final days forum

Welcome back 'Indiana,' but 'Prince Caspian' wins my heart

'"Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull," with its five-day opening expected to possibly hit $151 million according to Variety, has knocked "The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian" from first place at the box office. And that's too bad. "Prince Caspian" is a better movie and was worth me seeing it twice.

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.

Andrew Adamson link courtesy of www.imdb.com

Doug Gresham link courtesy of www.christianitytoday.com

Karen Allen and Harrison Ford links courtesy of www.msn.com

C.S. Lewis link courtesy of the www.cslewisinstitute.org

Five reasons to remake the original 'Star Wars'

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" :

Video courtesy of antisubliminal on YouTube.com

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.

P.S. Please don't resurrect Jar Jar Binks.

Links courtesy of StarWars.com, imdb.com, lordoftherings.net, and wikipedia.com.

Return to Middle-earth

Oscar-winning director Peter Jackson and New Line Cinema finally figured it out. Jackson will serve as executive producer for two films based on "The Hobbit" movies, the prequel story to J.R.R. Tolkien's legendary "The Lord of the Rings" tale. That's a great thing.

The books and the films represent seminal moments in my life when God dealt with me about destiny and purpose.  I neglected the chance to read Tolkien's work while at the University of Kansas, when my roommate, Tonya Boone, encouraged me to read them. I wasn't into wizards and hobbits, then. I was a Harlequin Romance girl.

But when my girlfriend Judy Horton and I took a chance and went to a dollar movie to watch "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring," we were hooked.  (You were right, Tonya Boone!) Judy and I devoured "The Lord of the Rings" and ached for each new film in the trilogy.  I was enchanted by the world Tolkien created and loved the powerful dialogue. While I loved Viggo Mortensen's portrayal of Aragorn, many of Faramir's words in the book enthralled me. (Thankfully, I later married a man who had attributes that I admired from both of those characters.)

Through Tolkien's words and the passionate filmmaking of Jackson and his team, I was in Middle-earth for years -- not just in a darkened movie theater, but in my heart.  It will be good to return and see what the God may show me through "The Hobbit." 

Too bad I can't write something ecstatically in Elvish, but I did discover my Elvish name at the Elvish Name Generator: Enelya Ar-Feiniel.

Nice.