Moonrise Kingdom

 I didn't like this movie much. I liked parts of it, but over all, I just don't think there was much to enjoy about this movie.
   What I did like about this film was the idea of playing pretend. A big part of childhood is that stage where you act out your imagination rather than just imagining it. I think this movie took pretend to another level. It was a level of another world. The world these kids were living in when they decided to run away, and to set up their own home in the wilderness, and to get married, was all pretend, but the kids considered it real. And it was real in that they really did all those things, but it was pretend in that it was a world that could be destroyed in an instant.
    I think this film could really happen in real life. Kids have a perception on things, especially independent kids like Suzy and Sam, that says they can do things that adults would say they couldn't. I'm not talking about rebelliousness, I'm just talking about belief. These kids didn't think much about what could happen if they ran away. They just knew they wanted to and they figured out a way to do it so they did it. An adult would be weighing all the consequences and the ifs, but kids, until a certain age, don't have the experience to be able to even imagine all the possible consequences of running away. And even if they know they can get in trouble, sometimes they just push that to the side and don't dwell on it, like Suzy did with the stolen library books. They figure they'll face the consequences another day. I like how this film portrays that freedom that kids have, to do crazy things without being bothered by consequences until the consequences actually hit them. There are a lot of films that portray imagination and adventure that carries no realistic consequences for the kids, because the adults either never find out  what happened or the adults end up being part of the adventure and therefore they take the kids' side. In real life, there's grown ups and kids living in the same world but comprehending it with different brains. That's what this film portrays.Suzy's magic power

Religion of the World

Life of Pi generated the discussion during class whether or not God can be found in other Religions besides Christianity.  My initial reaction on this subject was, that’s absurd, of course God can’t be found anywhere else.  But then when I started to think about it a little harder, I realized that it is possible that someone could be brought close to the presence of God without ‘Christian” understanding.  A tribe member in Africa could look at the beauty of the Earth and realize that there is a God and go searching for Him, An interested teenager who hasn’t experienced religion yet can go into a mosque and realize there could be something greater out there.  But I when it comes down to it, the realization that there is a God doesn’t mean that they are saved.  They still have to find the true religion out of all of the religions out there, Christianity.  I believe that since all the religions do have a similar basis of God and heaven, one could actually gain an understanding of the real God while not actually believing in Him.  Because there is one obvious difference between Christianity and all the other religions in the world, and that is Jesus and what He did on the Cross.  And without realizing this and accepting it, no one can be saved. 

So, even when you’re not in holding all the Christian beliefs I believe you could still experience to some extent God, or at least realize that He exists, but if you don’t realize that God also sent His son down to earth to die for the sins of the world, your experience with God will be worthless   

Christmas Films

This time of year has many reasons to be happy, and one of them is watching Christmas films over and over again! A common question is asked as to which movies are the best to watch over the holidays, and I can truthfully say that there are a selected bunch of movies that I can literally watch over and over again without getting bored, and the classics and older films are definitely some of my favorites.
If you find yourself asking this question, I definitely first would recommend watching this first: White Christmas, Holiday Inn, and Miracle on 34th Street, Rudolph, Frosty the Snowman, Santa Clause is Comin' to Town, and A Christmas Story. And then follow your inner kid and watch: The Santa Clause (1, 2, and 3). How the Grinch Stole Christmas (cartoon and live action), Home Alone (1 and 2), National Lampoons Christmas Vacation, Elf, and Polar Express are the ones that I can think of off the top of my head!

Moonrise Kingdom

I was so excited to hear that this movie was playing at Sounds and Wonders. Fantastic Mr. Fox is one of my favorite movies, and Wes Anderson met my high expectations with “Moonrise Kingdom”

This Film was simple and enjoyable. The two main characters, Suzie and Sam, are not accepted in their own lives. Sam is and orphan, who does not fit in with and is not liked by the other boy-scouts in his troop. Even his foster parents see him as too different or “mentally disturbed” to be allowed back it into their household. Suzie has outburst and has had a hard time be a suitable child for her family. She finds a parenting book in her house about how to deal with a troubled child, and she immediately feels betrayed. Both of them seem to desire acceptance and wonder why they are not exactly liked by others. The two of them meet, write letters, decide to runaway, and fall in love among the way. They finally have someone that accepts them for who they are.

Even the adults in this movie seem to struggle with acceptance in their own way. Suzie’s parents have a lack of connection between them as well as with their daughter. Also, the police officer is single and seeks for love and human connection.

Besides being an amusing film, it also reminded me of people’s need to feel accepted and have relationships with other people.

Passing Hearts

Although I was unable to stay to watch this film in class last Thursday, I saw a couple of other blogs about it that convinced me to try to find it. Therefore, if you also missed said film, watch it right now:

Many of the short films we watch in class have such a different purpose than any other video that I tend to watch. I don't want to say that they lack purpose, but their purpose is either much more defined, such as in a film like this where the story is not nearly as important as the emotion conveyed. I especially enjoyed observing how this is accomplished through many components of the actual production, such as music and pacing.

This is one of the main reasons why I enjoy making film, but so far it's not something that has really come up because it is kind of a generalization that most of us already knew when entering this program. Filmmaking takes an incredible amount planning and preparation that is hardly ever appreciated by the audience—especially in the mainstream industry. For this reason, I don't believe any of us should be unsatisfied if we don't make it big in Hollywood. It seems that our work will be even more appreciated when targeted to the people who understand it. But maybe I'm wrong—any other ideas?

Princess Mononoke

Tonight before I cracked down on my homework, I decided to watch Princess Mononoke, because it was spoken very highly of by a friend who's theatrical taste I greatly admire and respect. Going into this film, I honestly had no idea what to expect. All I knew was that it was like a Disney/Anime hybrid style, and that it was extremely beloved in Japan.

After watching it, I was reminded why I am so excited to be an animation major. I did not agree with everything in the film, however, I definitely appreciate how Hayao Miyazaki envisioned this story, and played it out. Even though it was kind of violent for an animation film, all of the violence worked with the story rather then just being in there to be in there.

I would definitely recommend this film to people to watch. If you need to take a break while studying, you should definitely watch this; you won't regret it.

HuntingtonWood?

I don't know a lot about Hollywood, but I kinda picture Hollywood as the HU film department. Obviously hollywood is huge, but I think HU has some of the same concepts as hollywood. In hollywood there are a lot of people that wanna make movies, there's a few people at HU that wanna make movies. There's competition to get on set, and to get films funded. Some people specialize in camera operation, such as Dave Pankuk, pictured above with the Red camera on a steadicam. There are some that do makeup, lighting, and sound. We all have things we are known and good at it. And we all like to make films. HU is similar to a tiny Hollywood. I'm sure Leeper will cringe when he reads this, but this is just how I feel. I realize that I don't understand Hollywood, but it seems that we have some similar concepts here in comparison to Hollywood.  Above are just some pictures from shoots I've been on. Enjoy.



Matt Shouse

Headed in a New Direction

Every set has a different feel. This feel can be due to that genre of film, and the people on set. The biggest factor of how the set feels though I believe is due to the director. The director makes things happen, they give the set a distinct feel. Some sets I've been on have been very relaxed, some very stressful, and others have been the perfect blend of both. The music video shoot I was on was directed by Joe Baughman from Remedy Live. It was pretty relaxed and not the most professional. When I was on set of "The Last Healer" Anthony Frederick was directing. The feel was totally different from the music video. Frederick has a commanding presence and knows how to get things done. Frederick, pictured above, knows when to joke around, and when to be serious. His set was pretty organized and most people knew their roles. I learn so much from every director I work for, I strive to be a well organized concentrated director myself someday.

A Hearty Helping of Heartwarming Heart

 

This kid really knows how to keep the opening of a film spoiler-free.

Have I ever mentioned that I love mysteries? Not criminal mysteries or supernatural phenomenon, mind you, but a mystery through storytelling. I love it when you, the reader, viewer, or player, is dropped into a scenario you have no understanding of and are then gradually fed clues as to what is going on around you. Only when it all comes together do you fully understand and appreciate what is being presented to you and all of the effort its creator(s) put into everything.

Passing Hearts is a ‘mystery film’. It isn’t the first time Professor Leeper has shown us a ‘mystery film’; World of Glory was an excellent film that kept us guessing as to what the plot even was right up until the very end when the protagonist was trying to go to sleep. Passing Hearts kept us in the dark as to what was going on until the main character enters the bedroom of the boy that donated his heart, but even then I didn’t pick up on what was fully going on until he finally showed his scar. I loved that, and I imagine a lot of people do; there’s something to be said about keeping standard plot lines for entertainment value, of course, but I doubt few people can resist a good startle once in a while.

I don’t want to know what I’m getting into except for a few recommendations from trusted people on whether or not it’s a good idea. I have loved my time in Intro to DMA because I have no idea what I’m going to see and I enjoy it all the more because of that. Passing Hearts is the perfect example of that; I didn’t know what I was getting into, and I think that was the best way to experience it.

The NaNoWriMo Experience

1. Never proofread your NaNoWriMo novel until you reach your goal. NEVER.
2. Grammatical errors are for proofreading and so, see above.
3. Remember your characters, they're kind of important, even if you'll kill them next chapter.
4. I didn't draw this. 

So Kayla posted a little bit about NaNoWriMo, and I thought it would be really cool to post a tidbit from what I've gotten out of NaNoWriMo this past month. I've never actually reached my goal of 50,000 words, but this year I finished (just today actually) and it's definitely been worth the ride.

Kayla touched a bit on how this 50,000 word novel forces you to get ideas down and out as fast as possible. Through this, NaNoWriMo is a great lesson and great exercise. It teaches you to force yourself to trudge through the dull parts of a story, to think about what's going to happen next, or better yet, to not know what's going to happen next and just watch as the words for some crazy scene just start filling the screen. There's nothing more rewarding than watching your own creativity suddenly appear in ways you never thought it would infront of you. With NaNoWriMo, I had this happen a lot.

Boring dialogue would suddenly turn into this intense conversation between two characters that might result in someone dying. Or maybe someone falling in love. I still don't get how the romance showed up in my story, but it did. My favorite part though, is not knowing how I'm going to end this crazy novel of mine, I just know it'll happen.

I am going to attempt to explain my novel. I can't ever really summarize it, but I'll try--or at least I'll try to explain what I have so far.

Nevermind. That could be a bad idea. Short post! Yeah!

Rebound

Abstract art! This is expressing something

After reading Becca's post (awesome post by the way), I want to elaborate off the comment I made on it, because I think this brings up an interesting point.

Becca talked about art being used to record and used as a language in the past, that it wasn't as expressive as it is today. 

While that statement is false-to me- it also has a lot of truth. The more I think about it, the more it's evident that art is more expressive than it was way back when. I think there's numerous reasons for that, one being that humans as a race have learned more and understand more and feel the need to create more. 

I also think humans, while we have more knowledge at our fingertips than ever in the past, we want to know more, but knowing more in a sense of diving further into imaginative and kind of out there thoughts, or knowing more about the feelings in ourselves. 

And, another thought that I have: perhaps our art today seems so expressive because it's more advanced. Think about it, we're still using art as a language and to record, we're just making it prettier, more complex, but still using the most powerful language there is: visual telling. This is kind of bouncing back to my point about how art was always expressing because art is telling your thoughts visually--even depression art is language. Geez, I don't know where I'm going with this.

Anyway, I finished my comment on Becca's post with a question of whether or not the super-expressive art of today is healthy or not. I mean, I just finished an article on the history of Cartoon Network in which the chief content officer said that CN has officially shifted to hiring animators who are out to pursue their dreams and put cartoons out there that are expressing their ideas; "Today, we are all about supporting creative visions and fostering an environment that allows these young artists to pursue their dreams. It's about making the best creative work you can make..." is the specific quote. 

Not that I'm saying expressing yourself is a bad thing. I just...well, I think of Adventure Time and the Adventures of Gumball and all I can think is, "This is expression? This is art?" I'm judgmental  I know. But really, what language are shows like that speaking? 

All right, I'm done now, and I refuse to let myself read back over this rant because I won't post it if I do. Can't let myself think too much on this one. 

*Disclaimer:I haven't read Art and Fear yet, so if it touches on this subject, it might be possible that I'll revisit this and renounce what I said. But

Sigur Ros

Partially in response to the post about the Sigur Ros video and partially because of my new musical interest I wanted to post on Sigur. After I heard them that day in Leeper's class for the first time I had a definite interest in the band and started listening to their albums. I will say that they are quickly becoming one of my favorite things to listen to no matter where I am, although I will say in the shower they sound very enjoyable but I guess thats because it's where all deep thought goes on. The value of Sigur Ros to me is a bit of a mystery because they do not sing in well really any language but definitely not one that I know or understand or can even interpret. What I can do when I'm listening is feel the music, the tone and mood and yes even the meaning. Although I realize that I will find different meaning in the songs as someone else I think thats why I like them so much. Their isn't anyone to tell me what the song is about and that level of mystery is what keeps me so interested in them. The songs allow me to project my own meaning behind the "words" and come out on the other end a bit wiser. The reason I say wiser is because at least for me these songs cause me to ask very deep theological and philosophical questions and limits distractions by not having any words to it. I have always like music and this music seems to make me ask questions about life that no other bands can seem to do for me.

Fear of Creating Art

I really liked the reading tonight in the book Art and Fear. It made me think about my own fears that I deal with when creating my own artwork. One of my biggest fears when creating my art is the response I will get from the people that see it.  Most of the time when I draw, I draw things that are familiar to most people, because I generally know the response that I will get from those types of drawings. But, putting artwork that I have created from my mind is so much harder, because I am allowing myself to be vulnerable to other's reactions to my ideas But, after reading this I kind of feel like my fear of what others will think is kind of silly. I mean, we are all different and feel things differently and that should be portrayed through our artwork and not everyone is going to respond the same way to the same piece of artwork. So, no matter what I create some people may like it and some people may hate it, it shouldn't be a reason for me to hold back my ideas and limit my creativity.


I also found it interesting that the idea of calling yourself an "artist" is more of a modern thing, because throughout history when people created artwork, they were not thinking of themselves when creating. None of their emotions and feelings were portrayed throught their work, it was more of a form of recording and a language to them, rather than expressing themselves. Today, artwork is more about expressing how you feel and what you believe, and that was not the case throughout early history.

For Glory

The movie world of glory took me back to a place where I didn't want to be. I have learned a lot over the semester and I am revisiting this piece with a little different outlook than what I came in with. The movie I really didn't enjoy very much, I guess I had been desensitized to the Holocaust so much that although the first scene with the gas truck bothered me I rationalized what happened to the fact that they were evil men and got on with life. It was easy to do this because in high school I took semester long class dedicated to only the Holocaust and their is a bit of a shield you put up so that you can enjoy your day. After re-watching it what happened was that it broke through my barrier and made me realize that these people who did these atrocious things were essentially just like me. Sure their culture was different but they had the same basic wants such as a nice car and things that were shown in the video. The part in the church was especially powerful the second time around because once I got past the initial shock of the scene I recognized and contemplated the significant symbolism and evaluated my life. I'm sure that none of us had taken part in the Holocaust at any level and we would never picture us doing something so horrible. The part that scares me about things like this is all it takes is a little ignorance and looking the other way that can cause horrible things to happen. Nough Said

Christ and Neo

Ok first off the class on tuesday made me laugh because at every opportunity someone was saying the word badass. It made me laugh cuz I thought the people in the class were mature enough to refrain from saying it because this class their "allowed to say it" not saying I have a huge issue with cussing but I also haven't heard kids been saying every film they see is badass...just an observation. Now onto the subject at hand, I would primarily agree with the author on some level but I will admit my first reaction was that I got pissed that this schmuck was saying so much bad stuff towards my savior. Then I ate a metaphorical banana got my hormones under control and re-read it to find it quite hilarious because of how seriously mad this guy was getting at Christians comparing Neo to Christ. The first thing I envisioned the second time reading it was some little kid who just discovered santa clause wasn't real. He's throwing a tantrum because other people say something different than he thinks. Then what came to mind was the Jesus's life, how can I expect this guy to get it when the people who were closest to him struggled with the fact that he wouldn't fight. I am not saying that I don't struggle with this because I probably have been hitting the Neeson films a bit harder than I should have. I don't understand fully why Jesus decided not to fight, but I can say that if he would have I don't think his message would have resonated as well as it did. He preached everything opposite of what humans thought, such as suffering was a good thing. After this article it almost reaffirmed my faith more in Jesus because it showed me through mildly offensive commentary that although God was like us he was completely different. The one man in history who had the confidence to say that he was the son of God, and yet let the lowest of the low capture and kill him speak a lot about the character of God, so before people think he's a wimp just remember the context in which you are speaking about because the world renowns those who sacrifice themselves for their friends and idolize those who sacrifice for strangers. The firefighters and workers who gave their lives have rightfully been built up because of their heroic acts, how much more than should we build up Christ for sacrificing everything and yet giving the credit to the father.

Hoppipolla

I may accidentally repeat something that's already been discussed about Hoppipolla, but I'm behind on blogs, so.
     I know somebody said something about this film was about the inner child. I'm not a big fan of the inner child. I think it sounds mushy and not as much fun as being a real child. And anyways, if this was a film about the inner child, then I would imagine that this film was meant to portray a group of old people literally running around with wooden swords and jumping in mud puddles. But I can't imagine any old people literally doing that. For one thing, no matter how childlike an old person is, they most likely wouldn't enjoy spending a whole day doing all that running around; it would just be too painful and tiring.
     So, when I think of this film, I think of figuratively. Maybe it was old people who were daydreaming about doing all this stuff, or remembering their younger days. Maybe it's a film about what life would look like if most old people really DID run around and act like kids (that would be an interesting world, wouldn't it?). Maybe it's a film about real kids who will one day grow old. Maybe (and this is the one that my brain seems to cling to) it's a film that says, hey, these people are not stuffed animals, they're not furniture, they've really had a life and they have individual personalities and they used to get into trouble when they were kids. Yes, they really used to be kids. So often I think we look at old people and we stick them in a box labeled "Gray mush." Not alive, never was alive, not an individual. Have you ever thought of one of your grandparents, or an old person at church that you know, and tried to imagine what they were like when they were 30 years old and raising their families? How much their personality has or hasn't changed since they were ten years old? How they felt about their parents while they were growing up, and how much they loved them and depended on them, and now their parents are dead and they don't have that support anymore. I'm off the subject of the film now, but did you ever try to imagine the life an old person has lived and is still living, and see them as not an old person but as a person?
     One more thing and then I'm done: did you notice they were playing in a graveyard?This guy was once a kid. Really. A cute little five year old.

Quiz 2: Tchou Tchou

This is both a clever and amusing film. I have always been so intrigued by stop-motion, but seeing this film has taken my interest, as well as my expectations, to a new level. The stop-motion detail is unbelievable, and I cant even imagine how long this film took to make. Co Hoedeman has some serious patience and expert technical skills. Although it is clearly a children’s film, it can definitely be appreciated and be enjoyed by adults.

“Tchou Tchou” has such a clever story. I love the child’s take on the Adam and Even in the garden. The blocks are perfect to represent creation, especially with all the detail on each one. It is just so playful and fun, that I know any child would enjoy this. The boy and the girl are so innovative when dealing with the serpent. It’s fun to see what they are going to do each time the serpent comes around. Although I guess that the we aren't  merely watching and waiting, but the film is arranged to have us help figure out how to deal with the serpent ourselves.  Then after all the plans fail, all of a sudden the serpent becomes something else. We see the joy of the boy and the girl and experience joy ourselves as they ride away on the train.

Motivation

I'm not experienced in how long it takes and how much it costs to make a film like this, but, whatever it cost in time and money, I suspect that, if I had spent that much on a film, I would want to get more out of it than just a couple of laughs from my audience. But that's all this filmmaker gets from "A Ninja Pays Half My Rent". He gets some laughs. Do you suppose he made much money from it? It won some awards. But still, I don't think I would ever be willing to spend so much of my effort making a film this short and with so little of a point. I guess, now that I'm thinking about it, I wouldn't want to make a film if it didn't teaching people something. Not that I'm against making a film solely for humor; I think that's awesome and ought to be done more often ( and not in a cheesy or trashy way. There's plenty of that.) But I just don't have the motivation to work on a long term project like a film if I don't get to teach somebody by it. What would motivate you to work for 3 months, or 3 weeks, or 3 years on a project? Could you stick with it if you were making it for a reason other than the reason that usually motivates you? Probably some of us are going to be forced, for financial reasons, or because we feel God calling us, etc., to make a film that we don't really want to make. Maybe it's not humorous enough, or it's not deep enough, or it's not a genre we like, or it doesn't teach somebody something important. Can you stick with it? And can you do your best and try to make it a good film anyway? This blog sounds preachy, but I think motivation is a problem worth considering before we get more committed to  this career.

Passing Hearts

I've fortunately never been involved in a situation where I or anyone I'm close to required an organ transplant of any kind. I've even more fortunately never been in a situation where someone close to me has died and donated those vital organs to another person in need.

I thought this film was really good. The only thing I found possibly strange was that Daniel was so secretive about him wanting to meet the parents of the child who had pretty much saved his life. I didn't really understand why he wouldn't want his own mom to know, but maybe when you undergo such life altering surgery they recommend not to connect yourself to the organ donor's past life. I get that we as the audience weren't supposed to know he had received an organ transplant and that he was planning to visit the donor's family, but I feel as if he could have still told his mom and we could have been kept in the dark.

I think I'm dwelling on something pointless, or rather something that did have purpose and I'm just missing it.

Anyway, I really liked how the audience was left to imagine what was happening in the film. We weren't directly given a plot, and I enjoyed the "twist" at the end. At first I thought Daniel was going to run away, and then, upon seeing the couple, I thought he was visiting his birth mother (As in he was adopted and his birth parents wanted to reconnect). I realized what was really happening when the donor's mother showed him her son's bedroom.

A very good film, and I feel like watching it as someone who dealt with this in their personal life would be heart wrenching and very emotional. Leeper mentioned a few years back a student watched this film and talked about how she was on a list for a donor heart. I would have loved to have been present during that conversation just to try and understand what emotions and thoughts must be going through one's body and mind during such a situation. Overall, I found this to be a very interesting and thought provoking film.

- R.

Potter Puppet Pals :)

ONE WORD... i know this is more then one word

POTTER PUPPET PALLS

its a great great short season or web season base videos. Been on the web for a while. Their famous skit is the mysterious ticking noise.

So just the past summer I was on my last church youth group mission trip to Trinidad as a student. We were bored one night. So we had a camera. We were talking about skits, harry potter, then bam... We began to talk about potter puppet pals. Then we began doing the whole skit. And this is what we did. I hope you all enjoy this.

this is a link to it if you want to watch it.

https://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=10150976975259065

The Bible and Love

I have always wondered why sometimes they put that kind of detail in the Holy book of our religion. I have nothing wrong with it. I know it is written cause someone wrote it to keep history. But you really need to go into detail. Some bible verses i think should just be kept out. But now looking forward, and lightly touched upon in this class and in life, we should just appreciate art and what it has given us.

West Bank Story

A little while ago I posted a link to Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog. While watching this, I had that same feeling of glee and excitement that ensues with a short musical comedy. The writing was witty and kept me eager for the next punchline, and the music was catchy and a refreshing mock-up of West Side Story. However, like Dr. Horrible's, I feel like this film also had a darker side that is never really addressed directly within the film itself.

I am not overly informed on the Palestinian/Israeli conflict, but I've been doing my best to stay on top of the news coverage in Gaza over the last few weeks. However, the conflict has been around for a very long time, so I easily find myself confused when I listen to coverage. I realize many Americans have established "sides" and that the common Evangelical choice is for Israel (obviously, it's the Holy land). I suppose that's personal, but as someone who believes in peace and pacifism  I lean neither with the Israelis or the Palestinians and rather I hope for the violence and death of innocents to subside.

I feel as if this film, however funny, was a representation of that desire for peace among certain people of the Israeli and Palestinian cultures. Obviously no one enjoys violence happening in their own backyard, and I feel as if this film was trying to bring to light how destructive the constant feuding can be for newer generations that truly have a desire for peace (i.e. Fatima & David).

I might just be fumbling around in the dark on that issue. I am aware that it's a very complex and involved situation, and although I want to be involved I have yet to find a night where I can sit down and really invest some time into understanding it. I do, however, really think this film was commenting on that issue, in the best way possible: sarcasm and music.

Overall I enjoyed it a lot, and I thought it was a great film!

- R.

Life of Pi

Over Thanksgiving break I saw the new movie, “Life of Pi.” I believed this to be an incredible movie and would recommend seeing it. Not only was the picture  absolutely stunning, but the movie left me thinking about it and reasoning it for quite awhile afterwards. It left a lasting impression on me and caused me to question things that I was completely certain of.

The main character, Pi, peruses three religions: Confucianism, Christianity, and Muslim. In Confucianism, there are many gods, but Pi considers only one of these gods to be the alpha god, which was the one that he addresses and prays to. Pi was raised a Confucianist, and when he was young, he became interested in Christ after he snuck into a Catholic church. Pi was drawn to Jesus and eventually embraced Christianity. Later he discovered Muslim and began worshiping Allah. Although Pi now claimed three religions, it seemed that he still only had one God rather than a different god for each religion.  So the question is, is believing in three religions the same thing as not believing in anything at all? Are all religions separate, or are some of them actually worshiping the same God: the one true God?

In the movie, Pi finds himself on an escape boat stranded in the middle of the ocean with nothing but an ordinary bangle tiger for company. When this tragedy happens, Pi immediately turns to God saying to Him that he is God’s vassal for whatever purpose He had In store. In addition to the shipwreck, the loneliness, and the vicious animal on board, Pi faces many other trials and storms. There are several times when Pi addresses God, not understanding why these things were happening. Whenever Pi turned to God, I always naturally thought of Him as “my” God that Pi was talking to. I related everything to “my” religion, thinking wow, what would he do without God? I completely forgot, until the end of the movie, that it was not necessarily my God that Pi was talking to, and a Muslim or Confucianist watching the movie would probably naturally think of him as “their” God.  The same boy, the same situations, the same words, the same feelings, but is it the same God?

I know that there is only one true God, and the Bible is clear that we need Jesus to get to Him, but ii was certainly something that got me thinking. Was Pi just really messed up? Did he need to pick one of the three and solely follow it? Or could it be that since Pi accepted Christ and later prayed to Allah, that Allah could  still be the Lord that Pi was praying to?

Magicians, Illusions, and God.

YOU'RE A WHAT?!

James 2:14-26

Faith Without Works Is Dead

¹⁴ What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? ¹⁵ If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, ¹⁶ and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? ¹⁷ Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
¹⁸ But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your^[a] works, and I will show you my faith by my^[b] works. ¹⁹ You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble! ²⁰ But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?^{[c] 21} Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? ²² Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect? ²³ And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.”^[d] And he was called the friend of God. ²⁴ You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only.
²⁵ Likewise, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out another way?
²⁶ For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

SO! One of the arguments I heard today that Christians present is that this world means nothing and the only thing that matters is the world to come.  As this passage from James states, this is obviously NOT TRUE.

A quote from class states, “The world that we live in is an illusion. The realm that we actually should live in is not here. The truth will never be found here in the stuff of this world. The truth resides in a different existence other than this one. “  I actually just spoke to a friend about why this world matters a week or so ago.  I think that a common misconception that is given by Christians is that the only goal in this life is either to get to heaven or hell.  Often times, young Christians are taught one of two ways, that God is wrathful, or that God is loving and merciful.  I believe that most people gravitate to either of the extremes in order to put God into a box.  The thing is, God is incomprable.  Indescribable. Amazing. All powerful. We cannot put Him into a box! Thus, we cannot simplify our lives into a simple box in the decision that we beleive in Jesus and that we are going to heaven and that is all that matters.  We are called to be so much more than that.  Thus, our lives must revoleve around others.

Matthew 25:14-30

The Parable of the Bags of Gold

¹⁴ “Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them. ¹⁵ To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag,^[a] each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. ¹⁶ The man who had received five bags of gold went at once and put his money to work and gained five bags more. ¹⁷ So also, the one with two bags of gold gained two more. ¹⁸ But the man who had received one bag went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.
¹⁹ “After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. ²⁰ The man who had received five bags of gold brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five bags of gold. See, I have gained five more.’
²¹ “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’
²² “The man with two bags of gold also came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two bags of gold; see, I have gained two more.’
²³ “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’
²⁴ “Then the man who had received one bag of gold came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. ²⁵ So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’
²⁶ “His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? ²⁷ Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.
²⁸ “‘So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags. ²⁹ For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. ³⁰ And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

We all have talents. These are seen here on earth.  Some are gifted with musical abilities, others with the ability to use a camera, others with the ability to draw, and yet others with the ability to tell a story.  The point of this is we are called to use our talents to serve the Lord and to serve others as exemplified in Matthew;

Matthew 22:36-40

³⁶ “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”
³⁷ Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’^{[a] 38} This is the first and greatest commandment. ³⁹ And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’^{[b] 40} All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

We are called to focus on others and use our talants for others and to their fullest and multiply them.  I heard a friend once say that he believed that, "Whats real, is when we get to heaven.” No. Although that is a possible end result and it IS real.  The now is real! That is how we get to either or place.  God placed us on earth with the responsibility and the PRIVILEGE to live for Him and we are called to live for Him by serving Him and others.  Honestly, If this is not real, than what is the use of doing anything? Another stated that what is real is only the "spiritual."  Only what you believe on the inside is what counts in the end.  And I really truly think that those who say that this world is only about the spiritual are using religion and God as an excuse to not to do work.  I once heard on a YouTube video, this man Penn, who is a famous magician tell this story of a man who came up to him after a show and gave him a Bible. (Link below) This proclaimed athiest magician said, "How much do you have to hate someone to not tell them about God?" If you know for certain there is a God and there is a heaven and a hell. How much do you have to hate them to not tell them that God loves them and can save them from that?

I believe there is a heaven and a hell. I believe that this life has meaning.  If you do not follow Christ, you are going to Hell. Yes, it is scary. Yes, it is real. That is why we are called as Christians should be committed to doing work for others and commit to living our lives to the fullest.  This is real.  “I think, therefore I am.” I have my own heart, life, soul, mind, talents, and body.  But, to live your life, not for yourself and for someone else may be the hardest thing of all. It is alot easier to jump out of the way of a train yourself, than to jump in front of one to push another person out.  Just as it is easier to pull someone down off a stool than it is to pull them up.  My challenge for you to not think about yourself and how it might make things socially awkward if you bring up God. Think about the fact that you could be planting the seed to help someone along their way to a relationship with Christ.  How will anyone know about God if we don't tell them?! They won't! MY mom always loves to say, "Live your life like Christ, because you may be the only Christ that these people ever see or know."  We constantly think that those who are very straight and narrow and read their Bible everyday and are not shy about their relationship with Christ as weird.  We see them and call them goody-two-shoes and watch what we say around them.  We don't understand them. Why do we think that is weird? Because it is socially unacceptable to be that way? Live your life the way that God calls us to be.   

Star Wars: Loving the Pacing

 

George Lucas: The Horrific Inside Story



I can’t recall a time when I laughed as hard as I did today in class. George Lucas in Love was one of the most hysterical comedies I have ever seen thanks to one of the greatest final gags I’ve ever encountered and the gradual build-up in referential humor. Whoever wrote this film knew how to pace the crescendo of humor perfectly. The jokes, or references, rather, are classy and recognizable, and are never bogged down by commentary on Lucas’ controversial direction with the prequels or sheer raunchiness. Only in the final scene does the humor turn dark with the final joke, and it works so well because it goes against the relatively tame content of the rest of the film (minus the stoner roommate), making all the more potent when that sudden incest moment occurs. It’s shock value, and it is pulled off so well. Very few films can use shock to bring laughs to an audience; many just bog down their run time with crude humor that just gets repetitive and nauseating.

After doing some quick Wikipedia research, I was surprised to find that this film was released in the late 90’s. The film quality is superb for the time, especially from an independent group, and it was good enough that I mistook it for a very recent release with modern equipment. I was very, very impressed with the quality, and I greatly appreciate the money they must have invested to get the shots as great as they did.

Sex, Romance, and God

I wonder how God relates to our sexual and romantic side.... most people are probably content believing an answer that goes something like, "Well, sex is good for this world, but in heaven it won't matter because God is better than sex or any romantic relationship." Fair enough, heaven will be full of God's awesomeness, and we all know that people won't have sex in heaven....right? So technically there is no ultimate meaning in things like sex and romance, because after all, God only made them to be temporary and to be enjoyed while they last in this earthly life.

But what about those called to singleness? You can't tell me that all single people really have no desire to be in a relationship; it's human nature. But if they feel called to live a life without a partner, then how is romance a good thing? It then becomes a temporary desire that cannot be fulfilled and will not exist in heaven, so it's practically meaningless to such a person. How can you tell them that it isn't? To them, that particular aspect of life is more of a curse than it is a blessing; a constant burden that they always have to push aside to move forward. Now, hopefully their life will be full of other wonderful blessings that come from being closer to God, and that makes sense. But what doesn't make sense to me is the apparently pointless desire that they are built with which will take them nowhere and ultimately means nothing.

That is unless, somehow, the character of God includes a satisfaction of those desires. Honestly, this is the only thing that makes sense, considering the fact that our love for God should overshadow everything else. And if romantic desires are the most powerful desires in a human heart, shouldn't God be the ultimate source of romance? I realize that this sounds kind of weird....and I'm just trying to figure stuff out, but I see no reason for why we shouldn't love God with all our God-given desires, including romance. I'm not so keen on saying the same thing for sex.... but even that desire is God-given, and if it has no place in heaven, why should it mean anything other than a random temporary blessing? Strange questions, I know....

What makes TV shows so enticing

So many TV shows  come out every year, and yet only a fraction of the shows make it to the second season.      I feel like it is easy to make a show that people will watch but its hard to make a show that people will keep on watching for several seasons or more. 

Over the span of my life I have invested in many different shows, spanning from spongebob and adventure time, to NCIS and 24, to Lost and Walking Dead, and to Monk and Pysch.  Each of these Shows are good in their own way.  Spongebob and adventure time is just pure childish fun, Monk and Pysch are hilarious, and all the other movies have great story lines and an intense background.  I feel like what made me keep on coming back to the fun shows was the endearing characters.  While the other more story driven series kept me guessing on what was happening next and kept on making me want to come back the with twists at the end of the episode. 

I think one thing that shows have over movies is the amount time they can invest developing the characters and the plot.  And i believe that these are the things that shows need to accomplish to be successful.  

Star Wars

George Lucas in love was a perfect fan film, and I don't think there's much more that can be said about it than already has.

I had one beef with the Star Wars Debate film. He made a point that Phantom was an exciting film with a crappy character. It's actually a really boring film with tons of crappy characters. Besides some meaningless battles against robots, and a pod race scene that goes on way too long, the film is filled with boring political discussions and nonsensical dialogue. I'm sick of people debating the prequels, I've made my peace with them. 

But, this video review carefully dissects why the prequels are awful movies. I actually learned about what makes a movie good through these too. Just a warning, it's really vulgar but entertaining. Like extremely vulgar. There's 7 parts and after you'll know exactly why the originals are better storytelling.

The Joys of Filming

• The Climactic Death of Dark Ninja, this film really says something to me. The film is so simple it’s ridiculous. I really like it when short films can bring me the same amount of entertainment and are extremely simplistic, compared the big budget HD CGI short films or some of the sort. This little film kind of hits my heart though, because I can honestly relate to grabbing a camera, some buddies and some props, going into the middle of the woods and filming a 20-minute action movie...probably because I have done that! It’s pure genuine fun, and the punch line at the end is fantastic. I could remember myself as the director behind the handheld camera complaining to my friends about how good this next shot needs to be. Seriously, the likeliness is incredible ( I don't really sound like that kid though).  I can even remember having my friends dress up in multiple costumes to portray different characters that die. Watching this film, the whole time I kept chuckling to myself, because it brought back such great memories of doing quite literally some of the exact same things the kids in this film were doing. The point is, this mini film is a shout out to all the dreaming underage moviemakers that can’t stay in their seat and have to go and film something… Like me!
• If you want to check out the cheesy action short film that I made, here's a link. Just a reminder, this is pretty amateur, and the plot doesn't make a whole of sense,  but hey, that's why I'm here at H.U. to improve!
• The Key