I decided to start writing some movie reviews on my blog. I think this is something that Nick and I might start doing together but I'll go ahead and get the ball rolling. I feel that movies are very impactful and can really carry a lot of messages. It seems that there is a lot of power in stories in general to speak to us in a way that facts or non-fiction cannot.
I've had some interesting conversations with people about what movies we should or shouldn't watch. Is it for the best to watch a movie that is filled with graphic violence/sexuality or nudity/or language? I hate asking the question is it a sin or not. I think the problem is not actually whether it is sin or not it is more the definition of what sin is. I don't think that sin is just doing things that God doesn't like, which seems to be a lot of people's opinions. I don't feel like I have a great grasp on all this stuff. In fact, I think there is a lot of mystery involved. However, I do feel that the essence of sin is trying to be in control of things which only God is in control, which is basically everything. I think the reason that certain things are considered sin is because God has asked us not do them with our best interests in mind yet we choose to do them anyway because we think we know what is best. I know there is so much more to it than that but I'm just trying to grasp a basic understanding. So I think that watching certain things or reading certain things is wrong when we know it is not what is best for us, yet we think we can handle it. For instance, if I was an alcoholic it would be unwise for me to drink a glass of wine. I think the question of movies or the arts in general is can we follow the commandment that "whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things" and still watch movies that would have impure things in them? I think it really comes down to a question of wisdom and discernment. It'd be easy to have some kind of list or standard that God gives us but I believe that part of maturity and the work of the Spirit is that we can, if we are in tune with Him, decide what is best. Maybe I'm wrong, but I really feel that we have the ability to see certain things that are "bad" but in discernment and wisdom see the greater truth. In Velvet Elvis, Rob Bell talks about finding truth wherever it is present and that whenever we see truth, we see God. That is so cool. I have a couple examples of what I am talking about. Last night, I watched the movie "Tenacious D and the Pick of Destiny." While being a funny movie, there was very little of a good message and a lot of some very negative and offensive parts. If I was being wise I would have stopped watching the movie after the first 2 minutes knowing that there wasn't going to be a redeeming message. However, I continued to watch the movie to the end and I know that I am no better off for that.
Some might say, "That was an R-rated movie, and you should have never watched it in the first place because of that R-rating." What I would say to that is that I have seen some very trashy pg-13 and even pg rated movies that left me feeling the same way. An example of this would be "Rumor Has It" or "Fast and the Furious 3: Tokyo Drift." The former movie was just horribly trashy and raunchy and the latter was just stupid and pointless.
I didn't realize this was going to be such a long post. I didn't even get to my movie review, which was the whole point of this post. Alas, it will have to wait. I know everyone is very disappointed.
The End
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3 comments:
I really like what you said here, but my favorite part was when you used the words "former" and "latter"...very sophisticated words!!
Tim, I enjoyed watching "Diary of a Mad, Black, Woman. It was funny and Tyler Perry as the grandmother and her brother was hilarious, but they cursed a lot. What impacted me was the granddaughter went from being a rich, co-dependent, wife, who had few life skills, to a vibrant, capable, non-wealthy, woman of faith, who could stand up for her convictions, stand up to her abusing husband, and impact those around her. It was a great message on the power of recovery, when augmented by family and faith.
You can write a whole lot about the things you are thinking about. I'm curious how long it takes you to write one of these! Please tell me, how long? Mine are of the more superficial or pictorial-oriented sort these days.
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