The Book of Daniel

Show description from NBC.com:
A provocative, edgy and compelling new drama, "The Book of Daniel" stars Emmy nominee Aidan Quinn ("An Early Frost," "Plainsong," "Legends of the Fall") as the Rev. Daniel Webster, an unconventional Episcopalian priest who not only believes in Jesus – he actually sees him and discusses life with him. ` The limited series premieres on Friday, Jan. 6 at 9-11 p.m. ET/PT with two back-two-back episodes; returning the following week (Jan. 16) at its regularly scheduled time, Fridays at 10-11 p.m. ET/PT. Webster is challenged on many levels as he struggles to be a good husband, father and minister, while navigating an often rocky relationship with the church hierarchy, led by Bishop Beatrice Congreve (Oscar winner Ellen Burstyn, "Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore," "Requiem of a Dream") and Roger Paxton, a senior warden of the parish and stalwart churchgoer (Dylan Baker, "Kinsey," "Happiness"). Webster also has loving, but challenging relationships with his three children: Peter (Christian Campbell, "Trick"), his 23-year-old gay son, struggling with the loss of his twin brother; his 16-year-old daughter Grace (Alison Pill, "Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen"), a talented Manga artist dealing with typical teenage angst; and Adam (Ivan Shaw, "All My Children"), his 16-year-old adopted Chinese son, a handsome and cocky high school jock with a wicked sense of humor. Keeping Webster grounded is his strong, loving wife Judith (Susanna Thompson, "Once and Again") – who is also coming to terms with the loss of her son and her own future and ambitions now that her children are nearly grown – and Jesus (Garret Dillahunt, "Deadwood"), his best friend and confidante who serves as a sounding board and encourages Webster to find the answers to his questions within himself. Creator Jack Kenny ("Titus"), Flody Suarez ("8 Simple Rules for Dating My Daughter," "The Tick") and John Tinker ("The Practice," "Chicago Hope") are the executive producers of this production from NBC Universal Television Studio and Sony Pictures Television.


I had heard nothing about this show until just happening to see a little report on Entertainment Tonight (which I only watch occasionally) about how the Catholic church was threatening to take it off the air. Nothing like a little controversy from the religious right to promote a show! Well, it worked for me too. I had to see what all the fuss was about.

If you got all the characters straight from above, here's the rest of their dynamics. Daniel is a very caring father who is good at his job, despite the frustrations he goes through, and he has a very close relationship with Judith (they schedule love making every Friday night). Daniel's brother-in-law Charlie has disappeared along with $3 million in church money that was supposed to be used to build a school. Charlie's wife/Judith's sister is meanwhile having a lesbian affair with Charlie's secretary, who they hired to get them out of their sexual rut. Adam is dating/in love with/having sex with Roger's daughter Caroline, which upsets Roger's wife who 'doesn't want little Asian children running around her Christmas tree.' Daniel's father is also a priest who is trying to set up Peter with a girl because the family hasn't broken the news to him that's he is gay. Daniel's mother has Alzheimer's or some form of dementia and doesn't recognize her own family anymore. Because of the pain of this, Daniel's father is having an affair with the Bishop Beatrice, who also covets the painkillers Daniel is addicted to. Also not mentioned in the show description is the fact that the show opens with Grace being arrested for pot dealing and Judith has a weakness for martinis. Still with me? Daniel has another priest friend who has connections with the Mafia, and their detective work reveals that Charlie is found dead in a Florida hotel naked with several foreign objects in his rectum.

Ok, so this is all a bit cartoonish and exaggerated in my opinion, but it's Hollywood, so you have to take it for what it is. It's actually kind of funny. I have never watched a complete episode of Desperate Housewives, but many are comparing it to this show. It has all the elements of a dirty soap opera that people will clamor around the water cooler to talk about and the Golden Globes will shower with awards. Book of Daniel takes these extreme conventions of sinful primetime Dynasty-type antics and throws Jesus into the mix, and like clockwork, Christians who haven't watched a micro-second of it are literally threatening to blow up the NBC headquarters. NBC apparently opened the phone lines to their studio after the show was to air so that people could have a dialogue about the show, as the First Amendment allows, and Christians were supposedly trying to sabotage the phone lines so this couldn't take place. Yes, Mr. Bush, there ARE real terrorists in America! Guess what? They're not who you think they are!

It's hard to completely judge or review a show by its premiere. It's like reviewing the first 10 minutes of a feature film. My initial thoughts on it are that it has potential to delve into some interesting areas of discussion. The writing is decent but not always great; there are some weak moments with poor dialogue and bad sexual puns. The exaggeration of the various scandalous relations between the characters is a little bit contrived and hard to take seriously. Yet at the same time, it's probably a more honest portrayal of what goes on behind the scenes in some Christians' lives than say, 7th Heaven, where most things get resolved in a pretty package by the end of each episode. I love 7th Heaven, but its recent idealism is one of the main criticisms I sometimes have of it (plus I can't forgive them for that musical episode). But again, that's a family show, and this is not.

I can totally understand why some people are against the show, as it's not for everybody and the subject matter might be disturbing for some. But it's not entirely useless, either. There are genuine tender moments in Book of Daniel where we really see the pain these characters are going through. Daniel's father and the look of anguish on his face when his own wife slaps him for touching her (and says "don't you dare touch me! my husband is a minister!") is a very sad scene. It puts things into proper context when we find out later that he is having an affair with the bishop, and he embraces her in tears. This is why affairs happen, because of a breakdown of connection between couples. There are real moments of pain in the show that are handled with honesty. Perhaps if the religious right spent less time lashing out in hate against Hollywood, they would realize that there are people in this country going through deep anguish and hiding dark secrets, and Hollywood is writing about it. Hell, I got some dark secrets and family scandals of my own, how about you?

Anyway, the most interesting scenes for me are the moments when Daniel talks with Jesus. The dialogue is funny and heartfelt, and reminiscent of Joan of Arcadia, where God appears with vague advice and pearls of wisdom. What I find poignant is how it literally represents the idea of having a personal relationship with Jesus, which is what Christianity really is. In quiet moments I have had prayerful conversations with Jesus where I actually heard him speaking back to me in very casual language, much like the Jesus in this show. Jesus wants to be this close to us. It's a fantastic thing to see on primetime. Equally powerful is the moment when Daniel looks sadly at his mother and says he misses her. Jesus stands behind him and touches his shoulder. My friends, THAT is reality TV!

Most people would agree that Jesus is the most important person who ever lived, and nobody has had a greater impact on the world. I think most people would agree that they would love to sit down and have a casual chat with Jesus. However, if actually given the opportunity, I think most would hide in shame for fear of being judged. They might say, Isn't that what his followers do? If I actually could sit and chat with Jesus and tell him about my problems, won't he just make me feel worse because of how holy he is?

This is Jesus....

John 8
1But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 2At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. 3The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group 4and said to Jesus, "Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?" 6They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.
But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. 7When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her." 8Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.
9At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. 10Jesus straightened up and asked her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?"
11"No one, sir," she said. "Then neither do I condemn you," Jesus declared. "Go now and leave your life of sin."

Take a look at the Book of Daniel and see what it might be like to just chat with Jesus.

(Daniel takes out his pills and Jesus appears, taking them away)

Daniel: Oh, come on! I think I deserve one! (Jesus is silent) Half of one?

Jesus: (handing him candy) Try a lime life-saver.

Daniel: Sorry, but cherry is far better.

Jesus: Fair enough.

Daniel: You know I really care about Charlie. I went out on a limb for him, I would never, ever damn anybody. I couldn't. I was....(long pause, sighs) I'm sorry.

Jesus: I know.

Daniel: I was....angry.

Jesus: Don't worry. You don't have that much power.

(Daniel laughs)

Daniel: Why is it so easy to talk to you?

Jesus: I'm a good listener. Plus I never burden you with my problems.

Daniel: You got problems?

Jesus: Now we're talking about you.

Daniel: Tell me what to do. I don't know what to do anymore.

Jesus: Yes you do.

Daniel: No, I don't.

Jesus: It's just hard. Life is hard, Daniel, for everyone. That's why there's such a nice reward at the end of it.

Daniel: I know that's supposed to be comforting. But it's not! Aren't you supposed to comfort me?

Jesus: Where'd you read that? Some Episcopalian self-help book?

(Daniel laughs)

Jesus: That's good! You should laugh more! Hey, have you read "Jesus' Guide to a Comfortable Life?" Very comforting, that one...

The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe

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Say what you will, I loved it. Could there have been more surprises, more scenery, better this, better that? At times, perhaps. But in actuality, the movie looked very much like what I see in my head when I read the book. My pitiful little mind is usually not capable of conjuring up the full scope and vision of what we see in many films these days. Comparing it to King Kong, which I saw less than 24 hours before seeing Narnia, the vistas in Kong were far bigger and more breathtaking. Had I read a book of Kong, and read a description of this, I doubt my mind could have conjured up the same sense of scope. When I read a book, and something is described in words, my mind will usually tend to create a version of it similar to what I have seen in this world. It's much smaller, much more abstract. The scenery in this Narnia film may have been lackluster compared to Kong or even the GIGANTIC fantasy landscapes of the new Star Wars or Lord of the Rings, but that's pretty much what my mind sees when I read of it. So for me, it was like seeing what I had in my head all along. The extra bits that weren't in the book just made it more exciting, to top it off. The nice thing about a book is that it gives you enough stuff to draw you in and fill in the rest with your imagination. The best films do this, too. If there's too much crap on the screen you can't participate in the story. I was never distracted or confused by too many close-ups or chaotic movement, which was a weakness of some action scenes in Kong; it was simple, easy to follow, and beauftiful enough for me to be engaged and just enjoy it.

The real kicker for me was the little epilogue at the end, and the dialogue between the Professor and Lucy. The final image of the light peeking out and Aslan roaring made me literally weep for joy, and left me with the sense of awe I needed. If only the staging of this scene was better planned so more people could have seen it! By the time it came on screen, most of the audience had left. They should have had the Professor say, "Try me"....pause, fade to black, then fade in to that scene. THEN roll the credits. I've often joked about re-editing the original Star Wars trilogy to make the "Ken Edition" where I could have control over the changes I liked and didn't like. Perhaps I can do the same thing to the ending of this film.

Anyway, I thought the script was well-done, the characters developed well and the effects were fantastic, of course. Overall, flaws aside, it did what it should have. It re-affirmed my faith and belief in the great story behind all stories, and made me appreciate this world as a brief prelude to the magnificent world to come!

Another thing I want to point out is how much I appreciated the inclusion of opening up the film by setting it in the context of World War II, so that the history of this real war may be explained to children in a fantasy context they can relate to. The Pevensie children are sent away to the country to avoid the war, but instead they become engrossed in a war of their own. The real war taking place is theirs, too. I read an interview with Tilda Swinton and she remarked that she decided to play the White Witch as an Aryan Nazi. This puts the horror of the real war in perspective for the children and reminds us what we fought against when that happened. The Nazis were out to destroy the very race from which Jesus was a part of, thus it was another desperate attempt by the powers of darkness to destroy Christianity. Narnia reminds us that there is now, and has been in the past, a real war being fought, and that is worth remembering.

C.S. Lewis said that we, as fallen humans, need to be constantly reminded of what we believe. For that reason, I think he would have approved of this film, as a reminder, and a way to draw us back to his words, and hopefully the Word become flesh for us.

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King Kong

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It's late at night and I just got back from seeing King Kong in the theater and I am totally blitzed...still rather dizzy from the final scenes, a little queasy from too much popcorn, and emotionally drained from an amazing movie experience. So I will try to gather my thoughts, but this may seem a bit disconnected and stream-of-consciousness. Here we go...

Some things I noticed...the relationship that Anne had with Kong stemmed from the fact that her father had left her, which nobody else has mentioned. To me that was the main crux of the film, more than Stockholm syndrome it was more a case of her missing her father and performing partner...filling a void in her life. Perhaps this could have been emphasized more, but then maybe it would have made it too obvious. I thought there was an interesting juxtaposition between the characters mourning the loss of their companions and Denham mourning the loss of his film. What do we value more, people or things? There was so much emotion and beauty in this film...so sad. The ice dancing was incredible...reminded me of Edward Scissorhands. You really felt that Kong was the tragic hero of the picture....he was the one to root for. Yet even when Kong was destroying New York I had flashbacks to 9/11, and then you have images of planes...hmmm, what does it all mean? I've been thinking how after 9/11 we suddenly have all of these movies being remade like War of the Worlds and King Kong which are representations of the fear that gripped people in the dawn of World War II....the whole idea of invasion and fear. There was a TV special once which described the original story of Kong as a metaphor for the white man's fear of the black man which was brought over like a slave from the jungles. In the 1930s, this racist attitude was sadly very common. Today some people have similar fears about other dark races coming over to invade us. There's lots of stuff going on in this film, but as I said, perhaps I'm not in the best mental state right now to make it sound intelligent. I'm actually rather sad...it's been awhile since a movie had this much effect on me. All I can think of right now is I miss the people who are no longer around in my life. The world is dark and scary, full of greed and guns and savages. I wish I could dance on the ice with my grandfather, or my grandmother. I miss them so much. But that's the beauty, praise Jesus, someday I'll be able to do that. This is what films are supposed to do, what art is supposed to do...make us long for Heaven. Strange that a giant ape could make my face wet right now and make me long for home. But it can.

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Chicken Little

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by Ken & Janet Priebe

We've just come home from the theater pleasantly surprised by the newest Disney venture! Quite honestly, we weren't sure what to expect or think about this one. The opening to the film kind of symbolically summed up the thoughts that many in the animation field have been thinking: the narrator struggles for ways to open up the story, trying the classic 'Once upon a time' over pixie dust, the sunrise opening to The Lion King, and the familiar 'opening storybook', and subsequently rejects them all, finally deciding on 'it all started when things had taken a turn for the worse'.

In the usual fashion of their films reflecting what's going on in the studio at the time, this is very likely Disney's tongue-in-cheek response to the misguided decision by management to completely put an end to the 2D medium for their feature films. In a panic over losing their partnership with Pixar, the conclusion is that people don't want to see moving drawings anymore, they want everything CGI. This has been disturbing to many of the 2D purists out there, and no doubt to the animators themselves who are literally being told 'throw out your pencil and learn the computer or you're out of here.' So the buzz on Chicken Little has been a bitter pill for many to swallow. Many are hoping that all of their CG features will bomb, so that Disney will think, 'Hmm, I thought computers were supposed to make better films! Maybe we should go back to 2d....' Of course what nobody is realizing is that two little things called STORY and CHARACTERS are what make a film good, regardless of the tools used.

That being said, they did make a good choice for the director of their all new CG reign. Mark Dindal started at Disney as an effects animator, and in the mid-90s had a brief stint at Turner Features directing Cats Don't Dance, and afterwards Disney's Emperor's New Groove. Both of these films are fast, frantic, and very reminiscent of older films by Warner Brothers and MGM. In other words, classically 'cartoony.' Dindal's style has always been hard to take in a Disney feature, because it does fit in more with the Looney Tunes/Tex Avery mold. Such was the reaction of many to Groove; it's almost too fast and zany for Disney. Personally, I'm a big fan of what Dindal does, because it goes outside the norm and is also just fun to watch. The rubbery slapstick feel of these films has successfully been translated into the 3D medium for Chicken Little, so much so that many times we forgot it was computer animation.

There are common themes running through Dindal's films of outcasts yearning for acceptance, and communication. Cats Don't Dance is a delightful tribute to 1940s Hollywood musicals, about a renegade group of animals who want to be given equal treatment with humans in the movie business. Groove is a buddy picture about a peasant seeking fair treatment from a king, who in turn humbly learns a lesson in compassion & friendship. In Chicken Little, the central theme is that of the relationship between a father and son, how they are each dealing with the loss of a wife & mother, and their attempts to communicate with each other. Much like my previous analogy to the abyss scream scene from Garden State, all of these animated characters are just SCREAMING TO BE HEARD! Tying back to the animators at Disney, the cartoony feel behind the CGI represents their voice emphasizing their ability and refusal to succumb to any limitations that may be forced upon them. Like Chicken Little himself, they believe 'today is a new day' and they want to make sure they are allowed to shine. It really shows through the animation that they are wanting to make sure they can keep doing with the computer what they've always been doing with their pencils. So far, thanks to Dindal's vision, it's working much better than Dinosaur did, that's for certain.

How many of us REALLY listen to people when they try to communicate with us? How hard do we try to figure out what's going on inside people's hearts and minds? If we're to be honest, it's common for us to put blinders on to what people are trying to say and draw our own conclusions. Througout Chicken Little, dynamics between the characters present several situations where they attempt to get their points across to no avail. Chicken Little tries to warn the townspeople that 'the sky is falling', and the result is fear, rejection and ridicule. Such was the reaction of many to Jesus and his radical claims, for example when he is thrown out of the synagogue in Luke chapter 4.

'No prophet is accepted in his hometown.'
Luke 4:24

The town will not listen to Chicken Little, but neither will his father, Buck. An interesting scene in the principal's office shows how the principal's assumption is that Buck, who has a past reputation as the school baseball hero, simply got an untalented son who is nothing like him. Chicken Little's attempts to explain himself to Buck is shrugged off, simply by saying 'it doesn't matter.' Soon after we find out that Buck is simply a widower struggling with his own ability as a single parent, which is something he keeps to himself. Because he has a reputation to uphold, he responds more in public embarassment to Chicken Little's antics rather than deal with the issue at hand of connecting with his son better. (In Scripture we have another character named Peter, who is embarassed to admit he knows Jesus and denies him 3 times.)

In turn, Chicken Little also avoids the issue of opening up to his father despite the persistent magazine-column advice from his best friend Abby Mallard. So in this way, Buck's behavior is being emulated in his own son. They both display a refusal to listen which breaks down the communication between them. In the end, when disaster strikes, Abby's advice is finally taken. With Abby's character acting as the voice of reason trying to mend this broken bond between father and son, she becomes somewhat of a Christ figure in the story. This symbolism is further emphasized by the fact that in Isaiah chapter 53, we are reminded that Jesus might have been rather ugly in appearance, rather than the blue-eyed prince Hollywood often depicts him as. (This deceptive beauty is also parodied at the end of Chicken Little, where Abby is portrayed as an attractive sexpot, when in reality she is referred to as the 'Ugly Duckling')

Through empathizing with Chicken Little and his little band of outcasts, I couldn't help but think of the kind of ruffians Jesus chose to be his disciples. They would have been the 'un-popular' kids getting whacked with dodgeballs. Chicken Little reminded me of Zaccheus, who was too short to see over the crowd, so he had to climb a tree in order to get a glimpse of Jesus. It is this gesture of faith that is brought forth in the image of Chicken Little sitting on his rooftop, praying for just one chance at greatness, for he knows he cannot achieve it on his own.

One final inkling of Biblical imagery in Chicken Little was near the end of the film when the sky appears to split from end to end, resulting in a full scale invasion from the alien spacecraft. In Luke 17 Jesus figuratively describes the coming of God's kingdom as 'lightning which flashes and lights up the sky from one end to the other.' To those unprepared for the Second Coming of Christ, this event will seem very much like an invasion, but it is, in fact, the final act of a rescue mission. The whole point of this apocalyptic scene is simply to save a small alien 'child', who is as precious as a lost sheep, coin, or son (Luke 15). Indeed, Christ 'invaded' once already to save us, and when he invades again it will be to take us home for good.

So when the sky really DOES fall, will you listen?

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Wallace & Gromit and the Curse of the Were-Rabbit

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Tonight my wife Jay & I just got back from seeing the new ‘Wallace & Gromit’ film, and as I sit here typing, a big part of me feels like hopping back in the car and rushing back to watch it again. I was reminded why I love movies in the first place, and also why I love stop-motion animation. I think anyone who loves movies would feel the same way after seeing this one.

For one thing, it’s made for people who love movies, particularly those partial to monster movies and classic sci-fi/horror films. There are homages to Metropolis, King Kong, The Wolfman, American Werewolf in London, the Hammer horror genre, Beauty & the Beast, and touches of Rube Goldberg, Chaplin, and a unique brand of British humor that is purely Aardman, made famous by the genius of Wallace & Gromit’s creator Nick Park himself. The familiar elements are all there: the elderly fire-and-brimstone vicar, the forbidden romance, the villainous ‘Gaston’-type, carrying the damsel to the rooftop, the rooftop chase and the death/resurrection ending. It was all stuff we’ve seen before, but we were glad to see it. There was nothing forced or fake about it…it was pure cinema.

Animation is the purest cinema you can get, because animated characters are essentially symbolic. Jim Henson said this about his Muppet characters, who are close cousins to the frame-by-frame variety: “A puppet is a symbol of whatever you’re trying to portray, therefore an evil character can be truly evil; it can be evil incarnate. You’re not dealing with an ‘actor’ who you are ‘imagining’ in that role, so there’s a kind of purity to it.” The irony is that through these symbolic characters, who are about 18 inches high and made of clay, we see true reflections of ourselves.

The reflective theme in this film that resonated with me was in the townspeople and how protective they are of their prize vegetables. Their whole way of life is driven by the annual vegetable contest and their desire to win the top prize. Their obsession is such that they go to extreme measures to keep their vegetables safe, using fancy alarm systems and ridiculous technological gadgets to watch over them. Not even the vicar is immune to it. We all have ‘things’ in our lives like this…we store them under lock & key to keep them safe from any harm or interference, whether it be jewelry, cars, money, etc. We sometimes protect our material possessions and idolize them to the point where they are as precious to us as our own children. This is brilliantly parodied in the film, where vegetables are literally treated as such: the old woman running away with hers in a baby carriage, and Gromit lovingly caressing his prize watermelon. (I confess I’ve done this with my DVD & record collection.)

On a deeper level, we have more abstract things in our lives that we protect from being tampered with by the outside world. We are not only protective of our toys, but things like pride, addiction, jealousy, lust….our deepest secrets and nasty habits we just can’t seem to let go of….our “precious”…..our “ring” that we lovingly caress….our sin. The more we cling to it, the more it will consume us, as it does Gollum or Frodo. Indeed, we must kill this part of ourselves (as the animated vicar says, ‘the beast within!’) in order to overcome it. Only through a sacrifice can this part of ourselves be killed.

When Gromit sees that Wallace’s life is in danger, he cuts the ‘umbilical cord’ of his treasured watermelon and takes the risk of taking it out of its ‘womb’ into the dangerous world beyond. Through the climactic chase and daring rescue mission, the watermelon is sacrificed. Gromit has a brief moment of mourning for his prize, but moves on to save Wallace and doesn’t look back. Ultimately, the two friends end up saving each other and risking their lives in order to be reunited again. Our possessions are valuable and can bring us much comfort and joy in this life, but are nothing compared to the comfort and joy of relationships that are intended to last in this lifetime and the next.

As we were discussing these points during the end credits, Jay reminded me of a recent news event. A few days after the premiere of Curse of the Were-Rabbit, the Aardman studio archives burned to the ground. The entire history of the studio and its previous Oscar-winning short films and features is gone forever. At a time when the studio should have been celebrating the fact that their new film opened at No. 1 at the box office, they were faced with a terrible loss. However, Nick Park was quoted as saying, “Even though it is a precious and nostalgic collection and valuable to the company, in light of other tragedies, today isn’t a big deal.” The ‘other tragedy’ he was referring to was the earthquake in South Asia. In a classic case of life imitating art, he relayed the same sentiment that his film is all about.

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
-Matthew 6:19-21

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Corpse Bride

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The most mysterious and top secret project in the animation community has finally arrived after many years….so was it worth the wait? For fans of Tim Burton, most likely a resounding YES. For animation fans, especially the stop-motion lovers, assuredly a resounding YES. For everyone else? We’ll have to see. The box office is certainly promising. The audience for this film is a little bit ambiguous…it’s too grotesque for young children, a perfect date movie for teenagers, too strange for most average adults and ultimately made for animators.

For myself, both an animator and Tim Burton fan, I can say that I had a smile on my face the whole time, and can see myself watching it again, buying the DVD, the whole thing. The only reservation I would have is that it’s for the design, the animation, and especially a few specific sequences that this would be the case, but not necessarily because I found it moving or that I got very involved with the characters, because I felt their development was lacking. It’s absolutely stunning to watch…the character designs are phenomenal and hilarious, and the look of the film just oozes Burton out of its very sprockets. The jokes are actually funny….even the corny ones are clever. The scenes of the Corpse Bride rising from the grave, and the wonderful piano duet are, from a filmmaking perspective, moments that you remember as ‘classic’ sequences up there with the best of them. The masterful work raises the art form to a whole new level. But compared to Nightmare Before Christmas, the only other Burton feature project of its kind, I missed the brilliant and understandable lyrics, and the passion of Jack Skellington and Sally. Perhaps the technique got too overwhelming for the heart to completely shine through.

I suppose the most perplexing character was Victor, voiced by Johnny Depp. As brilliant as Victor was to watch, I almost missed watching Depp himself. It’s hard to empathize completely with a character who is so confused about what he wants out of life. This is probably why so many early-90s Disney films start with the main character crooning about how alone they are and how they want to be “out there” or “part of your world.” Why else would we bother going to the movies if we didn’t feel the same way? With Victor, he changes his mind so much you never really know where his heart is. First he’s afraid of marriage to his arranged spouse Victoria, then finds solace in music, then falls in love with Victoria, then continues to be afraid of marriage again, then is disgusted by the Corpse Bride, but becomes entranced with her once he finds out that Victoria is no longer available, so he marries her and right afterwards it becomes null and void, as does Victoria’s marriage to Lord Barkis. Sounds so typically HOLLYWOOD! In the wake of seeing this film, I heard that Renee Zellwegger and her husband of 5 months are calling it quits, and Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore are supposedly married, which we all know is nothing more than a publicity stunt. (Have you ever seen these two even LOOK at each other?) Even family-movie-man Eddie Murphy is getting divorced, which I found disappointing. Tim Burton himself is no stranger to the game of musical relationships (his first marriage ended in divorce, his sequential engagement was broken off, and he is newly married, strangely enough, to Helena Bonham Carter, voice of the Corpse Bride herself). Corpse Bride plays with our magical wish-fulfillment of being able to go back and forth in our decisions regarding our relationships, and even between life and death.

Perhaps there are more people who can relate with Victor after all. Behind the beauty of Corpse Bride is also a commentary about how confused the world is about marriage. Is it something that is expected of us, as it is expected of Victor and Victoria, as simply a business arrangement? Is it something we can willfully turn off and on like a light switch? Can we change the rules? Why not two women? Two men? A man and two women? The living and the dead? What has been largely forgotten is that marriage is not something we invented, but something God invented…it’s his idea. So is sex! So is the world. So are we. Unfortunately, we’ve screwed all of these things up. We’ve treated ourselves, the earth, marriage and sex as something we can re-define and twist around to our own liking, something we can treat like a casual toy. I wish I knew why most Hollywood marriages don’t last…it saddens me to no end. I can certainly sympathize; being married myself I know it’s not easy all the time. What I cannot understand is how people can treat it so casually. I could never imagine taking everything I have invested in my relationship with my wife, all the work that went into our wedding, the people who helped make it happen, in addition to the love we share, and just throwing it away. But on top of all this, the other reason we can’t imagine ending it is because we both see marriage as a sacred thing, a once-in-a-lifetime commitment to only be parted by death, and a responsibility to God, who is at the center of everything, and is the One ultimately betrayed if we ended it.

So if Corpse Bride serves as a metaphor for society’s confusion about marriage, going back and forth in our decisions and emotions, it seems a surreal paradox that it’s made through the medium of stop-motion animation. Having worked in the technique myself, I see it very much as a metaphor for life, and our relationship to our Creator.

In some instances, a stop-motion puppet is made of clay, just as we are.
Genesis 2:7…the LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground.

The puppet is placed onto a stage.
Genesis 2:15…The LORD God took the man and placed him in the Garden of Eden.

The animator moves the puppet, takes a frame of film, moves it again, takes another frame of film, and repeats the process 24 times per second to the end. When playing the film back, the puppet appears to have a life of its own, given by the mind and hand of the animator.
Genesis 2:7…and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.

An entire day of animating this way only results in a few seconds of screen time. So there exists a gap between our time in reality and the time of the reality we see on screen. In a matter of seconds, hours of decision-making and planning by the animator flash before our eyes. The animator does not exist in the same time dimension as the puppet, but exists outside of it, controlling it and causing it to exist in the first place.

Such is the case with God and our time, as C.S. Lewis explains in Mere Christianity: “If you picture Time as a straight line along which we have to travel, then you must picture God as the whole page on which the line is drawn. We come to parts of the line one by one: we have to leave A behind before we get to B, and cannot reach C until we leave B behind. God, from above or outside or all round, contains the whole line, and sees it all.”
In stop-motion animation, each 24th of a second of time moves from one to the next, A to B to C.

With other forms of animation, mainly 2D hand-drawn or 3D computer-generated, the main poses or stages of the intended action are typically drawn or positioned first, at times out of order. So in 2D animation, A and F could possibly be two main positions (key frames) of the action, and frames B,C,D and E can be drawn in later to complete the movement between them (in-betweens). With 3D animation, the computer can automatically create the in-between frames by simply moving the character from one selected key position to the next.

This is why I like to see stop-motion animation as a metaphor for life, in that it can only be executed straight ahead. You can’t create your key frames and then go back to fill in your in-betweens; you can only go from each sequential frame to the next, A,B, C, D and so on, and only at the end when you see the whole sequence play back do you know if you got it right or not. There is no turning back…it’s a one-time performance and what you see is what you get. Returning to the original subject of marriage, this is how God intends it as part of this one-shot deal called life. It’s a journey taken one frame at a time until death do us part.

—1. Overview (multimedia)
—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
—8. Production Notes (pdf)
—9. Spiritual Connections

March of the Penguins

In a year full of exciting movies filled with dazzling special effects, the trailer that has me most excited so far (besides Narnia) is for an upcoming documentary called March of the Penguins. It looks to be an amazing story with fantastic cinematography, and penguins are entertaining no matter how you present it.

So I'm looking forward to this film, but since it's not released yet, I can't say I can comment much about it yet. But a particular image in the trailer sparked my memory of an image that has burned into my brain as a societal scar for many months. I don't really remember the exact title, but I remember a reality show that was on probably a year ago, that featured a procession of brides marching up a snow-covered mountain to be picked up by the man who chose them to marry him....it was some version of The Bachelor or something. The Penguins film has a similar, but much more awe-inspiring shot, of thousands of penguins marching in single file, stretching for miles it seems, across the Antarctic wasteland, as Morgan Freeman narrates, "looking for a mate." Now why is it, that when we see penguins do this, it's beautiful, but when we see humans do it, it's desperate and sad? Have we sunk to the level of penguins? Or have penguins always been a step (no pun intended) ahead of us?

Penguins have it easy, as they are simply following the path of nature, and don't have to be swayed by the lie that low self-esteem can be cured by finding that perfect Prince Charming who will pick you off a mountain in his magic helicopter and you will live happily ever after. (And if he doesn't pick you up, you are left standing rejected and alone in the freezing cold in a wedding gown....such a sad image!) "Reality" shows of the Bachelor/Bachelorette type unfortunately perpuate this fairy tale nonsense that love is just a fuzzy feeling that will always be there once you find that 'perfect' person. That's all fine and good for the first little while, until the 'feeling' of 'being in love' goes away, and unless love becomes an 'action', which means loving another even when you don't feel like it, people will just move on to the next person they can 'fall in love' with, and so goes the endless cycle of broken families, divorce, mockery of the sacrament of marriage and pursuing after an ideal which does not exist. I could get on my soapbox at this point and say that 'all you need is Jesus,' but I won't, because it's not that simple, but I believe it's true. That's a reality show worth watching.

Perhaps we can learn something from penguins...

They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds!
-Luke 12:24

American Idol

Some people love it, some people hate it. And some people, like me, fit into the category of finding elements of it irritating but appreciating it nonetheless and standing on the edge of it being almost a guilty pleasure, but not in the same way I find stuff like Dirty Dancing. (i cant explain that one, either) Is American Idol, as some would say, a cleverly rigged marketing scheme that only seeks to manipulate the general public? Maybe it is, who knows? And ultimately, I don't care if it is, because I have a sneaking suspicion that of all the shows on television, this is one where God is truly at work, as I will soon explain.

First of all, my mixed feelings for the show ebb in tides throughout each season. My favorite part of the show, from a pure entertainment standpoint, is the first act: the auditions. The emotions that come out of watching this part of the show is a frustrating paradox between utter hilarity at the people you know are only wanting to get on TV for their 15 seconds, the awe of the actual talented ones, and the sadness & anger in watching the hopefuls who seem to genuinely think they can sing. Few phenomenons expose the psyche of American culture like the Idol auditions. What strikes me every season are the contestants who, after being rejected by the judges, react as if their lives are completely ruined as a result. They break down saying things like (paraphrasing) "I don't want to have to go back to my job....my life....I CAN'T go back to that! This was my ONLY CHANCE!!" As if living the life of a celebrity is going to make a life you already think is miserable any better???? More likely it would make it worse. This is a symptom of the media's myth that the rich and famous have wonderful lives, and that the 'American Dream' is all glam & glitter. Yeah right, and how many of them have stable marriages, no drug problems, and an inspiring sense of purpose? If these contestants already think they are living unsatisfying lives, how would being in the shoes of Britney Spears or Whitney Houston be any better? If you look at the previous lives of the Idol winners, or even most of the runners-up, they all have the attitude that if they don't make it on this show, they can go back to their lives and still find some happiness. They are not running away from their problems, they are simply trying something new, and that something finds them. So I find the audition process baffling as I try to fathom the sadness and complete hopelessness of much of America's youth, all the while juxtaposed with true humility and talent.

The second act of Idol, the group auditions in Hollywood, I have a hard time watching, mostly because of the complete sappiness of the irritating acts they are assigned to perform. Listening to these divas repeatedly screw up songs that are already stupid sets my teeth on edge. So lest I start to mention the usual songs by name, and therefore get them stuck in my head and yours, I shall move on to say that once the final contestants are selected, I have traditionally followed some seasons closer than others, not always sitting through entire episodes but maintaining an interest in the people, who's good, who's not so good, along with everyone else. I can only take so many cheesy hand gestures...especially during the American Juniors season...seriously kids, how many times do you really need to point at the camera? (The auditions for that show I refrain from elaborating on, because you don't even WANT to know how angry stage moms make me.) And I can honestly say that Simon Cowell is my hero...he tells it like it is.

So aside from the cheese, the scandals, the sadness, the supposed rigged demographics, the overblown American hooplah, and Ryan Seacrest, this is what I appreciate about the show: most of the winners (and close runner-ups) of the past few seasons, I believe, are having an extremely positive impact on the music world. In particular, Kelly Clarkson, Clay Aiken, Ruben Studdard, Fantasia Burrino and new winner Carrie Underwood have been very outspoken about their faith in God and Jesus, and reflect that in their lifestyles, even into their new careers. Myself having an autistic brother, I give special thanks to Clay Aiken and his devotion to using his fame to continue supporting children with special needs, as he did even before Idol. He has also written an auto-biography where he is extremely open about his love for Jesus. The show truly shows the 'American Dream' through taking us through the process of these small town kids to the superstars they become. We see them battle personal obstacles and show today's youth what is really possible, without compromising who they are and where they come from. Because we see them grow as artists throughout the show, they really establish themselves as role models for the fans who love them.

Compare the values, integrity and faith of the Idol winners with stars like Nelly, Britney or Christina Agiulera...we see the results of the irresponsible examples they set, like teen girls at the Mtv Awards stripping to that "Hot in Herrrrr" song, and pre-teens singing 'you gotta rub me the right way.' Adding insult to injury, along comes miss Britney with her own "reality show" where she acts like a 2-year-old, smokes like a chimney, brags about how much pre-marital sex she's having and then tries to figure out what "love" really is. But before I judge any further, let me say that I do feel sad for Britney, in that I believe she is reacting to the obviously painful divorce of her parents, the scrutiny of the media, and the result of a life ruled by a stage mom, focusing on performing rather than living. So perhaps she is simply a victim of the industry. Nevertheless, whether it's the influence of the record companies or her own insincerity, she is in the position of a role model, and should know better.

The winners from Idol may possibly fade into cult status over the years and be overshadowed by the sex that sells, and cynics may scoff at them for being squeaky clean and 'marketed' by the Idol machine, as it were. But the lashing they get is only par for the course of their Godly ideals that drive their careers. As Jesus reminds us, 'the world will hate you because of me.' To that I say, bring it on!

Sing praises to God, sing praises; sing praises to our King, sing praises.
-Psalm 47:6