A Beautiful Mind

This weeks film is...



notes will be posted no later than wednesday & please make note that this weeks class will be on thursday...

Saving Blue Like Jazz: The Movie

The story of a movie that almost died ... and then came back to life because of a sleeping giant.


On Sept. 16, 2010, Donald Miller announced on his blog that, after a year trying unsuccessfully to raise money for the movie adaptation of his bestselling book, Blue Like Jazz, he and the film’s co-creators, director Steve Taylor and cinematographer Ben Pearson, were putting the project on hold for the foreseeable future. “The book that swept the country will not sweep theaters,” Miller wrote. What happened next is a reminder that there is probably no such thing as a foreseeable future.

Why Are Christian Movies So Bad?

A call for Christians to get serious about being artists.


Christian culture is often the enemy of quality. Independent Christian film, in particular, has a history of being seriously and deeply flawed, routinely dismissed by secular critics and audiences as intellectually vacant and disconnected from reality.

The term Christian film has become synonymous with substandard production values, stilted dialogue and childish plots. Why is Christian film no more than a side note to modern culture? Why are Christians left behind?

Conviction

A poor director can't totally sink this tale of redemption and truth.

Conviction opens with a 1980 crime scene in Ayer, Mass. In a little trailer home in the country, clothes and furniture are scattered across the floor; blood is smeared all over the walls and doors; and a female corpse rests peacefully beside her bed. This gritty progression, with slow shots, quiet music and a solemn atmosphere, marks an artistry that could have made Tony Goldwyn’s biographical drama a masterpiece given the story and cast. Unfortunately, this accomplished scene is the only one of its kind to show distinction or imagination, and because of this as well as some blunders in the script, the film, which was destined for greatness, has to settle for something just below that.

Henry Poole Is Here

Was thinking of adding this 1 to the 10...

Thoughts...?

Blue Like Jazz Movie Saved By Kickstarter Campaign

For a while, it was looking like the movie adaptation of Donald Miller’s Blue Like Jazz, one of our 20 Best Books of the Decade, would never see the light of day.

However, the flick is now slated for a fall 2011 release, thanks to a hugeKickstarter campaign. Over 2,000 donors helped raise $155,000 to fund the project.

If the movie can surpass $200,641 in donations by the time the campaign closes on Oct. 25, it will become the largest crowdfunded film in history. To watch some “thank you” videos or to make a donation, check out the “Save Blue Like Jazz” website.

The Spiritual Legacy of Clint Eastwood

Shining a light on the filmmaker's obsession with life and death.

Early in his career, Clint Eastwood established himself as a tough guy with roles like the Man with No Name in Sergio Leone’s The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, and as Harry Callahan in Dirty Harry. But since the early '90s, Eastwood has focused less on acting and more on directing, crafting films that frequently make a big splash during awards season. More than that, though, he’s created a body of work deeply concerned with the the spiritual questions of the value of human life and the grief that follows in death’s wake.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is a 2004 American romantic fantasy film scripted by Charlie Kaufman and directed by Michel Gondry. The film uses elements of science fiction, nonlinear narration and neosurrealism to explore the nature of memory and romantic love.^[1] It opened in North America on March 19, 2004 and grossed over US$70 million worldwide.^[2]

Kaufman and Gondry worked on the story with Pierre Bismuth, a French performance artist. The film stars Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet and features Kirsten Dunst, Mark Ruffalo, Tom Wilkinson, Elijah Wood, Jane Adams, and David Cross.

The title is taken from the poem Eloisa to Abelard by Alexander Pope, the story of a tragic love affair, where forgetfulness became the heroine's only comfort.

The film was a critical and commercial success, developing a strong cult following and receiving myriad accolades, winning the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. The film was lauded by critics as one of the best and most thought-provoking^[3] films of 2004, and, in recent lists, has been acclaimed as one of the best films of the decade.

In chapter 3, Two Blue Ruins, Clementine & Joel discuss the fleeting nature that is life & the unintended dread that accompanies a life that seems wasted.  Joel attempts to measure his life, but can only muster meaningless dribble about going to work only to return to home later.  Thank God for Him & His very intentional purposes that bring ultimate meaning to our lives and being.

1 Peter 3:8-9 (The Message)

 ^8-12Summing up: Be agreeable, be sympathetic, be loving, be compassionate, be humble. That goes for all of you, no exceptions. No retaliation. No sharp-tongued sarcasm. Instead, bless—that's your job, to bless. You'll be a blessing and also get a blessing.

   Whoever wants to embrace life
      and see the day fill up with good,
   Here's what you do:
      Say nothing evil or hurtful;
   Snub evil and cultivate good;
      run after peace for all you're worth.
   God looks on all this with approval,
      listening and responding well to what he's asked;
   But he turns his back
      on those who do evil things.

In chapter 10, Blessed are the Forgetful, Mary quotes Nietzsche and speaks to how adults are, 'like, this mess of sadness...and phobias.'  She, like all those seeking the services of Lacuna, Inc. are longing for a sense of renewal...rebirth.  Only through Christ are we able to break the bondage that humanity can often present & allow us to share in Christ's victory of our own mess of sadness & fear.    

2 Corinthians 5:15-17 (The Message)

 ^14-15Our firm decision is to work from this focused center: One man died for everyone. That puts everyone in the same boat. He included everyone in his death so that everyone could also be included in his life, a resurrection life, a far better life than people ever lived on their own. ^16-20Because of this decision we don't evaluate people by what they have or how they look. We looked at the Messiah that way once and got it all wrong, as you know. We certainly don't look at him that way anymore. Now we look inside, and what we see is that anyone united with the Messiah gets a fresh start, is created new. The old life is gone; a new life burgeons! Look at it! All this comes from the God who settled the relationship between us and him, and then called us to settle our relationships with each other. God put the world square with himself through the Messiah, giving the world a fresh start by offering forgiveness of sins. God has given us the task of telling everyone what he is doing. We're Christ's representatives. God uses us to persuade men and women to drop their differences and enter into God's work of making things right between them. We're speaking for Christ himself now: Become friends with God; he's already a friend with you.

In chapter 15, The Blameless Vestal's Lot, Mary is left w/Howard as they continue to work to eradicate Clementine from Joel's memory.  Her dialogue continues to be peppered w/quotes unbeknown st to herself that share a common theme...the blessedness of forgetfulness when unable to seek, find or grant forgiveness.
How indescribably wonderful is our God that not only forgives, but 'forgets' our sin in how He deals w/us, showing just how unbelievably different He is from us in those attributes.

Isaiah 43:25 (The Message)

 ²⁵"But I, yes I, am the one
   who takes care of your sins—that's what I do.
   I don't keep a list of your sins.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Enjoy...

the notes are soon to follow...(by wednesday @ the latest)...

stay tuned...

Michael Caine Explains the Inception Ending

Spoiler alert: If you’re that one person in the world who hasn’t seen Inception yet, stop reading.

The teetering top spinning at the end of Christopher Nolan’s dream-within-a-dream saga left some fans speculating that Leonardo DiCaprio’s character was not actually at home reunited with his children and that the whole movie was meant to be a dream. However, Michael Caine recently said that’s not the case.

Caine told BBC Radio 1 that the ending is meant to be reality.

“[The spinning top] drops at the end, that’s when I come back on,” he said. “If I’m there it’s real, because I’m never in the dream. I’m the guy who invented the dream.”

Never Let Me Go

With so many big blockbusters currently in theaters,Never Let Me Go, an adaptation of Kazuo Ishiguro’s 2005 novel of the same name, has fallen quietly in the shadows. Which comes as no surprise. The dystopian drama is slow, subtle and directed by Mark Romanek, who has only done one other movie (One Hour Photo). The lack of attention is unfortunate, though, and certainly no fair assessment of what may be the best kept secret of cinema this year. While sometimes too restrained, Never Let Me Go is vivid and captivating, and although it has a heavy, bleak tone—like any dystopia—the film ultimately paints a picture of hope in a rather hopeless world.

Searching Out New Leaders

I love our group, but one of the purposes of our group like our church is not to round the wagons & wait for Jesus to come back, but ultimately to grow & divide.  We should constantly be looking for new leaders to emerge w/a passion to teach, host & lead so that more folks can experience community like what we've found & more importantly to learn & grow in relationship to God through his amazing son Jesus.  That being said, I challenge you to grow and constantly ask yourself if you or someone you know is being groomed to teach, host or lead.

Teaching is not something that we are to enter into lightly as warned by Jesus' brother & 1st lead pastor @ the church in Jerusalem James, but is one of the most rewarding endeavors we can ascribe.  That being said, please check out this new material for life group that I've found.  Looks pretty interesting.  Let me know if anyone would be interested...

The Story of God, the Story of Us

thanks,

lee

The Social Network

An incredible, incisive film that is one of the best of the year.

Facebook has become, in just a few short years, the most visited site on the web. Its journey to this point may seem like it was smooth and easy but behind the scenes, it was anything but that. The Social Network tells the story of the beginnings of this Internet phenomenon: the backstabbing, the jealousy and the hatred. In the process, it opens the eyes of the audience to the anti-social behavior that took place in order to create this new virtual society.

Dead Poet's Society

Dead Poets Society is a 1989 American drama film starring Robin Williams and directed by Peter Weir. Set at a conservative andaristocratic boys prep school, it tells the story of an English teacher who inspires his students to change their lives of conformity through his teaching of poetry and literature.


The movie's line "Carpe diem. Seize the day, boys. Make your lives extraordinary." was voted as the 95th greatest movie quote by the American Film Institute. Also, the film was voted one of the 100 Most Inspiring Films of All Time by the AFI.


In chapter 2, Seize the Day, we're introduced to Mr. Keating whose introductory lesson to the boys is to make their lives extraordinary by being ever present & self-aware.  He does this by showing them Welton students of the past that are now long since past.  The boys are at first very clueless as to the ends that their teacher hopes for them to strive, but much like any endeavor worth pursuit, proper perspective must first be attained and then constantly reminded of.

Hebrews 12:1-3 (The Message)

 ^1-3Do you see what this means—all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on? It means we'd better get on with it. Strip down, start running—and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins. Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we're in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now he's there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls!


In chapter 3, Understanding Poetry, Mr. Keating rebels against the notion that poetry can be measured in some analytical sense and infers that words duly matter because they are attached directly to motives such as passion, love & feeling.  Our christian walk resembles this sentiment greatly in that we live our lives not out of an analytical attempt to please our God, but that we strive to show Him most glorious in our lives with every fiber of our being.  

James 2:14-17 (The Message)

^14-17Dear friends, do you think you'll get anywhere in this if you learn all the right words but never do anything? Does merely talking about faith indicate that a person really has it? For instance, you come upon an old friend dressed in rags and half-starved and say, "Good morning, friend! Be clothed in Christ! Be filled with the Holy Spirit!" and walk off without providing so much as a coat or a cup of soup—where does that get you? Isn't it obvious that God-talk without God-acts is outrageous nonsense?

In chapter 7, Find Your Own Walk, Mr. Keating gives yet another valuable lesson on conformity & the basic human need for acceptance.  Unbeknownst to themselves the boys are tightly versed in conformation and Keating illustrates as such through a simple example of walking.  Our own walks of faith due very well to be governed by personal relationship w/Christ than thru rules of conformity w/fellow believers.  

Galatians 2:15-16 (The Message)

 ^15-16We Jews know that we have no advantage of birth over "non-Jewish sinners." We know very well that we are not set right with God by rule-keeping but only through personal faith in Jesus Christ. How do we know? We tried it—and we had the best system of rules the world has ever seen! Convinced that no human being can please God by self-improvement, we believed in Jesus as the Messiah so that we might be set right before God by trusting in the Messiah, not by trying to be good.