Knowing

When I first heard of Knowing this past summer, I dismissed it as yet another Nic Cage disaster movie, maybe with a bit of a religious bent. But our Senior Pastor recommended it to me because it raises a lot of faith questions, so I added it into my Netflix queue.

The story follows John (Cage), an MIT professor who is grieving the loss of his wife in a hotel fire, and struggling to raise their son by himself. His relationship to his immediate family (parents, sister) is strained at best. He crawls into a bottle of alcohol every night to escape the pain of missing his wife. He struggles with the question of whether we are here for a purpose, or are we one gigantic, happy accident? He winds up stumbling across a coded message in a time capsule from 50 years ago that he discovers foretells perfectly every major global disaster between the time it was placed in the capsule to the present day... with three dates left unfulfilled.

All throughout the movie we are given hints to the end of the world, questions of why John and his son are at the center of all this, and what happens after death. Can John and his son know that they will see his wife again? Why should John run to the sites of the disasters? Are we all here for a reason or by chance? And ultimately, just how far will John go to protect his son?

There is a lot of mystery and suspense throughout the film. There are a few dropped balls, such as really distracting camera work during some of the more intense action scenes. Cage also has a few poor scenes in which he seems to sleepwalk through. But overall, the film is pretty solid.

Without giving the major plot twist away, I am still unsure as to how the film resolves the mysterious, silent characters. It ties in fairly well with a little setup from the beginning, but there is something about it that leaves me... empty. It does hint quite forcefully at some similarities to Noah though, which I found cool.

In the end, Knowing can really be a great centerpiece for discussion. There are tons of faith and family questions. There is even a great scene of redemption and reconnection that could go a long way to smoothing over family difficulties. It's a film that is worth your time to view, especially if you have a friend or two to talk about it with afterwards.

Seven Pounds

There are movies that leave you with a satisfied feeling. There are movies that make you wonder why you spent your time watching. Seven Pounds is neither of these films, and that is probably it's greatest strength.

Now, to be honest with you, there is no way that I can offer you a well-thought out review of Seven Pounds without giving away some of the secrets and surprises. I will endeavor not to share some of the biggest turns, but be warned. There are spoilers ahead.

Seven Pounds follows Ben Thomas, an IRS agent that is on a quest. He possesses the means to change people's circumstances considerably, and he is looking for 7 who are worthy of the gift he can bestow. But he is hiding something. Pain. Grief. Sorrow. Guilt. All of these float just beneath the polished veneer that he shares with the people he is meeting. It all springs from a dark secret that the audience is let in on slowly throughout the course of the movie. He is on a mission that his friends and family do not agree with, and want to see him give up. You get the feeling that Ben is on a mission to die (and not just because the movie opens with him calling 911 to report his own suicide). But along the way he falls in love with one of his cases, which seems that it might change Ben's plans.

It doesn't. If anything, Ben's relationship with Emily may have accelerated his plans. Emily is dying of heart failure. She has an incredibly rare blood type and is not serious enough to be on the national donor waiting lists. (Here is where the spoilers seriously start flying). Ben is planning to kill himself in order to donate parts of his body (organs, bone marrow) to those he has found that need them and are deserving, and his heart will go to Emily. He is motivated to do this because he is directly responsible for the deaths of 7 people. And among those people was his own wife. All because he was too busy checking in with work. He is serving his own penance, attempting to redeem his life here on earth.

The movie is incredible. The acting is top notch (Will Smith is just perfect), the music is appropriately haunting (it is amazing what one well-placed sour note can do for a score). The whole experience is simply astounding. The story is one that will leave you with many questions. I know it left me with many.

Chief among these questions is whether or not Ben's sacrifice was heroic or not. Certainly he has offered a supreme sacrifice. He offers up his own life so that others may live (or at least be able to enjoy their life more than they are able to now). But is it out of noble sacrifice or simply because he feels guilty and wants to atone for his sins? And continuing on that thought line, is he tearing control of his life away from God (there is nothing in the movie to suggest that he is a Christian) and living his life on his terms, or is he carrying out a divine command?

The film leaves the viewer with so many shades of gray that it is almost impossible to come away with a clear-cut answer. Is Ben a hero? Did he model love or guilt? Was his life really redeemed or did he take the (relatively) easy way out? Is the death of one man to benefit a handful of others a worthwhile event?

Seven Pounds is an amazing discussion movie. There is no other way to put it. Make sure that if you watch it that you do so with others in the room. The discussion that you have may even prove to be better than the film itself.

Star Trek

I am a lifelong Trekkie. Have been since my parents introduced me to Star Trek: The Next Generation in its first season (for you other Trekkies out there, it was the episode "Hide and Q"), and has continued through getting my wife hooked on two of the five series. I say this to let you know that as a Trekkie, I absolutely love what JJ Abrams has done with the Star Trek story.

For those of you living under a rock and do not know about Star Trek, it is science fiction set a few hundred years in the future, and has almost always chosen to focus on humanity's drive to better itself. Oftentimes the aliens that the crew meets (over the course of 5 series and now 11 movies) characterized some negative aspect of human nature (greed, war, pride, etc.). And even though the show's creator was reportedly an atheist (and many of the episodes show this) the franchise has still allowed for a lot of discussion and exploration of spirituality. But enough background on the TV show, on to the movie!

The new Star Trek movie opens with a time travel paradox, and ends with selfless heroism saving the day (and the galaxy, really). Now, as a Trekkie, there are several things that have changed with this reboot of the franchise (from little things like uniform updates to large items like a redesigned Enterprise and the fate of a couple key characters and planets). But on the whole, many familiar items are present and given proper respect (the Kobayashi Maru test, Dr. McCoy's frustration with Spock, Scotty's genius, etc.). It's like going home again with fresh paint, and a few new pictures and computer screens hung on the walls.

The story revolves around Jim Kirk and Spock. Kirk is a troubled young man who has grown up without a father, who he lost to a single act of heroism that saved hundreds of people at the cost of one life. Spock is a child of two worlds, half Vulcan (devoted to logic in order to keep emotions from controlling themselves) and half human, he fits in nowhere and is in fact looked down upon by his fellow Vulcans. Kirk is encouraged to join Starfleet in the honor of his father's memory, and Spock joins (almost) to spite his Vulcan brethren. Due to a huge disaster, Kirk and Spock are forced into service aboard the Enterprise early and the adventure begins there.

Now, I don't want to give away too many spoilers for the 4 people who have not seen the movie yet (I myself did not see it until 2 months after it was released in theaters), so allow me to speak in generalities. The movie is good. Quite good. The visual effects are unbelievable, the score (though weak in a couple spots) supports the story quite well, and the acting is exceptional (especially Karl Urban who plays Leonard "Bones" McCoy). From a story perspective, it is a good, solid story of heroism, sacrifice, and triumph over vengeance. The comedy is great, and at times caused many in my theater to burst out in laughter. Kirk does grow over the course of the film, and it is a pleasure to see him mature. Spock is forced to face his emotions instead of shoving them down. McCoy turns to Starfleet after the rest of his life falls apart, and finds something greater. We see acts of selflessness, a discussion of destiny, and revenge shown to be something that ultimately ends in a hollow thud.

On the negative side, Kirk allows his hormones to direct how he handles himself around women, and even is played as a drunk for part of the movie. Spock finds himself engaged in a relationship that is far too intimate outside of marriage (implied), and is also unethical (dating a student as an instructor). Kirk's rebellious attitude, though it serves him well in the climax of the film, gets him into trouble in the beginning and he doesn't seem to learn from it (at least not on screen).

But even these flaws can be used to spark discussion about what makes them character flaw. What makes them behavior that is less than what God desires from us and for us. The positives (which in my opinion greatly outnumber the negatives) can also drive discussion on subjects such as heroism, sacrifice, obedience and destiny. What are we all here for? What do our lives mean? Does changing one thing alter everything else in life? All great questions that can come right out of the movie. But perhaps the biggest theme you might find in Star Trek is that of friendship. The friendship of Kirk and Bones is so strong that it leads Bones to disobey an order to help Kirk get on the Enterprise, and the movie show us the foundations of the legendary friendship between Kirk and Spock.

So yes, Star Trek does change some of the mythology. Most of those changes are small tweaks that are virtually necessary to breathe new life into a 40+year old franchise. But it tells a great story, one that is not only worth your time to see, but is worth your time to discuss. See the movie and grab a few friends to talk about it into the long hours of the night. Who knows, you might find yourself going where no one has gone before in those discussions...

Wall-E

It has honestly been a long time since I have been so pleased with an animated movie.

Wall-E is a story that takes place in the far-flung future. It centers around a robot who, for the past several hundred years, has performed his directive to compact and organize trash after humans were forced to abandon the planet since they had filled it to toxic levels with their garbage. Wall-E lives a solitary existence, watching old movies and longing for companionship of some sort. Enter EVE, a scout robot sent to earth to determine if it is capable of sustaining life again, and whether or not humanity can return home. She does, and after returning to the ship (with Wall-E stowing away) we are introduced to the human race. After several hundred years in space, low gravity and a complete reliance upon technology (with unhealthy eating habits, of course) have turned humanity into a race of weak, gelatinous group of people that cannot do anything for themselves. The adventure then turns to the question of whether or not humanity could make it back to earth, and could they survive once they made it?

As I started out with, I was incredibly pleased with Wall-E. It is fun, generally lighthearted, and enjoyable cinema. The visuals are (pardon the pun) out of this world. If you were to watch it for the animation alone you would still find an incredibly enjoyable experience. But at its core is a story that strikes close to home.

Humans in this film are portrayed as overweight, lazy and completely dependent upon technology. I have seen a few detractors of Wall-E in the blogosphere that are offended by this. They believe that the story mocks people who are overweight. But if we are to draw back and look at it, we are not that far off from these people's situation. Americans are (as a people group) overweight, and are every day becoming more and more dependent upon the technology around us. It is not a far stretch to say that stuck in space for several generations (plus the science of living in lower gravity) would place us in such a situation. So consider Wall-E part cautionary tale about where we could be headed.

But Wall-E is also a story of relationship. Wall-E is lonely, seeking companionship. He is living live according to his programming, but there is something missing. He is seeking someone or something to complete his existence. He longs for something to fill a hole that he has in his life. We all search for that. There is only one thing that can fill that hole, and though in the movie it is portrayed as being another robot (person), in our lives it is not that hard to take this idea and show that there is a person who can fill that void, but only one person can do it. Christ. Wall-E also is searching to be part of something bigger than himself. He longs for more. We all long for more. We all long to be involved in some sort of adventure. And we can be provided with a bigger story, an adventure to live when we open ourselves up to that one person who can fill our void.

When all is said and done, Wall-E is more than a fun movie. It is part cautionary tale, part love story, and part thinking movie. You should leave the experience wondering about your own life, your own purpose. Can you overcome the limitations that the physical world has placed upon you as some in the movie seek to do? Can you become a hero? Will you find the adventure you seek to live out? Will you be able to find something or someone who can truly fill the void of loneliness? Or are you condemned to live out your days living the basic programming that the world has to offer you?

Our Lady Peace - Innocent

The second single off of Canadian rock group Our Lady Peace's album Gravity, Innocent is one of the most recognizable OLP tracks.

The song seeks to tell the story of a handful of people who have led rough lives. There is Johnny who loses himself in music by Lennon and Cobain, wishing to be famous so that he would be noticed and not invisible. There is a girl who is dealing with cancer, wishing to be someone else, someone without the disease, someone who would be seen. She even longs for surgery to alter her appearance in order to be noticed. The lead in to the chorus has the lead singer thinking of times in which he felt like losing hope and letting go. The song expresses the desire that each one of us has to dig ourselves out of obscurity, loneliness and pain. To get beyond the negative side of living on earth. To be placed into a situation that is better than the one we find ourselves in.

We all find ourselves at this point in our lives. It is really not an uncommon feeling. This song becomes the anthem for such thoughts. To let go and to go beyond. Most songs would stop there, wallowing in the pain, wishing for something better to come along. But Innocent doesn't stop there.

It calls for the listener to realize that some day they will be forced to let go and push themselves. They will have to be responsible for moving themselves out of the mire and the pain. To look back on the moment where they were forced to grow beyond their situation.

This is the song's virtue, and it's fault. On the one hand, it is incredibly admirable to encourage those who are low that things will improve. It is great to remind people that there will be work involved on their part to get to a better place. But to tell them it is all their efforts that will lead there totally erases God from the picture. Now, I do not know the heart of the lead singer of Our Lady Peace, but he probably was not intending to write a sing in which God became a central figure, otherwise he would have included Him in the bridge somewhere. So while the song does a great job of encouraging those who are at a low point in their lives, it falls short of pointing them toward the real power that could improve their station in life.

There is one other particularly gray area in the song. The entire chorus consists of the words "we are all innocent" sung repeatedly. While there may be truth to the sentence (someone who contracts cancer for instance may not be a fault for their condition. Someone dealing with being considered average by the world is not necessarily guilty of how the world views them), it could potentially throw a blanket over all things that we deal with. Our actions and our choices could certainly be responsible for why our lives look the way that they do. We can't just throw the blanket statement of our innocence over everything that comes our way.

In the end, the song has a lot going for it. It is catchy, very easy to pick up when singing along, and resonates with just about everyone that would hear it. Just beware of some of what it might inspire you to think. While we might be innocent of some things, we are not innocent of everything, and we may in fact be guilty of choices that led us to the point where we need a song like Innocent to feel better and be encouraged.



Lyrics | Our Lady Peace Lyrics | Innocent Lyrics

Richie McDonald - I Turn To You

For this review I will be tackling the title track of Richie McDonald's album I Turn To You. Please do not be confused and think I am reviewing the entire album.

I first heard Richie McDonald's I Turn To You on our local "Christian" Radio station this afternoon on a drive with my wife. Initially it seems very simple. A simple vanilla, country-tinged crooner belts out a love song of sorts to his Creator about how He is that singer's only hope, his strength, his life. But once I started paying attention, I noticed something different about the song. Something that actually hurts Christians more than it helps them.

Knowing very little of McDonald's history or career, this song was listened to in a vacuum. I do not know what else is on his album, nor what else he has contributed to the music world. In I Turn To You McDonald spends great effort on the chorus to proclaim how God is his "source of strength, my point of light, my ray of hope, my peace of mind, the silent voice that speaks the truth." And when McDonald needs love, he turns to God. Here is where the song loses what could be a great foundation for Christianity.

Throughout the song, Richie goes to great lengths to explain how he turns to God whenever things are going wrong. Here is a sampling:
"When the problems of the day surround, and my crosses start to weigh me down... When something's broken deep within, and I need what the world can't give... When this life brings me to my knees, and I need two arms to carry me, I turn to You."

This is all true. When we as Christians encounter tough times in life, we are promised that God is there to hold us, to carry us, to lead us through. He will not give us more than HE can handle, and He allows us to be tested in order to show us our faith. But this is as far as McDonald goes in this song. He only talks about turning to God when life is tough.

Far too many of us (I am as guilty as the next person) only lean on God when we can't stand on our own two feet. We trust ourselves, and only after we fail do we trust God. He becomes a secondary character in His own story. And in this song, the same thing happens. McDonald is so focused on sharing how he turns to God when things are going wrong that he forgets about leaning on God when things are going well. And further, if we are leaning on God when things are going right, there is no need to turn to God when things are going wrong, because we are already there.

Now it is true that no human being is capable of always leaning upon God at all times in their lives. But for a song that is gaining as much popularity as this one seems to be, it is a shame that it falls so short of completion. It is true, but it falls short of sharing a complete message. In fact, it will probably only further the epidemic of humanistic Christianity that is sweeping through American churches today. It is light, fluffy, catchy and incomplete. It really fits all the requirements to be popular in today's CCM market.

McDonald may be popular. He may have tons of other, better songs. But this one, as encouraging as it might be to someone who is dealing with tough times in their life, is seriously flawed, and should be avoided unless you are consuming it alongside someone's work who acknowledges that we should be standing with Christ in the good times as well.

For Lyrics and Richie McDonald's site, go here

Brave Saint Saturn - Anti-Meridian

It has been 5 years since Brave Saint Saturn released an album. And I have to say that the wait was worth it. Completely.

For the uninitiated, brave Saint Saturn grew as a side project from the band Five Iron Frenzy, an outlet for songs that lead singer and prime songwriter Reese Roper had crafted that did not fit into the FIF style. From there it grew into a trilogy, following the fictional storyline of the crew of the spacecraft "Gloria" on a mission to survey the moons of Saturn. The first album So Far From Home traces the journey there and the mission, The Light of Things Hoped For focuses upon the crew getting lost and being found, and Anti-Meridian closes out the trilogy as a look at the crew's return to earth and the after-effects. While it is not necessary at all to know this backstory to enjoy the music (not every song references this account. In fact, many are awesome stand-alones that tell their own story and have their own message), it adds a great undercurent that helps to tie all the music together and gives the listener a story to get involved in that is so incredibly grand that the word epic only begins to scratch the surface of describing it all.

Here is the News
Actually a cover of ELO's Here is the News. It serves to set up the album as announcement that the news of the Gloria's return is coming. It also opens up with a quote by Dylan Thomas that sets up the album excellently. Lots of heavy synths and guitar work. Loads of distortion.

Mercenary
Is a mixed bag of sports metaphors, headlines and music business. It weaves a condemnation of musicians in the industry who are sellouts. And it exposes some feelings of guilt on Reese's part for being one of the same people he rails against through the song. Mercenary paints a picture of sellouts as mercenaries, carrying out "missions" merely for the money. Musically this song is catchy, and perfectly captures the "astro rock" that BSS shoots for.

Starling
A departure from the first two songs. This is a very haunting song, from the music to Reese's vocals. It sticks with you long after the song is over. It takes an experience Reese had with a wounded starling as a child, explores it and draws in some thinking about shooting birds to scare them off (and killing them in the process) and the question of why defenseless animals have to die. I really is a deep haunting track that asks you to really ponder.

Underground
This track features Dennis on vocals and really explores the idea of music being created. It argues that music created for the love of creating it cannot be corrupted by culture, society or spectacle. Musically it's pretty straight rock with some synths thrown in for good measure.

When You Burn Too Fast
This is a slower song that speaks of burning out, of allowing others to control your future. Of what happens when you have been used up by others. Heavy acoustic guitar and xylophone.

Through the Depths of Twilight
This is a really fabulously crafted song about striking against setting others down, whether through racism, slavery, or other means. Reese works in some references to Lincoln's and MLK's work for equality, and has some great imagery of light shining brightly against the darkness.

Hero's Homecoming
Is another song led by Dennis, and it features great simple, solid guitar work to keep the focus. The thrust of the song falls back to the story of the Gloria astronauts, what it was like when they returned from their mission, the parade, the supporters, everything. And the remembrance of the cost for the astronauts to return (Keith Hoerig, the group's bassist was said to have sacrificed his life for the res of the crew to be able to return, accidentally discovering a way to produce antimatter in the process).

Ammodramus
Is a spoken-word track that features Reese recounting the events of the Group's return and life on earth since then.

Fields of the Fallen
This is Dennis's third song on the album. It is a departure musically from his other two songs so far in that it is slower, pretty mellow and reflective, with a lot of acoustic guitar and synth work to drive the song. It recounts a mission of searching for someone lost in the winter, in the harsh elements, and not finding them in time. It really is a raw song that explores the guilt that we can put ourselves through if we find ourselves in that type of a situation, and a prayer for answers from God that we might ask ourselves as well.

Always Just Beneath the Dawn
This track dives back into a lot of heavy synth work and programming samples that BSS manages to weave in yet not allow to distract from the song. Using imagery of battle, blood, prophecy and genetics it explore the dynamics of a father-son relationship. There is hope in that love will conquer, but there is real hurt expressed in the fact that Reese seems to have a broken relationship with his own father. Hurt and hope in the same sentence.

Fortress of Solitude
This track opens with a fake voicemail from a fan to Reese wondering if Five Iron Frenzy is getting back together. It then dives into a lot of heavy drums, alternating beats, and Superman imagery to paint a picture of the frustration of dealing with this type of a situation. It ends with a lot of screaming and frustration at those who continue to hound away to try to force the band back together, for whatever reasons they want to see it happen.

Blessed Are the Landmines
This track is based on a portion of the Beatitudes (Matthew 5.5-9), and speaks about the profit that is to be gained in creating war and weapons of war. Lots of heavy electric guitar and solid drumming. It really takes the path of looking at the Matthew passage and gives us the complete opposite of what Scripture has to say. It really makes one think about the nature of modern warfare, and how it fits into life today.

Aegolius
This is another spoken-word track from Dennis Culp's perspective on life after the mission, much like Reese's thoughts from Ammodramus.

Begin Again
This is Dennis' last track that he leads on the album. It has a very nice island/reggae beat to it, complete with quick guitar hits and heavy leading bass work. Lyrically it features some fantastic and simple imagery of fire burning the old away and a new tree growing in the old cation's place. It is a great pick-me-up song that really picks up the mood of the album from the hurt and the frustration and takes us back toward hope and renewal.

These Frail Hands
Reese always seems to craft the perfect song to close out an album in a very worshipful manner. There are shades of Gloria at play musically, with the song initially relying upon some simple acoustic guitar work. There are cries for the oppressed, and a call to remain strong and hold onto hope. In the closing chorus, you can hear the band work in snippets from Gloria and Daylight (the closing songs on the first two albums) that add so much depth to an already phenomenal song. It has a very Pauline quality to it and I can't help but be encouraged and inspired when I listen to this track.

Invictus
This is almost a P.S. to the album. In the fictional account of the Gloria crew, the craft that ultimately helps the back to earth is named Invictus (which is Latin for unconquered). It actually features Reese's wife serving up some background vocals. It opens with Reese speaking about breaking his back only to show you how very lost one can be. It is a raw, confessional, acoustic song that ends as a prayer to God, admiring and celebrating God's unconquerable, undefeatable nature.

This is a phenomenal album. It really is. Though at times, I feel that The Light of Things Hoped For may have been stronger, the production values, the depth an the openness of the lyrics, and the feeling of completion to the mission make it a spectacular listen. It really is a deep album that can bring so much to an individual or a group. There are Biblical principals to be taught. There is musical creativity and excitement to share. But ultimately what makes this album so spectacular is the openness. The raw truth that these are four men who hurt like the rest of us. They struggle, they cry, they have relationship problems. They ask God questions that there are no answers for. And they are not afraid to ask God for help. Read these words of the chorus to These Frail Hands:

And these, frail hands. They tremble as they pen perhaps their last. And these, weak words. Can never say what cannot be surpassed. I need, Your love. And most of all I want to feel Your peace. I need, Your love. Let everything that You are not decrease.