I'm fairly limited on what kind of movies I like to watch. I'm hoping others will kick in their two cents by posting below. I like action and suspense. I also like movies that teach a moral well without being preachy. Humor is great but I like it subtle and not the yuck, yuck kind! I guess I'm kind of picky. I generally can handle bad language. It doesn't seem to phase me unless it doesn't fit the plot. I stay clear of the horror genre or anything blatantly sexual. So, with that said, this is what I've been watching...
Shooter ** - I liked this movie as much as you could like a movie about an assassin. It got increasing bloody toward the end. I wouldn't recommend it for that reason. But the plot was interesting and it kept me guessing.
Breach *** - This was well acted and a fascinating story. It also gives insight into how people can compartmentalize their life separating out their faith from a life filled with lies. It's about the biggest security breach in US history involving one of our spies.
Fracture *** - Anthony Hopkins does a great job keeping people guessing about how he murdered his wife. There's a twist at the end that gives you a satisfying "aha" moment.
Amazing Grace ** - I was looking forward to this movie and was disappointed by it's pacing. It just seemed to drag for me...maybe because there was no suspense...I knew how it was going to turn out! Chuck Colson recently said this is one of his all time favorites. I'd definitely recommend it for the history lesson and for a great example of a man compelled by his faith to fight injustice. In case you haven't heard, it's about how slavery was outlawed in England.
Bourne Ultimatum *** - If this movie had a great moral to it I'd give it four stars. I suppose it is a story about fighting injustice and exposing lies. It's just no "Amazing Grace". I haven't seen a movie that kept me on the edge of my chair like this since "The Fugitive" years ago. I really like Matt Damon's understated character. Unlike "Shooter" he only uses force when he has too to save his life.
The Golden Compass ??? - This movie is raising a lot of concern in the Christian community. I generally don't like to criticize something before it hits the street. I don't like it when Christians are always dissing things in the media but this movie might be an exception. This is what one Cedarbrooker recently wrote me...
I was going to use [The Golden Compass] for my book club, but had some concerns, so I read the whole series and found that it is blantant anti-God. My thought is that some families may not be aware of how bad this series is concerning Christianity. My family has enjoyed the Harry Potter books. We see them as just fantasy. This movie and series is something very different.
I'd love to hear back from anyone your thoughts on these movies or others you'd recommend!
1 comment:
Here's a comment from someone that had trouble posting. I appreciate their perspective. It gives balance to the discussion...
"I am in the process of reading the triology (of which Golden Compass is the first novel) before we see the movie. I've also done a bit of research on the author and his views, and I think that many Christians will be quick to nullify what seems to be very good literature for reasons that happen all too often.
Fiction writers can't help but express a part of who they are in their writing (in this case, Pullman is an atheist) but avoiding reading something based on an author's belief system may be a small-minded response, especially if the author is writing not to make a point, but to entertain.
In what I'm seeing thus far in The Golden Compass, the author is not necessarily against God (the Creator of our Earth), but against the god of the world he is writing about. Big difference. Another theme the author explores is the fight against a very harmful, controlling church that is destructive in its effect. Many Christians have already stated that Pullman is writing about the destruction of Christianity, and according to the author himself, that is not the case.
Interestingly, Pullman has expressed that typically "Christian" authors often don't bring out what is the best part of Christianity: the kindness, the grace, the love. And he says that is what he is against.
Check out this interview Pullman did with a very intuitive and knowledgable Catholic thinker. It answers a lot of questions and maybe raises a few more, but the thing that I think he really came out strong saying was that fiction isn't written to prove a point, it's written to entertain. While I agree it's good to be wise about our belief systems, often when examining fiction, we get caught up in looking under every rock for things that aren't always there. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2004/03/17/bodark17.xml&page=3"
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