Movie Review - The Passion of The Christ

The Plot - The Passion recounts the last 12 hours of Jesus’ life following the betrayal by Judas Iscariot. Suffering brutality at the hands of his jailors Jesus is ultimately crucified.

The Review - This is the one time I’ll write a review about a film without worrying about “spoilers”. Maybe it’s the times we live in, but it seems whether it’s a titty flash, trash talk radio or even a movie people want to be outraged about something. This movie was a curiosity for me because so many people had an opinion about it before it was released. Some Christians hailed it as THE story about Christ, others have called it pornography while casual observers have called it “…brutally realistic, it’s probably finally a film that does Jesus some justice.”

While I’m currently on my own journey of faith I have to admit my knowledge of the Bible and its contents is sorely lacking. As such I cannot refute the interpretation offered up by Mel Gibson in The Passion. I don’t believe the intent of the film is one of anti-semitism, but like the Star Wars series Gibson does little to downplay cultural stereotypes. It is also true that it portrays the Romans in a more sympathetic light than the Jewish people. Overall, I thought the film’s strength was also its weakness. You’ll be disgusted and outraged at the horrors Jesus endures, but the film will lock hold of you for 120 minutes.

The sheer brutality Jesus suffers through draws the audience’s attention and holds it like gawkers passing a highway tragedy. I don’t think the film is violent or gory for gore’s sake, but I think the message of The Passion is watered down because much is assumed about its viewers. The film establishes Jesus’s character, his message through a series a flashbacks. Maybe it is sufficient for the educated Christian, but to the casual observer there really is no explanation or understanding why the Jewish priests and people have such overwhelming hatred for Jesus. To the casual observer only a handful of people were followers of Jesus. The audience feels for Jesus because of his circumstance not because they are enlightened by his message.

Regardless of how you feel about the movie the key point is it is JUST A FILM. This is one man’s interpretation of the last moments of Christ’s life. Perhaps Mel Gibson created this film to invoke a certain reaction to shock people back into their faith. You may be offended by it, you may be affected by it, but if the film stirs you to look more deeply at your own faith then I think that is a good thing.

I’ll echo The Ward’s sentiments by not rating this film, and I’ll quote Mr. Perry and say “If you ask me, the book was a lot better.”

Movie Review - Twisted

The Plot - Jessica Sheppard is a cop on the rise. Having just made inspector with the homicide division she becomes drawn to a series of murders which point to her as the primary suspect. Reconciling a troubled past, Jessica finds her life unraveling as quickly as her choice of one night stands. Confused she doesn’t know who to trust or if she can even trust herself.

The Review - In two words, completely predictable. There’s no need for me to write a long drawn out review of this film. I’ll just say it’s always disappointing to see actors you admire appear in films unworthy of their collective talent. The pace of the movie drags, the suspense is yawn inspiring and the “twist” at the end will have you saying “No really, you think?!?!?!”

The only thing that annoyed me more than seeing Twisted was wasting two free movie passes on it.

Grade: D+

Movie Review - Starsky & Hutch

The Plot - David Starsky is an overzealous cop who sees crime in terms of black & white. Ken “Hutch” Hutchinson is a laid back detective more concerned about getting ahead in the quickest way possible. Slapped together by circumstance their investigation of a “floater” sends them tracking a high rolling drug dealer who’s looking to change the rules in Bay City.

The Review - Starsky & Hutch is a tongue-in-cheek rendition of the 70’s TV show of the same name. While the movie sometimes feels like a drawn out Saturday Night Live skit it does have some entertaining moments. There appears to be an ongoing theme in Hollywood simply entitled “How Many Buddy Flicks Can Owen Wilson Star In?” We’ve seen Owen star as a laid back train robber with Jackie Chan, then he was the laid back FBI agent with Eddie Murphy and now Mr. Wilson teams up with Ben Stiller for a Zoolander follow up. Don’t get me wrong, we’re in a jobless recovery and even actors need a steady paycheck.

Fans of the TV series will appreciate the authentic 70’s styling of the movie. The film is sheer entertainment fodder and works more on the speed at which it delivers each comedic bit then any sort of plot. Snoop Dogg keeps it real as Huggy Bear and Will Ferrell delivers another scene stealing performance. Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson play well off each other as was proven in Zoolander. Fans of Old School will probably love this movie while fans of the original TV series may be somewhat disappointed.

While not the most memorable film of the year it is certainly worthy of a Blockbuster rental.

Grade: B-

Welcome to Budnet

“They can pinpoint if customers are gay, Latino, 30-year-old, college-educated conservatives.”

Talk about a needle in a haystack. Read the full article over at CNN about the data mining techniques of Anheuser-Busch. Imagine if their Jedi powers were used for evil?

Survey says “Tone it down buddy”

Just another busy day here in Dallas. Been a lot on the brain lately (if I hadn’t said that enough) and I think I’m slowly formulating coherent thoughts for publishing.

A common Hallmark anecdote is good friends accept you for who you are, flaws and all. I like to think I’m surrounded by some great people, but truth is I think most people only have a few really close friends.

Recently one such person told me that I had reached the age where I should start acting more conservatively. “The time for risk is over, you’re not in your 20’s anymore.” As an Aries I tend to lead more with my gut then my head. Mix in some tenacity with an overwhelming dose of stubbornness and the result should either been a whopping success or well… me. I’ve been chewing on my buddy’s statement for a while. I thought I had pieced together quite the rebuttal then I read the latest entry by my idol and current BWF tag team partner Ryan “Hardcore” McGee.

While I’m fortunate enough to be involved with someone the points Ryan made about other people deciding who/how/why he should be struck home.

I’m a people pleaser. If anything I’m giving to a fault. It’s a trait that’s bit me in the ass more times than I can remember, but I really can’t help myself. I also tend to have some damn grand ideas and pursue them with every resource available. Trouble is, I’m in my thirties and many of those resources have finally been exhausted.

I’ve been on the downswing for a number of years now waiting, praying, hoping my dreams & crazy ambitions would bear fruit. Statistically, I’m probably right in line with every other wannabe and yeah even my family & friends have been saying maybe my time has past.

Trouble is I haven’t had MY TIME.

It’s funny, as a little kid your parents, teachers, mentors are so encouraging, full of cheer “What do you want to be when you grow up?” sprinkled with “You can do whatever you set your mind to?”

As you enter young adulthood, experience high school & college the tone slowly changes to “Pick a solid trade, make sure you have something to fall back on.” followed by “Life isn’t fair, not everyone gets what they want.” or “We can’t all be somebody.”

Oh it’s been quite the long stretch of badness these past several years, but I’ve learned right or wrong I have to do things my way. I want to realize my dreams, I don’t want to worry about being too old, too inexperienced, too late. I’ve been so engrossed in other people’s opinions of me that I stopped doing the things that made me happy, that allowed me the successes I have had. Worse, I started to doubt my own abilities to do things.

I may be a little fuzzy on future specifics, but I’m righting the ship as of today. (I may just be the next William Hung)

Continuing Cell Phone Saga…

Continuing my rant from yesterday I had a student in class this morning answer their cell phone during my lecture. Normally they take the call outside or quickly turn off their ringer, but this lady chose to keep talking.

For those stubborn few I can generally stop the class (a tip I picked up from Ben) and they get the point and quickly end their conversation. This morning I was not so lucky and I had to take a slightly more aggressive approach.

“Excuse me, but if that call is important you’re welcome to take it outside.”

“Well this IS an important call - THANK YOU.” (the lady goes back into her phone conversation)

“Hey, don’t thank me. Thank everyone else who’s sitting here politely while you interrupt the class.”

I don’t think I’ll be making it on her favorite instructor list, but she did get off the phone.

Ooh, I’m feelin’ feisty today…

I tend to think I’m an easy-going type of guy. Generally polite, I’m not one to make waves unless I feel particularly affected by something. Then there are the days where certain types of folks flip the little switch inside and BAM here comes the mischief.

If you are the type of person who would cross over two lanes of traffic to cut me off only to stop to throw out change in a TOLLTAG LANE then don’t be surprised if I run into you. Whoops! Did you just throw your change out onto the highway? Hey lady, I’m not the one stopping traffic in the middle of a TOLLTAG LANE and look there are ten cars behind me all honking at YOU. Might be a good idea to get off that cell phone and drive.

Amazing how some people are compelled to answer their cell phone when it rings. Doesn’t matter where they’re at, what’s going on, if it’s even appropriate, just “RING! Hey, Bob here. Wassup?” And why is it people will wear those earbuds while they walk around in public, but the same people don’t use the damn things while they drive? I walked into the restroom this morning and heard a guy in conversation. He’s in the first stall so I’m thinkin’ the second stall is being used.

<off topic>I hate public restrooms. I was once mugged at a urinal so I prefer a stall whenever possible.</off topic>

Before I can check the second stall the guy steps out and he’s wearing an earbud talking on his cellphone. Dude walks right passed me and out of the restroom. Any other day I probably would have let it go, but I quickly followed him out and tapped him on the shoulder.

“Look, not flushing the toilet after you took a dump I get that. That phone call is probably important and pinchin’ out a loaf without making so much as a grunt is quite an accomplishment. But seriously, not washing your hands afterwards? Dude, that’s gross.”

Now if I can just get in the habit of taking a cell phone pic when these things happen.

Link of the Moment: Neo Stream

Campaign 2004

Once in a while I get the random e-mail from a Hotmail or Yahoo account that lambastes me for “my left wing views and support of all things liberal”. First off, I’ve never identified myself with either party and I’ve always welcomed open debate on whatever topic I happened to write about. I am fairly open-minded on a number of subjects, but a recent e-mail attempted to pin me down as to what exactly I stood for in this upcoming election year. Off the top of my head here’s what I think:

1. I believe in personal responsibility. While the chaos theory is in effect, YOU are ultimately responsible for the events surrounding your life. If you spill hot coffee on yourself it’s not the restaurant’s fault for making the coffee too hot, you’re just f#ckin’ clumsy. Sure Micky D’s has delicious cheeseburgers & fries & shakes & cookies, but damn man, put that shit down or you will get fat.

2. Family values come from family not the government. The thing I find most interesting about the Republican Party is while they tout a free market economy and less government control of businesses this doesn’t stop them from forcing their dogma on private citizens. If less government control is good for business then it sure as hell is good enough for consumers. It’s not the government’s responsibility to be the watchdog for family values, it is a family’s responsibility. If there’s a decline in family values it’s because families are less inclined to look at themselves first before passing the buck. You can’t control the media, the Internet, social peers, etc., but you can be a direct influence on your child’s life and their values.

3. Frivolous lawsuits bring damnation. As an amendment to Rob’s idea I say that the first offense to a frivolous lawsuit should be an immediately won countersuit, the second offense should be a public caning and finally if you just seem intent on being stupid the government simply deports you.

4. Of interest only to me. In a recent SprintPCS commercial a father complains that because his daughter’s nighttime phone minutes start at 9pm she prattles endlessly to the family (while braiding their hair). While it strikes a bit of funny seeing suburbanites decked out like Coolio I couldn’t help but wonder “What preteen needs a cell phone?” More importantly what kind of lifestyle do they lead? Maybe I’ve crossed that threshold into adulthood where I’m completely out of touch with the younger generation. I just recall simpler times as a kid. There were only four destinations as a kid - home, school, friend’s house and work (if you slipped passed that manager with a fake ID). It seems to me all these places still come with regular phones. And what about AIM? I’m thinkin’ Suzy/Sally/whatever would be chattin’ away online, typin’ in her blog, posting PhotoShopped love collages as a free technology alternative before gettin’ strapped with a cell phone.

Wednesday Linkage

Alright, after a heavy post we need something light.

In a few months the Scarborough Faire will be in town. I’m hoping my renaissance festival favorite Ded Bob will make an appearance. He’s to die for… ugh, I can’t believe I just typed that.

Looking from below…

A man was helping one of his cows give birth, when he noticed his 4-year-old son standing wide-eyed at the fence, soaking in the whole event.

The man thought, “Great…he’s 4 and I’m gonna have to start explaining the birds and bees. No need to jump the gun - I’ll just let him ask, and I’ll answer.”

After everything was over, the man walked over to his son and said, “Well son, do you have any questions?”

“Just one” gasped the still wide-eyed lad.

“How fast was that calf going when he hit that cow?”

====

A few years back I was hangin’ out with a buddy of mine and his two boys. In the process of rompin’ around one of the kids tripped on the carpet and face-planted right in the middle of the living room.

My buddy started laughing and before I could wipe the panicked look off my face his son looked up and started laughing too. “He’d be cryin’ like a baby if the wife was here. First rule of child-rearing - kids mimic adult behavior.” Apparently when the boys encountered something their kid brains couldn’t quite process they looked up at the parental units for the proper response.

It’s been a week since all the hoopla of the Superbowl and between the class action lawsuit and JT’s apology last night I got to thinking. How many kids would have noticed (or for that matter cared about) Janet’s boobie flash if a bunch of parents hadn’t flipped a nut?

Was it in bad taste? Sure. Wrong venue and timeslot? Okay. But did it shake the moral foundation of this country? Please…

Yes, I know I’m harping on a topic that by blogging standards is 2 years old, but as I’m in a government class this term, in the STATE OF TEXAS, where Bush is not only a hero, but will inherit his own highway with his initials on it one day… err… I digress.

Point is the conservative viewpoint is understood as THE viewpoint `round these parts. I get it. I certainly am not offended by it and don’t mind intelligent debates on whatever topic I happened to get speared with. I do have one request. I will gladly respect your right to look down on us from your morally superior high horse IF you treat the “deviant” as humanely as possible.

When touting the death penalty, I don’t revel in it by saying “Those f#ckers deserve to die, I’d pay to see it for myself.”

When voicing my opinion on abortion I would never say “Those bitches deserved to get knocked up so they better grow up and deal with it.”

Of course the best line from this week “All gays are going to hell anyway so why do I have to make their time on Earth any more enjoyable?”

I’m aglow with the kindness of God’s love that emanates from you my Christian brethren. There are plenty of things that I don’t like about this world and sure if I controlled the Etch-a-Sketch of Life maybe I would do something about it. But I don’t see the need to demoralize someone else or their views. A wiser man than me once said “Hate the sin, not the sinner.”

Jesus didn’t hang with just the righteous. Believe that.