Finding God in Cinema: Noah

After reading the title of this article you are probably saying to yourself, "Of course there is plenty about God and the Bible in the film about Noah and the flood, right?" Well that is a point of major debate that has Christians pretty much split down the middle when it comes to Darren Aronofsky's new epic that opened this past weekend (and gave Russell Crowe the highest grossing opening weekend of his career). The film has been flooded with heavy amounts of controversy for almost a year for multiple reasons. First there were creative differences between the director and Paramount Pictures, then there were setbacks due to budget issues, then there was negative reaction to the film when an early version was screened for select Christian audiences, and so on. Now the film has been released and there is still much debate on how Christians should look at this film.

I saw the film on opening night and before I dive into my main discussion, let me first give a very brief review of the film. I loved the film. It was epic, the acting was incredible (Emma Watson gave her best performance yet), the visuals were breathtaking, the music was beautiful, and the film's main message was intense (more on that later). And that is definitely the shortest review I have ever written. 

Anyway, now that you know how I felt about the actual film, I want to jump into some different points of debate that make up the film's controversy and let you know where I stand. If you haven't seen it yet, my hope is that this will allow you to gain a little more information on the film to help you decide if you think you should see it or not, if you have seen the film, hopefully this will give a little more insight into how we as Christians should approach a movie like this. 

Point of Debate #1: Does the film takes too many deviations from the Biblical account of Noah?

This is the big one. People have gotten upset over the abundance of "artistic license" this film employs. And that would be a sensible complaint...if the filmmakers had stated that this was a literal adaptation of the story of Noah...but they didn't say that. Paramount pictures has been very clear in their marketing that this film is NOT a literal adaptation, or even a loose adaptation. Instead, they say that this film was INSPIRED by the story of Noah. This means that yes, the movie has a main character named Noah, a giant arc, and a flood, but outside of those three things, it is a complete work of fiction. And when you go into the film knowing that it is not supposed to be the exact story of Noah from the book of Genesis, it is much easier to enjoy it for what it is, a fully fictional piece of art. 

Now let's just say that, for the sake of debate, the whole "inspired by Noah" isn't good enough. Ok, to that I would say that the story of Noah is one of the least descriptive stories in the entire Bible. It is very brief (only a few chapters) because of that, it does leave a lot up to the imagination (i.e. Aronofsky's artistic direction) about what happens in between the little details we do get. Examples of what we don't know from the Bible: how Noah built the ark specifically, if anyone tried to get on the ark when the flood began, how they treated the animals during the storm, etc. These are all details that the director had to address for the sake of the film, and they are areas in which he exercises most of his original ideas. 

To solve the problem of how Noah built a giant ark, we are presented with The Watchers, these giant rock creatures/fallen angels that were obviously INSPIRED by a few brief verses in the Old Testament (Genesis 6:4 says "There were giants in the Earth in those days"). The Watchers are definitely the weirdest part of the film (even though I found them kind of likable as well) but they do serve as an easy answer as to how Noah built the ark and how a giant army of men were kept from running onto the ship when the flood started. Which leads me to the next thing.

Another big departure is King Tubal-cain (played excellently by Ray Winstone) and his army of evil men. Of course, the inclusion is not nearly as outlandish as the Watchers. After all, the film has to have a primary antagonist, and it isn't too crazy to think that some people would have tried to rush onto the ark when they realized that they were about to die. The only thing that dances on the edge of believability is how Tubal-cain manages to sneak onto the ark at the last second and hides in the lower levels for such a long amount of time, but again, every film needs a primary antagonist. 

The biggest and probably most difficult departure that Christians will have a hard time getting past is the whole "killer Noah" thing that provides the conflict for the final third of the film. In the film, Noah decides that all men should die after the flood, not just the line of Cain, and so when he finds out that his daughter-in-law is pregnant, he tells her that if the child is a girl, he will kill her the moment she leaves the womb...dang! For me, it was here when the film started to lose me a little bit, but by this moment (with more than 2/3 of the film past) I had already accepted that this film was so far removed from the Biblical story of Noah, that I was willing to buy into this fictional character that Aronofsky created. 

Bottom Line: Go into Noah knowing that it was never intended to be anything like the Bible story we all know. This is 10% Noah and 90% Aronofsky's creation, it could almost be called an original screenplay. I would have had a problem with the film if they claimed that it was how it really happened, but that isn't the case. Furthermore, I would have had a problem if this was a film about Jesus and so many deviation from the Bible were taken, but like I said, the story of Noah has very little detail, and so it is no surprise that there is a lot in this film that we don't recognize.

Point of Debate #2: Is this film "anti-biblical"?

I came across a headline for an online article yesterday that read "NOAH IS UNBIBLICAL, EVIL, AND REPRESENTS PAGANISM!" I almost burst out laughing at the utterly ridiculous claim. Is the film anti-biblical? Absolutely not! That would mean that the film's messages and themes would be against the Bible and against what the Bible teaches and that is simply not true at all for this film. In fact I would say that, unsurprisingly, there are some good Biblical themes present throughout Noah. 

So where is God to be found in this film? I would narrow it down to three main themes that are present throughout, in order from least to most prominent. 

First is the idea of forgiveness, which I wished had been a little more prominent in this dark tale. But there is one scene that provides a visual image of forgiveness that for some reason I just really enjoyed...and yes, it involves the giant rock creatures. In the film, the Watchers, the fallen angels, do not believe that they will enter the Kingdom of God again because they have disobeyed Him. Then later in the film, when the Watchers are defending the ark from the army of Tubal-cain, one of them is killed and as he is dying he looks up into the sky and asks God's forgiveness. Then, to his surprise, his spirit breaks free from the solid rock it was trapped in and is carried up to Heaven. It is after looking at this when another Watcher exclaims to the others, "He has forgiven us! The Creator is bringing us home!" And then the remaining Watchers fight, no longer fearing death, because they know they are forgiven. And to me this was such a beautiful image, illustrating God's forgiveness and love for us. We too are dirty with the sins of this Earth, but because of Christ's sacrifice, we are redeemed, and when our time on this Earth is done, we will be free of our sin and be carried up to our Heavenly Father, because we are forgiven.

Second, is the message of God's immense love for us. We all know the story of how God created the Earth, how mankind fell into sin, and why God decided to flood the Earth to begin with. In fact, there is a visually beautiful scene depicting how God's creation came to be when Noah tells his family the story of "In the beginning..." And we also know that God did not leave us to be miserable forever and dead in our sins. Instead, He showed us love and mercy by entering into a Covenant of Grace with Adam (and with everyone after Adam) promising redemption through a savior, His son. And while the Covenant of Grace and Jesus are not specifically mentioned in the film, God's love is prominent, especially in the end, when Noah realizes that the gift of love, given to him and his family by God, is the only reason that they were spared from the destruction of the Earth. Truly it is only because of God's love that we are saved, because through that love he sent Christ (John 3:16) to save us from our spiritual destruction. 

But the overarching theme that Aronofsky has chosen is a dark one, one that is risky to present to both a Christian and non-Christian audience. The theme I am speaking of is the wickedness of man. In the film, Noah believes that he and his family are much better than the "sinful and wicked sons of Cain" and he looks down on them for much of the film. That is, until he has a vision (presumably from God) that makes him realize that he is just as wicked as all of these other men around him. He sees in himself the same capacity for sin that everyone else has, and this realization drives him to the edge of sanity. This struggle that Noah faces is the same struggle that we face on a daily basis. We are always so quick to point out the sin of others that we never admit to ourselves that we are capable of that same exact sin (Matthew 7:3). Furthermore, we so often forget that we do not deserve God's love and Christ's sacrifice. We so often forget that we deserve misery and death and Hell (Noah refers to the flood as God's justice). Romans 3:10-11 says this:

There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God

If we can take one thing away from watching this film, just look at the grand destruction of the Earth by the flood. This film showcases the destruction that we deserve, but because of God's love, and because of Jesus we are spared (just as Noah was spared). And it is really cool to me that a director (whom I presume to be an unbeliever) has captured this idea so well through film.

Point of Debate #3: Is This Film Harming the Way Non-Believers Look at Christianity?

I have said many times that movies are modern day parables. They are stories that have the potential to contain powerful messages and redeeming truth. I have also said, in regards to film, that God works in mysterious ways, and that film can be His tool to plant the seeds of the faith in the minds of people who watch them. And movies don't have to be "Christian films" to do this! If films such as The Matrix, Harry Potter, and even Bruce Almighty can spark discussion about God and Christianity, then surely Noah can! Now I'm not saying that every non-Christian is going to watch this film and immediately start asking questions about God. My point is that this film can act as a bridge between believers and nonbelievers, who are both wandering into the movie theater to enjoying some quality entertainment. Then, if people start asking questions about the Biblical story of Noah, THEN we can use our knowledge of Scripture to steer them in a more accurate direction. Hollywood has produced a blockbuster film that could very possibly make an impact on a nonbeliever's worldview (how often does that happen??), so why in the world are so many people set on hating it and dismissing it as "anti-biblical?" 

Conclusion

It happens with every Biblical adaptation that comes to the silver screen--there is always controversy. And I understand the people that are upset when they ask, "Is it so much to ask for an accurate adaptation from the Bible, when Harry Potter and Hunger Games fans get faithful adaptations of their fictional books?" The bottom line is, just because everything in the film, Noah, is not directly from the Bible does not mean that it is bad. Of course, if you just didn't like the movie that's of course a different story. Darren Aronofsky has crafted an epic fantasy, inspired by one of the most famous stories in the Old Testament. I would encourage viewers to see the film knowing before-hand what it is, borderline-original fiction. Then afterwords, find others who have seen it and discuss where you saw God in the film, where you wish you saw God more, and what is to be learned from seeing a movie like this. After all, one of the best things about movies is the rich discussion they can provide. 

Oscar Predictions 2014

The time has come again! The biggest award show in the movie business airs Sunday night and its going to be a good one! With Ellen DeGeneres hosting, musical performances by Idina Menzel and U2, and a Best Picture race that has not been so tight in years, The 86th Annual Academy Awards is promising to be an exciting night full of surprises. And as I do each year, it is time for me to make my predictions for the major categories. This year, as I've already said, it was extremely hard for me to predict the winner in a couple categories since some of the competition is just so close but here are my best guesses:

Best Animated Film

This is one of the easier categories. For almost everyone, Frozen, is the clear winner this year, and it should be. The film has had a run at the box office that is nothing short of incredible, the soundtrack has been at the top of the charts for weeks, and the consensus from critics was that this is Disney's best film since The Lion King. Like it or not, Frozen is a worldwide hit, Disney's biggest success in years, and so it should not have a problem walking away with the Oscar Sunday night. Its only competition is The Wind Rises which is the final film from acclaimed director Hayao Miyazaki, who won an Oscar in 2003 for his film Spirited Away. If Miyazaki had not one an Oscar yet, then the chances of him receiving an award for his achievements would be much greater, but that is not the case, so it probably won't end up besting Disney's latest musical.

Who will win: Frozen
Who should win: Frozen
Possible Upset: The Wind Rises

Best Original Song

Much like the last category, at first glance this seems like a given. "Let It Go" is huge, even yesterday all of Times Square sang it together on Good Morning America. This song deserves the win, but there is also U2's new single "Ordinary Love" that surprisingly took away the Golden Globe last month. Sometimes the Academy favors big name artists like this, but I think "Let It Go" should be pretty safe.

Who will win: Let It Go
Who should win: Let It Go
Possible Upset: Ordinary Love 

Best Visual Effects

This one is pretty much a gimme. I expect Gravity to sweep all the technical categories this year (which is why I'm not going to go through all the categories like sound mixing, sound editing, etc.). Unfortunately for me, I have not yet seen the film (don't hate me) but I will be seeing it Saturday night and expect it to be visually and technically amazing...even if that's all that is good about it. Anyways...while The Hobbit boasts some amazing visuals, Gravity stood out this year as a unique piece of filmmaking, and many of the visual effects were created for the film.

Who will win: Gravity 
Who should win: Gravity  
Possible Upset: No

Best Costume Design

How in the world did Catching Fire NOT get nominated for this? Every time I see the film I am furious that the Academy totally snubbed that movie for Best Costume Design...but whatever. I'm picking American Hustle for this one. The costumes were diverse, colorful, and authentic. A possible contender for this one would be The Great Gatsby for all of those same reasons, but Hustle should pull out the win since it's a favorite for some of the major categories as well.

Who will win: American Hustle 
Who should win: American Hustle 
Possible Upset:The Great Gatsby 

Best Adapted Screenplay

Ok, this is when it starts to get a little harder to predict the winners, but this year, Best Adapted Screenplay is a little easier to pick than Best Original Screenplay. I'm giving it to 12 Years a Slave. Out of the five films nominated in this category, Slave is by far the frontrunner to win Best Picture, which gives it a major advantage. Its major threat is The Wolf of Wall Street, a film that can't seem to escape the bad press surrounding the overabundance of drugs, sex, and vulgarity that is packed into it, which is why Slave should come away with the win.

Who will win: 12 Years a Slave 
Who should win: 12 Years a Slave 
Possible Upset: The Wolf of Wall Street 

Best Original Screenplay

Will it be Her or American Hustle? That is the big question. One could look at the fact that Her has already won best screenplay at the Golden Globes and the WGA award (Writers Guild) and think that a win from the Academy would be obvious. But I wouldn't say this one is a gimme. The Academy is notorious for bringing it upon themselves to "correct mistakes" made by other award ceremonies (primarily the Golden Globes) and if they deem American Hustle superior, then they will be the ones to surprise people and ignore the awards given to Her already. And there is also Dallas Buyers Club to consider. The film has been getting more and more press since Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto have been sweeping the acting awards for the film. It could be a potential dark horse. I want to give this one to American Hustle, but I think that Her is still the frontrunner for this one.

Who will win: Her
Who should win: American Hustle 
Possible Upset: Dallas Buyers Club

Best Supporting Actress

Jennifer Lawrence or Lupita Nyong'o? This is another pretty close race. Both have won the award in various award ceremonies, but for the Oscars, I'm giving this one to Lawrence, who is already loved by the Academy. In the three years the Lawrence has been a star, she has been nominated for three Academy Awards, and has won once. Winning again would make her the youngest actress to receive back-to-back awards. Lupita Nyong'o gave a great/moving performance in 12 Years a Slave, but it wasn't close to Lawrence's scene-stealer of a character in American Hustle.

Who will win: Jennifer Lawrence 
Who should win: Jennifer Lawrence 
Possible Upset: Lupita Nyong'o 

Best Supporting Actor

Jared Leto! Jared Leto! Jared Leto! NO. Here's the thing with this one: Jared Leto is winning awards because of the character he is playing, not because of his performance. That is just how the Academy works sometimes and sure, it's pretty annoying, but what are you going to do. I think the true deserver of this award is Michael Fassbender, who managed to be one of the most chilling and evil villains in a long time with the twisted Edwin Epps in 12 Years a Slave. Now that was a terrific performance. But as great as it is, it will unlikely stop the awards train that is Jared Leto this year.

Who will win: Jared Leto 
Who should win: Michael Fassbender 
Possible Upset: Bradley Cooper

Best Actress

Two words...Cate Blanchett

Who will win: Cate Blanchett
Who should win: Cate Blanchett 
Possible Upset: No way

Best Actor

Can anyone stop Matthew McConaughey? I think so. In fact, I think there are a few others in this category that pose a threat to this actor's seemingly unstoppable sweep. First there is Chiwetel Ejiofor who was incredible in 12 Years a Slave, and frankly I'm pretty surprised that his name is not mentioned as much when talking about this category. With the film highly likely to take away Best Picture, it is very possible that the Academy will reward him with an award for carrying the great film on his shoulders. Then there is Christian Bale, who has started to become a favorite of the Academy during the last few years (he won best supporting actor for another David O. Russell film, The Fighter). While he has a lot of star power, and a terrific performance in American Hustle, I'm not sure he will be able to come out on top this year. I think the real contender is Leonardo DiCaprio. I think this category could be the one that is able to leap over the hurdle of Wall Street's bad press and score DiCaprio his first ever Academy Award (shocking to think he has never won). I'm not completely sure who will win, but I would be happy with any of the choices, all of these actors gave terrific performances.

Who will win: Matthew McConaughey 
Who should win: Chiwetel Ejiofor 
Possible Upset: Leonardo DiCaprio 

Best Director

As I will repeat in the Best Picture paragraph, I don't think Gravity has any real chance of taking away the big prize for Best Picture, however, I do think it's almost a given that Alfonso Cuaron will win for Best Directing. Some people may argue that the story and the logic of Gravity was nothing special, but the film was still a visual achievement, which is much of what got Ang Lee is Oscar for Life of Pi last year. However, it is also possible that the Academy may say it is time for David O. Russell to win after being nominated for three films in three years, and many would argue that American Hustle is indeed his best film yet. Steve McQueen could also deliver an upset for his real and gritty directing of 12 Years a Slave.

Who will win: Alfonso Cuaron
Who should win: David O. Russell 
Possible Upset: Steve McQueen 

Best Picture

Here we go. The big prize. The hardest decision. Like I said, the Best Picture race is incredibly close this year, and I have spent a lot of time debating which film I think has the upper hand. For me, the competition is between American Hustle and 12 Years a Slave, but I can't completely throw out Gravity either because of the awards it has already received.
First I'm going to look at this from the standpoint of past awards each film has already won. American Hustle took home the award for Best Film-Musical or Comedy at the Golden Globes, as well as the best acting ensemble award at the SAG Awards, Best Original Screenplay at the British Academy Awards,  and Best Picture at the AFI Awards. 12 Years a Slave took home Best Film-Drama at the Golden Globes, and Best Film at the British Academy Awards, those are two big wins. Gravity has only won awards in areas of directing in ceremonies such as The Golden Globes and the Director's Guild, which is why I think it's a lock for Best Directing, but not Best Picture.
Now here is what I think. American Hustle was as GOOD movie, with GREAT acting. 12 Years A Slave was a GREAT movie, with GREAT acting, that I found much better than the later film, which is why I want to think that it will surely win. But I can't help but think that the Academy will choose Hustle because of the big names like David O. Russell and Jennifer Lawrence (and it's screenplay). Plus, it's quite common for the Academy to award Best Picture to a film that is obviously NOT Best Picture. Great example: how in the world did Shakespeare in Love beat out Saving Private Ryan??? Yeah, exactly. I will probably never be confident in my choice with this category until I actually watch on Sunday Night and see which film is winning the big awards...but here is my best shot.

Who will win: American Hustle 
Who should win: 12 Years a Slave
Possible Upset: Gravity 

"Fantastic Four" Reboot Finds Its Heroes

Next summer, director Josh Trank (who directed the found-footage super-hero hit, "Chronicle") will bring the rebooted Fantastic Four back to the screen. Why? Because if 20th Century Fox didn't make another Fantastic Four movie soon, then Marvel would have gotten the rights to the characters back in their possession. So yeah, this is kinda more like bad news because frankly, the first two "Fantastic Four" movies were not all that great, and Marvel could do much better job with them if they had full control (perhaps the most depressing thing of all is that Dr. Doom can never be the villain in an Avengers movie).

Anyways, the four actors who will be taking over the roles of the first super-hero family have been announced and frankly, all the choices are a little surprising. First off we have Miles Teller (whom I said was on the short-list to play Mr. Fantastic last August) as the leader of the group. Why is this surprising? Because in all the roles I have seen him in he has always played the dumb/ignorant best friend of the main character who makes jokes and is comic relief (except for in "The Spectacular Now"). He certainly does not seem to fit the bill to play the smartest man in the world/hero/really nice guy such as Mr. Fantastic.

Next is Kate Mara, who is still relatively unknown unless you watch "House of Cards" in which she plays Zoe Barnes (ok so maybe she is well known). After watching the entire first season of House of Cards this weekend, I'm not as surprised about this casting choice because Mara is a great actress with lots of power that I think could translate well to Susan Storm/The Invisible Women.

Jamie Bell (Jumper) has been cast as Ben Grimm/The Thing. Now...this is what I don't get...The Thing (not the scary monster) is essentially a giant rock-man, that is the same size as The Hulk. Jamie Bell is a short, scrawny guy. So why the heck is he playing this character? I haven't the slightest idea. This is probably the casting decision I have the hardest time with accepting.

Finally, Michael B. Jordan, who received many award nominations for his breakout role in last year's "Fruitvale Station," has been cast as Johnny Storm/The Human Torch/the fan-favorite character of the series that was brilliantly played by now Captain America Chris Evans. What surprised me about this choice was (no not that The Human Torch is white in the comics, after all several characters in Marvel Comics were of a different race across different interpretations) that Susan and Johnny are siblings in the comics, so I wonder what will be changed (will there be married in this version? was one of them adopted? Or are the not related at all but still have the same last name by coincidence?) But Jordan has proven himself a good actor so maybe...ok he's not going to do a better job than Chris Evans did, but good luck to him.

Overall, these casting decisions make me very pessimistic about how this film is going to turn out, but hey, this isn't the first time the quality of an actor for the role of a super hero/villain has been questioned (Heath Ledger, Christian Bale, Jack Nicholson, ok why are these all examples from Batman). Maybe (and hopefully) the rebooted "Fantastic Four" will be a huge hit.

But seriously, if they don't cast an amazing A-lister as Dr. Doom I will be pissed.

Guardians of the Galaxy Trailer

Finally! The first trailer for Marvel's "Guardians of the Galaxy" is here! The trailer is full of some really cool (and surprisingly funny) shots and it does a good job of introducing all these new characters to an unknowing audience. I also appreciate how this trailer doesn't try to bill "Guardians" as just another big, epic super hero movie. Instead it takes a more lighthearted approach that I think will pay off in the long run. I listed this film as my 3rd most anticipated film of 2014 and this trailer only increases my excitement. Check it out!

Finding God in Cinema: The X-Men Films

“And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” Galatians 6:9

When thinking about the X-Men films, and how these films contain elements of truth that can lead to discussion among believers, this verse kept jumping out at me. Galatians 6:9 is my favorite Bible verse. To me it is so inspirational and encouraging. It is a constant reminder to not be discouraged by failure, or by the evil of the world around us, because there is something worth fighting for, and a reward, the reward (which Jesus Christ made possible to us) worth working for. And so this verse stuck out to me when I thought of the X-Men, a team of super heroes that continue to fight for humanity and save those in need, even though they are hated by society. Now in these articles, I am making my connections from the movies I am writing about, but in this case, there is a little bit of information that I am going to draw from the comic books that will help make things a little clearer.

Stan Lee and Jack Kirby created the X-Men back in 1963 and the comic was partially inspired by the Civil Rights Movement taking place at the same time. The comic book (and modern movies) revolved around a group of individuals called “mutants”—super powered beings that were considered to be the next form of human evolution. The X-Men has almost always been centered on the conflict between two men, Professor Charles Xavier and Eric Lehnsherr, who is probably better known by his mutant name, Magneto. Now these two men both want the same thing for their kind; they want mutants to be accepted by society. However, their methods for accomplishing this dream are very different (if this sounds familiar, it is possibly because Charles Xavier was partly inspired by Martin Luther King Jr, and Magneto by Malcolm X).

Judging vs. Evangelism

Xavier insists on peace in order to accomplish mutant equality, Magneto insists on violence. He believes that mankind will never accept them, and so mutants should use their power to assert their dominance. Now the anger and vengeance that fills Magneto’s heart is rooted in his childhood. As a boy, he grew up in a German concentration camp and witnessed the shooting of his parents. Because of the things he had to endure as a child, Magneto refuses to see the humans as anything but a mindless threat that fears what they do not understand. In 2011’s X-Men: First Class, Charles speaks to Magneto (before he becomes “evil”) and tries to explain to him that there is hope that mankind will accept mutants.

Xavier: “We have it in ourselves to be the better men”

Magneto: “We already are”

When I think of this conflict, a conflict between two individuals who both want the same thing, but go about it in different ways, I think of the modern Christian church. I think of how the Church is held in a negative light by much of society. And then I think of how the Church has failed society. And if you think I’m crazy, and you think that the Church would never do anything negative to unbelievers, then take a good, long look at this picture:

I know that America is not full of churches like Westboro Baptist Church, but there are plenty of churches that see themselves as “the better men,” just like Magneto. There are plenty of people, who claim to know Christ, yet refuse to believe that there is any hope in society, and so they turn to hate and judgment.

“God hates Gays”

“God hates Democrats”

“God hates Republicans”

“God hates Pro-Choice people”

It breaks my heart whenever I see the latest pictures on the Internet or signs like these being paraded down the highway. It breaks my heart that “Christians” are spreading these senseless lies, which are not in any way grounded in Scripture. It is wrong, it is sinful, and it is not evangelism. Yet, the people holding up these signs think it is evangelism. Just as Xavier and Magneto want the same thing for their people, to be accepted, those claiming Christ want the same thing... for the glory of God and the good news of Jesus Christ to be known over all the Earth. The problem is that there are some of us that go about evangelism the right way, and some of us that go about evangelism the wrong way.  There are those that think that because they are Christians, they are so much better than the “sinful” unbeliever.

Judging others, it is something that we all struggle with because in our sin, we try to make ourselves feel better by telling ourselves things like, “Oh I am so much better than that woman who had an abortion,” or “Oh, well I am nothing like that man who was responsible for the school shooting—THEY are much worse sinners than I am.” We focus too much on other people’s sin and not enough on our own sin. So often we forget that we have the same exact capacity for sin that every robber, murderer, and adulterer has. And it is this aspect of sin that leads to people holding signs on the side of the road, and hurting the witness of God’s Church. They forget that God sent his only Son to die for robbers and murderers and adulterers. In Matthew 7:3, Jesus speaks on judging others and says this:

“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye, and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?" 

We want to spread the Word of God to others. But if we decide for ourselves that there is just no hope, and that some people are just “too sinful” to deserve being ministered to, then we become Magneto’s, we become people who have given up hope and turn to judgment and anger, and what it really comes down to is that we don’t have any faith in the power of God to transform an individual (a theme that I explored earlier in Pulp Fiction). On the opposite side of that, if we remember that even though we are full of sin God chose to save us, and that He has the power to save anyone He wants to, then we can move forward with healthy evangelism. We can be followers of Christ that never give up hope, just as Xavier never gives up hope on his mission…which brings me to my second point.

Doing Good Amidst Persecution

The X-Men are a team of heroes who never give up hope on the mankind. Through thick and thin they stay true to the belief that one day they will accomplish their mission, and that they will be accepted. But they still struggle with the idea that maybe they are wrong. Maybe what they are fighting for is not worth it. In the first X-Men released back in 2000, Wolverine is struggling with where he stands in the whole mutant debate. He doesn’t know whose views make more sense, Xavier or Magneto’s. So in his time of doubt, he says this to Storm when she asks him to help the X-Men on their quest:

“You're a mutant. The whole world out there is full of people who hate and fear you and you're wasting your time trying to protect them? I've got better things to do!”

This line is key. It is one of the big lines in all of the X-Men films that sums up the ongoing theme—a theme of never giving up amid persecution. Now when I read this line, I re-imagined it with a few words being replaced with other words and this is what I got:

“You’re a Christian. The whole world out there is full of people who hate and reject you and you’re wasting your time trying to minister to them?”

Now I can see someone, believer and unbeliever alike, asking this exact question to me (or anybody). And on some days, it would be hard for me to answer this question. Because some days when I turn on the news or read the headlines of the Internet, it’s very easy for me to say to myself, “There is no hope.” It is very hard for Christians to look into the face of modern society and not question what God is doing. And because of that, we doubt. We struggle with why we are trying to evangelize what we deem as a “hopeless nation” because we cannot even begin to comprehend God’s plan.

                  
When Wolverine is struggling with his doubt that there is any hope for him and for mutants, Xavier takes him into a room with a machine called Cerebro. This machine allows Xavier to see and track the whereabouts of any mutant. So at first, Wolverine sees all of the humans on Earth, projected in the room as white dots on a map, but then he sees all of the mutants, projected as red dots, and he is amazed at just how many there are. And then Xavier tells him, “You see, Logan (Wolverine’s alias)? We’re not as alone as you think.”

                  
And that’s what I say to myself, and what I would say to other Christians when we struggle with doubt and hopelessness regarding our world and our mission of evangelism. We are not as alone as we think. Sure we can turn on the news and see the terrible things happening but not everything is bad. Whether we see it or not, God is constantly working in our lives, in the lives of those around us, and in the lives all around the world. He knows what He is doing. He has a plan. He tells us this in Jeremiah 29:11:

                  “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”

God is working all around us. Even in my first semester at Florida State University, a public university that many would dismiss as a place of sacrilegious activity and secular pleasure, I felt the presence of God around the campus. I can see the many Christian organizations around campus and recall all of the fellow believers I have met and say to myself, I am not as alone as I think. That is something we all need to remind ourselves of.

Conclusion

Now you can say to me, “How can you try to relate us to X-Men? They have all of these powers that make them stronger. We don’t have any powers.” Yes, it’s true, we don’t have the power to walk through walls, or read people’s minds, or bend metal to our will. We don’t have any superpower. But we have a power living within us that is greater than any superpower—the power of God. A power that no Earthly thing can overpower, not even death. A power that God has granted us through the death of His only Son. And he has given us tools to channel this power through. He has given us the Church, where we can gather to worship and glorify him. He has given us the Bible, His holy word through which we can become closer to Him, and seek to show others about God’s grace, mercy, and love. And he has given us the Holy Spirit, the changing agent within the world that convicts the sinner and gives the Christian power to overcome the mastery of sin in their lives. So with these things in mind read Galatians 6:9 again.

“And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” Galatians 6:9

I have said before that movies are modern-day parables. Pieces of art that can contain hints of truth that can reach to Christians and Non-Christians alike. In the X-Men films, we see a group of heroes that continue to fight for a people that hate them. We see two men, one who is determined not to be weary of doing good because he has faith that they will succeed. And then we have another man who has given up hope on doing good, and turns to hatred and judgment as his tools to get what he wants. And through these stories we can take the example of what the X-Men stand for and apply it to our own lives.  God has a plan, and we will never fully understand it, but that is no reason to doubt the goodness in it. We cannot grow weary of doing good, because we know that God has a reward in store for us, a reward of an eternity with Him, made possible through Christ, and the reward of knowing that we have accomplished our mission as Christians, to bring other lost souls into a relationship with our Lord through evangelism. And that…is a reward worth fighting for. 

Super Bowl Movie Trailers

So uh, how about that rousing game huh? Pretty suspenseful stuff! Well thanks to the Denver Broncos for giving us what was probably the most boring game of football ever BUT not everything is bad. There were a lot of new movie trailers for some of this summers big blockbusters. So check out our first look at Transformers 4, as well as new trailers for Captain America: Winter Soldier, The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Muppets: Most Wanted, and Noah.

Transformers: Extinction

The Amazing Spider-Man 2

The Muppets: Most Wanted

Noah

Captain America: The Winter Soldier 

Also, here are my two favorite Super Bowl commercials that I recall seeing (they are actually both car commercials).

My 8 Most Anticipated Films of 2014

Looking back on 2013, it was not the greatest year in cinema. Sure there were a few notable films that will be remembered for years to come such as "Catching Fire," "Frozen," "Gravity," and the surprisingly successful "World War Z," but there were also some films that failed to live up to their expectations (Iron Man 3, Man of Steel, Thor 2, The Lone Ranger). Looking forward, 2014 may not seem like the most exciting year for movies either, especially when you look at the incredible line-up that 2015 has. But there are some bright spots this year that will surely leave their mark on Hollywood. So here are my most anticipated films of 2014, in the order of when they are released. 

The Lego Movie (February 7th): The first movie on my list comes out next week! Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, who brought us the hilarious remake of 21 Jump Street, are bringing Lego fans everywhere the movie of their dreams. Not only does this film boast a wide variety of characters from, Batman to Abraham Lincoln, to a Lego God voiced by Morgan Freeman, but it also boasts an incredible voice cast that includes Chris Pratt, Elizabeth Banks, Will Arnet, Will Ferrell, Channing Tatum, Jonah Hill, and Liam Neeson. From what I've seen in the trailers, the humor looks quite clever and the mix of stop motion animation and CGI is wonderful. Can't wait to see this one! 

 The Muppets: Most Wanted (March 21st): I was so surprised by the first Muppets film. I had actually never seen any of the old shows or movies (outside of the show at Disney) so I was coming in with no expectations. What I got was a very funny, very happy musical that is sure to brighten up anyones day when they watch it. It also manages to be very humorous and family friendly, not going near crass humor in the least. The sequel promises to be bigger and better than the 2011 film with more actor cameos, musical numbers, and laughs! 

Captain America: The Winter Soldier (April 4th): Ok, so this film barely made my list. The first Captain America was the obvious weakest link in the "pre-Avenger" line-up. BUT, the direction that this sequel is taking looks very different and very promising. Marvel has described the Captain America: The Winter Soldier as a political/espionage thriller which is a genre that Marvel has definitely not covered yet. Then again, they made Iron Man 3 a buddy cop film and are gearing up for a galactic space adventure with Guardians of the Galaxy (more on this later) so there is definitely a theme of "treading new ground" for the Phase 2 Marvel films. This sequel will see Captain America headed to the nation's capitol with Black Widow (Scarlett Johansen looking better than ever) to deal with a terrorist threat that may have a connection with the Captain's past. Robert Redford joins the cast as one of the top dogs of S.H.I.E.L.D and Anthony Mackie joins as the flying super-hero, Falcon. Expect this movie to surpass its predecessor.

X-Men: Days of Future Past (May 23rd): My 3rd most anticipated film of 2014. This film is going to be awesome, there is just no way in my head that it can't be. X-Men is the Marvel movie that started it all way back in 2000 and now the franchise is continuing with the most ambitious film Marvel has ever made (yes more ambitious than The Avengers). Almost all of the original cast, including Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Shawn Ashmore, Ellen Page, Halle Berry, will be sharing screen time with the cast of X-Men First Class which includes Michael Fassbender, James Mcavoy, Jennifer Lawrence, and Nicholas Hoult, which is made possible by "time travel" of Hugh Jackman's Wolverine. Sound a little confusing? Well the title is pretty confusing too. How about this: In the future, the giant, mutant killing robots known as the Sentinels have almost wiped out all mutant life and brought about a kind of apocalypse (not the villain Apocalypse...thats in 2016). In order to save the lives of the remaining mutants, Professor X and Magneto form a plan to send the mind of Wolverine back into the mind of his body living in the 70s so that he can convince the younger versions of Prof-X and Mags to unite to stop the making of the Sentinels from ever happening. Still confused? Just watch the trailer and get ready for what could be the best X-Men film of all!

A Million Ways to Die in the West (May 30th): Say what you will about Family Guy, but Seth McFarland is a comedic genius, and he proved that he could make the jump from TV to film with his directoral debut and a pot smoking teddy bear in 2012. Ted was a huge hit (a sequel is in production for next year) and McFarland's second film looks just as good, if not better, than his first. The film is about a shy/cowardly farmer who gets on the wrong side of a dangerous outlaw's temper (maybe because he has become close friends with his wife??) The first trailer was released for the film yesterday (Warning: Red Band Trailer, contains crude language) 

Jupiter Ascending (July 25th): My 2nd most anticipated film of 2014. Sci-fi is definitely my favorite genre. With it, one can stretch the boundaries of reality without being too over-the-top or cheesy (ok, sometimes you can). Star Wars (the 1st three), The Matrix (the first one), I-Robot, Minority Report, these films are just a few examples of what great films can come out of the sic-fi genre. The Wachowski brothers, who were responsible from the Matrix trilogy, are bringing us another sic-fi spectacle this year that features Mila Kunis, Channing Tatum, and Sean Bean (whose character will probably die). Now I don't know hardly anything about this movie outside of the very cool trailer but we can probably expect some crazy action, brilliant visual effects, and deep philosophical undertones from the Wachowski's (basically everything that made the 1st Matrix so successful). 

Guardians of the Galaxy (August 1st): If X-Men: Days of Future Past is the most ambitious film Marvel has made in terms of team roster and scale, then Guardians of the Galaxy is their most ambitious film in terms of visuals (not to mention a giant risk). Set in, you guessed it, outer space, this new sic-fi adventure film brings a rag-tag group of characters together to keep a mysterious jewel (another jewel that Thanos needs to become all powerful, remember the guy at the end of The Avengers?) from getting into the wrong hands. Know here comes the fun part. This team includes an alien who was genetically engineered to kill (played by wrestler David Bautista), a walking, talking tree (voiced by Vin Diesel), and...wait for it...a violent, rocket-launcher-carrying raccoon (voiced by Bradley Cooper). I can only hope that Guardians is just the start of another incredible Sci-Fi franchise. Unfortunately we still do not have a trailer for the film but look for it being released very soon. 

Interstellar (November 7th): My #1 Most Anticipated Film of the Year. Christopher...Nolan. I should stop there, but I won't. In my eyes, Nolan has yet to make a film that is anything short of incredible. Memento, The Prestige, Inception, and of course the Dark Knight Trilogy have all been exceptional pieces of film-making. Luckily for the world, his next film will be released late this year and like all Nolan films...we know almost nothing about it (even the first trailer is very vague). What we do know is that the film likely revolves around time travel and is led by Matthew McConaughey and also includes Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain, Matt Damon, Casey Affleck, Topher Grace, and of course, Michael Caine. The teaser trailer for the film is intriguing and mysterious, and I absolutely cannot wait for the next film in the Nolan library.