filmtheology

Hi Everyone! I am super excited about a new fictional book that I am launching to Amazon Kindle on October 15th titled Crayoned Skin, Artist Within. It tells the stories of 14 urban artists of various shades and ethnic backgrounds. Here is the link to my Face Book page for more information. If we are not friends, send me a request so that you can check out the fun stuff that is going on in honor of the book. https://www.facebook.com/julieIam.rivera?lst=55303080%3A55303080%3A1507397614 Peace and Love to all. Still mourning with the thousands trying to grapple with the evil and disaster of the last 3 weeks. Julie Ann

False Reality and Bad Feedback             The film Reality Bites opens with the blank blue screen from a VCR Camera Recorder with the words VCR PLAY on the screen while the following voiceover is pushed from speakers into an outdoor stadium: "And they wonder why those of us in our twenties refuse to work an 80 hour week, just so that we can afford to buy their BMW's; why we aren't interested in the countercultures that they invented, as if we did not see them disembowel their revolution for a pair of running shoes. But the question remains, what are we going to do now? How can we repair all the damage we inherited? The answer is...I don't know.   (Stiller 0:46-1:35) Billy Idol’s 1970’s band was named “Generation X” in the 1970’s. Later it became the title of a book about rebellious teens by Douglas Coupland. After that it was “picked up by the mainstream media and seeped into the consciousness of the culture (Gozz Jr. 331).”  Baby Boomers describ

Tonight I am particularly in the mood to discuss a the theme of sacrifice, but not simply any sacrifice. I am interested now in worthwhile or necessary sacrifices. I am going to be using the film ONCE, an Irish Independent film whose soundtrack won an Academy Award. The film itself is beautiful and moving particularly because of the music which often competes with the characters themselves for the viewers attention. This will be brief. How many times do we sacrifice the wrong things. Or how often do we give things up for the wrong reasons, i.e. to appear more spiritual or to attempt to make God love us more, which is impossible. This kind of sacrifice is ridiculous. As ridiculous as giving up something that is easy for us to give up. For some it is easy to give a tithe bc their financial situation is solid. It does not cost them. Some people give up cable or secular music as I have at one time or another bc it was an easy thing to do. Others this is not possible or completely unne

This is part of an old movie review I did on The Green Mile directed by Frank Darabont. Enjoy. The visual imagery and powerful filmic aesthetics experienced when watching The Green Mile, amplify the arresting quality which Stephen King’s literary descriptions provided the reader. Therefore, unlike many adaptations, the film does not ruin or distort the novel’s value, and rather than forcing a sharp competition, the two complement each other. Frank Darabont may as well receive the full credit for this occurrence, but as most critics have commented, The Green Mile is the second King prison adaptation he directed; the first being The Shawshank Redemption, a film which could have been more adequately titles as, “The Shawshank Revenge”; but this is simply speculative. These films are almost antithetical. The latter tells a story about escape and outsmarting the system, while the former film pictures the system’s triumph and the individual’s accepting a “spiritual” rather than physical

For those of you who like the movie Groundhogs Day with Bill Murray have I got a treat for you. This is a short paper I did a few years ago comparing the film with the book of Ecclesiastes in a discussion of Existentialism. It is a bit longer than usual so please read it if you like the film. Otherwise please come back another time to see what I have posted. Thanks. Existentialism is a worldview first formulated by Soren Kierkegaard, whose theories formed Christian existentialism, while later thinkers founded atheistic and agnostic veins, all sharing some precepts. A freedom to make choices is stressed, and any impetus to obey rules or moral codes is rejected. Ideas like fate and destiny are also rejected, due to the belief that the universe is absurd. Coincidence and chance govern our reality if we do not take the responsibility ourselves via our personal choices. Therefore truth is subjective, and our own experiences and relative perspectives are more important than any imposed moral

We have been watching BBC's television series Robin Hood, and have found it absolutely a wonderfully fun take on the legend. There are some complex themes they are dealing with especially war and peace, law and justice, faith and the faith of the "other." I hope to have time to dwell more on this latter topic when I have seen more of the series and have more to expound upon...A good Sabbath to all