Dear David
My name is Andrew Bulloch from Huntsville Ontario, Can and I have a few religious concerns about the movie "Face Off" I would like to share with you and hopefully you can help answer them.
1) Why is the movie called "Face Off"
2) What is the parody involving the Halleluyah Chorus
3) What is John Woo trying to communicate with the posture of Nicholus
Cages death.
These questions are torublesom to me and I would love to hear your input
My response: 1) It's clever. Each man had his face removed and faced each other. 2) Who knows. 3) Don't you mean John Travolta death? The answer is crucifixion.

I've just read all 7 segments of your commentary on American women. Thank you, it's a refreshing perspective. Having done some research on Victorian women and the gradual 'liberation' heralded by the Gibson Girl ideal, I enjoyed your insights. Your critique of official Feminism is more harsh than mine, but I wholly agree that women's lot may remain constricted as long as "She" (and the Images of Her) are so wrapped up in the imperatives of consumer/corporate culture.
Fine work...Tim Bird

I haven't read the book and I had never heard of this movie. But being a Bruce Willis fan, I will most probably go see this movie if he plays in it. It looks like a good movie to me, even though there is, AGAIN, a normal guy saving the world. But about that, I like it better when it is a normal human being that saves the world like in Armageddon or The Fifth element than when it is a super-hero like Batman or Superman. At least, we can identify to normal human beings.
Marjolaine

I am a big fan of Tolkien's trilogy The Lord of the Rings. I read it about 20 times. Unfortunately, I never read it in english but I will see to it. Anyways, I just can't wait for this movie to come out. You can be sure I will go see it once, if not more. See you next year when I will have seen the movie.
Marjolaine
tizzoune@hotmail.com

We have not been to an "R" rated movie in a very long time however in viewing the advertisements and seeing Tom Hanks in it we felt it would be a good movie.. How horribly wrong we were - with the course graphic humor I was so totally offended I almost left the theatre more than once. My husband enjoyed the story but felt it could have been portrayed without so much graphic violence. As for me I do not plan to ever see another R rated movie and I am dissappointed in Tom Hanks. I firmly believe our total culture and especially our youth are becoming numb to this sort of thing it isn't real...hence the school shootings. Hollywood must bear a good portion of this responsibility. Our youth are like the frog in the boiling water...... they are being acclimated to the "hot" water and don't even realize they will soon boil to death... how very sad I feel... please do not use my email address..Dorothy
My response: Dorothy, if this kind of film bothers you, then, yes, stay away from such films. Good decision. However, did we see the same film? Graphic Violence? The ONLY violence in the film is the electric chair. I fail to see where this leads to school shootings. Darabout was very restraint. Your argument sounds like the party line, I would encourage you to do some indepentant thinking. This film is about acts of loving kindness in the midst of death row.

Being a great Bruce Willis fan(not to much but just enough), I enjoyed watching this movie. I particularly liked the fact that Harry Stamper, the guy that saves the world, is a normal human being, even a little disfunctionate (at least with his daughter). It gives a little credibility to the movie. I also liked your review of the movie. I found your site while browsing through Armageddon sites. The Jesus in your title caught my attention since I'm a believer. Your reviews are, I think, down to earth and interesting. Thank you for offering a christian point of view about seculiar movies. It is not because a movie was made by a non-believer that it is not good. Most of all, we don't even know if the guy who made this movie is or isn't a believer. Thanxs.
Marjolaine
tizzoune@hotmail.com

DOGMA HITS THE MARK
Subject:Dogma
Date: Sat, 11 Dec 1999
From: BKilmer

Dogma tells again the miraculous story of God's love for Her creatures and His miraculous redemption of their sins. I feel sad for the Christians that have no sense of humor and who are so rigid that they cannot see the truth that shines from this movie. I was deeply moved when Bethany went struggling into the water of her baptism and when the light of God rose from the respirators to save humans. God is a loving, awesome Creator -- and this movie brings out that truth with poignancy.
Bruce Kilmer
Mt. Pleasant, MI
My response: So true, what you say about God!

INTRUIGED BY DOGMA
Subject: Dogma
Date: Sat, 11 Dec 1999
From: "Marjolaine Bourget"

I haven't seen the movie yet but I guess I will. After reading all these comments, I can just wonder what this movie is all about. I won't talk about the movie since I haven't seen it and I strongly think that everybody else should do the same thing. When you don't know what you're talking about, you just don't talk about it. I will be back after seeing the movie. Thanxs for this site David. It is refreshing to get a Christian point of view about movies. Keep the good work. Your site is in my favorites. Sorry everybody if there are any mistakes but I am a french-speaking Canadian.
Yours in Christ
Marjolaine
My response: Thanks for the kind words

LEFT FILM MORE IN LOVE WITH GOD.
Subject:Dogma
Date:11 Dec 99
From:Todd

First of all, thank you for your very honest review of Dogma. I too, as a Christian felt that is was a fabulous film and I left that movie more in love with God than when I had come into it. If that alone is the only thing to take from it, then it is well worth it. I must say this however, about some of the negative comments that have come out against the film. Now, I have no problem if people didn't like the movie, Kevin Smith films are clearly not for everyone, however, I am alarmed by the amount of self-righteousness that spewed forth from otherwise God-loving Christians. And this alarms me greatly. For instance, one reviewer went on and on about how this is a disrespect to God, and how this clearly does not line up with the Bible, etc. And then she passed judgment on you, very nice lady this person. I was also very alarmed at how she even gave God's opinion on this film. She said that God was repulsed by this film. Now who in the world does she think she is? Who in the world do the rest of us think we are? Do we honestly know God all that well? Does not even the Bible say that God while reachable and knowable to an extent, is ultimately beyond our grasping? And then she had the gall to say "I DO know the father," which implies she has a special connection that we do not have, and that she is an authority on what God likes and dislikes. A wonderful Pharisee this woman is. I do not pretend to know what God wants or likes because the truth of the matter is...I DON'T KNOW FOR SURE! I sensed in my spirit that God delighted in much of this film, and did not delight in other parts of it. I find that very similiar to how He (and She) deals with me. He delights in certain parts of my life, and He does not delight in other parts, it's as simple as that, but I don't have the gall to say what God likes, because I might be wrong. Another troubling thing I am seeing is how Christians as a whole use the Bible as a battering ram and a weapon to destroy people. We are so prideful about our religion (not our faith) that we use it to condemn and judge those around us. We think we know so much and we have it all figured out. The truth is: WE DON'T KNOW THAT MUCH! For years I used to cling tightly to all these different beliefs and rituals and junk that was taught to me by the church. If an unbeliever came up with logical reasons that destroyed a certain truth, I began to doubt my entire faith. But over the years, God has chipped away at my beliefs and has reduced me down to the one thing I cling to and will never let go of: JESUS. After Him EVERYTHING ELSE IS UP FOR DEBATE. And that is why I respect Kevin Smith's movie (first of I recognize it as satire, which means that not all the film is to be taken literally), and I will champion it as a positive view on Christ and God, which IS WHAT IS IMPORTANT. Christianity, the religion, is NOT IMPORTANT, Jesus is. Sure, I don't agree with everything in the film, but I can't think of one person on the EARTH that I agree with 100%. And the fact remains, I don't know that much. Maybe Kevin Smith is right on a bunch of things, and maybe we're all messed up, but you know what? I don't care. I love Jesus, Kevin Smith loves Jesus, and that is what counts, not whether or not he did this theologically correct or whether or not he portrayed this as accurate or what demons he is under the influence of, etc, what have you. We need to stop getting so complicated and keep it simple. Jesus kept it simple. One of the first things he did was knock down the Ten Commandments to two. I'm with my Lord on that. Keep it simple, 'cause we sure don't know as much as we think.

As a Christian, I was looking forward to the portrayal of Revelation in the movie End of Days. I am also a Schwarzenegger fan, so I was looking forward to getting a good action flick, too. It turned out to be a good action flick, but for the plot, I'm hard pressed to find another movie that twists the truth and blasphemes Christ more than this one. I mean, get real. This movie wasn't even close to being intended to portray scripture. First off, let's examine the crucial scripture involved with this movie, Revelation 20:7. "When the thousand years are over, Satan will be released from his prison..." BUT WAIT!!! The sentence doesn't end there! (verse 8) "...and will go out to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth-Gog and Magog-to gather them for battle." (emphasis mine). Hmmm. In this movie, Satan is as subtle as a Mack truck, and isn't doing any gathering. By the time the thousand years has occurred, the anti-christ has already come, like Scripture says (Rev. chapter 13), so this 'thousand years' and satans release is after all the events that supposedly happen in the movie. According to scripture, the thousand years has nothing to do with the coming of the Anti-Christ. It actually has to do with God letting satan out and allowing him to deceive the earth one more time before he gets slaughtered at Armageddon, but we'll touch on that later. Also, this garbage about '666' being '999' borders on calling God a liar, as well as being logically inaccurate. For one, if we can't take '666' as it is, how can we take anything in scripture as it is? In a dream or not, God had it put into the canon, and I think we'd do well to take God at His Word. Anywayz, it doesn't click with the description of it in scripture, as '666' is "...the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of his name..." (Rev. 13:17b) and is necessary to "...buy or sell..." (Rev. 13:17a). This means that '666' has to do with financial transactions, and it is the number of the fallen, the number of man (Rev. 13:18, as man is fallen without hope of redemption apart from Christ), the number of the beast. It has nothing to do with a year, or anything else, and it wouldn't make sense if it was. Besides, John says that this number "...calls for wisdom. If anyone has insight, let him calculate the number of the beast..." (Rev. 13:18a, emphasis mine.) So this means that he didn't just see the number '666', that it was some sort of logical mathematical derivative of the mark, possibly three columns with six numbers in each, that gives everyone a unique code, while still being '666'. Whatever it is, it definitely does not deal with a year on a calendar. Ok, now down to the heart of why this movie is screwed up. Acts 2:20-21 "The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord. And everyone who call on the name of the Lord shall be saved." (emphasis mine). As Christians, we know who wins in the end. God will let Satan loose in the end for a time to punk us all he wants, but in the end, if we call Christ Savior, WE WIN! Read the rest of the story after Revelation 20. Let's see, there's a giant battle called Armageddon, for which the devil was gathering forces in Rev. 20:8, and GOD WINS!!! Hmmm, then there's this whole judgment thing, and God takes those who accepted Christ to Heaven, and the disobedient burn in hell. Does this sound like the devil has much of a chance? The score is already known. The End of Days ends with God winning, no problem. Oh, and did you notice that no where does it say that God needs man to help Him win? In the movie, the fat priest says that 'God will not save us, it is up to us' and that if the Anti-Christ is born, 'our souls are lost'. Geez, so this means that unless we can stop satan from beating up God, our souls are lost? What kind of screwed up logic is this? For one, God does not need our help to keep His throne, and second, satan does not have the power to nullify our salvation. What is our faith if Christ doesn't reign supreme, and His Blood doesn't cover our sins? BTW, in the movie, they keep saying 'have faith' and 'we must keep faith'. FAITH IN WHAT?!! In the dumb blind impotent version of God they believe in? Faith is not valid unless the object of the faith is valid. And my faith is in my DAD, my eternal Father, who can whoop satan's butt without having to think about it (He created satan, making satan about as powerful against Him as we are), and Who loves me enough to die for me, and nothing can make my soul lost after He has saved me. 'Nuff said. I could go on forever about the end times and this movie, pointing out logical fallacies and the way God says things will go, but I don't have time. Suffice to say, this movie was awful, and gave Hollywood an excuse to blaspheme God (those lines that satan was saying to Jericho about the Bible, and how satan in Jericho at the end blasphemed the image of Christ in that Church, which in my opinion was an attack by the director on God). Those lines need not be uttered to make a point. That is just putting crap in the minds of the audience. After all, if you are saved by saying with your mouth 'Jesus is Lord', and if you believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you must be in trouble for saying blasphemies with your mouth, especially when the express purpose is not to give a Biblically accurate account of Revelation. BTW, the gratutious sex scenes were just plain stupid, and had no bearing on anything. Really, if the devil wanted to inpregnate a woman, do you think he'd give her dreams about who he is, and would he be a sex maniac? Get real, sexual temptation is used on humans by satan because it tweaks our biological nature to procreate. The devil does not have this 'temptation', and would only want sex to make the anti-christ. So he would deceive the woman and get his kid without her even knowing, as he is 'the deceiver'. Yeah anywayz, if you read all of this, hope you see where I'm coming from, God bless, and have a good one.
TJ

I really enjoy your site. I suppose I should explain that I'm not a Christian, although I was raised as a Roman Catholic. Anyway, even though I don't believe in the unarguable absolutes of revealed religion, I'm still very fascinated by the power that religion has over the lives of so many people in our world. In particular, I've long been interested in the fundamentalist and evangelical Christian subculture in the United States. It is therefore intriguing to find an explicitly evangelical "Christian" web site that is even-handed and fair in it's assessment of popular culture. Many of the Christian web sites I've seen take a very hostile and adversarial stance toward those aspects of our culture that do not necessarily derive from their narrow worldview. I'm also very impressed with your grasp of the ancient mythological themes that permeate our art and literature, and your ability to draw parallels with modern pop-culture imagery as found in movies and television shows. You even manage to draw spiritual meaning from those films that would seem on the surface to have very little to do with spiritual or religious themes. I guess it's not that surprising - humans have been telling stories about "the gods" and wrestling with spiritual ideas for as long as we've been human, maybe even longer. Why should the acquisition of film-making technology make things any different? Anyway, keep up the good work.
Jason Bowes
My response: Thanks for you kind words. I appreciate youi.

I refused to go see it at the theatre but I now regret. I have seen it 7 times so far at home and I plan on buying it. It is the best movie I have ever seen. The special effects are breathtaking and I liked their judicious use of scenes in slow motion. I rarely like movies as much as I liked this one. In fact, I have never liked a movie as much as this one. Upon seeeing the movie, I had seen a lot of biblical parallels but not as much as you. Thank you for that beautiful review. It helped me understand some of the christianity in it. I am 18 and I have been attending church since I am 3. Your site is the first time I hear of Christians trying to see the good in movies. Too often, christians reject movies, claiming they come from the Devil. Maybe it is true but I strongly believe that God is above all this and that he controls all thing. Most of all, he uses everything that Satan does for His GLORY. We see a lot of examples of this in the Bible and we see a lot of examples of this in the reviews you make of movies such as Dogma, The Sixth Sense, The Fifth Element, etc. I realized that more and more, people are searching for a purpose to their lives. They claim they don't believe in God but their life is a search for truth. They claim that God doesn't exist but they can't control their lives and they invent some gods to help them. Anyways, I'm out of the subject. I believe that movies can and will be used by God to bring people to him. I pray that a lot of people will come to know God better trhough such movies. Looking forward for other movies like that. Most of all, I look forward for Matrix 2 and 3.
God bless you
Marjolaine
tizzoune@hotmail.com

It is not my place to judge others, as so many who have left there thoughts here have done. Instead I try to spend that energy on being a relevant witness to the love and justice of God. I am a God-loving, God-fearing and God worshiping Christian. I have studied Biblical hermeneutics and Biblical Exegetics, including two minor college degrees (Theology and Biblical Studies) from a well-respected Evangelical University. I offer up this information for those brothers and sisters of Christ who throw out those phrases of judgment beginning with: "I can't believe they call themselves a Christian . . ." I have seen DOGMA, it struck me as I read through the comments on this page that so many people had not done so before they commented. BAFFLING!! Dogma may not have come in a pristine and precious package that makes it so easy to say its okay, but what it did do is it looked at humanity much the way God does: as his imperfect children whom he loves very much. I, too, can say that after the movie was over, at first, (loved it, by the way) thinking it was great except for all that cursing. Then I realized, that if it hadn't been for the realistic picture of humanity (the cursing could have symbolized any vice, as was more blatantly portrayed by a stripper, a sex-crazed prophet, etc.) then it would have been too easy to see why God may have chosen these individuals to lead His battle. In reality, God chooses people who are broken and imperfect, come to think of it, that is all he has to choose from. In addition, there were wonderful messages that very succintly represented solid hermeneutics. In trying to understand why so many Christians fear and hate popular representations of faith (and this was a movie that promoted faith) I can't wrap my mind around it without thinking that people fear and hate because of their ignorance. The most important accomplishment of this movie is its relevance. It used popular direction and popular actors to draw a crowd of people who would rather do just about anything than pick up a Bible. I am so blessed that I live in a society that doesn't always make it easy for me to live and breathe by faith. It makes my faith all the more precious, I have to work hard for it. Sure, if we ban every movie and every act that doesn't fit into our beliefs it will be much more simple to do the right thing, but what will it be worth then? God intended for us to struggle here, he also intended for us to reach out to those who don't know Him and you don't do it by ignorantly bashing movies that they like. This movie is a tool for dialogue about the most precious and relevant topic to humanity, USE IT, DON'T REJECT IT FOR FEAR AND IGNORANCE!! By the way, thanks for the great web site and for being a great example of a thoughtful Christian who is IN the WORLD not OF the world: A distinction that many believers haven't been able to make.
Barb
Responses can be mailed to Enfallible@aol.com

I, personally, am tremendously excited at the prospect of Tolkien's masterpiece finally making it to the big screen. I first read the books when I was nine years old, and since then (22 years) I have re-read it several times, wearing out a few copies of it. Tolkien was an incredibly gifted writer with an imagination to reckon with. He not only crafted a great story of epic proportions, but also an entire culture and mythology to support it. Reading "Lord of the Rings" is like reading a history book. Interestingly, Tolkien himself was a very Christian man who was a very close friend of C.S. Lewis. The two were known to have shared ideas with each other and critique each others' work frequently. A lot of the intense theological musing that Lewis put on paper is present in "Lord of the Rings" in more of a parable form. Like so many of the people in the Bible, it is Frodo Baggins who, like his uncle Bilbo, is the insignificant little person in the grand scheme of things who totally turns the world upside down. The forces of evil are marching forward against the complacency that has taken the place of vigilance in the "good guys." The amount of self-sacrifice and the reality of power's lure demonstrated in the story are excellent sources of discussion. Just the contrast between Frodo and Gollum with respect to the effect the Ring has on them tells whole volumes about how we respond to temptation and also how we relate to others. It should be interesting to see what other Christians think of the idea of "magic" being an integral part of the story. Tolkien used it merely as a plot device, but I wonder what will be read into that.
Don Dawson

Woody is given the choice of prominent display at a Japanese museum, or an obscure existence within a family where he may be ignored as Andy grows up. Hmmm.... kinda like the struggle between worldly prominence and the family. The film is a tremendous endorsement of giving up worldly recognition so that the family would remain intact. I'm not entirely certain if this is what John Lassetter intended (he has never said so in interviews). But the near-universal acclaim of this film, pointing to the poignancy of the story--both sides offer a good--show that the dramatic tension resonates deep within all of us, and I believe that this struggle between fame (with superficial worldly love) and obscurity (with deep-rooted family love) is the reason. At a time where many prominent religious celebrities are having shattered marriages, this resonates all the more.
Nick.

I saw the movie last night with a good friend (we are both Christians). We went to see a dark comedy with some depth. I felt we got what we came for but both felt the movie was tainted by the heavy homosexual overtones. I do not carry the normal party line when it comes to homosexuality in that I am not fearful or offended by it as many Christians are. I simply am not one and haven't been convinced that it is right. I have a childhood friend who turned homosexual. I love the guy as a friend but I still can't agree with the choices he has made. I also have a neighbor who turned homosexual after 1) a failed hetero marriage, 2) workplace rejection in an industry that employed 99% men, 3) volunteering as a counselor for abused women. This was hardly an "I was born that way" scenario. I can see D.B.'s (Dave Bruce) point about Lotte seeing a woman through the eyes of a man and therefore wanting to become one. But this may just be an incidental spin off from the original message. I believe it is simply Hollywood plugging their pro-homosexual agenda again. In marketing, we use a term called the "Drip". It simply means put your message in front of the buying side of the market enough times and they will become more comfortable with your product and will eventually be more likely to buy. Again, I am not spouting the anti-homosexual rhetoric here, I am just tired of the unrelenting promotion in the same way I am tired of McDonalds trying to sell my kids on the idea of dragging me into their restaurant to buy happy meals with the useless plastic toys. This aspect ruined for me what would have otherwise been an engaging movie.
My response: I can see this is a sensitive issue for you. I am sure you know that God loves gays as much as hetrosexuals. Remember to think on that next time and it might save the next film for you.

Another case of damned if you do and damned if you don't! The secular reviews uniformly pan this movie. Why? Is it because Satan is to close to home? Or that there are actual "followers" of Satan? Or maybe, for once the Pope - as a religious figure - is holy in his attitude of forgiveness and restraint, choosing to love rather than hate? Maybe it's because Arnold's character is rough and rude, but comes to a spiritual awakening, tossing aside his big gun (anathema for Arnold lovers) to instead choose the sword of God? Then we have the religious folks who hate the movie because it's not religious enough for them, not accurate enough, not sublime enough, not spiritual enough... So you have those who pull from the side of political correctness and those from the side of spiritual correctness. What do you have left? A more than serviceable movie that tries to depict the growing awareness on the part of an un-spiritual man of the spiritual forces at work in the world. Not a bad film really, nor a bad premise either! Like Dylan said "...you can't make all the people happy all the time...", at least I think he said that :)
Ken Shears
Derry NH

"God sets the lonely in families,.." Psalm 68:6
http://www.oe-pages.com/FAMILY/Moral/kenshears/

Hi there,
My thoughts on Lord of The Rings: I read Lord of the Rings and enjoyed it so much that I even went through all the trouble of reading the Silmarillion, which tells the creation myth of Middle earth. (A very cute one by the way, the world created by the songs of the "Arch angels". The Silmarillion gives some very interesting insights into the cultural surroundings in which LOTR takes place. The enimosity between elves and dwarves, the origin of the numenorians and the legends about which the characters in LOTR sing their songs. As far as I know Mr. Tolkien has a catholic background and was a friend of C.S. Lewis who wrote the Narnia cycle. (Read 'em, loved 'em) The difference is that Narnia is clearly a parable and LOTR is not. But then again, all great legends, myths and fairy tales are telling the story of the battle between Good and Evil. The Lord of the Rings is one thing only: A great work of art. I am not surprised that many christians see similarities, they may even have been placed there on purpose. Gandalf, the resurected master surrounded by a number of disciples makes a very clear similarity. The One Ring as a symbolic reference to the addictive and destructive effects of sin on humans. But I wouldn't go overboard by stating that it's a adaptation of the bible, neither is it, I believe, a book that promotes interest in magic, or whatever evil. A more disturbing element in the book is that Eru the One doesn't seem to bother with Middle Earth but leaves ruling and forming it to the Ainur. Anyhow, I loved the book, and I will definetely go see the movie, but if one happens to be the kind of christian that is offended by the use/depiction of magic in a movie, then simply don't go.
Hope you find it useful,
Frederik

I'd just like to add some comments onto your (very good) site! I thought The Messenger was a fantastic movie. I thought that some of the first half was cheesy and formulaic, whereas the second half was profound, and interesting. I know that it is unrealistic to expect Hollywood to depict any historical movie perfectly (I mean, look at Braveheart! What a travesty!), yet I was impressed at the historical accuracy of The Messenger. Okay, we know that Joan didn't get shot in the chest with an arrow and then fall off the scaling ladder (these two events both happened, but not simultaneously), but that's just sensationalisation, and that's what people go to movies to see. I can forgive that. Joan, by her contemporaries, was not perceived as miraculously coming back from the dead. In fact, little mention in the historical transcripts of her incident with the arrow, except that she had predicted being shot a day earlier. The scenes of the little girl frolicking happily through fields of different coloured flowers made me cringe. The rape scene designed to make the audience sorry for Joan was also uncalled for, and historically untrue, and I thought it was detrimental to the effect of the movie as a whole. I liked the way that many of Joan's words and phrases in the movie were almost straight out of the true Joan of Arc's mouth. "You have been with your counsel, and I have been with mine," etc.. I thought that was possibly the best part of the movie. The props and the acting were also terrific--Milla Jovovich was believable and inspiring. Although a few historical details were smudged somewhat, the majority remained intact, and very entertaining. Many of the props were cleverly placed throughout the film, such as the young Joan lying in a cross-shaped position, in a field, right next to the sword that has possibly been sent from God, which also has a cruciform shape. Or when Joan is in the Church, and she is framed by the door behind her, then the camera pans to the stained glass window in front of her, in parallel to her own backdrop... marvellous imagery, and full of underlying implications. The second half of the movie, to me, was all about perception and faith. I thought that, absolutely, the best part of the movie was the fact that it made your mind race, your thoughts fly past at a thousand miles an hour. Was Joan a nutcase? A schizophrenic? Was she actually an angel of God? I disagree with the person who wrote on this site that Joan was made out to be a crazy woman whose visions turned out to be hallucinations, and that it was shown that she was fighting out of anger. On the contrary: I thought that the movie brilliantly portrayed a devout, faithful human being, living her life, trying to make heads and tails of the visions she was having, suddenly discovering that PERHAPS what she had believed was not the truth; the movie emphasized that NOTHING is clear-cut, that everything is subject to perception, and that TRUTH is relative. It is assumed by some that the character played by Dustin Hoffman was her Conscience. I interpret this character as God. Whatever it is, the character quizzes Joan on TRUTH, and perception (Joan : "It was a sign!" Hoffman: "It was a sword in a field."). The movie beautifully raises such questions about our own perceptions of truth, and makes the audience THINK about the nature of truth, the nature of faith, and even, thanks to the Hoffman character, the nature of God. That is one of the strongest aspects of the movie : that it makes you think! Thinking is something that most people should do more often. I walked out of the theatre inspired by one young woman's ability to inspire, to lead, to conquer, and, despite NO EDUCATION, to be profound and intelligent. That in itself is the Miracle of Joan of Arc. Although, in the end of the movie, we wonder what her motivation was --was it hatred, or was she a messenger of God, or both? -- it does not change the TRUTH that Joan of Arc accomplished miracles through her own faith and strength. The movie is about Truth, the power of faith, and about self-fufilling prophecies. That is a heady subject for a historical movie to tackle, don't you think? Luc Besson has outdone himself on this one.
Jo McFetridge

POKEMON: AN OCCULT FOR CHILDREN
Subject: Pokemon movie
Date: Fri, 10 Dec 1999
From: "Holly"

Anything, especially a movie, that promotes the occult as this Pokemon phenomena clearly does (the cards have occult symbols on them) should not be used to teach "spiritual truth." The reason I say this is because there are so many risks involved in taking a child to a movie like this and then using it as a springboard into a spiritual conversation. I'm wondering why I would subject my child to the occultic influence in the first place? Did you know that when the Pokemon TV show first appeared on the screen in Japan that 600 Japanese children had to be taken to hospital and later, 100's more went, with seizures from " the lights" on the show. What's that? Reference: www.prophecytoday.com Thank you for reading this.
All God's richest blessings,
Holly
My response: I check out the prophecy today web site and was not impressed by the arguments against Pokemon!
My response: I am not convinced that Pokemon leds to satanism. The 600 kids that went to the hospital, went due to the way Pokemon was edited and projected. Not because of demonic activity. No kid since has gone to the hospital because of Pokemon.

TEACHER USES POKEMON
Subject: Pokemon. Glad to meet you!
Date:Thu, 9 Dec 1999
From: Seung-Hee.

I'm a student at Hansei university in Korea. My object is theology. I agree with your opinion about poketmonster. I'm teaching children in my church. I look at my student hold poketmonster doll. They didn't know what it is mean. So I want know more that Poketmonster mean in bible. Would you like send e-mail to me.
God bless you!

POKEMON ILLUSTRATES THE CONCEPT OF SPIRITUAL GIFTS
Subject: Pokemon
Date: Tue, 07 Dec 1999
From: "Matt"

As a youth pastor, I am always looking for ways to express the teaching of the Bible in ways which youth can relate to. Recently, at the General Assembly of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), I heard a sermon by a high school senior who used Pokemon to explain the concept of spiritual gifts. Each of the Pokemon have their strengths and weaknesses, as we do. God gives us gifts, but we need to let God develop those gifts in us. Pokemon need training, too. The training helps them accentuate their strengths and help them cope with their weaknesses. God's Spirit trains us to use our gifts and work through our weaknesses. We need to find, refine, and apply our gifts with God's help. While I may not be thrilled with all aspects of the Pokemon phenomenon, my junior high group had a good discussion one night about this and we made cards for ourselves. I believe in looking for any sources we can use to further our understanding of the gospel.
Matt

Let me start with a disclaimer. I'm not 'anti-movie' and I don't let the ratings dictate what I see. I appreciate the candid application of a Christian world view to real life stuff. However, this movie was largely about witchcraft and the occult. It was presented in a seductive manor. Granted, a lot if not most films are about people who don't act Christianly but this was blatantly Satanic. I had to leave about half way through. I don't have a problem with a lot of films that offend many of my Christian friends but when it comes to the Satanic I won't have my senses tickled or be entertained.
Sleepy Hollow - one to miss! (Deut.18:10)
-Sean Hembree

Here are a list of films that have influenced me in my life of my ambitions in life and my faith. There are many more then just these
13 its just when put on the spot there are always the ones you forget.
14. N/A - Maybe one day my own Christian film can go here.
13. October Sky - Dreams do come true, ecspcially when you have faith.
12. Ed Wood - Is life woth doing through what you love or to conform to society?
11. The Stand - Highly original mini-series that interstes everyone... the end of the world. This mini-series makes me look forward to the Left Behind series.
10. The Apostle - A huge influential movie on all Christians lives. I always saw it as
9. Back to the Future series - Along with Superman these movies help make me what I am today. ls something for you Sci-Fi lovers I always saw it as watching people on earth time travel through the eyes of God.
8.Gattaca - Great film on genetic manipulation and the human will of defeating the judgemental society. Wouldn't you rather have the it the Lord's wa over science?
7. Truman Show - Another movie of Love influencing Human Will to find the truth no matter how your brought up.
6. Contact - Proving that you do not always need proof in what you believe. Also that science is incredalby faulty in our society.
5. Anything Hitchcock - A man who loved playing with the three-dimensional characters and the ways they would act out in goodness and in sin.
4.Prince of Egypt - greatest animated film of all time... I'd love for Dreamworks to do the same type of thing with the story of Jesus.
3. The Game - I'm a big David Fincher fan... Fight club was good but The Game is still my personal favorite due to the relation of JOB.
2.Pleasantville - A film perfect in every way from story to cinematography not to mention the gorgeous score.
1. Superman 1+ 2 - These two movies (originally written as one) are the movies they have mad me what I am today. I grew up everyday watching these movies. It influenced me in my every day life gave me a role model and actually helped me in spirtiaul growth when I became older.

It was powerful if you overlooked the typical violence & sex. Evil was as it is - slick, convincing, good looking, appears good..........but man, look out if you cross it. It was God who won in the end. Man has a choice..........free will and all. I saw it as a powerful tool...............
Laurie

I found the movie to be very interesting and had mixed reactions to it. As far as Hollywood goes, the movie wasn't spectacular, due mainly to bad jokes and a goofy plot. But as a Christian, I thought the movie was an interesting probe into the spiritual mindset of our culture. Despite having overt Christian overtones, much of the theology/spirituality in the movie is worldly not biblical. Nevertheless, I think that Christians should not respond with angry protests about how blasphemous or vulgar or offensive the movie was. If that were the proper bibical response to everything that comes out of the world, then how will a world alienated from God ever hear His great news about Christ over the shouts of outraged Christians. Rather, I think Christians should see the movie (and other movies and media products of our culture) as an opportunity and an inlet for spiritual dialogue between themselves and the non-Christians around them much like Paul did in Athens (Acts 17).
Ben

Sunday night my boyfriend and I went to see the movie The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc. All my boyfriend wants to say is: "DUSTIN RULES!, he's not God he is Satan with Gods face. Can't you see this too is an illusion?" All I want to say is WOW, two thumbs up!

It was almost exactly 100 years before that Richard Wagner composed Parsifal. In 1882 Wagner completed the composition of the opera Parsifal and the first performance was at Bayreuth. Robert Gutman, a critic, remarked concerning this opera, "In Parsifal with the help of church bells, snippets of the mass and the vocabulary and paraphernalia of the Passion, he set forth a religion of racism under the cover of Christian legend. Parsifal is an enactment of the Aryans' fight, a struggle, and hope for redemption?the temple scenes are, in a sense, black masses perverting the symbols of the Eucharist and dedicating them to a sinister God". In Parsifal, Wagner attempts to promote an Aryan, Teutonic hero into the Son of God. A woman anoints the feet of the hero with rare perfume and dries them with her hair. In the third act the pure blood of the Aryan Jesus glows with desire to rejoin the blood in the sacred cup. Amfortas who had allowed his blood to mingle with that of the racially inferior Kundry is redeemed while Kundry is reduced to menial grovelling. A parody of the Last Supper is an initiation rite for German knights who make a blood oath to destroy their enemies. Their bread is for strength and power, the wine is to change blood to burning, and they are brothers to fight with holy courage. One author points out that the way to view Parsifal is merely as a sickly, homoerotic fantasy. It was advertised as pious Christian work but as the American critic Robert Gutman points out, Wagner detested Christianity which he saw as "Judiac error perpetuated". It can be more rightly categorized as a "brooding nightmare of Aryan anxiety" and a celebration of high-minded homosexuality. Gutman traces Parsifal's monastic homosexuality to "the not dissimilar fellowship of Ernst Rohm's troops". A study of the opera's libretto in relation to Wagner's writings makes it clear that the point was to Aryanize Christianity by divorcing it from its Jewish beginnings. In his essay 'Heroism and Christianity' written in 1881 as a polemical appendage to Parsifal he explains how the Aryans, the Teutonic leaders of mankind, sprang from the gods, only the lesser races being descended from the apes (a more direct statement than "nature"). Hitler was to carry Wagner's Aryanization of Jesus to the next step by delaring him to have been the son of a Greek soldier in the Roman army of occupation. In another essay 'Religion and Art' Wagner reiterates his doubts as to the Jewishness of Jesus and also takes God to task for being Jewish and anti-vegetarian. . Perhaps there will be some sort similarly malevolent outcome as a result of this movie.
Ken Greenwell

Dear David --
There's a movie playing here in New York that I thought might interest you, called "Genesis" and made in Mali. Since it's not a major release, it might not make it to where you are, but if you're interested, I did a review for my site, at:
http://www.offoffoff.com/film/dec99/genesis.html
Cheers --
Joshua

David:
I don't know whether or not you look at plays in addition to movies, but there is a play currently running at L.A.'s West Coast Ensemble that you might be interested in. "The Shroud" is inspired by the actual scientific investigation of The Shroud of Turin in 1978. It features actual images taken by Barrie Schwortz, the team's documenting photographer, and it centers around a clash between science and faith. The scientists are represented by Red Broida, an atheist who not only doesn't believe, but feels, by proving the Shroud a fake, he can undo religion as we know it. The faithful are represented by Laura Ovieda, a healer who is able to show there is more to faith, and healing, than meets the eye. The two clash over the Shroud until the actual investigation takes place, with surprising results. The L.A. Times called it "Thoughtful and Effective." Another paper, The American Eagle, called it "unique and stunning." Reservations can be made by contacting The West Coast Ensemble at 323-525-0022. The play runs Fridays and Saturdays at 8, Sundays at 3, until Dec. 19th. The theater is located at 522 N. LaBrea, between Melrose and Beverly. I'd be curious to know what you think. Thank you.
Cordially,
Michael Kassin

Dear David:
I thought the movie, "Mary, Mother of Jesus" was VERY good! I have read what others have written and they are much too critical. Mary, as a mother was important in the formative years of Jesus' life. She quoted scripture and taught him many lessons of life as only a human being can understand. In no way did the movie take away what our feelings towards Jesus should be. Watching the movie, we felt her sorrow and pain. I enjoyed the movie and feel some people take things much too seriously. I was disappointed at not knowing if Jesus had brothers, as I have heard. The acting was excellent and I look forward to seeing this movie again next year!
Sincerely,
Kari

OK- the great points about SLEEPY HOLLOW- it was funny & scary! Johnny Depp's alternating sissy & resolute Ichabod Crane was masterfully done- showing that a hero can be deeply flawed but still able to do what needs to be done. I enjoyed looking for the "Tim Burton trademark" imagery, including a hilarious & startling one borrowed from "Pee-Wee's Big Adventure" (SH's "Witch in the woods"/PW's "Large Marge"). It's always great to see Christopher Lee (but why such a small part?) Chris Walken has NO lines but was SO COOL as the Horseman. Christina Ricci was lovely (but so skinny! Too much so-hope she is not being unhealthy.) The little boy Ichabod was adorably odd looking (a Big-Eyed Waif painting come to life). A tightly woven story full of cool plot twists. In the best Tim Burton tradition of Dark Fairy Tales. NOW the BIG BUT...(and as PeeWee said "everyone I know has a 'big but'...") this was 1799 New England and the prisons had TORTURE CHAMBERS? and the authorities didn't trust Science & Deductive Reasoning? And when Ichabod was a child, his Wiccan mother was tortured & killed by his Puritan father (which would have been around 1769)? THIS WAS THE PERIOD OF THE FREAKING ENLIGHTENMENT!!! DUH!!!! Plus, every "Christian"- Ichabod's father and the minister (nicely played by Tim Burton veteran Jeffrey Jones) being the main ones, were either villanous or impotent. The Bible was symbolically denigrated. The one redeeming scene on this was how the Horseman could NOT invade the Church, being sacred ground, but even that was compromised as. Christina Ricci protected Ichabod from harm there via Witchcraft. All in all, I enjoyed it & can highly recommend it but there was this lingering annoyance over the religious prejudices.
Ted

Really. Need to address John Carpenter's VAMPIRES. With a sound track from Blues Brothers musicians, great acting from James Woods, and a theme -vampire-busters Vatican-style -- there's a lot to lend itself to witness . . . ??? thx -- in general, I love your site!
LOMc (Reverend)

I found "Sleepy Hollow" disturbing. Christianity was seen as oppressive, science was inadequate, and "white" magic was the apparent solution to the dilemma of the Headless Horseman. I was hoping that the characters would at least learn of the dangers of dabbling in the occult but, sadly, after the headless horseman returns to hell, Ichabod Crane opens his jacket and show Katrina that her book of spells has been next to his heart. Sad. And irresponsible.
Tom from Toronto, Canada

Hello,
Your site is extremely interesting. I think "Pulp Fiction" would be an excellent film to analyze in terms of its religious symbolism. Any plans to add it to your site?
Thank you,
Dan Marsh

WHAT?Brimstone cancelled? and I've just found out! The first season(which I thought was incredible) just finished in Ireland this summer and nobody mentioned anything about it's cancellation, I can't believe it. The last episode I saw showed Zeke's first contact with his wife since dying, don't tell me that's all I'm going to get, This is outragous! BARBRA .

I know this is digging back a way, but what about "Cool Hand Luke"? It full of Christ allegories. I'm surprised it has not been reviewed.
- Don Eldredge
Sherman, TX

Before I offer this brief, yet technical, detailed analysis of the movie The Omega Code, I will say that I have no beef with TBN, Christian Television or the idea of Christians being involved in the movie business... In fact, I think it's great that there are Christians who are willing to take some financial risks and bring Christ into an otherwise Christless industry. I just wish some Christians could actually make a good movie for once. :) I always think that if someone wants to complain about all the junk in Hollywood, then HEY do it better and give the world something to take notice of. So, let me sum up my most intimate and deep thoughts about this film... Hmmmm... Ah yes... SUCKS, LAME, BORING, A SLEEPER, WASTE OF MONEY!!!
Thank you! God bless!
Dave

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