Documentary
67 minutes, 2011
Rating: 8 out of 10
Let’s start with the downright amazing.
Bill Whatcott once successfully led a gay pride parade in Regina while carrying a ten-foot tall sign that said, “Bare bottomed pitifuls are celebrating buggery in Regina! God help us!” To pull it off, he hid behind pillars that were alongside the parade route and jumped out in front while holding his sign high. Parade participants rushed towards him and tried to use their signs to cover up his but they couldn’t, because Whatcott’s massive sign towered above theirs. A homosexual on rollerblades tried to run over him but only managed a glancing blow, which sent the rollerblader, not Bill, tumbling. Police then intervened. They warned the crowd that attacks would not be tolerated, and then, inexplicably, allowed Bill to continue to lead the parade!
Now to the downright crazy. Bill once handed out a flyer that depicted a close-up picture of a man’s bare rear end that was riddled with anal warts. Mine was one of the thousands of Edmonton households to get this vulgar 1-page photocopy and I was grateful that, in our case at least, no children had been exposed to this. Bill was trying to educate Edmontonians to a common consequence of homosexual sex. Good info to pass on, but is this the only way it can be presented?
In the documentary Freedom of What?cott it becomes apparent that even Bill’s closest friends think he regularly steps over the line. But even many of his enemies think he should be free to do that.
This fantastic documentary will have you admiring the man’s courage, questioning his sanity, and praying for the preservation of his freedom of speech. Topic matter, and some brief troubling visuals, make this unsuitable for children, but the importance of this issue makes it a must-see for all other Canadians. Watch the trailer below.
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Monday, January 9, 2012
The Reckoning: Remembering the Dutch Resistance
Documentary
Rating: 7 out of 10 (for those with a Dutch background)
My grandfather never talked about the war but I knew he had been involved in the Dutch Resistance. I was proud of him then, but I didn’t properly appreciate his courage. As a child I thought his involvement in the Resistance was a brave, but almost unremarkable thing. After all, most of my friends’ grandparents had also done their part. To me it seemed as if everyone back then had joined. I was sure that, had I been there, I would have joined as well.
But now I understand things better. Though many from our small Reformed community got involved, what they did was rare and exceptional. As the narrator of The Reckoning notes, “Hundreds acted. Millions did not.”
The Reckoning is a tribute to the courage of these special few, and delves deeply into the ordinary details around their courageous activities. Director John Evans uses a host of 1940s photography, interviews with surviving Resistance members and archival footage to bring viewers right into the dilemma these men and women faced. We should never make the mistake of thinking them fearless – one gentleman recounts how he had to change his shorts after one run-in with the Nazis. And yet deciding to act seemed a simple decision for many. God gave them an understanding of right and wrong, and the conviction to act on it. A principal figure in the film, John Muller, described how quickly and suddenly he got involved:
“My brother-in-law called me and said, ‘I want to talk to you… I decided you were material for the underground.’ I said ‘No!’ And then I thought it over and said, ‘Okay I will do it. I will do it. I will do something for my country.’ I said, ‘What do you want me to do?’”It was a simple decision for him, but millions more declined. Viewers can’t help but wonder, “Would I have been among the few?”
I would highly recommend this film – this is a tribute to our grandparents, and we should know their story, so we can seek to be like them. They loved the Lord, and acted as He directed, even when they were left confused and wondering why God would allow such evil. Their faith was tested, but God kept them close.
While this is an important film that I hope many will see, it does contain some graphic war footage, and film of some of the concentration camps including footage of skeletal bodies piled one on another. So this is not appropriate for small children.
You can watch if for free below.
Sunday, January 1, 2012
Winnie the Pooh
Animated / Children / Family
63 min / 2011
Rating: 8/10
Rating: 8/10
Our favorite silly little bear starts his newest adventure in bed, waking up only at the insistence of the narrator. Winnie-the-Pooh "has a Very Important Thing to Do" today, so he simply must get up!
Just what that important thing is, the narrator does not specify, so Pooh decides his first priority is going to be to take care of his tummy. And that requires some "huny." When he discovers he is all out, this bear of very little brain come up with a sensible enough plan - he goes in search of "friends out there with honey to spare."
Once out of his little house Pooh proceeds to have a series of adventures. The first involves Tigger and a balloon, and the second, a fearsome beast (or as fearsome as a Pooh cartoon can be) named the Backson. The longest adventure of all is a search for Eeyore's tail... or for some substitute that could serve in that role.
This is a gentle family-friendly gem. Disney has produced a score of Pooh films but this is the first since 1977's The Many Adventures Of Winnie The Pooh to fully capture the charm of the books. Adventures remains the best of all the Pooh films, with this a very close second.
Some reviewers were critical about its length, or rather, lack of length. Winnie the Pooh is listed as being an hour long, which is only about half as long as a regular feature film (and when you subtract the credits, it would be more accurate to say this is just over 50 minutes). It's a legitimate beef. I know I would feel a little put out if I spent ten bucks per head for my family and we were marching out of the theatre before I even finished my popcorn. But on DVD this length is more palatable, especially when its intended audience, and their limited attention spans, are considered.
There are only two cautions to note. The first concerns language. After the film ends, and ten minutes of credits run, there is one final, very short scene in which the word "gosh" is used twice. I'm not a fan of this "substitute expletive" but this is not God's name, and thus is not taking his name in vain.
The only other caution is about Pooh himself. In this rendition, Pooh is a little more self-absorbed and selfish than usual. As an example, when the group sets out to trap the Backson, Pooh is content to let his little friend Piglet do all the work while he supervises. Pooh's shallowness (including his obsession with honey) is the central "conflict" in the story, and one that parents should point out to their children - the "hero" of this little story is not being a good friend right here. Of course, Pooh does gets his priorities figured out by the end of the film. When faced with the choice of finally getting some honey, or bringing Eeyore his missing tale, Pooh chooses friend over food. The story concludes with Christopher Robin congratulating Pooh for the "Very Important Thing" he did today: "Instead of thinking of your tummy you thought of your friend."
Just what that important thing is, the narrator does not specify, so Pooh decides his first priority is going to be to take care of his tummy. And that requires some "huny." When he discovers he is all out, this bear of very little brain come up with a sensible enough plan - he goes in search of "friends out there with honey to spare."
Once out of his little house Pooh proceeds to have a series of adventures. The first involves Tigger and a balloon, and the second, a fearsome beast (or as fearsome as a Pooh cartoon can be) named the Backson. The longest adventure of all is a search for Eeyore's tail... or for some substitute that could serve in that role.
This is a gentle family-friendly gem. Disney has produced a score of Pooh films but this is the first since 1977's The Many Adventures Of Winnie The Pooh to fully capture the charm of the books. Adventures remains the best of all the Pooh films, with this a very close second.
Some reviewers were critical about its length, or rather, lack of length. Winnie the Pooh is listed as being an hour long, which is only about half as long as a regular feature film (and when you subtract the credits, it would be more accurate to say this is just over 50 minutes). It's a legitimate beef. I know I would feel a little put out if I spent ten bucks per head for my family and we were marching out of the theatre before I even finished my popcorn. But on DVD this length is more palatable, especially when its intended audience, and their limited attention spans, are considered.
There are only two cautions to note. The first concerns language. After the film ends, and ten minutes of credits run, there is one final, very short scene in which the word "gosh" is used twice. I'm not a fan of this "substitute expletive" but this is not God's name, and thus is not taking his name in vain.
The only other caution is about Pooh himself. In this rendition, Pooh is a little more self-absorbed and selfish than usual. As an example, when the group sets out to trap the Backson, Pooh is content to let his little friend Piglet do all the work while he supervises. Pooh's shallowness (including his obsession with honey) is the central "conflict" in the story, and one that parents should point out to their children - the "hero" of this little story is not being a good friend right here. Of course, Pooh does gets his priorities figured out by the end of the film. When faced with the choice of finally getting some honey, or bringing Eeyore his missing tale, Pooh chooses friend over food. The story concludes with Christopher Robin congratulating Pooh for the "Very Important Thing" he did today: "Instead of thinking of your tummy you thought of your friend."
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Notes from the Tilt-A-Whirl
Documentary
51 minutes, 2011
Rating: 11/10
You are going to like this. I haven't met anyone yet who has seen this and hasn't been impacted by it.
Now at first look this might seem a pretty random collection of thoughts put to film with moments of poetry, philosophy, biography, musical artistry, and nature documentary.
But there is method to the seeming madness, and one clear overarching thought that unites all the chapters in this film - God is great!
That God is great is hardly a new thought, but getting excited about his greatness is a somewhat recent development. Martin Luther, for example, always knew God was great, but that was a fearsome thought for him in his early years. It was something that filled him with dread as he considered how great God was and what a wretched man he was. God’s greatness left Luther despairing of what he could do to ever earn a place before his Creator.
After the Reformation, when we relearned that faith was a gift, that our great, holy, awesome God, was also loving, merciful, and willing to humble Himself to become like us, to save us, well, his greatness is still fearsome, but now it is also something for us to explore – we can come near. He has invited us to enjoy Him forever.
In this film Nate Wilson teaches us to see again this greatness of God. Today we so often overlook the wonder around us - we think it unremarkable that we are sitting here, on a lump of spinning dirt, hurtling through space at an unimaginable rate of speed. Wilson, more in tune with the wonderous nature of our frentic journey round the Sun, will, on a semi-regular basis, fall to the ground and get a solid grip on the grass just to ensure he doesn't go hurtling off into space.
This film is about making us see the wonder that is really there, but which we have grown too cynical to see. Occasionally an "ordinary" miracles still impact us - parents, watching their child be born, will be awe-struck, even though this is an event much like has happened literally billions of times before in the history of Man. Our awe is rekindled. In Notes from the Tilt-a-Whirl Wilson helps us understand - helps us feel again - the wonder of God's creative genius. God is great! And while trembling remains an appropriate response, wonder is certainly another.
What are others saying?
One reviewer compared this to Rob Bell’s Nooma videos as its "closest cousin in terms of genre" but noted that "there are more original insights in any given 90 seconds of Tilt-a-Whirl than in the entire Nooma series."
51 minutes, 2011
Rating: 11/10
You are going to like this. I haven't met anyone yet who has seen this and hasn't been impacted by it.
Now at first look this might seem a pretty random collection of thoughts put to film with moments of poetry, philosophy, biography, musical artistry, and nature documentary.
But there is method to the seeming madness, and one clear overarching thought that unites all the chapters in this film - God is great!
That God is great is hardly a new thought, but getting excited about his greatness is a somewhat recent development. Martin Luther, for example, always knew God was great, but that was a fearsome thought for him in his early years. It was something that filled him with dread as he considered how great God was and what a wretched man he was. God’s greatness left Luther despairing of what he could do to ever earn a place before his Creator.
After the Reformation, when we relearned that faith was a gift, that our great, holy, awesome God, was also loving, merciful, and willing to humble Himself to become like us, to save us, well, his greatness is still fearsome, but now it is also something for us to explore – we can come near. He has invited us to enjoy Him forever.
In this film Nate Wilson teaches us to see again this greatness of God. Today we so often overlook the wonder around us - we think it unremarkable that we are sitting here, on a lump of spinning dirt, hurtling through space at an unimaginable rate of speed. Wilson, more in tune with the wonderous nature of our frentic journey round the Sun, will, on a semi-regular basis, fall to the ground and get a solid grip on the grass just to ensure he doesn't go hurtling off into space.
This film is about making us see the wonder that is really there, but which we have grown too cynical to see. Occasionally an "ordinary" miracles still impact us - parents, watching their child be born, will be awe-struck, even though this is an event much like has happened literally billions of times before in the history of Man. Our awe is rekindled. In Notes from the Tilt-a-Whirl Wilson helps us understand - helps us feel again - the wonder of God's creative genius. God is great! And while trembling remains an appropriate response, wonder is certainly another.
What are others saying?
One reviewer compared this to Rob Bell’s Nooma videos as its "closest cousin in terms of genre" but noted that "there are more original insights in any given 90 seconds of Tilt-a-Whirl than in the entire Nooma series."
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Darwin's deadly legacy
Documentary
60 minutes, 2006
Rating: 7 out of 10
Darwinism is the idea that conflict and death improve a species via natural selection – via survival of the fittest. Darwinism spawned Social Darwinism, the idea that we can advance the human species by using evolutionary principles. For example, instead of caring for the poor, sick, weak and disabled, Social Darwinists argued that we should let them fend for themselves so that only the strong – the “fittest” – survive.
In this excellent and engaging documentary the late Dr. James Kennedy explores Social Darwinism, and how Darwin’s theory laid the foundation for horrors such as Hitler’s Holocaust and the 1999 Columbine High School shooting.
Hitler, Kennedy notes, explained his genocidal aims in evolutionary terms: he thought the Aryan Germans were superior – were the fittest – so they should triumph over the inferior Jews. The Columbine killers also respected Darwin’s theory. One praised natural selection on his website for “getting rid of all the stupid and weak organisms.” The same boy chose to wear a “natural selection” t-shirt on the day of their shooting rampage. This is the moral legacy of evolutionary theory. If we are not made in the image of God, but are instead made in the image of animals, we shouldn’t be surprised when students of this theory treat people like animals.
One caution: there are few seconds of Holocaust footage, so viewer discretion is advised. It might also be worth noting that while James Kennedy believed in a literal six-day creation, the majority of those interviewed are actually Intelligent Design proponents. However, that has only a minimal impact on this presentation, as this is more about dismantling evolution - something both groups are highly critical of - than about the Christian understanding of our origins.
60 minutes, 2006
Rating: 7 out of 10
Darwinism is the idea that conflict and death improve a species via natural selection – via survival of the fittest. Darwinism spawned Social Darwinism, the idea that we can advance the human species by using evolutionary principles. For example, instead of caring for the poor, sick, weak and disabled, Social Darwinists argued that we should let them fend for themselves so that only the strong – the “fittest” – survive.
In this excellent and engaging documentary the late Dr. James Kennedy explores Social Darwinism, and how Darwin’s theory laid the foundation for horrors such as Hitler’s Holocaust and the 1999 Columbine High School shooting.
Hitler, Kennedy notes, explained his genocidal aims in evolutionary terms: he thought the Aryan Germans were superior – were the fittest – so they should triumph over the inferior Jews. The Columbine killers also respected Darwin’s theory. One praised natural selection on his website for “getting rid of all the stupid and weak organisms.” The same boy chose to wear a “natural selection” t-shirt on the day of their shooting rampage. This is the moral legacy of evolutionary theory. If we are not made in the image of God, but are instead made in the image of animals, we shouldn’t be surprised when students of this theory treat people like animals.
One caution: there are few seconds of Holocaust footage, so viewer discretion is advised. It might also be worth noting that while James Kennedy believed in a literal six-day creation, the majority of those interviewed are actually Intelligent Design proponents. However, that has only a minimal impact on this presentation, as this is more about dismantling evolution - something both groups are highly critical of - than about the Christian understanding of our origins.
Saturday, October 1, 2011
FIREPROOF - Lousy start, strong finish
Drama
122 min; 2008
Rating: 6 out of 10
This is powerful, funny (did I mention powerful?) movie that gets off to a lousy start WORLDMAG.com film critic Warren Cole Smith was so overwrought by the first twenty minutes – the “bad acting…bad dialogue… and bad directing” – that he left.
Don’t read too much into that though; Smith knows a bit about drama, and isn’t above indulging in some. It’s true Fireproof won’t win any Oscars, but if Smith had stuck around just a bit longer he would have seen the acting, dialogue, and even the directing take a dramatic turn for the better.
Love dare
Fireproof is produced and directed by brothers Alex and Stephen Kendrick, and, like their earlier film Facing the Giants
, it has an overtly Christian message. The focus this time is on marriage, and specifically the disintegrating marriage of Caleb Holt (played by Kirk Cameron) and his wife Catherine (Erin Bethea). Holt is a well-respected firefighter who doesn’t understand the lack of respect he gets at home. Catherine is a publicist at the local hospital who sees little reason to respect a husband who spends time on the unsavory side of the Internet. So she turns to her friends and coworkers for sympathy, and starts spending extra time with a young doctor who is always available to talk. When the topic of divorce comes up it’s the first time in a long time that Catherine and Caleb can agree about something – they both want out.
Fortunately Caleb’s father isn’t as ready to give up – he challenges his son to try saving his marriage and gives Caleb a book called The Love Dare. The book is filled with forty tasks, one to be done each day for the next forty days.
The first few tasks seem simple, but present challenges to a husband who isn’t used to showing affection, and to a wife who isn’t used to receiving it. So when, on Day 2, Caleb has to do an “unexpected act of kindness” for his wife, the best he can think of is making her a cup of coffee… which she leaves behind on the counter.
Two weeks later the tasks become more difficult: Love Dare #16 asks Caleb to pray for his wife. Up until this moment Caleb has had no time for God, but as his father tells him, Caleb cannot truly love unless he know the God who is love, the God who expressed His love to us by dying for our sins.
Strengths and superficialities
It’s here that the movie’s theology comes to the fore, highlighting both strengths and superficialities. Like most Christian movies, Fireproof has a “conversion moment,” but the Kendricks take it much further. In other films the principal character’s conversion concludes the movie (and viewers are left with the impressions that life will proceed on in a happily-ever-after fashion) but in Fireproof Caleb’s conversion takes place about halfway through the film and drives the rest of the action. Here, as in real life, conversion is just the beginning of something – a life with God that while wonderful isn’t necessarily easy. However, it’s in this same scene that Fireproof reveals a rather man-centered theology: Caleb’s motivation for turning to God seems to be based more on seeking help for his marriage than seeking reconciliation with his Holy Creator. Caleb’s marriage occupies the top spot in his priorities, the spot that should belong to God.
Conclusion
The final word? This is a film any couple would enjoy and benefit from. Fireproof may start slow, but it ends strong and earns a solid three stars out of five for enjoyment. It should probably get the same rating for its theology – weak on the Christian basics, but its message on marriage is right on the mark: “never leave your partner behind.”
122 min; 2008
Rating: 6 out of 10
This is powerful, funny (did I mention powerful?) movie that gets off to a lousy start WORLDMAG.com film critic Warren Cole Smith was so overwrought by the first twenty minutes – the “bad acting…bad dialogue… and bad directing” – that he left.
Don’t read too much into that though; Smith knows a bit about drama, and isn’t above indulging in some. It’s true Fireproof won’t win any Oscars, but if Smith had stuck around just a bit longer he would have seen the acting, dialogue, and even the directing take a dramatic turn for the better.
Love dare
Fireproof is produced and directed by brothers Alex and Stephen Kendrick, and, like their earlier film Facing the Giants
, it has an overtly Christian message. The focus this time is on marriage, and specifically the disintegrating marriage of Caleb Holt (played by Kirk Cameron) and his wife Catherine (Erin Bethea). Holt is a well-respected firefighter who doesn’t understand the lack of respect he gets at home. Catherine is a publicist at the local hospital who sees little reason to respect a husband who spends time on the unsavory side of the Internet. So she turns to her friends and coworkers for sympathy, and starts spending extra time with a young doctor who is always available to talk. When the topic of divorce comes up it’s the first time in a long time that Catherine and Caleb can agree about something – they both want out.Fortunately Caleb’s father isn’t as ready to give up – he challenges his son to try saving his marriage and gives Caleb a book called The Love Dare. The book is filled with forty tasks, one to be done each day for the next forty days.
The first few tasks seem simple, but present challenges to a husband who isn’t used to showing affection, and to a wife who isn’t used to receiving it. So when, on Day 2, Caleb has to do an “unexpected act of kindness” for his wife, the best he can think of is making her a cup of coffee… which she leaves behind on the counter.
Two weeks later the tasks become more difficult: Love Dare #16 asks Caleb to pray for his wife. Up until this moment Caleb has had no time for God, but as his father tells him, Caleb cannot truly love unless he know the God who is love, the God who expressed His love to us by dying for our sins.
Strengths and superficialities
It’s here that the movie’s theology comes to the fore, highlighting both strengths and superficialities. Like most Christian movies, Fireproof has a “conversion moment,” but the Kendricks take it much further. In other films the principal character’s conversion concludes the movie (and viewers are left with the impressions that life will proceed on in a happily-ever-after fashion) but in Fireproof Caleb’s conversion takes place about halfway through the film and drives the rest of the action. Here, as in real life, conversion is just the beginning of something – a life with God that while wonderful isn’t necessarily easy. However, it’s in this same scene that Fireproof reveals a rather man-centered theology: Caleb’s motivation for turning to God seems to be based more on seeking help for his marriage than seeking reconciliation with his Holy Creator. Caleb’s marriage occupies the top spot in his priorities, the spot that should belong to God.
Conclusion
The final word? This is a film any couple would enjoy and benefit from. Fireproof may start slow, but it ends strong and earns a solid three stars out of five for enjoyment. It should probably get the same rating for its theology – weak on the Christian basics, but its message on marriage is right on the mark: “never leave your partner behind.”
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Jihad According to the Quran and the Hadith
Documentary
35 min, 20??
Rating: 6 out of 10
This short documentary addresses the Muslim doctrine of abrogation, in which older peaceful Koranmic texts are viewed as cancelled out by the later, more militant and violent texts. It features Dr. Robert Morey (author of Islamic Invasion) and argues that we are not fighting a war against terrorism but rather are facing an inevitable conflict between a Jihad-driven Islam and the rest of the world.
It is an eye-opening presentation - the sort of film we all need to see - but it has one notable flaw. Viewers can watch it and leave with the mistaken impression that all Muslims believe in the doctrine of abrogation. While abrogation is an important element of militant Islam, it is not a universal doctrine.
35 min, 20??
Rating: 6 out of 10
This short documentary addresses the Muslim doctrine of abrogation, in which older peaceful Koranmic texts are viewed as cancelled out by the later, more militant and violent texts. It features Dr. Robert Morey (author of Islamic Invasion) and argues that we are not fighting a war against terrorism but rather are facing an inevitable conflict between a Jihad-driven Islam and the rest of the world.
It is an eye-opening presentation - the sort of film we all need to see - but it has one notable flaw. Viewers can watch it and leave with the mistaken impression that all Muslims believe in the doctrine of abrogation. While abrogation is an important element of militant Islam, it is not a universal doctrine.
Monday, August 1, 2011
God’s technology
Documentary/lecture
47 minutes, 2010
Rating: 7 out of 10
This DVD was recently shown to our Sunday night Bible-study group, and it received a very positive response. The speaker, Dr. David Murray is a former Free Church of Scotland pastor, and presently the professor of Old Testament at the Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary in Grand Rapids, Michigan. That means he has a great lilting Scottish accent which is quite fun to hear.
His presentation tackles how Christians in general (but there is a lot of help for parents in particular) should respond to the “Digital Revolution.” With how fast advancements are being made, it’s hard to keep up. As Dr. Murray notes,
So how should Christians respond to the Digital Revolution? Dr. Murray presents 4 relevant biblical principles and follows up with a 7-step training program that is useful for all Christians, but will be of particular interest to parents – this is just the sort of instruction many of us have been asking for! The training program shows how Christians can evaluate and respond to almost any new technology, but Dr. Murray takes it one step further and gives a demonstration of this training in action – he concludes by applying these 7 steps to Facebook.
This is highly recommended for church libraries, and study groups, and might also be a resource schools would want to order, to circulate among their parents. It is in some ways simply a speech, but with a whole bunch of bells and whistles – Dr. Murray is onscreen about half the time, usually against a brilliant white background that has a space-age-ish feel to it, and the other half of the screen time is devoted to relevant pictures, or to illustrations of his talking points. So a speech, yes, but a highly polished, professionally produced speech. To take a look at the trailer, or download a free study guide go to www.headhearthand.org/films/gods-technology/.
47 minutes, 2010
Rating: 7 out of 10
This DVD was recently shown to our Sunday night Bible-study group, and it received a very positive response. The speaker, Dr. David Murray is a former Free Church of Scotland pastor, and presently the professor of Old Testament at the Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary in Grand Rapids, Michigan. That means he has a great lilting Scottish accent which is quite fun to hear.
His presentation tackles how Christians in general (but there is a lot of help for parents in particular) should respond to the “Digital Revolution.” With how fast advancements are being made, it’s hard to keep up. As Dr. Murray notes,
“The personal computer and Internet has changed the way we and our children study, play, socialize, shop, learn and even apply for jobs And this is not just about computer and laptops; this is about cell phones iPods, iPads… games consoles too.”
So how should Christians respond to the Digital Revolution? Dr. Murray presents 4 relevant biblical principles and follows up with a 7-step training program that is useful for all Christians, but will be of particular interest to parents – this is just the sort of instruction many of us have been asking for! The training program shows how Christians can evaluate and respond to almost any new technology, but Dr. Murray takes it one step further and gives a demonstration of this training in action – he concludes by applying these 7 steps to Facebook.
This is highly recommended for church libraries, and study groups, and might also be a resource schools would want to order, to circulate among their parents. It is in some ways simply a speech, but with a whole bunch of bells and whistles – Dr. Murray is onscreen about half the time, usually against a brilliant white background that has a space-age-ish feel to it, and the other half of the screen time is devoted to relevant pictures, or to illustrations of his talking points. So a speech, yes, but a highly polished, professionally produced speech. To take a look at the trailer, or download a free study guide go to www.headhearthand.org/films/gods-technology/.
Friday, July 1, 2011
Not One Less
Chinese Drama
106 min, 2000
Rating: 7 out of 10
13-year-old Wei Minzhi is left in charge of a one-classroom elementary school in rural China and is told she will be paid 50 yuan for one month of work. She will also get a 10 yuan bonus if there is “not one less” student – if she maintains the enrollment – when the month is done and the regular teacher returns.
So when one little boy heads off to the city to find work Wei is determined to bring the boy back so she can get her bonus. First though, she has to find enough money to buy a bus ticket to the city…and her students aren’t willing to contribute. Once there she will have another problem – how do you find one little boy in a city of millions?
This is a strangely compelling movie, showing some of the extremes of China, particularly the wealth of the major city contrasted with the poverty of the rural school. While the actors in this film are all amateurs – the mayor of the town is played by the mayor of a town, the students are played by students, the TV announcer played by a TV announcer, and so on – the acting is good, though in an understated sort of way. This is a gentle excellent little film, but it might be too slow for those not use to foreign fare.
106 min, 2000
Rating: 7 out of 10
13-year-old Wei Minzhi is left in charge of a one-classroom elementary school in rural China and is told she will be paid 50 yuan for one month of work. She will also get a 10 yuan bonus if there is “not one less” student – if she maintains the enrollment – when the month is done and the regular teacher returns.
So when one little boy heads off to the city to find work Wei is determined to bring the boy back so she can get her bonus. First though, she has to find enough money to buy a bus ticket to the city…and her students aren’t willing to contribute. Once there she will have another problem – how do you find one little boy in a city of millions?
This is a strangely compelling movie, showing some of the extremes of China, particularly the wealth of the major city contrasted with the poverty of the rural school. While the actors in this film are all amateurs – the mayor of the town is played by the mayor of a town, the students are played by students, the TV announcer played by a TV announcer, and so on – the acting is good, though in an understated sort of way. This is a gentle excellent little film, but it might be too slow for those not use to foreign fare.
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Noah’s Ark: Thinking outside the box
Documentary
35 minutes, 2008
Rating: 9/10
This is a fun and fast look at what Noah’s ark might really have looked like.
The picture most of us have in our heads comes from classic paintings, which show an ungainly, rotund, oversized rowboat that simply doesn’t look seaworthy. Or we see in our mind’s eye those cute cartoon depictions we remember from our children’s story bible that had an ark so small the giraffes had to stick their necks out the top. No wonder then, that so many people – Christians included – are skeptical about the Bible’s account of Noah, his ark and the Flood.
But as Tim Lovett shows in this documentary (and in his book of the same name) close examination of what the Bible actually says, gives us dimensions that have more in common with a modern ocean-going oil supertanker than the bathtub toy ark we played with as a kid. Lovett has studied ancient shipping building practices, and finds in them a hint as to how the bow and stern might have looked. He argues that ancient (post-Flood) boats probably copied these distinctive and stabilizing design features from the ark.
Crisp computer animation, large-scale models and a liberal dose of good-natured humor make this a DVD that parents and teens will enjoy. You can see the trailer at OutsideTheBox.notlong.com or below.
Rating: 9/10
This is a fun and fast look at what Noah’s ark might really have looked like.
The picture most of us have in our heads comes from classic paintings, which show an ungainly, rotund, oversized rowboat that simply doesn’t look seaworthy. Or we see in our mind’s eye those cute cartoon depictions we remember from our children’s story bible that had an ark so small the giraffes had to stick their necks out the top. No wonder then, that so many people – Christians included – are skeptical about the Bible’s account of Noah, his ark and the Flood.
But as Tim Lovett shows in this documentary (and in his book of the same name) close examination of what the Bible actually says, gives us dimensions that have more in common with a modern ocean-going oil supertanker than the bathtub toy ark we played with as a kid. Lovett has studied ancient shipping building practices, and finds in them a hint as to how the bow and stern might have looked. He argues that ancient (post-Flood) boats probably copied these distinctive and stabilizing design features from the ark.
Crisp computer animation, large-scale models and a liberal dose of good-natured humor make this a DVD that parents and teens will enjoy. You can see the trailer at OutsideTheBox.notlong.com or below.
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