As we have for many of my son's birthdays, tonight we watched a Harry Potter movie on opening night. I couldn't help but reflect back through the years that my children grew up alongside the characters in the world of Harry Potter... truly they are what could be called the Harry Potter generation - as the books and movies paralalled their own milestones and life as close to real time as could be.
I found it very fitting, then, that on the cusp of my son turning 18 years old, that we would be watching the final installment in the franchise that we had loved so much. There is something a tiny bit sad but also very epic in all of this, the end of an era, in more ways than one. But with every ending there is a beginning just around the corner, new and exciting adventures to be had and I am very much looking forward to that.
Good bye Harry Potter and friends, thanks for all the memories!
Friday, July 15, 2011
The Culmination of a Childhood
Tuesday, July 08, 2008
Left Me Wanting...
We saw "Wanted" last night. I still feel assaulted by this movie, and have a few thoughts to share.
First, when trying to entice an audience into suspension of disbelief you need to build into the plot something we like to call believability – that’s an element that you can't replace with special effects. Second, plot is usually developed in movies to allow the actors to act. Good actors can't carry a bad movie, try as they might.
It's true that the movie itself doesn't really aspire or claim to be anything great, and I'll confess that my expectations were high so disappointment might have been inevitable; but too many times in this movie I had my head in my hands wishing for it to be over. It's been a really long time since I've been in a movie where people have walked out (starting just over half way through) and I wish I had left when Duncan asked me to.
Read the end of the Wanted Wikipedia entry for the "Critical Reception" before you go see it and you'll have a valid frame of reference for watching this movie. However, I recommend giving it a pass.
Saturday, March 22, 2008
Reflections on the Easter Message
We watched the Iron Giant today – wonderful movie whose ending has me thinking of the Easter Message.
There's a point in the story where a nuclear missile is going to kill everyone that the Iron Giant knows. In an instant the Giant makes a selfless decision – he will sacrifice himself to save everyone else. As he flies toward the missile he hears his friend's words in his head "You are what you choose to be." Moments before the impact, with determination of choice, the Giant says "Superman!"
It's a retelling of the universal human story of unconditional love, compassion and sacrifice. It's taught in all of our world religions and traditions. The Qur'an teaches the most effective factor in establishing world peace is through an individual's personal peace and inner state of harmony; Buddhism warns that to be of any help at all we must first become selfless. "You must be the change you want to see in the world," echoes the words of Mahatma Gandhi. It even permeates our own stories, as when Gandalf tells Frodo "All there is to decide is what to do with the time that is given to you."
Despite what its critics say, Martin Scorsese's "The Last Temptation of Christ" is one of my favourite movies; a brilliant portrayal of a Jesus that I can relate too.
"Last Temptation" is Scorsese’s attempt to reconcile the belief that Jesus was both fully a man and fully God with his own understanding of what it means to truly be a man. As such, Scorsese's Jesus is a man with human feelings as Scorsese knows them. Jesus struggles to understand his relationship with God and his "destiny" as he believes God has laid it out for him. But he struggles because for him it has no meaning, yet, and as such he can’t make the sacrifice that the act itself demands.
What makes "Last Temptation" so powerful occurs within the dream sequence near the end of the movie. Jesus has before him all the temptations that any regular man desires from a lifetime, he tastes it, knows it, and wants it more than anything he's ever wanted before. With it comes a different destiny; his world in ruins.
In an instant of epic realization, Jesus sees what is at stake and makes a choice. He chooses to be the son of God. He chooses to be the sacrifice to save his fellow man. He gives up everything he always wanted and dreamed of and asks God to take him - willingly gifting his life for the good of humanity - this intentional choice is what provides the sacrifice necessary for salvation to occur.
It was never enough for him to merely go to the cross and die.
Just as it is not enough for any of us to merely lead a simple and self centered life towards our own endings.
This same potential exists within all of us. At best it's what sets certain people apart in moments of chaos – those we call heroes - and at least it's a way of living that influences the choices we consider making. We must be the change we want to see in this world. Everyday.
Happy Easter everyone.
Saturday, January 05, 2008
Update: "Christmas in Wonderland"
Readers of this blog may remember that during this past summer I was enjoying observing movie development in action - the filming of "Christmas in Wonderland" at West Edmonton Mall.
With actors in it like Patrick Swayze, Tim Curry, Carmen Electra, and Chris Kattan I thought it would be a bit of a local hit come Christmas but it didn't appear on the radar at all and I missed it (apparently it had a very low distribution). My daughter and I finally went to see it on Thursday. Our verdict?
Worst. Movie. Ever.
Worse than Tears of the Sun or Bats. Worse than Red Dawn!
It is supposed to be a "caper" comedy - although the premise (the Dad gets laid off right before Christmas, which threatens to ruin Christmas for the family) isn't really funny, people in the movie theatre were laughing alright - at the complete corniness of the movie, not because of plot or dialogue! There are a couple of terrible CGI images in the film, one where West Edmonton Mall looks like a huge shiny blue and pink castle and one that shows elves in the north pole that is truly painful. I'm struck with the thought that my dog might actually have been able to do better than this. How is it possible to spend so much time, effort and money and have it turn out so badly? Who could possibly watch this movie and okay it for release to the viewing public?
Roger Moore, reviewing the movie for the Orlando Sentinel said "Christmas in Wonderland kills Christmas and Chris Kattan's career in one fell Santa swoop." Read the rest of the review here.
I'm glad we went to see it because it did hold some special meaning for us - but the cold, hard truth is that it's an hour and 38 minutes of our lives we will never get back.
