Capitalism: A Love Story

This is the striking title of a 2099 American documentary film shown on Channel 4 recently, and now also released on DVD over here.  LICC have an article on it by Mark Sampson.

Michael Moore movies are a genre unto themselves: part documentary, part street theatre, with a little bit of satire and rhetoric thrown into the mix. However reviewers might describe his work, they certainly won’t make use of adjectives such as ‘subtle’, ‘balanced’, and ‘fair’. He is a modern day street-preacher, utilising a mix of clever visual images and emotive personal interviews. The editing suite is Moore’s soapbox.

A sub-plot of the film is how capitalism was variously baptised or demonised by Christians.

Filed under: Films

Kissing Frogs

Damaris have just published another of their helpful commentaries on current films, this time notes on Disney’s The Princess and the Frog by Holly Price under the title Chasing Disney Dreams. It’s well worth a look. I was amused by the certificate comment “Contains mild scary scenes”: usually quite enough to get me behind the sofa. And by the link to an Express article about 50 youngsters in the stataes getting ill by kissing frogs… In these PC days half of them were boys and half girls.

Filed under: Films

The Lovely Bones

Paramount release The Lovely Bones on 19th February. Directed by Peter Jackson of Lord of the RIngs fame, and based on Alice Sebold’s book of the same name, it tells the story of the murder of a schoolgirl (with a 12A certificate though) and explores themes of  justice, grief, judgement, forgiveness and reconciliation. It could make for good Lent discussion or sermon illustration, and free resources including clips are available through Damaris at http://www.damaris.org/lovelybones.

Filed under: Films, Resources

Sherlock Holmes

Damaris CultureWatch have posted another interesting film review – of Sherlock Holmes – by Holly Price. She points to the way in which Holmes and the villain Lord Blackwood use the same characteristics for good and for evil (a common enough device) and uses that as a springboard to talk about the character of God – ultimately powerful but giving up that power for the sake of others.

She also points to how Holmes warns against choosing ‘facts to suit theories instead of theories to suit facts’ and finishes by saying, ‘Look at the case for Jesus’s life, death and resurrection. Seek out the truth.’

Filed under: Christianity, Films

Avatar

Sophie Lister has an interesting theological reflection on the film Avatar called One of Us in the Damaris Culturewatch series.

She makes the analogy between Jake’s progression from his paralysed human form to the liberating strength of his Avatar self and the Bible’s teaching that Christians will have new, everlasting bodies in the life to come: ‘Our bodies are buried in brokenness, but they will be raised in glory. They are buried in weakness, but they will be raised in strength.’ (1 Corinthians 15:43), and also Paul’s teaching of a struggle in us between what she calls two ‘selves’ – the weak earthly self or ‘flesh’, and the stronger, real self or ‘spirit’.

It is when we live as this ‘spirit’ prompts us to that we experience true freedom to be ourselves, just as Jake finds that he is actually more ‘himself’ as an Avatar than as a human. Eventually he chooses to make the full transition of his consciousness into his Avatar self, an event which he refers to as his ‘birthday’. Christians look forward to their own new birth in the life to come, the end of the struggle between their earthly and spiritual selves when old bodies are left behind.

I’m not sure the analogy really works, in the sense that Na’vi life and resurrection life are not really comparable; but three cheers for Damaris’ continuing mission to help old fogies like me keep up to date with culture and be able to refer to it in what we say. Thank you!

Filed under: Films, Media Matters, theology

Nativity! resources now available

Paul Maddens (Martin Freeman) is a failed actor turned primary school teacher. Every year his school puts on a nativity play that is surpassed in every way by the one that Paul’s old rival, Gordon Shakespeare (Jason Watkins), puts on at the local independent school. This Christmas Paul is keen to avoid the embarrassment altogether, but finds himself enlisted as director. The next time Paul meets Gordon, he boasts that their old friend, Jenny (Ashley Jensen), is flying in from Hollywood to make his production into a book and film. This ridiculous lie gathers pace in the hands of Paul’s naive classroom assistant, Mr. Poppy (Marc Wootton). Soon everyone believes that Hollywood is coming to Coventry.

As Gordon and Paul vie for the best-reviewed Christmas production, their true colours are revealed. Gordon’s early introduction as a man who ‘only truly loved himself’ is exemplified again and again. He disciplines and motivates his class, but only in the pursuit of his aspirations. Paul’s frustrated ambition is just as destructive as Gordon’s. He labels his class, ‘literally useless’, creates a lie to save face in front of Gordon and repeatedly blames Mr. Poppy for his failures. It is clear that both nativities revolve around the teachers directing them.

Eventually Paul learns something from Mr. Poppy, a childlike messianic figure who puts the children before himself. It is Mr. Poppy who inspires Paul to bring the nativity play to life.  [more...]

Holly Price

Read the article and discussion guide on the CultureWatch website

Filed under: Films, Resources