In Inglourious Basterds, Tarantino’s alternate history unleashed fantasy revenge on Hitler’s regime. In Django Unchained, he brings it to the slavers.
With the help of the only good white guy in the South – a German bounty hunter Dr King Schultz (Christoph Waltz) – Django (Jamie Foxx) sets out to rescue his wife Broomhilda (Kerry Washington) from a brutal plantation owner, Calvin Candie (Leonardo DiCaprio).
Posted in culture, movies, philosophy, religion, reviews
Tagged christian, human rights, image of God, meaning, quentin tarantino, redemption, slavery
Today, I welcome my good friend Kieran as the first guest blogger on Eternitainment! We’ve been friends a few years now and we often engage our minds in the fruitful discussion and appreciation of movies. If Kieran had his own blog I’d post the link here and direct you all there. Or maybe he’ll become a regular here? Eternitainment is delighted to host a post on one of the most famous movies of all time: Ben-Hur (1959).
Posted in culture, movies, oscars, religion, reviews
Tagged charlton heston, first century judaism, messiah
So the results are in: Argo has taken the award for Best Picture. I was not entirely surprised – there was heaps of buzz when it first came out, and it won in two major categories, being Adapted Screenplay and Editing. Personally, Argo was entertaining and maintained a good pace but I don’t know if will stay with me as long as Life of Pi.
What was surprising, perhaps ironic or prophetic, was the First Lady Michelle Obama announcing a film about the CIA rescuing US diplomats from an Iranian regime as the best picture of the year…from the White House. Perhaps the only thing more poetic would be the President announcing Zero Dark Thirty as the winner. “My fellow Americans. Earlier this evening, a movie…”
Anyway, I’m somewhat pleased with my few predictions:
Argo
Predicted: screenplay and a technical award
Actual: adapted screenplay and editing
Life of Pi
Predicted: sound, visual effects and possibly cinematography
Actual: visual effects, cinematography, musical score, director
Les Miserables
Predicted: best supporting actress (Anne Hathaway)
Actual: best supporting actress, makeup and hairstyles, sound mixing
Posted in culture, entertainment, movies, oscars
Being an entertainment blog I suppose I should mention something about the Oscars, which are on Monday morning Australian time. I only managed to see, embarrassingly, 3 of the contenders for best picture this year, being Les Miserables, Life of Pi (review soon), and Argo. After the Batman experience I was put off going to the cinema for awhile somehow. And while I had opportunity to watch Lincoln on my long haul flying recently, the purist in me said to wait until I could see it on the big screen.
Still, for what little my opinion is worth, I hereby predict an Oscar for Anne Hathaway who was simply wrenching in her performance, a couple of technical awards for Pi, perhaps for sound and visual effects – I think the use of HD cameras on the ship scenes was a little lacklustre to me, but it was a visual treat so hard to say on cinematography. For Argo, possibly a screenplay award and a technical award. That it doesn’t have a director nomination makes it harder to win for picture, and that it is up against Les Mis and Pi, which was dazzling, it will be tough, but by far the best of the films I watched on the long haul trip my wife and I did recently.
Having only seen a few of the contenders I will withhold judgement on the top prize. And on that, I’m not sure I’m a fan of the large number of best picture nominations. I suppose in some ways its an acknowledgment of all the fine work that’s been produced in the year, and may be just a way of generating interest for the TV audience too, if someone was more cynical than I. It does make the job of picking a winner slightly more difficult, but regardless of any of that the event is interesting if only for understanding the way in which we discuss, analyze and enjoy this art form.
In Party 1, I suggested one of the scenes set in the song “How We Do” by Rita Ora could easily come from a horrible nightmare. I just didn’t think a hungover sleepover as an indicator of love was ideal. But lest I sound like I’m harshin’ the party mellow, I want to suggest that the song connects with our desires for two good things, albeit in misguided ways.
Having a good time: Rest, recreation and celebration are important parts of life. To be able to do so with friends and special people is a great way to recharge, but this song essentially equates partying with high levels of alcohol consumption. Alcohol becomes a dangerous thing when you lose the ability to look after others and yourself; the alcohol rules you. This song celebrates the abandonment to alcohol’s rule. An objection might be that they are not hurting anybody. Well, in this case the song is clear that there is no clarity about what happened the night before; how would they know if anyone was hurt, or if anything illegal happened?
So on the question of alcohol consumption, can I consume alcohol wisely and still serve others? I think so. Sharing a meal is an excellent way to build friendships; a good wine can help oil the conversation as people relax. But, when you are totally inebriated you cannot be thinking of how you can care for anyone, and even if you are thinking to good things, you might be not be able to do it properly. So one of the reasons I don’t drink more than a couple of glasses is because I want be ready to love, help and serve other people.
Freedom: Finding the one for them in the one with whom this drunk night happened for reasons listed previously, is by no means the best way to go about. Noted. But this thing has lead straight into a chorus which expresses and yearns for a kind of freedom: uninhibited, complete freedom, freedom to do whatever is desired without consequence. There is a distinct lack of restraint. Anything is possible it seems, including shutting down bars. But moral issues aside, this freedom ironically involves another person, and the creation of a unit with its own sense of identity: “this is how WE do“, so we have two people enjoying freedom together within a shared identity.
I want to suggest that what the singer seeks, freedom and a shared identity, can both be found in of all places…marriage. Some people might think the marriage and freedom are opposites but marriage provides heaps of freedom; in particular, a safe environment for free, regular, sexual expression that will only get better and more significant with time, you have uninhibited freedom to serve the other person. One author (whose name escapes me) puts it this way: the man receives in a giving way, and the woman gives in a receiving way. I only note this aspect of marriage first due to the song’s emphasis on sex, but freedom to be yourself, freedom to enjoy one another in friendship, hope and trust, are all benefits of the traditional covenant.
In conclusion: On the surface of it, the song How We Do celebrates alcohol and cloudy sexual experiences. As I have argued these are destructive misguided attempts to satisfy good and natural desires for fun and relaxation and freedom. Rather than being in control of these situations, these experiences control and endanger those involved.
Christ came to destroy the idols in our lives; idols which would enslave us, do us harm and harm others. In his death and resurrection, Jesus actually brings freedom from the penalty of sin and the power of sin for those who trust Jesus for forgiveness of sins. His purpose is to set us free to serve God and serve others, as the apostle Paul writes in Galatians 5:
13 You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. 14 For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
The right course of action is not determined so much by following rules, though there are some of those; rather the Christian uses their Christ-won freedom to love and serve others. That’s how we ought to do.
Posted in culture, music, philosophy, religion, reviews
Tagged how we do, marriage, meaning, the meaning of how we do
