I don't buy many movies. But, I consider these movies to be worth it and can't wait to own them:
Amor es perros--Mexican film about dog fighting and love. (They go together more naturally than you would think! haha) Also, a great representation of Mexican culture.
The Motorcycle Diaries--Story of the early life of the revolutionary Che Guevara. It chronicles his trek through South America with nothing but a friend and a motorcycle.
Man on Fire--you can't beat Denzel and Dakota Fanning in this movie. Also, Mark Anthony has a surprisingly strong performance. Plus, it takes place in Mexico City and shows the volcano I used to see every morning going to school in Puebla.
Crash--I only saw this film once; in fact, it was the first movie I saw in Mexico, and it blew me away. I remember feeling distinctly uncomfortable throughout the whole thing. And that's good. Probably the best movie addressing racial tension I've ever seen.
Born Into Brothels--This is a documentary about a teacher from the Non-Profit organization Kids With Cameras, who goes into the red-light district of Calcutta, India. Children of prostitues are destined to prostitution in what becomes a continual ring of destruction. The point of this "project" (for lack of a better word), is to provide a way for these children to break out of what destines them to prostitution through art. Since children of prostitutes are not allowed in schools, Kids With Cameras eventually starts a boarding school for some of the children to attend. The redemption in this movie is incredible. And it's real!
Saturday, September 30, 2006
Friday, September 29, 2006
Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs
I just finished the increasingly popular analysis of pop-culture entitled Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs by the brilliant Chuck Klosterman. If you haven't heard of or read this book and you enjoy pop culture, or even just learning from the American culture, you must check out this book. It's memoir style, and it's one of those books that you really can't put down.
Highlights for me:
The book opens with the line, "No woman will ever satisfy me." haha. Klosterman goes on to form this whole theory about how we are all miserable due to John Cusack. The evil of John Cusack is his role in the 80's blockbuster, Say Anything. So, Klosterman says that all women (and men) who were at least in their pre-teens in the 80's, have this ideal of love that they can never reach. We can't reach this ideal love, because it's not even real love. The love that Say Anything sold us on isn't realistic! So, we're all miserable because we're chasing a false love that we can never attain. I buy it.
There is a chapter where Klosterman follows this Guns 'N Roses cover band to a show. It's really amazing to see that subculture and how seriously the rock star clones take themselves. The highlight for me is when Klosterman explains that these guys used to have a tour bus, but they lost it. They literally lost it. haha. It broke down in Illinois, they took it to a mechanic, but the next day they couldn't remember where the mechanic was. They never found the place again. Apparently in Illinois there is a law that says you have 30 days to find your tour bus, and if you can't locate it, you can't get it back. Crazy.
The last three chapters were incredible. They were on the media, serial killers, and The Left Behind Series.
Do read this book if you like to laugh out loud at books. If you watch VH1, you have to read it. If you lived in the 80's, even if for a short time, you have to read it. Read it if you listen to rock music. Read it if you have played, wanted to play, or despised the idea of playing The Sims video game. If you like intelligent writing about culture, read this book.
Don't read this book if you are offended by the f-bomb. He drops it a lot. Don't read this book if you are offended by the word masturbation--he uses that a lot too. Don't read this book if The Left Behind Series are your favorite books ever.
Highlights for me:
The book opens with the line, "No woman will ever satisfy me." haha. Klosterman goes on to form this whole theory about how we are all miserable due to John Cusack. The evil of John Cusack is his role in the 80's blockbuster, Say Anything. So, Klosterman says that all women (and men) who were at least in their pre-teens in the 80's, have this ideal of love that they can never reach. We can't reach this ideal love, because it's not even real love. The love that Say Anything sold us on isn't realistic! So, we're all miserable because we're chasing a false love that we can never attain. I buy it.
There is a chapter where Klosterman follows this Guns 'N Roses cover band to a show. It's really amazing to see that subculture and how seriously the rock star clones take themselves. The highlight for me is when Klosterman explains that these guys used to have a tour bus, but they lost it. They literally lost it. haha. It broke down in Illinois, they took it to a mechanic, but the next day they couldn't remember where the mechanic was. They never found the place again. Apparently in Illinois there is a law that says you have 30 days to find your tour bus, and if you can't locate it, you can't get it back. Crazy.
The last three chapters were incredible. They were on the media, serial killers, and The Left Behind Series.
Do read this book if you like to laugh out loud at books. If you watch VH1, you have to read it. If you lived in the 80's, even if for a short time, you have to read it. Read it if you listen to rock music. Read it if you have played, wanted to play, or despised the idea of playing The Sims video game. If you like intelligent writing about culture, read this book.
Don't read this book if you are offended by the f-bomb. He drops it a lot. Don't read this book if you are offended by the word masturbation--he uses that a lot too. Don't read this book if The Left Behind Series are your favorite books ever.
Friday, September 22, 2006
Health and Wealth
I must admit that I found this article on a friend's blog. So, at the risk of being completely unoriginal, I'm posting it anyway because I think some of you would have an interest in this.
It's from TIME Magazine.
http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/09/10/time.cover.tm/index.html
A few thoughts:
We've been talking a lot about hymns in RUF lately--things like why we sing them and what value they hold. I can't help but wonder, if only the pastors in this article, who have sold great numbers of books and have huge churches, would preach a truly "rich" (in the sense of profound content) message, things would be so different. For starters, they probably wouldn't sell tons of books and have such huge followings in our society. That is sad (in a way); however, they would be communicating a real message, the gospel message of being poor and yet rich, of being a pauper yet being credited a prince, and the profound truth of failing miserably and yet being favored as one who overcame.
The implications of a true gospel, a God-glorifying gospel could change the world. The message of health and wealth will change nothing but the number of people who are willing to suffer in the Christian life (by reducing it). We need a renewed sense of the depth of the gospel, and, while not the only way, hymns meet us where we are. They challenge us to truly believe Christ, to see Christ as more beautiful (which they actually help us to do!), and to understand the Christian life as not about riches and blessing, but about Christ (in whom we have more riches and blessing than we could ever dream of).
Something that has always saddened me, and which is touched upon in this article, is the lack of racial diversity in the average, evangelical church as compared with these prosperity-centered churches. I really believe that, as Christians, we must be about uniting people of different races. We must improve upon this aspect of American churchlife, and the gospel is the very thing that compels us (and qualifies us!) to do this. We must be about redeeming the effects of the fall. The implications of the gospel extend to the great reversal of the tower of babel, uniting people of different cultures and languages under one head, Christ.
I'm not sure enough people read this to make this happen, but I would love to get a conversation started if you would care to comment.
It's from TIME Magazine.
http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/09/10/time.cover.tm/index.html
A few thoughts:
We've been talking a lot about hymns in RUF lately--things like why we sing them and what value they hold. I can't help but wonder, if only the pastors in this article, who have sold great numbers of books and have huge churches, would preach a truly "rich" (in the sense of profound content) message, things would be so different. For starters, they probably wouldn't sell tons of books and have such huge followings in our society. That is sad (in a way); however, they would be communicating a real message, the gospel message of being poor and yet rich, of being a pauper yet being credited a prince, and the profound truth of failing miserably and yet being favored as one who overcame.
The implications of a true gospel, a God-glorifying gospel could change the world. The message of health and wealth will change nothing but the number of people who are willing to suffer in the Christian life (by reducing it). We need a renewed sense of the depth of the gospel, and, while not the only way, hymns meet us where we are. They challenge us to truly believe Christ, to see Christ as more beautiful (which they actually help us to do!), and to understand the Christian life as not about riches and blessing, but about Christ (in whom we have more riches and blessing than we could ever dream of).
Something that has always saddened me, and which is touched upon in this article, is the lack of racial diversity in the average, evangelical church as compared with these prosperity-centered churches. I really believe that, as Christians, we must be about uniting people of different races. We must improve upon this aspect of American churchlife, and the gospel is the very thing that compels us (and qualifies us!) to do this. We must be about redeeming the effects of the fall. The implications of the gospel extend to the great reversal of the tower of babel, uniting people of different cultures and languages under one head, Christ.
I'm not sure enough people read this to make this happen, but I would love to get a conversation started if you would care to comment.
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