The Spirit of Giving and Reaching Out: A faith- based look at the 'Loud House' Christmas special.

Hello everyone, and merry Christmas from the Nightcrawler Experience!
As I mentioned in my Christmas post a couple years ago, I love Christmas, and I love Christmas movies and TV specials, both the well- known and the more obscure. For this entry, I'll be looking at a TV special which just came out this year.

I was pretty much raised on Nickelodeon as a kid with all the great shows they had back then, but that network had been on a major nosedive in terms of quality for the last decade or so. However, earlier this year, Nickelodeon debuted a new show which I have found is actually quite enjoyable: It's an animated series called 'The Loud House.'
This series, made by veteran animation writer Chris Savino (Who worked on such well- loved animated shows as 'Dexter's Laboratory' and 'The Powerpuff Girls'), centers around an 11- year- old boy named Lincoln Loud, who lives in a house with his parents and his ten, that's right, TEN highly different sisters. Most of the episodes deal with 'Slice of Life'- type comedy scenarios about Lincoln interacting with his sisters (Whose first names all start with "L," like his does) in various situations.


(Meet Lincoln Loud, his best friend Clyde, and his ten sisters. Credit to Wikipedia and its uploader "Squiddaddy" for this image)

This show is often VERY funny, and in a lot of different ways. There's slapstick humor, word- play humor, breaking the 4th wall humor, etc.. Admittedly, it has a weakness in that it can rely a little too much on bathroom humor at times (i.e. the Louds' baby sister Lily is often used as little more than a living poop- joke), but it's not heavy enough to really hamper most people's enjoyment of the show.
Another great thing about the show is, considering what a large main cast it has (Including not just Lincoln and his giant family, but also supporting characters such as Lincoln's best friend Clyde and the oldest sister Lori's boyfriend Bobby), it manages to give quite good development to each of the characters. While Lincoln's sisters all have their unique quirks and tropes (One's super- athletic, one's a Goth, one's a dumb blonde, etc.), they aren't completely defined by those tropes, and nearly all are extremely likable in their own ways.
 My favorite character is Lincoln's fourth- oldest sister Luan (In the picture, she's the girl holding a microphone), who's an aspiring comedienne/ master prankster. While much of her dialogue consists of incredibly cheesy puns, the way she delivers them still gets me chuckling every time, largely due to the great work of her voice actress.
Even the show's opening theme song is a lot of fun. It has an early- 2000s pop- punk feel, like something that Blink- 182 would make.
This, then, brings me to the show's Christmas special, '11 Louds a Leapin'.'
It's Christmas Eve, and everyone in the Loud House is preparing for it in some way, from punk- rocker sister Luna trying to come up with a cool Christmas song but suffering from writer's block, to Luan trying to deliver 12 Christmas- related puns at fitting moments, to girly- girl Lola trying to do lots of good deeds to land on the Nice List (More on that a little later).
Lincoln, though, finds himself in a hard spot as his sled accidentally winds up landing in the lawn of the Louds' curmudgeonly neighbor, the aptly- named Mr. Grouse. He is always ready with a mean insult or grouchy complaint, and firmly adheres to the philosophy of "If it lands in my yard, it's mine!" Lincoln attempts to get it back but fails, with the sled breaking in the process. As he is then forced to clean up the mess he made in this failed attempt, he realizes through a picture on the mantle and overhearing a phone call that Mr. Grouse has a large family too who he cares deeply about, but that he has been unable to see them in quite a while because he can't afford to travel.
Deeply moved by this, Lincoln goes home and tells his sisters about the situation. The sisters realize that they have each been going about preparing for Christmas in shallow and rather selfish ways that overlook the spirits of compassion and true giving that Christmas is supposed to be about, completely ignoring that right next door to them is a man not much different from them who'll be looking at a very sad and lonely Christmas if they don't do something. Even the 4 year old supergenius sister Lisa, upon hearing this, loses her normal stoic exterior and bursts into tears.
So, the Louds decide to pay Mr. Grouse a special visit, and serenade him with a quite catchy song that Luna finally came up with when she got in the proper frame of mind. They then reveal to Mr. Grouse that they chipped in to buy him a bus ticket so he can go see his family on Christmas. We at long last see the the Loud parents' faces (Up to that point in the series, they were always shown either from the shoulders down or with something obscuring their faces), they all spend Christmas Eve with Mr. Grouse, and he is so appreciative of their kindness that he in turn gives back all the Louds' stuff that he had confiscated when it landed in his yard. It all leads to a very merry Christmas for one and all.

I can think of at least a couple Godly lessons that can be taken from '11 Louds a Leapin'.'
The most obvious is on the nature of giving and compassion, especially in this time of year.
It drives home the often- repeated but still VERY relevant point that it's better to give than to receive. At times, giving can be hard when dealing with someone who's less- than- friendly towards you, like Mr. Grouse was towards the Louds earlier in the episode (In fact, through most of the series as a whole up to that point). It's certainly not made any easier by the fact that it seems like Yuletide greed and materialism get worse every year. I can still remember last November hearing a radio commercial by a certain cell phone provider advertising that, not only will their stores be open on Thanksgiving, but they've come up with a cute little new nickname for the day: Thanks- getting. I remember hearing that nearly made me physically ill, as it both completely perverted the whole idea of Thanksgiving being about a day of being grateful for what you have, and further reinforced the idea that the holiday season should just be about getting more stuff. Much as it did for Lincoln and his sisters in the first half of the episode, such an outlook on Christmas can blind us to the needs of others.
This look at greed vs. giving can be shown through Psalm 37:21: "The wicked borrow and do not repay, but the righteous give without sparing." Also, Proverbs 11:25 points out that "A generous person will prosper; Whoever refreshes others will be refreshed." There is also, of course, the  well- loved parable of the sheep and the goats in Matthew 25:31- 46, pointing out that when you help someone in need, it's as though you were doing it for God Himself.
We must remember that the reason for Christmas is celebrating God giving us the ultimate gift through allowing Jesus to be born on that silent night to help save us all, and so we should pay it forward through giving to others out of love all year long, but especially on Christmas, and we shouldn't just reserve it for those we care about, but even for those who we're not so fond of. Doing this can often be just what's needed to open their hearts. As Lincoln puts it in the very end of the episode, "Another Christmas has come and gone, but this year, I got the best gift of all: A new friend."

Another Godly lesson can be taken from the subplot involving the sister Lola (In the picture, she's the girl wearing the pink dress). This ultra- girly beauty pageant champion is generally my least favorite character on the show; Most episodes portray her as a rotten, vindictive little brat, the sort of kid who sets the anti- spanking movement back decades. In the Christmas special, Lola has realized that her often- awful behavior may cause Santa to look on her not- so- fondly when giving out presents. So, she sets out to do as many good deeds as possible in one day to ensure she ends up on the Nice List, and often very unenjoyable deeds at that (i.e. diving into the family's pile of sweaty winter boots in order to retrieve Lincoln's boots for him, volunteering to taste- test the foul figgy- pudding that their dad is making as part of their Christmas dinner).  Her view on Santa is quite similar to the view that the world in general has in terms of merit, that all good things in life must be earned. While this might be a wise philosophy in a worldly sense, it doesn't help us much at all in a spiritual sense, as we all have sinned and there's no real measure or standard of merit we can use in that regard.
The good news for us as Christians is, God's not like how Lola envisions Santa. While all of us have sinned and done bad things in our lives, We don't need to earn God's love or His forgiveness by piling up a bunch of good deeds or religious works (Though He certainly does appreciate when we put our faith in Him into practice through good and righteous actions). Out of His immense love and grace, He offered us His forgiveness as a free gift through accepting His Son Jesus Christ into our hearts.

Ephesians 2:8-9 says "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-- Not by works, so that no one can boast." Furthermore, Titus 3:5 points out that "He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of His mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal through the Holy Spirit."

Through following Christ's call to give freely to others and more fully realizing what an amazing gift His salvation is, we can keep the true spirit of Christmas alive in us year round.
So, that's it for this edition of the Nightcrawler Experience. Merry Christmas, and may God bless you all!

Fear and faith: A faith- based look at 'ParaNorman.'

Hi everyone, and welcome back to the Nightcrawler Experience!
Happy Halloween, everyone! Or, at least, everyone who celebrates it.
In the last edition, I looked at an episode of the classic show 'Are You Afraid of the Dark?' For this entry, in contrast, I'll be looking at a newer movie that is already being hailed as a Halloween classic: The 2012 stopmotion movie 'ParaNorman.'


 First, a bit of a disclaimer: While this is technically a PG movie, I do NOT recommend it to kids under 12. It has a lot of pretty scary moments, and a surprising amount of adult content for a PG movie (i.e. a lot of risque humor, and near the end of the movie one of the major characters is revealed to be gay). So, exercise a little bit of caution before letting kids see it.
Anyway, as you can probably tell from the title, it centers around a boy named Norman. He is able to see the spirits of dead people (Most of whom are quite friendly and sociable towards him, especially the ghost of his kindly grandmother who stuck around to keep a promise she made in life to always look out for Norman), and is viewed as a freak by both his family and everyone at school because of this.  Eventually, weirder things than usual begin happening, and Norman realizes that the ghost of an ancient witch who had become something of an urban legend for the town is about to return in order to fulfill a centuries- old curse she made against the town that condemned her. In the process, the judge who sentenced her to death and the villagers who accused her are brought back as zombies. Norman finds himself teaming up with his overbearing big sister Courtney, a pudgy and goofy yet likable kid named Neil who he had started to become friends with, Neil's dumb jock brother Mitch, and the brutish school bully Alvin so he can use his gift to stop the curse, save the town, and help some lost souls find peace.
Even though, as I said, the humor can get a bit crude at times, I loved 'ParaNorman.' It had a great story, some pretty funny moments, and some pretty cool action sequences (i.e, Mitch trying to drive everyone away from the zombies in his van, and in the end when Norman confronts the spirit of the "Witch" causing everything).
The animation on this film is splendid. Stopmotion animation is a lost art, capable of real beauty in the right hands, and that's clearly on display here, especially in terms of the characters. The animation company that made this film, Laika Studios, has made several other quite excellent stopmotion films, such as 'Coraline,' 'The Boxtrolls,' and the more recent 'Kubo and the Two Strings.'

The characters were all a lot of fun, too. Norman is a great unlikely hero, with his courage, kindness, and even his awesome hairstyle (Even when he tries to comb it down, it quickly springs back up again). Courtney is initially a rude, annoying valley- girl, but you grow to like her over the course of the film as she learns to be more supportive/ accepting of Norman. Neil is very funny, and makes an awesome supporting character.
Another character I found I liked a lot more than I expected was Alvin. Usually the "School bully" character in movies is just an unsympathetic jerk for audiences to hate and heroes to stand up to, but Alvin proved to be a very funny and entertaining character to watch, especially for the scenes involving how brainless and cowardly he is in spite of the tough front he puts up. For instance, in one scene, he is attempting to carve his name into a bathroom stall with a knife, but has to keep crossing it out and starting over because he keeps misspelling his own name! Adding to the humor of Alvin is that his voice actor, Christopher Mintz- Plasse (Probably best known as McLovin from 'Superbad'), is usually known for playing really nerdy characters that are pretty much the polar opposite of Alvin!

Now, for the theological point I'm hoping to make: The main message of 'ParaNorman' deals with the nature of fear. The movie points out that being afraid is nothing to be ashamed of, yet we need to be very careful that we don't let our fears change who we are or drive us to do things we shouldn't.
It becomes clear as the movie goes on that the curse started as a result of scared people hundreds of years ago letting their paranoia and panic drive them to do something terrible.
Then, later in the film, history nearly repeats itself in a way, as our heroes at one point find themselves in more physical danger from the panicked townspeople than from the zombies.
 Many truly monstrous acts throughout history have been driven by people's uncontrolled fears, from the Spanish Inquisition to the Salem Witch Trials to the Holocaust. Fear, if left unchecked, quickly overrides people's common sense and consciences.
Even today, we're seeing a lot of that in our society, between fears being stoked in our election season, and the increase in "Clown sightings" sparking fears of what might happen tonight, and leading to some people threatening to take drastic action if they see anyone in a clown costume.
The one command that God gives most often in the Bible, more often even than to believe in Him, is to "Fear not." In Numbers 13 and 14, the Israelites were prevented from entering the Promised Land for decades because a few of the spies they sent to scout out the land caused the people to become afraid that they couldn't overcome the land's strong residents, even after God specifically told them through Moses that they could do it.
2 Timothy 1:7 has God saying "I have not given you a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind."
Jesus Himself said in John 14:27, "Peace I leave you; My peace I give to you. I do not give as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid."
As followers of Jesus Christ, we are told to not give in to our fears, because that causes us to focus more on our fears and problems than on the God who is bigger than all of them and can get us through them. I have gone many times over the years to Universal Studios' Halloween Horror Nights, and each time I'm about to enter a House, I recite the 23rd Psalm to myself, paying special attention to "I will fear no evil, for Thou art with me." That always helps to steady my nerves before entering, reminding me that God will always be there for me.
To sum things up, here's the link to a song that truly sums up how faith in God casts out fear:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8TkUMJtK5k .
So, that's it for this edition of the Nightcrawler Experience. I'm working on some more entries soon that I think you'll like. Until then, have a safe and happy Halloween, and may God bless you all!

Christ's victory; Conquering 'The Nightly Neighbors.'

Hey everyone, welcome back to the Nightcrawler Experience!
Sorry it's been such a long absence, so much has been going on in my life and my walk with God.
Here is the first in what will hopefully be a two- part Halloween- related entry set.
I explained in my 'Bride of Frankenstein' review a couple years ago my personal thoughts on the ethics of if a Christian should celebrate Halloween or not, so if you have any questions about that, see that entry. If not, full steam ahead!
I recently was given a great pop- culture and theology revelation, tying into the resolution of something on TV which had scared me bad as a kid, so I think I'll share it with all of you.
NOTE: This might get a little scary, so proceed ahead with some caution.
The Early- mid 1990s, when I was a kid, were an absolute golden age for the TV network Nickelodeon. So many awesome, diverse shows came out during that period which gave me hours of entertainment, and many of them still hold up pretty well today. One of the shows in that period which really stuck out for me (And helped start my enjoyment of horror entertainment) was a show called  "Are You Afraid of the Dark?"

For the uninitiated, it was a kind of horror anthology show in which a group of kids calling themselves "the Midnight Society" would meet regularly at a clearing in the woods to tell scary stories around a campfire, with each episode featuring one of those stories, involving kids coming into contact with the supernatural or the otherworldly.
It was a show which wasn't afraid to take risks and push the envelope as far as kids' programming is concerned, I seriously doubt it would be allowed on Nickelodeon today. Many of those episodes (Especially in the show's first season) were quite scary, especially considering that a) I was only eight years old when it first premiered, and b) the episodes aired at 9:30 PM on Saturday nights, so they'd often be the last things I'd see before going to bed that night.
One episode that I recall particularly scaring me was entitled 'The Tale of the Nightly Neighbors.'
SPOILERS!
In this episode, two siblings, the adventurous and imaginative Emma and her couch- potato brother Dayday, get mysterious new neighbors who've come all the way from the Ukraine: Mr and Mrs. Braun, and their young son Lex.

(Meet the Brauns; Credit for this picture and the one after it go to the user "Villainslover98" on the Villains Wiki)
Emma quickly grows suspicious of her strange new neighbors. They only come out at night (Hence the title of the episode), dress all in black, and shortly after they arrive, several other people in the town suddenly appear very sick and weak, all sporting bandages on their throats, and all saying that they first started feeling that way shortly after being visited by the Brauns. Emma quickly comes to the conclusion that the Brauns are vampires, and convinces the more skeptical Dayday to help her investigate. In what seems to be the final nail in the coffin (No pun intended), upon sneaking into the Brauns' basement, the two siblings discover a refrigerator filled with large bottles of blood.
 Shortly after that, they to their surprise run into Mr. and Mrs. Braun in broad daylight! The Brauns explain to the kids that they are paramedics and the hospital where they work has a surplus of blood, so they were asked to help store some of the extra units of it in their basement. This explanation and seeing them out in the daylight lay the siblings' suspicions to rest, so when Mrs. Braun then asks if young Lex could come over to their house that evening to play video games, they agree. The siblings walk away, with Dayday laughingly assuring Emma that he won't let her forget this embarrassment.
However, we then find out that Emma's suspicions were not that far off. It cuts to the Brauns'  basement, where we learn that while Mr. and Mrs. Braun are not vampires, their "son" Lex IS one! Rather than being his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Braun are merely his human servants/ protectors. They inform him that he has been invited into the siblings' house so he can now feed on them with ease, point out it was wise to come to America where there's so much fresh blood, and Mr. Braun smugly says "And no one would believe that a little boy could be a vampire!" He and his wife laugh evilly as Lex awakens for the night, and opens his mouth in a wide grin which reveals his fangs, and so the episode ends.

(Behold, the image that haunted me for days afterwards!)
Being an eight- year- old boy at the time who hadn't seen all that much scary stuff outside of the show, 'The Tale of the Nightly Neighbors' so thoroughly terrified me that I remember I had to in my mind make up a happier ending for that episode just to get any sleep that night. I recall it was at least 6 months before I could work up the nerve to even watch that episode again.
About a year or two after that episode premiered, a book version of it was published, which expanded the story greatly (The plot of the episode only made up about the first half or so of the book) and apparently did indeed give it a happier ending. Problem is, back then, I was unable to acquire a copy of the book, let alone read it, so I had no way of knowing what eventually happened, and if Emma and her brother managed to survive or not. It remained a mystery to me for a good 24 years or so.
Fortunately, I just recently discovered on Youtube that someone posted a series of videos of himself reading the book aloud, so I was able to follow along with the extended story that way, kind of like listening to a book on tape.
I was satisfied to at last learn that the book version of 'The Tale of the Nightly Neighbors' did indeed have a happier ending than the episode itself suggested; Emma manages to destroy Lex by tricking him into being exposed to sunlight, all the people he bit and infected then return to normal with no memory of what happened, and Mr. and Mrs. Braun quietly flee the town in defeat, never to be seen again.
Somewhere, my eight- year- old self is grinning with relief.
This, then, leads to the point I'm hoping to make. For so many years, upon remembering that episode, I remember it as the Brauns' evil plans triumphing, with the heroes Emma and Dayday almost certainly about to join the ranks of the undead. But, finally, several years later, I learned the full ending through the book and saw that the Brauns were ultimately defeated and Emma prevailed through her courage and resourcefulness.
While vampires obviously aren't real, we live in a fallen world where there are many real people as evil as the Brauns (Rather than being driven by a literal thirst for blood, they may be driven by greed, sadism, a longing for power, devotion to a twisted ideology, or any one of countless other dark desires) who thrive and at times seem to win in life, while good people seem to lose and suffer regularly. Also, much like Lex in the story, they can at times take on seemingly innocent or harmless forms to make it even harder to recognize or stop them. It's what happens when Satan so thoroughly controls our world.
But, the good news for us as Christians is, it won't always be that way. We serve a God who loves us enough and has a strong enough sense of justice that He won't let the forces of darkness prevail forever. Right in the beginning, in the Garden of Eden, God said to Satan (Who at the time was in the form of the Serpent) that the Son will not just defeat him, but flat- out destroy him. He says of Him in Genesis 3:15, "You will bruise His heel (Indicating the crucifixion), but He will crush your head." Think about that for a second: Bruised heel vs. crushed head. That is a full- on landslide victory, not even close! God won the first major victory when Christ died for us to save our souls, and He will win the ultimate victory in the End when Satan and his forces are defeated and cast down once and for all.
In Malachi 4:1, it says ""For behold, the day is coming, burning like a furnace; and all the arrogant and every evildoer will be chaff; and the day that is coming will set them ablaze," says the LORD of hosts, "so that it will leave them neither root nor branch." In that day, not only will the evil people and forces of this world be defeated, but there will not even be anything left of them. From then, we who follow Christ will enjoy an eternity with no more tears, no more pain, just pure joy and peace.

We may have to wait long for this final victory to come, as I waited so long to learn of the happy resolution to 'The Tale of the Nightly Neighbors,' but it will most definitely be worth it when that day comes. Until then, we are called to help bring it about in small ways through serving Jesus and bringing His love and compassion to those who are most in need of it.

Through trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ and His inevitable final victory, we can be at ease knowing that the day will  eventually come when the "Nightly Neighbors" of this world will fail and goodness and righteousness will reign forever.

Keep your eyes open, part 2 of my Halloween series will come soon. Until then, God bless you all!

Love for All God's Creatures: A Faith-Based Review of 'Zootopia.'

Welcome back to the Nightcrawler Experience!
For this entry, I'll be again looking at something Disney- related (I know it's becoming common on this blog, but I swear it's unintentional): Their most recent animated film, 'Zootopia.'

(Credit to my dear friend Angela for this pic; While walking through a Toys 'R Us and talking about doing this review, we stumbled upon this adorable set of plushes of characters from the movie, and figured it would make a good cover pic for the review)

For those unfamiliar with it, 'Zootopia' takes place in a fictional world in which humans do not exist, and animals (Mainly mammals, as they are the only kind seen in this) are able to talk, walk on two legs, wear clothes, and generally act like humans. Even "Predator" and "Prey" animals live together peacefully. Well, mostly peacefully (I'll get to that later).
The main character in 'Zootopia' is a plucky rabbit named Judy Hopps (Voice of 'Once Upon a Time' star Ginnifer Goodwyn). Although she comes from a very long line of carrot- farmers, she has much loftier and less conventional ambitions for her life; She is deeply committed to justice and protecting others, so she wants to become a police officer in the big and beautiful city of Zootopia. Although her training is hard at first, she keeps pushing and ends up excelling, becoming the first rabbit officer on Zootopia's police force, which is otherwise made up of much more physically imposing animals (i.e. tigers, rhinos). Still, it becomes clear that she is not taken seriously by the others on the force due to her species, and she is initially put on meter- maid duty.
This does not last long, however; There has been a series of mysterious disappearances, all of predatory animals. The most recent is an otter, whose desperate wife (Voice of Octavia Spencer, who won a well- deserved Oscar a few years ago for her performance in 'The Help') tugs at Judy's heart- strings, leading to her demanding that her superior, a no- nonsense cape buffalo named Chief Bogo (Voice of Idris Elba) promote her to a full officer so she can personally investigate the case, which no one else seems to want to look into. Bogo agrees, with a condition: If she can't solve the case within 48 hours, she must resign.
Upon looking into the case, she soon discovers that Nick Wilde (Voice of Jason Bateman), a fox con artist who Judy had clashed with earlier, is a witness who was with the missing otter shortly before he disappeared. She pressures Nick into reluctantly assisting in her investigation, which turns out to be much more complex than it initially appeared, involving a bizarre animal nudist colony, mafia ties, a sinister- looking lab, and a discovery that something is making the missing predator creatures go feral.
As is usually the case for my reviews, I'll start by talking about what I didn't like about 'Zootopia' to get it out of the way quickly, and there are very few. One main thing is that I was able to figure out a little too easily who the main villain behind everything would turn out to be. Disney has in its recent films seemed to have gone past its old formula of using villains who you can tell right away are evil (i.e. Ursula from 'The Little Mermaid,' Scar from 'The Lion King'), instead relying more on surprise villains who initially appear to be harmless and friendly but are revealed to be evil traitors around the film's climax (i.e. the surprise- baddies in 'Frozen' and 'Big Hero 6'). Such is most definitely the case in 'Zootopia,' and I was able to figure out who it was way before Judy and Nick did.
Also, though this is just a minor personal gripe for me, while we do see a VERY impressive amount of diversity in the animals featured in 'Zootopia,' I was a little dismayed that there weren't any primates in it (i.e. monkeys, apes). I understand why the filmmakers left them out, as they are a bit too similar to humans, but it still would have been nice to see an orangutan or a spider monkey show up in the movie.
Now that that's out of the way, man, I LOVED 'Zootopia'! It hit the bullseye in so many ways, and has become another Disney great!
First up is the story. 'Zootopia' has probably the most intelligent and complex plotline I've seen in a Disney movie in years. The story takes so many twists and turns, explores so many themes that are both deep and yet easy to understand, and hits so many emotional notes. What's more, as is typical for a "Cop" movie, it features some good action sequences, usually in the form of chase scenes through Zootopia's diverse environments.
 It also features loads of humor, from animal- based puns and word plays (i.e. at one point, Judy uses her phone to have a video conversation with her parents using an app called "MawTime," another scene shows characters carrying shopping bags from a store called "Targoat") to slapstick to various parodies, including loads of nods to Disney's other movies if you know where to look. One comedic highlight in the film is a scene that's heavily touched on in the trailers: Judy and Nick go to the local DMV to quickly identify a car connected to the disappearance (Judy is, after all, on a short time limit to crack the case), only to discover that the DMV is staffed entirely by sloths who are incapable of doing anything fast. Even though the trailers showed a lot of what happens in this scene, there are still loads of VERY funny moments in this scene that didn't make the trailers.
Another strength to 'Zootopia' is definitely the animation. It features gorgeous CGI, with both the environments and the characters. The city of Zootopia is enormous, and has so many different areas of it. We see a rainforest section, an arctic section, a section for very small animals like mice and shrews (A very funny scene early on has Judy chasing a suspect through that neighborhood, in which SHE is suddenly the gigantic, intimidating animal for a change), and many others, all beautifully portrayed in great detail through the animation.
The animation for the characters looks great, too. We see such a tremendous variety to the animals featured in 'Zootopia,' and each of them is captured perfectly by the animators in terms of things like their appearance, their size in relation to other animals, and the ways they move.
A main strength to 'Zootopia,' as in most Disney movies, is without a doubt the characters. Judy Hopps is a truly wonderful heroine. She has dreams and goals, and is determined to beat any odds to achieve them. Not only does she not let herself be fazed by others who underestimate her, it actually drives her to push even harder to prove just how wrong they are about her. She's brave, compassionate, clever, and has a heart of gold, and Ginnifer Goodwyn's voice acting fits those qualities perfectly. She makes an awesome role model for the kids who are 'Zootopia''s primary audience, and for adults as well.
The other major hero in the film, Nick Wilde, is a fantastic character too. He's sly, shifty, and cynical yet charming (As you'd imagine an anthropomorphic fox to be), and has a lot of great, funny lines. At the same time, we find he's much deeper as a character than that. Halfway through the film, we learn about a truly heartbreaking experience he had as a kid which shaped his less- than- sunny worldview. He and Judy play off each other brilliantly. They're such opposites in so many different ways (She's a rabbit and he's a fox, she's a cop and he's a con artist who probably has a pretty lengthy rap sheet, she's an optimist and he's a pessimist, etc.), yet they still end up having quite a bit in common, and their interactions provide many of the film's highlights.
'Zootopia' has a lot of great supporting characters, too. From the pompous Mayor Lionheart (Take a guess what species he is), to his friendly sheep assistant Dawn Bellwether, to the head DMV sloth "Flash," to Judy's overprotective parents and many others. One who's a TON of fun to watch is Mr. Big, a tiny arctic shrew mafia boss who perfectly channels Don Corleone from 'The Godfather.' Also, although she plays a rather small role, the missing otter's wife is a deeply touching and immensely sympathetic character, partly due to Octavia Spencer's great job as her voice. You can really feel her fear and desperation whenever we see her.
'Zootopia' isn't a musical, but it does have one song that sticks out in it, called "Try Everything." It's performed by an animal pop star character named Gazelle (Take a wild guess what she is), voiced by real- life pop star Shakira. Although I'm normally not really into Shakira (Though 'Waka Waka' was catchy), I have to admit "Try Everything" is an awesome song. It has a great beat, inspirational lyrics, and tied perfectly into the film's theme of pursuing your dreams and never giving up. In that sense, it makes a great anthem for Judy. Here's the video for it. In addition to featuring the song, it also shows some great clips from the movie and its characters. Enjoy!

Speaking of which, this movie also has a couple VERY good messages, both of which tie perfectly into Christian virtues. One, as I just said, is the importance of perseverance, and never giving up in pursuit of your goals even when things get tough. Judy has so many obstacles in her way all through the movie, but she never lets them stop her or even slow her down. She always keeps pushing, and doing all she can to exceed everyone's expectations. The city of Zootopia is a place where anyone can be anything if they work hard and follow their dreams, and Judy fully embraces that idea. Perseverance is very much a Biblical trait. In James 1:12, it says that "Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love Him."
The second, and MUCH more important message to 'Zootopia' deals with tolerance. I talked a little about how many of the characters greatly underestimate Judy because she's a rabbit and they think that makes her unsuitable to be a cop, but it goes much deeper than that. As I said earlier, in the city of Zootopia, predator animals and prey animals live together mostly in peace, but we quickly find there can be a lot of mistrust and even prejudice or flat- out bigotry between the groups. We see all the different forms that prejudice can take, whether we're aware of it or not (i.e. Early in the film, one of Judy's friendly coworkers refers to her as "Cute," but she points out that's only a term bunnies can use for each other; it's considered offensive when another creature describes them that way), how even otherwise good people can demonstrate prejudice against certain groups without meaning to, how destructive hate can be, and how some who may have sinister intentions can cruelly and cynically exploit those differences for their own gain.
This is an incredibly valuable lesson to learn, especially today, with our current political climate seeming to openly encourage people of all sides, beliefs, and races to turn against each other along minor, skin- deep (At times literally) differences. Jesus's parable of the Good Samaritan was about showing kindness to those who are different, and being a neighbor to them, especially in need. The Bible stresses that blind prejudice and hate have no place among those who walk with Jesus. Galatians 3:28 says that "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus." Going along with that, Acts 10:34- 35 says that "So Peter opened his mouth and said, 'Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears Him and does what is right is acceptable to Him.'" In God's eyes, we truly are all the same, and the Gospel and the salvation it brings are free for both Jews and Gentiles, both men and women, and people of all nations and cultures to accept. Because of that, we who are Christians shouldn't focus on our petty differences (And we definitely shouldn't use them as an excuse to try and justify prejudice and bigotry against those who aren't like us), but instead look at each other as fellow children of God.
And, so, those are my thoughts on 'Zootopia.' A wonderful film, a great addition to the Disney library, and one which I can't speak highly enough of. Go out and see it ASAP, if you haven't already.
That's it for this edition of the Nightcrawler Experience. I should be back soon, as I have a couple ideas already for future entries. Until then, God bless you all!

Ten of my Favorite Movie Characters from 2015, and What we can Learn From Them...

I'm sorry I haven't posted more often lately, but I've gone through a number of changes this year, including a new job as a church youth director. I'll still try and make entries on the Nightcrawler Experience whenever I can, and this year should provide some good material for me.
Well, happy New Year, everyone! 2015 is over, and it's been a great year. I've seen and learned a lot, taken my life in new directions, yet still remain the same Christian pop- culture geek I've always been. I can't wait to see what 2016 holds! 2015 has been a great year for movies, too, of all sorts. One thing that really sticks out for me this year in movies is some of the interesting, well- written characters I've seen in them. So, for this edition of the Nightcrawler Experience, I will be counting down what I consider to be my top 10 favorite movie characters from 2015, both as a Christian and as a movie buff.
They aren't in any kind of order, because they're such diverse characters and it is hard for me to choose one as better than others. This list can include all kinds of characters, from heroes to villains to supporting characters. It can include adaptational characters (Characters from media that we've already seen, such as books or comics), or original characters. One thing all of them have in common is each of them, in one way or another, whether as a "Be like them" positive example or as a "DON'T be like them" cautionary tale, helped me to learn an important lesson about being a Christian. WARNING! I'll try to keep this review as spoiler- free as possible, but in some cases, I might need to reveal important things about the movies in question to show more of why I like these characters.
 As an additional warning, some of these films are not fit for younger audiences, so do your homework before seeing them or letting kids see them. So, let's get this party started:

1. Sadness (Voice of Phyllis Smith), 'Inside Out.'
This was quite possibly the most intelligently- written movie Pixar's ever made, it's not often that you see a kid's movie dealing with subjects like the human subconscious and abstract thought. The character Sadness made for quite an interesting case. Right off the bat, for a movie revolving around living, sentient emotions inside a girl named Riley's mind trying to help her get through life, they did a great job portraying Sadness (Matter of fact, they did a great job portraying the other emotions, as well, but especially Sadness). It would have been so easy for the writers to make Sadness a whiny, weepy, obnoxious drama- queen, but instead, they went a much more subtle route, making her more quietly mopey and depressed, which is really how most people act when they're feeling sad. The voice that Phyllis Smith gives her fits that mindset perfectly, and she provides a lot of both comic relief and truly moving moments throughout the movie. For most of the movie, the other emotions made a point of trying to give Sadness as little control over Riley as possible, on the grounds that they felt she had nothing positive to contribute to Riley's well- being. However, as fellow emotion Joy is forced into going on an adventure with her through Riley's subconscious, she realizes just what an important role Sadness really does play in Riley's life. It becomes clear that Sadness's main strength to Riley's emotional well- being is that through her, other people in Riley's life can see when she's hurting or in need of help or comfort. Sadness ultimately uses this to help save Riley from making what would have been the biggest mistake of her young life. In much the same way, for us who follow Christ, our own times of sadness can be just what's needed to remind us of how much we need the Lord and His salvation and guidance in our lives. This then helps us to gain through Him the strength to get through the times of sadness that come in our lives. It says in Psalm 34:18 that "The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit." Many of us could never have that kind of closeness to God if there wasn't a little sadness in our lives, and Sadness in 'Inside Out' helps to flesh that idea out.


2. Blaire Lily (Shelley Hennig), 'Unfriended.'
Blaire is among those on the list as a "DON'T be like them" cautionary tale about how initial appearances can be deceiving. For those who haven't seen it, 'Unfriended' is a pretty good (In my opinion, at least: People seem very divided on this movie, with apparently an equal amount of people loving it and hating it), and at times pretty scary, variation on the "Found Footage" horror film, in which Blaire and her friends, in the middle of a Skype conversation, find themselves being stalked and increasingly tormented by an online identity appearing to belong to a bullied girl named Laura who committed suicide a year earlier. The movie's a great look at cyberbullying and the darker side of social media, makes for a pretty relevant social commentary, and gives new meaning to the phrase "Ghost in the machine." It ultimately shows to me how you never really know the depths of cruelty a seemingly good person can be capable of, ESPECIALLY nowadays with the quasi- anonymity and permanence that the Internet and social media can offer, and none of the characters in 'Unfriended' demonstrate this more clearly than Blaire. For most of the movie, Blaire comes across as being a typical friendly and good- natured teenage girl, and the most mature of her friends, trying (Usually in vain) to keep them calm as the situation escalates, basically acting like a typical "Horror movie heroine." By the end of the film, however, not to give things away, but a lot of skeletons come out of a lot of characters' closets, and we realize that Blaire was not the kind of person we assumed she was at the start. While all the surprise revelations made about the characters as they are tormented online and picked off one- by- one in the real world by "Laura" are all pretty shocking (Especially in the climax, when "Laura" forces the remaining characters to play a high- stakes variation on the game "Never Have I Ever"), none are more so than what we end up learning about Blaire. The Bible is pretty clear that, while we might think that our sins aren't noticed by anyone and we have gotten away with them, God sees all, and all will be brought to the light in time, just as Blaire and her friends find all of their misdeeds brought to the light by the end of the movie. Jesus Himself said in Luke 8:17 "For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open." Additionally, through watching what happens with Blaire and her friends, I realized that, in my current roles working directly with kids and teens (Both as a youth director and as a substitute teacher), I have a responsibility to teach them to show kindness and mercy towards each other, to try and prevent tragedies like what happened to Laura in the movie from happening in real life.

3. Fairy Godmother (Helena Bonham- Carter), 'Cinderella.'

This version of Cinderella was great, with a lot of fun characters. A couple that I really liked were how they portrayed the Stepmother (Played in the movie by Cate Blanchett) and the Captain of the Guard, but my favorite character in it HAS to be the Fairy Godmother. Helena Bonham- Carter plays her with the combination of witty humor and eccentric charm that she brings to most of her roles, and I really like her because, unlike in some other versions of Cinderella, here the Fairy Godmother doesn't just randomly pop up and turn Cinderella's life around just as a cool thing: She first tests Cinderella, appearing before her as a haggard beggar- woman asking for some food, and it's not until Ella helps her that she reveals her true form and starts  "Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo"-ing everything into place. We are taught in Scripture to always be ready to show kindness and generosity to those in need. In Hebrews 13:2, it says Don't forget to show hospitality to strangers, for some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it!" Also, of course, in Matthew 25, Jesus tells the parable of the sheep and goats, in which we learn that, when we show kindness and compassion to the poor and hungry, it's as though we showed it to God Himself. Oh, and for those who plan on seeing this version of 'Cinderella' any time soon, fast- forward through the end credits to near their end, and you'll hear Helena doing a quite good and freaking hilarious cover of "Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo."


4. Charlie Brown (Voice of Noah Schnapp), 'The Peanuts Movie.'
Yes, the beloved comic strip character makes my list, for the way the movie portrayed him. Charlie Brown, in his own way, shows what it means to be a true success in life. All throughout the movie, he is trying to reinvent himself, to become more of a winner so the Little Red- Haired Girl will like him and everyone else will stop viewing him as such a failure. While his various attempts (At a school talent show, a school dance, and other settings) seemingly fall flat every time as is typical for his luck, in each case Charlie Brown shows what a deeply good person he is. Over the course of the film, he (Without realizing it until later) demonstrates compassion, courage, honesty, good work ethic, and just a general commitment to what's right. In other words, he demonstrates Christ- likeness, and fully shows the Fruits of the Spirit seen in Galatians 5:22- 23. Seeing this commitment to righteousness ultimately pay off for Charlie Brown in the end as he finally gets a lucky break is so satisfying for all watching it, and through this and many other reasons, 'The Peanuts Movie' is easily one of the best animated films from 2015, and Charlie Brown is easily one of my favorite movie characters from last year.


5. Ultron (Voice of James Spader), 'Avengers: Age of Ultron.'
Ultron is easily one of the best villains from the Marvel Cinematic Universe so far, and I consider him to be the single best movie villain of 2015 (A few runners- up in that regard in my book are the Stepmother from 'Cinderella,' Kylo Ren from 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens,' and Scarlet Overkill from 'Minions'). A big part of his appeal is how really unique he is as a villain. He isn't a typical "I'm an evil bad guy, I'm going to conquer the world, MUA HA HA HA" type of villain. He genuinely believes, in his warped mechanical mind, that he is doing what is in the best interests of the evolution of humanity, and the world in general (Which, ironically, was the same sort of well- intentioned mindset that Tony Stark had when first creating Ultron in the beginning of the movie). That his plan for said goals would include the near- complete annihilation of the current human race is considered by him to be a minor, quite bearable consequence in the face of the greater good. Through both Ultron's creation and the path he takes, we recall that even good intentions can lead to truly evil outcomes. There are many verses in Scripture that show this, especially in Proverbs, such as Proverbs 14:12 ("There is a pathway that seems right to a man, but in the end it's a road to death"), and Proverbs 21:2 ("Every way of a man is right in his own eyes: But the Lord pondereth the hearts"). Another interesting quality about Ultron is, for a robot, just how much of a personality he has, thanks to a combination of how the writers portrayed him and James Spader's incredible performance as his voice. He thinks about things, he waxes philosophical, he struggles at times for the right words to say, he even has something of a sense of humor (Albeit an extremely twisted one). He's the epitome of a villain you love to hate.

6. Nux (Nicholas Hoult), 'Mad Max: Fury Road.'
You probably wouldn't think a character who looks like this would teach about things like honor, perseverance, and living with eternity on your mind, and for about the first third or so of the movie, you'd be right. As I first sat down to see this movie, I certainly had no clue that I'd end up liking this guy so much. As the movie progresses, however, and Nux shifts from being a devoted soldier of the film's villain Immortan Joe to being a reluctant yet valuable comrade of the hero Max and his allies, his more noble (In their own way) qualities surface. We see that he is dying from sicknesses caused by his prolonged exposure to the environment around him, and that he earnestly hopes for a more noble death in battle to secure his place in Valhalla in the afterlife. Nux doesn't use his condition as an excuse to just hang back, stay out of the conflict, and die a lonely, miserable death from his illnesses; He wants his life and death to mean something in the big picture, and discovers the best way to do that is to help Max and his allies endure and survive as they are chased by Immortan Joe's army. Only someone with that kind of faith and dedication could, in the face of seemingly certain death, proclaim as Nux famously proclaims, "WHAT A LOVELY DAY!" It calls to mind Hebrews 12:1-2: "Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and protector of our faith, who for the Joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has set down at the right hand of God." We too should strive to live lives of substance for Christ, so that our lives will have a positive impact in the Kingdom of God and be something worth remembering.



7. Champ (Ryan Lee), 'Goosebumps.'
 One of the most ironically- named characters ever, Champ is a socially- awkward nerd who's far from what his ex- athlete parents clearly hoped he would be when they named him. Still, he ends up having a lot to offer to help the forces of good in this movie, and he in his own way does end up living up to his name. His knowledge of the Goosebumps books and their characters makes him a great asset in helping to fight their villains and monsters that have escaped from the pages and into the real world, and this ordinarily weak and rather cowardly boy ends up demonstrating astounding courage in the film's climax by single- handedly fighting off one of the most vicious of the escaped monsters to save the life of a girl he likes. The Bible is full of "Zero- to- hero" type people like him, such as David and especially Gideon (One of my favorite people in the Bible). Through trusting in the Lord and clinging to what's important, even the seemingly weakest and least impressive of us can learn to be brave and do great things for the Kingdom of God. In Philippians 4:13, it includes a claim that all believers can make as their own: "I am ready for anything through the strength of the One who lives within me." Champ is also just a very fun comic- relief supporting character, Ryan Lee is definitely proving to have a lot of talent as a young comedic actor, as shown here and in other roles I've seen him in. If, in the movie, an angel of God appeared to Champ, he'd probably greet the boy the same way that the angel greeted Gideon in Judges 6:12: "The Lord is with thee, mighty man of valor!"

8 and 9. A tie between Max (Emjay Anthony) and Great- Aunt Dorothy (Conchata Ferrell), 'Krampus.'

I included these two characters from this Christmas- themed horror- comedy film together because they contrast each other so completely that the lesson here is best taught using each of them as examples. On one side of the spectrum, we have Max. He's a decent, good- hearted young boy who still sort of believes in Santa Claus, and in the beginning of the movie is seen fighting with another boy who was bullying younger kids and telling them that Santa isn't real. That decency and hope is rocked soon afterwards, though, as his dysfunctional extended family gets together for Christmas. As is usually the case at such gatherings, there is a LOT of friction, and Max becomes so disgusted at the way everyone's acting that he loses hope and renounces Christmas. This, unfortunately, causes Krampus (A kind of demonic "Anti- Santa" from Alpine folklore who punishes bad children) to besiege their house and all within it, yet through this ordeal, Max regains his hope and demonstrates the spirits of giving and self- sacrifice that Christmas is really all about. Now, on the other side of the spectrum, we have Great- Aunt Dorothy, who is pretty much Max's opposite in every way. While all of Max's relatives make for less- than- pleasant Christmas company, none are worse than her. She is a crass, cynical, selfish old grump who wasn't even supposed to come to the family's Christmas event but invited herself to it anyway, and blasts caustic remarks at everything in sight pretty much as soon as she arrives (Viewing the house's festive holiday decorations causes her to observe "It looks like Martha Stewart threw up in here"; Learning that ham will not be served at the Christmas dinner causes her to bark at Max's mother "What are you now, a Jew?"). It may provide for some funny scenes in the movie, but it also makes it clear that the concepts of "Peace on Earth, Goodwill toward Men" are completely lost on her. In Max, we see the importance of keeping hope and good will alive in our hearts and showing them in how we relate to others, and in Great- Aunt Dorothy we see the sorts of people we can end up becoming if we lose hope and allow our hearts to grow cold as ice and bitter as month- old eggnog. These are certainly Biblical concepts. In Hebrews 12:15, we are warned to "See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to trouble and defile many." In Ephesians 4:31-32, Paul tells the believers to "Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you." Through following all that, we can keep the spirit of Christmas (And the One whose birth it celebrates) with us year- round.

10. Clara (Karen Abercrombie), 'War Room.'
 Man, I freaking LOVED this woman! In this powerful, inspirational Christian movie, she is trying to sell her house, and learns that her realtor's family life is crumbling. She decides to politely do what she can to help save her new friend's marriage by teaching her, among other things, the importance of prayer. Clara has loads of worldly and Scriptural wisdom and good anecdotes, and she also has a lot of extremely funny (Intentionally so) moments. She's brave enough and confident enough in her faith that she drives back a would- be mugger by invoking the name of Jesus. She's basically like if Yoda from 'Star Wars' were a black Christian woman. Her passionate prayer in the very end of the film remains one of the movie's highlights, as she thanks God for the miracle worked in her friend's life, asks the Lord to send someone else for her to help, and for Him to raise up those who love Him to lead and guide our nation. May all of us become those sorts of disciples of Christ. Clara's a true example of what's taught in James 5:16: "The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man (Or, in this case, a righteous woman) avails much."

A couple Honorable Mentions for this list would be Bing- Bong from 'Inside Out' and 'Rey' from 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens.'
That's all for this edition of the Nightcrawler Experience. Happy New Year, see you again soon, and God bless you all!