, I mean there, The Hobbit may be a part of our future...And you wanted proof that God is good...

Crap, and here's some more.

Movie beauty Natalie Portman is keen to reprise her debut film role in a sequel to cult favorite Leon. The actress, 22, first came to international recognition in her acclaimed performance as an assassin's 11-year-old pal in the 1994 film, which starred Jean Reno in the lead role. And now Natalie has confirmed the long-awaited sequel is ready to roll, and she can't wait to be involved - despite needing a break following years working on the Star Wars trilogy. She says, "The script's really great, and worth delaying a vacation for." (bold mine)

I love life.
Clay Aiken vs. Ruben Studdard



I’m not a big fan of American Idol, but since it is proven that the winner will have a career I guess I will throw in my two cents. I watched an episode or two this last season whenever my girlfriend or my roommate’s girlfriend made me, and I felt no love for the show and especially Clay Aiken. He really is effeminate, and whether or not he is gay, you Aiken fans can admit that much. And he always picked the corniest pop drama song that I grew sick of him almost immediately. Ruben is a big black guy who sings soul music, how could he not win? So, I cashed out on the show and was not at all surprised by the outcome of the show. The thing that gets me now, is that they are really pushing the “Oooooh, What if Clay Aiken outsells Ruben Studdard, does it prove American Idols’ decision wrong?” No, because Clay Aiken is guaranteed to outsell Ruben Studdard, regardless of talent. Why??? Because Pop music always outsells soul music, it isn’t a fair comparison. If two vacuum cleaner salesmen are pitted against each other and one has to sell in Lancaster and the other has to sell in New York guess who is going to win? Amish people don’t buy vacuums, the comparison is unfair, and the numbers would not necessarily reflect the talent of the salesman. The reason I didn’t really like American Idol is that it is really hard to compare talent across genres, and they very quickly eliminated any genre other than sappy pop, except for Reuben who was too much of a presence to destroy. I knew Ruben was going to win, not because he was a superior talent but he was more likable. The collision of the two different genres made contrast and comparison implausible so it came to a battle of preference of style and personality.

On a side note, I think Ruben will have very limited success and will not have staying power. Clay Aiken plays well to the sappy pop crowd and has the pipes to make it sound good, but his image isn’t going to win fans. If I was him I would get into a minor sex scandal so he loses both the gay and the pansy image. Until then, I think it will depend on how long he can hang on to middle-aged women, and that crowd has no taste. I mean Celine Dion still exists…

Note: I wrote this a few weeks ago and lost it. I could have edited it to the present day but I didn’t feel like it. But just to let you know Clay beat Ruben’s first week sales by 200,000 copies and Ruben got a single star for his first album from Rolling Stone.

Second Note: Clay Aiken and Ruben Studdard's pictures do not exist on Google or Yahoo picture searches. I found this entirely bizarre. And beside a conspiracy theory against me, they must have exclusive rights to picture use or something. Weird. So anyway, thats why you get no pics.
Note: I fixed the link to the Goofy Movie Maker, so if you were wondering where it went try clicking it now.

Friday, January 09, 2004

Addendum

I want to apologize to several Christian bands that I couldn't think of as I wrote this last blog. I was grappling with my memory for bands and I knew that I forgot some, so when I got home to my cd collection I was able to recall these bands.

Jawbone Hill - Good luck finding much of their stuff, I would consider them a good version of Pearl Jam, and they are amazing. Sadly they broke up, so we only get two cd's worth. But both are worth sampling.

DC Talk - I hear the solo albums suck (actually I heard some good things about one of them but I don't know which, so you get a 33% chance of quality) and their first album was straight crap. But the rest of their albums have at least 3 good songs on each and that is all that I ask of all my pop heros. And Supernatural is a definate buy.

Reality Check - I only have one cd, and that may be their only one but it is good. It's rock with some other elements involved, I don't quite want to say its Alternative. Quality.

Jennifer Knapp - For your guitar wielding women Jennifer is pretty good.

P.S. - George tells me he updated his site with a review of the whole Silent Hill series. So all you Survival Horror people check that out.

Wednesday, January 07, 2004

Christian Music - Critiqued by one of its own

Christian Music is a strange world all on its own, and I am often asked my opinion concerning this industry and their products. I will admit in general that Christian music is a cheap rendition of what popular music has to offer, but on occasion true talent does arise out of the fold of Christian Music. I will explain my reasoning for this judgment, and I will try to point out some diamonds in the rough that should be enjoyed by all.

The biggest problem with Christian music is that it is almost entirely outdated by the time of its release. Since I think that talent is often shallow within the confines of Christian music, most of the artists emulate what is climbing the charts. The problem is that by the time they write the music and release it the Pop Charts have moved on to some other "Hot" new sound. So, while on the pop charts Punk and Ska were dead, they still ruled in Christian circles because they are a few years behind. Today, the bands are beginning to sound like Matchbox 20 and other standard 90's bands, and once again the trends of the industry are beginning to shift away.

The next hurdle for Christian music is Christians. I could go on for days about how simple minded the Christian worldview can be concerning art and exploration, and if you listen to a Christian radio station it will be playing the same sad slow crap that they were playing 15 years ago. Since, Christians as a whole are slow to move on to any kind of change, new styles are not profitable until they have been exposed for awhile. This also helps to explain the outdated feel of Christian music. Besides the Christian radio stations, Christian audiences are generally sheltered from popular music and as such would have a harder time distinguishing quality music from recycled trash. So the trend is re-enforced by the audience that doesn't know any better, and the industry that wouldn't accept it any other way.

The third problem is repetition. Almost every album contains the gratuitous cover of an old hymn which has been covered by every other artist. It's like every rock band covering Led Zeppelin on every album that is released. It gets old quick. And since the stigma is that unless God or Jesus appears in every verse or it isn't Christian, the songs can be a bit redundant. I wouldn't mind the artists singing about some other topics than God's grace for 12 straight songs. But on the same note, I would like to listen to a Rap album that doesn't focus on big butts for 12 straight songs. I think it is this reason that leads to bands "Selling Out".

On occasion, Christian Bands actually touch the charts, and although they seldom stay, there are clear reasons why they made it. POD is probably the best example for a current band that has been able to survive in the secular market and remain "Christian". The reason being is that they have talent and applied themselves to a musical style as it was being discovered. When Rap/Metal burst onto the scene, they were there already. I am sure that versions of POD will continue to emerge over the next few years within Christian circles but for once they had a band that was actually "On Time" for a pop movement. The other "Christian" bands that made it big almost always officially sold themselves out. The difference between those bands and your standard Christian band is that the Music was superior to the purpose of the band. Now as a Christian, I view them as sell-outs, but as a person who appreciates art and music I view them as intelligent. The Christianity of the band had become a gimmick, and it no longer served the band. If you are forced to write and produce a certain type of music, and any change would lead to the destruction of the band, why not shed the confines of Christian music and write what you feel? So, when Evanescence asks to have their albums removed from Christian stores I understand, they aren't necessarily forsaking their God, they are removing the puppet strings that mar the Christian music industry, and would ruin their artistry as a band.

Now, after all my Christian music bashing I will make some redresses that I think are important. As a Christian, I am interested in music that is glorifying to God. And although Christian music is not always of a quality I would deem acceptable, when a good Christian song is produced it far exceeds the ones on the radio because it can be enjoyed on multiple levels. Because it not only satisfies me musically but also spiritually, and the pop charts seldom offer such a song. The shame is that the Christian industry will never correct itself. I don't see Christians being on the cutting edge of anything within my lifetime and for them to achieve success in a market as fickle and fluid as popular music is nearly impossible. They will forever be divided and behind the times, and they will be happy as clams with what they have. And once again my favorite quote comes into play, "Ignorance is Bliss", and the Christian industry will be blissfully ignorant into eternity, where we will be stuck with them because the good bands will be going to hell.

For those of you, who are looking for good Christian bands, check out these artists.

img src="http://www.impactmovement.com/2002/images/crossmovement.jpg">


Cross Movement - They shame all the rap artists in existence, and the hype around them is well deserved. If they were to sell out, they would destroy the pop charts for years.

img src="http://www.thecross-photo.com/images/TheCrossMovement.jpg">


Ambassador - He is one of the head members of Cross Movement and his solo album does not disappoint.

P.O.D. - They have begun to stale, but the Fundamental Elements of Southtown is one of the best Rap/Metal albums that exists

Project 86 - Drawing Black Lines is probably one of the hardest albums I own, and it contains more quality songs than your usual Korn album

Five Iron Frenzy/The Supertones - For you Ska fans these are the bands to sample. I would only check out the first 2 albums by The Supertones because they got old and corny fast. Five Iron Frenzy is great, and I would recommend Quality is Job 1 as their best album. Actually I think I lost that album, because I miss it and I can't seem to find it.

Pax 217 - A bit like 311, they are a good blend between rock and rap.

John Reuben - Another white rapper, but he is worth noting. His song "Do Not" would have been a hit single if it had been released.

Third Day - A little bit of Southern Rock twinge make this rock band notable. Angus Dei is so beautiful you can hardly contain emotion.

Switchfoot - Their latest album was a bit run of the mill, but they have a handful of great songs in their repertoire like Amy, and that new song they got on the radio...The Chorus has "We Were Meant to Live for so much more!". Yeah, that one.

Michael W. Smith - Live the Life is a great album, and he is one of the bigger names in the Christian music industry.

Popular Artists who Christians should appreciate

Stevie Wonder - This man should please everyone, if you don't like him you most likely will go to hell. It's written in Jude or something. When my girlfriend was told she couldn't play Stevie at her job at PBU I wanted her to quit.

Mark Knopfler - Baloney Again is a nice tune, and I found his Sailing to Philadelphia album deeply satisfying.

Creed - Their first two albums are good, but they very quickly abused their own sound when they decided to re-release the same song a dozen times. But songs like Faceless Man are enjoyable, and I probably will enjoy them more after Creed stops releasing albums or learns to evolve.

Kansas - They are a bit older, but they were good. And they became a Christian band toward the end of their career. Come on Dust in the Wind????
Snoring in LBC

I am sorry about my absence from Blogging. I’m not quite as bad as CJ (ahem) but I have faltered. The reason being is that I am taking a winterim in Lancaster and the computer here is slow as molasses. However, since my teacher has no brain at all, and since I have taken the course already, and since I have no tests I don’t pay attention in class but instead write blog material. So here are some dumb things I made up, and look forward to some big things in the future. I have been writing quite a bit. Oh, and my aunt got me this cd full of old old arcade games that I am loving. See if you remember any of these titles

1. Tapper (Hey Phil remember Tapper??? Eh, you know the Root Beer one?)
2. Altered Beast
3. Pac-Man
4. Bad Dudes
5. Bubble Bobble
6. Contra
7. Dig Dug 2
8. Gauntlet
9. Final Fight
10. Heianyko Alien (Chris I found it!!! Its that weird game where you dig holes to trap aliens)
11. Rampage
12. Rolling Thunder

You probably recognize many of them as classic Nintendo games but no, these are the arcade versions. And I have like 800 to play with ranging from Atari to Nintendo to Neo-Geo. It is soooooo good.

Oh, and those of you who are ashamed of me as I play in class. Trust me this professor is so ignorant my ears bleed when I slip up and start listening. He is so vacuous he is beyond description, and I loathe my time here. I learn more from one round of Rampage than from his entire 4 hour class.

Dean’s Guilty Pleasures

These are the things that you can add to a movie and they alone will probably make me like it,

1. Sharks
2. Skeletons that walk around
3. Keith David or John C. McGinley
4. A blind camera gag
5. An actor or actress from one of my Favorite TV shows
6. Feel good elements (I really am a sucker for feel-good movies)
7. An alien
8. Silly Hats
9. Cheech
10. A shotgun

I could probably think of more. But that’s good enough.

SNL

Many of you know that Comedy Central no longer has the rights to Saturday Night Live. And in its place they bought Mad TV which is probably the longest running piece or flaming feces that has ever aired. At first I was upset (and I will never forgive them for buying Mad TV) but E! who bought SNL has been faithful with their end of the bargain and are making better use of SNL right off the bat. Last night I watched the episode where The Rock hosted, why? Because it was advertised the night before. You mean they are advertising the individual episodes? Yes, indeed they are. As for those of you who missed it, you will live in ignorance and sadness until you do. It is one of the best shows ever because every skit is funny, and when I say funny, I mean laugh out loud funny. If you know me I don’t laugh out loud too much at comedy stuff, I tend to chuckle or I’m laughing inside, but not last night. Anyway, since they gave me great joy, I am shamelessly plugging E! and their SNL catalog. Enjoy.

Top Twenty Intense Moments in a Movie – No Particular Order

1. Plane Crash Sequence in Cast Away
2. Laser Death Sequence in Resident Evil
3. The Exorcism in The Exorcist
4. The Shower Room Showdown in The Rock
5. Final Battle in L.A. Confidential
6. Storming of Normandy in Saving Private Ryan
7. Dinner Table Hammer Scene in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
8. Wolf Showdown and Revenge Sequences in The Brotherhood of the Wolf
9. The Grizzly Battle in The Edge
10. Showdown at 5 Points in Gangs of New York
11. Storming the Fortress Scene in Glory
12. The Death of Delacroix in The Green Mile
13. The TV Entrance in The Ring
14. The Distress Video in Event Horizon
15. The Jail Overrun in Natural Born Killers
16. Ving Deflowered in Pulp Fiction
17. The Hiding of the Girl in The Grey Zone
18. The Missing Ear/The Final Showdown in Reservoir Dogs
19. The Mormon Outpost Battle in Starship Troopers
20. Murphy’s Death in Robocop

Sunday, January 04, 2004

Supporting Actors of the Week

The Men of Office Space

While celebrating the beginning of the new year with friends, we opted to watch Office Space and although it isn't the only movie we watched it is the one most laden with great supporting actors. And here are a few.

Gary Cole



I have seen a good bit of Gary Cole lately, and since I love him so much I will give him this week's honor of being first listed. Just about everyone knows him from Office Space as the "unholy pig of a boss" Lumberg, and some of you know him as the voice of Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law. An maybe some of you only watch big budget pictures and you then would recognize him as the only funny character in I Spy with Eddie Murphy and Owen Wilson. But aside from these you have most likely seen him at some junction in your life and he made you laugh. We'll forgive him for the Brady movie he was involved in.

Stephen Root



I loved him in News Radio as the eccentric millionaire boss Jimmy James, but its hard to forget his role of Milton in Office Space. He doesn't have quite the list of great roles, but I am hoping for some paydirt for him in the future. Keep an eye out for him and Gary Cole in Dodgeball: The Movie which is coming together with quite a cast, and later opposite Will Farrell in Anchorman.

Diedrich Bader



Most known for his role on the Drew Carey Show, Diedrich Bader has been getting a handful of good supporting roles over the past few years. He was a funny security guard in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, and then its a laundry list of voice work from Gargoyles the animated show to Ice Age and the Country Bears. And if you think back a ways he played Jethro in The Beverly Hillbillies movie.

Ron Livingston



Although he is the star of this movie, generally Ron is a supporting actor. He was good in Adaptation, and Band of Brothers, and the one episode of Sex and the City that I saw had him in it and at least he was enjoyable. He is also featured in The Cooler which stars William H. Macy and I have been interested in seeing this for awhile. Sadly, I will have to wait until it comes on video.

Michael McShane



Mike McShane is hilarious. Whether it is in an old rerun of Whose Line is it Anyway?, as Friar Tuck in Robin Hood Prince of Thieves, or as Professor Keenbeen in Richie Rich, he is funny. We only get a taste of him in Office Space, but it is good enough for a laugh, and how much more can you ask for? He doesn't get enough roles, and I'm actually angry about that, but maybe someday...

Those of who have been reading me for awhile have already read my John C. McGinley blog (Go way back he was my first ever) and since he is featured in Office Space I will re-mention him, but for pictures and such check my archives.

Also, for those of you who feel I slighted Ajay Naidu (Samir) and David Herman (Michael Bolton) they haven't done much that I enjoyed other than Office Space so...and Jennifer Aniston is doing fine she doesn't need plugging.

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