Ya'll ready for this? Wow... this is some sort of movie... I almost forgot how awful it was. Too bad it's funny too, because then it's hard to say I don't like it because of all the awfulness of it. I don't recommend it. It's entirely too sexual for its own good.
That being said, there was really only one thing that I could easy apply to our spiritual lives. After Stifler's party, when all the guys are feeling like failures because they failed to clear the bases with their respective dates, Kevin stands up and makes a pact with the guys. He says that alone they're all weak, but together they can all work toward their goal, challenge each other to keep working at it. Granted, the goal they set for themselves was to lose their virginity before graduating High School, and we should have much more honorable goals than that, but the message remains the same: If we want something to change, we need to band with our fellow believers.
Solomon writes, Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 “Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work:If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up”!
Proverbs 13:20 “He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm”.
Prov 17:17 (NCV) “A friend loves you all the time, and a brother helps in time of trouble”.
James says, James 5:16 (NRSV) “Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective”.
And finally, Paul says, 1 Th 5:11 (NRSV) “Therefore encourage one another and build up each other, as indeed you are doing”.
Paul also talks a lot about the Body of Christ. We are all part of the body, and as such we need to be mindful of our fellow believers struggles. We need to come up on their sides and give them a helping hand when they need it. That is our duty as Christians.
This is the spiritual point I pulled out from American Pie. Next week... (sigh) American Pie 2
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
American Gangster
First, let me apologize to my wife. I watch the movies I blog about the Monday morning before, that way I have 2 days to think about it and what I'm going to write about. Well, this movie is 3 hours long (the extended edition) and she hates every minute of it. This made for a very long morning for poor, poor Amanda. Ize can has sorries?
For those who have never seen American Gangster, shame. It's a really well made film and it has a really good story line, but, not wanting to get a good rep, Director Ridley Scott couldn't help but put an F-Bomb in every 20 seconds of the movie. Seriously. I counted once. There's also gratuitous amounts of violence, as it is a mobster movie, as well as a gross amount of drug content and nudity. But, other than being rated R for every reason, it's a good movie because of the story.
The movie is based on the true story of Richie Roberts and how he brought down Frank Lucas, Drug Lord of Harlem, and how the two banded together while Lucas was in prison to arrest over 100 crooked cops who were in the drug scene as well.
The film opens (after a man is tied to a chair, set on fire, then shot in the head several times) with Frank and his old boss, Bumpy Johnson, walking down the street as Bumpy is telling Frank the hard truths of life, that America's turning into a giant middleman. Buying things from someone else, selling them to companies for more than they paid for it, then selling it to the customer for more than they paid for it. He says it's simply unAmerican. These words hit a cord with Frank, and he decides to adopt a new business strategy for his heroin business.
Frank's cousin's ex-husband is in the navy stationed in Bangkok, and he uses this connection to go over and meet with an Opium Lord, saying he'll pay if he can bring a huge amount of heroin over to America. Since Frank bought from the source he is able to charge half the price his competitors are charging, for a product that's twice as "good."
Being in the game for as long as Frank Lucas is, he starts getting to know everyone in every circle. He knows which cops are the ones that will confiscate your drugs, steal them from the evidence room, cut it down to 10% what it was, and sell it back to the dealers, making a huge profit. Frank knows that these cops are running his fellow drug dealers out of business, so he does what he can do to bring down those cops while he's still outside of prison.
There are a few things I need to say: Drugs are bad, (mmkay?) and I'm not saying anything that Frank Lucas did in the drug trade was good, I'm only saying some of the things I noticed in the movie could be applied to our spiritual lives.
Frank is devoted to his people, to his family, his country. We should be this committed to our own families, our church families, and our community. We are all one body with many parts, so if one of us is hurting the whole will be hurting.
The story of American Gangster is a giant story of redemption. Frank destroyed hundreds of lives, by continuing the drug trade. By giving someone who is already strung out on the cut down heroin someone twice as good for half the cost is just going to make them more and more dependent on it, and it's only a matter of time before they OD and then it's not just one life he's ended, but a family he's destroyed. There's a scene in the movie where it shows a bunch of people all shooting up, and one part of this montage has a baby sitting on a bed, with someone laying sprawled out on the bed next to them, possibly dead. The baby is crying and someone else comes in the room and takes the baby out as it screams its lungs out. Awful.
But Frank, after having taken a step back to look at the horrible things he'd done, was able to help Richie arrest more than 100 cops who weren't doing there job, because they wanted the drug trade to continue: it kept them in business. Frank did what he could to try and slow down the barreling train of drugs, and he took a pretty big dent out of the New York/New Jersey section when he chose to work with Richie instead of against him for once.
Next week... oh my... oh my... American Pie...
For those who have never seen American Gangster, shame. It's a really well made film and it has a really good story line, but, not wanting to get a good rep, Director Ridley Scott couldn't help but put an F-Bomb in every 20 seconds of the movie. Seriously. I counted once. There's also gratuitous amounts of violence, as it is a mobster movie, as well as a gross amount of drug content and nudity. But, other than being rated R for every reason, it's a good movie because of the story.
The movie is based on the true story of Richie Roberts and how he brought down Frank Lucas, Drug Lord of Harlem, and how the two banded together while Lucas was in prison to arrest over 100 crooked cops who were in the drug scene as well.
The film opens (after a man is tied to a chair, set on fire, then shot in the head several times) with Frank and his old boss, Bumpy Johnson, walking down the street as Bumpy is telling Frank the hard truths of life, that America's turning into a giant middleman. Buying things from someone else, selling them to companies for more than they paid for it, then selling it to the customer for more than they paid for it. He says it's simply unAmerican. These words hit a cord with Frank, and he decides to adopt a new business strategy for his heroin business.
Frank's cousin's ex-husband is in the navy stationed in Bangkok, and he uses this connection to go over and meet with an Opium Lord, saying he'll pay if he can bring a huge amount of heroin over to America. Since Frank bought from the source he is able to charge half the price his competitors are charging, for a product that's twice as "good."
Being in the game for as long as Frank Lucas is, he starts getting to know everyone in every circle. He knows which cops are the ones that will confiscate your drugs, steal them from the evidence room, cut it down to 10% what it was, and sell it back to the dealers, making a huge profit. Frank knows that these cops are running his fellow drug dealers out of business, so he does what he can do to bring down those cops while he's still outside of prison.
There are a few things I need to say: Drugs are bad, (mmkay?) and I'm not saying anything that Frank Lucas did in the drug trade was good, I'm only saying some of the things I noticed in the movie could be applied to our spiritual lives.
Frank is devoted to his people, to his family, his country. We should be this committed to our own families, our church families, and our community. We are all one body with many parts, so if one of us is hurting the whole will be hurting.
The story of American Gangster is a giant story of redemption. Frank destroyed hundreds of lives, by continuing the drug trade. By giving someone who is already strung out on the cut down heroin someone twice as good for half the cost is just going to make them more and more dependent on it, and it's only a matter of time before they OD and then it's not just one life he's ended, but a family he's destroyed. There's a scene in the movie where it shows a bunch of people all shooting up, and one part of this montage has a baby sitting on a bed, with someone laying sprawled out on the bed next to them, possibly dead. The baby is crying and someone else comes in the room and takes the baby out as it screams its lungs out. Awful.
But Frank, after having taken a step back to look at the horrible things he'd done, was able to help Richie arrest more than 100 cops who weren't doing there job, because they wanted the drug trade to continue: it kept them in business. Frank did what he could to try and slow down the barreling train of drugs, and he took a pretty big dent out of the New York/New Jersey section when he chose to work with Richie instead of against him for once.
Next week... oh my... oh my... American Pie...
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Amazing Grace
got my work cut out for me here.
The first time I heard of this movie I thought it was about John Newton, the man who wrote Amazing Grace. It is, however, the story of William Wilberforce, Newton's student, who fought for the abolition of the slave trade in England.
I'm feeling really tired right now, so it'll have to be a little short tonight.
This film shows how devoted we need to be to our beliefs. Wilberforce knows that all men are created equal, and he fights for this until it eventually passes in parliament.
God's love stretches to everyone, no matter their anything. The Bible says that in the eyes of God there is no Jew nor Gentile, and on and on and on. This is also a command as to how we must love one another. God loves everyone equally and he calls us to love everyone equally as well.
Rrrrreally tired right now... Next week: American Gangster
The first time I heard of this movie I thought it was about John Newton, the man who wrote Amazing Grace. It is, however, the story of William Wilberforce, Newton's student, who fought for the abolition of the slave trade in England.
I'm feeling really tired right now, so it'll have to be a little short tonight.
This film shows how devoted we need to be to our beliefs. Wilberforce knows that all men are created equal, and he fights for this until it eventually passes in parliament.
God's love stretches to everyone, no matter their anything. The Bible says that in the eyes of God there is no Jew nor Gentile, and on and on and on. This is also a command as to how we must love one another. God loves everyone equally and he calls us to love everyone equally as well.
Rrrrreally tired right now... Next week: American Gangster
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Airplane!
The 1980 comedy starring Robert Hays and Julie Hagerty quickly became a hit and is revered as a cult classic in many circles. The film is about Ted Striker, a former pilot in the Air Force, and his love for Elaine Dickenson, a stewardess (back when they were called stewardesses <--fyi, stewardesses is the longest English word one can spell using only their left hand, in proper hand position.) Ted follows Elaine onto a plane, trying to mend their broken relationship, only to be found crucially important, as he is the only one aboard that can not only fly the plane, but isn't suffering from the food poisoning that struck down the pilots and navigator. The movie is filled with so much stupidity and randomness, that it's easily one of my favorites.
What can we learn from such an odd movie? In watching Airplane! I was reminded of how in control of our lives God is. Ted's love story with Elaine, which he recounts to anyone who has ears, is one of many ups and downs, but because of everything that happened to him, the fateful raid Ted organized that killed 7 men, the flying experience, the fact that their relationship was bad and Ted felt he had to go on the plane to get Elaine, and his choice of dinner saved that plane full of people.
Jeremiah 29:11 says: "I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future."
This was written by Jeremiah during the reign of Babylon, as the Israelites were being forced out of their homeland (again). Jeremiah was writing to reassure the Israelites that God is in control, and His plan is perfect, and to trust in it.
All of the things that happen to us in our lives, we may not understand. We might not know why our dad lost his job when we were kids so we didn't get to have much, or why our best friend died at a young age, or why we couldn't go to this one thing this one time, but God knows. He has a plan for all of us. We may not know the ending, and it may not make sense at all (much like Airplane!) when we're in the thick of it, but, surely, God knows what He's doing.
He does know what He's doing. And don't call me Shirley.
Next week: Amazing Grace
What can we learn from such an odd movie? In watching Airplane! I was reminded of how in control of our lives God is. Ted's love story with Elaine, which he recounts to anyone who has ears, is one of many ups and downs, but because of everything that happened to him, the fateful raid Ted organized that killed 7 men, the flying experience, the fact that their relationship was bad and Ted felt he had to go on the plane to get Elaine, and his choice of dinner saved that plane full of people.
Jeremiah 29:11 says: "I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future."
This was written by Jeremiah during the reign of Babylon, as the Israelites were being forced out of their homeland (again). Jeremiah was writing to reassure the Israelites that God is in control, and His plan is perfect, and to trust in it.
All of the things that happen to us in our lives, we may not understand. We might not know why our dad lost his job when we were kids so we didn't get to have much, or why our best friend died at a young age, or why we couldn't go to this one thing this one time, but God knows. He has a plan for all of us. We may not know the ending, and it may not make sense at all (much like Airplane!) when we're in the thick of it, but, surely, God knows what He's doing.
He does know what He's doing. And don't call me Shirley.
Next week: Amazing Grace
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
The Addams Family Values
The whole family is back in an all new adventure, this time, with a new addition: Pubert Addams, the new mustachioed baby boy. In search of a Nanny, they hire Debbie, (Joan Cusack) a woman who seems normal enough, but also seems to fit in perfectly with the Addamses. Fester falls head over heels in love with Debbie, who, as luck would have it, is a serial killer known as the Black Widow, who marries rich bachelors and then kills them on their wedding night, making it look like an accident.
Needing to get closer to Fester, Debbie tells Morticia and Gomez that the children told her that they wanted to go to Summer Camp. Falling for the ploy, Wednesday and Pugsley are shipped off to Camp Chippewa. "Chippewa. It's an Indian word. It means Orphan," Wednesday informs. While at camp Wednesday meets Joel (Andrew Krumholtz) a fellow social outcast. The two become somewhat romantically interested in each other, as romantically interested as two elementary aged kids can be. They're interested in each other for who the other person is. Pugsley, Wednesday, Joel and a small band of kids are the only ones at Camp Chippewa who act like themselves and aren't afraid of what people think about them. They are who they are and that's fine with them.
Wednesday and Joel devise a plan to create chaos during the performance of the lead counselor's play about the first Thanksgiving and end up tying one of the more annoying girls to a stake and pretend to light a fire beneath her.
Meanwhile, back at the Addams'...
Fester and Debbie get married, and Debbie, after several unsuccessful attempts at killing Fester, makes him swear that he will never see his family again, because it would make Debbie too upset. Fester, thinking Debbie actually loves him, agrees, to make her happy. He thinks that if he does all the right things, Debbie will love him more. He's changing who he is to be who he thinks Debbie wants him to be.
These two relationships are complete opposites if you couldn't tell. The Bible says that man looks at the outward appearance, but God looks at the heart, so we don't need to completely change who we are to be accepted by others. Sure we may have to change some things or alter some of our habits or behaviors, or even our looks some times, to be taken seriously, or to respect others wishes, but not to seek approval. If you have to completely change the person you are to be accepted by someone else, you don't need their acceptance anyway.
Next Week is Airplane!
Needing to get closer to Fester, Debbie tells Morticia and Gomez that the children told her that they wanted to go to Summer Camp. Falling for the ploy, Wednesday and Pugsley are shipped off to Camp Chippewa. "Chippewa. It's an Indian word. It means Orphan," Wednesday informs. While at camp Wednesday meets Joel (Andrew Krumholtz) a fellow social outcast. The two become somewhat romantically interested in each other, as romantically interested as two elementary aged kids can be. They're interested in each other for who the other person is. Pugsley, Wednesday, Joel and a small band of kids are the only ones at Camp Chippewa who act like themselves and aren't afraid of what people think about them. They are who they are and that's fine with them.
Wednesday and Joel devise a plan to create chaos during the performance of the lead counselor's play about the first Thanksgiving and end up tying one of the more annoying girls to a stake and pretend to light a fire beneath her.
Meanwhile, back at the Addams'...
Fester and Debbie get married, and Debbie, after several unsuccessful attempts at killing Fester, makes him swear that he will never see his family again, because it would make Debbie too upset. Fester, thinking Debbie actually loves him, agrees, to make her happy. He thinks that if he does all the right things, Debbie will love him more. He's changing who he is to be who he thinks Debbie wants him to be.
These two relationships are complete opposites if you couldn't tell. The Bible says that man looks at the outward appearance, but God looks at the heart, so we don't need to completely change who we are to be accepted by others. Sure we may have to change some things or alter some of our habits or behaviors, or even our looks some times, to be taken seriously, or to respect others wishes, but not to seek approval. If you have to completely change the person you are to be accepted by someone else, you don't need their acceptance anyway.
Next Week is Airplane!
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
The Addams Family
I was watching this the other day, and I was wondering how I was going to connect it to spirituality, and it wasn't until I had finished the film and was thinking about it that I came up with the overarching theme: Love, and how it can change someone.
Gomez Addams (Raul Julia) had a fight with his brother, Fester, 25 years ago, and Fester subsequently took off in anger. Now with a family of his own, wife Morticia (Anjelica Huston) and children Wednesday (Christina Ricci) and Pugsley (Jimmy Workman) Gomez, feeling great guilt for driving Fester away, has been trying to reach Fester on the other side to make right what he has done. Knowing of their great fortune, the Addams' lawyer (or something), Tully (Dan Hedaya), who owes a large sum to his loan shark, Abigail Craven (Elizabeth Wilson), decides to steal the money from the Addams'. Tully notices that Craven's son, Gordon (Christopher Lloyd) looks a lot like Fester. He devises the plan that Gordon infiltrates the manor, wins their trust, and absconds with the money. Gordon goes in with full intention of following through with this plan, but after being welcomed with such joy and passion, and love that this family has for one of its own, Gordon is transformed into Fester. He becomes this whole new person from what he was before. He turns from a man who wants to dupe these people, to someone who truly loves them because they love him for who he is, or who they think he is.
That's what I got out of the Addams Family. Next week, The Addams Family Values
Gomez Addams (Raul Julia) had a fight with his brother, Fester, 25 years ago, and Fester subsequently took off in anger. Now with a family of his own, wife Morticia (Anjelica Huston) and children Wednesday (Christina Ricci) and Pugsley (Jimmy Workman) Gomez, feeling great guilt for driving Fester away, has been trying to reach Fester on the other side to make right what he has done. Knowing of their great fortune, the Addams' lawyer (or something), Tully (Dan Hedaya), who owes a large sum to his loan shark, Abigail Craven (Elizabeth Wilson), decides to steal the money from the Addams'. Tully notices that Craven's son, Gordon (Christopher Lloyd) looks a lot like Fester. He devises the plan that Gordon infiltrates the manor, wins their trust, and absconds with the money. Gordon goes in with full intention of following through with this plan, but after being welcomed with such joy and passion, and love that this family has for one of its own, Gordon is transformed into Fester. He becomes this whole new person from what he was before. He turns from a man who wants to dupe these people, to someone who truly loves them because they love him for who he is, or who they think he is.
That's what I got out of the Addams Family. Next week, The Addams Family Values
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Ace Ventura: Pet Detective
This one was difficult to think of something to connect with spirituality, but I think I may have a pretty good one. I think we should all be more like Ace.
Ace Ventura: Pet Detective is a film about Ace Ventura (Jim Carrey), who is, you guessed it, a Pet Detective. He takes cases involving animals, such as the one he is completing at the beginning of the movie: a couple who had recently divorced, the wife got the dog, but the husband took off with it, and Ace goes in and retrieves it. He's also planning on catching an Albino pigeon which has a $25,000 reward upon return. His case for the duration of the movie: Snowflake, the mascot for the Miami Dolphin has been kidnapped. He has narrowed it down to someone on the team that went to the Super Bowl in 1984 due to an orange emerald he found in Snowflake's tank that came from the championship ring.
No matter how many people think (or know) that Ace is crazy for thinking the things he does. He is so set on solving this case that he can think of little else. He is so singly focused, it's almost inspiring. He doesn't let anything get in his way of accomplishing this goal.
That's what I pulled out of Ace Ventura. This is a short post, but it was a difficult one to come up with spiritual connections. Don't worry, later ones will be better =P
Next Week: The Addams Family... =]
Ace Ventura: Pet Detective is a film about Ace Ventura (Jim Carrey), who is, you guessed it, a Pet Detective. He takes cases involving animals, such as the one he is completing at the beginning of the movie: a couple who had recently divorced, the wife got the dog, but the husband took off with it, and Ace goes in and retrieves it. He's also planning on catching an Albino pigeon which has a $25,000 reward upon return. His case for the duration of the movie: Snowflake, the mascot for the Miami Dolphin has been kidnapped. He has narrowed it down to someone on the team that went to the Super Bowl in 1984 due to an orange emerald he found in Snowflake's tank that came from the championship ring.
No matter how many people think (or know) that Ace is crazy for thinking the things he does. He is so set on solving this case that he can think of little else. He is so singly focused, it's almost inspiring. He doesn't let anything get in his way of accomplishing this goal.
That's what I pulled out of Ace Ventura. This is a short post, but it was a difficult one to come up with spiritual connections. Don't worry, later ones will be better =P
Next Week: The Addams Family... =]
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