.
.
with comments by David Bruce

SWEET MOVIE
Subject: Final_Fantasy
Date: Tue, 31 Oct 2000
From: PHAT

i think final fantasy is goning to be a sweet movie.i have the games and they r good too.i can;t wait for it. please post my comment please thank you

ONE OF THE BEST MOVIES OF ITS TIME
Subject: godzillla stuff Original_Godzilla
Date: Tue, 31 Oct 2000
From: PHAT

i think Godzilla is still one of the best movies in its generation. i have the original Godzilla and the American one they did in 1997. people have to be so judgmental about stuff and i think that is stuip.my youth pastor at my friend's church said that some movies have a biblical things in them but u got to look really hard. sometimes i think we as Christians are judging everything away to the smallest,littlest,thingy that gets way out of apportion. Godzilla is still one of the best 100 movies of the century. and that is true. Thank you and good night.

AWSOME, ORIGINAL, DEEP!
Subject: Dancer_in_the_Dark
Date: Tue, 31 Oct 2000
From: Adele Sakler

Dancer In The Dark is one of the best films i have seen in a long time! It is disturbing, moving, inspiring, thought-provoking, passionate, and beautiful. It says a lot when twice it is brought up as to why Selma did not abort Gene knowing she would pass on her eye disease to him and she decided to keep him. Today, the woman would have aborted the baby. i found the musical numbers wonderful and an escape not only for Selma, but the audience as well, from the sometimes overwhelming and sad lives of these people. B^jork's voice is rich and haunting and perfect for the story. i think word-of-mouth will sell this film. In my opinion, B^jork should be nominated and take home the staue next spring for THE BEST ACTRESS! All the actors were strong and realistic. Catherine Deneuve was awesome and looked beautiful. David Morse nailed his character, Bill. What a turn from the role he played as a kind prison guard in The Green Mile! He is a wonderful and versatile actor. i loved Peter Stormare as the faithful yet clueless Jeff. One of my favorite characters was the sympathetic prison guard. Most times prison guards are played as cruel, hard, unfeeling, and violent jerks. It was nice to see the guard extend empathy, kindness, compassion, and concern for Selma. i loved the foreshadowing Selma gave us to the end of the film. She tells Bill that she hates the ending of musicals because then they are over and that they should end before the last song begins. She states that when the last song is played the camera pulls back and rises. This is exactly what happens at the end of this film/musical. It is sad yet poetic. Definitely worth repeat viewings as there is so much said with depth and can be missed as one hangs on to these passionately spoken words, because ultimately, the scene has to move on.
Bravo, Lars von Trier! Bravo,
B^jork! Bravo,
ensemble cast!
Bravo, Crew!

NOT ANTI-SEMITIC
Subject: A comment on Wagner's Parsifal LastTemptation
Date: 31 Oct 00
From: Yorgos

What Ken Greenwell writes about Wagner's Parsifal (in the message entitled HISTORY OF THE LAST TEMPTATION) is very likely true, but for the life of me I can't see what it has to do with "The Last Temptation." There is absolutely nothing in the movie (or in the original novel) that could could remotely be construed as anti-Semitic, related to "Aryan" mythology, or whatever. In fact it seems to me to be remarkably accurate historically, especially about the atmosphere (around Jesus' time) of zealotry, mysticism, asceticism, and belief that the world was about to end, that has recently been confirmed by the publication of bits of the Dead Sea scrolls (namely about the Essenes). Remember, Christianity started as a Jewish sect, and only later did the movement leaders decide to convert the Gentiles, dropping most of Jewish laws such as kosher along the way (read Acts in the Christian bible if you don't believe me). The only leg this bizzare theory has to stand on is that a light-complexioned, blue eyed ACTOR was used to portray Jesus. By the same token, should we suspect sinister "black power" plots every time an African-American plays a Shakespeare character other than Othello? Willem Dafoe was an excellent choice for the tortured soul he portrayed. It's true that northern Europeans have imagined a Jesus like themselves, but so have Africans and Mexican Indians. Lighten up, Ken, and read the book. There is nothing un-Jewish about Jesus there.

LOTS OF IMAGERY
Subject: Fall imagery (etc.) in Bedazzled
Bedazzled
Date: Mon, 30 Oct 2000
From: vkhix

As an English major I'm always looking for symbols and themes in stories. While watching Bedazzled I noticed that the Devil's office was full of art that recalled The Fall: Eve and the apple, Adam and Eve with fig leaves, and so forth. Similar imagery appeared in other temptation scenes, such as the one in the parking lot. The Devil's back is to a billboard with a seductive-looking woman draped across it. I don't recall the text on the board, but it was something relating to dreams and desires. I'm sure there are many more such images. I also noticed religious symbols, most prominently in the jail scene. The bars on the cell window form crosses. I was impressed with the way the story emphasized each person's responsibility to choose his or her fate, rather than taking the easy route and letting Elliot blame his bad decisions on his upbringing or his treatment at work. It was also nice to see a movie that let the Devil (and the angel/God-figure) be ambiguous in appearance: the Devil acts like a friend and wears an angel costume, the angel/God-figure poses as a prisoner and wears all black. A nice touch: the Devil and the angel/God-figure play chess at the end of the movie. The Devil cheats. It could have been a more thought-provoking movie, but the lesson was a good one. -vkhix

THOUGHTS ON BLAIR WITCH
Subject: Blair Reincarnation Blair Witch 2
Date: Mon, 30 Oct 2000
From: "vicwurm"

No town in the U.S. can de-evolve on curses alone. You need a curser, to start curses. Not someone a whole town like Blair(Burkittesville) would be scared enough to leave ,because of someone who was thought to have cursed it. Curses of the land must be seperated with the curses of humans. Otherwise no one knows earthly from human to determine such a "wish" for de-evolvement of either until it is officially proclaimed to be more than one person at work behind the curse. If it was determined, there would be more to worry about than just one woman.It may never be a witch at work if a true witch cannot join any cult unless the importance of overtaking the town is involved where not witchcraft is practiced - but anything non-religiously connected to the overtaking so it is only false prophesy at work on those vulnerable enough to believe it without knowing how to protect themselves any different from Elle Kediward (- Yes on the immagrants list of the Reliant it is Kediward or Kedeward - an undotted i or an e looking like one).She may have had the same intention to leave the town just as much, if only she knew like the accusers that it was false prophesy - she would have left ahead of time before everyone else blamed her for the undetermined curse/false prophesy hybrid. A hybrid indistinguishable to any religious person ever known to pull of curses on a whole town of people. NO witch nor towns person could know. Now all there is - is reincarnating someone whom didn't die to someone ( the cult's ) liking, nor the townspeoples way of seeing fit the justice in a wrongful determination between curse and false prophetic indistinguishability...no human nor land escapes as long as no one can tell it was meant for the land and the people put together. - I will return to comment only by populair demand if there is any............Peter Flack............

IS THERE SOMETHING FOR TELEVISION
Subject: spirituality and television
Date: Mon, 30 Oct 2000
From: engd

Hello, I just want to say that I am very impressed and encouraged by the site that you run. I feel that Christians need more resources like yours and really look at spirituality in the movies. I was wondering if you could recommend any sites or articles I could look at that explore the link between spirituality and television shows as well. Keep up the good work.
God Bless, Daniel Eng

Response: I do not know of such a site. -David

PASTOR LIKES NON-CHRISTIAN ForumS
Subject: Little Nicky
Date: Mon, 30 Oct 2000
From: Lesley

Hi, I just wanted to say how much I enjoyed reading the stuff on your site, and yes, both my husband and I make the church a bit nervous I think, our own church hierarchy anyway. I must say too, that I have found the internet chat scene a great way to talk to people about God. I avoid the christian chat sites and get to know people in the general Forums, when they ask me what I do for a living I tell them (pastor) and I am always amazed at how many people not only accept it readily, but bring up spiritual subjects. I have made some good friends, and have been able to share with a lot of people on a spiritual level, without them feeling intimidated or preached at, and I feel that it is only the beginning. Anyway, thanks again for a great site, my husband and I will make good use of it in the future.

THE CONTENDER IS A CHRISTIAN BASHER
Subject: The_Contender
Date: Sun, 29 Oct 2000
From: Kris

I think this is one of the most outrageous films to come out of Hollywood recently. It is particularly interesting in its timing just before a hotly-contested presidential election. Basically this film paints everything in two brushes - the guys and gals with the white hats - supporting abortion, strict "separation of church and state", and a largely amoral leadership where the goal is that sexual "indiscretions" by women are winked at just as sexual "indiscretions" by men have been (rather than pushing for a higher standard from both.) And the black hats - conservative, even evangelical, pro-life leaders - who are painted as hypocritical, misogynistic, dour and dishonest.

Perhaps the most surprising, jarring and distressing thing was when the Vice Presidential nominee Laine Hanson (played by the always-excellent Joan Allen) is confronted with the fact that she had had an affair with her adviser during an earlier Senate race and he had left his wife for her. The fact that any administration would consider anyone for a position as responsible and sensitive as VP who had - recently - done something as despicable as this - is mystifying. The fact that it only comes out as a "by the way" revelation during the congressional hearings beggars belief. It is glossed over and - like the Lewinsky scandal - Hanson makes a lame objection that it is her personal business and doesn't reflect on her fitness to be VP. Wrong. But it was interesting that it got far less attention than a supposed sexual fling she had in college. (Which may actually be a telling commentary on current attentions.) Anyway, no kudos, although the film was well made and some excellent acting. To those who disagree with my "take", how would you like it if we did the same thing to blacks, gays, or some other group in a film. There would be an uproar.
Kris

SINFUL NATURE
Subject: Excorcist
Date: Sun, 29 Oct 2000
From: your pet monkey Bingo

I would like to point out that regarding a comment previously mentioned that the the boys involved in the Columbine shooting weren't born evil. We are all born with a sinful nature. It is only by the grace of God that we aren't are the "psychotic killers" that we talk about and fear.
Hi! My name's Bingo!
I like to climb on things! Can I have a banana? Eeek! Eeek!

ENJOYABLE BUT ITS FLUFF
Subject: Enjoyable but it's fluff. Bedazzled
Date: Sun, 29 Oct 2000
From: Darrel Manson

I enjoyed Bedazzled (but I still prefer the Moore/Cook original). I think the idea of temptation as our desires, but always flawed, is well done and I liked the comment in the jail that the problem with the contract was that one's soul is not one's own to give, it belongs to God who gave it. The salvation by selfless act is how many see redemption in the death of Christ. But here it only affects the one who does it. In reality, that act has already been done, so the devil really has no power to enforce such a contract. But the movie was fun.
-- Darrel Manson
><>Artesia Christian Church ><>Artesia, CA http://netministries.org/see/churches/ch01198

THE FINAL SCENE
Subject: final scene Big Kahuna
Date: Sun, 29 Oct 2000
From: Todd

The final scene really handles the issue of evangelism. I thought they did a great job of broaching the subject and getting the viewer to examine their motives. I would love to hear what others thought about the final scene with DeVito and Facinelli.
Todd

LOTS OF COMMENTS ON PLAY IT FORWARD

CHILDREN MAKING A DIFFERENCE
Subject: Pay_It_Forward
Date: Sat, 28 Oct 2000
From: crystal

Wow! I have never in my life seen a movie as deep and profound as Pay It Forward. I think one reason whiy I liked it so much is because it is real. It doesn't have the perfect "happily ever after" ending. And in between the good deeds, people still screw up. But the encouraging part is that his plan worked. In other words, no matter how young or uneducated or prosperous you are, you can still make a difference.

I just read the other reviews posted. I must say that I feel that "Gretchen" missed the whole point of the film. She claims that the most impossible idea is that an eleven year old can change the world. Whereas, she feels that elders are responsible and we should not expect children to be the gate openers. However, my perspective is somewhat the opposite.

Yes, adults are suppose to be role models for children and encourage them to strive for the best, but sometimes even adults need a little enliightment in the world, and who better to provide that than their pupils. In other words, chilldren are not being given the responsibility of changing the world; they are just giving back to the world, what the world has taught them. What good is a person who says that children are suppose to be encouraged when they don't even believe that someone that young could have the potential to make a difference.

Response: The good book says, "And a little child shall lead them." Thanks for your observations -David

RANDOM ACTS OF KINDNESS
Subject: Pay it Forward
Date: Fri, 27 Oct 2000
From: Jan

I saw this movie last night, and thought it would definitely provide some interesting discussions with non-believers. To begin with, no one can argue that putting Trevor's plan into action is a bad thing. Yes, there are sacrifices, and there are disappointments, but that is because of the fallen nature of man. This movie definitely shows the fallen nature. Even Trevor was saddened that he failed in helping his friend, Adam, not to get beaten up. He saw his own frailty and weakness. This is not a bad thing, to recognize our own limitations. The drug addict himself even reminded me of the passage in Romans, when Paul talk about not doing what he wants to do, and doing what he does not want to do. This character was sure he could lick the heroin, just by getting the step up, but his own sinfulness was too much for him to bear. At the same time, however, he could share an inkling of grace with another human being. I would recommend going to see this, as the ultimate act of kindness bestowed upon mankind was and will ever be the death of Christ on the cross. Fortunately, we are not REQUIRED to pay it forward, but how can we help but not to as we contemplate the grace given to us. Thanks, Jan

Response: I too thought the film was very realistic in its portrayal of human nature. -David

LIVING OUR BAPTISM = PAYING IT FORWARD
Subject: Pay_It_Forward
Date: Fri, 27 Oct 2000
From: Sonja

In the current film, "Pay It Forward," the lead character, Trevor McKinny, an 11-year-old living in Las Vegas, takes to heart a social studies assignment: "Think of an idea to change our world and put it into action." Trevor comes up with a plan he calls "Pay It Forward," a benevolent pyramid scheme in which one person helps three other people and then they - paying it forward - do the same for three more folks and so on. By "help," however, Trevor means more than just "random acts of kindness," like holding the door for someone or even traditional "good deeds," like helping an old lady across the street. In order for "Pay It Forward" to work, an individual must do something "really big" and must help someone in a way only they can.

Sound familiar? It should!

At the beginning of November, the church celebrates two "feast days" - holidays of a sort - called "All Saints Day" and "All Souls Day." On these days we remember those who have died in the faith and the witness they have given to the faith and to the redeeming love of God. Many Saints of the church are well known - St. Peter, St. Paul, St. Francis, etc. Other "saints" are less well known - the "saint" who brought you to church as a child, the "saint" who spoke a word of love and encouragement to you in a time of need, the "saint" who reached out to the poor and needy in our neighborhoods.

Often, we think of saints as models of a perfection which we cannot attain. I'd like to encourage you to think of the saints in a different way: as people who were "paying it forward." Ask any true "saint" and I bet they'd tell you that the reason they live "saintly" lives is not for their own credit or perfection, but for others. Ask them why they are so concerned about others, and I bet they'd reply that "someone first was concerned about them."

In the Christian tradition, that "someone" ultimately is Jesus Christ, who through his life and death and resurrection began a gigantic "Pay It Forward" project that changed and IS STILL changing the world we live in. Like Trevor's plan suggests, Christ's action was not merely a "random act of kindness" or a "good deed." Instead, Christ went further than the ordinary call of civility, entering into our lives and changing them fundamentally for the better and forever. That is what we in the church call "redemption."

The "Saints" we celebrate in the church and the "saints" we celebrate in our own communities are all part of that same plan, continuing to pay not only Christ's goodness - but Christ's redemption - forward to each generation. Jesus commanded his disciples to "love one another as I have loved you." Jesus loves each of us significantly and in a way only Jesus can. We are joined to that love through our baptism and are charged whenever and wherever we see the need for redemption to "pay it forward."

Response: How insightful. Thank you. And, yes, paying it forward is a true act of love by a living "saint."-David

SIMILAR TO SHADOWLANDS & MAN WITOUT A FACE
Subject: Pay it Forward
Date: Wed, 25 Oct 2000
From: Paul

I first found your site when exploring reviews of The Sixth Sense and was very impressed with your exegesis of it. Once again, with Pay it Forward, you have demonstrated the value of your perspective with objective observation of details that no other critic has noted.

In a comment to IMDB that I submitted yesterday, I compared and contrasted this film with two others.

I trust that you are familiar with the author C.S. Lewis, and probably with the film "Shadowlands." This shows the Oxford don and famous Christian apologist ambivalently fumbling towards the unfamiliar territory of love and marriage to a woman whose hard-drinking husband had left her and her son.

Perhaps you have also seen "The Man Without a Face", about a badly burn-scarred teacher turned hermit, and the boy whose own alcoholic father had deserted him, and who appeals to the teacher for help. Although the film left no clear sign of the teacher's Christian faith other than to show a sizeable crucifix over his bed, if you have also read the original novel, you know that he is a Catholic, no less devout for being matter-of-fact about it, and that an important scene of the story occurs in church.

In Pay it Forward, however, there is no evidence that any of the main characters is a practicing Christian, and the path of least resistance is to assume that they are not. I speculate either that the writer and director were equally ignorant of the church's millennia-old example of paying it forward, or that they knew but didn't want any needles nearby that would puncture their balloon.

But it is also possible, given the gestures towards portraying Trevor as a Christ figure, that they wanted viewers to ponder why, after such a long time, so many people in the world still have no idea that his project is already embodied in the Church Militant. Holy Baptism and Holy Orders are indeed big favors that a person cannot do for himself, and that the church has a mission to propagate. But beyond these not-entirely-tangible benefits, millions continue to encounter the Church as a school, a hospital, or a filling meal. If Trevor's helping a poor man is a good deed, then the church's helping millions of the poor, with no expectation of repayment, are also good deeds. Many charges are leveled against the church, including that it is a successful Ponzi scheme, but I have never yet heard it accused of being a bank, whereby a loan made must be repaid to the lender. Despite all this, the result remains a world in which people, even decent and well-disposed people like Trevor and his teacher, do not appear to know Christ or acknowledge the example of the church in their own ostensibly original good ideas.

Why is this? Part of the explanation is doubtless that people habitually take things for granted, bite the hands that feed them, and fail to give credit where credit is due. Nevertheless, churchmen must also examine themselves: do some of our own attitudes and tactics bring our Master into disrepute and inhibit His Great Commission? I would call a tendency to excessive individualism one of these obstacles, but your mileage may vary.

At any rate, the Church herself has provided us with a particularly appropriate opportunity in the liturgical year for doing just this on November 1, the Feast of All Saints, which is, aptly, just around the corner. This day is for giving thanks and meditating upon the chain of countless, and mostly anonymous, predecessors who have paid it forward by passing their faith down two millennia, so that we can enjoy it now. To quote Isaac Watts, "Our glorious Leader claims our praise for his own pattern given, while the long cloud of witnesses show the same path to heaven." How did they do it?

Response: How do they do it? The answer is obvious! Pay it forward. Thanks for your well thought out comments. You have a wonderful theological mind. And yes, Trevor is a Christ figure. -David

GUTWRENCHING
Subject: Pay it Forward
Date: Tue, 24 Oct 2000
From: "Scott Senn"

I went to this movie with great expectations. I left feeling a little ripped off but after reflecting a bit I chastised myself for expecting too much from the world. This could have been a GREAT movie! The concept of sacrificing in a way that is "huge" and "hurtful to self" is the Golden Rule to be sure. But it is the way things were "payed forward" that was so gutwrenching. The movie sought to elevate too much that was clearly either against the law or highly immoral. The confusion of an 11yr. old is forgiveable, but the actions of certain adults is not. At other times, paying it forward was really paying it "backwards". If you return a favor to one who sent it, it would stop the pyramid from expanding. So I did not understand why the "pay-it-forward movement" seemed to have such a small momentum. It was very much confined to the major characters in the movie. No doubt, there will be some people who after seeing this movie will do great and sacrificial things for others and this, in turn, will benefit us all. In fact, I was watching an HBO special in which Kevin Spacey was describing an encounter with a woman who told him that she had "payed-it-forward" as well. And I have to admit that I was deeply moved to the point of tears at various points (as were many others). Do I think this movie will change the world? Not a chance. But it is a movie that will cause even the hardest of hearts to soften and that is never a bad thing.

Response: I have always believed that STORY is very different from Instructional How To Manuals. The story here speaks of placing value on others. It is a simple story and can not be taken as a literal-can-happen Instructional Manual. This story teaches us a way of living that can touch others at a profoundly deep level. -David

I GOT MY FRIENDS TO READ THE BOOKS
Subject: will not be left behind Left_Behind
Date: Fri, 27 Oct 2000
From: randy

i have read all of them and waiting for the mark.i got all my friends to read them and we had so much to talk about.time is close and i pray that many will be ready.we need more books and movies about our lord and the end of time,and more pastors need to preach on the end of times to get more people saved and ready.
thanks, keep up Gods work.
randy

NOAH'S ARK IS A DISGRACE
Subject: NoahsArkTV
Date: Fri, 27 Oct 2000
From: joseph

i think that this fake portrayal of noah is an utter disgrace to the whole christian Family, after all if you know about God(Jesus), he is into family, not so much as "religion". the word religion has been so perverted and truly has no place in christianity. religion killed christ. So God adopted us as son's and daughters and called us his own. this perversion is the same as a movie perverting the Gospel( which means the good news) I teach sunday school and the responce i got was actually awesome. the kids were not even phased by this "so-called-spoof" of noah's ark. so just in case you think this movie is kewl or a good portrayal, i am here to tell you that u are a moron! yep that's right, a moron. I'll leave u with this, "he who changes the scripture, his name shall be removed from the book of life." don't mess with Jesus, He knows exactly what he is doing. MORON!!!!!!

WHAT IS DEUT BOOK 17
Subject: Lost Souls....Book 17
Date: Fri, 27 Oct 2000
From: jen

What is Dt book 17?

Response: I am not sure. I will check around. Could be the Dead Sea Scrolls. -David

WAS PALMER CONSULTED?
Subject: Dietrich Bonhoeffer Bonhoeffer
Date: Wed, 25 Oct 2000
From: Andy M.

I have not seen this moive, but I question what appear to be some of the assumptions. Was Dr. Earl Palmer, Pastor of University Presbyterian Church, consulted on the production of this movie. I believe he is a noted authority on Bonhoeffer. In listening to tapes by Dr. Palmer, he makes the point that Bonhoeffer was held but never charged with anything. I got the impression that Bonhoeffer was in his role to seek diplomatic ways to end the evil killings, but did not himslef conduct illegal activities. He was considered guilty by association. Any commnet? Andy M.

Response: You need to get the video. It's very good. Also, I do not know if Palmer was consulted. However, there are many expert scholars on Bonhoeffer. Experts were consulted. -David

NOT A GOOD MOVIE
Subject: bad movie. The Exorcist
Date: Wed, 25 Oct 2000
From: "Newel, Matt"

I disagree with the comment about this being a good movie. I believe there is nothing good to recieve from watching it. It completely glorifies satan and darkness, and makes the priest (Catholic or Christian) is made to look like a weakling.The Priest represents the Church, and believers in Christ as weak. I have personally seen demons cast out of people. The process is nothing like portayed in the movie. The Pastors I have seen pray over demon posessed people did it with Power and Authority in Jesus' name. Jesus did all things in Power and Authority. Never back down. None of these pastors took a demon on themselves. And I disagree with Alice Cooper. Nobody is born evil. A person becomes evil by opening their heart to darkness which can be caused by looking at dark movies, music, actions, drugs, anger, bitterness and of course just plain witchcraft. I dont recommend this movie for anybody.

Response: The point of the film is there is a very real evil in the world. And second, the only ones in the film that could deal with it were "pastors." It is not a so-called Satanic film that is anti-Church. This film hits our culture in a powerful way because it is a counter to our modernist ways. It is a post-modern film before its time. It says there is something more in life than what we see in the test tube. I am sorry you missed the signicance of this film within its cultural setting. Also, I doubt that the pastors you have seen deal with real Evil in such a flip way as you seem to suggest. Dealing with certain demonic Evil is no easy task. It can take its toll on a pastor. Writing as a pastor I can tell you that you have little idea what it is truly like. -David

STORY ABOUT FAITH
Subject: keeping the faith
Date: Tue, 24 Oct 2000
From: Ron Baerg

I just finished watching Keeping the Faith. It is an enjoyable movie and my wife and I found it engrossing. It is a story about faith-- faith in yourself, faith in others, and faith in God. I was surprised not to find a review of it.
Ron Baerg North Battleford, SK

Response: Look again. The best place to find a list of all Hollywood Jesus reviews is on the contents page. Bookmark it. -David

HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS FILM
Subject: Bonhoeffer
Date: Tue, 24 Oct 2000
From: "Bob Kolvik-Campbell"

We viewed the film as a church bible study last night. It was a great experience to see people of the WWII generation see someone from the inside as aprotester of Nazism. I would highly recommend this film as an introduction to Bonhoeffer, however there is much more that one can learn and grow from in Bonhoeffer's writing. He lays the seeds for the beginning of Postmodern Theology.
Grace and Peace, Bob Kolvik-Campbell

Response: Yes, you are right the seeds of postmodern theology are found in Bonhoeffer. I agree, it is important to read him. The Hollywood Jesus web site is based on much of his thinking. -David

SATAN'S NEW RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD
Subject: No Address posted please - Ninth_Gate
Date: Mon, 23 Oct 2000
From: Kauth

I watched the movie, my attention was held, I thought I knew what was going on until the last several minutes - Girlfriend was always dangerous with her ways... so I thought she was using our book finder to CREATE 'the devil' incarnate - and was satisfied with that - until the end scenes which had little relationship to the story I thought was being told. I thought he wanted the 9 engravings to DESTROY them, not practice their ritual - I thought that girlfriends face in the night sky at the 'castle' was an indication of her 'godly' assignment - I thought the transition in her while having intercourse was related to a create and redeem concept - rebirth 'Satan', and bring him to an new equity with godliness/ a new relationship with God - According to these, and other reviews/summarys - my watching of the Nine Gates differed from the many. Interesting to me that once again, being female, and 'powerful' was once again equated with being a Witch/B_ tch . Oh Well.....

Response: Yea, i think you might be on to something here. -David

WE SEE DEAD PEOPLE
Subject: Profound message Sixth Sense
Date: Mon, 23 Oct 2000
From: Joel

I know I am late the The Sixth Sense game, but I saw it recently and saw a profound message that no one else has addressed. As Believers in Jesus, we see dead people every day. At work, at the grocery store, at the movie theater... everywhere. The spiritually dead roam the earth. And the kicker? They don't know they are dead...
Joel The WorldVillage Family of Sites

OFFICAL SITE
Subject: Julian Po
Date: Mon, 23 Oct 2000
From: CypressFilms

Anyone interested in more information about "Julian Po" should go to the Cypress Films website. Cypress developed and produced the film.

COMMENTS FROM GREECE
Subject: read the book Last of Temptation Christ
Date: 23 Oct 00
From: Yorgos

A few comments from someone born and raised in Greece. Since we've already seen umpteen testimonials about the power and beauty of the movie (not that I disagree, but it gets repetitive), I will concentrate on the novel the film is based on, "The Last Temptation" by Nikos Kazantzakis. It is a wonderfully evocative novel, and you should all read it. It captures the sights, the textures, the smells. It is a heroic work, dwelling on the tortured mind of Jesus, and his reluctance to follow through as the chosen one. I read it as a teenager and I loved it. In essence, the book is about the struggle between the flesh and the spirit, and the agony of those who are seized by a higher purpose and cannot lead a normal life. Even the biblical Jesus was clearly a tortured soul: he went into the desert, was tempted by Satan in his many forms, had many doubts (including in Gethsemane and on the cross). Christian doctrine as far back as the 5th century has struggled with the balance between the divinity and humanity of Christ. As many others have already said, "fully human, fully divine" is the accepted doctrine; nothing else is truly Christian. So where is the blasphemy? That the story (and remember, it's just a story) chooses to concentrate on the human side? That it portrays Jesus as a human being with the usual human weaknesses? That he struggled with sin all his life? Think about it, those of you who rant and rave against the film (the vast majority have never seen it): if Jesus was not fully human, if the passion was easy, if he went meekly to the slaughter without doubts, what was the sacrifice worth? The depiction of Jesus as an ordinary man thust into his calling kicking and screaming is a much more interesting and thought-provoking one than the alternatives: megalomaniac, do-gooder, automaton, daddy's boy, opportunist, hippy. Which one is a better candidate for holiness, Dostoyevsky (who, incidentally, was an epileptic like the movie's Jesus), or Bill Clinton? Joan of Arc or Pat Robertson? As for perhaps the most shocking part of the story, the making of crosses, the author is trying to make a point (DUH!): Jesus commits what he thinks God would consider the worst sin, so God will leave him alone. The truth is that being chosen to turn the world upside down is no bed of roses, and many mystics and prophets were driven nuts by it (or got their calling BECAUSE their minds were way out there in left field, WHO KNOWS?). And finally, the stuff about Judas, who makes absolutely no sense at all in the Gospels: Kazantzakis creates a fictional character far more nuanced than the simple money-grubbing wretch we all grew up with. BTW, "Jesus Christ Superstar" copied the Judas-as-pissed-off-freedom-fighter and the Mary-Magdalen-as-resisted-love-object characterizations, without so much as a nod in Kazantzakis' direction (it could be a coincidence, but...). More bizzarely, "Star Trek: The Next Generation" has an episode where Picard experiences a hallucination remarkably similar to the Last Temptation. Not bad for an author hardly anybody knew... Kazantzakis was criticised by the Greek Orthodox church for several of his novels, including this one, and was excommunicated. However, I believe he has been rehabilitated. The bottom line is, IT'S FICTION. Even my Bob Jones graduate super-evangelical colleague agrees that blasphemy only applies if fiction pretends to be reality. So go ahead, read the novel, and while you're at it also read "God's Pauper," a fictional account of St. Francis of Assisi. You will find similar themes of unwillingness to accept a calling, the temptations of power, the heroism of rising above human weakness and doubt. The point again is, if it was easy, we'd all be saints. There is one thing in Kazantzakis' theology that comes through loud and clear in "God's Pauper" which is sure to upset your average hellfire-and-brimstone ranter: that we must do the right thing for neither hope (of reward) nor fear (of punishment). That's what I live my own life by, and it's no accident: belief in heaven and hell never really caught on in Greek culture (but that's another story). Lest you think that I'm a Kazantzakis groupie, let me end with this: as I outgrew my teenage fascination with N.K., I recognized the powerful influence that Nietschean philosophy had on him. That's what makes him such a great writer, but all the stuff about the unending struggle and heroic overcoming of all sorts of obstacles can really get to you in the end. It also made him a real bitter pill for his wives and friends...
Note: please withhold my name and e-mail address--YP will do--I have no time for lengthy e-mail exchanges with fanatics.

PARTISAN PROPAGANDA DEMONIZING CONSERVATIVES
Subject: "The Contender"
Date: Mon, 23 Oct 2000
From: "Mary Main"

Hello, a friend told me about your site, and it's wonderful. But, why haven't you reviewed this unrelenting 2 1/2 hours of partisan propoganda demonizing Conservatives, Christians and Pro-Lifers? Let me tell ya, it is a slick, well-done movie that basically trashes Christian values and in scenes where the heroine jogs through a cemetery which I supposed to be Arlington, implied that she was making comoparable sacrifices for her country to the war heroes buried there. Don't miss it. We need your opinion.
Sincerely, Mary Main
Author of "Tower of Evil" and "The Deadliest of Friends"

MARK 3 NO. 11
Subject: A clue often missed Matrix
Date: Mon, 23 Oct 2000
From: Daniel D

Not only is the ship name, "Nebuchadnezzar" significant, but if you look closely at the plaque you will see the ship's classification is Mark 3 No. 11. Mark 3:11 And unclean spirits, when they saw him, fell down before him, and cried, saying, Thou art the Son of God.
Dan D.

Your Private Comments.
I will not post these comments. What are your personal thoughts?  I also welcome your spiritual concerns and prayer needs.  I will correspond with you, usually within two weeks.
CLICK HERE
Private_Comments_E-mail

Hollywood Jesus News Letter
Receive the Hollywood Jesus Newsletter FREE.
Sign up here