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Game of Thrones

5.19 Unleashing our Inner DARK PHOENIX

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With the release of Dark Phoenix, Fox officially wraps up its X-Men franchise by retconning one of their most famous storylines. After having been exposed to an other-worldly energy, Jean Grey finds herself battling unlimited power and her own inner demons. As Charles Xavier, Magneto and the rest of the X-Men attempt to help her contain her abilities, a mysterious new foe seeks to unleash its full destructive power upon the world. This week, ScreenFish Radio welcomes back returnees Miriam Ibrahim and Matthew Cimone to discuss the legacy of the franchise, what went right (and wrong) with the film and the power of emotion.

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.

5.19 Dark Phoenix

Outrage Culture & Identity Politics, Black Mirror, Game of Thrones Finale

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Your Sunday Drive Podcast

TRIGGER WARNING: You might need a safe space for this episode of the Your Sunday Drive podcast.

What’s it about? Outrage or call-out culture. Identity politics. Our seemingly too-easily-offended age and how Christians might navigate it with some wisdom.

Other related topics come into it as well: Privilege, the influence of the internet and social media, etc.

We also do a quick plug for new Black Mirror and go in-depth on the Game of Thrones finale. What were the spiritual takeaways? Find out!

The Hot Zone: A Healthy Fear

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(National Geographic/Amanda Matlovich)

Now that Game of Thrones has moved on from the world of water cooler discussion, what are you planning to watch this week?  One acceptable option could be a new series from National Geographic called The Hot Zone.  Starring Juliana Margulies (ER), this three-part miniseries (Monday-Wednesday this week) brings to mind an episode of NCIS with significantly more gore and blood—and that’s just within the first ten minutes of the opening episode.  Based on the book of the same name by Richard Preston and with Ridley Scott (Aliens) helping out, The Hot Zone is a graphic reminder to be thankful for scientists that help to protect us from potentially fatal diseases–and that fear can be a good thing.

The opening of the first episode features a plane leaving Kenya in 1980 with a gentleman who’s contracted something very nasty.  The doctor checking him out learns this the hard way—he gets a faceful of the guy’s bodily fluids (and later dies, it is implied). When a mysterious package arrives at USAMRIID headquarters (the Army’s institute for infectious diseases) nine years later, Lt. Col. Nancy Jaax (Margulies) takes a look and immediately sends it to the bowels of the lab, where some of the worst diseases in the world reside and access requires a hazmat suit. Jaax ironically states, “I work at one of the safest places in the world” moments before a cut opens in her suit, exposing her to the Ebola virus. She is okay, but later discovers a nearby research facility had a number of monkeys die as a result of Ebola.  Since there have been no reported cases in the US, there’s massive concern of an epidemic outbreak due to multiple factors, none bigger than the fact that the research facility is 20 miles from Washington DC. It’s a race against time—one that cannot be solved in a single episode.

There’s a significant amount of tension to be found in The Hot Zone, most of it occurring in the form of sickness, isolation, and claustrophobia—especially those blue hazmat suits. There’s a lab component with Dr. Peter Jahrling (Topher Grace) and Ben Gellis (Paul James) offering a little bit of levity, but it is short-lived.  The wild card in the situation is Wade Carter (Liam Cunningham), Jaax’s mentor, who seems to know more than one might think about infectious diseases.

(National Geographic/Amanda Matlovich)

One thing that is evident from the first episode of The Hot Zone is fear.  I don’t think anyone who stands face to face with organisms that could kill the whole of humanity would feel otherwise. There is a sense of uncertainty when Jaax and crew are attempting to identify the virus, leading to increasing levels of trepidation.  Despite what some people say, it is a good thing to have a little fear in one’s life. In fact, the Bible says that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (see Proverbs 9:10). Having no fear before the Creator of all things (including deadly viruses) says something about a person—none of it good.

It seems like The Hot Zone is going to be an interesting ride, so be prepared when you sit down to watch this week.  You may not want to touch your face with your hands for a while.

The Redemption Project with Van Jones: The Power and Price of Healing

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Developed by Van Jones and airing on CNN, The Redemption Projectoffers a rare glimpse into the restorative justice process by following the victim, or surviving family members, of a tragic crime as they prepare to meet with their offender in the hopes of achieving a sense of closure and, potentially, healing. Serving as guide for the viewer throughout this incredible process, Jones hopes that this experience will not only demonstrate the power of grace between offender and victim, but also provide an example to a broken and angry culture as well. 

“I have a friend [named] Jason Cohen, who is an Oscar-nominated director, who did a film about a neo-Nazi who reconciled with one of his victims and we talked about what if we did a series,” he starts. “Of course, I’d spent twenty-five years in the criminal justice system as an advocate, as a lawyer, and I knew that there were people who were going into prison one way and who were transforming themselves into phenomenal people [despite their conditions]. [There are] diamonds behind those walls. I wanted some way to show that. I also know that we are in real danger in our culture and country of having the values of empathy, grace, and forgiveness, just leave the culture, which is very dangerous. I thought, if we could do a show that’s 180 degrees from the present fashion of ‘cancel culture’ and ‘call out culture’ and ‘I’m a block you culture’ and go 180 degrees the other direction [by] showing and redeeming the humanity of people on both sides of tragedy and tragic decisions that we might add a little bit of medicine back into I think a very sick culture.“

In light of this, Jones also argues that part of the reason we have lost our sense of grace towards one another stems from an internet culture that allows technology to filter the way we understand the world.

“Everybody can point fingers at each other but I do think that fundamentally we have an awful lot of data about each other now and very little wisdom,” he expounds. “These little devices that we have in our pocket, we think we’re programming our phones, our phones are really programming us. Once you click, click a few likes and swipes and share, that phone knows exactly who you are and what you like and they’re going to keep feeding you what you want to hear and what you want to see.”

“We think of these devices as information devices. They’re actually dopamine devices–that pleasure chemical in your brain. The algorithm is designed to give you pleasure through those pleasure sensors in your brain. So that’s why my Facebook feed looks totally different than yours but we don’t realize that. There a technology problem here that I think leads into a spiritual problem, which is that we can basically choose our own facts and, in so doing, choose our own feelings or lack thereof about people.”

Given the intensity of emotion surrounding this encounter between attacker and victim, one might wonder how they choose their subjects for each episode. According to Jones, the process is thorough so that they find interactions that may offer the best chance to make some progress together.

Says Jones, “That [process] is not an easy thing. We have eight cases of people who have done very bad things. Everything from impaired drivers, taking people’s lives, people who’ve committed homicide, people who shot others a decade or more ago. We have very trained facilitators in what’s a very rigorous process both in front of the camera and behind the scenes.” 

“But you know what? More people than you would know who have committed very bad acts have learned and have grown ten [or] twenty years later and would love to be able to let the world know and certainly have to let the person that they hurt know that they are sorry and that they have tried to make amends. Many, many more people who are victims of crime and survivors of crime would like to know, first of all, what the heck were you doing and why did it happen in the first place? Have you learned anything? Are you sorry? Our court system is not designed for any of that… The restorative justice process allow for people to get more towards healing, sometimes just by getting more information. Even if they don’t forgive, just to get more information about what happened can be very helpful to people.”

Although we live in a world filled with reality television and ‘true crime’ docs, Jones believes that this show is something entirely unique that doesn’t fit into any of those now ‘traditional’ boxes.

“We don’t have the literacy or the language for grace and we don’t have the literacy and the language for what this show is trying to put on display,” he claims. “Is it a true crime thing? No, I, this is about the truth, long after the crime is over… There’s not a single word of this that is not an authentic expression coming from the mouths of people who are putting it all on the line to see if they can make some progress in the healing that comes after crime.”

Another one of the more distinct aspects to the show is the fact that these sorts of one-on-one confrontations are incredibly rare within the current justice system. While meetings between victim and offender are more common amongst felonies involving minors, the system simply isn’t set up for meetings between adult offenders.

“It is increasingly common for minor offenses involving minors but the more you’re dealing with a very, very serious crime or a very, very serious tragic decision that we’re talking about here, the less common that it is. In fact, we did the very first healing dialogue ever in the entire state of Alaska on our show. So, there are whole states that have never done this.”

As their subjects looks for ‘redemption’, Jones believes that the journey begins with the moral courage to humbly own what they have done and take responsibility for their actions.

“I think redemption looks differently in each situation,” he expounds “but I do think that the most important thing is for people who’ve done something wrong to own up to it, admit it, apologize and try to make amends, whether or not the other person accepts it or accept in the way they had hoped. It’s such an important thing that people do that. The moral courage that it takes to walk into a prison and sit down with the person who took the life of a loved one or the person who hurt you, that’s a level of moral courage that’s big. There’s also a level of moral courage that it takes to walk out of your prison cell, walk down the hall and sit down at a table, look in the eye of the person that you hurt or whose child you killed and answer their questions honestly to try to do something to help them move forward. So, I just saw Olympic levels of moral courage on both sides of these healing dialogues and they don’t all turn into big Kumbaya moments. Frankly, far from it. But there is some healing and some progress that takes place every time.“

What’s more, Jones also recognizes that, for many of their subjects, a key ingredient on their road to redemption is their ownership of faith that affects their life on a deep, personal level.

“Literally, nine out of ten of the people who were willing to do this have some deep faith practice,” credits Van. “I think that’s important. It’s not a religious show, but it’s not a show that tries to hide the religious feelings of the people who take these kinds of steps and I think that’s very important. We’ve secularized the culture so much that some of the wisdom in scripture that can really help people through these tough times has been pushed to the margins. And yet I think people been both in and out of prison who had gone through terrible things, they tend to reach for those scriptures and reach for those traditions and rely on them and that’s very present in the series.”

The Redemption Project with Van Jones begins its journey on CNN at 9pm on April 28th, 2019.

For full audio of our interview with Van Jones, click here.

Game of Thrones – Season 7: Divided We Stand?

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Winter has come.

In the seventh season of HBO’s Game of Thrones, which may be the most addictive television show of all time (at least, since Lost), the separate worlds held apart by power, water, and dragons finally crash together in an explosive penultimate season in George R.R. Martin’s wickedly created series. Now available on Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital HD, the family dynamics that have been brewing, clawing, and screaming for attention end up front and center, even as the ultimate threat to humanity, the White Walkers, threaten the Wall.

What follows is a theologically-inclined recap/expose of the things that occur and the way they relate to our lives, today.

In the first two episodes, “Dragonstone” and “Stormborn,” the worlds of Westeros and Essos collide. Arya (Maise Williams) settles the Stark debt with the Freys in a way that is clever, creepy, and apropos. On the other side, Euron (Pilou Asbæk) proves to be true villain, wreaking havoc on the Sand Vipers, as well as his fellow Greyjoys, all in efforts to win Cersei’s (Lena Headey) favor. All of this is pretty standard Game of Thrones stuff, with heavy influences in double-crossing and violence, politics and maneuvering. But the show is at its best when there are bigger fish (or dragons) to fry.

[Daenerys] protects people from monsters, just like you do. —Tyrion to Jon Snow 

In “The Queen’s Justice,” Jon Snow (Kit Harington) and Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) find themselves stuck in the middle of trying to run Westeros – and figuring out what enemies are really worth fighting. Daenerys has just gotten to Westeros; Jon realizes that the threats north of the Wall, the white walkers, are greater than battling with Cersei or not. Thankfully, Jon and Daenerys get some help, in the person of Tyrion Lannister (Peter Dinklage), who may just be the star of the seventh season.

“You should never believe a thing just because you want to believe it.”— Tyrion

In the midst of a season where Tyrion’s wisdom sometimes falls on deaf ears before finally breaking through, he counsels the future rulers of Westeros (my guess, anyway) about what it means to be leaders of people, and rulers of others. In fact, he makes one clear distinction about the difference between Cersei and Daenerys: “My sister’s [Cersei’s] army fights out of fear. The unsullied fight for something greater, for freedom.” This is the beauty of the show, that even in the midst of the violence and carnage and power plays, there is still a morality that rises above the rest.

You’ve made impossible things happen, and maybe the people following you believe you can make a world that’s different. If you use them to melt castles, you’re not different, you’re just more of the same.—Jon to Daenerys

By the fourth episode, “The Spoils of War,” the two rulers-to-be have come together to some accord, realizing that their mutual destruction would occur without coming together. In fact, in a cave full of dragonglass, Jon tells Daenerys that they must take the example from thousands of years ago, when their relatives bonded together: “They fought together against a common enemy, despite their suspicions. We need to fight together because the enemy is very real.” This belief, this coming together of likeminded rulers comes from the heart of Jon, and the constant exploits of Daenerys who makes the forgotten about remembered, the ignored important, and the slave free.

This ideal is no better seen than the intense opportunity that Daenerys gives the captured Lannister men after a battle in “Eastwatch,” when she says, “I offer you this choice – Bend the knee and we will leave the world a better place than we found it, or refuse, and die.” Her desire to create a better world, to break the wheel that has so long held everyone down. She and Jon turn to this – even as the army of the undead grows stronger, crashing toward the Wall, like something even more diabolical than those in The Walking Dead.

In “Beyond the Wall,” the sixth episode of the season, Jon leads a small band of brave soldiers on a daring mission that ultimately requires some unexpected help – several unexpected helps. There are some funny quips, “Fighting is more important than smart. Smart people don’t come up here looking for the dead,” but more often than not, the principal subjects are debating which gods matter. My favorite protagonist, Jon, asks, “What’s the point in serving a god when nobody knows what he wants?” when referring to the Lord of Light. It’s an interesting question about the theology of Game of Thrones, as people debate religiously – and as Cersei steadily refuses to believe in what she can’t see, including morale and love.

After we break the wheel, how do we make sure it stays broken? – Tyrion to Daenerys

While there are spills and thrills to see throughout the episode, like one bear attack that I literally recoiled from, the exploration of what it means to be a hero and what it means to be a leader. For most of the sane people watching the show, the pairing of Jon and Daenerys makes sense, even as Jon says, “They’ll all come to see you for what you are” to his dragon-riding heartthrob. And he’s not talking about dragons, he’s talking about the way she values life, love, and freedom. But these guys are up against it – even as the season ends with “The Dragon and the Wolf.”

This isn’t about living in harmony, this is just about living. — Jon

While Jon, Daenerys, Tyrion, and their posse go south to make peace, at least temporarily, with Cersei, it’s apparent that there are comparisons to the world we live in that just… defy logic. While we have people focused on what divides us, like race, politics, or sexual orientation, even to the point of conflict, a storm like Hurricane Harvey finally reminds us … temporarily… of imago dei, of the fact that we have more in common than we could expect, and less to hold us back if we would work together. Suddenly, the world of a fantasy is abundantly more applicable to our lives than one would expect.

Special features here start with the additional Blu-ray disc that lays out the history of Westeros spun out through animation and narration by stars like Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Sophie Turner, and others, thanks to the script from show writer Dave Hill. The Blu-ray set also includes in-episode guides to background, characters, locations, and histories, as well as a separate set of “Histories & Lore” told by the cast. “From Imagination to Reality: Inside the Art Department” takes us behind the work of production designer Deborah Riley and her team, showing the way that the sets like Casterly Rock and Dragonstone were created. “Fire & Steel” shows how Westeros was invaded via footage and interviews, while eleven additional commentaries by instrumental figures like David Benioff, D.B. Weiss, Kit Harington, Lena Headley, and others show us the mentality behind many of the highest moments. 

Game of Thrones Season 6: The Blind will See, The Dead will be Raised

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“The past is already written. Stay too long where you don’t belong and you will never return.”– Three-Eyed Raven

The sixth season of HBO’s Game of Thrones has received critical renown (winning twelve of its twenty-three nominations for Emmys) and grown the fan base that watches each episode. Combining original material with elements of two previously written George R.R. Martin novels and the upcoming Winds of Winter, the season is remarkably dark in tone and depiction – dragging us farther and farther into the entangled manipulations of fiends and heroes that populate Westeros and beyond. It may not be clear which characters are which, because every viewer has their own favorites.

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All of us have to tell ourselves we’re decent to sleep at night. How do you tell yourself that after all of the things you’ve done? – Edmure Tully

For me, the season is defined by two things. The first is the early re-entry of Jon Snow (Kit Harington), who was stabbed a la Julius Caesar by his own men at the end of the fifth season. Thanks to the Red Woman, Melisandre (Carice van Houten), or at least it appears, resurrection is a huge theme of the season. Thanks to an Entertainment Weekly cover a week after the episode aired, that was spoiled for me – but it was sufficient enough to make me want to tear into the sixth season as soon as it arrived. Snow’s ‘resurrection’ and subsequent coronation are worthy of investigation by anyone who has dabbled in the novels or the show (both of which I am a fan). His response that he was “nowhere” after death lends itself to some head scratching, too, but we figure all will be revealed. (A secondary “wow” moment – the origins of Hodor are revealed. Heartbreaking.)

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It’s never too late to change. — Septon

Snow is not however the chief focus of the series – there are simply too many characters for one to dominate. But over and over, the theme involves characters who are broken and then put back together. We also find Tyrion Lannister (Peter Dinklage), finally tangling with dragons long after he first requested one for a birthday as a child. We see the ongoing struggle of two queens, Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) and Cersei Lannister (Lena Headley). We watch Arya’s (Maisie Williams) transformation from battered blind girl to fearsome warrior under the tutelage of the Waif (Faye Marsay). We see absolute switch of Sansa Stark (Sophie Turner) from innocent pawn to weapon-wielding leader of men. While those are just the stories that have kept my focus since I first started reading the books – there are also the Ironborn Greyjoys, and the wretched Boltons, led by Ramsey (Iwan Rheon), one of the most twisted villains in recent years in any medium.

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You were born a fighter. You walked away from the fight. How did that go? –Dondarrion

Short version highlights (without spoiling anything for those who haven’t seen the season yet) of metamorphosis and redemption:

-Jon Snow’s obvious transition from dead to living, from uninterested leader to thrilling warrior.

-Arya’s development from “The Red Woman” episode on, finally thinking for herself despite the odds (Ironically, Sansa’s character moves leaps and bounds forward, too.)

-Bran Stark’s visions in “Home” and “Blood of My Blood” that develop him into the Three-Eye Raven. (The battle with the Night King in “The Door” is one of the coolest scenes included in this season

-Sam’s decision to steal Heartsbane in “Blood of My Blood” as signifying a several season story arc from cheerful, pudgy punching bag to actual man on his own.

-Daenerys rides some serious dragon.

-The baddest battle you’ve ever seen (the fight for Winterfell) putting Helm’s Deep to shame, including Dortmund’s moment and Wun Wun, the giant giant.

There are still solid main characters we have loved from the beginning, but the peripheral, extended world of Game of Thrones remains just as detailed. No character is too insignificant to not become a major player down the road. And yet, the second takeaway I took is that while so many shows reduce women to side projects or pawns of machismo power, in Game of Thrones, there’s a greater chance when the smoke clears, that one of these women will rule the throne.

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I’m angry that horrible people can treat good people that way, and get away with it. — Gilly 

Throughout the season, there is a sense that chief characters are taking back what is theirs – or at least attempting to. Jon fights his battles at the Wall – joining Sansa’s revenge tour – and recognizes that Winterfell is central; Cersei fights for control of King’s Landing; Daenerys fights just to stay alive… in the hopes of regaining her family’s lands. The difference between the efforts is that some fight for others and some fight only for themselves. That is one of the primary (only?) differences – all are bloody, violent, take-no-prisoners attacks that leave casualties on all sides. There is a struggle for land, for power, for relationships… but always for purpose. (None of this seems more deeply layered than Bran’s (Isaac Hempstead Wright) visions of the past and future, which intersect with the present in very tangible ways, or Sandor Clegane’s (Rory McCann) conversations post-“resurrection” about the gods and the way they might still have use for a man like him.)

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I am the Breaker of Chains…. My reign has just begun. — Daenerys

In Matthew 11:5, Jesus says, “The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor.” Game of Thrones seems to be pursuing some of these issues, wrestling with the faith of various characters (Tommen, Snow, Melisandre, etc.) But it is truly a season when miracles occur, and we wrestle with their purpose. Is that not akin to the world we live in today, seeing things which make us wonder but yet sometimes fails to provide its purposes? Instead, like the characters of season six, we are often left to be as faithful as we can, to pursue the good we can, to make the difference we can – and be as much part of the miracles as we can be.

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I choose violence. — Cersei

One of the practical applications of living out the way that faith (and morality) work is the battle over slavery in Mereen. While there are political complications (a la Lincoln’s negotiations over slavery and politics), there still remains an onslaught of rhetoric and decision making about what it means to be a humanitarian, what it means to be emancipated, and what it means to rule well. While Daenerys is the “Breaker of Chains,” Tyrion is not; while absolute freedom is what we all strive for, the struggle for it – for standing, for property, for identity, is one that is waged in words, in chains, in battle – throughout this sixth season. And somehow, it seems all the more important as I watch the sociopolitical landscape. Is there more going on here than ‘simple’ fantasy-laden, dragon-flying adventure?

Methinks, yes.

HBO’s special features are ridiculously important to the home media combo packs. On the Blu-ray alone are “in-episode guides” that provide a way to keep track of characters, situations, and places; there’s also a focus on mythology in several of the lands through “Histories & Lore.” The episode 9 feature, “The Battle of the Bastards,” looks at GOT’s largest battle royale to date — potentially the coolest onscreen mass throw down since Mel Gibson’s Braveheart. In “18 Hours at the Paint Hall,” we see how all three cinematography units took over the Belfast set to get their shots in, while we see the way that the Dothraki world of Season One makes a return in “Recreating the Dothraki World.” 

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Game of Thrones Season 6 DVD – Free Copy!

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What happens in the sixth season of HBO’s hit show Game of Thrones? We could tell you or you could win this free copy. Just respond below with your favorite moment from one of the previous seasons and we’ll pick a lucky winner for ScreenFish’s drawing! Reply by November 15. One entry per person. You must be eighteen or over to win and live in the continental U.S.

tiff16: THE LEVELLING

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Somerset, England. Trainee veterinarian Clover Catto (ELLIE KENDRICK, Game of Thrones) returns to the farm where she grew up after hearing news that her brother Harry has died—an apparent suicide. Finding the family home in ruins following recent floods that devastated the area, Clover is forced to confront her difficult father Aubrey – about the farm, the livestock and, crucially, the details surrounding Harry’s death. As the funeral approaches Clover’s discoveries send her on an emotional journey of reckoning – with the land, her family and herself.

Taking the lead role as Clover, Kendrick demonstrates a great deal of poise for a role that requires both nuance and expressiveness.  She presents Clover with quiet grief as she deals with the death of her brother and yet she also hides an inner rage towards her family and circumstances. Similar to the film’s rural landscape, Clover’s life is giving way from underneath, burdened by the weight of family secrets and lies.

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There is focus in her eyes and fire in her heart.

Structurally, the film almost plays out as a hybrid between family drama and mystery thriller as Clover inches closer to the truth surrounding her brother’s death. Using very little music, the film maintains it’s brooding tone through intentional silence.

One of the biggest surprises of the week, THE LEVELLING offers solid performances from the entire cast but it’s Kendrick who really holds the film together. This is a film about the damage caused by family and the process of restoration and it knows exactly what it wants to accomplish.

Like their farm, Clover is collapsing from within.

 

For our exclusive interview with Ellie Kendrick, click below!

Cinderella: How Do You Handle Your Pain?

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cinderellaThe first time I saw the trailer for 2015’s Cinderella, I wondered what else could make the story worth seeing. Almost every aspect of the well-known story (at least the 1950 Walt Disney version) was captured in the trailer. Were they trying to convince parents that they could take their children? Were they buying into the ‘show all’ method of trailers? Or was there something deeper to this version that couldn’t be captured in the mere story?

Lily James (Downton Abbey) stars as the titular character, left all alone by the death of her mother and her father. Stranded inside a monstrous mansion sans servants and everyday amenities, Cinderella is the slave-prisoner of the ‘evil stepmother’, Lady Tremaine (Cate Blanchett), and her two ridiculous daughters (Sophie McShera and Holliday Grainger). The cast is further filled out by Game of Thrones’ Richard Madden as The Prince and Nonso Anozie as The Captain, Stellan Skarsgard (Thor, Pirates of the Caribbean 2 & 3) as The Grand Duke, and Derek Jacobi as The King.

CINDERELLAOf course, I must stop here and acknowledge the grand mistress of sacred and whacky roles: Helena Bonham-Carter bowls us over with her crazy take on The Fairy Godmother, completely stealing the transformation scene. We’ve come to expect that from her, and unfortunately, she never goes head-to-head with the other scene stealer, Blanchett. These two dames of power and panache provide more than enough weight to the film, allowing James to play her role ‘straight.’

James’ Ella delivers the grace, courage, and goodness of the beautiful nobility-via-tragedy that we expect of her. She overcomes conspiracy, pain, ignorance, and character flaws (in others) to rise. Her beauty isn’t skin deep, and her willingness to forgive makes this a tale that carries more than its fair share of Christian messages. Her forgiveness of her stepmother shows that all can forgive – that forgiveness is possible– and allows us to see the flip side of pain.

We don’t know completely what happened to Tremaine prior to marrying Ella’s father but we know it involved pain, suffering, and loss. We know that she chose to grasp onto what she could, to make her own luck and manipulate others to succeed. We know that her pain made her angry and vengeful, even against those whose goodness had never done her wrong. The evil stepmother chose that road.

cinderella3But on the other path, guided by her mother’s voice, her fairy godmother, and her faith in people, Ella chooses to be who she is supposed to be. To be quiet honest, this is a parable that Paul could’ve written (minus the magic, goose, etc.) In Romans 5, he wrote: “we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.”

The “old” Cinderella was a beautiful story of love and magic, but the new one plays out in a way I wouldn’t have expected. It shows that beauty emanates from our souls, that who we are matters even more than what we do or what we look like, and that ultimately, hope never fails.

The Blu-ray combo pack includes the digital copy and the DVD. It features the bonus theatrical short, Frozen Fever, as well as several behind-the-scenes features like “A Fairy Tale Comes To Life” that allows us to hear what stars think of Cinderella, “Staging the Ball” that shows how the magical scene was assembled, and “Ella’s Furry Friends” that make the animal cast into true stars.