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City So Real: A World Within a World

October 29, 2020 by J. Alan Sharrer Leave a Comment

A woman talks to a police officer during a protest. (Chicago Story Film, LLC)

The city of Chicago has always received less than top billing in the United States.  Its blue-collar, earthy mentality is quite unique when compared to Houston, Los Angeles, or New York City. However, it truly is a world all its own with over 75 separate sections comprising its makeup, each showcasing some of the best (and worst) parts of who we are as a people.  With his five-part drama City So Real (NatGeo, 10.29 and Hulu starting 10.30), director Steve James (Hoop Dreams, America to Me) has provided an opportunity for the city as a whole to give voice on behalf of the entire country – and this is accomplished in remarkable fashion.

I lived and attended school in the Western Suburbs of Chicago, so I’ve seen a thing or two about the town—or so I thought.  Instead, I discovered that I was quite sheltered from the richness and color Chicago has as a whole.  In order to get that, I had to jump on the freeway and drive 25 or so miles east.  But even then, I only spent time in the popular areas (Downtown; Navy Pier; Lakeshore Drive).  Rarely did I ever step foot into the other parts of town.

James, in his over five hour documentary (and I recommend you watch the whole thing), brings to light two portions of life from these 75+ perspectives. The first involves the weeks and months after mayor Rahm Emmanuel decided not to run for reelection.  With the city swimming in financial woes and uncertainty (such as a potentially huge housing project called Lincoln Yards), you might think two or three individuals would come out and run to take over that position.  Wrong! Twenty-one people throw their hat into the fray – from computer coder Neal Sáles-Griffin to Nigerian born Amara Enyia (getting cred from Chace the Rapper and Kanye West) to Richard Daley (whose relatives ran the city for 43 years), the documentary showed off not only the convoluted process Chicago has for its elections, but how each candidate campaigned—and more importantly, how each section of the city responded.  The Sideline Studios, a predominantly African-American haircut place on the South Side, is allowed to let its owner Dionell Hill and his customers air their thoughts a la Coming to America—and they pull no punches. That business is later contrasted with another haircut location that features all Caucasian clientele.  It was refreshing perspective to see and hear the tonal color of these sections of town—and see them firsthand.

The race also coincides with the murder trial of a Chicago cop who killed Laquan McDonald by shooting him 16 times.  Chicago has always been known for corruption—and a large part of the town thinks the office will get off free. They think in mainly binary tones, but when justice is finally reached, it’s a breath of fresh air one part of the city has rarely seen.

The mayoral race gets dirty and competitive – and in the end the winner is a former prosecutor named Lori Lightfoot, a lady who’s willing to walk door to door and meet people to get a vote.  She exhibits a new way of looking things, being both African-American and lesbian.  In the end, she wins in a landslide.

Yard signs display a variety of candidates running in the 2019 Mayor’s race in Chicago. (Chicago Story Film, LLC)

If James were to have stopped here, it would’ve been enough.  However, the last part of the documentary brings the now into perspective – starting in March when Covid-19 began to ransack the country and led to Chicago shutting down, killing many of the mom-and-pop businesses in the process (one resorted to selling jigsaw puzzles and even printing its own money).  Lightfoot’s non-nonsense, don’t-mess-with-me demeanor was one that worked effectively—until people started getting tired of being inside and George Floyd’s death ripped the bandage off racial tensions.  Of course, the story isn’t over—it plays out every day, making Chicago . . .  well . . .  that place Carl Sandburg immortalized in his poem of the same name.

I found the documentary to be cutting, relevant, and well-executed. James has a knack for getting into the minds of people and asking questions that allow them to share who they are and how they’re feeling.  People are definitely willing to talk if you allow them a method to share their voice! I was also impressed about how James allowed each section of town to speak for itself, a unique yet important aspect.  It reminds me of some of the areas mentioned in the Bible—Jerusalem, Nazareth, and Bethlehem are just three.  Each are part of the overall picture of history and yet each has its own unique flavor.  Jerusalem saw its share of violence and destruction for thousands of years – not only inside but outside the city walls.  Nazareth was a place where people asked if anything good could come from it (in this case, it certainly did). Bethlehem was extremely small and yet is now known as the birthplace of Jesus.  All the pieces, when put together, make up a picture that’s greater than the sum of its parts.  City So Real reveals that in a compelling and gripping way—one you won’t soon forget.

City So Real airs on NatGeo on October 29 and Hulu starting October 30

Filed Under: Film, Reviews Tagged With: Chicago, covid, documentary, Mayor, NatGeo, Steve James

7.01 Running It Back in TENET

October 16, 2020 by Steve Norton Leave a Comment

We’re so excited to be back with the first episode of our 7th season (or is it the 7th episode of our 1st season?) as we talk about Christopher Nolan’s latest thriller, TENET which tells the story of The Protagonist (John David Washington), a time-bending secret agent charged with stopping a futuristic terrorist from destroying the universe.

With the theatrical system in shambles due to the pandemic, TENET was expected to ‘save the box office’ yet it hasn’t quite lived up to the hype financially. Is it really due to concerns over safety? Or was it merely the wrong film at the wrong time? In this 1on1, we’re thrilled to have back the host of Face2FaceLive.ca David Peck to talk about that issue as well as debate whether or not we think Nolan’s film believes in free will.

You can also stream the episode above on podomatic, Alexa (via Stitcher), Spotify or Soundcloud! Or, you can download the ep on Apple Podcasts or Google Play!

Want to continue to conversation at home?  Click the link below to download ‘Fishing for More’ — some small group questions for you to bring to those in your area.

7.01 TenetDownload

Note: For those interested in the link to Alissa Wilkinson’s Vox article regarding the Sator Square, click here.

Filed Under: Featured, Film, Podcast Tagged With: box office, Christopher Nolan, covid, Elizabeth Debicki, John David Washington, Pandemic, Robert Pattinson, Tenet

Trump v Biden Debate; Ravi Zacharias Scandal

October 2, 2020 by Matt Hill Leave a Comment

your sunday drive podcast

We respond to this week’s (crazy? disheartening?) “debate,” asking questions about what leadership in this country looks like, and whether Christians need to be wary of the idol of politics.

We also discuss the allegations against the late Ravi Zacharias and how the church should respond when leaders fail.

Finishing the theme of leadership, we listen to a portion of Dr. Francis Collins’ recent Templeton Prize acceptance address, where he discusses what individuals can do to fight polarization, even without ideal leaders.

Come along for Your Sunday Drive – quick conversation about current events, politics, pop culture and more, from the perspective of a couple of guys trying to follow Jesus.

Hosts: Matt Hill and Nate Polzin. Presented by the Church in Drive of Saginaw, MI, as often as possible. Please visit churchindrive.com and facebook.com/thechurchindrive

Filed Under: Podcast Tagged With: 2020, abuse, biden, christian podcast, church, corinavirus, covid, culture, debate, francis collins, politics, ravi zacharias, scandal, templeton, Trump

Life at a Distance

August 18, 2020 by Matt Hill Leave a Comment

Mandy Polzin and Rob Shade join us for a roundtable discussion about our post-pandemic, more-distanced lives.

Questions include: How are we experiencing doing work, school, church and life-in-general more remote, digital and online? What are the pros and cons of technologies like Zoom? Is there some sense in which church specifically needs to be physically present and in-person? What does the pandemic teach us about what humans are like? What perspective can our faith give us?

Also, FYI, Laura was not mad about Matt’s bad joke. She says “I’ll talk about hairstyles anytime you want 😀”

Come along for Your Sunday Drive – quick conversation about current events, politics, pop culture and more, from the perspective of a couple of guys trying to follow Jesus.

Hosts: Matt Hill and Nate Polzin. Presented by the Church in Drive of Saginaw, MI, as often as possible. Please visit churchindrive.com and facebook.com/thechurchindrive

Filed Under: Podcast Tagged With: christian podcast, church, covid, drive, online, Pandemic, politics, pop culture, remote, school, work

Christian Rebels? The Pandemic & Pop Culture Nostalgia

May 15, 2020 by Matt Hill Leave a Comment

your sunday drive podcast

Mid-pandemic, with many questioning and resisting government authorities and policies, we ask: Can Christians be rebels? Are there biblical and/or historic church models for us to follow, such as Jesus and the apostles, the prophets, American civil rights leaders?

Many are more immersed in pop culture currently than ever before – particularly in nostalgia for old shows, movies, etc. What are the positives and negatives of nostalgia? How does it relate to spiritual matters and to the “Christian rebels” topic?

All this and more (! 🙂 ) in this episode of the Your Sunday Drive Podcast.

Come along for Your Sunday Drive – quick conversation about current events, politics, pop culture and more, from the perspective of a couple of guys trying to follow Jesus.

Hosts: Matt Hill and Nate Polzin. Presented by the Church in Drive of Saginaw, MI, as often as possible. Please visit churchindrive.com and facebook.com/thechurchindrive

Filed Under: Podcast Tagged With: Bible, christian podcast, covid, Government, lock down, Lord of the Rings, Pandemic, politics, pop culture, Power, quarantine, rebel, resident evil, Romans, the office

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