| BULLETIN BOARD
CHRISTIAN PROPAGANDA
Subject: Hard Rain and Deep Blue Sea
Date: Fri, 18 Aug 2000
From: Gavin McInnes
These movies are basically Christian propoganda. Hard Rain: Remember the broken glass in the church that sent Jesus' face hurtling towards the screen. Deep Blue: The scientist who tampers with God's work dies a martyr's death. IN the shape of Jesus on the cross no less!
DEEP BLUE PIT
Date: Mon, 24 Jul 2000
From: Tim
Dear David, While I appreciate some of your reviewing, it certainly seems that you're being selective in what you lift up from a movie as so that you can be affirming of it. For example, in your "Deep Blue" photos you highlight "A Time for Prayer" as an apparently affirmative part of the movie. Prior to seeing the movie I thought that this would be a great addition to what was probably some kind of tense situation - because people do this, right? What a disappointment to hear the Psalm 23 twisted at the end into "...because I'm the meanest #%& in the valley" or however he put it. My question is, why don't you give "a heads up" about things like that? I know that you are trying to be openminded about popular culture and are trying to emphasize the good points or the spiritual ones, but I would appreciate an approach that is more "yes, but..", as in "yes, there is some spirituality of some sort here, but its...(shallow or self-focused or twisted, for example).
I also saw "Mission Impossible - 2" after reading your review. I kept thinking, "Come on, David - Anthony Hopkins as a "Father God" sort of figure? Doves and cruciform shapes pointing to underlying spirituality? Tom Cruise and his female partner as an 'Eden-like' couple?" Wouldn't you say that there is much more isegesis going on in this reviewing than exegesis. Cruise and his partner ended up in bed with their main bonds being theft, a car chase, and good looks...and your commentary pretty much just brushed by the moral implications. I think one can offer commentary against this without being dubbed "moralistic". It is a case of being realistic. I'm eager to read one of your reviews where you simply blast a movie as being offensive, wrong-headed, or so shallow that its not worth the ticket price. Maybe I haven't read enough of them yet, but it seems that you reach pretty far to find the value and hold back your reach in addressing the immoral, offensive, and misdirected components.
Thanks for reading my input.
Tim
Response: It's all in the glasses you wear. You see offensive stuff. I see spiritual stuff. Blast a movie? I'll leave that to other Christian reviewers. I Suggest you go else where to find good parental guides. HJ is simply not.
SOME GOOD POINTS -REST HORRIBLE
Date: Mon, 12 Jun 2000
From: Twinky
I thought that Deep Blue Sea had its good points. I especially liked the nails-in-hands sacrifice image. The rest was horrible. Every shark attack was done in slow motion, and you get the feeling that they filmed one attack scene and added in the different people getting killed on computers. The characters were dull and one-dementional. I was more attached to the parrot than any of the people. Maybe that's all the better, though, since all the people die anyway. Whoever hasn't seen this movie, don't unless you need a late night movie to fall asleep by.
LIKED DEEP BLUE
Subject: hi
Date: Wed, 10 May 2000
From: MARC
DeepBlueSea, that was a great movie i just saw it for the first time yesterday. this is marc and don't post my e-mail address at all
DEEP BLUE SEA
Subject: my comment
Date: Tue, 16 Nov 1999
From: Meret
"Deep Blue Sea" is at first sight a very bloody and thrilling movie which will make you avoid any kind of water deeper than one foot for at least ten years. But at second sight this movie is surprisingly spiritual! Just look at the scene with the cook who overcomes the beast with a cross (you got to see it yourself!). In another scene a desperate prayer brings hope and makes the survivors pluck up courage. The picture that impressed me most was when Dr. McAlester jumps into the water in a pose like Jesus on the cross with her hands slashed to lure the shark and save her friends. For everybody whose nerves are not too weak this movie sure is worth a look.
My response: Oh my, you think like I do!
LL COOL J DOES PSALM
Date: Mon, 15 Nov 1999
From:Psalm
Dear sir, Is it true in the film Deep Blue Sea that preacher Dudley ( LL Cool J )
often pray from Psalms?
Thank you very much.
My response: Yes, it is true. |
This is a shark terror film with several spiritual elements in it. 
