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.

 

DEMOGRAPHIC WINTER

The decline of the human family
Documentary
56 min, 2008
Rating: 7 out of 10

This is not a Christian film; it’s just a film that argues everything Christians have been saying about the importance of the family, about the damage done by divorce, about what a blessing children are, about the threat of “gay marriage,” and about the harm caused by premarital sex, is exactly right. Christians had it right on every count.

Demographic Winter warns about a coming collapse in world population caused by a birth rate that is well below replacement levels in most developed countries. Unless things change dramatically, in 40 years the population of Russia will be halved. In Europe things are little better. Couples need to have at least two children to keep the population level steady, but are instead having an average of just 1.3.

Who’s to blame? Expert after secular expert lays the blame at the feet of those attacking the family and encouraging divorce, abortion, “gay marriage,” contraception and cohabitation. We’re heading towards a crisis, they say, and the proper response is to strengthen the family, not plot its demise.

The findings of all the leading social scientists are so closely in accord with what the Bible says that one, a Phillip Longman, felt he had to make his motivations clear. In the film’s final scene Longman explains,

“I’m not churched – I work for a progressive secular think tank… I have one child, adopted. So this is not a faith-based analysis. This is an analysis that, um… may eventually bring me to faith, but it’s not driven by faith. It just turns out this is where the facts take you when you look at population.”

This is not a Christian film; it is a film that will fascinate Christians.

They've since done a follow up, called Demographic Bomb, which is also well worth watching. To order either, or to check out their trailers, go to demographicbomb.com.

Turning the Tide

Dignity, Compassion And Euthanasia
Documentary
29 min, 2007
Rating: 7/10

In the 2008 Canadian federal election both the NDP and Liberals favored physician-assisted suicide. And in 2008 Washington State followed the lead of Oregon, to become the second state to allow physician-assisted suicide. We’re fighting a culture of death, and euthanasia is the newest battleground.

Turning the Tide is intended to be a tool in this fight, and it is a good one. The strength of this documentary is the expertise assembled on camera: pro-life advocate Wesley Smith; Bobby Schindler, the brother of Terri Schiavo; Senator Sharon Carstairs, who headed a Senate committee on euthanasia; Alex Schadenberg, the head of the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition; and from our own Canadian Reformed circles, Adrian Dieleman. They make it clear what a slippery slope we are on, and outline a series of solid, compelling arguments against assisted suicide.

But the film has a glaring weakness. Turning the Tide hardly even mentions the spiritual dimension, shuffling it off to a small five minute segment in the bonus features section of the DVD. This is clearly meant to be a secular presentation, but because they hardly dare mention God’s name, the film ultimately isn’t able to explain why the life of every person – disabled, elderly, depressed, or otherwise – is precious. We are, all of us, made in God’s image.

Still, it is an eye-opening documentary, and for its short length, an extensive look at this deadly quest – it covers a lot of ground. I’d suggest it should be mandatory viewing in our Christian schools. The DVD comes with a discussion guide and you can view the trailer below.

Fearfully and Wonderfully Made

Lecture
63 min, 2005
Rating: 8 out of 10

I've loaned out my copy of this DVD to more than a dozen people, and every one of them loved it as much as I do. It is little more than a taped lecture, but still manages to be among Answers In Genesis’s top selling DVDs. Why? Well, there are a few cool PowerPoint slides to liven things up a bit, but the strength of this DVD is in its subject matter: the beginnings of human life.

A parent looking at their newborn might call the child a “little miracle” but as Dr. David Menton makes clear in his presentation, that is a completely insufficient description! There isn’t just one miracle involved in the conception and birth of a child – numerous miracles are involved at every stage, before conception even occurs.

Fearfully and Wonderfully Made isn’t specifically a pro-life presentation but by outlining the miracle of life Dr. David Menton makes clear the waste and destruction involved in abortion. This is a truly awesome presentation.

And, amazingly, this video can now be seen for free online here. So check it out, and then order a copy for your church library!

Casablanca

Drama
103 min; 1943
Rating: 10 out of 10

Why not start off a movie blog with a short review of one of the acknowledged best films of all time?

When Ilsa Lund hears that the Nazis have killed her husband she is inconsolable…until she meets Rick Blaine. They meet in Paris, a city on the brink of an invasion by German forces, and in the midst of this ongoing chaos the two quickly fall in love. But then, mysteriously, Ilsa runs away. She disappears from Paris without a word of explanation, and leaves Rick an embittered man. Three years later they bump into each other again, this time in the free French North African town of Casablanca, but Rick is stunned to find out that Ilsa is there with her very undead husband!

I am a fan of many World War II films, particularly those that were made at that time. What sets Casablanca apart (and above) the many other very good WWII movies is that it is not a movie about heroes doing heroic things. Rather it is about lonely, broken, and even wretched people in difficult conditions doing the right thing in the end. That might sound rather depressing, but it isn't. These are the sort of folk we can empathize with, so when they pick principle over pragmatism we're right there with them, cheering them on, and hoping that we would do the same.

For a very different (but equally enthused) review, check out Harma Mae Smit's thoughts here.

You can find Casablanca at Amazon.com here and Amazon.ca here.

 

And for a film professor's take on why Casablanca is great see below (but, warning, there are spoilers!).