Poseidon Review

—1. Overview
—2. Cast and Crew
—3. Photo Pages
—4. Trailers, Clips, DVDs, Books, Soundtrack
—5. Posters (Ships)
—6. Production Notes (pdf)
—7. Spiritual Connections
—8. Presentation Downloads

Poseidon is not a good movie. In fact, it is a pretty dismal one. The lead actors try their noblest to generate life from their limp characters, but even that cannot raise this ship above water. The special effects enter on cue, do their damage, and disappear without a hint of originality or artistic flair. This movie is no The Day After Tomorrow…and what does THAT say? The Poseidon Adventure pulled this story off in a vastly superior way back in 1972.

It isn’t in my nature to simply shred a film’s quality to bits. And I must be honest that I was entertained on and off throughout this film. But the failures of Poseidon are possibly the most spiritual points to discuss. And being that spirituality is the focus at Hollywood Jesus, I would be remiss to leave my complaints out.

First off, there are some disturbing racial undertones to Poseidon. I must admit that I did not pick up on them at first, but only realized them after reading some other reviews around the web. I count it as part of my white privalege that I missed these undercurrents, and would value feedback from any minority readers on this subject.

I spoil very little (but do spoil some, so be warned) by noting that the survivors of the disaster are very white, and they live only by defying the captain, who is black, and even by choosing to allow the death of another minority character. Titanic (wherever your opinions lie on that deep sea disaster are for another time) at least did justice to the idea that poor and minority passengers had very different struggles and situations than the others aboard the ship. James Cameron delved into some of the class and race struggle aboard that ship. Yet Wolfgang Peterson seems content to relegate the minority characters to the ship’s galley, where essentially none survive the “rogue wave�. Only the rich, white, and presumably more resourceful people are able to hatch a plan.

This plan brings me to my next disturbing observation. As soon as our small band heads out of the ballroom to make their trek to safety, bad things begin to happen to the ship. Elevators begin to fall, which set fires, which spark explosions. I couldn’t help but wonder if the very actions of our protagonists weren’t the catalyst behind the ultimate sinking of the ship and the deaths of thousands?

For Poseidon to work, the audience would have to embrace the “ragtag� group of survivors at the center of the story. Yet this is nigh upon impossible if this group of people either abandoned the rest of the ballroom without even hinting to the others that they have a better plan, or began a chain reaction which killed all but themselves.

[Major Spoiler Below]

The most profoundly human moment in the film, which is in turn the most spiritual moment, is when one of our protagonists actually kills another character to save their own skin. (Should I even ask what race the survivor was?) The scene has been done many times: Two people are hanging on for their dear lives, and either they’ll both fall to their deaths, or one must sacrifice themselves. But this is Poseidon, so one character is happy to literally kick the other in the face until they plummet to their death. A moment is given to pass tortured looks of guilt around…but then the show must go on!

I think there are some legitimate spiritual questions to draw from this film. First, we might ask ourselves how disturbed we are by casual (not overt) racism making its way into modern Hollywood films. Secondly, an important question we must all ask ourselves is how much we value our own survival. Would we risk the deaths of others, contribute to the deaths of others, or even directly cause the deaths of others, simply to save our own skin? I believe most of us would do almost anything to claw our way the top of the boat. This is a deeply human and deeply spiritual question. There once lived a man who asked if He would have to die so that others could live. His decision to sacrifice his own life has changed the world inside out, whether you believe in that man as your Savior or not!

— Overview

Tsotsi Review

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—2. Cast and Crew
—3. Photo Pages
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—5. Posters (Current Films)
—6. Production Notes (pdf)
—7. Spiritual Connections
—8. Presentation Downloads

Hosea 11: 1-4

"When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son.
But the more I called Israel, the further they went from me. They sacrificed to the Baals and they burned incense to images.
It was I who taught Ephraim to walk, taking them by the arms; but they did not realize it was I who healed them.
I led them with cords of human kindness, with ties of love; I lifted the yoke from their neck and bent down to feed them.

Luke 13:34

"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!

The Oscar winner for Best Foreign Film in 2005, Tsotsi is truly an edge of your seat thriller. Of course, this description has been overused to describe films and I wouldn’t wield the phrase if it wasn’t totally accurate. This is not a typical, average, or run of the mill thriller however. This reviewer found himself sweating, short of breath, and relieved when the credits rolled. A short film, Tsotsi puts one through the ringer. It is powerful and violent, a tragedy injected with hope. It is a personal story, not epic in its scale, but its few characters are given a rich opportunity to live out this intimate story.

The film is set in a slum of Johannesburg, South Africa, and the focus is on a small group of petty criminals, of which Tsotsi (Presley Chweneyagae) is the unofficial leader. He is a killer, and a mystery even to his closest friends. Even his name is unknown to them. Tsotsi simply means “thug�. But after a brutal night of crime, one of his friends challenges him, saying something which sets Tsotsi into a rage. Brutally beating up his friend, Tsotsi flees to an extremely wealthy neighborhood, where he spontaneously steals a rich woman's car, shooting her and driving off into the darkness. The full story which is to be told becomes clear when Tsotsi realizes there is an infant boy in the back seat. This infant boy will forever change this hardened killer.

As with many great films, there are different ideas one can pull out of it. A major spiritual theme that will be addressed in this review is the cycle of parenting. Tsotsi himself becomes a vague sort of parent as he attempts to care for this child that he has kidnapped. During the film we see a healthy set of parents grieving and searching for their missing baby, a loving mother looking after her own infant even as Tsotsi forces her to feed his pilfered child, and we see the parents that Tsotsi fled from as a young boy, his mother dying of AIDS and his father an abusive drunk.

Again, there is so much more to this film than just its intense story, which leaves the viewer gasping and praying for the safety of this poor innocent baby, as well as for the safety of this loveless killer that we’ve somehow become endeared to. One reason the viewer comes to sympathize with Tsotsi’s plight is that he was neglected and run out of his own home. He lost his loving mother and was traumatized by his father. Without the nurturing of a parent, we see how this young man (whose age is left purposefully vague, but whose gun makes him as old as he needs to be), could become the cold-blooded killer that he is. And we also see how important the profound love of parent for child can be when the assaulted couple pushes the police to find their son.

The God which is worshipped in the Christian faith is a Father, He created mankind and nurtures them as His own. When we allow ourselves to be nurtured, to be looked after and raised in His will and through His commands, we are able to carry on that cycle of parenting, that tradition of love and investment. Yet more often than not we deny God as our Father. He longs to nurture us, and uses language like a parent to lure us back to Him. “It was I who taught Ephraim to walk…but they did not realize it was I who healed them.� Without God, the cycle is broken, and love does not endure but instead sin and selfishness reign in us.

We see this idea of the importance of nurture played out in Tsotsi. When our protagonist is placed into a position he cannot run away from, when he is supposed to become a parent but never had any quality parents himself, Tsotsi is forced to try to rebuild and repair the cycle of parenting that he had broken free of in his own life. And this is the seed of change for him. No longer can he kill without feeling, because he has felt what it is to be needed by someone, and to be responsible for another’s survival. When Tsotsi must become a father, all of the hurt he had stifled resurfaces and he begins the process of healing needed to confront the demons that his own drunk and violent father had sewn in him.

In Tsotsi’s world, anything can happen. No one is safe from the violence that is going on all around them. Director Gavin Hood paints a real world picture in this sense, and that element is what keeps one on the edge of their seat. Just like in reality, the good guy may not always win, and the helpless child may not be protected. These are the rough and tumble streets that Tsotsi raised himself on. He did not have a father who brought him up in the knowledge of right and wrong. In that sense he is much like our own American culture today which has (in many instances) rejected God and lost the understanding of what is right and what is wrong. Without the caring and nurture of parents, whether heavenly or earthly, we simply will fall short. When Tsotsi himself is placed in the role of a parent, he begins to realize this and his tough veneer cracks. His awakening is both thrilling and heartbreaking to watch.

— Overview

Night Watch Review

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“Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve�. -Joshua 24:15


Vampires, Tigers, and Bears…oh my! Although I must immediately apologize for that horrible one-liner, it is also an apt opener for this film. Night Watch, a film co-written and directed by Timur Bekmambetov, has it all when you hold it up against any dark gothic fantasy vampire tale. Included in the mythology/theology of this film are prophets, shape-shifters, vampires, and more. All are called “Others�, some belonging to the side of light, and some belonging to the side of darkness. Having broken all box office records in its native Russia, Night Watch has now made its American debut. The first part of a trilogy, this film is just the beginning of a rich and unique story arc.

Despite a reportedly low budget, this is a film with high aspirations and its own unique spirituality. In this world, there is no God. And yet a deep theology still exists. Night Watch is set beneath the day to day world in which all normal humans exist, which is nothing new in the Vampire genre. The Others have supernatural abilities which are kept concealed from the world as we know it, again, nothing we haven’t seen before. The intriguing piece of this film which I’d like to focus on, and what much of the plot does as well, is the free will of the characters.

Free will isn’t really a concept which is broached in your average horror movie. Some monsters came into existence because of horrible things done by humankind. Most zomies rise from the dead inexplicably, and there is no choice involved in becoming one. And most vampires become so simply by being bitten. All who discover themselves to be an Other in this film are faced with a choice. Will they side up with light or darkness?

The viewers are brought up to speed on the strict mythology of this world in the introduction of the film. A great battle occurred centuries ago between the light and dark Others. Evenly matched, their leaders formed a strictly organized truce in order to save both sides from extinction. This truce is enforced by a sort of police squad for either side, the Night Watch protecting the side of light, and the Day Watch looking after their dark interests. Both sides await the coming of The Great Other, who will tip the balance in favor of…ah, there is the catch. The Great Other will be forced to choose their own side, just like the rest, The Great Other is subjected to a choice.

The Christian doctrine of free will has always been an interesting one, maybe even a paradoxical one. If our God is all-powerful and all-knowing, how is it possible that we as humans can make any independent choices at all? And if we can make our own choices, doesn’t that logically lead to the belief that there is no God, or that God is not omnipotent? This paradox is debated in classrooms and Bible studies even still today, and I am not going to delve all too deeply into it other than to say this: The big question about the Christian idea of free will is at its heart a question about salvation. Do we choose to give our lives over to Jesus and receive eternal life, or does God pre-select those who will be saved?

In Night Watch, the lines between what is light and what is dark are extremely grey. One has trouble seeing which side is really seeking what is right and good because there is no control in their experiment/experience of life. The absence of God from this movie blurs for its characters any of the reasons for choosing good over evil. A viewer could take two approaches to this grayness. On one hand, someone could dismiss the plot, noting that neither side of this battle seems all too good OR all too evil, in a sense these characters all seem like they are just unfortunate souls with special powers who are just trying to get by. But on the other hand one can allow themselves to be drawn into the more intriguing aspects of this detailed mythology. Without God, or even ANY standard of what good and evil really are, which side would you choose? And with so much grey, how are any of the film’s characters to know what side The Great Other might choose?

Before signing off, I must mention two other strengths of Night Watch. First is its huge cliffhanger of an ending, which will leave most of us geeks clamoring for the sequel. Second is its subtitles! We Americans are treated to an interesting twist on the average subtitled film. Evil words are often typed out in blood red, and drip away from the screen. Some words are wiped away by the movements of the characters across the screen. Some words appear in all different places across the screen, which becomes a canvas for the spoken words. As far as I know, this is a real first, and the effect is strong, as well as fun.

I’ve been reading about and looking forward to seeing Night Watch for over a year now. And when I finally got the chance to see it, I wasn’t as bowled over as I’d hoped to be. Yet as I’ve distanced myself a little bit and put some thought into it, I see something deeper going on than I’d initially picked up on. In its defense, Night Watch has an extremely unique look, feel, and even a unique premise. For any film geek, Night Watch is one to put on your lists. The average American filmgoer might be disoriented by the heavy narrative and dirty setting. But look into the plight of these Others, and you’ll see that they face many of the same choices that each and every one of us must also make.

—Overview

Walk The Line

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—2. Overview Basic (dial up speed)
—3. Reviews and Blogs
—4. Cast and Crew
—5. Photo Pages
—6. Trailers, Clips, DVDs, Books, Soundtrack
—7. Posters (Joaquin Phoenix)
—8. Production Notes (pdf)
—9. Spiritual Connections
—10. Presentation Downloads

"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For…I was in prison and you came to visit me.'
"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord,… When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'
"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'
(Selections from Matthew 25)

Walk the Line frames itself around a pivotal moment in Johnny Cash’s career, a performance at Folsom Prison. When the film starts we see the powerful reaction of the prisoners to Cash’s music. Soon after director James Mangold brings us to Johnny’s early years and leads us through the events that brought him to this place.

This reviewer entered the theater knowing very little, admittedly, about Johnny Cash other than enjoying some of his songs. Cash is also practically worshipped by many of my friends. So I looked forward to this film from the first trailer I saw. Yet even as an uninitiated Cash fan, I took away much to chew on concerning his impact on the world.

More than anything this film told the story of Johnny Cash (Joaquin Phoenix) and the love of his life June Carter (Reese Witherspoon). And yet the most engaging aspects of this film take place as life is happening to both of these people. The long road that leads them towards each other as husband and wife provides the framework for this film. We watch as Cash lives a strikingly “real� life, he struggles after returning home from his military service. He has a hard married life. He has a few songs up his sleeve and a desire to bring his music to the world. When he finds success he also finds himself hooked on illegal pills and slipping far from his roots as a God-fearing gospel musician.

Yet Cash is able to bounce back from the brink of his addiction with the help of the Carter family (here playing the hands and feet of Christ). June and her parents see just how lost Johnny has become and they pull up their sleeves and stick by him as he kicks his addiction and gets his life back on track. A humorous and powerful visual from the film involves the Carters chasing away Cash’s dealer by greeting him with shotguns!

Immediately upon returning from the brink, June brings Johnny to church. And it is not long after this that Cash decides to bring his music to the people who need it most, the down-trodden. Knowing very little about the real Johnny Cash, I can’t say for sure exactly how Johnny related to His Lord, nor can I assume his reasons for playing live in Folsom Prison. Yet James Mangold, in framing his film around this concert, shows us a Johnny Cash who lived out the gospel in a unique way. He, like all of us, fell short of the glory of God often in his life. And yet in his recovery from drug addiction, and in his desire to serve those prisoners, he lived out the message of Matthew 25. He visited prisoners and in doing so served Christ in his own unique way, which was apparently the only way Cash knew how to live.

— Overview

The Constant Gardener

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A film can become a powerful tool of communication when its director presents a message with clarity and without compromise. In The Constant Gardener, director Fernando Meirelles does just that, presenting a film which refuses to compromise in its story telling. This is not a film which backs down from a fight, even if its protagonist, Justin Quayle (Ralph Fiennes) seems to be the type of person who would do just that.
Quayle is a mid-level diplomat whose life is forever changed when he meets a stubborn woman named Tessa (Rachel Weisz). Before either of them truly knows one another, they have eloped and moved to Africa together on a diplomatic assignment. Tessa quickly makes Kenya her home and begins serving the people alongside of a local doctor, Arnold Bluhm (Hubert Kounde). When Bluhm begins to discuss with Tessa some of the shady dealings of an international pharmaceutical company, the tension of the film really ratchets.

Meirelles paints an amazing picture for his viewers in several different ways. First of all, his vivid rendering of life in Kenya, and the life of the land itself, is visionary. Just like in his last film, City of God, Meirelles provides an almost too realistic and personal feel. One feels that they are walking along the city streets with Tessa as she greets the children. And Meirelles captures the countryside and shows us nature’s response to the sometimes grizzly events of the story. Meirelles brings this story to us in an almost raw fashion, often too close for comfort, and often slightly hazy at the same time.
There is also a thriller element to The Constant Gardener. There are mysteries and conspiracies ripe throughout the film, and it takes a tragic event in Justin’s life to awaken him from his constant gardening and learn just what is worth fighting for. One way this mystery is given its weight is to show the viewer portions of the film out of chronological order. This is often a fascinating way to present a story as with Tarantino’s use of the device being an incredible addition to Pulp Fiction. Yet sometimes playing with the timeline of a story can disorient a viewer. Mixing up the chronology of The Constant Gardener, however, was a great way to allow the mystery to unravel in just the right time as we see Justin evolve from a meek diplomat to a passionate seeker of justice.

No mystery is strong if the characters themselves are not fully realized. And here we are endeared to characters at various phases of their lives and various phases of their grief or their love. Because of Meirelles’ up close and personal style, we know our characters about as well as they know one another, which makes each of their tales matter to the viewers. Rachel Weisz does a solid job of portraying the firebrand young white woman who won’t allow injustice to occur, even if it means risking all. She is also the driving force behind Justin coming out of his shell and realizing that the government he represents is covering up a grave injustice that is occurring against the sick and the dying of Kenya.

As I said, film can be a powerful tool of communication. And Meirelles takes what could be a simple murder mystery, and elevates it to a statement about injustice. AIDS is something which is devastating the entire continent of Africa, and yet the weak and the dying are easy victims to those who can only see their own profit margins. The controversy of the film centers on a very important truth about today’s world. Not only is Africa being ravaged by AIDS, but many around the world are actively brushing this tragedy under the carpet. In The Constant Gardener, Tessa uncovers an injustice most foul, a major company preying on the sick and the dying. Meirelles uses this mystery to give his viewers an uncompromising look at the terrible situations being faced by Kenyans and by all Africans. The question Justin faces is, what is he going to do about it? Justin sets off on a quest for justice, and becomes a different man through exposing a conspiracy against the weak. The question Meirelles asks his viewers is similar, now that you’ve seen what havoc AIDS is wreaking upon Africa, what are YOU going to do about it?

—Overview
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—About this Film pdf