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On July 18, 2023 By In Film, Music

HBO’s ‘Barry’ converts to Christ and listens to David Crowder Band

If you’ve never heard of Barry, it’s a dark comedy on HBO starring Bill Hader (viewer discretion advised). The show debuted in 2018, with its fourth and final season ending in 2023. The main character, Barry Berkman, is a former-Marine-turned-hitman. He uses his military sniper skills to murder people for money. That sounds pretty dark, right? Where’s the comedy? The comedy kicks in when Barry decides to take up acting classes as a hobby. Quirky and eccentric characters give the show a satirical edge.

Seasons 1, 2, and 3 contain little to no religious elements, at least none that I can recall. Imagine my surprise when Season 4 depicts Barry as a convert to Christianity. In Episode 5, Barry is in his secluded home, hiding out with his wife and son. They are watching a live-streamed worship service on their laptop. At the end of the sermon, the pastor says, “Peace be with you.” Barry’s family promptly responds, “And also with you.” They then hug and share the peace with one another.

In other scenes, Barry teaches his son to honor God’s creation and not resort to violence. He teaches the story of Jesus feeding the 5,000. He makes reference to St. Augustine. This is a Barry that we’ve never seen before. He is raising his son in the faith, and it appears that his murderous ways are behind him.

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On June 7, 2023 By In Church, Culture, Film

‘Love & Death’ stands or falls with the church

Warning: Spoilers ahead

HBO’s Love & Death is a 7-episode miniseries set in the late 70s and early 80s. It tells the true story of an adulterous affair in Wylie, Texas that resulted in a killing. The show portrays Candy Montgomery as the initiator of an affair with Allan Gore. Candy eventually kills Betty Gore, Allan’s wife, with an axe in Betty’s laundry room (viewer discretion is advised).

Why Candy killed Betty is a matter of debate, but you’ll have to watch the series or research the case if you want to know more. The focus of this article is on what drew me to the series in the first place — the Christian faith of the main characters.

Episode 1 begins with a traditional church service. Candy, Allan, and their spouses are members of the choir. They are singing the Gloria Patri in Sunday worship, donned with choir vestments. I was instantly intrigued and wondered what kind of church they belonged to.

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On March 8, 2023 By In Film

Theology of a Psychopath: A Brief Reflection

[Spoilers]

Movie adaptations of novels rarely surpass the genius of the originals. No Country for Old Men comes close. Subtle changes in the action sequences caused the film to burst with tension and anxiety. I would but have you picture in your mind Moss sitting on the edge of the bed with his shotgun, watching the shadow of Chigurh glide under the door. Then the light in the hallway go black.

Perfect.

In nearly every way, the movie captured the tone and brilliance of the novel. Except for one key moment: the murder of Carla Jean.

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On February 13, 2023 By In Culture, Film

Reacting to the Reaction of Ben Shapiro. The Last of Us, Episode 3

As I was saying, The Last of Us, episode three, has garnered mounds of ire and frustration. Purists have trumpeted their disapproval for how the episode deviated from the game, while others have raised cries of alarm over the evident wokeism.

As for representatives of the second camp, Ben Shapiro leads the charge. At the time of my writing this, over half a million people have clicked on his review. You can find it here. In terms of my own sensibilities, he and I tend to harbor similar movie tastes, and because of that, along with his sharp wit and sense of humor, I try to keep tabs on him.

Granting this happy commendation, I must say that I was left wanting more in this instance.

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On February 9, 2023 By In Culture, Film

Wokeback Zombie Mountain? The Last of Us, Episode Three: A Review

The new HBO series The Last of Us is shaping up to be a solid cinematic experience. Based on the wildly popular video game—one which thoroughly captivated this seasoned gamer’s imagination—and which felt like a superb movie experience in its own right—The Last of Us has largely risen above the sad list of failed game-to-movie adaptations.

The opening collapse of society is tense, the main characters are believable, and the one hundred million dollar budget offers up strong visuals. This isn’t to say that there aren’t a few missteps here and there, but on balance, it’s a quivering, but relatively stable thumbs up—assuming, of course, that episode three remains a rainbow anomaly.

You may or may not have heard (depending on how closely you follow the movie nerd sphere) that episode three is either the greatest thing to ever have occurred in the history of the world, or it is a woke dumpster fire causing grunting men to gnash their teeth in fury and agitation.

Here’s a simple breakdown in case you missed it.

A lone survivalist named Bill creates a little utopian outpost in a post apocalyptic world. Years of prepping has paid off—big time. He has a massive generator, enough guns to arm a small country, high grade defenses, and stores of tasty delicacies. Several years pass. Then Frank shows up. He’s a congenial, jovial, good-natured fellow who, after fleeing a dire situation, falls into one of Bill’s zombie-catching pits.

Fast forward to a formal dinner, a soulful piano playing moment, and then, you guessed it, sex. As the years pass in romance, they pick strawberries together, fend off a group of bandits (well, one of them does), grow old, and eventually commit suicide together, due to Frank having contracted some kind of life degenerating disease. They both drink wine loaded with enough Vicodin to drop an elephant. Then they lay in bed waiting for death.

Setting aside the fact that all this clearly agenda driven, it’s a fairly well-crafted tale. Various virtues are exhibited throughout: sacrifice, faithfulness, courage, love. It makes sense why some find it compelling.

Allowing for these congenial concessions (and here I am still ignoring the five hundred pound gorilla in the room), it simply doesn’t make sense why so many critics think it is the greatest thing since sliced bread. But then again, maybe the sheer willingness to loudly applaud what is at best a side quest to the main storyline highlights a deep gravitational force at play in society.

Duh, right?

After listening to about ten reviews on YouTube, and after perusing a handful of online reviews, the amount of over-the-top gushing can scarcely be viewed as anything less than a deep gravitational pull.

Supercuts Delight proclaimed: “The Last of Us Episode 3 is HBO’s Magnum Opus.”

Forbes declared that it is a “Television Masterpiece.”

Add to such headlines various images of women weeping on their YouTube thumbnails, along with media outlets comparing episode three to the opening of Pixar’s Up, and you have what can only be described as a motivated desire to see glory in it. I say that, because, to stress again, and with as much objectivity as I can muster, it wasn’t that good (still ignoring the gorilla, folks). The acting and script was solid but not that compelling. If it was a heterosexual couple experiencing essentially the same things, would these reviewers have hailed it as a masterpiece? They’d likely note its quality and undoubtedly praise it, but to this extent?

Frankly, I doubt it.

Interestingly, the development of this love story was completely absent from the video game. It utilized Bill in a far more interesting manner, in my opinion. Therefore, its addition to the HBO series, which has very closely followed the game, reveals their true objective: they wanted to insert a gay love story because such things ought to be celebrated.

That’s the clear agenda.

Now here’s the thing. I actually don’t fault creators for pushing certain agendas. I do it. And I happen to believe that the Creator of all things has a capital A agenda as well.

So, no, there’s nothing wrong with advancing what one believes is beautiful and good. The central question that has to be answered is this: What is the true and the beautiful and the good? When we answer that question, the rest slides into place. We’ll then have a foundation from which to adequately judge what is true and right and good.

Worldview is everything.

This brings me to a few final thoughts.

When Hollywood produces a well-crafted story that also harbors elements of virtue, the Christian’s task of disentangling what is laudable (in the abstract) from what is not laudable can prove challenging when trying to explain such things to unbelievers. There are praiseworthy elements in the episode, and outsiders are correct to want to prize such things. But when said elements are couched in a sinful context, the virtue is soiled. Muslim terrorists, for example, exhibit tremendous courage and conviction at times. But their zeal is misplaced. Sex and love and faithfulness and courage and sacrifice are all beautiful things, but like all good things, they have to operate within certain confines, lest they bleed into unrighteousness.

Here I am reminded of a conversation between Joe Rogan and Ben Shapiro. Rogan couldn’t understand why Shapiro would insist on heterosexual unions when a segment of the population clearly experiences same sex-attraction.

“Why do you care so much?” asks Rogan. “How are they bothering you?”

Sadly, Shapiro didn’t have a good response. Neither did Matt Walsh.

Unless we back up and talk about our relationship to God as Creator and how it is an affront for humans to say “No, I don’t think what you’ve established is best, or most beautiful, or most fitting as a picture of greater realities,” then we’re not going to be able to disentangle what appears to be wholesome in the eyes of some. Human autonomy with all of its fateful consequences has to stand in the foreground, along with the Fall, and the groaning of creation, since only in the light of those truths can we make sense of disordered, sinful desires.

None of this, of course, guarantees that we’ll prove persuasive. But it ought not come at the expense of trying to provide a thoughtful, rational, and yes, persuasive explanation for why episode three of The Last of Us falls grievously short in what it tries to portray as beautiful.

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On October 31, 2022 By In Culture, Film, History, Music

Jeffrey Dahmer: The Monster Who Ate Jesus

During the late ’90s and early 2000s, there was nothing more exciting to me than the underground Christian music scene. In 1997, at age 12, I started devouring all the Christian punk music I could find.
One of my favorite bands was called Blaster the Rocket Man. They were perhaps the most unique of any other band. Their lyrics centered on horror and sci-fi themes – like werewolves, vampires, and aliens – but from an explicitly Christian worldview. In Blaster’s songs, monsters could be saved from their monstrosities if they put their faith in Jesus. It was very Kuyperian if you think about it: Every square inch belongs to Jesus…even the horror genre.

One of Blaster’s albums was called The Monster Who Ate Jesus. That title might seem sacrilegious on the surface, but I’ve always taken it as a reference to the Lord’s Supper (eucharist, communion). In one of the band’s earlier songs, “American Werewolf,” the only way for the werewolf to end his curse was to eat and drink Christ’s body and blood. I was reminded of this concept while watching Monster, the Netflix show about Jeffrey Dahmer. (Warning: mature audiences only.)

Dahmer was one of the most notorious serial killers in US history, nicknamed the Milwaukee Cannibal. From the late ’70s to the early ’90s, Dahmer drugged, raped, killed, and ate his victims (mostly gay black men). Most people – Christian or not – find these crimes utterly reprehensible. Dahmer’s level of depravity cannot be overstated.

And yet, one of the most fascinating things about Dahmer is that he claimed to become a Christian in prison. Mind you, jailhouse conversions aren’t that fascinating. Many people claim to find Jesus behind bars and many of those conversions are dishonest and/or short-lived. What’s always fascinated me about Dahmer was that he never used his faith to try to get out of prison. In fact, he wanted to be executed, which is the biblical penalty for rapists and murderers (Genesis 9:6, Deuteronomy 22:25-27).

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On October 18, 2022 By In Art, Culture, Film, Men

Bad Movies for Boys

Looking for a good movie to show a boy about what it means to be a man? Try these ones out. You might want to check the rating on a couple of these. You should also consider the worldview of each but overall these movies present some key lessons for boys to learn. I say we need more movies like these. 

Jumanji (1995)

Not the dumb remakes. This is a fun tale of magic and adventure around a mysterious board game. The adventure is set in the midst of a breakdown between a father and son who get angry at each other. At the end of the adventure the father and son reconcile with each other. The son specifically apologizes to his father. I will note that the son apologizes first. The father also apologizes. But the example of a son apologizing to a father is a rare occurrence in movies. This is a great example for young boys to see.

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On November 25, 2021 By In Culture, Film

The Walk: A Thanksgiving Movie Review

Philippe Petit walked across a wire strung between the Twin Towers in 1974. That is 1,312 feet in the air. He walked across it 8 times for a total of 45 minutes. 

In the movie about it, The Walk, at the climax, Philippe is walking across the wire for the second time and he says, “And then I feel something that maybe I have never truly felt before. I feel thankful. So I get down on one knee and I salute. First, I salute the wire, then the towers, and then I salute the great city of New York.” 

At the highest point in the movie, he offers thanks. The movie is about thanksgiving.

However, Philippe fails at this one point. He fails to offer thanks to what is still higher than him. He fails to acknowledge God. 

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On January 23, 2021 By In Film

A Movie Review: Babette’s Feast

Robert Capon once wrote that “Grace is the celebration of life, relentlessly hounding all the non-celebrants in the world.” Babette’s Feast is Robert Capon on screen. It is a delicious blend of humor and smells; sights and music. It is virtually impossible to contemplate the movie without considering its vastly religious and sacramental implications.

The 1987 Danish drama is based on a short story by Isak Dinesen. The characters–two elderly maiden sisters–Martine and Philippa, continue the work of their deceased father, who was a prophet/pastor figure of a small Christian sect. After the death of their father, the two sisters immerse themselves in a life of charity while carrying their father’s work to a decreasing and dying number of followers. The two beautiful young women never married. Their father’s vision kept them from pursuing “worldly concerns.”

When two men enter the scene, they offer tangible changes to the life of the two maids.

Lorenz Lowenhielm, an intemperate young cadet enters into Martine’s world seduced by the vision of a purer life. But he soon finds himself lost in the unique, religious environment and chooses to pursue worldly success, which he duly accomplishes.

Next, Achille Papin, a gifted and renowned opera singer, finds himself on the remote coastland in search of rest. His solitude in this strange place plunges him into depression until he hears the angelic melody of Philippa’s voice. Papin believes Philippa is destined for musical greatness and decides to offer her his musical expertise in operatic training. But Philippa is pure and views the entire musical endeavor as an act of seduction and sends her potential suitor back to the continent without her.

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On October 14, 2020 By In Film

Magnificent Obsession (1954): A Movie Review

In one of the sweetest love stories I’ve seen in quite some time, “Magnificent Obsession (1954),” starring Rock Hudson as Bob Merrick, offers a glimpse into a romance that does not undress or sexualize, but cherishes and self-gives.

The movie begins with the playboy socialite (Hudson) who enjoys speed-boating and treasures the vices of selfishness. While pushing the limits of his speed-boat, he suffers a serious accident. The town–like most small towns in the 50’s–does not have an abundance of respirators but the emergency crew have one that is used in extreme cases. Merrick is brought back to life through the respirator but the emergency crew receive a phone call of another emergency in town. They rush with the respirator to attend to a man who had a stroke, but by the time they arrive it’s too late. The well-known city doctor has died from the stroke, and he could have been saved if Merrick, the narcissist, had not used it.

The contrast is quite clear: Merrick the selfish entrepreneur lives and the selfless doctor dies. Once Merrick discovers that his life was spared, he enters into a phase of self-reflection and introspection where he discovers that the only true obsession is not that of worldly gain, but the magnificent obsession of service to one another.

The story unfolds as Merrick seeks to embrace his new role as philanthropist, but quickly realizes that to serve is to lose everything, perhaps even the one you love. In Merrick’s excellent exchange seeking to unfold this premise, and embrace his new mission as giver and servant and renounce his old pursuits of self-gain, he says:

(Bob Merrick) “Well, if it’s as simple as all that, why, I’ll certainly give it a chance.”

(Reply) “Now wait, Merrick. Don’t try to use this unless you’re ready for it. You can’t just try this out for a week like a new car, you know. And if you think you can feather your own nest with it, just forget it. Besides, this is dangerous stuff. One of the first men who used it went to the Cross at the age of thirty-three –“

That exchange was worth the price of the popcorn! But it also further unearthed the need to think carefully about the Christian faith at its most basic level of service. The ancient Christian hymn sung by Paul came to light in the first century when the Apostle speaking of the Messianic descent to earth sung:

…rather, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature of a servant…

The earthly endeavors of man are defined not by his academic achievements or riches, but by his orientation to serve; it is the pursuit of true obedience. In the service of Another, we breathed again. In the death of Another, we were made alive again.

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