The Problem with Christians

Last night I went to go see the movie “Gone Baby Gone.” For those of you thinking, “Souhail, what were you doing watching a movie with credits that belong to not one, but two separate Afflecks?” (In case you’re wondering what that means: The film was directed and co-written by Ben Affleck and Casey, his brother, stared in the leading role.) Skeptical of this seemingly nonsensical union, I must say, however, that I was impressed. It was a masterfully crafted film, and I think Ben has an incredible talent and vision behind the lens. The lesser known Casey definitely is the Affleck that belongs in front of it. More important than the technicalities, however, was the story. Crafted by Dennis Lehane (of Mystic River fame) it involves the bizarre case of the kidnapping of a child from a mother who is essentially a cokehead. What unfolds is twisty narrative that as, some film reviewers say, is “Morally Ambiguous.” The basic question the film asks is, “Who's morally superior: the people who do what they think is right for the wrong reasons or the people who do what they know is wrong for the right reasons?” It was a challenging film, and until now still has me thinking. During a test screening, Ben Affleck said about his film that he “wanted a character who makes a choice that will change the course of his life. And I didn't want to tip the scales with what I would have done or what I think of his choice. I wanted the audiences to ask themselves the big questions." The big questions raised include those about morality, relativity, religion, and even what defines humanity. One extremely poignant exchanges goes like this. In a blink of an eye, in a moment of righteous indignation, Detective 1 kills an extremely unsavory man—one who murdered and molested children.

Detective 1: Murder is a sin.
Detective 2: Depends on who it is.
Dectetive 1: It doesn’t work that way. It is what it is.

 But one of the most interesting parts of the story, possibly only to me, is that Ben added a couple extra lines to the original story, including Matthew 10:16 where Jesus says “I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be wise as snakes and as innocent as doves.” And within that verse lies everything that is wrong with Christianity today.

 For some reason, I think we’re reading it wrong. Notice that Jesus refers to Christians as sheep, and the rest of the world as wolves. The obvious meaning is that the world is looking to devour us. They’re searching for any seam or crack in Christianity and are ready to exploit it often and well. The funny part is, the biggest hole in Christianity is us—the Christians. We’ve switched around Matthew 10:16. We are shrewd as doves and gentle as serpents. There is a reason we don’t have snakes on a leash and consider them part of our family. They are dangerous creatures, and the cliché “mean as a snake” didn’t arise from their ability to be domesticated, gentle, creatures you could leave alone with your children. The insult “bird-brain” placed on people who have done something less that intelligent should give you an idea of the ability of a bird to think and reason.

But what we have done? We’ve exchanged our ability to think and reason with our ability to act without really thinking. And in acting out, we’ve become the laughing stock of modern media. We picket, protest, and complain about anything that is anti-Christian, anti-Church or anti-Bible. Jesus didn’t say “I am sending you out among people who love me.” He said “I am sending you out amongst vicious, relentless creatures who will want to destroy you.” Interestingly enough he didn’t say “Therefore, you must make a louder noise than them, and boycott their nonsense.” How is that being gentle or meek? He said be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. The greek word for “Wise” in Matthew 10:16 is phrŏnimōs, which means “thoughtful, sagacious, or discreet.” (Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance). Sagacious, according to dictionary.com means “having or showing acute mental discernment and keen practical sense.” Acute, according to the same, means “sharp, severe, great, or penetrating.”

Strangely enough, the thing we’ve developed most is our mouth, feet, and hands: Our actions, rather than our mind. Just look at the huge controversy surround the upcoming film, “The Golden Compass,” written by an intense athiest named Philip Pullman. Catholics and Christians have started a 2 month protest of the film. Apparently, he’s marketing atheism for children. I ask you, why is this so shocking? Atheism, pantheism, and other religions and philosophies have been targeting at children for years. Just look at Pocohontas. Not only that, but every movie, book, or song EVER made has been marketing something, or had some form of agenda. By only pinpointing Teletubbies, Golden Compass, and Harry Potter, we’re missing the fact that we need to think about everything, all the time. We go to the movies to turn our brains off and be entertained, and that is entirely unbiblical. The inspired word of God tells us to think critically at all times. 1 Corinthians 10:5 says “We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” 1 Peter 5:8 warns “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion.” In Colossians 2:8 Paul admonishes us to “See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.” Challenge everything.

The problem isn’t the picketing, it’s the fact that the wolves know more than us. Look at Richard Dawkins. Steven Hawking. Christopher Hitchens. These guys write the neo-bibles of our time. Look at the universities where postmodernism is preached and where they say truth does not exist. This is what our world calls brilliant. The reason they know more is because they’ve studied and prepared more. It’s because they’ve wanted to disprove Christianity more than we’ve wanted to prove it. God said in Hosea 4:6 that “My people are destroyed by lack of knowledge.” We serve a logical God, and there is a logical side to everything in the Bible. Our God is a God of structure, design, art, science, technology, and thought. We know that everything he made is good and perfect--including the inexplicable intricacies of the human body (that still cannot be replicated by man). We must be able to tangibly prove that side, as well as the credibility of the Bible itself. 2 Timothy 2:15 reminds us “Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”  The argument that God created the world because he said so isn’t enough to defeat Evolution. We need the real arguments, like the fact that Darwin didn’t know how "goo" developed photoreceptors and he had no idea how those morphed into the complexities of the human eye. Just like Jesus handled the skeptics with wisdom, grace, and thoughtfulness—we must do the same.

If you haven’t noticed, Atheists don’t rest. Postmodernists don’t rest. Naturalists, Communists, Buddhists, Darwinists, and humanists don’t rest. Neither do existentialists, nihilists, or hedonists. They constantly are creating new research projects, books, and films to promote their beliefs. We however, rest our brain and we boycott. Instead of creating mind-blowing movies, books, and research that point people to biblical knowledge or Christ, we become slack in our thought, and useless in our action.  John Stonestreet says that “Christians are known much more for what they stand against, rather than what they stand for.” Sure we have Tolkien and Lewis. But we’ve stopped; and the wolves just keep attacking. In this very section, at first I wrote asking where our answer to Harry Potter, Golden Compass, and excellent, thought provoking movies were. However, the more I thought, the more I wonder, why in world aren’t we setting trends? Why do we always have to disprove or catch-up? We could be creating Oscar worthy films and screenplays with good morals, and writing engrossing stories that captivate children and teach them how to live. We have the ultimate sources of truth, knowledge, and design in Christianity. But instead, we scribble a few words on a sign and march around, or create ham-fisted, low quality preachy movies that don’t provoke thought--- then we slap the gospel on at the end.

            If we continue to be spoon fed by Sunday school and sermons, without seeking to understand God and the world around us, we will continue to be ineffective and useless for God. Jesus asked us to be salt and light; not in the church, but in the world. In Matthew 5, He says “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.” If we would take time to think about everything, what we watch, what we learn, what we listen to, how we live—we would break the mold and make a difference. People would see a difference in us, and we would once again be useful witnesses. Peter reminds us to “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,” and unfortunately we (the Church of as a whole) have none of the above. Let’s stop being obnoxious and useless. Instead of hiding our children, let’s inform and educate them to discern falsehood. We have many arguments for what we believe available to us (www.summit.org, amongst other places), but we must use them. We must study and understand the philosophy and religions of the world, but we must take them to the Word of Truth and study that Book exponentially more. A wolf cannot be defeated by loud noise and big displays. However, with enough discretion thought, and cunning, a snake could easily do the job.
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Gone Baby Gone contains very strong language. After all, it takes place in Boston.

Honorable Mentions
Not quite up to par with the best films of the year, these movies are still interesting and/or amusing and deserve credit for one reason or another. Definitely worth your time and dead presidents, these Honorable Mentions are surefire crowd pleasers.

Akeelah and the Bee— A surprisingly entertaining and heartwarming movie, packed with thrilling/tense spelling bee scenes and quality performances.

Flushed Away- Digi-claymation from Aardaman Studios (Wallace and Gromit, Chicken Run) with a good dose of British humor and breakneck pacing.

Brick—Writer/Director Rian Johnson brings back film noir, and puts it in a high school. The results is a highly ambitious mystery, filled with delicious noir dialogue and great performances all around.

Snakes on a Plane—Though the title left nothing to the imagination, Snakes was full of surprises—a great sense of humor, lots of crazy attacks, and ample jump scenes. Snakes gets my vote as the most purely entertaining and fun film of the year.

Rocky Balboa—An unexpectedly good comeback story, and a exceptional comeback from Stallone-who wrote, directed, and starred in the title role. When the training finally started, complete with the Rocky Theme playing, my pulse quickened. Although a bit slow in the beginning, the final fight is dazzling, and the film as a whole has plenty of heart.

Blood Diamond—At least ten times better than I expected, Blood Diamond is an intense, action packed thriller and social commentary wrapped together in one neat package. Oscar Nominations are well earned for both DiCaprio and Hounsou, as their onscreen chemistry and characterizations are astonishing. An interesting blend of blood and sentiment that never ceases to entertain, Blood Diamond is a surprisingly good movie and even packs in a few genuinely touching moments into the magnificently-filmed action sequences.

Half Nelson—A Complex, Oscar nominated performance from Ryan Gosling and equally compelling acting from the young Shareeka Epps highlight this challenging, morally ambiguous film.

Descent—By far the scariest movie I’ve ever seen in theaters. Filled with unbearable tension, ample gore, and amazing direction and technique, Descent is a pulse pounding bloodbath that will please and surprise even the most enthusiastic horror fan.

District B13—A thoroughly amusing, hyper-kinetic action film filled with marvelous fight sequences, amazing sets, and some quality laughs. (In French with English Subtitles.)

Little Miss Sunshine—A extraordinary set of well-written character are brought to life by equally talented actors in this dramatic comedy. Often funny, sad, and even moving, Little Miss Sunshine is a great indie flick, though in my opinion, it lacks the gravitas to be a Best Picture nominee. (The academy thought otherwise.) The original screenplay and Abigail Breslin’s performance, however, are very worthy of their nominations.

Thank You for Smoking—A sharp, witty and amusing satire about a tobacco spin-doctor who can make smoking look saintly.

Dissapointments
When I say disappointing, I don’t necessarily mean terrible. Many of these films are well made; however, they lacked something in the story or execution that made them less-than-spectacular, or they just didn't meet expectation. But then again, some were just really, really awful.

 
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest-- I could go on and on about how terrible of a follow up this was to the rousing first installment, but this film has already sucked up two and half hours of my life I cannot replace; I’d hate to give it anymore time. Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl was an unexpectedly amazing movie full of incredible visuals. Even though Dead Man’s Chest surpasses it in eye candy department, it lacks the heart of the first. Instead of making me invest in the characters, they just kept adding new storylines that had no flow and never came to fruition. I didn’t care about what happened to anyone, and would have been more than satisfied if they all died. What good is action and peril by the gallon if you could care less about the outcome? Ironically, the crux of the movie is about the search for a heart; I just wish the screenwriters spent as much time looking for one as the characters did.

Bonus: A credible source explains why Pirates 2 was an utter letdown.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dq8jvU3MD0A

Inside Man-- Not a bad film necessarily, but disappointing nonetheless. This was the highest rated film of 2006 at the time, but failed to garner my admiration. The middle was way too long and without purpose, and I was annoyed at the “cop-out” of a villain they created-- and I’m not referring to Clive Owen; he was quite good.  My expectations were high for this film, and even a fantastic ending and an intriguing plot could make me forget the Inside Man’s glaring faults.

Cars--Pixar’s animation has never been better, but their story has never been worse. A lame re-tread of Doc Hollywood at best, it lacked the emotional resonance, imagination, and adult humor that Pixar’s amazing films, such as Toy Story 1 and 2 and Monster’s Inc.

Talladega Nights--After the amazingly funny Anchorman, I anticipated a similar comedy extravaganza from Talladega Nights. While there were some laughs here and there, I felt that stupidity and childishness was substituted for the zaniness and absurdity I loved Anchorman so much for.

X-Men: The Last Stand-- A friend of mine who recently viewed X3 asked me how I could not have liked it. I couldn’t remember, which should give you an idea just how forgettable this film is. X-Men and X2 were engrossing and well made, but this film pales in comparison, and lacks the soul that made the first two installments great.

Idiocracy--- When you see a film that was both written and directed by Mike Judge, who made the hilarious Office Space, on the shelf of your local Blockbuster you just rent it. No questions asked. To be honest, I had never considered asking for a refund on a rental until this movie; it was absolutely terrible, juvenile, and plain insulting to anyone’s intelligence.

Hostel---Touted falsely as the scariest movie in ages, it could have actually been the worst. A terribly base concoction of graphic, needless sex, and disgusting gore and violence, Hostel feels like it was written and directed by someone who dates the disabled and never calls them back, robs the homeless, burns hospitals, stabs the elderly, and then eats their aged lungs right in front of their wheelchair—all merely for kicks. Seriously, it is that perverse. I feel ashamed for sitting through this hoping it would get better, and I even feel bad for spending my buddy’s money on it. It is the vilest article ever committed to celluloid. Avoid this garbage at all costs.

World Trade Center--Director Oliver Stone takes a beautiful story of hope and essentially uses it as a urinal with this blatantly disrespectful and a sappy, melodramatic re-enactment. Too much violin music, too many big names, and excessive emotional manipulation make this one of most over bloated and contemptible pictures of the year.

Crank--“Jason Statham plays a hitman who’s been injected with a lethal poison and has a couple hours to seek revenge before he dies.” When I heard the description of the movie and watched the trailer, I nearly wet myself. It sounded like it would immediately skyrocket to my number 1 spot of all time, and would be the most amazingly badass movie ever. As much as I love Jason, this movie just plain sucked. I hated his character, and when he finally died in the end I was relieved. The crew pushed the story so far to the absurd it lacked any credibility whatsoever. When I think of the potential this movie had, I cry because in the hands of a better director/screenwriter (any ten year old would do) Crank could have been a landmark in action films.

The Queen--I have no idea why this was nominated for Best Picture. I felt like I was watching a PBS Special: the story was boring, the cinematography and lighting were amateur at a best, and Helen Mirren is not as great as everyone claims. The best thing about this was the guy who played Tony Blair. With movies like Little Children and Children of Men out, The Queen’s Best Picture nomination makes me think the academy passes the peace pipe, and makes me wonder where they got such quality product.

Hollywoodland--A bad movie at a free screening isn’t all that bad. But when you see a movie for free, and at the end feel as if you need to be compensated for your time wasted, you have a monumentally awful film on your hands. Great performances and a star-studded cast could not save Hollywoodland from a lack of story and complete absence of pacing.

The Completely Definitive Guide to Film: An Ultimately Exhaustive Resource on Motion Pictures and a Throughly Unabridged Encyclopedia of Cinema: 2006 Edition
 

Also known as “The List,” it contains everything you need to know about the movies of 2006, conveniently broken into three sections. The first being “Movies of the Year,” where you will find a collection of the best movies of 2006 listed in numerical order and complete with a review by yours truly. An honorable mention section that gives credit to some truly great films that didn’t quite make coveted Top 15, and finally, a section of disappointing films that were found to be lacking in one way or another. Your comments and disagreements on anything and everything, including your thoughts on the films, reviews, etc. will be greatly appreciated. (Please note, I consider you all mature adults. It is your responsibility to personally investigate the content of the films listed here, as I will not be held responsible for any content that may offend you. Some of the films were editing in part by my sister with the classic hand-over-his-eyes method.) And now, without further delay, I present to you the…

 Best Films of 2006

---Robert Zemeckis and Steven Spielberg producing an animated feature together? Sounds like a piece of cartoon nirvana. And it essentially was. Monster House was the first movie in a while to make me truly miss my childhood. The story centers around two lifelong pals and that one girl—you know, the one you had a crush on back when you were a kid-- and that eerie house with the old man, where strange things always seemed to happen. Seriously, I felt like I was watching my childhood—the only difference being the addition of the celebrity voices. The film was shot with human actors wearing motions capture suits. These suits recorded the movements (even facial) of each actor. Then using the motion capture as a skeleton for movements, each character was animated by digital artists. It’s a fascinating look, albeit, not as fine-tuned as Pixar, but it definitely gives the film an interesting feel. Even though some people found the film’s resolution a tad too absurd, I couldn’t help but grin nearly the entire movie. With a surprisingly good story, a fantastic sense of humor, and generous helping of nostalgia, Monster House is genuinely creepy flick that’s definitely worth your time.

14. Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan

---Quite possibly the most absurd, over the top comedy ever created, Borat is one of the few films that had me laughing so hard tears began to flow. Sascha Baron Cohen created his insensitive, racist, misogynist, and strangely lovable reporter from Kazakhstan named “Borat” in his variety comedy, Da Ali G Show. While he only appeared in little skits in the aforementioned show, here he gets 84 minutes straight. With America as his playground and most of the people in the film unsuspecting (they had no idea they were going to be in a feature American film), Borat brings out the worst prejudices and funniest possible circumstances from the unaware American people. Not for the faint of heart or easily offended, Borat is absurdity topped with slice of ridiculous and dash of rudeness, but it will make you laugh. A lot.

13. Tsotsi

---I had to rent it, but was determined to dislike it nonetheless. Why? It took the little golden man for Best Foreign Film in 2005 (Tsotsi was released to the public in 2006) from one of my all time favorites, Kung Fu Hustle. Yet no matter how much I wanted to hate it, I could not help being swept up in the story. The films follows a young “tsotsi” (roughly translates to thug) that makes a serious oversight while stealing a car. Only after he drives away does he realize that he has taken much more than an automobile. It’s a fascinating twist, and riveting to watch the hoodlum walk the path of redemption right before our eyes.

12. For Your Consideration

---Christoper Guest’s fourth writing/directing collaboration with Eugene Levy is one of the funniest movies of 2006. Using many of the talented improv artists from his previous ventures and a couple of very talented newcomers (Ricky Gervais from BBC’s Office), Guest once again creates a hilarious comedy with a golden heart. This time the story involves a small indie film called “Home for Purim” which generates some Oscar buzz as award season rolls around. The “movie about a movie” format allows Guest to gently skewer his subject, just like he did with Waiting for Guffman and Best In SHow. Catherine O’Hara gives the best performances of her career, and Fred Willard and Jane Lynch embody the crazy anchors from “Entertainment Tonight” so perfectly I nearly died from laughter-- and so will you.

11. Letters from Iwo Jima

---A film entirely in Japanese nominated for Best Picture? What in the blue blazes is the Academy thinking? Director Clint Eastwood’s second take on Iwo Jima turns out to be the most beautifully simple film of the year. His first film, Flags of our Fathers, centered on the American men who raised the flag in that iconic photo. Letters, however, focuses on the Japanese and their sentiments before and during America’s massive attack. While most directors would have simply made an “anti-war” film where Americans are displayed as heartless brutes, Eastwood elevates his film to another level. He infuses the story with such a hefty dose of humanity it’s impossible not to be moved. He shows the good, the bad, and the ugly; the necessity of war and the excess of it—but most importantly he displays everyone as humans, with complex, conflicting emotions. Some question their loyalty to their country while others blindly follow. Some kill the captured while others treat them like royalty. Eastwood’s Oscar-nominated direction is unwavering; a tad slow and never calling attention to itself, but entirely engrossing. His signature use of lighting features countless shadows and lots of contrast, and the sepia-tone of the film gives it a slightly aged look. The performances are superb across the board, especially Ken Watanabe as the calculated, caring general who once lived in America. Letters is a fascinating film, both uplifting and devastating, and it’s pulled off with the utmost reverence and simplicity by a master.

10. Fearless

---Touted as Jet Li’s final martial arts epic, Fearless not only proved to be a phenomenal beat-him-up-stylistically flick, but a fascinating story of a man’s moral journey to find humility. I cannot say enough about the fight sequences and choreography by the ever-amazing Yuen Wo Ping; they are brutally real and artistically surreal without ever crossing over into outlandish. Jet Li also turns in a memorable performance, and the story is actually true. With all this on its side, Fearless is rewarding dip into the foreign film stream for newcomers and essential for anyone who enjoys quality martial arts.

9. Apocalypto

---Mel Gibson’s brutal, unrelenting thriller is quite possibly the most technically astute film of 2006. The makeup, costumes, and sets transport the filmgoer to a new (albeit lost) culture and land. Dean Semler’s frenetic, beautiful cinematography races the viewer through the jungle with style, and Mel’s direction is fantastic. Gibson once again chose to use a completely dead language, Yucatek Maya, to add yet another dimension of believability to his film. Jaguar Paw (Rudy Youngblood) and his family live amongst  apeaceful tribe. Out of nowhere, another not so peaceful tribe attacks their village and takes everyone captive—except Jaguar Paw’s pregnant wife and child, who were lowered into a deep ditch during the battle. Jaguar Paw, now in captivity, must escape in order to save his family. The story of survival, which is a essentially a chase movie on old school Mayan crack, is enthralling and will make you wince, squirm and lean in with anticipation. Before you know it, two hours and twenty minutes pass, and you can once again breathe.

8. Superman Returns

--- Bryan Singer, the director behind the amazing comic book films X-Men and X2: X-Men United, brings the magic and gives life to the nearly dead Superman series—and I had the privilege of seeing it in IMAX 3D. The story picks up right after Christopher Reeves’ Superman II, as the Man of Steel returns to earth after a five year quest to find his home planet. But earth is not how he left it; Lex Luthor is back, and the love of his life, Lois Lane, is now engaged and has a son. Brandon Routh plays Clark so well he almost equals Reeves’ iconic performance. The rest of the cast is surprisingly good, too. Kate Bosworth’s Lois Lane is unexpectedly decent, Parkey Posey’s Kitty steals nearly every scene she’s in, and Kevin Spacey plays Lex as only he could. Many people complained there wasn’t enough action or violence, but I found that claim ridiculous. The special effects are jaw-dropping and the emotion Singer brings to story adds a dimension usually overlooked in comic book movies. The scene where Superman takes Lois for a flight is my pick for the most magical scene of the year. It takes quite a director to pay his respects to the classics (there are plenty of Superman I/ II references) and recreate something fresh, but Singer does it effortlessly.

7. Casino Royale

---While the rest of the world was unhappy with a “blond bond” and doubting his ability to replace Pierce Brosnan, I knew Daniel Craig would be more than adequate; I just had no idea he would be amazing. With GoldenEye director Martin Campbell back at in the chair, Casino Royale single-handedly re-invents James Bond as we know him. This isn’t the metrosexual, smooth talking Bond we’re used to; this is the agent who isn’t quite as polished, but is ten times the bad ass (and for all those worried—yes, he’s still a pimp). Much darker, both in humor and story, than any of the other Bond flicks, Royale is a delightful change from the cartoonishness of the last few 007 films. From the opening credits (which were the best of 2006) to last scene, Casino Royale did not once fail to amuse. This is 007’s Batman Begins; a brand spanking new vision and much needed innovation of a tired franchise.

(The Top Six of 2006 will be posted on Friday, and Honorable Mentions/Disappointments on Saturday)