Hi everyone, and welcome to another edition of the Nightcrawler Experience!
This entry will be concluding my collaboration with St. John's United Methodist Church on heir "Summer at the Movies: Around the World" series.
We've been to China for 'Mulan,' Mexico for 'Coco,' France for 'Ratatouille,' and now we're returning to North America for a look at the 2006 film 'Open Season'!
The story centers around Boog (Voice of Martin Lawrence), a grizzly bear who's lived with a friendly ranger in a small town outside of the forest his entire life. As a result, while happy, he's also incredibly sheltered and unable to do much of anything on his own. After Boog gets in some trouble with a goofy, one- antlered deer named Elliot (Voice of Ashton Kutcher), the ranger is forced to airlift both of them into the heart of the forest and leave them there. When Boog wakes up (He'd been tranquilized before being brought there), he immediately sets out to get back to civilization and his old life, with Elliot acting as his guide. All the while, they're dreading the impending start of Hunting Season, and trying to steer clear of Shaw (Voice of Gary Sinise), a demented hunting fanatic who believes the two of them are planning an animal uprising against humans.
I'll admit, I'd actually never seen this film before up until just a few days ago. While it's not as amazing of a movie as the other ones we watched in this series, I think it's alright.
One issue I have with 'Open Season' is that I think Martin Lawrence may have been a little miscast as the voice of Boog. He's ok and all, but considering that Boog is a very large grizzly bear, I think they should have gone with an actor with a deeper voice, like maybe Vin Diesel or Michael Clarke Duncan. Also, the animation is definitely not as polished as it is for the other films that we showed in this series. Then again, few animation studios can match Disney or Pixar for that kind of quality. There is also a bit too much bathroom humor at times, but that's pretty much a prerequisite for kids' movies anymore.
All that being said, 'Open Season' still proved to be a decent enough film. The story was alright, with a few interesting turns and plenty of humor. It even manages a little heart at times. Once Boog and Elliot become used to each other's presence, the bond they start building with each other is surprisingly sweet.
Boog is a good enough main character. He seems somewhat torn between loving his life in the ranger's garage with everything he needs provided for him, and feeling regretful that he doesn't really know how to do anything. Elliot is quite a funny supporting character, incompetent and simple- minded but also loyal and mostly well- meaning. Ashton Kutcher does a lot better with his voice than I expected him to. Shaw makes for a pretty good villain; Rather than just another one- dimensional "Evil human" out to mistreat animals out of greed and just for the heck of it, Shaw has the additional motive of his paranoid belief that Boog and Elliot are planning an animal uprising. Plus, Gary Sinise does a great job with his voice, I seriously couldn't tell it was him.
However, my favorite character in the film was McSquizzy (Voice of Billy Connolly), a hilarious, ultra- aggressive Scottish squirrel who commands an army/ clan of fellow squirrels that defend their trees with smack- talking and barrages of acorns. Let's just say that if you're ever in the woods, and hear a bunch of voices from the taller branches of one of the trees all shout "OI" in perfect unison, you'd better start running. McSquizzy is so much fun in every scene he's in, the sort of character who might make a good spinoff movie. Also, a few good laughs can be taken from a human couple in the movie who are revealed to be "Sasquatch- hunters."
While definitely not a masterpiece like the previous films we looked at in this series, 'Open Season' is a decent enough movie, fun for a watch.
In my devotional which was passed out at the movie screening tonight, I brought up that one important Biblical message which can be taken from 'Open Season' ties into the theme of a refuge in the wilderness. I pointed out that Boog and Elliot's perilous trek through the woods over the course of the film can kind of tie in to Psalm 46, which deals with how God is our refuge in the wildernesses of life (Both literal and figurative). Once again, though, I'd say there's more that can be found.
Another Biblical message I've found in 'Open Season' is on valuing life and refraining from unnecessary violence and brutality, using the evil hunter Shaw as a cautionary example. There is nothing wrong with a little hunting or fishing now and then, if done legally and responsibly. Heck, when I was on vacation in Canada last month, I went on a fishing trip one morning and caught about a half- dozen fish! It was the best day of fishing I'd had in years! However, there's a BIG difference between a sportsmanlike appreciation for recreational hunting, and sheer bloodlust. Shaw in the movie epitomizes the latter of the two. He is a man who truly values death more than life, the only living thing he has any care for is himself. Not even fellow humans are safe from him, as a scene early on has Shaw deliberately attempting to kill Elliot with his truck in the middle of town, nearly hitting several pedestrians in the process. Scripture openly condemns holding such a barbaric, kill- crazy attitude towards God's creations. Psalm 11:5 says that "The Lord examines the righteous, but the wicked, those who love violence, He hates with a passion." Also, Proverbs 3:31 instructs believers, "Do not envy a man of violence, and do not choose any of his ways." We are to try and model gentleness and peace in our lives as much as possible, value life and the creatures God creates, and shun the senseless violence and viciousness that defines the very lives of real- life people like Shaw.
A final theological message I can think of from 'Open Season' is on the importance of calling. Even though Boog was at first determined to get out of the forest as quickly as possible, he soon learns that he should use the fact that he's there to help protect Elliot and the other animals in the forest from falling victim to Shaw and the rest of the hunters. It wasn't where Boog wanted to be, but it was clearly where he NEEDED to be in order to do the most good he possibly could. This calls to mind Esther 4:14 in which Mordecai tells his cousin Esther that "And who knows, but that you have come to your royal position for times such as this?" There are times in life when we might seem stuck in a situation or period in our lives which we'd rather not be in. However, it is extremely likely that God put us in those situations because He has specific, extremely important things He'd like us to do while in that situation or period. He's called us to important purposes, and needs at times to have us go through strange, scary, or difficult times to help us achieve it. It's just a matter of remaining open to the Lord and His will for you. Wherever you are and in whatever circumstances you may be in, do not hesitate to say, "Here I am, Lord! Send me!"
So, that wraps up this look at 'Open Season,' a fun family movie which can help teach us about relying on God's refuge and protection, shunning violence and valuing life, and remaining open and willing to follow God's calling for you.
That closes this summer collaboration with St. John's United Methodist Church. As always, I have been overjoyed to be a part of it, and look forward to working together with them again soon.
And so, that completes this entry in the Nightcrawler Experience. I have a couple big ideas for future entries I'm planning on, so keep your eyes peeled. Until then, God bless you all!
Friday, July 20, 2018
Friday, July 13, 2018
Unlikely Heroes, Becoming as a Child, and Ignoring the Haters: A Faith- Based Look at 'Ratatouille.'
Hi everyone, welcome back to the Nightcrawler Experience!
We're continuing this blog's partnership with St. John's United Methodist Church for their "Summer at the Movies: Around the World Edition" Series.
You may remember we figuratively visited Mexico with our screening of 'Coco' last week. Well, trade in your sombrero for a beret, because for this edition, we'll be going to Paris for a look at another Pixar film, the 2007 masterpiece 'Ratatouille'!
In this film, a Parisian rat named Remy (Voice of Patton Oswalt) finds himself somewhat at odds with the other rats in his clan in terms of his views on food; While everyone else in his clan is content to just scavenge and eat any garbage they can get their paws upon, Remy has an interest in more elegant cuisine, and develops a talent for fine cooking. He eventually finds himself at the once- legendary restaurant Gusteau's, and helps a rather unlucky yet good- natured young man named Linguini (Voice of Lou Romano) become its star chef. Still, he feels torn between two worlds. All the while, quite a lot of intrigue is going on behind the scenes at Gusteau's; It begins increasingly looking like Linguini's connection to the restaurant's now- deceased founder, Chef Gusteau, may in fact be much deeper than anyone thought, leading to even more pressure to succeed being piled on the young man, causing him to rely on both his "Little chef" and the fiery but fetching fellow chef Collette he's begun falling in love with to restore the restaurant to its former glory and prepare for a visit from the dreaded food critic Anton Ego.
'Ratatouille' is an amazing film, though one thing I'd personally change about the film is I thought it had too much focus on the rat characters and not enough focus on the human characters. The humans prove to be a great deal more developed and interesting than the rats, and many of the human characters could have brought a lot more to the film if they were given more screen- time, ESPECIALLY the restaurant's other staff members. In one scene, Collette tells Linguini a little about each of them, and they appear to be quite a colorful bunch. Using them so little in the film then seems like kind of a waste.
Other than that quibble, I'd consider 'Ratatouille' to be easily one of Pixar's best films. While Pixar's films of course are mainly made with children audiences in mind, 'Ratatouille' seems like one which was actually aimed more at adults than at kids. The plot is much deeper and more sophisticated than most kids- movie fare, while still featuring enough simple humor and colorful images to interest the kids.
Another great thing about 'Ratatouille' is that it succeeds perfectly at what I believe all films which center around cooking should aspire to do: Not only does watching it make you feel hungry, it also makes you feel like cooking something yourself rather than simply throwing a frozen dinner in the microwave. While it'll be a bit late tonight for me to properly cook something for myself after the movie's done, I'm thinking tomorrow night I'll prepare a homemade Italian meat pie for my dinner while humming "Le Festin," the lovely tune from the ending of 'Ratatouille.'
The main characters, Remy and Linguini are both great protagonists. Each is struggling with a lot (Remy with the fact that he feels pulled towards both his rat world and family and also towards human society that lets him use his talent for cooking to its most appreciated level, Linguini with initially feeling like a failure just trying to do something good with his life and later with the immense pressure he comes under when he becomes a famous chef), and it all works out well.
Collette is a lot of fun to watch, too. She is short- fused, aggressive, and even a little vicious towards Linguini while helping to instruct him on the finer points of cooking, but you can kind of see why; She explains that, as a woman in a male- dominated industry, she had to become tougher than anyone else in order to advance. She also has not one but two of the film's funniest lines:
"Keep your station clean, or I will kill you!"
(To a group of reporters when trying to suddenly break up a press conference Linguini is in, due to needing him in the kitchen) "I hate to be rude, but, hey, we're French!"
The food critic Anton Ego is an immensely fascinating character, even though he's only really in it for the last third or so of the movie. While not a really cruel person, he is very cold and cynical (Easy traps for a critic to fall into), and you can tell that worldview heavily influences his reviews. A scathing review he gave to Gusteau's restaurant some years earlier was a big part of what caused the restaurant's initial popularity to greatly decline (You get the feeling that this probably wasn't the first restaurant to be sunk by one of Ego's reviews), and almost certainly helped to cause Chef Gusteau's death.
One very amusing scene that says a lot about Ego as a character is when his servant in his house approaches him while he (Ego) is sipping a glass of wine. When the servant tells him that Gusteau's restaurant is popular again, Ego is so surprised that he almost spits out his wine, but quickly looks at the bottle as if reminding himself that it's a particularly good vintage which shouldn't be wasted in such a way, and instead merely forces himself to swallow it. I thought that was so funny and such a great, subtle way of conveying Ego's appreciation of fine food and drink, and also just a creative twist on the classic "Spit take" routine.
The voice acting in this film is magnificent. Patton Oswalt injects a lot of honesty and sincerity into his work as Remy's voice, and Lou Romano gives Linguini the perfect combination of goofiness and heart. Many of the other voice actors in this film gave such amazing performances, I couldn't even tell it was them even though they were actors whose other work I was familiar with, such as Janeane Garofalo as Collette and Brad Garrett as Chef Gusteau.
One Biblical message that can be taken from 'Ratatouille' which I pointed out in my devotional that was passed out at the screening is on the notion of unlikely heroes who can do great things, which both Remy and Linguini end up becoming. I point out that they can thus be compared to another great unlikely hero from the Old Testament, Gideon in Judges 6:6-40. He has long been easily one of my favorite Biblical figures, and I could easily compare him to Remy and especially to Linguini.
Another very important Biblical message in 'Ratatouille' is on releasing our cynicism by remembering our childhood and stopping to view the world through a child's eyes when we can. This is shown in the film through Anton Ego in the film's climax. As I said earlier, Ego comes across as a very cynical and bitter man for most of the film, but what ultimately changes his mind and even his entire outlook on life is the meal that the heroes present to him for his scrutiny in the climax, a simple bowl of ratatouille. While it is far from an impressive dish, of the sort that one would expect from a restaurant like Gusteau's (Collette refers to it as a "Peasant's dish"), it heavily appeals to Ego. When he tastes it, he is immediately reminded of a memory from when he was a very young boy, and his mother offered him a bowl of homemade ratatouille to comfort him when he was feeling down. A truly brilliant visual appears in this scene to further cement Ego's change: When Ego gets the eye- opening taste of the ratatouille, we see his pen (As a critic, he of course keeps a pen and pad handy for notes), which he had been holding, drop to the floor. This can be seen as symbolizing Ego metaphorically "Dropping" his former cold, cynical worldview.
Ditching cynicism and viewing the world with more of a humble, childlike perspective is often listed as an important trait of followers of Jesus Christ. In fact, Jesus said in Matthew 18:3-4 that "Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven." Also, Ephesians 5:1 says "Follow God's example, therefore, as dearly loved children." While we all must grow up and mature, we must not let ourselves become cynical even as the world around us seems to insist that we should; We must maintain a little of the humble, childlike senses of wonder, open- mindedness and love we had when we were little and use them to guide our hearts and help us get the most out of the life that God has given us.
Another great theological message that the film contains is on the importance of doing the good work that God has called us to, regardless of what the world might say about it. In the very end of the film, Ego opens his review of his experience at Gusteau's with the comment that "In many ways, the work of a critic is easy. We risk very little, yet enjoy a position over those who offer up their work and their selves to our judgment. We thrive on negative criticism, which is fun to write and read. But the bitter truth we critics must face is that in the grand scheme of things, the average piece of junk is probably more meaningful than our criticism labeling it so."
This brings to mind many verses from Scripture. First and foremost, Colossians 3:23 says that "Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men." Also, Galatians 1:10 says "For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ." Lastly, 1 Thessalonians 2:4 says, "But just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the Gospel, so we speak, not to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts."
In all that we do, especially things done with our faith as Christians clearly guiding it, there will be those who will criticize us. That's a simple, unfortunate fact. However, we must not let that stop us from doing what God has called us to do. I was reminded of this recently, as I learned that the movie star Chris Pratt (From films such as 'The Lego Movie,' the 'Guardians of the Galaxy' series, and the 'Jurassic World' series) is a Christian, who has shown to clearly not be afraid of being open about his faith. I discovered that a few months ago, Pratt went on Twitter in support of actor/ filmmaker Kevin Smith (Best known for his 'Jay and Silent Bob' films), who had just recently suffered a severe heart attack that nearly killed him. Pratt said in his Tweet that although he didn't know Smith well personally, he was a big fan of Smith's work and was praying hard for him because "I believe in the healing power of prayer," and he encouraged others to pray as well. This, sadly, led to many on Twitter openly insulting Pratt for his faith. One such responder wrote "Great, now I won't enjoy your films as much knowing you're a Jesus nut." In spite of this vicious backlash, Chris Pratt remained strong and outspoken in his faith, including giving an awesome and very brave acceptance speech at last month's MTV Movie & TV Awards, in which, while he made some funny comments and jokes, he also told the audience that "You have a soul; take good care of it," and "There is a God, He loves you, and He has a great plan for your life." For him to make such a declaration on MTV of all networks was proof that he has learned to care more about what God has called him to do than about criticisms that the secular world might throw at him for it. May we all have the same desire, to glorify God and do His will for us in spite of what the naysayers may tell us.
There we have 'Ratatouille'; An animated masterpiece which can help teach the valuable lessons of following the examples of unlikely heroes, letting go of cynicism and embracing a childlike wonder at the world, and pursuing the Lord and what He would have us do with our lives regardless of what this world's critics would say. Put all those together, and you have a marvelous recipe of how to follow the Lord. C'est magnifique!
That wraps up this edition of the Nightcrawler Experience. Come back next week as I conclude this series. Until then, God bless you all!
We're continuing this blog's partnership with St. John's United Methodist Church for their "Summer at the Movies: Around the World Edition" Series.
You may remember we figuratively visited Mexico with our screening of 'Coco' last week. Well, trade in your sombrero for a beret, because for this edition, we'll be going to Paris for a look at another Pixar film, the 2007 masterpiece 'Ratatouille'!
In this film, a Parisian rat named Remy (Voice of Patton Oswalt) finds himself somewhat at odds with the other rats in his clan in terms of his views on food; While everyone else in his clan is content to just scavenge and eat any garbage they can get their paws upon, Remy has an interest in more elegant cuisine, and develops a talent for fine cooking. He eventually finds himself at the once- legendary restaurant Gusteau's, and helps a rather unlucky yet good- natured young man named Linguini (Voice of Lou Romano) become its star chef. Still, he feels torn between two worlds. All the while, quite a lot of intrigue is going on behind the scenes at Gusteau's; It begins increasingly looking like Linguini's connection to the restaurant's now- deceased founder, Chef Gusteau, may in fact be much deeper than anyone thought, leading to even more pressure to succeed being piled on the young man, causing him to rely on both his "Little chef" and the fiery but fetching fellow chef Collette he's begun falling in love with to restore the restaurant to its former glory and prepare for a visit from the dreaded food critic Anton Ego.
'Ratatouille' is an amazing film, though one thing I'd personally change about the film is I thought it had too much focus on the rat characters and not enough focus on the human characters. The humans prove to be a great deal more developed and interesting than the rats, and many of the human characters could have brought a lot more to the film if they were given more screen- time, ESPECIALLY the restaurant's other staff members. In one scene, Collette tells Linguini a little about each of them, and they appear to be quite a colorful bunch. Using them so little in the film then seems like kind of a waste.
Other than that quibble, I'd consider 'Ratatouille' to be easily one of Pixar's best films. While Pixar's films of course are mainly made with children audiences in mind, 'Ratatouille' seems like one which was actually aimed more at adults than at kids. The plot is much deeper and more sophisticated than most kids- movie fare, while still featuring enough simple humor and colorful images to interest the kids.
Another great thing about 'Ratatouille' is that it succeeds perfectly at what I believe all films which center around cooking should aspire to do: Not only does watching it make you feel hungry, it also makes you feel like cooking something yourself rather than simply throwing a frozen dinner in the microwave. While it'll be a bit late tonight for me to properly cook something for myself after the movie's done, I'm thinking tomorrow night I'll prepare a homemade Italian meat pie for my dinner while humming "Le Festin," the lovely tune from the ending of 'Ratatouille.'
The main characters, Remy and Linguini are both great protagonists. Each is struggling with a lot (Remy with the fact that he feels pulled towards both his rat world and family and also towards human society that lets him use his talent for cooking to its most appreciated level, Linguini with initially feeling like a failure just trying to do something good with his life and later with the immense pressure he comes under when he becomes a famous chef), and it all works out well.
Collette is a lot of fun to watch, too. She is short- fused, aggressive, and even a little vicious towards Linguini while helping to instruct him on the finer points of cooking, but you can kind of see why; She explains that, as a woman in a male- dominated industry, she had to become tougher than anyone else in order to advance. She also has not one but two of the film's funniest lines:
"Keep your station clean, or I will kill you!"
(To a group of reporters when trying to suddenly break up a press conference Linguini is in, due to needing him in the kitchen) "I hate to be rude, but, hey, we're French!"
The food critic Anton Ego is an immensely fascinating character, even though he's only really in it for the last third or so of the movie. While not a really cruel person, he is very cold and cynical (Easy traps for a critic to fall into), and you can tell that worldview heavily influences his reviews. A scathing review he gave to Gusteau's restaurant some years earlier was a big part of what caused the restaurant's initial popularity to greatly decline (You get the feeling that this probably wasn't the first restaurant to be sunk by one of Ego's reviews), and almost certainly helped to cause Chef Gusteau's death.
One very amusing scene that says a lot about Ego as a character is when his servant in his house approaches him while he (Ego) is sipping a glass of wine. When the servant tells him that Gusteau's restaurant is popular again, Ego is so surprised that he almost spits out his wine, but quickly looks at the bottle as if reminding himself that it's a particularly good vintage which shouldn't be wasted in such a way, and instead merely forces himself to swallow it. I thought that was so funny and such a great, subtle way of conveying Ego's appreciation of fine food and drink, and also just a creative twist on the classic "Spit take" routine.
The voice acting in this film is magnificent. Patton Oswalt injects a lot of honesty and sincerity into his work as Remy's voice, and Lou Romano gives Linguini the perfect combination of goofiness and heart. Many of the other voice actors in this film gave such amazing performances, I couldn't even tell it was them even though they were actors whose other work I was familiar with, such as Janeane Garofalo as Collette and Brad Garrett as Chef Gusteau.
One Biblical message that can be taken from 'Ratatouille' which I pointed out in my devotional that was passed out at the screening is on the notion of unlikely heroes who can do great things, which both Remy and Linguini end up becoming. I point out that they can thus be compared to another great unlikely hero from the Old Testament, Gideon in Judges 6:6-40. He has long been easily one of my favorite Biblical figures, and I could easily compare him to Remy and especially to Linguini.
Another very important Biblical message in 'Ratatouille' is on releasing our cynicism by remembering our childhood and stopping to view the world through a child's eyes when we can. This is shown in the film through Anton Ego in the film's climax. As I said earlier, Ego comes across as a very cynical and bitter man for most of the film, but what ultimately changes his mind and even his entire outlook on life is the meal that the heroes present to him for his scrutiny in the climax, a simple bowl of ratatouille. While it is far from an impressive dish, of the sort that one would expect from a restaurant like Gusteau's (Collette refers to it as a "Peasant's dish"), it heavily appeals to Ego. When he tastes it, he is immediately reminded of a memory from when he was a very young boy, and his mother offered him a bowl of homemade ratatouille to comfort him when he was feeling down. A truly brilliant visual appears in this scene to further cement Ego's change: When Ego gets the eye- opening taste of the ratatouille, we see his pen (As a critic, he of course keeps a pen and pad handy for notes), which he had been holding, drop to the floor. This can be seen as symbolizing Ego metaphorically "Dropping" his former cold, cynical worldview.
Ditching cynicism and viewing the world with more of a humble, childlike perspective is often listed as an important trait of followers of Jesus Christ. In fact, Jesus said in Matthew 18:3-4 that "Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven." Also, Ephesians 5:1 says "Follow God's example, therefore, as dearly loved children." While we all must grow up and mature, we must not let ourselves become cynical even as the world around us seems to insist that we should; We must maintain a little of the humble, childlike senses of wonder, open- mindedness and love we had when we were little and use them to guide our hearts and help us get the most out of the life that God has given us.
Another great theological message that the film contains is on the importance of doing the good work that God has called us to, regardless of what the world might say about it. In the very end of the film, Ego opens his review of his experience at Gusteau's with the comment that "In many ways, the work of a critic is easy. We risk very little, yet enjoy a position over those who offer up their work and their selves to our judgment. We thrive on negative criticism, which is fun to write and read. But the bitter truth we critics must face is that in the grand scheme of things, the average piece of junk is probably more meaningful than our criticism labeling it so."
This brings to mind many verses from Scripture. First and foremost, Colossians 3:23 says that "Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men." Also, Galatians 1:10 says "For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ." Lastly, 1 Thessalonians 2:4 says, "But just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the Gospel, so we speak, not to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts."
In all that we do, especially things done with our faith as Christians clearly guiding it, there will be those who will criticize us. That's a simple, unfortunate fact. However, we must not let that stop us from doing what God has called us to do. I was reminded of this recently, as I learned that the movie star Chris Pratt (From films such as 'The Lego Movie,' the 'Guardians of the Galaxy' series, and the 'Jurassic World' series) is a Christian, who has shown to clearly not be afraid of being open about his faith. I discovered that a few months ago, Pratt went on Twitter in support of actor/ filmmaker Kevin Smith (Best known for his 'Jay and Silent Bob' films), who had just recently suffered a severe heart attack that nearly killed him. Pratt said in his Tweet that although he didn't know Smith well personally, he was a big fan of Smith's work and was praying hard for him because "I believe in the healing power of prayer," and he encouraged others to pray as well. This, sadly, led to many on Twitter openly insulting Pratt for his faith. One such responder wrote "Great, now I won't enjoy your films as much knowing you're a Jesus nut." In spite of this vicious backlash, Chris Pratt remained strong and outspoken in his faith, including giving an awesome and very brave acceptance speech at last month's MTV Movie & TV Awards, in which, while he made some funny comments and jokes, he also told the audience that "You have a soul; take good care of it," and "There is a God, He loves you, and He has a great plan for your life." For him to make such a declaration on MTV of all networks was proof that he has learned to care more about what God has called him to do than about criticisms that the secular world might throw at him for it. May we all have the same desire, to glorify God and do His will for us in spite of what the naysayers may tell us.
There we have 'Ratatouille'; An animated masterpiece which can help teach the valuable lessons of following the examples of unlikely heroes, letting go of cynicism and embracing a childlike wonder at the world, and pursuing the Lord and what He would have us do with our lives regardless of what this world's critics would say. Put all those together, and you have a marvelous recipe of how to follow the Lord. C'est magnifique!
That wraps up this edition of the Nightcrawler Experience. Come back next week as I conclude this series. Until then, God bless you all!
Friday, July 6, 2018
Living on forever, being there for our loved ones, and properly following our dreams: A Faith- Based Look at 'Coco.'
Hello everyone, and welcome to another installment of the Nightcrawler Experience!
This is the second of the four- part series I'm doing in partnership with St. John's United Methodist Church's "Summer at the Movies, Around the World" series.
Last week, we were in China for Disney's 'Mulan.' This week, put on your Huarache sandals, because we're going to Mexico for a faith- based look at Pixar's recent smash hit 'Coco.'
In this story, a little boy named Miguel who lives with his large extended family in a small Mexican village finds himself rather torn. His family has outlawed music on the grounds that his great- great- grandfather apparently abandoned his wife and daughter in pursuit of a musical career. In spite of this, Miguel secretly develops a real interest in music and teaches himself how to play guitar, largely driven by the example of a legendary old- school music and film star named Ernesto de la Cruz. Things come to a header during Mexico's famous Day of the Dead celebration, as Miguel comes to strongly suspect that his disgraced, deadbeat great- great- grandfather and his famous musical inspiration/idol may have in fact been the same man! Through a strange twist of events, Miguel finds himself in the Land of the Dead. In order to get back in time to keep from becoming a permanent resident, Miguel goes on a search through the Land of the Dead with help from a mysterious dog named Dante and the down- and- out spirit of a man named Hector, intent on finding the spirit of Ernesto de la Cruz and getting a family blessing from him that will enable Miguel to return home and again pursue his musical dreams. Miguel ultimately helps to right a past wrong, reconcile with his family, and learn what it means to live a life worth remembering.
'Coco' is quite an impressive film. When I first went into it, I was afraid it would be a ripoff of the film 'The Book of Life' (Another animated film in which Mexico's Day of the Dead and their concept of the afterlife play a big role in the plot) from a few years ago. I'm so glad to say I was wrong about that. It proved to be quite original, and one of Pixar's more memorable films.
One admitted problem I had with 'Coco' was that I thought Miguel's grandmother, Mama Elena, was not a very likable character AT ALL. I could understand her continuing the family's opposition to music even if I didn't agree with it, but she goes WAY too far in that regard. She harasses random street musicians and even physically attacks them at times, and I think the ways she tried to bring a stop to Miguel's interest in music crossed the line from mere "Tough love" and overprotectiveness into malice and viciousness, especially early on when she heartlessly smashes Miguel's guitar right in front of him. It makes me question why the other members of Miguel's family (i.e. his parents) didn't do more to try and get Elena to be more reasonable. Though, in her defense, she did have the pretty funny line of "Go get my shoe!"
Now that that's out of the way, there is a TON of great things to love about 'Coco.' For one thing, the animation is absolutely gorgeous. In particular, the Land of the Dead's visuals are so bright and colorful. It was an unbelievably heartwarming film, great at hitting all the right emotions and making you genuinely feel for the characters. I also thought it was extremely gutsy of the filmmakers to address the subject of dementia/ Alzheimer's Disease in the movie, and for them to do so in a way which was age- appropriate for the kids who are this film's main audience was truly brilliant on their part. The characters other than Mama Elena were very likable and sympathetic, especially Hector, a wonderful character who steals every scene he's in.
The songs in the movie are great, too (This movie contains easily more songs than any past Pixar film). Obviously, the one most likely to stay in your head after the movie is over is "Remember Me," which won an Oscar for Best Song. It is quite a beautiful song, and versatile too, as we heard it used in a lot of different styles and for a lot of different functions all through the film. A couple others that I really liked were the quite funny and catchy "Un Poco Loco" and the gorgeous ending song "My Proud Corazon."
'Coco' is a film with quite a few Scriptural messages, as well, that can teach us more on how to walk with Jesus. In my devotional which was passed out at the screening, I pointed out that the film's questions on how we can live on and be remembered echo what the thief on the cross next to Jesus wondered about in Luke 23:39- 43, and the beauty of the Lord's Kingdom.
There's also a great message on the importance of family. Past visitors to this blog may recall that I named the character Hector in it as being one of my top 10 favorite movie characters from 2017, and brought up that in his regrets over not being there for his family as much as he knew he should have when he was alive, he reminds me of 1 Timothy 5:8, which says that "Anyone who does not provide for their relatives, and especially for their own household, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.". It is certainly a Biblical truth that we have an obligation to love and care for our families. After all, if we can't show Godly love and support and kindness to our own families, how can we expect to do a good job of showing it to the rest of the world as Jesus called us to do?
Another excellent message on living for Jesus in 'Coco' can be found in how to properly follow your dreams and goals. Miguel learns that, while it is certainly important to follow and pursue our dreams and goals in life, he shouldn't sacrifice the most important things in his life, such as the love of his family, in pursuit of them. This calls to mind Psalm 37:4, which encourages believers to "Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart." It is a great thing to have goals and dreams for what we'd like to do with our lives, and to actively follow them, but we shouldn't become so consumed with following them that we lose sight of what should be most important to us, such as our relationship with the Lord. If we can actively follow Him, and use our dreams and passions to serve Him, He will grant us success if it's what He has truly called us to do.
So, there we have 'Coco,' a magnificent film about what truly living on forever can look like, the importance of family, and pursuing our dreams the right way. To put it another way, this movie is muy bueno!
So, that wraps up this edition of the Nightcrawler Experience. Check back with me next week, as I'll be looking at the third entry in this series. Until then, God bless you all!
This is the second of the four- part series I'm doing in partnership with St. John's United Methodist Church's "Summer at the Movies, Around the World" series.
Last week, we were in China for Disney's 'Mulan.' This week, put on your Huarache sandals, because we're going to Mexico for a faith- based look at Pixar's recent smash hit 'Coco.'
In this story, a little boy named Miguel who lives with his large extended family in a small Mexican village finds himself rather torn. His family has outlawed music on the grounds that his great- great- grandfather apparently abandoned his wife and daughter in pursuit of a musical career. In spite of this, Miguel secretly develops a real interest in music and teaches himself how to play guitar, largely driven by the example of a legendary old- school music and film star named Ernesto de la Cruz. Things come to a header during Mexico's famous Day of the Dead celebration, as Miguel comes to strongly suspect that his disgraced, deadbeat great- great- grandfather and his famous musical inspiration/idol may have in fact been the same man! Through a strange twist of events, Miguel finds himself in the Land of the Dead. In order to get back in time to keep from becoming a permanent resident, Miguel goes on a search through the Land of the Dead with help from a mysterious dog named Dante and the down- and- out spirit of a man named Hector, intent on finding the spirit of Ernesto de la Cruz and getting a family blessing from him that will enable Miguel to return home and again pursue his musical dreams. Miguel ultimately helps to right a past wrong, reconcile with his family, and learn what it means to live a life worth remembering.
'Coco' is quite an impressive film. When I first went into it, I was afraid it would be a ripoff of the film 'The Book of Life' (Another animated film in which Mexico's Day of the Dead and their concept of the afterlife play a big role in the plot) from a few years ago. I'm so glad to say I was wrong about that. It proved to be quite original, and one of Pixar's more memorable films.
One admitted problem I had with 'Coco' was that I thought Miguel's grandmother, Mama Elena, was not a very likable character AT ALL. I could understand her continuing the family's opposition to music even if I didn't agree with it, but she goes WAY too far in that regard. She harasses random street musicians and even physically attacks them at times, and I think the ways she tried to bring a stop to Miguel's interest in music crossed the line from mere "Tough love" and overprotectiveness into malice and viciousness, especially early on when she heartlessly smashes Miguel's guitar right in front of him. It makes me question why the other members of Miguel's family (i.e. his parents) didn't do more to try and get Elena to be more reasonable. Though, in her defense, she did have the pretty funny line of "Go get my shoe!"
Now that that's out of the way, there is a TON of great things to love about 'Coco.' For one thing, the animation is absolutely gorgeous. In particular, the Land of the Dead's visuals are so bright and colorful. It was an unbelievably heartwarming film, great at hitting all the right emotions and making you genuinely feel for the characters. I also thought it was extremely gutsy of the filmmakers to address the subject of dementia/ Alzheimer's Disease in the movie, and for them to do so in a way which was age- appropriate for the kids who are this film's main audience was truly brilliant on their part. The characters other than Mama Elena were very likable and sympathetic, especially Hector, a wonderful character who steals every scene he's in.
The songs in the movie are great, too (This movie contains easily more songs than any past Pixar film). Obviously, the one most likely to stay in your head after the movie is over is "Remember Me," which won an Oscar for Best Song. It is quite a beautiful song, and versatile too, as we heard it used in a lot of different styles and for a lot of different functions all through the film. A couple others that I really liked were the quite funny and catchy "Un Poco Loco" and the gorgeous ending song "My Proud Corazon."
'Coco' is a film with quite a few Scriptural messages, as well, that can teach us more on how to walk with Jesus. In my devotional which was passed out at the screening, I pointed out that the film's questions on how we can live on and be remembered echo what the thief on the cross next to Jesus wondered about in Luke 23:39- 43, and the beauty of the Lord's Kingdom.
There's also a great message on the importance of family. Past visitors to this blog may recall that I named the character Hector in it as being one of my top 10 favorite movie characters from 2017, and brought up that in his regrets over not being there for his family as much as he knew he should have when he was alive, he reminds me of 1 Timothy 5:8, which says that "Anyone who does not provide for their relatives, and especially for their own household, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.". It is certainly a Biblical truth that we have an obligation to love and care for our families. After all, if we can't show Godly love and support and kindness to our own families, how can we expect to do a good job of showing it to the rest of the world as Jesus called us to do?
Another excellent message on living for Jesus in 'Coco' can be found in how to properly follow your dreams and goals. Miguel learns that, while it is certainly important to follow and pursue our dreams and goals in life, he shouldn't sacrifice the most important things in his life, such as the love of his family, in pursuit of them. This calls to mind Psalm 37:4, which encourages believers to "Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart." It is a great thing to have goals and dreams for what we'd like to do with our lives, and to actively follow them, but we shouldn't become so consumed with following them that we lose sight of what should be most important to us, such as our relationship with the Lord. If we can actively follow Him, and use our dreams and passions to serve Him, He will grant us success if it's what He has truly called us to do.
So, there we have 'Coco,' a magnificent film about what truly living on forever can look like, the importance of family, and pursuing our dreams the right way. To put it another way, this movie is muy bueno!
So, that wraps up this edition of the Nightcrawler Experience. Check back with me next week, as I'll be looking at the third entry in this series. Until then, God bless you all!
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