| On this page I post your e-mail and my response. A running dialogue about spirituality and popular culture. | ||||
  PAGE 5 INDEX TO ALL COMMENTS AT BOTTOM OF PAGE (Home) (Contents) (What's new) (News) (Store) (Upcoming Movies) (Current Movies) (New On Video) (Videos) (Music) (Television) (Great Art) (Spiritual Insights) (Cartoons) (Humor) (New Birth) (Spiritual Direction) (Correspondence) (E-Mail) (Guest Book ) (About Us) (Links) (Technical and Legal) E-mail and Comments: |
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| IS SLING BLADE A GUY THING? July 31, 1999. Okay, so it's none of my business...just another web-surfing atheist, but this persistent fawning over "Sling Blade" is very curious to me. Maybe it's a guy thing?....As a woman I know I was totally creeped out by those opening scenes, when some rapist starts discussing his MO for the benefit of apprentice punks out there. Then it was downhill, just wondering -- okay the guy diced his mother, what does he do for an encore? (Oddly the father gets off with a mere talking to - though maybe being flayed for 2 hours by some mumbling, gulping Marjoe in long pants is punishment enough?). Seriously, though: are we supposed to learn to listen to our inner psychopath here? -- "Baptism=license to kill?" (Maybe the crusaders thought so). "Morons know best"? I guess I prefer soul-searching done by people who show some signs of having one, i.e. "Quiz Show", "Love and Death," -- or for more knuckle-dragging lunatics there's John Huston's fascinating, "Wise Blood." On the bright side I was pleased to see a plug here for "Night of the Hunter," which is an authentic nightmare, too often overlooked. P.S. Yes you are welcome to publish any of these comments. My web handle is "caitlin". |
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| WHAT DOES HOLLYWOOD JESUS MEAN? July 31, 1999. Dear David, a brief mail to thank you and all else involved for a beatiful page. I like it alot. There is very little else to say other than that. I do have one question about the title of your page. What exactly does "hollywood Jesus mean"? After looking at the page I am impressed and I assume that you are talking about the Biblical strands of truth found in movies that hollywood is putting out. That was the only question I had but it's no big deal. I will say a prayer for you and thank you for you hard work and dedication. in Christ, brad |
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| FEEL THE MOVIE -EVERYONE BLEEDS July 30, 1999. American History X left me speechless for quite some time, but it also kept me restless. I believe there is no one message that can be picked out from the movie as there are no two people who think alike. The movie does not try to feed us a "right answer" which is a fresh and mature dealing with such an issue such as racism. During the watching of the film I found myself Identifying with both sides, I wanted to see Derek get punished but I also sensed that he is not the only one guilty in the situation, also the film does'nt look for the guilty. This is not about which kind of 'skinhead' you are, this is about what kind of a human being you are. I also believe this movie should be learned and disscussed in every school in America and in the world. The letter R rating this movie has failed to make the difference between Education and Entertainment - the violence in this movie is not bad influence on children, it is a necesssary tool to show that every one bleeds. I hope everyone doesn't sleep well after watching this movie. I hope everyone who whatches the movie can also feel it. i hope one day hate will be a word in the dictionary. I hope. -Rafi |
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| OCTOBER
SKY IS INSPIRATIONAL July 28, 1999. HI, I reallllllllllllllllly love your October Sky Hollywood Jesus review! It is so great!!!!!! especially the pictures! Um, could you post a comment that I make on your page? "October Sky is such an inspirational movie. It gets people motivated to do what ever ambition they want to do. And October Sky teaches that. Watch it. You'll be glad that you did" Gurl4JakeG@aol.com -Amy |
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| I
WANNA BUY DA SWORD. July 30, 1999. Do you know where I can buy the sword off the movie Blade? If you do send me a E-mail to sreynolds3@hotmail.com. |
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| COMPARISONS
AND PAUL VEROEVEN July 30, 1999 hello, hi discovered your site while doing some late-night web surfing. i found the "comparisons" interesting between Superman and Jesus. having recently listened to Paul Verhoeven's commentary and viewed the film countless times, i saw the connection between Robo and Christ. it's amazing how one story can inspire dozens of films and series. isn't it odd, that once the sequels began for these two films, the qualiy went downhill (with the exception of Superman II- which is on par with the original in my view). i look forward to reading more of your page's content. i have no affiliation with any religious group or denomination, but i find the subject very interesting. especially when the art of filmmaking is involved. -jh |
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| BAD
WEED, PLAIN AND SIMPLE July 30, 1999. Hello: "There is no Ladder" In Jacob's Ladder. Many interesting ideas are posted here, but I want to correct one detail. There is no Ladder. Jacob’s battalion was not the subject of an experiment. Jacob is merely searching for a legitimate reason behind his death. His friend stabbed him, so there must be a good reason, right? That’s what Jacob is thinking on his deathbed. This is one of the things Jacob won’t let go of. In fact, this question dominates his “life” after he has left Vietnam. Observe the facial expressions of Jacob and his friend during that flashback when Jacob is stabbed. I see surprise and remorse. I do not see unbridled, drug-induced rage. Jacob’s death was a mistake. That’s for sure. But it was not due to the failure of a top-secret government experiment aimed at turning American soldiers into mindless killing machines. It was due to “bad weed.” Plain and simple. Obviously Jacob’s friend was high on something. Otherwise, he would have identified Jacob as a friendly and not killed him. His judgement was impaired by marijuana. This was even suggested by one of the Vets on the rooftop during Jacob’s “life.” Note that the Vet who suggested this wasn’t seeing demons. Subconsciously, Jacob knew the truth. After all, his mind suggested that the mistake could have been due to “bad weed.” And his mind showed that belief in this theory would make the demons go away. Yet, he ignored his own subconscious clues and continued to fabricate a deeper meaning behind his death. Also, Jacob’s incident was isolated. His whole battalion didn’t kill each other, like the chemist said. Two pieces of evidence support this conclusion. First, in one of Jacob’s last flashbacks, we see a group of American soldiers fighting. Supposedly they are on the Ladder, but they aren’t killing each other. They are all running and firing in the same direction at a common enemy. They look pretty cohesive to me. Second, a battalion is a lot of soldiers. In a single day, if the Army lost a whole battalion or even a considerable part of one, the hospital would be jam-packed with wounded. Instead, we see the hospital virtually empty, and the doctors strolling around with little to do. All evidence supports the conclusion that the Ladder is merely “bad weed,” and that this “brother against brother” incident was isolated to only Jacob and his friend. As an afterthought, do you read lips? I want to know what the soldier firing the 50-caliber machine-gun is yelling? He is yelling at something, probably his target. If we can find out what he is saying, perhaps it will tell us who he is firing at. -James Toy. |
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| SHOCKING July 29, 1999. Hi, I'm new to this site. I like it a lot. I am a movie lover and I've seen a lot of questionable movie previews but I can't remember being more shocked and saddened than I was when I saw the preview of American Pie. I'm now wondering why I was so affected, considering, in my unsaved youth "Fast Times at Ridgemount High" was one of my favorites. I'm impressed that you have given thought to your write up regarding this movie. The easy response for a Christian is a simple, knee jerk, tsk tsk. This culture is a tough place to live pure lives, and we should look at the facts and challenges before passing , what may still be, an accurate judgment. We must live pure lives by the grace of God, hate sin and never forget to love the sinner. God bless you and your efforts for His Kingdom, James MacNeil Executive Director - External Affairs Online Christian Network 1-800-663-7326 ext. 401 Visit http://www.onlinechristian.net today |
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| YOU
COULD END UP IN ANCIENT EGYPT. July 25, 1999. Yes, there's a christian level in 12 Monkeys but it is only the first level there's also a Hebrew and a greek and a Roman level but the best level of all it the egyptian level......the whole thing is an Osiris festival thats why he is sacrificed in the huge temple/airport at the end It's the first of the year and he is what makes the vegetation grow he brings the inundation...she is both hathor and Isis and Nut The father is Atum and Jefri is Khepri and also horus. You have to watch the film lots of times to find the clues he gives you By the way the whisper dude isnt calling him Bob, he's calling him Bab which means gate and also messenger. and in the dream the man isnt yelling Watch it! He's yelling Wadjet Wadjet is the eye of Re the sungod these are only a few of the hundreds of things that are under the surface I started out on the christian level too but after awhile realized it went further down than that...we are at the end of the world in 12 Monkeys but we are also at the beginning again thats why the animals are released the egyptian gods ere animal headed. email me if youre interested in more hieroglyphics help too. auntilynn@msn.com Lynn Gibson  My response: Wow! I sure missed a lot. I had no idea! Actually, I am more interested in your cyber name "Auntilynn" You sound like an interesting person to know. Tell me more about yourself. Warmly, David Bruce |
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| LAURA
REVIEWS INSPECTOR GADGET July 25, 1999. I think the Inspector Gadget movie did the cartoon justice...plus more! It was funny, heart-felt, fast paced, cohesive and witty! The chemistry between the entire cast was perfect. I found myself chuckling through the entire movie b/c of all the little jokes and sarcastic comments that speckled the script. Matthew Broderick was flawless! He really brought the bumbling, yet loveable Inspector Gadget character back to life...and added his own unique twist to the part. He added a more humanized and innocent aspect to the mechanized Gadget, which was easy to relate to and care about. He truly was Gadget. Rupert Everet's evil and convincing "Claw" villain added a sarcastic and evil wit to the movie, which helped keep the pace lively. The special effects and location choices in this film blew me away entirely! They added a reality to this fantasy film, which I did not think was attainable! The FX for the the helicopter/ falling scene were exhilarating! "Robo-Gadgets" capped teeth were hilarious and reminded me so much of what the "real" Inspector Gadget's cartoon teeth would look like in Real Life! Also, Robo-Gadget's violent rampage through the city, via superb FX, also struck me as hilarious. It was just so funny to see this loveable, cartoon figure, that we all know as a bumbling, adorable fool, terrorizing the city on giant telescopic legs, throwing flames and laughing menacingly at his destruction like a bad King Kong movie! Mr. Broderick did a fantastic job in creating the evil Robo-Gadget character. Those teeth, his whiny cartoon voice (much like Don Adam's original Inspector Gadget character voice), and his evil bulging eyes created the perfect monster! The editing and post production work was smooth and clean, letting the movie run its fast paced and heart-felt course. PS:I am that glad Mr. Don Adams contributed to this picture with his short, but amusing cameo. After all, he WAS the one that originally brought Inspector Gadget to life!  -Laura My response: I met Ralph Winter, the producer, last year at the City of Angeles Film Festival in Hollywood. He also did Mighty Joe Young. I have a lot of admiration for this man. I like his work. Besides all this, my kids really enjoyed Inspector Gadget. |
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| CAN'T
HARDLY WAIT July 24, 1999. i was wondering what u thought of Can't Hardley Wait. i saw it and it was so funny, like the most funny movie i had seen all year. but i do know that some parts were pretty bad. just wondering if u could post a review of it. ~Amy My response: I am so back logged. I doubt I will ever get to it. Sorry. |
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| BY
THE WAY ...FM July 24, 1999. David, I just hit your website. In a limited visit I found it to be very interesting. I didn't have much time to explore, but I wanted to let you know I heard about the site from WAY-FM in Nashville on Doug and Karla's show. Although I was skeptical at first, I decided to go in open minded. Keep your ministry strong my friend. I'll visit again soon. In Christ, Tim My response: Thanks Tim and I really enjoyed doing the Doug and Karla show. They was great. |
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| ANAKIN
THE CARPENTER. July 23, 1999. To add to the similarity, Anakin is the futuristic version of a carpenter... Can we expect to see him being tested as Jesus was by the Devil ? -Joshua |
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| July
25, 1999. Catching up with the backlog: MATRIX HELPS YOUTH UNDERSTAND GOD July 22, 1999. I have seen the Matrix 8 times. And I WILL own this movie when it becomes available for sale on video. Two teenagers in our youth ministry have been led to the Lord by this film, and it has given me an incredibly visual and logical way to explain the "matrix" of sin in our present world, and the "real world" of Jesus' love, grace, and mercy to many seeking and hungry students. While I realize that the taking of the Lord's name a few times, combined with some violence would cause many Christians to shy away from a film like this, I am amazed at how genius my God is that He used something right out of Hollywood to communicate His truth! Just like recent contemporary Christian artists that have "crossed over" musically in order to minister to the lost in their own backyard, sometimes it takes a few flaws in something great to make it available to the unsaved crowd. Christians do an awesome job at taking care of their own, but sometimes, unfortunately, we aren't so sharp on evangelism. It has been my experience that the number one reason for most unbelievers being unwilling to sell out to Jesus is due to the fact that they are "unaware" that there is more to life than what we as humans can make of it. They are afraid to sell out because they are afraid of trusting that their "world" is not necessarily the end of the rainbow, so to speak - that Jesus just might be an option after all. I'm happy that the makers of the Matrix, whether on purpose or by accident, have stumbled upon a truth that has been around for over 2000 years: a NEW  LIFE in Christ Jesus is possible for everyone who wants "to believe".So...jump off that building that you call "reality", and believe! The best is yet to come!! -Deane ogdenwsfc@earthlink.net My response: Good news there are two more Matrix movies in the works! |
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| July
25, 1999. Catching up with the backlog: JESUS IN POWDER July 23, 1999. About Powder. I found your comparisons of Jeremy and Jesus to be interesting, but I dont feel that they really hold water. I think if you try hard enough, you could find references to Christ in over 50% of the movies coming out of hollywood. I think Powder is a special movie, though not epic or overly though provoking. I do wish that I could meet someone like Jeremy. His unconditional love is sweet, though could be compared to a dogs love more than Christ's. Thanks for the colorful site.  -Jeff My response: Even movie critic Roger Ebert saw the similarity to the Jesus story in Powder. A dog's love you say? Hmmm, let me think... ah yes! Do you know what you get if you spell dog backwards? |
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| July
25, 1999. Catching up with the backlog: YEAH RIGHT! July 19, 1999. I think not, David Bruce. I think you are deluded. I think you are slightly eccentric. I think you are cuddly. Love, Marsha My response: I love you, too. Thanks. And yes I am slightly deluded and eccentric. How about you? Warmly David. |
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| July
25, 1999. Catching up with the backlog: THE DEVIL'S ADVOCATE, MILTON AND PACINO July 19, 1999. David, I have written to you before and have recently watched The Devil's Advocate. Oh boy do you have an eye for detail. I watched this twice and also on DVD all the way through hearing the Directors Commentary, but he only pointed out limited symbolism compared with your observation. He discussed morals and free will, but made a point of stating that he, as director is not particularly religious. The notes on the DVD version of the film discuss the Devil and all his different names, representing different sins. It goes to length in describing John Milton, as the Devil and found it fascinating how they chose to elaborate on his past within the church. John Milton is famous for 'Paradise Lost' and thereafter 'Paradise Re-Gained', but the filmmaker's chose to dwell on his lower profile activities in establishing divorce as 'acceptable due to incompatibility' and other roaming's he had both through parliament and the church. There seems to be much activity amongst those in the film and music industry, and it also appears that there are a few with philosophies that are being passed on to artists to represent to the audience. God is being mentioned much more, but salvation and Jesus remains in the subtle symbolism in the background, if illustrated at all. My main worry is for the majority that 'seem' to fail in seeing this symbolism to realize salvation and believe that; God is either 'too' hard please, the devil is 'too' difficult to resist or somewhere in between we can only 'do the best we can' by our own right and wrong turnings from free will (works if you like). Thank God His grace demonstrated in Jesus for those who believe in Him! However, in saying that God can do what He likes and my personal trust is that He can deal with that if it is His will. I enjoyed the explicit statements on truth's about man in the film and the way that Pacino delivered it, he is very talented, and his acting is a great gift. It was amazing how they captured the subtle twists in perspective to justify 'man' and his selfish desires and vanity, represented as being 'honest' to oneself! And then to blame God for making man this way played to the intellect and belief that 'we are gods' by having free will, 'why of course man will fall and yield to feed the desires that are part of the human make up, it's not his fault he's made that way'. However, wasn't this the reason the brightest angel was cast down from Heaven, he believed that he could now be his own boss and maybe better? In the end however, we get to see the 'truth', we are NOT God and can never know more than He that created us. Who are we to question God, does the pot question the potter scenario? The devil seems to have all the answers, but in the end he has deceived again and when free will goes against him, is shown as he truly is; vain, proud, angry, selfish and non-caring and this when bared to the human as it really looks is; 'ugly', frightening and deadly. A very challenging film. Kind regards, -Colin My response: Good to hear from you again Colin. I think of you often. I also think of this film a lot too. It was an incredible film with a very surprising and thought provoking ending. |
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| July
25, 1999. Catching up with the backlog: SEE IT WITH EYES WIDE SHUT. July 18, 1999. Hi David, One of the members of my congregation took me to see this film. I can without a doubt state that it was the worst movie I have ever seen. It was dark, depressing and evil. I don't know what would possess stars like Cruise and Kidman (money?) to waste their talent on such a project but I've lost all respect for both. If you haven't seen it, don't bother. I was impressed by the reaction of the crowd which I would assume were mostly non-practicing Christians, most of them thought it stunk also. Thanks for your great and informative website. The Matrix was the most fascinating movie I have seen lately. God's Blessings! -pastor chris, Beacon, NY My response: I am not in a rush to see it. Reviews have not been great. |
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| July
25, 1999. Catching up with the backlog: WILD WILD WEST July 18,1999. you know I saw Wild Wild West and I do beleive your right Im only eleven, an I think that your pint of view is very accurate. i like ths website a lot and I am going to bookmark it thank you. Hang in there God loves you! Big Fan, Ben. |
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| July
25, 1999. Catching up with the backlog: NEW AGE BUSH IN POE July 18, 1999. Did anyone else notice that the bush didn't burn, it glowed? I thought that was a little bit of creative fiddling that rather bothered me. It said in the bible that the bush BURNED. Not some sort of new agey glory thing. Other than that, I did enjoy the movie and, of course, thought the sea parting scene was spectacular. I also thought the hieroglyph/wall scene was incredible. -Angella cybergrl23@hotmail.com My response: Thanks cyber girl! I did not know new agers were into glowing bushes. |
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| July
25, 1999. Catching up with the backlog: CHANGED MIND ABOUT GENERAL'S DAUGHTER I think this site is great! I heard you talking about it on WAY FM 88.7 here in Nashville, TN. I have to admit I wanted to see The General's Daughter. I am a Christian no less! After reading your review I have definitely changed my mind. Praise God! Keep up the good work. Love in Christ, Jennifer. My response: Thanks for the kind words. |
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| July
25, 1999. Catching up with the backlog: YOUTH MINISTER WON'T SEE MOVIES, BUT LIKES HJ. Your parallels are unusual, but neat... never thought about them like that. as a youth minister, my wife and i appreciate this website, because we have a strong conviction about going to the movie house and watching movies... even getting them from the video store... now we will be able to keep up with what the kids are in my opinion unfortunately are watching. God bless you, and keep up the good work! 1 Cor. 15:58... josh & heather potts, florence, al. My response: Thank you, glad I can help you in this way. |
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| July
25, 1999. Catching up with the backlog: DOGMATIC ABOUT DOGMA July 16, 1999. Dear HJ, As both a Catholic and a Canadian, I am concerned that now that Disney has dumped the film DOGMA, Lions Gate Entertainment, a Canadian media company less than 2 years old is looking like the suitor who will distribute the film. Mr. Guistra, the CEO of the firm is very wary of the consequence, his former life was the head of a large Canadian Investment company Yorkton Securities. Disney learned through disasters such as Priest and Nothing Sacred, that in the end, the headaches outweigh the benefits. The Weinsteins will exploit Lions Gate naivete to their financial advantage. It will become the problem of Lion's gate and not Miramax or Disney. Lets not mention the fact that they are bleeding cash, $2 million dollars for the year. The Weinstein brothers are only concerned about the return on their 14 million dollars and they will always hide under the artistic freedom flag. The saddest part is that the Matt Damon shooting scene will be the spark of public outcry as opposed to the bigotry. I also feel that Disney must take some blame for initially funding the film. It should not have made it past the script stage. Such a slam against any other religious group wouldn't have passed the smell test. It proves the point that anti-Christian sentiment is an ingrained part of North American culture. It is the only acceptable form of public bias left. Please don't be blinded by the argument that Kevin Smith is a "devout Catholic". If he were, he would not have chosen this route to openly air his hostility towards the Church. There are public dialogues within which he could vent and receive genuine engaging discussion. He is attempting to ingratiate himself with the Hollywood crowd, who are so full of self loathing, that they strike out at anything that may stand for something moral. This will no doubt reflect poorly on Canada as importer and then act as world distributor of this garbage. Imagine the outcry if Canada was exporting its biohazardous garbage to the US unchecked. Take care, John Spence My response: I have not seen the film, but I am looking forward to it. I will not protest it. I want more religious discussions going on in public, even when I might disagree. Studios shy away from making films about Jesus for fear of protests from Christians, this is not good. I want to encourage religious film making. |
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| July
25, 1999. Catching up with the backlog: HOW ABOUT REVELATION ON FILM? July 14, 1999. Hi. Do u think there is any chance any of the big guys in movies will ever make a Box office movie about, say "REVELATIONS" I think it would be a major hit but cant be done by the likes of most bibical movies with ruff acting and "back then"" words and would need special effects. well saw ur work here and was wondering?? My response: I agree with you. There are lots of restraints on Christian film makers due to the character of their most viable market. Too bad. I wish they had more freedom and good budgets. There is some great talent out there. In terms of Hollywood, however, watch for "End of Days" coming out at the end of 1999. |
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| July
25, 1999. Catching up with the backlog: GENERAL'S DAUGHTER THOUGHT PROVOKING July 14, 1999. I recently saw and enjoyed THE GENERAL'S DAUGHTER very much. While the characters were somewhat wooden and the bad guys were two dimensional, I found it thought-provoking and interesting. I know little about how things are in the military so the process of the investigation was at times surprising to me, at other times infuriating. I really liked your review. I have seen many sites on the web and I tend to lump all the extremists together, whether they are rabid anti-Semitic, over the top Christian, or hard-core porn fans. I think your site is a refreshing breath of fresh air. A reasoned and reasonable site for people to share their views, no matter what the topic or what the opinion. This is what the net is all about. Good luck, and I will be back. I love the movies. -Marty |
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| July
25, 1999. Catching up with the backlog: RESPONDING TO MY COMMENT IN AMERICAN PIE July 14, 1999. I just today got your web site off of WAY FM here in Clarksville, Tennessee. I like your site, it will be very helpful because I have two young teenage sons. I think today we are in the midst of the "ME" generation and young people are thinking more of themselves. They want so called grown up things, but not the real grown things: bills, real jobs, family, ect. They are still depending on good ole Mom & Dad for financial support way into their late 20's. I will say this I married young at 17 & had a son, then at 19 had another son. I waited my whole life to be a wife and a mother. Getting married and having children was exactly what the Lord had intended for me. If I hadn't started my family then I would have never been able to have children. I would have like to had more children but that wasn't meant to be. My point is listen to the Lord and his plans for your life. He will led you down the road he has designed for you if you will just follow. Thanks & God's Blessings To You All, -Brie. |
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| July
25, 1999. Catching up with the backlog: ENJOYED THE CONNECTIONS IN THE MATRIX July 14, 1999. Hello David, I really enjoyed the Matrix as you may have guessed. Upon really listening to the dialogue intently it becomes obvious the movie is christian and very cleverly done, nearly everything the characters speak of had a literal meaning and a deeper spiritual meaning I thought. I would like to see that overlay of Neo on Morpheus again (you know just after he breaks free of the chains, just to convince myself it wasn't imagined) but I'll have to wait for video because I don't have a lot of money being a student (and also not working). Yeah, I first heard about links to Christianity in the movie from my youth minister at church before that I hadn't really noticed anything, as soon as he spoke of a few things (he told me about John the Baptist, the resurrection etc) I could see very clearly the real genius in the film - I had to see it again (a fourth time!). After that I came up with a few things which I jotted down (2 sides worth) but was surprised to find very little on the internet, few sites and most had just the obvious things. I would really like to know more about the Wachoski brothers or however you spell it. Christians? Btw, I like your site idea, (amazing how specialized the world is becoming), has pretty good traffic to it seems. Bit about me, I'm a student, only became a Christian early this year, so i'm interested in finding out things about the faith and also about other things in life, I reckon there's so much out there in the world and with the internet, knowledge has potential to boom along with technology - it's amazing I've read a bit about the bible codes and a bit about how they ain't true. What do you think? Also I like asking people how they have experienced god in their lives, how about you? Anyway, the normality of life beckons -Cya :) Toosh, Christchurch, New Zealand. My response: Congratulations on your new found faith! Also, I would love to see all the connections you made in the Matrix. Could you e-mail it? Bible codes? Interesting, but no truth to them, as far as I know. Read more about my faith in About Us. Thanks for asking. Warmly, David. |
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| July
25, 1999. Catching up with the backlog: CONCERNED ABOUT ZEN-BUDDHISM July 13, 1999. I am a "generation-x"-er and like many of us I am a big STAR WARS fan. As a Christian, I am often concerned about the obvious zen-buddhism promoted in the "force philosophy", though I do admire the devotion of the Jedi and their stance for justice and against evil. If more Christians were even half as devoted -- think what a difference we would see in this world [Matt 5:16]! Anyway, when I went to see EP1, I loved it. But not all of it. This thing about Anakin being virgin born is NOT cool. That aspect should only refer to the Lord Jesus Christ. His virgin birth is a sign of His sinlessness, not just a miracle. Anakin is not sinless, and I can prove it in 3 different movies! If Darth Sidious is his father, I can live with that. Though there is the question then of the interpretation of the Jedi prophecy as to the one who will bring balance to the force/universe/galaxy (I can't remember exactly how it goes -- only saw EP 1 once!). Well, that's my two sense worth. -Sheridan My response: Don't sweat it. George Lucas has a strong Lutheran background, loves eastern philosophy and is a great follower of Joseph Campbell! There are many layers of myths and religious thinking in the Star War epics, not just Zen. Star Wars is a celebration of all that is mystical and mythical. It's George Lucas' way of getting young people to think about God. I like what he is doing. It's working. |
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| July
25, 1999. Catching up with the backlog: AND GOD SAID HA TO LANDRY. July 13, 1999. I've read the book and listened to the CD, can't wait for the movie (God Said HA). About a year after I first read the book I lost my wife to the same type of cancer as Julia's brother. Re-reading it afterwards was a great comfort. -Landry "Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away." -- Philip K. Dick Landry Butler - Associate Web Developer HealthStream, The Leader in Online Healthcare Education Nashville, TN - (615) 301-3108 |
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| July
25, 1999. Catching up with the backlog: WHERE IS RUSH HOUR? June 25,1999. Hi! Excellent site! I was looking for a review of Rush Hour. I checked all over but couldn't find it. AM I blind? Is there a review forthcoming? Please let me know. Thanks heaps. Grace, Steve. My response: Sorry, no Rush Hour. I don't do 'em all. But it was a fun movie about clashing cultures. Lots of neat things in that film. It could be used to spark conversations about culture and ethnic differences and presumptions. Hmmm. Maybe I should do a review on this little gem. Warmly, David |
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| July
25, 1999. Catching up with the backlog: GARY WANTS TO KNOW On July 25, 1999 Gary wrote HJ: Could you tell me if the following dialogue is from "Life is Beautiful" "The master himself will tell you" "It's an apple...it's only an apple...a humble little apple...small and red...and bruised on one side. But at the same time it's the uddha and the single spirit. Things return to being things but the Illuminated sees at the same tme Oneness and Manness...sees appearance as well as substance." Thanks for your time! Gary(GRKBAK@AOL.COM) And on June 25, 1999, Gary wrote: Could you possibly identify either of these two movies? (1) What film, based upon actual events, begins in the Comoros Islands, East Africa in July 1983? (2) From what Italian surrealistic and "spiritual" film will you find this dialogue: "The master himself will tell you" "It's an apple...it's only an apple...a humble little apple...small and red...and bruised on one side. But at the same time it's the uddha and the single spirit. Things return to being things but the Illuminated sees at the same time Oneness and Manyness...sees appearance as well as substance." Thanks for your time, any help will be greatly appreciated! Gary(GRKBAK@AOL.COM) And on May 16, 1999, Gary wrote: Could you help with a trivia question? From what Italian surrealistic and "spiritual" film will you find this dialogue: "The master himself will tell you" "It's an apple...it's only an apple...a humble little apple...small and red...and bruised on one side. But at the same time it's the Buddha and the single spirit. Things return to being things but thi Illuminated sees at the same time Oneness and Manyness...sees appearance as well as substance." Thanks for your time, any help would be appreciated!!! Gary(GRKBAK@AOL.COM) My response: I don't know if you are evangelizing or sincerely looking for the quote. It's not in "Life is Beautiful." Nor in an other movie I can remember. I am fascinated by your persistence. Please tell me more about yourself and why this quote is important to you. You have my curiosity. This is important to you and I would like to know more. Warmly, David Bruce |
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| ISN'T
A CHRISTIAN BASED MOVIE INFO RESOURCE June 30, 1999. This movie (Blade) is loaded with profanity. This movie also contains nudity and extremely graphic violence. One scene depicts vampires dancing seductivly while blood sprays down on them via an overhead fire sprinkler system. No Christian should watch this movie it has no positive spiritual value. I especially warn parents do not let children see this movie. If this web site endorses this movie I cannot nor can you trust it as a Chistian based movie information resource. My response: Given your definition of 'Christian' how do you justify the fact that you watched the film. You actually paid money to see it. Words like 'paradoxical' and even 'hypocritical' come to my mind. Your religion seems to be morality (works) based, which is cool, but that is different from being Chirst centered. Morality does not equal Jesus. I am curious, what you do with all the extreme graphic violence (Judges 3:20-22 etc.), nudity (Jesus on cross), seductive dancing (Mat 14:6) and blood (Rev. 16:3) in the Bible? |
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| July
25, 1999. Catching up with the backlog: SHAG IS THE F WORD June 23, 1999. The only reason that the movie was rated PG13 was because they substituted the 'F' word with shag! The movie's TV advertisements had the only parts you could say in public without your mother washing your mouth out with soap! The language used could be described as rude and crude 'locker room' style. The movie had several scenes with sexual images disguised as food, fruit and a rocket. Although the movie had 'Laugh-In' style visual scenes and appealed to my late 60's high school memories I can not recommend this movie. There were a few 'clean' funny scenes. I was disappointed that the movie has appealed to kids under 13. Me thinks this was the true targeted age! -Gary in Ft. Meade, FL |
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| July
25, 1999. Catching up with the backlog: OTHER SITES LIKE HJ? June 22, 1999. I've been asked to write several articles on how I use film with youth for theological reflection, and spiritual direction. Found you in the search. Like your thinking and your style. Can you help me find other sites you would find helpful on these topics? God's Peace, my thanks, Robin My response: Most secular film critics shy away from spiritual connections. Sites like HJ are hard to find. Other Christian review sites tend to be moralistic and judgmental, and not very spiritual. Not a good reflection of Jesus, I don't think. I do have a few links to some other good sites on the links page. |
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| July
25, 1999. Catching up with the backlog: VIRGINAL CONCEPTION June 21, 1999. Mr. Bruce: I just saw "Phantom Menace" this past weekend. I'd like to hear your comments on the "virginal conception" of Anakin. Also, did his Mother strike you as modeled on Glenn Close's Iris in "The Natural" I thought so. Let me know. Thanks and best wishes. Mike. My response: The "virginal conception" makes Anakin a candidate for the "chosen one." I had not thought of "The Natural connection." Interesting. |
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| July
25, 1999. Catching up with the backlog: PARADIGM SHIFT My very good friend and profound spiritual thinker, Jane Strasma, sends this observation about Phantom Menace. She is the only one I know of that caught this paradigm shift from competition to co-operation. From Jane Strasma: Did anybody notice the mystery surrounding Anakin Skywalker and Jedi knights? The mystery surrounds the midi-chlorians. Tiny creatures who live in human cells to help them hear the voice of the Force. The relationship between human beings and the midi-chlorians is symbiotic. A symbiotic relationship is one where both life forms benefit from the presence of the other. Not a relationship where one life form struggles to survive at the expense of the other. In 1989, The Smithsonian Magazine published an article about Lynn Margulis, a controversial scientist and professor. She has formulated a theory about evolution and microorganisms that upsets main stream science. Basically, she has asked science to "change its religion" -- it's structure of beliefs. She theorizes that the wide diversity of life on earth is due not only to Darwin's survival of the fittest but to mutually beneficial relationships. Co-operation as well as competition. Now George Lucas has taken the Margulis' theory and turned it into a story for the next millenium. When someone changes the stories that structure how we view the world, we say they have shifted our paradigms. In the world of the sacred, the Bible also shows how changing the basis of relating to people can cause a major crisis. For example, think of the stories in the Hebrew Scriptures. In order for the twelve tribes of Israel to claim the Promised Land, they are instructed to kill everybody. They are to dominate. With the coming of Jesus, the way to relate to others changes. Jesus says, "You have heard that it was said, "you shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy." But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. (Matthew 5:43). If you want more of the new paradigm, the paradigm of co-operation, read the Beatitudes in Matthew 5:3-11. |
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| July
25, 1999. Catching up with the backlog: HOLLYWOOD JESUS COULD BE BETTER. June 11, 1999 I am a believer who also wants to look at the spiritual messages behind movies and other forms of pop culture. I was delighted to stumble upon your sight. You've done a terrific job of making it appealing; I'm convinced it stimulates thoughts about spirituality and God that many websurfers would have never considered without your provocative comments. From my look at your site, I assume that you are targeting twenty-somethings and younger, so this next comment may be off-target, coming as it does from a 44-year-old. But here's my reaction to hollywoodjesus.com. As much as I love your site, I wish you would go just a hair farther into what the filmmakers are really saying and what the Bible really intends to communicate. At times it seemed to me you stretch symbolism a little too far to force-fit a Christian tie-in onto movies that have no intent to evoke Christianity. For example, just because The Mummy mentions "Book of Life," that doesn't mean the filmmakers intended any tie-in with the Book of Life we think of from Revelation. An army of zombies does not necessarily tie in with Ezekiel's vision in the Valley of the Bones, and it seems misleading to allude to it with no mention of the Bible's real intent (to show that spiritually dead Israel could live again) or the filmmaker's intent (to scare the crap out of us while entertaining us). I guess I'm pleading for a greater show of respect for the intentions of the authors, both scriptural and Hollywood. I think it would give your site deeper credibility. I hope the previous paragraph reads as an encouragement to go deeper and not just a cranky criticism. I respect what you've done, love the joyous spirit that pervades the whole effort, and will be telling everyone I know to look here. It must take about a jillion hours a week to put it all together. Thanks for being yourself and following your calling into an area where others have not yet gone--or at least, have not gone there with as much verve and flair as you have. --Scott My response: Thanks for the good words, I appreciate them. The images from the Bible so permeate our culture that tie-ins are not always intentional. For example, The Valley of Bones is such a powerful image with the dead coming back to life that it has ingrained itself into our culture. The image rises beyond the source and takes on many unrelated incarnations. Beyond all this, the film process is multilayered. Beyond the intention of the writer, there is the intention of the director, the producer, the actors, and maybe even the editor. What I focus on is the impressions that hit me as a movie viewer and critic. I like to think of Hollywood Jesus as a discuss about a film over coffee among friends. Each person bring their own differing impressions. So, thank you for sharing your impressions and for drinking some coffee with us. Warmly David Bruce |
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| July
25, 1999. Catching up with the backlog: VIRGIN MARY IN FILM June 9, 1999. Mr. Bruce: I'm the fellow doing the thesis on Mary in Film who wrote you earlier. I haven't seen the new Star Wars yet (though I will soon). However, I see you have a reviews on your Hollywood Jesus site. I've been told that young Anakin (something of a gifted Redeemer/Messiah) figure is clearly born of a Virgin Mother with no Father (presumable an allusion to the origins of Jesus). Any comments? Let me know what you think. Thanks & best wishes. Mike My response: There is that connection, yes. But, there is a father! |
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| July
25, 1999. Catching up with the backlog: SCHOOL PROJECT ON BIBLE IN FILM May-17-99 Your site is so cool! It's about time we look for the good in movies as opposed to the bad. I love the way you set the whole thing up, it's convenient, easy, and fun!!! I'm doing a huge project in school dealing with the Bible, (How the Bible has influenced modern movies, art, and literature.) and your site helped out a lot. Don't worry- I cited you and your site as a source for my information, and I was sure to not plagiarize. I've looked for about 3 weeks for movies (the folks at A&E weren't too helpful, and Blockbuster had squat...) and couldn't find anything. Thanks, again...you helped a bunch! Kimberly |
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| OFFENSIVE
MOVIE TRAILERS July 19, 1999. Maybe I am missing something but if you are christian web site, why do you allow the movie trailers on such movies as orgazmo and jerry springer, and show these trashy movies, and it asks you if you want to buy it. What is this? -Charlie Charlie: Thanks for writing. Thanks for your caution. The film companies do their own trailers, of course. I link to them as a service. Better to decide not to see a movie on the basis of a free trailer, than to put down $7.50 and be surprised. It's my way of letting you and others know what a particular film contains. It would be silly to only post "family G rated" films. It is not the purpose of HJ to call attention only to "safe films." Warmly, David Bruce |
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| AFFECTED
STUDENTS IN UNEXPECTED WAYS July 9, 1999. I am a college English teacher and I have just shown American History X to three of my classes in one day. This makes the 6th time I have seen this movie in a matter of weeks, three times within one day. When I first saw the film, I was so disturbed that I could not sleep for several hours. The movie has haunted me all summer and I really showed it to my classes because I "needed" to talk about this film . . . I have a strong component in my composition course that deals with matters of race, hoping to raising the awareness in my primarily white students (I am also white). I showed this movie at the end of several weeks of dealing with essays and documentary films about race, racial stereotypes (the film is called "Ethnic Notions"), and so I felt I'd given the students a pretty good context in which to view the movie. But I was unprepared for the response of all three classes. Many of the students wept openly and after each screening, the students did not want to leave. They were so powerfully affected by the film, and most expressed that it was a film that "everyone should HAVE to see." I am still getting phone calls and e-mails from students thanking me for showing them this incredible, powerful film. Many students expressed a profound spiritual response to the film. One student said he was going to the video store to purchase the film and make everyone he knows watch it. This ALL exceeded my expectations, even my hopes, when I planned to show the film, but most of all, it has deepened my own appreciation of the film and my commitment to its message.–Peggy |
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| BOATS
AND JESUS IN FACE OFF July 5, 1999 Face Off is my favorite movie and this is an awesome site! You even caught a bit of symbolism I did not. Did you realize that Eve is caught between good and evil as in the Bible? And in the boat chase scene, "Good Castor" has the white boat(purity) and "Real Castor" has the red boat (sin)? Just wondering. Once again, great work here!! Brian J. White, bjw8329@ksu.edu PS Did you notice that the crucified Jesus in the chapel was looking up to Heaven after "all hell broke lose" as opposed to its previous position? -Brian My response: Thanks, I appreciate your remarks. And, no I didn't note the difference in the face of Jesus. |
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| NEVER
GIVE UP July 03, 1999. October Sky is a good movie about never giving up on what you set your mind to. The only reason I didn't rate this movie a Great movie is the unnecessary language that is used throughout the movie. |
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| TOO
VIOLENT July 3, 1999. I was disturbed by The Mummy. In the UK it has a 12 certificate but I gave up long ago trusting the film classification board. The violence is more often implied than explicit but even that would be very disturbing to anyone who was not already thoroughly desensitized by a regular diet of screen nastiness. The hanging scene was, I thought, particularly shocking. To call this 'comic-book' violence is ridiculous. One reviewer said the injection of humour made it less scary. I disagree. All this does is encourage the idea that violence is a big laugh. And to think he took his 9 year-old daughter, and intends to rent it our when it arrives on video!!! I despair of our standards when I read things like that. I would certainly not allow my children (13 and 11) to see this movie. Do we really want to be entertained by this sort of thing? Violence is a fact of life, and it should disturb and upset us; all movies like this do is make it easier for us to accept it when it happens in real life. I went to see this movie on the basis of the positive review this site gave it. To my mind this was not a responsible piece of reporting. Other reviewers called it 'fun'. I must be from a different planet... Will others please comment and tell me I'm not alone on this one... -Matthew My response: Gosh Matthew, I don't know what to say. It was comic-book violence to me. My kids and I had a great time. I will say this to you, I really appreciate the concern you have for your children. I wish every father felt as deeply as you do. |
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| REALLY
SAID SOMETHING July 3, 1999. Anonymous- I was pleasantly surprised by Holy Man. When I saw an Eddie Murphy movie rated PG, I was shocked. This was a movie that really said something to society but society balks at goodness and love to opt for violence, sex and vulgarity, and then they look our society and say I don't know why our kids are doing the things they are... THINK ABOUT IT!!! While parents are choosing to allow their kids to watch anything they choose, our future is being desensitized to violence, sex and vulgarity. Then a film like this comes along and gives a great message and it is so over their heads they see it as foolish (what does the Bible say?) People living in darkness cannot receive things of the light. This was a film I enjoyed with my children and we could actually discuss it afterwards (instead of discust). Parents, stand up and be parents and let your children know what good and right is all about. These children and young adults need more messages like this movie gave. It's a grave mistake to allow freedom to watch anything they want to avoid their tantrums. Mine know better and I refuse to allow society to raise my kids. They are a precious gift from GOD and we have to cultivate them as precious gems -our future depends on it! |
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| HOLY
SPIRIT IN STAR WARS? July 3, 1999. I thought the special effects in Phantom Menace were interesting but the plot was a bit reminiscent of the first movie. Yet, it kept my attention and the attention of my kids.I thought the part where they did the test on Anakin and found he had more of the force "molecules" than anyone else was interesting comparison with our being created in the image of God and having the Holy Spirit within us. (sound weird?) -Chris My response: Weird? No not at all. Bill Moyers asked this same question of George Lucas in the Time magazine interview. |
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| WHAT'S
SO WRONG WITH NAZISM? July 3, 1999. I LOVED AMERICAN HISTORY X. WHAT IS SO WRONG WITH WHITE PEOPLE BEING PROUD OF THEMSELVES THE WOMEN SAID IT MADE HER SICK WHEN THE SKINHEAD TOLD THE BLACK CRIP GANGSTER TO PUT HIS MOUTH ON THE CURB. WHY WOULD HAVE BEEN BETTER IF THE AFRICAN POSTED WITH THE GUN WOULD HAVE KILLED THE MAN WHO ONLY WANTED TO RECLAIM HIS RIGHT TO BE WHITE AND PROUD. WHAT'S SO WRONG WITH NAZISM? I KNOW MILLIONS OF JEWS WERE KILLED. BUT, AMERICANS KILLED MILLIONS OF INDIANS AND WE DON'T CONSIDER THE AMERICAN FLAG AN EVIL TABOO WHY IS THERE A DOUBLE STANDARD? -ARYAN  My response. You answered your own question! What is wrong with the Nazi slaughter of Jews is the same thing that is wrong with the historic killing of Indians. All murder is wrong. All ethnic hate is wrong. Americans stopped the killing of Indians on their own because they felt it was wrong, but it took WW2 to stop the Nazis from killing 6 million Jews, and 5 million others: Catholics, Christians, the mentally ill, homosexuals, political dissenters and so on. There is a difference. Love is the key to peace between humans and God is Love! Do you believe this?. Also, both the German and American flag still fly. It is the Nazi flag that taken down. |
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| SKINHEAD
GIRL RESPONDS July 2, 1999. I am a 18 year old Traditional Skinhead (not racist) girl. American History X should of explained the different types of skinheads, Nazi, Sharp, Traditional. This movie gives us skins a bad name and makes people believe all skins are pro racism. |
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| TARZAN
MAIL IS COMING IN
LIKES JANE TARZAN FUNDS PERVERTED THINGS FOUND THE SONG "SON OF MAN" OFFENSIVE TARZAN: DARWINIAN EVOLUTION THEORY PROPOGANDA THE MOST ADULT "CHILDREN'S FILM" TARZAN MOVES TOWARD INTEGRATION |
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