I promised further ruminations on film and God... as well as some music reviews. I'm here to deliver.
The first night I was in Pismo Beach, we watched the first episode of The Decalogue, ten short films originally produced for Polish television in the late 80s. Director Krzysztof Kieslowski and his lawyer friend wrote the screenplays. They were fascinated with the idea of real people in the real world interacting with that which is supposedly absolute. So, while the films do not correspond perfectly with the Ten Commandments, there is a definite correlation. Decalogue I is a haunting meditation on God and life and death. It's beautiful and devastating and so, so messy. Just like God.
In the morning sessions, we looked at clips from many films: The Last Temptation of Christ, Bull Durham, Life Is Beautiful, The Shawshank Redemption, The Year of Living Dangerously, Becket, Keeping the Faith, Fight Club, and Dogma.
Bull Durham was written and directed by Ron Shelton, a former Covenanter who attended Montecito Covenant Church in the 1960s. He wanted to play the saxophone and was basically turned down by the elders of the church. He ended up going to Westmont, but upon graduation left the church, never to return. Although the film is basically about sex and baseball, the point was made that for those who have eyes to see, it is a scathing critique of organized religion and a longing for church as it should be... The opening lines talk about "The Church of Baseball" as organ music swells in the background. It's really interesting to watch it from this perspective.
Luanne and I watched Dogma last night, and found it, too, very interesting and entertaining. It was written and directed by Kevin Smith, who is a Catholic whose stated ambition was to present God and the Church to those who would never darken its doors. Warning: The film is crude and graphic in its violence and language. I would never let my kids see it, but I think as Christian adults, we have an obligation to dialogue with people like Kevin Smith who actually have intelligent things to say to us. Christians have done a lot of talking and not enough listening, in my opinion, and entering into the world that a filmmaker has created is one way to listen.
Wednesday night we watched Run Lola Run, a German film made in 1999. It's an amazing movie... Our protagonist, Lola, is given 20 minutes to somehow raise 100,000 Deutschmarks or her boyfriend, Manni, will be killed. The film takes you on three different journeys, each with its own ending. It's frenetic, pulsating... The techno soundtrack only adds to the tension. I think the director is trying to make some kind of statement about our choices in life versus blind chance. I think he's making the case for some kind of God... some transcendence in the universe. It's worth watching.
Again, the speakers for our week were Rob Johnston and Cathy Barsotti. Here are links to two of their books... I highly recommend them: Finding God in the Movies: 33 Films of Reel Faith and Reel Spirituality: Theology and Film in Dialogue.
Music: I haven't had time to really listen to my new music. I can tell you briefly that 1) Sufjan Stevens is a very talented but very strange young man, 2) Tegan and Sara are cool, angst-driven Ani-channelling twins and 3) Frou Frou is entrancing. Imogen Heap's vocals are lush and sensual and acrobatic.
Tonight, Luanne and I will be watching Fahrenheit 9/11. I saw it in the theater with my buddy Brian Rhen, and it's really powerful. Whether you agree with its conclusions or not, it's a powerful piece of filmmaking and worth your time. Enter the conversation!
I finished Ted Dekker and Bill Bright's Blessed Child yesterday. It took me a while to warm up to it, but it was pretty good. The breathless praise on the front from the president of PAX-TV ("The best novel I've ever read!") either means that the president of PAX-TV is not very discerning or that his reading history is shockingly limited. Nevertheless, I was swept up into the story (Isn't that the point? ), and I plan on reading the sequel, A Man Called Blessed, as soon as I can. This has capped off an incredibly busy month of reading fiction for me. I go in spurts, and I haven't read fiction in a long time, but I am apparently very hungry for story, for something to transport me right now. I read Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz first, and it was just a great read. The sequel, Forever Odd, comes out this month, and I can't wait. Next was The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd. Honestly. It's like I've turned into a middle-aged, Oprah-watching, book-club joining woman! But it was truly a beautiful book. Something about it reminded me of one of my favorite novels, To Kill a Mockingbird, and I don't think it was just the Southern setting and the young female lead. It has a spiritual depth that I found really compelling and vibrant. The characters were quirky and well-developed. Read it! Next up: Another Dean Koontz novel, By the Light of the Moon.
Sleep well, my friends... I'm off to hang out with my wife and Michael Moore.