Faith in Troubled Times, Mercy Towards Enemies, and "Different Eyes"; The Teachings of "Nightcrawler."

 Hi everyone, and welcome to another edition of 'The Nightcrawler Experience'!

For this, I will be pursuing an idea that I've had for a long time now: A three- part look at some secular movies and shows that actually deal directly with the subject of religious faith, and my thoughts on them. The funny thing is, each of the movies and shows I will be looking at were ones that I first saw years before I actually accepted Jesus Christ as my personal Lord and Savior at the age of seventeen, yet the quite insightful points they each made had an impact on me, helped contribute to my being saved through Christ, and I now as a more seasoned believer know that they contain Biblical truths. So, I think it's time to share those truths with all of you, my loyal readers.

I'll start things off on a really strong note by taking a look at an episode of the classic animated show 'X- Men: The Animated Series,' specifically one dealing with the hero that this blog is named after!

(This image was uploaded by the user Brandonbaker01 on the Spiderman animated Wikia at https://spiderman-animated.fandom.com/wiki/X-Men:_The_Animated_Series?file=78979786978.jpg)

Having a couple years ago finished rewatching the entire series, I can say that 'X- Men: The Animated Series' was an amazingly intelligent, well- written, often- thrilling (Though admittedly a bit on the cheesy side at times) series that ran on Fox in the 90's. It deals with the team of mutant superheroes known as 'The X- Men,' headed by the incredibly powerful mutant telepath Professor Charles Xavier. Mutants are a feared and hated minority in the world this story takes place in, often viewed with suspicion, fear, and at times even violence. Nevertheless, Professor Xavier believes that the day can come when humans and mutants alike can live in harmony, and teaches the X- Men to advance this philosophy by doing good in the world. In the process, they often have to face off against all manner of threats, be they evil mutants such as Magneto, Mr. Sinister, or Apocalypse, the mutant- hunting robots known as the Sentinels, or bigoted humans such as Graydon Creed and the so- called Friends of Humanity, among others.

This show was written brilliantly, filled with not only action, heart, and the occasional bit of humor, but also incredibly well- done social commentary. For a show aimed at kids, it's quite impressive how well it tackled issues such as tolerance, guilt, grief, coming to grips with one's past, and as seen in the episode we're about to look at, faith.

The episode I will be focusing on is the Season 4 premiere, "Nightcrawler."

In this episode, team members Wolverine, Gambit (My favorite regular character on the show and one of my favorite superheroes in general, though he comes across as kind of a jerk in this episode), and Rogue are going on a skiing vacation in I believe the Swiss Alps, and Wolverine is feeling a bit restless. So, when he hears some tourists discussing a local rumor of a "Demon" supposedly residing not far from there, his interest is piqued. He, Rogue, and Gambit set out in the direction of a town where the sightings occurred, but along the way get involved in an avalanche, and the three of them are buried.

They eventually awaken in a chapel. It is a part of a monastery not far from where the avalanche happened, and it often serves as a sanctuary for lost or wounded travelers. While one of the monks living there, Brother Reinhardt, seems distrustful of allowing strangers into the monastery, the others all welcome the heroes in with hospitality.

Later that night, someone in a hooded monk's robe is seen attempting to poison Gambit, but flees when Rogue arrives. While attempting to chase this intruder, she and Wolverine come across someone with a blue, freakish- looking appearance. Wolverine assumes this is the "Demon" they heard tell about, and briefly tries to attack him, before another monk breaks it up and reveals that this is in fact Nightcrawler, a member of the monks' order whose unusual appearance (Not to mention his power of teleportation) comes from him being a mutant like the X- Men are.

(Meet Nightcrawler. This image comes from the user Guillearza on the Marvel Animated Universe wiki at https://marvelanimated.fandom.com/wiki/Nightcrawler?file=Nightcrawler.jpg)

We see (Rather unsurprisingly) that Brother Reinhardt was the one who tried to kill Gambit, and he goes to the nearby village and tells the people there that the "Demon" they are looking for is in the monastery, leading to them quickly forming an angry, violent mob and preparing to lay siege to the monastery.

Back in the monastery, as the X- Men learn of Nightcrawler's sad past yet also of his faith as a Christian that helps him deal with it, Gambit appears cynically aloof to the concept of faith and Wolverine is openly hostile to it. The latter of the two has some spirited discussions with Nightcrawler, including pointing out the horrific things done to him by the Weapon X program (The experimental program that gave him his metal skeleton and claws), and asking what kind of God would allow people to do something like that to him. Nevertheless, Nightcrawler starts to get through to Wolverine a little, only to be interrupted by the arrival of the mob of villagers, headed by Brother Reinhardt.
It all leads to a tense clash between the mutants and the panicked villagers, and everyone learning a little more about what true faith looks like.

'Nightcrawler' remains easily one of my favorite episodes of the series to this day. It has loads of action between the avalanche scene, chasing Gambit's would- be poisoner, and especially the climactic siege of the monastery. There are some funny moments (i.e. When Nightcrawler finishes telling his story including his persecution for his appearance, Gambit's response of "Guess there no peace for the wicked- lookin'" never fails to get a chuckle from me), and as you shall soon see, some great moments of drama and character development, including loads of discussions about faith.

The voice actors are all in top form (With the slight exception of Brother Reinhardt's voice actor, who at times is a little over- the- top). Nightcrawler's voice actor in this, Adrian Hough, gives an honestly magnificent performance. He conveys so much passion, sincerity and heart through the character's gentle German accent.

In fact, this episode helped MAJORLY in paving the way for my eventually accepting Jesus Christ as my personal Lord and Savior.
As a young boy about ten years old when this episode first premiered, I thought very little of God or faith. My family and I went to church pretty regularly, but I didn't connect to it much at all (A fact I partially attribute to the fact that back then, my mother made me go to church wearing the stiffest, tightest, most uncomfortable dress- shoes known to man). However, I WAS a fan of the X- Men, and I can recall when I first saw this episode, the discussions Nightcrawler had with the other characters really opened my eyes, my mind and my heart, causing me to see the Christian faith in a whole new way that made a lot of sense. It helped me see things that at the time I couldn't see in church, and strange though it may sound, I earnestly believe it was God's hand that led me to watch that episode, which in turn would eventually lead to me finding personal salvation through accepting Jesus as my Savior AND discovering my gift for finding Scriptural themes and concepts in pop culture. This is the whole reason why I call this blog The Nightcrawler Experience!

The theological points made in 'Nightcrawler' are many. One of the first involves keeping faith even in the midst of suffering.
When Nightcrawler is wrapping up telling the X- Men his backstory and all the persecution and mistrust he went through because of how he looked, when this dialogue exchange happens:
Wolverine: "Don't it make you crazy?" 
Nightcrawler: "It did, once, but then I found peace by devoting my life to God. He directed me to this place, where they value the character of my heart, not my appearance."
Wolverine: "What are you talkin' about? We're mutants; God gave up on us a long time ago!"
Nightcrawler: "No, my friend; God does not give up on His children, human OR mutant! He is there for us in our times of joy, and to help us when we are in pain, if we let Him."
Wolverine is visibly upset and leaves the room, but he and Nightcrawler resume their discussion shortly afterwards in the monastery's chapel. When Wolverine brings up the dilemma of how a loving God could allow such awful things to be done to him in the Weapon X program, Nightcrawler responds, "Our ability to understand God's purpose is limited, but we take comfort from the fact that His love is limitless!" 

This ties in with 2 Corinthians 4:17-18, which says "For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.”

 Both help us as believers to see that, while we may at times face suffering and hardship, and at times not understand its purpose, it all can be used to help with building the great plans God has for us, and to remember that our earthly trials are temporary (Which admittedly can be hard to keep in mind when we're right in the middle of them), but that what God has in store for us is eternal. Through our faith in the Lord's purpose for us, driven by His incomparable love for us, we can get through any trial.

Another Scriptural message in this episode involves showing kindness and mercy even to those who do not deserve it, as seen in the magnificent climax of the episode. While Rogue, Gambit, and especially Wolverine are trying to hold back the furious villagers without harming them (After all, as Rogue points out, the villagers aren't bad people, they're just scared and don't know about mutants due to the fact that they come from a very isolated village), Brother Reinhardt steals a laser rifle from a local constable and attacks Nightcrawler with it in the monastery's library. A stray shot from Reinhardt hits the dry paper of the books and quickly causes the entire library to catch fire. Reinhardt then loses his balance and falls off the library balcony while the villagers look on, but Nightcrawler catches his hand before he can fall to his death. Reinhardt says, "Go ahead, demon; Do your worst!(When Nightcrawler then continues holding onto him without letting go) Why do you pause? I have betrayed you!" However, rather than dropping Reinhardt to what would have been certain death, Nightcrawler pulls him back up onto the balcony, telling him, "It is not for me to judge you, Brother Reinhardt. The question is, how will God judge you? Look around you; (Indicating the burning library, with the flames quickly spreading to the rest of the monastery) This is the fruit of YOUR labors, not mine!" At this, Brother Reinhardt realizes he was wrong, and that he has sinned against God by allowing his anger and fear to override his compassion. Nightcrawler teleports him to safety while the library and much of the rest of the monastery burns down. This is a perfect depiction of Jesus's beatitude in Matthew 5:7 that "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy." In addition, Nightcrawler's remark to Brother Reinhardt that what's important is how God views his actions calls to mind Romans 12:19, which says "Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather, give place to wrath; for it is written, 'Vengeance is mine, I will repay,' says the Lord."

We may never face someone who has tried to kill us, but I think each of us knows what it is like to be hurt or betrayed by someone else. We, as followers of Jesus, are to follow that beatitude by showing mercy and forgiveness to those who have wronged us. It can be hard, but since God has forgiven us and shown mercy to us for our own sins, which hurt Him and are betrayals against Him, then we need to do the same to others.

A final, very important Scriptural lesson to be taken from "Nightcrawler" lies in generally gaining a new, faith- based perspective of things. This comes in a few forms. First, during Wolverine and Nightcrawler's continued discussion in the chapel and Wolverine doubting that he could believe in God after everything he's seen and been through, Nightcrawler tells him, "Open your heart, Herr Logan; Would it hurt so much to see the world through different eyes?"

 Just then, one of the other monks comes into the chapel and tells Nightcrawler that the mob of villagers has arrived at the monastery, undoubtedly out to kill him, and Wolverine sarcastically asks him, "What's God's purpose in that?" Nightcrawler responds by pointing out that the village is isolated, and its people have no knowledge of mutants, and so he elaborates, "Perhaps I am here to help open their hearts." I love that, it showed Nightcrawler was able to practice what he preaches, even during a situation when he knows his life is in danger.

Then, near the end of the episode, as everyone is looking on the burning wreckage of the monastery and the fire department trying to put it out, the X- Men believe that they have failed, and cannot understand why Nightcrawler refers to their coming to him as "A great blessing." However, he then explains that they all DO have much to be thankful for as a result of the X- Men's arrival: Nobody died in the struggle, Brother Reinhardt saw the error of his ways and sincerely repented, and the villagers realized that Nightcrawler isn't someone they need to be afraid of, as his saving Brother Reinhardt's life right in front of them proved he meant no harm. He also points out that while the destruction of the monastery was a tragedy, "it was only stone and mortar; The foundation God built in our hearts can NEVER be destroyed!" Nightcrawler then hands Wolverine a Bible, telling him, "I've highlighted a few passages you may find rewarding; Remember, Herr Logan, 'Different eyes.'"

(Nighcrawler giving Wolverine a copy of God's Word, AND a new point of view. This image was uploaded by Brandonbaker01 on the Spider- Man animated wikia at https://spiderman-animated.fandom.com/wiki/Nightcrawler_(Episode)?file=IMG_0718.JPG)

The episode's final scene, which to this day never fails to leave me openly in tears, wraps this point up gloriously and shows that some of them have indeed come to see things in new ways. The three X- Men are in Paris, with Gambit (The only one of them who is largely unchanged by what he experienced) happy about the change of scenery, but Rogue being less sure as the two of them dine at a cafe, with her saying that "Those quiet little monks were startin' to grow on me." Gambit dismisses this and claims that the monks are deluding themselves and we're all alone in the world, leading to a now- offended Rogue storming off. Walking down a road, she stops by a cathedral, and hears a familiar voice coming from inside. Looking in, she sees Wolverine praying and reciting a paraphrase of Isaiah 12:1-2 ( "And thou shalt say in that day: I will give thanks to thee, O Lord, for thou wast angry with me: thy wrath is turned away, and thou hast comforted me. Behold, God is my savior, I will deal confidently, and will not fear: O because the Lord is my strength, and my praise, and he is become my salvation."). Rogue smiles, wipes away a tear, and leaves as the episode ends.

The Bible has many verses instructing believers on the importance of developing new, God- centered mindsets about the world around us. One of my favorite Bible verses, Romans 12:2, says "Do not conform to the ways of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." Colossians 3:2 says "Set your mind on things above, not on things on on the earth." What's more, 2 Corinthians 5:17 says "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ Jesus, he is a new creation; Old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new." Coming to know Jesus as our Savior will indeed give us new, healthier perspectives on the world around us, causing us to see things the way the Lord sees them. It is a perspective that can bring happiness and peace to all who follow it.

So, that sums up "Nightcrawler." A wonderful episode of a classic show that teaches timeless lessons on faith amid struggles, mercy, and seeing the world through "Different eyes." Check it out (The whole series, including this episode, is on Disney Plus, and it can also be found on Dailymotion), you'll never forget it.

With that, I bring this particular entry of the Nightcrawler Experience to a close. I'll hopefully have the next entry in this series up next week. Until then, stay safe and healthy, and may God bless you all!

My Top 10 Favorite Movie Characters of 2023, and What We Can Learn From Them!

 Hi everyone, and welcome back to the Nightcrawler Experience!
We're now well into 2024, and as it's my first entry of the year, it's time for my annual look at my ten favorite movie characters of the previous year!
This is always the most arduous and time- consuming entry I do in my blog, but also the most fun!
The same rules as always apply:

1. The characters are not listed in any order of preference.
2. It can be any kind of character, be it hero, antihero, villain, or supporting character.

3. The characters can be from any movie that came out last year, be it in theaters, direct to video, or streaming online.

4. It can be from any genre of film, of any rating.

5. It can include original characters created for the film, or adaptations of characters from pre- existing properties that are getting the movie treatment.

6. It can include characters appearing for the first time in a movie, or those who we've seen before but who we learn more about.

7. They are all characters which I like a lot as a fan, and that I believe can teach valuable lessons on living as a Christian, whether as a "Be like them" example, a "DON'T be like them" cautionary tale, or an allegory for a Biblical figure or principle. I will explain my reasons for both with each one.

Disclaimer 1: There will be some spoilers for the movies in question to better show why I like these characters and what they can teach us.

Disclaimer 2: Not every movie featured in this list is suitable for sensitive audiences (It should be pretty obvious which ones are and which ones aren't). Use discretion in deciding whether or not to see each of them or let children see them.

Disclaimer 3: I obviously do not own the rights to any of these movies or characters.

Now, let's get this show on the road!

1. Simon Aumar, 'Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves.'

(Credit for this image goes to the user BadCatMan on the Forgotten Realms Wiki at https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Simon_Aumar?file=Honor_Among_Thieves_movie_poster_Smith.jpg)

I admit, I initially didn't have high hopes for 'Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves' (The last attempt at a Dungeons and Dragons movie, back in 2000 or so, was a real stinko, and some admittedly rather out of context things that 'Honor Among Thieves''s writers said about it shortly before its premiere caused many fans to jump to negative conclusions about it), but I was blown away at how good it really was! The story was wonderful, it incorporated elements of the game well, good special effects, solid action sequences (One I especially liked is a sequence in which a shapeshifting heroine has to rapidly escape from a castle, and changes forms multiple times while being chased by guards), and an awesome assortment of characters, especially the sorcerer Simon Aumar!

At first, Simon appears to be a total loser. When the other heroes Edgin and Holga (Old friends of his) are reunited with him, he's pulling off a pitiful attempt at a magic show in order to then magically pick the pockets of his distracted audience. Not the best use of talents, and he doesn't exactly think he's the best pick to help them in their quest to help save the kingdom from an evil threat. On top of all that, he's descended from an immensely powerful sorcerer, so his own incompetence is even more disappointing and embarrassing. 

However, as the film progresses, Simon soon proves to be surprisingly useful and handy. His ability to talk briefly to the deceased (He can ask them three questions, then they go back to being dead) enables the heroes to get a lead on the location of a magical helmet that can help them, he helps Holga realize that a possession of hers which she took to be just a simple walking stick was in fact a magical staff which they are then able to use to magically cross a deadly gap, he creates a holographic illusion to distract some guards, and finally gains enough faith in himself to use the helmet's power to break through an important magical seal that blocked the heroes. He then is of immense help in the film's climax, such as conjuring a wave to aid in them escaping from some guards by sea, and using a variety of spells to aid in fighting the evil sorceress Sofina.
Simon provides laughs, sympathy, and all- around likability. Justice Smith balances all of these well with his performance, making Simon a likable character who you'll be eager to see get past his self- deprecation and reach his true potential.

The Scriptural lesson that Simon teaches is on finding your inner confidence, tempered with humility. As established earlier, Simon was long seen as a miserable failure, and consequently, his self- esteem was not exactly the best in the world. It's when he accepts that he DOES have it in him to do good things that he's able to become the hero he always could be. As he himself puts it, "Guess it was just me holding me back."
The Bible reminds believers to have faith in God, but also to have faith in themselves. 2 Timothy 1:7 says "For God gave us not a spirit of fear but of power and love and self- control." God doesn't want us to cower backwards and refuse to do what's right out of fear that we might not think we have what it takes. By trusting in Him, we can know that His strength will flow within us, and we can face any challenge the world may throw at us with confidence.
A great lesson from a great character. Let's hear it for Simon Aumar!

Now that we've looked at someone who specializes in magic and wrestles with self- confidence, our next character is someone who specializes in science and has WAY too much self- confidence to the point of grotesque egomania:

2. The High Evolutionary, 'Guardians of the Galaxy: Volume 3.'

(Credit for this image goes to the user MJLogan95 at the Marvel Cinematic Universe wiki at https://marvelcinematicuniverse.fandom.com/wiki/High_Evolutionary?file=GOTG_Volume_3_Super_Bowl_Trailer_%2816%29.png)

The 'Guardians of the Galaxy' series has been one of the most consistently great franchises in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and it ends on a truly magnificent note with 'Guardians of the Galaxy: Volume 3,' with one of its best elements being its central antagonist, the High Evolutionary. 

The MCU has produced, in addition to so many wonderful heroes, a bumper crop of fascinating, memorable villains for them to face. Thanos, Loki, Ultron, Killmonger, the Red Skull, Agatha Harkness, I could go on all day. Many of them were quite despicable, with their twisted goals and their heartless means of accomplishing them making them serious threats for our beloved Marvel heroes. So, when I tell you that I consider the High Evolutionary to be quite possibly the single cruelest, most sadistic, and most genuinely evil being in the MCU to date, even worse than Thanos, I want you to know exactly where I'm coming from.
Part mad scientist, part "Utopian" tyrant, part god- wannabe, and vile all the way through, owing to both how he was written and Chukwudi Iwuji's performance as him. Each scene with this guy further highlights just what a twisted, demented monster he truly is. The first time I saw this movie, the High Evolutionary's actions so thoroughly horrified and outraged me that before the movie was even at its halfway point, I was already champing at the bit to see him die.

He is determined to create what he sees as a "Perfect" race and a "Perfect" society (For himself to rule over, of course), and to that end, engages in all kinds of hideous experiments on a variety of creatures, truly the ultimate epitome of the dark side of science. He is the reason why the Guardians hero Rocket Raccoon is the way he is, as it was the High Evolutionary's unspeakable experiments on the poor little guy that enabled him to be able to walk on two legs and talk, AND were why he has such a crude, abrasive attitude towards others (Horrific trauma can do that to a person, or in this case to a raccoon). The High Evolutionary has deemed Rocket's brilliant, inventive brain as being key to creating his imagined perfect race of creatures, and over the course of the film is thus determined to recapture Rocket, kill him, and take and dissect his brain in order to figure out a way to replicate Rocket's intelligence and inventiveness in his own future creations. As you can probably guess, Rocket's fellow Guardians of the Galaxy are not going to let that happen, and are determined to save their friend and stop the High Evolutionary from hurting anyone else.
The High Evolutionary's sheer evil and heartlessness cannot be understated. He doesn't care in the slightest about how many defenseless living things on various planets have to be maimed and killed in order to advance his twisted plans, and it's pretty clear that if he's not stopped, it's just a matter of time before he seeks to impose the same reign of terror on Earth.

A cautionary Scriptural lesson to be taken from the High Evolutionary comes late in the movie. His true nature is revealed to even his own top lackeys when he still insists on trying to capture Rocket and slaughter the other Guardians, even as his own massive ship has been badly damaged and you can tell it won't last long; In his hubris, ordering an evacuation never even occurred to him. One of his closest associates attempts to talk some sense into him, saying "For God's sake...". She never finishes what she was going to say, though, as the Evolutionary, completely consumed with his madness and obsession, shrieks at her "THERE IS NO GOD! THAT'S WHY I STEPPED IN!" At that moment, his own most loyal followers finally see him for the unstable, demented psychopath he truly is.

In his immense pride, he truly saw himself as a god, and wanted everyone else to, as well. This unique brand of pride was what the Serpent tempted Adam and Eve with in the Garden of Eden in Genesis 3, the possibility to be like God. That of course was what led to them eating the forbidden fruit and being cast out of the Garden.
His outburst also calls to mind Psalm 14:1, which says, "The fool says in his heart, 'There is no God.' They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds; There is none who does good." For all the High Evolutionary's seeing himself as brilliant, his pride truly made him a fool.
Another relevant verse that helps condemn the sort of egomania that the High Evolutionary possessed is Proverbs 16:5: "The Lord detests all the proud of heart. Be sure of this: They will not go unpunished."

A final Biblical warning to be taken from this villain occurs later on. When the High Evolutionary's reign of terror is at LONG last brought to an end in the film's climax and he tries claiming he only wanted to make things perfect, Rocket responds with a simple but powerful rebuke that truly fits that villain like a glove: "You didn't care about making things perfect; You just hated things the way they were." This indeed was true. He had taken simple, defenseless animals that were fine the way they were, and twisted them in awful ways through his experiments to meet his own warped goals.

God created this world and all that is in it to be used by us the way it is, not to be toyed with and destroyed. Jeremiah 2:7 says "I brought you into a fertile land to eat its fruit and rich produce. But you came and defiled my land and made its inheritance detestable." We all have a repsonsibility to treat the Earth that God made for us and the creatures He created with respect and care, not misusing, tormenting, or defiling them.

That is all that needs to be said about the High Evolutionary; My favorite movie villain from 2023, who perfectly embodies the sinful evils of being consumed with pride and self- worship, and of callously tampering with God's creations. Truly someone you'll love to hate.

A few other memorable baddies from last year were Count Dracula from 'Renfield,' M3GAN from 'M3GAN,' Forge and Safeena from 'Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves,' King Herod from 'Journey to Bethlehem,' and Bowser from the 'Super Mario Bros. Movie.'

For the next entry, we go from the most loathsome villain in the MCU, to a big- screen incarnation of one of the most beloved heroes in video- gaming history:

3. Mario, 'The Super Mario Bros. Movie.'

(Credit for this image goes to the user HobbesTiger64 on the Heroes Wiki at https://hero.fandom.com/wiki/Mario_(The_Super_Mario_Bros._Movie)?file=MarioIllumination.png)

'The Super Mario Bros. Movie' was easily one of the most successful movies of last year, and justifiably so. Funny, exciting, well- acted, and loaded with clever nods to not just the Super Mario games, but other Nintendo games, as well (i.e. A diner in Brooklyn in the start and end of the movie is themed after 'Punch- Out,' a character is seen playing the game 'Kid Icarus' at one point, etc.), just a treat from start to finish. Part of this movie's colossal appeal is undoubtedly the portrayal of its unforgettable main character.

Mario (Voiced by Chris Pratt, though his voice actor from the games, Charles Martinet, has a couple voice cameos in it) and his brother Luigi, while attempting to fix a major plumbing emergency to save their fledgling business, unwittingly are pulled into a portal to the Mushroom Kingdom. The brothers are separated and Luigi is soon captured by the evil Bowser (Hilariously voiced by Jack Black), and so Mario instantly becomes determined to save his brother at any cost. He meets and befriends Toad and Princess Peach, and they together set out to find a way to stop Bowser and save not just Luigi, but the entire kingdom.

The film does a wonderful job with fleshing out Mario as a character. Even before he goes through the portal, we see his working as hard as he can to prove that he and Luigi are not the failures that everyone around them believes them to be. Then, when they are in the Mushroom Kingdom, Mario immediately resolves to do whatever it takes to save Luigi. He endures all manner of challenges along the way, from a brutal training course to a fight with the mighty gorilla Donkey Kong (Who also makes for a very amusing, likable character to watch) to an intense multi- car chase, and finds a way to endure amid all of it, never wavering even when things seem impossible. Mario makes for a great "From zero to hero" type, very easy to root for. 
While I was initially a bit skeptical of Chris Pratt voicing him, he gave an excellent performance, putting a lot of heart and courage into this pudgy Brooklyn plumber.

I think the main theological point to be taken from Mario is on devotion to family. Mario's love of his brother Luigi drives literally everything he does, as he has always been determined to look out for his brother ever since they were babies, and even facing Bowser and his army doesn't change that. He also has the immeasurably wholesome catchphrase of saying to Luigi, "As long as we stay together, everything's gonna be okay." He truly is his "Brother's keeper."

We, too, as Christians need to look after and provide for our families. 1 Timothy 3:5 says that "For if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God's church?" Also, 1 Timothy 5:8 says "For if anyone does not provide for his relatives, especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever." It is through how we care for those we are closest to, our families, that we first live out our faiths.

A timeless lesson taught by a timeless video game hero. As he himself would put it, "WAHOO!"

Now, we must go from a hero in a bright, colorful, family- friendly film, to a hero in a dark, nightmarish horror film:

4. Mr. Clemens, 'The Last Voyage of the Demeter.'

(It proved to be very difficult to find a quality picture of him, so I decided to instead use this youtube video clip of his actor Corey Hawkins describing the film while in full costume. It can be found at https://youtu.be/XzrLz7tyG0w?si=ulxeFK4JlxA6NeWu)

The dark, ominous period horror film 'The Last Voyage of the Demeter' was terrifying and intelligently- written. It took a single, often- underrepresented section of the story of Dracula (The chapter in the book when the Count travels from Romania to England by stowing away in the cargo hold of a merchant ship called the Demeter, gets a little peckish at some point, and feeds on the crew one by one until the ship arrives in England completely deserted), and manages to build a whole film around what happened on that doomed ship's final voyage.
One of the best elements of 'The Last Voyage of the Demeter' is its main protagonist, Mr. Clemens. A trained doctor looking for passage back to England and the chance to do some good along the way, especially as his race led to him being rejected from his last job offer, getting the chance to act as the ship's doctor aboard the Demeter sounds like the perfect solution. Of course, that turns out to not be the case. As people start disappearing and suspicions and fears start escalating, Clemens remains as calm as possible, first in trying to be there for the crew as much as he can and keep them alive, then eventually in trying his hardest to stop the monster hiding aboard the ship from reaching England.
Mr. Clemens proves to be a quite likable hero for this ill- fated voyage. He's intelligent (Both in terms of "Book- smarts" and "Street- smarts"), brave, kind- hearted, and sympathetic. All the things that a good doctor should be. Corey Hawkins gives a great performance as him, from the emotions he displays to the quite believable British accent he uses. His backstory also does make a good deal of sense, as I'd imagine it would indeed be VERY difficult for a black physician, even one as clearly brilliant and competent as him, to find work during that time period, especially in certain countries. He even faces prejudice from some of his own fellow crewmen on this voyage. He doesn't let it get in the way of him trying to do what's right as much as possible, though.
The theological point that Mr. Clemens teaches us is on rolling with the punches and adjusting to bad circumstances, particularly ones that came about through our own mistakes and failures. He helps show this early on: In the first Dracula attack (Though the crew of course don't realize that's who it is yet), he slaughters all of the livestock they had been keeping aboard the ship for food AND the ship's loyal dog Huckleberry. The captain's young grandson Toby is extremely distraught over this, as caring for the animals had been his personal responsibility, and he thus sees what happened to them as a personal failure on his part. Clemens sets out to comfort the poor child, and tells him "Sometimes things go wrong, no matter what we promise. There are things in this world that we can't control, but we do our best."

That is the perfect sentiment to make under such circumstances. We can't always ensure that everything will go right. Sometimes things just fall apart, due to our momentary failures or things we have no control over. What matters is that we keep trying and doing our best. Mr. Clemens later experiences the truth of this firsthand, as his attempts to stop the ship and Dracula from reaching England are ultimately unsuccessful, but we see in the end that he refuses to just give up in the face of this failure, and we last see him following Dracula, still determined to destroy this monster before he can hurt anyone else.

In that sense, Mr. Clemens can be seen as quite similar to the apostle Peter. He too had leadership skills, but he too had a MAJOR personal failure that took its toll on him, when he denied Jesus three times after swearing to stick by Him to the end (Luke 22:54- 62). Nevertheless, Peter eventually picked himself up from this failure, recommitted himself to Jesus (John 21:15- 17; I always loved that part of Scripture), and became a dedicated minister of the Gospel the rest of his days.

There we have Mr. Clemens, another great character who shows that we can move on from our failures and still do great things for the Lord. Well done, sir!

The next entry on this list is another hero who faces off against Count Dracula, but this one is ultimately more successful in his attempts:

5. Robert Montague Renfield, 'Renfield.'

(Credit for this image goes to the user AlexHoskins at the Heroes wiki at https://hero.fandom.com/wiki/R.M._Renfield?file=Renfield_%282023%29.png)

I have to say, I absolutely ADORED the horror- comedy film 'Renfield'! It was the perfect blend of humor, scares, and action, and looked at the story of Dracula in a whole new way, with easily one of its best parts being its title character.
Robert Montague Renfield (Nicholas Hoult) has been working as the human servant/ protector for Count Dracula (Nicolas Cage) for over a century now, with a prolonged lifespan and mild vampiric superpowers given to him by Drac, which temporarily increase whenever Renfield eats an insect. However, he's grown to increasingly dislike having to do this job, and one can't really blame him for that. Helping Dracula find fresh blood and living things to slaughter for it isn't exactly the most fulfilling of jobs, and is starting to really weigh on Renfield at this point. 
With the encouragement of a support group he becomes a part of for people in codependent relationships, Renfield begins making steps to distance himself from Dracula and improve his own life. He finds a new place to live, changes up his lifestyle a lot, and starts up a nice friendship and possibly intimate relationship with policewoman Rebecca Quincey (Awkwafina).
As you can probably guess, Dracula eventually starts noticing these changes and is NOT fond of them, so Renfield soon finds himself in for the fight of his life to protect those he has grown to care about and truly become his own free, happy person.
It would be pretty much impossible to watch this movie and NOT actively root for Renfield as he sets out to improve his own situation and become the best person he can be. His unique bug- eating- triggered abilities are put to excellent use in the various fight scenes we see him get into, all well- staged and inventive. Nicholas Hoult has always been a fantastic actor, and he definitely brings his "A" game to playing Renfield, infusing him with awkwardness, exasperation, and real heart.

The main theological point Mr. Renfield (And, indeed, the movie 'Renfield' as a whole) teaches is on avoiding toxic relationships and people who are corrupting influences on us. He has realized just how bad working for Dracula is for him, that Dracula does not truly care about him but sees him merely as a useful stooge, and that he needs to distance himself from Dracula to become a better person and do something good with his life.

We, too, need to be careful to not associate too closely with people who we know are bad influences on us and can harm our walks with God. The Bible is littered with warnings about this. For just one example, 2 Corinthians 6:14 says “Don’t team up with those who are unbelievers. How can righteousness be a partner with wickedness? How can light live with darkness?” Another, even more fitting example is Proverbs 16:29: “Violent people mislead their companions, leading them down a harmful path.” People like that can get us in trouble and keep us from better connecting with Jesus, so we all need to try our hardest to be more discerning on whom we associate with.

Another point Renfield shows is on leaning on the Lord rather than our own efforts. When an angry Dracula confronts Renfield in his apartment to bring the young man (Well, Renfield is technically over a hundred years old, but you get my drift) back under his thumb, Renfield attempts to stand up to him, not with garlic or a crucifix, but with a self- help/ affirmation book he had been given in the support group and attempting to spout passages from it. As you can guess, Dracula is completely unfazed by this.

 This can help to demonstrate the point about where our true strength comes from. While such things as therapy, support groups, and other such forms of self- help can be a great asset in improving our mental health, they alone are not a solid enough foundation to enable us to endure the storms and indeed evil that life can throw at us: Only God is.

As Jeremiah 15:5-9 puts it, "Thus says the Lord: 'Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the Lord. He is like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see any good come. He shall dwell in the parched places of the wilderness, in an uninhabited salt land. Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.' The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?"
Therapy and other forms of support can help a lot and should be encouraged, but we need a firm foundation of faith in Christ to truly triumph against evil.

Two wonderful lessons from a wonderful character. Thank you for sharing, Mr. Renfield!

Now, we go from a male victim- turned- hero in a horror film, to a female one (In fact, the only female character on this year's list; No offense, nothing personal or sexist or anything, it's just that most of the characters who impacted me most in films in 2023 happened to be male):

6. Kirby Reed, 'Scream 6.'

(Credit for this image goes to the user Dakkus69 on the Heroes Wiki at https://hero.fandom.com/wiki/Kirby_Reed?so=search&file=KirbyReed-ScreamVI.png)

I've been a colossal fan of the 'Scream' franchise ever since its inception. It introduced the idea of meta commentary on horror films, ushered in the age of the postmodern slasher movie, never skimped on the scares, and was pretty consistently well written (Other than the unwatchable third season of the 'Scream' TV show; That abomination needs to be stripped from the public memory as quickly as possible). That being said, had you told me three years ago that I would be putting Kirby Reed on one of these lists, I would not have believed you. Don't get me wrong, when she first appeared in the fourth film in the series in 2011, she was a very likable character, through the combination of how she was written and Hayden Panettiere's performance as her. She was shown to be brave, clever, funny, and a loyal friend. However, by the end of that movie, she seemed pretty dead, having taken multiple stab wounds to the stomach from one of the two killers in that movie and collapsed limply to the ground. And so, it seemed for over a decade that we'd seen the last of that poor girl.
Thankfully, it looks like the writers weren't done with Kirby after all; First, in 'Scream 5,' a VERY subtle, blink- and- you'll- miss- it moment implies that Kirby in fact survived this assault, and now in the thrilling 'Scream 6,' she is a full- on supporting character again, and a pretty darn cool one at that. Now thirty, she is an FBI agent who remains fascinated with the Ghostface murders and heads to New York to assist the other heroes in stopping some new psychopaths who have taken on the Ghostface mantle for a killing spree of their own.

Not only is it great to see that Kirby is officially alive and well, the growth as a character she has obviously had since her previous appearance makes her even more interesting, dealing with aspects of her job as an FBI agent and how she has moved on from the attack that very nearly killed her. She's now tougher, wiser and more street- smart than she was before, assets that prove to be of great use in stopping this new set of Ghostface murders. 

I also think it's cool that, in spite of all that Kirby went through and her near death in the fourth movie, she still is as much of a big- time horror film fan as ever, as shown through a cool conversation she has with the character Mindy in one scene. I guess even near- death trauma can't quash her enjoyment of what she loves.
The theological point Kirby helps bring up is on courage. When a character at one point asks how she got past her near- death in the fourth film, Kirby responds "I almost died after I was stabbed. Technically, I did die... for 4 minutes. When I recovered, I got mad. I didn't want to spend the rest of my life being afraid of monsters. I wanted the monsters to be afraid of me."
That awesome sentiment sums up perfectly one of my favorite Bible verses relating to courage, Proverbs 28:1: "The wicked flee when no one pursues them, but the righteous are as bold as a lion." It also brings to mind Psalm 27:3: "“Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war arise against me, yet I will be confident.”
Evil certainly exists in the world, but faith in the Lord Jesus will always give us enough courage to overcome it. Never forget that.
From a cool but naive victim, to a still cool but also now fearless and wise heroine valiantly helping to stand against evil. Way to go, Kirby!

For the next entry on this list, we go from someone who went through pretty horrific trauma, to someone who hasn't been through any major trauma at all:

7. Pavitr Prabhakar aka "Indian Spider- Man," 'Spider- Man: Across the Spider- Verse.'

(Credit for this image goes to the user HobbesTiger64 on the Heroes Wiki at https://hero.fandom.com/wiki/Pavitr_Prabhakar_(Spider-Man:_Across_the_Spider-Verse)?so=search&file=PavitrPrabhakar.png)

'Spider- Man: Across the Spider- Verse' was a great addition to the 'Spider- Verse' animated film series! We see a lot of cool new alternate- universe versions of Spider- Man in it, but my favorite had to be the Indian version of him, Pavitr Prabhakar (It's a bit of a mouthful, I know)!
He lives in the city of "Mumbattan" (aka Mumbai + Manhattan), and protects its people as their Spider- Man. He has an immensely sunny, optimistic outlook on life, largely because he hasn't yet faced any of the character- defining personal tragedies that other incarnations of Spidey have faced (i.e. While his uncle died, it was apparently from natural causes, and his versions of Captain Stacy and Gwen are still alive).

 His fighting and web- slinging style is beautiful to watch. Rather than just being a simple cut- and- past of what the other Spideys we've seen in those films can do, he brings his own unique touches influenced by his distinctive culture. Many of his movements are based on an Indian martial arts form, and the way he uses his bangle bracelets as a kind of fulcrum to help with his web- slinging will have you in awe every time! He has loads of funny moments, too, such as his monologue when we first meet him and his recurring outrage when he hears someone utter the phrase "Chai Tea." Karan Soni (Also known for playing the affable cab driver Dopinder in the 'Deadpool' films) accentuates all this with his very amusing performance as Pavitr's voice and in general helping to shape what directions this fascinating character would be taken in.
Just check out this first scene with him and I dare you not to at least smile:

 (This video can be found at https://youtu.be/Ij-FYOrklFE?si=LUVkB9HnFQNYMHMN)

The Biblical truth that Pavitr helps to teach is, similar to the lesson that Mr. Clemens taught us, on the important role that trials can play to a believer. Pavitr is brave and good- hearted, but as I said, he is naive and a little too cocky precisely because he hasn't yet gone through the trials and tragedies that the other Spider- Men and Spider- Women have. Pretty much every incarnation of Spidey truly becomes a great hero through the losses he experiences.

It is through struggle, through hardship, through tragedy that our character is truly shaped and we become the people God would have us be. Romans 5:3-5 perfectly describes this by saying, "We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love."
While we of course love going through good times, and they certainly serve their purpose, it is the times of hardship and loss that teach us to rely on God and become all the stronger for it. I've certainly faced plenty of hardships in my life, from the death of loved ones to being mistreated for being different to work issues to breakups and everything in between. It is through them that I learned valuable lessons and was better able to live for Jesus with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength. It can be the same for all of you.
While it looks like the heroic Miles Morales will be in for a heck of a fight to set things right in the upcoming final film in the series, 'Spider- Man: Beyond the Spider- Verse,' I know he can pull it off, ESPECIALLY if he has Pavitr Prabhakar to back him up!

This next entry on the list are also a fascinating, funny retelling of classic figures, except these were real people:

8. Balthazar, Caspar, and Melchoir (Aka the three Wise Men), 'Journey to Bethlehem.'

(Credit for this picture goes to the promotional website for the movie at https://flash.sonypictures.com/affirmfilms/journeytobethlehem/JourneyToBethlehem-Characters-WiseMen.png)

Here's a little three- in- one entry, because honestly, these characters work so well largely because of how they play off of each other, and they thus should be evaluated as a group rather than individually.
'Journey to Bethlehem' was a fun, light- hearted, musical take on the birth of Jesus, with a lot of great performances and some quite memorable songs. No real high drama, but entertaining, poignant at times, and with loads of great songs.
Easily one of the best elements of it is how it portrayed the three Maji: Solemn astronomer Balthazar, socially- awkward scholar Caspar, and food- obsessed cartographer Melchoir (Omid Djalili, whom some of you may remember from the 1999 thriller 'The Mummy,' in which he played an ill- fated prison warden). These distinctive personalities play off each other very amusingly, they all sing well, and you'll enjoy every scene with them. They bring plenty of laughs, and a moment or two of real poignance.
As in the teachings of Christian theology, they realize from the position of the stars that the prophesied Messiah will be born very soon, and follow the star to find where this will take place. Balthazar keeps track of the star's position, Caspar uses his knowledge of the prophecies to help interpret the positioning of it, and Melchoir uses his skill with maps to help them stay on the right track.
The Scriptural lessons that the Maji teach, in addition to obviously showing a take on the role they played in the birth of Jesus, are on stepping out of one's comfort zone. Balthazar learns to open up more, Caspar steps out by more readily interacting with people, and Melchoir sacrifices the comfort of his good foods and other luxuries to accompany his friends on their quest. In so doing, they were able to meet the newborn Son of God, and pay tribute to Him.

Many of the greatest heroes in the Bible got that way precisely by similarly stepping out of their comfort zones. Abraham out of faith went to settle in a land God promised to him, even though he didn't know where it was. Noah's building an Ark, Moses having to return to Egypt and stand before Pharaoh, Jonah having to go to Nineveh and warn them of God's judgement upon them unless they repented, all of those things were big leaps of faith that required forsaking what was easy and comfortable and doing what was right. Joshua 1:9 tells us "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go."

Psalm 37:232-24 says "The Lord makes firm the steps of the one who delights in Him; Though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with His hand." When God sees us stepping out of our comfort zones and seeking His will, He will give us courage and direct our steps, just as He did with Melchoir, Balthazar, and Caspar.
In short, to paraphrase the refrain of one of their songs in the movie, "These Maji are three wise guys!"

Now we go to another character who is similarly wise, but also deeply troubled:

9. Adrian Monk, 'Mr. Monk's Last Case: A Monk Movie.'

(Adrian Monk, with COVID masks at the ready. Credit for this image goes to the user "Valyrian Wildfire" on the Monk Wiki at https://monk.fandom.com/wiki/Mr._Monk%27s_Last_Case:_A_Monk_Movie?file=Mr._Monk%27s_Last_Case_A_Monk_Movie_Poster.jpg)


As a hardcore fan of the 2002- 2009 show 'Monk,' about obsessive- compulsive San Francisco detective Adrian Monk (Brilliantly played by Tony Shalhoub) and the murders he solves in spite of and at times BECAUSE OF his compulsions and his lengthy list of phobias, I was absolutely delighted that he would be getting a movie, in the form of the Peacock streaming film 'Mr. Monk's Last Case: A Monk Movie.' The end result was hysterical, sad at times, exciting, and a nice mystery, all just like how the old show was.
When we are reunited with Adrian Monk in this, he is NOT in a good place psychologically. While the series finale of the show ended with him largely at peace with himself, the COVID pandemic shattered all that (It obviously altered life for all of us, but for someone like him with a near- crippling fear of germs and loads of other phobias and compulsions, it was a hundred times worse), and his plans to get a book he wrote about his exploits published fall through, so he doesn't even have enough money to help pay for his stepdaughter Molly's wedding as he had hoped he would. All of these hangups leave poor Adrian heavily contemplating suicide.
He gains at least a temporary new lease on life when Molly's fiancee Griffin dies mysteriously the day before the wedding, and it soon becomes clear that he was murdered. When Monk officially realizes this, he takes the case, determined to solve it, bring Molly some closure, and find justice for Griffin. He sets out on what will apparently be his last case, trying to solve this murder while also attempting to secretly get his affairs in order for what he sadly still plans to do.
Adrian Monk remains as wonderful of a character in this as he always was. Tony Shalhoub as usual gives a brilliant performance as him, with the character having all the same wit, humor and heart that we've always known him to have. Nearly every scene with him will have you burst out laughing, as was the case with the original show. At the same time, his newfound despairing nature adds to his sympathy, as we so desperately want to see him get out of this funk before it's too late and give life another chance, so then seeing him eventually do so will have you in tears of happiness.

The Biblical lesson that Adrian Monk teaches us here is on legacy, perspective, and continuing to do what you're called to do for as long as you can. We learn early on that, in Monk's current depressed state, he hasn't been answering many calls from the police department to help them solve murders, so their file of unsolved murders is starting to get pretty thick. Then, in the very end of the movie, having solved Griffin's murder, Adrian is seated on a park bench about to commit suicide by overdosing on pills. Then, however, he sees/ hallucinates the spirit of his beloved late wife Trudy walking up to him, telling him not to give up because of all the good he did and could still do. She is soon accompanied by the white- suited spirit of Griffin who points out the good Adrian did at helping expose the truth about his murder and ensuring his killer faced justice for it. These two are then joined by a multitude of other spirits, all similarly- attired. They are all the people whose murders Adrian solved in the past, all similarly pointing out the great legacy Adrian already has through helping them, and that he can continue to build on. Among them, Adrian sees the spirit of a woman he does not recognize. She states that her murder hasn't been solved yet, it's waiting in the police department's unsolved file for Adrian to investigate. In this way, Adrian gets a new lease on life as he realizes that there is still much more he can do in this life. He rejects the pills and confidently walks off, the spirits following him, eager to start this new chapter of his life.

This marvelous ending brings to mind Hebrews 12:1-2a: "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith." As Adrian had all the people he helped find justice, so we too have a great cloud of people who've gone before us in Heaven, have been through similar struggles as ours, and are openly cheering us on in our own lives, so we should discard all the negative mindsets and sins that can hinder us and pursue with all our strength the calling that the Lord God has for us.

So, let's hear it for the great Adrian Monk! His struggles and compulsions may have caused him a lot of problems, but they helped put many murderers in prison, bring justice and closure to the victims and their families, and drive home a valuable lesson on diligence in what we are called to do. As he himself would famously put it, "It's a gift, and a curse."

To finish this list, we go from one beloved legacy character who's now late in his career, to another who's just starting his own:

10. Willy Wonka, 'Wonka.'

(Credit for this image goes to the user "FDR102705" at 
https://hero.fandom.com/wiki/Willy_Wonka?so=search&file=WONKA+INSTA+VERT+Willy+Wonka+1638x2048+DOM.webp)

I've always loved the classic Roald Dahl children's book 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,' and all of its cinematic adaptations (My personal fave is the Tim Burton/ Johnny Depp version from 2005, but that's just my opinion), and last year's magnificent 'Wonka' is another great addition to that list.
This prequel to the Gene Wilder movie introduces us to Willy Wonka in his early twenties, marvelously played by Timothee Chalamet. He arrives in an unnamed city intent on making his fortune through his recipes for candy. That soon proves to be easier said than done, and Willy goes through all kinds of adventures along the way, from being forced into servitude by a pair of cruel innkeepers/ laundromat owners (Even though those two were created for the movie, they both REALLY felt like the exact sorts of greedy, repulsive villains that Roald Dahl would have created for one of his books), making his first sales, dodging intimidation and sabotage from rival candymakers, learning about the Oompa- Loompas, to eventually laying the groundwork for his marvelous chocolate factory.
It would be pretty much impossible NOT to love and root for this version of Willy Wonka. Less world- weary than he was in the Gene Wilder movie, more idealistic, ambitious, and a little naive, but pure- hearted all the way through. He helps others who are in even more dire positions than him, stands up for what is right, has one heck of a singing voice, and just seeing him will make anyone feel like a kid again.

The Biblical point to be taken from Willy Wonka is on selfless love for others. While Willy's main dream is obviously to make his fortune and make a name for himself by bringing his candy to the world and using it to bring happiness to everyone he can, throughout the film, he repeatedly puts his own dreams on the backburner in order to help other people. From early in the film when a beggar woman with a baby asks him for a silver sovereign so she can have enough money for a roof over her head and Willy responds by giving her two of them (And at a time when he had only three), to a scene near the climax when Willy momentarily agrees to leave town and never make candy again in exchange for his new friends being freed from their fellow servitude to the laundromat owners, he makes it clear that his true purpose in life is to bring happiness to others, whether through his candy or through making personal sacrifices for them. This, then, leads to them doing all they can to help him persevere.
This calls to mind another of my favorite Scripture verses, Philippians 2:3-4: "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others."
That's pretty much exactly what Willy did repeatedly throughout the film, and that's what we're all called to do as followers of Jesus. There will be times when we will need to set aside our own immediate goals and personal ambitions to help those who may be more in need than we are. We need to be open and aware of when others around us are in need, and be prepared to show them God's love.

I'd say that's certainly a "Sweet" lesson, from the greatest fictional candymaker of all time. Bravo, Willy Wonka!

A few honorable mentions for me on this list include Jessica and Scuba from 'Thanksgiving,' Travis from 'The Haunted Mansion,' Lofty and Noodle from 'Wonka,' Gemma from 'M3GAN,' Angela from 'Teddy Told Me To,' and Lonnie Frisbee from 'Jesus Revolution' (He very nearly made this list).

Well, that's it for this entry of the Nightcrawler Experience. Stay tuned, as I have a new individual entry as well as a whole series of entries in production, just waiting to be finished. Until then, may God bless you all!

Old blending with new, and clinging to truth: A faith- based look at 'A Claymation Christmas Celebration.'

 Hi, everyone, and merry belated Christmas and happy New Year from the Nightcrawler Experience!
Sorry for another late Christmas entry this year, a combination of hectic work and a jam- packed Christmas break kept me from getting it out any earlier!
In this entry, I'll be finishing out both 2023 and my "A Very 80's Christmas" series I started two years ago with the 1987 Christmas special 'A Claymation Christmas Celebration'!



This very odd (Like all the 80's Christmas specials I've looked at, now that I think about it) but charming special utilizes stop motion clay animation, is made by Will Vinton who was a real pioneer of this art form, is hosted by two anthropomorphic dinosaurs: A straight- laced and well- read T- Rex named simply Rex, and a gluttonous and rather simple- minded styracosaurus (Sort of like a triceratops) named Herb.

In this special, Herb and Rex introduce stand- alone segments of innovative performances of Christmas carols, explaining a little about the origins of each song before the performances start.

The first musical segment is my favorite: A look at the timeless American carol "We Three Kings." This is arranged in a unique way: The song's verses are performed by the three Maji themselves in a fairly standard traditional way, but the song's chorus is performed by their CAMELS, in more of a doo- wop style. Both styles sound beautiful, the designs for each of the characters in this sequence are all unique and detailed, and the final chorus actually manages to combine the two musical styles in a pretty seamless way. I have to agree with Rex in the aftermath of that segment when he says, "Now, wasn't that delightful?"

Next, we have an interesting take on the "Carol of the Bells." Here, it takes place in the Notre Dame Cathedral, with Quasimodo acting as a conductor for a choir of living bells that each peal out a different tune by banging themselves in the head with chime hammers (Remember I said this special was a weird one?). We see there is one particularly dim- witted bell in the choir who plays a key note in the song, but who messes around a lot and loses his chime hammer. Quasimodo understandably gets pretty mad, but comes up with a clever way to solve this problem by the end of the segment.

For the third segment, we hear a children's choir sing "O Christmas Tree," with the visuals showing various groups celebrating around a Christmas tree, from two little children decorating their tree, to a family (I think) of gingerbread people dancing, to the North Pole workshop with elves creating toys, to Santa and Mrs, Claus relaxing in front of their fireplace, and back. Each of these visuals segues into the next by the camera zooming in on an ornament hanging on that particular group's Christmas tree.

Segment #4 uses an instrumental performance of "Angels We Have Heard on High," which is set to a walrus couple performing an interpretive ice ballet, while repeatedly bowling over a group of unfortunate penguins watching the performance. I think it's the closest thing to a weak link the special has, but it'll still get some chuckles out of you.

Segment #5 is a REALLY pretty one, yet the only one in the special that doesn't use Claymation animation: At a countryside church, we hear "Joy to the World" performed in a soul/ jazz style, accompanied by colorful visuals which resemble the stained glass windows on the church. It's a little strange- looking, but incredibly beautiful at the same time, and the music in that segment is truly awe- inspiring.

The last musical vignette involves the California Raisins (Anybody else remember them?) missing a bus out of town after a Christmas Eve concert, and singing "Rudolph, the Red- Nosed Reindeer" while coming up with an innovative new form of transportation to get on their way. They can always put on a fun performance with talented vocals, and this is no exception. The California Raisins need to make a comeback!

Acting as kind of bookends to these segments, we cut back each time to our hosts Herb and Rex. When they aren't talking about the songs, we see Rex being increasingly annoyed as the dear old Christmas carol "Here We Come a Wassailing" is constantly being lyrically butchered by various traveling food vendors (i.e. A group of dogs selling waffles sing it "Here We Come a Waffling," some geese waddling by selling baskets full of treats sing it "Here We Come a Waddling," etc.), with none of them seeming to know what "Wassail" truly means, and Herb too busy stuffing his face with what the vendors are selling to care. Attempting to consult the dictionary on what it means doesn't help much, either. Finally, near the end of the special, Rex is pleased to hear a group of leprechaun- esque elves singing the song the right way while chugging cider. One of them explains that the actual meaning of it is to go around neighborhoods singing Christmas carols and receiving treats and drinks from the people there, which is something that both Rex and Herb can get behind. The special ends with the entire cast, including the characters from the previous musical segments, singing that song, and then "We Wish You a Merry Christmas."

In spite of how strange it could be at times, 'A Claymation Christmas Celebration' remains a marvelous Christmas special which is another addition to my library of traditional pre- Christmas viewing material.
The music is consistently great, in terms of both talent and variety. The animation looks great for the time. Stopmotion animation, especially with clay, is a dying art, but this is a great example of how it can be used when done well. In addition, Rex and Herb are excellent host characters, with a great "Straight- Man/ Funny- Man" comedy duo in their segments. This special also ended up winning an Emmy for Outstanding Animated Program.
This special also gains points for the fact that one of the animators who worked on it was Craig Bartlett, who would go on to create the delightful Nickelodeon animated show 'Hey Arnold!'
All in all, an awesome special that needs to be remembered. Here's a link to it, check it out:

https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x57fkhi

I'd say 'A Claymation Christmas Celebration' has some theological messages, as well.

I think the first is on the role that both traditional and contemporary styles have their place in our modern worship, as seen through the marvelous "We Three Kings" segment. In that segment, even though the Maji sing the verses in the traditional way and the camels sing it in a doo- wop style, they both play off each other well, and meld together surprisingly beautifully on the final refrain. Similarly, both traditional hymns and worship styles can compliment each other nicely and do great things for the Lord.

 Many older Christians can look down on and dismiss more modern styles of worship in ways that come across as really closed- minded. I recently saw a depressingly ignorant blog article from a certain gentleman who shall remain nameless (I talked briefly about this jerk in my review of 'The Hunchback of Notre Dame' a few years ago), in which he was spewing all kinds of hateful garbage about contemporary Christian music. In the article, he at times insulted some particular contemporary Christian music artists on such ridiculously petty bases as claiming that some male contemporary performers don't look masculine enough for his liking, and claiming that certain female Christian artists (Ones who I have personally met a few times and know for a fact are genuinely kind and humble, have strong hearts for the Lord, and helped me learn more about living for Jesus than this clown ever has, btw) had too "Prideful" expressions on their faces on an old magazine cover. I used to occasionally visit that creep's web page for laughs over how unintentionally absurd he is, but now will never waste another second of my time doing so ever again. Along the same line, many younger believers can be equally closed- minded and dismissive of the older styles, claiming that it's "Boring" or obsolete. As a teacher at a Christian school, I've heard that view occasionally expressed by certain students.
 

Both views are wrong. In truth, both forms of worship have their place in the church. Traditional forms and styles of worship can keep the church well- grounded and connected to its theological heritage, and contemporary styles can inject fresh energy into things, touch people's hearts, connect to the struggles modern believers face, and draw in younger generations and thus encourage them to give the faith a chance. It all ties in to Psalm 100:5, which says "For the Lord is good, and His steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations." Notice those last two words: ALL generations! Both the traditional and the contemporary can work together to help the church fulfill the Lord's calling to lead people to Jesus and spread His Word throughout the world, just as the two seemingly different styles of singing in the "We Three Kings" segment worked together so well to present that timeless song.

As a second theological message, the host- segments' subplot involving Rex trying to keep the other characters from butchering the wassailing carol can symbolize the importance for all of us as Christians to ensure that we stand up for the truth of the Gospel. There are some pushes to try and dilute the Gospel in our modern age and care more about shifting societal norms than about what Jesus and His apostles taught (Heck, there is a near- war developing within the United Methodist Church over such concerns). In Psalm 12:6-7, though, the Psalmist says "The words of the Lord [are] pure words: [as] silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. Thou shalt keep them, o Lord, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever." In Acts 5:29, after Peter is told by priests to stop preaching or go to prison, and the response was "Then Peter and the apostles answered and said, "We ought to obey God rather than men." We all should, to the best of our abilities, hold to the same concept, following God's eternal commandments and callings for us rather than the fickle norms of secular society.

That sums up my look at 'A Claymation Christmas Celebration,' a timeless Christmas classic which teaches equally timeless lessons.
That's all for this edition of the Nightcrawler Experience. Stay tuned for future entries, as I work on my Top 10 movie characters of 2023 and what we can learn from them.
Until then, happy New Year, and may God bless you all!

Controlling our Inner Demons: What to Learn from "The Unfortunate Five."

 Hello everyone, and welcome back to the Nightcrawler Experience!
This is a LONG- overdue entry I intended to be part 2 of this year's Halloween series, but one thing led to another, and I just couldn't finish it any sooner than I did.
I hope everyone had a happy Halloween, and WILL have a happy Thanksgiving tomorrow!
Another important announcement is that, in about a week, it will be the ten- year anniversary of my very first entry of the Nightcrawler Experience! Ten years and now 85 entries later, I remain as committed to continuing this ministry as ever! There have been some hangups, between writer's block, haters trying to discourage me from continuing (Nice try, Satan), and of course simple busyness and time constraints, but with God's help I persevered, and intend to keep making new entries on this blog for a long, long time to come!
Lastly, on a more somber note, this entry is dedicated to the memory of my old friend Karen Sowders, who passed away last week. She was a straight- up saint of a woman, acting as a helpful volunteer to the First United Methodist Church of Lake Alfred youth group when I was its youth director, remaining fiercely loyal to both her family and her church, and deeply committed to the Lord Jesus Christ. I'll never forget her warm smile, and I have no doubt she's continuing to smile like that in the Kingdom of Heaven at this very moment. See you up there, Karen.
Now then, let's grab the last of our leftover Halloween candy and get to the actual entry.

For this part of my Scares and Salvation series for the St. John's youth group, I returned to a show I had previously talked about in another Halloween entry of this blog back in 2018: The British- Canadian kids' TV show 'Creeped Out.' 

(Credit for this image goes to the user llemworld on the Creeped Out wiki at https://creeped-out.fandom.com/wiki/Creeped_Out_Wiki?file=Download_%284%29.jpg)
As I said in the previous entry about it, this was a weird and creepy anthology show, sometimes filmed in England and other times filmed in Canada (You can tell which episodes were filmed where by the accents heard from the characters), with kids and teens facing all kinds of bizarre and creepy circumstances. Each episode is opened and closed with a brief narration by an unseen narrator and an appearance by the show's sort- of host, the Curious, a mysterious, silent, childlike little masked figure who apparently shows up wherever such tales happen and usually collects some sort of souvenir of the story in question.

 While the Curious does not seem malevolent in nature, it still gives off an ominous feel, especially while whistling the show's eerie theme music. For those who didn't catch my 2018 entry, here's a video that introduces an early episode of the show and paints a picture of what the Curious is usually like:

(This video can be found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8RyW_A-nAQ)

In my previous look at this show, I focused on the Season 1 episode "Trolled." In this one, in turn, I will be looking at a Season 2 episode entitled "The Unfortunate Five."

In this episode, a group of five very different high school children are being punished for assorted misbehavior with Saturday detention: Strictly- raised rich girl Jude, social media- obsessed Feng, well- liked soccer player Mayel, shy Willow, and nerdy Stan.
Upon arriving at the school, they are met by Mr. Hawkins, a cruel sleazebag who happens to be the school's assistant principal. He promptly confiscates the kids' phones, informs them that nobody will be getting in or out of the school until the detention is finished as he has the keys, and directs them to the school's library, where we learn that the detention will be supervised by a woman named Miss Cully, though she insists that they call her Faye.

 She tells them that she apparently works for a group called "The Empathy Project," and that she will be putting them through a sort of alternative rehabilitation that day intended to help them with their respective issues that got them sent to detention in the first place. Her program is apparently called "YUMM" (Short for Yoga, Unblocking, Mindfulness, and Meditation), and it is mentioned that she used it in another school on an incredibly angry and destructive boy named Rob Dorsett, who recently went missing. Faye abruptly changes the subject and asks the students to form a "Truth circle," which soon degenerates into a screaming match as it becomes clear that the five students have personal grudges against each other, many of which led to the reasons why they were each sent to detention.

Faye then tells the students to take a break. Going to the bathroom, Jude hears a strange noise. She sees Faye growling like an animal, leaping onto the sink, and wiping a dark, inky substance from her mouth. Jude sneaks out before Faye can catch/ discover her. She goes to Mr. Hawkins's office to try and tell him what is happening, but the apathetic jerk of course doesn't believe her, makes it clear he cares more about enjoying his lunch than about the safety of the students, and rubs salt in the wound by saying that she and the other four students aren't worth saving anyway.

Upon returning to the library, Jude notices Faye carrying a handkerchief that belonged to the missing Rob Dorsett, and Faye says that that boy's fear, hostility and anger made him "Perfect for (Her) needs," but that she now needs a replacement. At this, Jude realizes that Faye is a demon who feeds on such negative emotions, and that she intends to consume the five students just as she did to Rob.

Jude shares her suspicions with the others in the group, but they too don't believe her at first. Eventually, Jude convinces the group that they shouldn't necessarily want to get rid of their anger, as it gives them the passion to do what they are good at (i.e. Mayel channels it into being unbeatable on the soccer field, Feng vents it through his social media posts, etc.).
Growing desperate as this isn't going how she intended, Faye takes Willow from the library to try and feed on her, so the students know they need to act fast, and figure the best way to do that is to give her a more tempting/ nourishing target. So, while the other kids distract Faye, Jude goes back to Mr. Hawkins's office, and does everything she can to irritate him. Sure enough, Hawkins had so much hatred and anger buried within him for so many years that this causes him to quickly explode into furious yelling and threats. At this, the other kids in the group lead Faye to him, and his rage attracts her enough that she goes to town on him (The way this unfolds is scary and intense, yet not so gruesome as to turn off the kids that are the show's primary audience, and Hawkins was such a creep that nobody would be too sad at his fate anyway).
Leaving the school, Jude returns everyone's stuff, and it's clear that they have all made up and become friends again and will not mention what happened to anyone, while Faye walks away serenely. The Curious is seen on the school's roof collecting as a souvenir a jar full of an inky black substance (Most likely all that was left of Mr. Hawkins after Faye was done with him), and the narrator says that when you're angry, you should count to five rather than to ten, as "Anger- feeders" like Faye can reach you quickly.

'The Unfortunate Five' made for a great episode of the show. It was scary, funny at times, taught a good message, and most of the acting was good.
The kids were each likable enough in their own ways (Though learning more about each of them would have been nice), Mr. Hawkins was suitably scummy and easy to hate, and Faye's actress did a wonderful job handling her both as a gentle, passive hippy- type that she often seemed to be, and as the snarling monster we soon learn she really is. 

All in all, a wonderful entry to a fascinating show. Check it out on Netflix if you want.

Now, who thinks they can guess the Scriptural message that can be drawn from this episode?

That’s right: The problems of uncontrolled anger!

Everyone feels anger sometimes. I certainly do. Heck, I faced it earlier the very day I gave this message to the youth group when I had my class at recess, and attempting to fix one student’s idiotic decision led to me getting a huge splinter in my finger that drew blood. The real issue, though, is how to respond when we feel it.

In my years as an educator in various capacities, I’ve seen loads of times when people of all different ages have lost their tempers. It never ends well. One afternoon a month ago, I saw a parent lose her temper with one of my fellow teachers over an incident that happened with that parent’s child earlier in the day that was taken out of context. It was scary to behold, and as I witnessed it, I was praying that it would come to a peaceful resolution, which it thankfully did.

As this episode showed, kids and adults alike can feel anger, and can lose their temper. Also as this episode shows, Satan and his demons love when people lose their tempers. They may not devour people consumed by anger the way that Faye does in this, but they do guide such people into acts of evil and destruction. That way, they can both spread pain and chaos, AND corrupt people’s souls.

The Bible has loads of verses dealing with the problems of not properly controlling our anger.

Proverbs 14:29 says, “Whoever is slow to anger has great understanding, but he who has a hasty temper exalts folly.” In other words, it’s saying that it’s smart to be patient, but it’s stupid to lose your temper. I often think over that verse inwardly when I start really getting angry. A similar verse is Ecclesiastes 7:9, which says “Be not quick in your spirit to become angry, for anger lodges in the heart of fools.” James 1:19 says “Know this, my beloved brothers: Let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger.” Proverbs 16:32 says “Whoever is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.”

When you can tell you’re getting angry, and especially when you can tell that the other person is deliberately trying to get you angry, that’s when you really need to step back and make sure you have your emotions under control. Something along those lines happened to me last year. One incredibly rude student called me to my face an insult that I will not repeat here. All I’ll say is it’s something that I was called a lot by bullies when I was in high school, and I had thought my days of being called that were over. My temper immediately flared up, but thankfully I let my brain keep control: I realized that the boy was trying to goad me into losing my temper and hitting him, so I’d be fired and possibly arrested, and that it wouldn’t be worth all that just for him. So, I took a couple deep breaths, and brought things back under control.

I once came across a guy on Youtube who was talking about anger management, and he made a good point: When a person’s deliberately provoking us to anger and we give in, it’s like we’re puppets on strings letting that person control us. If we can stay calm, resist the bait, and ignore it the best we can, we’re cutting those strings and keeping control over our own lives and actions. Jesus Himself HAD to have been angry when the Romans were beating and mocking Him right before crucifying Him, but He didn't let that anger consume Him. If He can have that kind of self- control, we too should have it when facing our own much smaller- scale provocations.

Anger at its core is not necessarily a bad thing. Anger over righteous issues can be used by the Lord to help right wrongs and address injustices, like when Jesus threw out the corrupt moneychangers in the Temple, and in the Civil Rights era, when anger over racial injustice led to people standing up against hate and bringing about positive changes to the world.

The key is in what you do with your anger. As Jude tells her friends late in the episode, each of them is able to discover their personal talents and rise to challenges due in part to their anger, and finding healthy ways to express it.

It is possible to rein in your anger with practice. I right now have a student who I’ll call “Ronnie.” He gets angry very quickly, and had some nasty explosions of temper in my class early in the school year. Now, however, while some things clearly still get him angry, he shows remarkable amounts of self- control. I think one thing that helps him a lot is he has found a great positive outlet for his anger, in the form of his being on the school’s basketball team.

Letting it out in healthy ways is also important because, if you keep it all in and bottle it up for too long, it can explode out of you in the worst possible ways at the worst possible moments, like it did for Mr. Hawkins in the end of the episode. He went from eating lunch to BECOMING lunch, all because he allowed that anger and bitterness to fester within him for so long without properly addressing it. Like I said, it’s all about finding healthy ways to express and release it.

By following this, avoiding rising to the bait of people who provoke us, and finding constructive outlets for our anger, we can keep our tempers under control, model the sort of peace Jesus had, and keep the real- life “Anger- feeders” out there from making a meal of our souls.

That's all for this entry of the Nightcrawler Experience. Keep your eyes peeled, as I'll be making my annual Christmas- themed entries very soon. Until then, take care, and may God bless you all!