3:10 to Yuma

"He who pursues justice and kindness will find life and honor." Prov. 21:21

In the film 3:10 to Yuma, we follow the characters on a journey through the West and through their own souls.

Ben Wade (Russell Crowe) is the leader of an outlaw gang, who is admired by his followers and feared by his rivals. Dan Evans (Christian Bale) is the opposite: a down-on-his-luck, un-noticed, handicapepd (one wooden leg due to an injury in the Civil War) husband and father, looked upon with distaste by his own sons.

One man (Wade) sits on the top of the world, while the other (Evans) is squeezed to the bottom.

But when Evans accidentally stumbles on Wade (and soon after is instrumental in capturing him), he finds a one-of-a-kind chance to rise above it all. The reward for getting Wade to the train (the "3:10 p.m. train to Yuma", hence the movie's title) is $200, which would surely help Evans and his poor family out of a financial mess.

Evans' actions might be motivated by money, but he soons finds he is motivated by another cause: to show his sons and his family (and the world) that doing the right thing is the real joy of this journey through the West. His character finds great wisdom, perhaps inspired by a Biblical proverb like "He who pursues justice and kindness will find life and honor" (Prov. 21:21).

Wade's charcter, too, goes on a journey in this film. Starting out as a wild outlaw, he is almost inspired and touched by Evans' conversion of heart; in the end, he finds that honoring someone who showed him great kindness is of greater value than escaping the prison train to Yuma. While the violence of Wade (even in the final scenes) is inexcusable, he does have his own conversion of heart and realigns his loyalties to those who pursue justice and kindness, rather than those who pursue self-gratification and greediness.

Whether we're motivated by craving selfless honor or by the example of another, we are all on a journey in this life. Sometimes that journey takes us all over the wilderness, through unchartered territory, and alongside less-than-admirable companions (as it literally did for both Wade and Evans in 3:10 to Yuma).

But will we make our final train? Will we turn back in fear of where the train leads or will we have the courage to potentially sacrifice ourselves for a greater purpose?

The Kingdom

"You have heard it said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth,' but I tell you: offer no resistance to one who is evil."
Matt. 5:38

The Kingdom troubled me. But will it trouble others, too? We can only hope.

Advertised as an action film about the current situation in the Middle East, this movie was meant to get action-film fans into the theatres and pack them with a troubling message about the war overseas. It meant to convey an real-life, gruesome, Saving Private Ryan-like bloody image of war, hoping that action fans would think twice about this quagmire we're in over there.

Unfortunately, I don't think it had that effect. As I sat in the theatre, audiences cheered loudly when Jennifer Garner's character brutally killed a Saudi insurgent. I am not excusing the terrorist for their actions in the film; however, the message that violence begets violence seemed to delight the audience instead of repulsing them.

Perhaps it is an indication of the spiritual journeys of where we all were in the audience. War and violence sickens me. Even the so-called "just war" is disgusting in my eyes.

So to see the downward spiral of violence in this movie, with one act of war followed by a greater response, which in turn propels an even worse response, leading to even worse retaliation, and so forth. The Kingdom shows us just that. But what is our reaction to that sickening cycle?

This seems to be the way of things in our world outside the movie theatre, too.

Overseas, suicide bombers and sharpshooters are killing American soldiers and people throughout the Middle East because of the United States war there for the past six years. And that war was launched because of the attacks of September 11th. And that terrorist attack was a response to American foreign policy in the Middle East in the late 20th Century. And so on and so forth, a real-life downward spiral.

The Kingdom is a fictional snapshot of how that all unfolds. Even the final words of the film show us that this crisis may never end: both Jamie Foxx's character and a Saudi terrorist cell leader both confide that their whole motivation for their actions in this movie were simply out of retaliation - an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.

This movie reaffirmed my stance on war and violence, which stemmed from my reading of Matt. 5:38: "You have heard it said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth,' but I say to you: offer no resistance to one who is evil." Jesus commands me to love my enemy, even if he or she hurts me. No matter how much pain others cause, his challenge is to love, not retaliate.

In my own life, I try to live by that standard. And in this nation, I pray that more people (especially those to whom elected office has been given) find inspiration in this standard as well. I fear, especially as I sat in that theatre a few days ago listening to the hoots and hollers of a delighted audience, that we are living in an eye-for-an-eye world. Can we ever get people, starting with actual Christians, to think as Jesus thought?

If we don't, I fear what this downward spiral might one day bring.

The Bourne Ultimatum

"They can kill the mind and body, but they cannot kill the spirit." Matt. 10:28

In the The Bourne Ultimatum, we finally figure out who Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) really is. After three movies of suspense, mystery, action, and adventure, it seems that Jason Bourne is a man of faith.

Near the end of this movie, Bourne has a flashback of his first day on the job as a CIA operative and we get a quick glimpse of his military dogtags. Clear as day, under the name "David Webb" (his original name) is the word "Catholic."

I think it's that one glimpse that answers so much about the Bourne movies.

Here's my theory: As a young adult, Jason Bourne was a Catholic who fell away from his faith and instead put his trust in a secret government agency to bring about justice. But the lessons of his Catholic faith wouldn't subside - and found himself remembering "thou shall not kill" and "what did you do to the least of my brothers and sisters?" in the midst of his covert ops. When Bourne had a chance at a new life in The Bourne Identity (when he lost his memory), he resorted to the ethics and principles that had remained lodged in his subconscience. He may not have been able to remember his CIA training and kills, but he could never forget his morals.

I imagine that Jason Bourne had a Catholicity like many young adults today. The rituals and requirements, pomp and circumstance of the Roman Catholic faith did not connect with his everyday life, so he abandoned it for the ways of the world. However, what did connect was the Church's teachings on social justice, ethics, the dignity of life, forgiveness, compassion, and repentance. Those basic gospel values rang out loud and clear.

Jesus told his disciples this warning when he sent them out into the world, "They can kill the mind and body, but they cannot kill the spirit." (Matt. 10:28) As long as deep within us resides a spirit of justice and gospel values, those values will find us once again.

I wonder how many other people out there have fallen from the practice of their religion, but still hold true to the core of their faith?

How many other people are stuck in jobs and lives that lead us away from gospel values?

How many other people have sought out justice from the world, but found it lacking?

How many other people are trying to find out their core identity and their purpose in life?

At the core of Jason Bourne there wasn't just a guy named David Webb who once applied for covert operations at the CIA headquarters. At the core of Jason Bourne was a man of faith, with strong convictions, moral priciples and ethics, and a longing for redemption.

At the core of who we are, what will we find? And who can we encourage out there to search deep within for those values that truly define them in this world and the next?

The Simpsons Movie

The gift of reason.

It's interesting how small characters can truly double in size on the big screen. The Simpson Movie does just that.

Simpsons' characters like Homer, Bart, Marge, Maggie, Lisa, as well as Ned Flanders, Moe the Bartender, and Mr. Burns are monumental in size, more monumental than they've ever been on the television screen. And like their visages, their personalities seem to double in size too.

On the big screen, Marge seems ever more nagging, Burns seems even more evil, Bart a bit more mischeveous, and unfortunately, Homer seems even more dumb.

In 30-minute increments, Homer's stupidity is more easily forgiven (for the sake of running time, he has to - he needs to do something stupid and repent in just a few minutes). But for 90-minutes of film time, his stupidity is magnified and the time until his realization is much longer. Even having a series run of 17 seasons magnifies the issue: you'd think after all this time, Homer would stop being dumb. It's like every episode (and now every movie), he has to be reminded how to act and speak again and again.

I pray that Homer Simpson is not the "everyman" that he once seemed to be. I pray that Americans aren't as dumb as he is or as forgetful of the people around him.

In The Simpsons Movie, Homer's misdeeds come because he thinks only of himself. He is a horrible father, a wayward husband, and a selfish person overall. Because he wanted a donut, he polluted a lake with toxic waste; because he always wanted a pet pig, he neglected his own son; because he only thinks of his own dream, he disregards the Springfield residents who (over many many episodes) have come to selflessly help Homer out in the past.

Even his "epiphany" in this film is shallow. He learns to care about others but only because by helping others, he will help himself. Helping others, in his "epiphany" is not about self-sacrifice, it is not about loving one's neighbor, it isn't even about being grateful for all the good things your neighbors have done for you. It's still just about him.

On the small screen, I love The Simpsons. It's a wonderful comedy about families and sticking together. But in the movie theatre, I hoped and prayed for more. I hoped and prayed for the honest social and moral commentary the show once had. I hoped and prayed for a Homer, who after so many seasons on the air, finally "gets it." I hoped and prayed, even in the course of this movie, that Homer would realize what he had done, repent, and do good for others because he truly cares for others - not just because, in saving Springfield he'll save himself.

This movie makes you think about how people like Homer don't think.

Approaching our relationships with others through the perspective of our hearts is wonderful; but we also need to use our head as well. We need to think a bit more about what we've done, what we're doing, and where God is taking us. We cannot reply on auto-pilot all our lives, and do things the way we've always done them or that way we're comfortable with. Living good lives involves some real brain power, something poor Homer does not have.

Let us pray for anyone we know like Homer, that they may learn to think before they act. God gave us all the power to reason; let's use that gift wisely.

Harry Potter & The Order of the Phoenix

"It's alright te be angry, but it's never alright to act upon it. Do not let the sun go down on your anger, and never leave room in your heart for the devil." Eph. 4:26-27

Harry Potter, in this, his fifth movie, The Order of the Phoenix, is getting more and more angry.

The movie begins on a dark and stormy afternoon as Harry (played by Daniel Radcliffe) sits alone on a playground, deep in his own thoughts and mulling over his anger.

He is angry because his friends Ron and Hermione, as well as his godfather Sirius Black, haven't written him all summer. He is angry because he saw a Hogwarts classmate get killed by his archnemesis Voldemort just a few months earlier (as we saw at the end of The Goblet of Fire). He is angry because he has no friends when he comes home for the summer. He is angry because it seems nearly everyone in his life has rejected him.

Into this anger come two dementors, the hooded death-like guardians of the wizard prison Azkaban, have come for him, to suck out any remaining happiness from Harry's life.

While he is able to fend them off, this just leads to more anger.

We learn later that because of the connection between Harry and Voldemort through his lightening bolt-shaped scar, Harry feels what Voldemort feels - anger, hatred, and jealosy, among other negative emotions. As the movie goes on, Harry must resist reacting to his own life situations as Voldemort would react.

To counteract the negativity within him, he starts to rely more and more on his friends. He forms "Dumbledore's Army," a group of kids from Hogwarts who want to learn how to defend themselves against trouble (since their new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher and Hogwarts' new High Inquisitor, Dolores Umbridge, wonderfully portrayed by Imelda Stanton, refuses to teach such 'unnecessary' actions).

Through "Dumbledore's Army," the students learn how to effectly defend against evil, and Harry himself learns to work with others and not just do everything on his own. He even learns about handling relationships as he has his first kiss after one of the classes. By the power of friendships, he is able to control his anger.

And when Harry is about to head off alone to face Voldemort and his Death Eaters at the Ministry of Magic, his friends give him another lesson in togetherness. They insist that they go with him, despite Harry's objections. Like the previous generation who banded together to form the Order of the Phoenix, Harry and his friends are a new generation who have learned that only when we act together, can we truly defeat evil.

In our own lives, we have many reasons each day to be angry. Things don't always go our way, or sometimes it's just as simple as someone cutting us off in traffic. When we are alone, these feelings of anger and resentment can overwhelm us, causing us to act upon them in sinful ways.

But when we have a support system, when we have friends and family to lift us up, we feel less inclined to act on those impulses. Our friends remind us why we should never do that.

God has given us to each other, not just for company on this planet, but also because to deal with anger, hatred, and fear, we need one another.

Voldemort, in the Harry Potter films, acts alone (his Death Eaters are his servants, not his friends); but Harry Potter and his allies act together. No matter which film it is, Harry always has Ron and Hermione, Dumbledore and even Severus Snape (teaching us that sometimes we need to work with people we don't particularly like all the time).

St. Paul, in his letter to the Ephesians reminds us, when we're alone and angry: "It's alright te be angry, but it's never alright to act upon it. Do not let the sun go down on your anger, and never leave room in your heart for the devil." (4:26-27). One might imagine this is what Jesus himself had in mind when, at the Last Supper, he told his disciples, "I no longer call you slaves... I call you my friends." (John 15:15) With friends, Jesus was able to transform the world. Harry Potter & The Order of the Phoenix calls us to the same.

So who is in your own Order of the Phoenix? Who is there when we grow angry and desire to act on that anger? Who is it that God has called you to work together with to transform the world and overcome evil? I pray that we all find our own Order of the Phoenix.

Transformers

There's more than meets the eye.

On the surface, Transformers is simply the new action-packed film featuring alien beings who transform themselves into our cars, trucks, planes, and electronic devices (so keep an eye on your ipod or your dvd player lest they get up and start walking around on their own).

Like the film itself, the message of the movie gets clearer once you peel away the ear-popping explosions and eye-stimulating special effects.

Ironically, Transformers, a mid-summer popcorn movie, is really a film about going deeper.

On the surface, our characters have a certain perception to others around them: Sam Witwicky (played by Shia LaBeouf) is just your average, picked-on teenager; Mikaela Banes (Meghan Fox) is just your average, good-looking, hangs-out-with-the-popular-guys kind of girl; and Sam's car is just a beat-up 1977 Chevrolet Camero. On the surface, that is.

But like the car, which "transforms" into Bumblebee, a mute Autobot with a talent for bringing young lovers together, Sam and Mikaela are much more than meets the eye.

Sam is an Ebay regular, a fun-loving but devoted son, who wants to seek out the truth about and one day grow up to be like his grandfather and his epic adventures in the Artic. Mikaela is someone escaping her past and her tragic family story, but also a girl who knows more than most about cars, driving, and engines.

If we didn't get to know them, we'd have written them off as run-of-the-mill teenagers, as the lovable geek or the hot cheerleader-type. And if we didn't know better (and we weren't in a Transformers movie), the 1977 Camero would just be someone's beat-up first car.

Sam, Mikaela, and Bumblebee (not to mention Autobot leader Optimus Prime, Australian computer genious Maggie Madsen, or Army Captain Lennox, among others) are just like us. Sometimes we feel like we're judged on who we appear on the outside, without anyone noticing our deeper stories, our real motives, or our fascinating past. Sometimes we believe everyone else who says that's all we really are.

Society today even reinforces our stereotype and the perceptions people have. We're put into demographic "boxes," but what angers us is that those "boxes" don't fit. They aren't us.
We easily classified by our jobs, our marital status, our towns, our economic bracket, our appearances, our clothes, our skin color, our religious preferences, our political affiilation, or whatever other "box" they have put us in.

Even if the world looks at us like this, God doesn't. And people of God shouldn't.

If we are to become people of God, then we need to look at others as "transformers" too. Like us, everyone else has a complex backstory and an incredible future ahead. We need to see others beyond their "box" and imagine what marvelous things we'll discover. In the Scriptures, Jesus even says, "Aren't you more than the food you eat or the clothes you wear?" (Mt. 6:25)

Our responsiblity is to believe that we are more than meets the eye, and to believe that everyone else is, too.

Live Free or Die Hard

that guy...

We all want to be "that guy." Each summer at the movies, we encounter a number of "that guy's" and in Live Free or Die Hard, we re-encounter the guy that started it all: Bruce Willis as John McClane.

McClane is the cop that goes above and beyond to save the day. Whereas the normal guys in blue just rush to the scene of a crime, John McClane is "that guy" who runs headlong into the action, saving the day from within. His is an inspirational story for heroes everywhere. To go into the heart of darkness without waiting for backup is admirable, risky, and courageous.

With three movies of that behind us, we enter Live Free or Die Hard. It seems like the characters in the movie have actually seen the previous Die Hard films, because it is Matt Farrell (Justin Long) who comments to McClane, "I'm not 'that guy' like you..." Matt is just a wide-eyed, out-for-the-common-man, computer hacker - he saves the day like a techno-Robin Hood of stealing from the rich and powerful for the sake of the rest of us. But he's far from admirable or courageous - he does his work behind a computer screen and doesn't exactly give back to the poor or anything.

We might see ourselves like Matt, too. Perhaps in our world, if we met John McClane, we might say that we're just a normal, cautious (even scared) person. We're not the kind of guys or girls who would save the day from within the heat of battle; we pray that trained professionals will get that job done.

But Matt and McClane move this fun movie ahead because both teach each other (and us) a valuable lesson.

Matt teaches McClane that others can help, too; he teaches him that brawn and muscle also need a bit of brain and smarts (especially in our 21st century world with computers and technology). On the other hand, McClane teaches Matt to step it up a notch - that being careful and cautious and not taking risks can lead to nothingness, too. He teaches him that sometimes we have to emerge from anonymity and become a leader.

And through this combination, both guys become "that guy".

We, too, can be "that guy" - perhaps not with nuclear weapons or giant computer viruses at stake - but we can step up behind the wall of anonymity and risklessness. If if we're more like Bruce Willis, we can take a step back and learn to work with others, especially those who have the gifts we don't have.

God calls us all to become extraordinary - or "that guy." Jesus was "that guy" who took risks and saved the day, but the disciples eventually became "that guy" too after the Resurrection. As Scripture says, they hid behind closed doors and tried to save the world that way; but it was when they came from behind the wall on Pentecost that they truly became "that guy."

We, too, are called to be extraordinary... like Jesus, like the disciples, like John McClane, and like Matt the computer hacker too.