We won't be able to replace the two icons of African American culture -- comedian Bernie Mac and singer Issac Hayes -- who died this weekend. Newcomers may arrive on the scene and follow behind them, but they will be the branches of the tall trees these men rooted among us.
Bernie Mac, born Bernard Jeffrey McCullough, had that gift to dig insightfully into the cracks in human nature and find humor in it. "The Bernie Mac Show" on television, and the film, "Guess Who?" and the "Ocean's" film series display his gift at its best. How Bernie Mac intrepreted parenting is refreshing and authentic in his television series. TV Guide named him #47 among the "50 Greatest TV Dads of All Time" in 2004, according to The Internet Movie Database. In "Guess Who?," Bernie Mac is the face of Americans across the country, growing in his understanding of his daughter's choice to pursue an interracial marriage, yet, by the end of the movie, displaying fatherly wisdom to her fiance. In the Ocean series, he was a fitting player that helped give the films their comic strength.
Issac Hayes will always remind me of growing up in East St. Louis. I remember days cleaning up the house while his album, "Hot Buttered Soul" played on the stereo, a melodic accompaniment, a soundtrack for my adolescence in the 1970s. Hayes represents what I miss most now in contemporary music. So many singers then (think Marvin Gaye, Nancy Wilson, Dionne Warwick, Nina Simone, Curtis Mayfield, and Donnie Hathaway, just to start the list!) sang of angst, loss, hope, tenderness, and struggle. Play songs like "Walk on By," the theme from "Shaft," or "Soul Man" and I'm immediately transported to my teen years and home.
Bernie Mac and Issac Hayes, thank you for planting such tall trees for us.
"The Dark Knight" offers several themes that could be elaborated on, but I'm focusing on the characters of the Joker and Harvey Dent. As I said in yesterday's post, the Joker gives us a pattern of some of Satan's schemes.
Applying the struggles of Dent's character to the Christian experience, Satan wars against men and women -- made righteous by the blood sacrifice of Jesus -- who seek to repair the causes of inner brokenness instead of burying them behind glamourous facades. As God's enemy, and as the enemy of the souls of the redeemed, Satan relishes in having followers of Christ wallow in pretense. He hates authencity. He likes Dent's outward glow -- golden but shallow!
In "The Dark Night," the Joker presses his crazed fingers into Dent's inner wounds, the places Dent didn't get healed before he became Gotham's righteous crusader. Had Dent possessed the world view that God ultimately wields all justice and corrects all injustice, and then found rest in that world view, he would not have sought his own revenge when the pain of losing his girlfriend -- and losing the war against crime -- was more than he could bear.
Dent's story is a well-told cautionary tale within a larger, complex story about Batman. (Isn't it funny where we can learn a truth of God?) As Dent shows us, outward change without the constant inward working of the Holy Spirit falls short of the authencity God desires and plays into the religious pretense Satan loves to produce. Satan knows that when the Christian is real, self-aware of his weaknesses and focused on the complete strength of God, the Christian is formidable.
I love this quote from one of my favorite preachers, Charles Spurgeon, about Joel 2:13. The passage refers to rending our hearts, not our garments, and turning to God. Spurgen is quoted on the site, www.gracegems.org, as saying:
"Men will attend to the most multiplied and minute ceremonial regulations; for such things are pleasing to the flesh; but true religion is too humbling, too heart-searching, too thorough for the tastes of the carnal men; they prefer something more ostentatious, flimsy, and worldly. Outward observances are comfortable; eye and ear are pleased; self-conceit is fed, and self-righteousness is puffed up: but they are ultimately delusive, for in the time of death, and at the day of judgment, the soul needs something more substantial than ceremonies and rituals to lean upon. Apart from vital godliness all religion is utterly vain; offered without a sincere heart, every form of worship is a solemn sham and an impudent mockery of the majesty of heaven."
Trailer for "The Dark Knight" courtesy of XxjalaldevilxX
Brutal, excecuted with cinematic skill, and obscene in the violence of intimidation that it infers, the message of "The Dark Night" sobers the soul.
As critics already have raved, Heath Ledger's performance as the Joker is worth an Oscar nomination. As an actor, Ledger traveled to an unseen realm to achieve a form of artistic expression that reveals the twisted, thirsty and never-satisfied place of evil.
The Joker exists with no rules, no honor. He names himself an "agent of chaos" to the grieving, angry, and maimed Harvey Dent character, skillfully played by Aaron Eckhart. Bereft of his love interest, his handsome face cruelly deformed by fire, Dent is the character that followers of Jesus should study.
On the surface, Dent seems to descend from righteous prosecutor to reckless vilgilante because of the loss of his girlfriend, Rachel Dawes (Maggie Gyllenhaal), who was killed while he survived. His descent began earlier in the film, when he could not rest because Batman (Christian Bale), had a close, and enviable, relationship with police officer Jim Gordon (Gary Oldham). Dent also delighted in the humiliation of his enemies -- the criminals he sent to jail -- an always dangerous path to tread.
By the time the Joker informs Dent that he is an agent of chaos who stirs the fears of people, the Joker doesn't seem just like the neighborhood wacko killer. His intentions are methodically satantic as he probes the inquity in Dent, along with the simmering anger, control issues, and flawed sense of justice squirming beneath the surface of the Dudley Do-Right prosecutor image.
Satan, like the Joker, wants us to settle for surface change in our lives. Surface righteousness is an open doorway for Satan to generate destruction as an agent of chaos.
No justification exists for the poorly executed satire by The New Yorker, despite its stated attempt to take a major dig at the lies and rumors of lies that have swelled around Sen. Barack Obama.
Obama and his wife are lampooned on the magazine’s July 21 cover, with the premise that the magazine wants to point out the ridiculous rumors that Obama is Muslim, that he is unpatriotic, that he is aligned with terrorists, and that his wife, Michelle, is the militant black woman Americashudders to hear.
The New Yorker's satire is just for laughs, and pundits say Obama should take it on the chin and giggle about it too.
I wouldn't...
...Not in this day of misinformation when stories are insufficiently sourced. (Remember the flap Sen. John McCain had with The New York Times about McCain's alleged affair. McCain was absolutely right to take the newspaper to task. The story did not back up the claims it made.) Tragically, many of the nation's newsroms have fewer warm bodies available to comprehensively report stories because the industry is struggling, and the disarray of newspapers has influenced campaign coverage. And after decades of efforts to bring more people of color into newsrooms, fewer of them are actually there now. Believe it not, a diverse presence makes a huge difference in media coverage. When a multitude of voices -- all ethnic and racial groups, all backgrounds -- are missing in a newsroom, the selection of stories, the breadth of sources, the methods of storytelling all suffer. A newsroom loses some of the creativity energy I love because the loss of staff means fewer leaders to challenge the merits of stories, how they are displayed, and whether they are an accurate reflection of what's going on. Those who remain are often overworked and unable to pursue some of the very hard-hitting stories readers miss.
...Not in this day of misinformation when the struggles of print media are amplified as stories fly across the Internet, even though the stories may be blatantly unsubstantiated. A recent Newsweek poll quoted on CNN.com says that 26 percent of Americans still believe Obama was reared a Muslim, though this is false. The allegation also puts Obama at political odds with Muslim voters as he seeks to define his religious faith, and yet deny any Islamic roots.
A clip from "Birth of A Nation," courtesy of Hollywood Classics on YouTube.com.
in whites about blacks because of this controversial retelling of the Civil War and Reconstruction. And it’s not right to depict Michelle Obama with an Afro and shouldering a weapon. She does not wear an Afro, so why change her appearance? For all of us sisters who sported Afros and continue to do so, for all of us sisters who choose permed, weaved, naturally curly, braided or bald, the killer image is offensive because it takes the politics of black hair to an entirely new level. A hairstyle does not make you a terrorist. Self-awareness and community empowerment should not translate into blowing up the White House.
...And not in this day when the republic starves for journalism that “comforts the afflicted and afflicts the comfortable.” We need stories that ask both Senators Obama and McCain the hard, relentless questions about what they think, what they believe, and what they plan to do as President of the United States. Our country faces problems that require a smart, compassionate leader and a responsible and capable press.
And that ain’t funny.
Judy Howard Ellis
Jolie/Pitt link, courtesy of The Associated Press;
Al Jolson and Birth of A Nation link courtesy of Wikipedia; Miss Texas link, courtesy of CNN.com
Truly. With every munch of buttered popcorn and Junior Mints, "Prince Caspian" captivated me. The movie bears an earnestness to depict a story with flesh-and-blood characters. Director Andrew Adamson and co-producer Doug Gresham, the stepson of C.S. Lewis, author of the Narnia series, took risks by altering Lewis' beloved story. But Adamson and Gresham made a strong film based on Lewis' story, as bloggers Carissa Smith of Christ and Pop Culture and John Mark Reynolds of The Scriptorium Daily have commented.
The new "Indiana Jones" movie, however, is like welcoming home a favorite, world-traveling uncle who never lacks a yarn to tell. But this time, 'uncle's story possesses a been-there, done-that feel. We indulge him because we feel nostalgic and, well, he's part of the family. But really, the freshest part of "Indiana Jones" is the reinstatement of Karen Allen's character, Marion Ravenwood. Allen always belonged in the series because she deftly spars with Indiana, played by Harrison Ford. Allen's character puts hair on Indy's chest. Unfortunately, the new film limits their delightful repartee and Marion and Indiana surrender too soon.
But "Prince Caspian," though at times it mimics Peter Jackson's treatment of "The Lord of the Rings," the film bears more unexpected and satisfying turns. Where "Indiana Jones" settles into the comfortable folds of car chases, evil looters, and an artifact that mesmerizes and terrorizes, I'm still musing about aspects of "Prince Caspian." For example, why didn't Aslan show up more? Then I remember the grim lion statue first glimpsed in the Peneski's children's world -- cold, seemingly disengaged, but actually deeply embedded in their lives. The Aslan of Adamson and Gresham's movie makes me think of God's sometimes subtle, but always effective ways. Like the Pevensie children, I often run ahead of Him, only to fall back desperately into His arms.
"Prince Caspian" has had a tepid showing at the box office, but the film still makes me ponder theology in the movies -- days after I've seen it. This weekend's box office winner, "Indiana Jones," just makes me smile.
A cynical culture may sneer at happy endings and do-good characters, but that's on the culture. A major reason comic book stories like Marvel Comics' Iron Man and the TV cartoon series Speed Racer appeal across the generations is because they celebrate the always satisfying theme of good versus evil.
Iron Man Trailer courtesy of buzzfocus on YouTube.com
Critics often downplay such stories if the characters seem like souless cutouts with no vices. I don't have a problem with complicated characters who are shaded with meaning. Robert Downey Jr.'s portrayal of the world-weary industrialist Tony Stark was exquisite. But Downey's character also tried to do the right thing, in his own seen-everything fashion. The back story of Racer X, played by Matthew Fox in Speed Racer, possesses a mysterious, romantic flavor. Not many today are willing to stay unknown and in the shadows.
So why not enjoy Iron Man and Speed Racer overcoming-- if only for a little while -- their adversaries? Enough is happening within our culture to warrant morally based courage. What purpose does it serve to tell stories that do not teach and transform? Especially when we need leadership in every walk of life and in every part of the globe.
Speed Racer trailer courtesy of devildodo on YouTube.com
Remarkable goodness springs from the hearts of people who choose the right thing every day, even when it means sacrifice and ridicule. Let's do more storytelling about those people and their choices. The culture easily depicts the nightmarish side of life -- much like watching the first 15 minutes of local TV news, where mayhem trumps every other story -- but the culture is often sophmoric when telling stories about the redeeming power of lives well-lived.
And that's why such stories -- even if they are lifted from the pages of comic books and the fixed expressions of cartoon characters -- are so terribly needed.
OK. Just so everyone knows. My husband, Oscar, often listens to me as I work out ideas, and constantly makes great observations. Typically, I always respond with: "That would make a great post!"
This time, Honey, I give you all the credit for this one.
We were watching "Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith" last night and Oscar observed once again that George Lucas should remake the first "Star Wars" offerings. Technology, Oscar said, has caught up with Lucas' storytelling and those stories ache for a redo. Check out this 1977 trailer of "Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope" :
Oscar is so right. Mr. Lucas, if you happen to read this post (I wish!) I thank you for a robust Web site, StarWars.com, and, of course, the upcoming animated series, "Star Wars: The Clone Wars."(View a sneak peek video.) Your recent Q&A about the film was very cool. August, the month of the film's release, looks wonderfully bright!
But fans of the movies thirst for more. Please consider five reasons you should reinvest in the "Star Wars" dream:
Just because. It's not often we get to "play it again," but gathering an outstanding cast (with the consultation of any living stars from the older films) and employing today's technology to enhance the story -- not tell the tale -- would be an extraordinary experience for sci-fi and fantasy fans. Take time to figure out who has the soul of Luke Skywalker, the daring of Princess Leia Organa, and the menace of Darth Vader. Please don't follow the Hollywood game of choosing a known talent or popular music celebrity who lacks the chops for the role. Although usually considered a commercial move, offering audiences a well-told and well-acted tale will bring in tons of money.
Fans miss the epics. Just last night my sister, Stephanie, was surfing channels and longed for some epic action on TV. "The Lord of the Rings" triology kept lovers of epics satiated for awhile, but after The Hobbit hopefully keeps up the tradition in 2010, we will need another larger-than-life story to compel us to line up at midnight showings of great movies. An inspired, updated, and well-made "Star Wars" would blaze new territories at the box office as the film attracts fresh audiences.
"Star Wars" is great for political world peace. This might seem a stretch, but the galatic lifestyle of the "Star Wars" characters, how they worked (and warred) with various life forms -- is a teaching moment for this generation. What "Star Wars" hinted at with its galatic point of view, we're now experiencing through our global economy, culture and conflicts.
"Star Wars" is a powerful example of the battle between good and evil. Mr. Lucas, good and evil themes may merely be storytelling devices for you, but I believed God used you. Really. The crafty Emperor's manipulation of Darth Vader, and his attempt to control Luke, reinforced the idea that there is a reason to cling to the straight-and-narrow. You may not have intended for a Christian interpretation of the films, and others say they are New Age-oriented, but as a young believer, I knew who the Emperor was to me. The Emperor's creepy temptations were just like Slew Foot's.
"Star Wars" featured a major character who was black. Some sci-fi yarns have made me wonder if people of color had been exterminated from the universe. Billy Dee Williams's role helped change that. Bring back Williams's character through a solid actor and create roles for other actors of color.
Thanks so much for reading, Mr. Lucas. If you need more ideas, Oscar and I would be delighted to take your call. Just delighted.
Oprah and author Eckhart Tolle, as I wrote yesterday, teach principles that view Jesus as a spiritual supplement. But many Christians live out the principle of Jesus-as-supplement every day.
We may have invited Christ into our lives and now have a relationship with the Father, but our self-efforts wither the vitality of the union. We inwardly believe lies about what Christ did for us. What the crucified and risen Jesus did was incomplete, so we tack on the same nefarious Jesus+X equation:
Jesus+my efforts to be absolutely perfect=a good relationship with God.
Jesus+my refusal to wear makeup =a good relationship with God.
Jesus+my snubbing those who does not know Him= a good relationship with God.
Jesus+my church attendance=a good relationship with God.
Jesus+my cuss-free, drug-free, illicit-sex-free efforts= a good relationship with God.
You get the point. (Even people who think they know Christ practice such as equations, but let's concentrate now on those who really do.) Christians are God's own, but this devilish thinking reeks in the eyes of God. We do not take into account God the Father's commitment to make us whole. We ignore the work of the Holy Spirit to create wholeness in us a little bit every day.
Our efforts to reach perfection without relying completely on Jesus remind me of the pigtailed girl, Rhoda Penmark, in the 1956 film,"The Bad Seed." Her outward perfection is jewel-hard, a manifestation of a polluted heart.
("The Bad Seed," courtesy of Shasta018 on YouTube.com.)
Rhoda's corrupted heart led her to kill others. When we believe the crucified and risen Jesus is not enough, that He is only a spiritual supplement, that we do not have to surrender to God's work in us to reach His standard of perfection, we cut off ourselves from heaven's bounty. For as Paul says in Galations, the life we live in the body, we must live by faith in the Son of God, who loved us and gave Himself for us.
The "perfection" we seek to obtain is merely bewitchment.
Spidey is getting divorced and making a deal with the devil? Gawker Media's cool new blog, io9 (self-proclaimed as "strung out on science fiction"), reports that Marvel Comics has released Amazing Spider-Man #545, which tells the tale of Spider-Man making a pact with a demon to save his Aunt May's life by ending his marriage to Mary Jane.
Many fans are outraged; they should be.
Marvel, and far too many Hollywood studios, seem wedded to the idea of self-implosion as the way to wrap-up a story franchise, revive ratings or lure fresh audiences. They convert beloved storylines into estoric non-wonders that reveal more about the struggles of the writers than the intricacies of the story itself. And that's devilish, indeed.
Case in point: I watched Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End during the Christmas holiday. I had regretted not seeing the film this summer because I enjoyed the first two installments of the pirate adventure. But the latest film featured an incoherent supernatural mush about life, death and life again that certainly wasn't Christian theology, but I don't think Blackbeard would have believed it, either... Savvy?
The film violated its own story conventions, the guideposts a reader needs to enter the "story universe" the writer creates. When story conventions are broken, they leave the audience wondering what happened to the characters and the story they once knew. As Robert McKee writes in his fantastic book, Story, "the audience knows these conventions and expects to see them fulfilled."
I also felt betrayed when Alias self-destructed. The fabulous television series concluded with a head-scratching existential ending that defied the general clarity of the previous episodes. Did the writers write themselves into a corner they could not escape? If so, the fans, not the writers, suffered the most.
When admired stories possess a center based on convictions, violating the story's conventions is particularly vexing. An excerpted comment by NefariousNewt on the io9 blog about Spider-Man says it well:
Stan Lee's original vision is being erased and Marvel is becoming one of those mega-corporations that does what it wants and no longer cares what the die-hard fan thinks. I think this might spell the end. Spider Man has always been my favorite superhero, because he was just like me: wanting to do right, juggling the needs of his personal life and the career he has chosen, and putting himself before others day after day, all the while living on the edge of poverty, the truly anti-heroic hero. Now, I'm ashamed...
