ScreenFish

where faith and film are intertwined

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Jerry and Marge Go Large – What is the value of money?

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“I’ve waited forty years for it to be just us, and so far, we suck at it.”

Retirement can be a challenge for people who have been busy their whole lives. It helps if you find a hobby to fill your time. Maybe that hobby turns out to be lucrative—lucrative enough to change lives. Jerry and Marge Go Large, directed by David Frankel, is a wonderfully entertaining story of such a remarkable hobby and the way it touched lives and built a community. It’s based on a true story.

Jerry Selbee (Bryan Cranston) has just retired (not happily) from a career at Kellogg’s. He lives in a small town in Michigan that is well past its prime. He’s floundering for something to do. Jerry is a wizard with numbers. One day he discovers a loophole in the state lottery that adjust the odds so that winning is more likely. After a couple of failures to score, he determines that he needs to bet really big to get a payoff. So he recruits others in the town to trust him with their money (we’re talking thousands each) and forms a corporation. It starts working, but Michigan shuts that game down. It is still being played in Massachusetts, however.

So every few weeks, when the jackpot gets large enough to trigger the loophole, he and his wife Marge (Annette Benning) do a road trip to Massachusetts to spend the day printing the thousands of lottery tickets involved, aided by a friendly and eccentric convenience store clerk (a very entertaining Rainn Wilson). The payoff is astounding. The small town is enjoying the life of new money in town. More importantly Jerry and Marge are having a great time rebuilding their relationship in a new way.

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However, soon, Tyler Evens (Uly Schlesinger), a student at Harvard, discovers the same loophole and gets money from other well-healed students in his dorm. When Tyler figures out there are two group doing this, he threatens Jerry with the idea that he would hack all his neighbors and ruin their lives. Tyler is the epitome of privilege, who wants nothing more to win at anything he’s involved in.

In some ways, this part of the story provides some dramatic tension to make it interesting, but it also opens the door for us to consider what it means to be stewards of the gifts we have.  

For Tyler this is a matter of ego. The money really doesn’t mean anything to him; his family has plenty. It’s about showing off how clever he is. And he won’t tolerate anyone who threatens his plans. The money, per se, doesn’t matter to Jerry either. He’s more interested in what he and his neighbors can do with their winnings. For them, this is a chance to rebuild their dying little town. Parks are spruced up. Downtown shops, which have been boarded up for years, are bought and rented out for €1 a year. (There is a humorous reason they do it for a euro rather than a dollar.) For the Michigan people, this windfall is all about the community. To be sure, they all get to make some personal upgrades, but more than anything else they see this as making everyone’s lives better.

Stewardship of what we have is a frequent topic in scripture. For example, Peter tells us “Like good stewards of the manifold grace of God, serve one another with whatever gift each of you has received.” (1 Peter 4:10, NRSV). Tyler has no concept of serving others; he expects others to serve him and feed his ego. But for Jerry, Marge, and their neighbors, the gift that Jerry nurtured for them has changed their lives, not just by making them more money. It has enriched their lives as families and community. There we see “the manifold grace of God” at work.

Jerry and Marge Go Large streams on Paramount+.

Photo credit: Jake Giles Netter/Paramount++.

Give Me Liberty – Van Load of Chaos

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As Give Me Liberty opens, we hear and then see a bedridden man who tells of being told he would never walk again, and finding that it was true. But he goes on to say, “Life, it is what it is. Life is wonderful. It’s beautiful. I love life. I love everything about life, even the ducks, chickens, rats. Love conquers all. If you’ve got love, you have everything.” This monologue (and additions to it as the story takes place) are not really a part of the story, but set the tone for the dark comedy that evolves.

Vic (Chris Galust) is a medical transit driver who is about to set out on a very bad day. He’s running late trying to get his grandfather up.  His grandfather has a funeral to attend that day, along with many other elderly Russian emigres. When he must return home because his grandfather has set off smoke detectors cooking, the crowd of funeral goers demand he take them to the funeral since their van hasn’t shown up. Along with them is Dima (Maxim Stoyanov) a boxer or conman who claims to be the deceased’s nephew. Vic has to pick up others along the way. Already far behind schedule he keeps making promises of “five or ten minutes. Soon the all of the people in the van are all complaining and chaos develops. It only gets worse as a protest has the main route blocked.

Vic may seem like the epitome of irresponsibility (especially to his boss), but the problems stem from his desire to help others. Of course, in the attempt to help so many at once, it means that everyone ends up getting less than they want.

The one thing that nearly everyone in the film has in common is that they all suffer from some sort of disability. Some are physically challenged, some mentally, some from the frailty of aging. Everyone seems to be trying to deal with life that has many roadblocks to hinder them. (Just as the protest blocks Vic’s way to deliver everyone where they need to go.) These are all people that society ignores. Even for the transport company, they are only freight to be delivered. But Vic responds to their needs—even if it is not in a timely way. The film uses a number of non-professional actors mixed in with a few professionals. That serves to enhance the aspect of the film giving voice to a part of society that is often unheard.

As the day wears on, the animosity between people begins to shift into a sense of community. There is a recognition that everyone has needs. We may demand that our needs be met, but it may mean that someone else’s needs are deferred. Or we may learn that we need to defer our needs for some that are important to others. In a world that constantly moving more to a “me first” expectation (“America First” is only a larger variation of that concept), it is refreshing to be reminded that others need help just as much as we do—sometimes their needs must supersede our own.

Photos courtesy of Music Box Films

Leave No Trace: The Middle of NowHere

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Leave No Trace follows the story of Will (Ben Foster) and Tom (Thomasin Mackenzie), a father and daughter who live a happy but mysterious life in Forest Park, a beautiful nature reserve near Portland, Ore. Rarely making contact with the world, Will and Tom care for and support one another. When a small mistake tips them off to authorities, their world is thrown upside down as they embark on a quest to rebuild a home of their own.

Directed and co-written by Debra Granik, Trace provides the viewer with a quietly profound piece which leaves the viewer with reflective pause. Powerful yet subtle, the performances by Foster and Mackenzie provide the backbone for what becomes an intensely emotional drama. (Foster especially pops off the screen by giving Will a repressed but seething angst in his performance.)

One of the most powerful aspects of the film is its exploration of what it means to truly have a home through its highlighting of humanity’s desire for safety and security. Though they spend most of their time in the wild, Will and Tom have built a home for themselves that provides emotional stability and safety. While unorthodox, their lives of exclusivity somehow feel like a shelter from the perceived harshness of the world around them. Although they live in the middle of nowhere, they have not only made a shelter. They have created a home.

However, feelings of safety can give way to fear and anxiety when that security is threatened or changed. As a father, Will’s desire is to protect Tom from the outside world. But as Tom’s heart begins to realize that relationships with others can be healthy, her perceptions of home begin to shift. As a result, tensions develop between father and daughter, not out of lack of love but out of conflict of worldview. Suddenly, Tom’s view of healthy community has expanded, accusing her father of limiting them. As a result, because Will desperately wants things to be as they once were, their family relationships have changed irrevocably. Tom’s eyes have been opened to something bigger. As fear and anxiety begin to creep in, safety begins to erode and the two must ask themselves what home looks like for them as they move forward.

In many ways, Trace is a testament to our ability to build community, regardless of circumstances. In every situation, it’s our human tendency to attempt to create more than just a place where we’re protected from the weather but rather somewhere that offers emotional and spiritual support. We don’t just want to live. We want to experience life together. Though there are many who yearn for solitude, we as a people thrive most fully when we are part of a vibrant community, regardless of its structure. Though pop culture most often points us to romantic relationships, Trace reminds us that real love begins when we are present with one another in authentic community.

In the end, Leave No Trace is a powerful film that finds a unique balance between haunting and hopeful. Through its exploration of community, Trace reminds us that ‘it’s not good for [anyone] to be alone’ while allowing for individual expressions of relationships at the same time.

 

Origins Ep. 6 – The Importance of Shelter

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(photo credit: National Geographic)

Humans are quite good at building things. During the last century or so, we’ve created numerous machines and devices that allow modern life to prosper—and even thrive.  We’ve constructed massive skyscrapers, allowing people to live and work closer together than ever before.  We’ve even created incredibly small devices that may, in the future, revolutionize how we take care of individuals who are sick.  And yet, at the end of the day, we all want to go somewhere that has a roof to protect us from the elements, allows us to spend quality family time, and offers us security from intruders while we sleep.

In short, we want shelter.  In the sixth episode of Origins (NatGeo, 9 PM/8PM CT), the discussion centers around this basic aspect of life many take for granted. You see, the spaces we exist in are reflections of who we are and windows into what our culture holds dear.

The early days of humanity were challenging to live in. Hunter-gatherers found caves or created their own spaces out of animal bones covered in furs to protect not only their close families, but other members of their community. It seems that once people are comfortable in their surroundings, they begin to develop a sense of identity—and the hearth was one place this occurred.  Dwellings later allowed for individual privacy—something unheard of. Again, people didn’t have to merely attempt to survive hour by hour; they could explore other options for their lives.  Glass windows allowed natural light to penetrate a house, eliminated the need for candles during the daytime, and helped to regulate temperature (thanks, Rome!). Faith communities saw the potential for larger buildings and natural light to help draw attention to themselves—a great example of this is the Durham Cathedral in England.

Advances continued to be made over the centuries, none bigger than the Otis safety elevator in the 19th century.  Now buildings could be taller than ever while still offering safe spaces to live (and as a bonus, the most prized location in a building moved from the bottom floor to the top).  In the outlying areas of New York, a pair of brothers in 1947 created plans for Levittown, the precursor to modern-day suburbia.  The keys to these shelters were safety and community—something we will end up treasuring and coveting well into the future.

(photo credit: National Geographic)

I personally found this episode of Origins to be intriguing, as I never considered the effect just having a consistent form of shelter could have on an individual.  If you’re not having to worry about surviving, your pursuits of life can vary.  Those pursuits can be beneficial not only to one family, but people around the world. Imagine how different life might be if Thomas Edison had to go from place to place attempting to kill animals for food or figure out how to get his clothes clean daily.  Jesus told us not to worry about the intricacies of life, but seek the Kingdom of God first (see Matthew 6:33). To do that, however, one should be in a safe place where they can be silent and listen to God’s voice—consider the cave experience of Elijah as an example (see 1 Kings 19).  It goes to show the importance of shelter.  Protection and community allow us to become the people God wants us to be.

Mars Ep. 5 – The Importance of Community

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(photo credit: National Geographic/Robert Viglasky)
(photo credit: National Geographic/Robert Viglasky)

The area I live in is known for occasional dust storms that are more of a nuisance than anything, blowing tumbleweeds across the highway and make driving a bit of a challenge.  However, we had a dust storm two years ago that literally scared me. The winds whipped with such frenzy that the dust in the air caused the sun to completely disappear.  As a result, the sky went pitch black and visibility was reduced to zero.  The conditions continued for over an hour, causing my commute home to become a white-knuckle affair.

As a result of that dust storm, I cannot imagine being in the situation our group of intrepid explorers face in the penultimate episode of Mars (Monday, 9 PM/8CT, National Geographic). Recall that at the end of the fourth episode, three of the original crew members stare at an incredibly large dust storm spewing lightning.  This storm has dragged on for eight weeks and isn’t close to subsiding.  As a result, any activity outside the complex is prohibited.  And since the nuclear reactor was not put back online before the storm started, battery power is the only thing running the place (the solar arrays are covered with dust and are useless). That’s an awfully precarious scenario to be in. Power has to be rationed, causing the plants in the greenhouse to wither and die, much to the chagrin of Dr. Paul Richardson (John Light), who has changed significantly as a result of the trip.  He’s incredibly distant and crew doctor Amélie Durand (Clementine Poidatz) senses a psychological issue is the problem. His drawings, however, may tell a different story.

(photo credit: National Geographic Channels/Robert Viglasky)
(photo credit: National Geographic Channels/Robert Viglasky)

The focus of this episode of Mars centers on why a psychological balance in space life is important.  It’s not as easy as one might think. Going outside isn’t always a possibility. Astronauts may not see the sun for months at a time. If a person gets upset with someone, they can’t deal with the issue(s) by simply walking away. Space life is, in many ways, like being in prison, only with (hopefully) nicer individuals to deal with. There is a severe toll placed not only on the human body, but the mind as well. An example from Russia is cited, where a six-member crew was placed in a sealed environment for 520 days; only two of the six managed to stay psychologically stable for the entire time period.  Hollywood may glamorize space, but it’s not as much fun as one might think.

Yet at the same time, community is of the utmost importance.  People have to learn how to get along, how to take care of each other, how to live life together. Loners are prime candidates for causing problems to themselves and others.  It reminds me quite a bit of the early church after Jesus’ resurrection. The Bible says, “And all those who had believed were together and had all things in common; and they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need. Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people” (Acts 2:44-47 NASB).  Taking care of each other is important in life, and the sooner we realize that, the better off we’ll be as a collective whole.  It allows us an opportunity to put Jesus’ words into action in tangible ways people can see and react to (the story in Acts notes that as a result of their actions, God added to the believer’s numbers daily).

Will the colony on Mars survive the storm (and each other)?  Will the powers-that-be on Earth pull the plug on the whole mission?  Will there be a surprise none of us saw coming?  Only one episode remains to answer all of these questions . . .

Finding Dory – We’re in This Together

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FINDING DORY – When Dory finds herself in the Marine Life Institute, a rehabilitation center and aquarium, Hank—a cantankerous octopus—is the first to greet her. Featuring Ed O'Neill as the voice of Hank and Ellen DeGeneres as the voice of Dory, "Finding Dory" opens on June 17, 2016. ©2016 Disney•Pixar. All Rights Reserved.

Finding Dory served up a sequel/spinoff of the world that Nemo inhabited, with Ellen DeGeneres’ squeaky regal blue tang heading off in search of the family she had long forgotten about. With the help of Nemo and his dad Marlin, as well as a new cast of characters including the near-sighted whale Destiny, the echo-location-free beluga whale Bailey, and the scene-stealing red octopus Hank, Dory treks from the exotic wild back to the Marine Life Institute. Along the way, she splashes through wild adventures and colorful seascapes that will delight children and adults.

While the film itself could be silent – the visuals that writer/director Andrew Stanton provides in the latest entry to his long Pixar career (Toy Story franchise, Wall.E, A Bug’s Life, Finding Nemo, etc.) are breathtaking – but it has genuine laugh-outloud moments thanks to DeGeneres and a host of other well-cast voices. In addition to Ed O’Neill’s Hank, there are the two sea cantankerous sea lions, Fluke and Rudder (Idris Elba and Dominic West), and the batty seagull, Becky. That’s a powerful combination for an animated flick already – hilarious adventures and stunning visuals.

DO I KNOW YOU? -- In Disney?Pixar's "Finding Dory," everyone's favorite forgetful blue tang, Dory (voice of Ellen DeGeneres), encounters an array of new?and old?acquaintances, including a cantankerous octopus named Hank (voice of Ed O'Neill). Directed by Andrew Stanton (?Finding Nemo,? ?WALL?E?) and produced by Lindsey Collins (co-producer ?WALL?E?), ?Finding Dory? swims into theaters June 17, 2016.

But like Finding Nemo, Finding Dory doesn’t settle for simple entertainment. Here, we have a long look at what it means to be family (both Dory’s adoptive family and her ‘birth parents’), and what it means to live with mental illness (her short-term/middle-term memory loss). Throughout the story, we see different characters interact with Dory’s forgetfulness with varying degrees of grace and understanding (Nemo is helpful and kind; Marlin… not so much all the time). One might even say that Destiny’s blindness and Bailey’s temporary concussive/PTSD-related problems make them a better team because they work together. It’s a reminder of the way that we work in community, and the way that we care for the “least of these.”

In the end, Dory gets where she needs to go because the community comes together. Without help, Dory doesn’t make it, and if we’re realistic and honest with ourselves, neither do we.

FINDING DORYSpecial features on the Blu-ray combo pack include my favorite PIXAR short film ever – Piper – about a baby sandpiper learning the ropes. There’s also a short about the Marine Life creatures discussing Dory, and several looks at the way the animators put together an undersea world that really seems alive. Ironically, Hank’s character proved super difficult – his characterizations get their own feature, “The Octopus that Nearly Broke Pixar.” Overall, Disney nails special features in a way that puts other home media to shame!