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Post by rbbailey on Nov 30, 2009 18:17:17 GMT -8
What movies have you seen that mirror Christianity in some way? How?
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Post by Josh on Dec 3, 2009 17:15:07 GMT -8
So, I haven't responded to this yet because I don't know where to start- there are so many films that I could list. Lemme see... Just looking at my DVD shelf.... Seven Pounds The Thin Red Line The Matrix The Namesake Lord of the Flies Kingdom of Heaven The Game A Beautiful Mind The Count of Monte Cristo Lars and the Real Girl to name just a few. If you're curious about what I see in any particular one, I'd be more than happy to expound  |
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Post by christopher on Dec 3, 2009 19:59:14 GMT -8
iRobot
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Post by rbbailey on Dec 6, 2009 21:26:20 GMT -8
Cool. I was thinking of a few of those myself. I will have to watch iRobot again. What about "A.I."?
I was thinking of the Count of Monte Cristo and Matrix as a few prime examples.
Any others along those same lines?
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Post by Josh on Dec 6, 2009 21:42:44 GMT -8
"A.I."I'm sure AI had some good parallels, but I just found Hailey Joel Osment too annoying to get much out of that one  Which particular lines? Do you see some similarities between those two films?
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Post by robin on Dec 7, 2009 14:40:41 GMT -8
Gran Torino.
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Post by Josh on Dec 7, 2009 17:25:12 GMT -8
Ah yes. I should add that to my list!
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Post by robin on Dec 8, 2009 12:46:08 GMT -8
Seven Pounds.
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Post by marcus on Dec 8, 2009 17:22:24 GMT -8
Funny, in my theology in film seminar I used to give at youth conferences I used Count of Monte Cristo as an example of Christianity gone bad. Watch it again, you could probably figure out why (and if not, at least it's a great movie).
Seven Pounds? I have to disagree with both of you there. That film strikes me as more of an example of a world without God than a Christian movie. Misguided ideas about redemption abound. And I don't think anyone involved knew how misguided they were.
Lars and the Real Girl, Gran Torino, and The Game are good examples. I'd add:
Jaws
Schindler's List
Children of Men
No Country for Old Men
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Post by christopher on Dec 8, 2009 18:28:13 GMT -8
Ok, I'll bite. How'd you work that one out?  BTW, it's one of my favorites of all times.  |
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Post by Margot on Dec 8, 2009 20:16:13 GMT -8
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Post by Josh on Dec 8, 2009 20:44:27 GMT -8
Marcus,
Regarding the Count of Monte Cristo, yes, there is a flaw in the movie portrayal of the book in that it seems to advocate you can have your revenge and your mercy too. (I am told the book doesn't suffer from this flaw, however it was too tedious for me to read all the way through)
Still, setting that aside, there are strong Christian motifs developed especially in the interaction between Dantes and the preist, between Mercedes and the Dantes, and between Dantes and his son.
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Post by marcus on Dec 8, 2009 21:06:57 GMT -8
Those Christian motifs are promptly obliterated by the message of the climax. Be a pagan movie if you want, I'm fine with that. But paganism wrapped in a veil of Christianity is that specific brand of devious that I'm particularly sensitive toward.
And Chris, I'll get to Jaws in a bit, glad to hear you're a fan. It's my favorite.
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Post by Josh on Dec 8, 2009 21:27:08 GMT -8
Again, I understand the book has a very different anti-revenge climax.
In the movie Dantes does conclude with the thought that the priest was right, that revenge was the wrong course for him to take.
However, you're right, this was undercut by the hollywood celebration latent in the revenge scenes
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Post by rbbailey on Dec 8, 2009 21:32:50 GMT -8
I read the book a few years ago... let me think...
Didn't it turn out that he went through the whole thing and the twist in the end was that he didn't take his revenge? I really can't remember now. But I think the whole plot was set up so that it looked like he was going to get revenge, but really it was a trick.
It would have been way too complicated and over the heads of most of the Hollywood crowd though... ;D
Josh, nice avatar. What do you think about the line in that song: God is love, love is evolution's very best day.
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Post by Josh on Dec 9, 2009 11:30:58 GMT -8
I believe so. Hollywood had to change it to, "he takes his revenge and then regrets it... sort of"
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Post by Josh on Dec 9, 2009 14:23:49 GMT -8
Could you explain this further? What did you think was misguided?
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