Possible Divine Moments: Summer 2012 Edition

Welcome to Summer 2012.

Yes, I know that it's only May 1st... but this time of year always feels like an early summer for me.  And the reason is simple.

The summer movie season begins.

For a film-lover, I can rejoice that--finally--we can move out of the dead zone from January-April that rarely offers anything of significance (other than the Oscar nominees and winners which we released last winter).  Too early for films to be noticed for next year's awards and the least opportunity in terms of financial success, it's a dark few months in terms of quality.  Yes, occasionally, The Hunger Games or The Matrix raises eyebrows but really the winter months usually brings little value in terms of selection.

Now, don't get me wrong.  The summer box office is often filled with below average tripe that makes more money than it should.  It's the time of year when studios put forth their most marketable projects in an effort to draw moviegoers out of the heat and into the air conditioning.  Still, there's something to be said for the thrill of Hollywood's big budget projects--and the lesser known films--that are released during the next three and a half months.

As such, I have decided again to offer some of my picks for the most intriguing films of the summer.  Now, as a caveat, I would state that these are not necessarily the films I'm most excited about seeing, though there is certainly some of that here. (Prometheus, anyone?)  Rather, due to the focus of this blog, I feel it important to mention some films which may have some of the most relevance to my faith and spiritual journey.  In other words, the purpose of this post is to look for what could be moments of God's Kingdom breaking through in our cultural zeitgeist.

So, let's get started...

Marvel's The Avengers - May 4th, 2012

'Wait?  There's an Avengers movie now?'... is what you'd be saying if you had just emerged from living in a cave for the last 4 years.  In truth, ever since Samuel L. Jackson announced that 'they were going to put a team together" at the end of the first Iron Man movie, Marvel has been building to this Friday.  That's four years and five movies... promoting one movie.

To say that this isn't going to make buckets of money is to live in denial... but will it be good?  Early reviews have been extremely positive (96% on Rotten Tomatoes!?) and it's been doing VERY well overseas already--something which happens rarely for superhero films.

Nevertheless, what interests me more than whether or not I get my money's worth in explosions is the content of the film.  Since it's directed by Joss Whedon, I expect that The Avengers could carry with it some emotional depth.  Whedon is known for caring about emotional story arcs while balancing it well with action set pieces so this will be interesting to watch unfold.  How does God figure into a story like this?  Personally, I expect conversation about the value of living in community but, with Whedon at the helm, a film like this could very much surprise us.

Safety Not Guaranteed - June 8th, 2012


When I first heard about this film, I was intrigued.  Based on a true story, the story centres around a team of journalists tasked with getting to know a man who recently took out an ad in the newspaper who was 'looking for someone to go back in time with [him]'.  (Incidentally, the fact that the ad really took place is the only grain of truth in the story.)

Why include it on the list?  Truthfully, I'm simply intrigued.

An independent film, Safety seems free to explore things other than one man's belief that he's a time traveller.  Based only on the trailer, there appears to be hints of the exploration of the reality of the human experience.  If that's the case, then Safety could provide some insight into our understanding of how the world views the image of God or simply our culture's quest for hope.

Though, to be fair, that's 'not guaranteed' either...

Seeking a Friend for the End of the World - June 22nd, 2012

Since the turn of the millennium, end of the world movies have almost become a genre unto themselves, with mixed results.  (Actually, the same can be said about Steve Carell's movies...)  Still, there seems to be something earnest in this effort that appeals to me.  Carell seems to bring an emotional groundedness to this film and yet, also guarantees that this will be decidedly lighter in tone than, say, Von Trier's Meloncholia.

The questions that films like these ask are always interesting as they inevitably explore what one would do with the remaining hours of their lives.  In this case, Carell and co-star Keira Knightly's road trip appears to search for family and the meaning of love.  Still, whatever the focus of the journey, films like this can provide valuable insight into the values of our culture.  It may be one to watch.

Katy Perry: Part of Me 3D - July 5th, 2012

Wait a minute.  Hear me out.

I'll explain myself.

I don't think I've entirely lost my mind by including this.  Love her or hate her, Katy Perry has emerged as this generation's Britney Spears (as opposed to the Britney Spears, circa this generation).  In a few short years, she's quickly become a cultural icon.  Over that time, through songs like 'Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)' and 'California Gurls', she has shown herself to be both controversial, divisive and even somewhat endearing as a celebrity.  The interesting thing to me is that she has strong Christian roots.  Growing up in the Church, she actually began her recording career as a gospel singer known as Katy Hudson.  However, when her albums failed to chart, she 'kissed a girl', changed her name to Katy Perry and the rest is history.

Why does this interest me?  Mainly because I'm interested to hear how a change like this took place.  Not to judge her at all.  I would just like to know what happened and what place her faith remains in her life.  No, I'm not entirely sure that the film will deal with these type of issues... but the trailer does indicate that it will wrestle with her Christian roots.  (The film was also directed by the same team that put together the Justin Bieber doc, Never Say Never, which was truthfully quite well done.)

Hopefully, that helps to explain myself.


The Dark Knight Rises - July 20th, 2012

Maybe including this film on the list restores my credibility... lol.

Similar to Marvel's The Avengers, this film has been a long time coming.  Building Christoper Nolan's Batman trilogy to a climax, expectations for this film are higher than most other superhero films.  Why?  Quite simply because Nolan's trilogy alway seems to be about something else.  Although the content is about Batman and DC Comic universe, the context is always much deeper in its scope.  For instance, even though The Dark Knight was promoted as an action film (built around Ledger's Oscar-winning performance as The Joker), it was really about living outside of the moral black and white and the nature of true justice.

Ever since Memento, Nolan's films have proven themselves to be intelligently written and directed, often in a way that other filmmakers seem to be missing right now.  There is absolutely no reason to suspect that this will change here.

So, circle the date on your calendar.

And do yourself a favour... see it in IMAX.

(BTW, as I was writing this the long-awaited third trailer was released online.  If you haven't seen it a hundred times already, you can see it here.)

The Bourne Legacy - August 3rd, 2012

Personally, I see this as an interesting film.  Neither starring Matt Damon nor helmed by Paul 'Shaky Cam' Greengrass, The Bourne Legacy arrives with expectations of failure.  Still, a solid first trailer led by a fierce looking Jeremy Renner appears bring with it a bit of hope.  Why include it on the list?  Mainly because I have a feeling that this film may surprise us with some depth.  Although this is Tony Gilroy's first turn as a director in this series, he did write the first three scripts so he clearly understands the world.  What's more, Gilroy even has shown himself adept behind the camera already, receiving an Oscar nomination for his directorial debut, Michael Clayton, in 2007.

In light of this, I am extremely curious to see where this film attempts to go.  The first three Bourne films were well-written characters pieces about a man attempting to wrestle with the events of his past.  If the same holds true here, we could be looking at a fascinating exploration of how one's history affects their present and future.

Or we could just end up missing Matt Damon.

Thor

Starring Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman            By Steve Norton

Rated PG                                                                        Rating: *** (out of 5)

The superhero genre is an interesting one.

Once written off as sheer frivolity and escapism, the superhero film has received a great deal of respect over the last 10 years or so.  Attracting A-List actors and directors—heck, even Thor has 2 Oscar winners in Hopkins and Portman—and often attempting to deal with their subject matter in a mature tone, the superhero film has become a fascinating (and safe?) place to discuss issues that matter in the larger society.  For example, while X2: X-men United wrestles with the challenges of homosexuals, The Dark Knight examines the ineffectiveness of hard-line morality.  In fact, the prevalence of the genre in the last decade has caused people to refer to this as “The Golden Age of Superhero Films’.  Yes, the quality of the films differs wildly – films like Daredevil and Ghost Rider should never even be mentioned in the same sentence as Nolan’s brilliant The Dark Knight – and they seem to be starting to wear out their welcome at the box office a little bit in recent years.  (Surely, the upcoming The Avengers in 2012 must be some sort of climax to it all.  We’ll see.)  Still, there is something about superhero films that connects with our culture today in a way that keeps getting us to shell out our money.

Which brings us to Thor.

A relatively secondary character in the Marvel universe, Thor is the Norse god of Thunder.  Living in Asgaard, a heavenly region in another realm in the universe, Thor (Chris Hemsworth) is next in line for the throne as King, currently held by his father, Odin (Anthony Hopkins).  However, due to Thor’s impatience and immaturity, as well as some politically-motivated manipulation from his brother, Loki (Tom Middleton), he is deemed unworthy to become king at this time.  As a result, Thor is banished to Earth in order to ‘understand the value of life’.  Through his subsequent journey, including his new relationships with a group of human research scientists (Natalie Portman, Stellan Skarsgard and Kat Denning), Thor is challenged to rethink his place in the universe and the true meaning of honour.

Theologically speaking, it’s easy to argue for the incarnation here.  After all, the film tells the story of a god who is sent to Earth, taking the form of man, in an effort to learn what the human experience is like.  [SPOILER ALERT]  Ultimately, Thor even offers his life as a sacrifice on their behalf, eventually being resurrected by His Father! [SPOILERS OVER]  However, to be honest, the notion that interested me far more than this is the idea of the value of one’s journey.  In an odd way, Thor’s journey is a great example of our own as he becomes shaped by his experiences.  At the same time though, Thor’s journey is strangely guided through his interaction with the divine.  For instance, Thor’s human experience begins because Odin desires for him to understand the value of life and wisdom.  Further, Thor learns true humility and brokenness through suffering because of the manipulative lies of his brother, Loki.  Because of these connections with the divine, Thor’s entire self is reborn from one of self-glorification to one of love and wholeness.  How different is this from our own Christian journeys as we are shaped by our own engagement with God—and the experiences of suffering and injustice.  Nevertheless, as with Thor, the nature of our response to these moments determines much when it comes to our opportunity to grow and be reshaped into the image of God.  Our lives are in constant interaction with the Divine, whether we realize it or not.  The fact that Jesus Christ seeks to open our eyes to this truth is one of the key goals of His mission.  It is His desire for us to see the world and our lives through His eyes.  Our journey is always under His watch.  It’s the openness of our hearts that allows Him the opportunity to engage and reshape us.

Similar to this, I also found that Thor wrestled with the truth of myth.  ‘Myth’ is a tricky word to use when one talks about spiritual issues.  A lot of people get uncomfortable and instantly think of nursery rhymes or the Brothers Grimm. Although there are a great many ‘myths’ that are fictitious, the term is really referring to epic tales of man’s interactions with the Divine.  As a result, many Christians typically become anxious when ‘myth’ is applied to ideas such as Scriptural narrative or Biblical truth.  Despite the fact that it is always wise to be cautious, in this case, it is unnecessary.  For instance, in the case of Thor, this particular use of the term is really very flattering to Christian ideology. This idea is shown most effectively through the journey of Jane and her research partners.  Engrossed in the practices of the scientific method, Jane and her co-workers are suddenly thrust into a world that, really, makes no sense to them.  As scientists, their understanding of the universe is literal, quantifiable and explainable yet Thor describes himself as having “come from a place where [science and magic] are one in the same.”  Perhaps the best line to describe this struggle comes when Dr. Erik Selvig (Stellan Skarsgard) and Jane Foster (Portman) are discussing some of the places that Thor described.  Here, Selvig resists Jane’s descriptions of Asgaard and the Mjolnir, claiming to have heard all these bedtime stories growing up.  However, as they continue to experience life with Thor, they are compelled to believe in the reality of mythology that they refuse to accept.  (At one point, Selvig even discovers a book on Nordic mythology and begins to read it, looking for answers.)  How true a situation is this for those of us who cling to the authenticity of the Word of God?  On the surface, we read these wild stories of God’s interaction with man, wrestling with the questions as bedtime story vs. historical events.  Nonetheless, our experience of the Kingdom stems from our ability to accept the authenticity of these stories of myth and ‘magic’.  It is often our understanding of the Scriptures that most shapes our view of God and the genuine nature of our experience of Him in the world.  Thor as a character understood this fact… though we have a hard time accepting it in the ‘real world’.

All in all, Thor is a difficult film to make, especially since Marvel has taken pride in its ability to make its heroes both realistic and relatable to the general public.  Still, on the back of Branaugh’s direction and Hemsworth’s charm, I found it enjoyable.  (Not their best, to be sure but certainly not their worst by any stretch.  DarkHorizons.com argued that it was on par with The Incredible Hulk.  I would agree with that assessment.)  More importantly, however, I believe that Thor has much to talk about in the way of our own spiritual journeys and our engagement with Divine storytelling.  In a strange metaphor, I found that the experience of the Norse god parallels and intersects the Christian walk in a way that allows us the freedom to engage our own stories as well.