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Reviews
The Armor of Light (2015)
God does not fit into your political box
Being a Christian that moved to America from Europe I have often grappled struggled with right wing tea party politics and especially the polarizing debate surrounding the 2nd amendment and gun control. Compared to most evangelicals here in the USA I am often seen as a bleeding heart liberal, yet in Europe I'm viewed as having conservative values. Upon seeing this documentary, finally I see that there is a narrative that is a-political, one that really gets to the heart of how faith applies to gun control. If you are pro life then should being pro life apply to only the first nine months from conception or should that ethic continue from conception to the grave? That is the very question that Armor of Light tries to unpack. Ms Disney has done a great job in leaving her personal politics at the door and has opted to follow tea party republican and evangelical pastor Rob Schneck. We are introduced to Rob on his way to a pro-life rally. A passionate activist, who's convictions draw hatred from the liberal left. His politics are certainly very right of center.
When a mass shooting occurs at the Naval Command in Washington, Rob begins his search for meaning in the world of gun control issues. He is pro life, his peers are all for protecting the 2nd amendment at all costs, but how does that fit into his pro-life mindset. This is all set against the backdrop of some of the recent mass shootings and the controversies pertaining to the 'Stand you ground' law in some states of America. His journey brings him to meet with Lucy McBath, who lost her son Jordan who was unarmed to a 'Stand your ground' shooter, and the result is truly inspiring. Two people of faith from opposite sides of the political spectrum find a common cause, that something is very wrong with the way the 2nd Amendment is interpreted. The NRA rhetoric that the only way to stop a bad person with a gun is a good person with a gun, and so the solution lies in having more guns flies in the face of real faith in God. A God that says love your neighbor, forgive your enemy, trust in the Lord with all your heart. By living in constant fear, taking a persistent defensive stance, closes down creative solutions to solving America's gun problems and is likely also a sign of weak faith and a lack of trust in God.
Lucy is inspirational throughout, she has suffered a great loss, and she is under no illusion that her new found colleague is going to have put everything he is on the line if they are going to work together, but she knows that Rob, a white male republican pastor's voice will carry further than that of a black mother who is mourning the loss of a child. Unlike Rob, she is pro choice. On the face of it they are so opposite, but it is the sharing of a common faith in God that is the glue that unites them on their cause. Instead of fighting over their differences they find common ground in that gun control is essentially a pro-life issue that concerns people long after they have exited the womb.
If you are person of faith such as I am, this is essential watching. You will be challenged to think differently. Instead of blindly following the Fox news line, maybe it's time to really seek God and discover what he has to say instead. If you are person on either side of the political fence, you will see that the big problems can be worked out by genuinely reaching across the aisle, because there are good people that span the entire political spectrum. We may not agree on everything, but that does not mean that we can't work together to make the world a better place.
Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief (2015)
A peek behind the scenes of a dangerous cult
We've all passed the well intentioned folks in the street asking if we want to take a free stress test, or a personality test. That can't be a bad thing right? In this crazy world we all want to be able manage our stress levels, or work on our character flaws in order to succeed in life. In case you didn't know the test is the first doorway into the cult religion of Scientology.
Going clear gives us an insight into the founding, and the dark practices that go on behind the scenes of Scientology. Where L Ron Hubbard, was a selfish failure of a man possibly with delusions of grandeur who founded an obscure and weird religion, Going Clear reveals that the man who succeeded him after his death is a power mad tyrant by the name of David Miscavige.
Using Lawrence Wright's book as a basis for the research, Alex Gibney has crafted a very engaging documentary, utilizing talking head interviews with people who have been through the wringer of Scientology cut together with archive footage from multiple sources exposing the very core of Scientology. Many of the interviewees were people that had reached the highest ranks within the organization, some of them talking very candidly about the abusive practices that they were involved with on both ends; the giving and receiving. With all this going on we also see how of millions of dollars gets funneled to the privileged few at the top and how the church of Scientology can skirt the tax laws to keep all of its ill gotten gains for itself.
Of course no documentary about Scientology would be complete without commenting on it's two celebrity superstars, John Travolta and Tom Cruise. Whereas you may pity Travolta who seems to be somewhat trapped, Cruise has become quite the poster boy for the religion. Going Clear raises some important questions as to whether or not Tom Cruise is aware of the inner workings of Scientology and how much he knows about the abuses towards the rank and file of the organization.
What is most frightening though is the lengths Scientology will go to to protect its image. Hubbard wrote that the church should go on the offensive against it's critics and not be defensive, and you will see in Going Clear some of the low bottom feeding tactics Scientology uses to keep the followers in line and how it seeks to control defectors from the religion.
Gibney reserves his most scathing criticism for Miscavige, the man currently at the top of the religion, and no punches are pulled showing him to be controlling, abusive and manipulative. I won't spoil the scene for anyone who hasn't seen the documentary, but the psychological musical chairs game he plays with his some of his leadership gives us a brief look into his twisted mind.
The only thing I wish that this documentary showed was some rebuttal and defense from Scientology members, however the credits tell us that many of the top people within Scientology, Miscavige and Cruise included were invited to be interviewed, but all declined. to be on record. This is unfortunate because it would have been interesting to see what high ranking members would say in their defense of all the allegations that Going Clear makes against them.
Going clear is an important documentary in that it shows us the dangers of being sucked into a cult. Lessons from this could be applied to any personality cult religion. If you know people that are in Scientology. Maybe they have 'Disconnected' from you then this film will at least show you why your friend or family member is acting this way. Anything that helps us to understand and warn us against an unhealthy life choice is a good thing and Going Clear does just that.
The Interview (2014)
If only Kim Jong Un had just ignored it, then it would have just gone away.
Oh Kim Jong Un, you really shot yourself in the foot with the fuss you made over this movie didn't you? Had you ignored it then it would have just gone away, consigned to the bargain DVD bin in a few short weeks. Now, because of all your foot stamping, so many more people; folks that wouldn't have given this a second glance are watching all in the name of free speech. Kim, please understand this movie really wasn't worth getting your panties in a knot over.
The Interview is a mediocre stoner comedy at best which is unfortunate because the first twenty minutes or so showed much promise, from the cute North Korean kid singing death to America, to celebrities like Eminem and Rob Lowe sending themselves up in hilarious fashion. The movie is such a missed opportunity that could have been a fantastic satire on so many levels mocking the North Korean Regime, American tabloid media, the CIA and US international relations. Team America achieved this so well whereas the Interview descended very quickly into toilet humor, and obvious slapstick comedy rehashing the same jokes over and over again. The boner in your underpants maybe funny the first time, but gets tired very quickly. Don't get me wrong, there are some genuinely funny moments, but there are just not enough of them to sustain the length of film.
As the interview gets towards its finale, it then tries way too hard packing in so much cartoon action but it's so ridiculous an unsubtle. It's like a clown hitting you over the head with rubber chicken multiple times 'saying look at me I'm funny... I'm funny'
One redeeming aspect was Randall Park's performance as Kim Jong Un. He certainly nailed the conflicted dictator. He had some great comic timing and most of the movie's best laughs came from Park's performance. Seth Rogen had some great moments also, but James Franco on the other hand hammed it up way too much. What's with all those weird facial expressions? I do wish that the script allowed more depth to Diana Bang's character, but she did a good job with what she had to work with.
All in all though the interview was certainly not worth all the hype and attention that it received. If you like slapstick stoner humor then this is one to watch, but even in that genre there are many other way better films out there than this. If you are looking for meaningful satire and intelligent comedy then this is not the movie for you. And if you are the dictator of a totalitarian regime then fear not, there is nothing here that will threaten your power base. Safer to just leave it alone.
Fifty Shades of Grey (2015)
A terrible movie that had to be made.
Fifty shades is an awful film no doubt, but it had to be made no question, and here is why. Purely from an economic standpoint Comcast, that owns Universal had no choice. How could they say to their share holders that they passed on such a cash cow, allowing Warner, Fox or Sony to rake in the profits that this movie is guaranteed to make. The board meeting probably went something like this.
"We have an option on this book 'Fifty Shades of Grey- Now this one of the worst books ever to be written, but bear with me here, because this book is selling like hotcakes to desperate housewives everywhere. It's a no brainer we have to make this movie. The great thing is that we don't even need to make a good movie, it only has to be almost as good as the book, and since the book is so bad to begin with, that means that the bar is already set very low. We just can't fail.
It's not Lord of Rings, the fan base isn't looking for great quality, if they were they wouldn't have bought the book in the first place, and that means we don't need to spend much money developing the script. Neither do we need to waste money on any A list talent. Forget Tom Cruise, and Keira Knightly, just get a couple or relatively unknown actors, they don't even need to be that good as long as they can remember their lines. And we don't need to budget for a great director either. Let's face it we are not remaking Citizen Kane here, so keep Spielberg and Scorcese for another project. Heck, we don't even need to pay out for someone like Ridley Scott and he'll pretty much do anything these days. No an unknown mediocre director will do, but make sure that the director is a woman as it will help to deflect any negative PR from those folks that think fifty shades glorifies domestic abuse and the like.
Now here is the best part. Here is how we can make a ton of money out of this steaming dung pile. There are two days in the year when even the most Jockiest of alpha male guys who normally only watch action movies will happily take their significant other to see a chick flick. One is on her birthday, and the other is Valentines day. Since birthdays fall every day of the year, then February 14th has to be the release date.
Oh and as luck would have it, Valentines day this year falls on a Saturday, so not only will all the male schmucks who think taking their girl to see this pic will get them laid later, all the single ladies who don't want to be stuck inside on this evening will come out to see this movie in droves with their girlfriends.
Seriously guys, we've been handed a gift horse. Let's green light this thing and make ourselves a huge pile of cash".