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hope

Back to the Apocalypse: 1on1 with Yeon Sang-ho (PENINSULA)

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Sequels are always incredibly difficult to create.

After the incredible global success of Train to Busan, South Korean writer/director Yeon Sang-ho was excited to return to the world that he’d created. However, rather than focus on the survivors of the first film, Sang-ho became far more interested in creating something new within that same universe. 

Enter Peninsula.

A sequel to the South Korean zombie film Train to Busan, Peninsula is set four years after the events of the initial outbreak and follows a new cast. Jung-seok (Gang Dong-Won), an ex-military and survivor of the outbreak, and his brother-in-law, Chul-min (Kim Do-Yoon) are treated as second class citizens after escaping the now quarantined South Korea and flee to Hong Kong. Wanting to change his life, Chul-min decides to take a deal with a Chinese gang in order to acquire millions of dollars. The catch is that the money is in a truck that is stuck in the now apocalyptic South Korea. Worried about Chul-min’s safety, Jung-seok joins him and his squad to get the money. Intent on surviving the hell that awaits them, they must fight both zombies and the psychotic survivors of South Korea in order to get their money and leave.

Like Busan, Peninsula is its own story with new characters. Asked why he was so interested in returning to the world of Busan in this way, Sang-ho points out that Peninsula allowed him even more toys to play with within his creation.

“Zombie movies are always something that evoke a lot of imagination,” he begins. “Since Train to Busan dealt with the time when the zombie outbreak first began, there were many new imaginative stories that could be created using the backdrop that started a period of time after the initial outbreak. So, I started working on the project thinking there could be a new story that could emerge out of that backdrop. Like Train to Busan was Train to Busan… I started working on [this film] with the thought that Peninsula would be Peninsula, an entirely new movie on its own.”

“I could have made the survivors of Train to Busan the main characters, but on the other hand, I really wanted to show that Peninsula was an entirely different movie and not Train to Busan Part 2. So, I wanted new characters that faced new situations.”

Using new locations and characters also provided Sang-ho the opportunity to really explore how people respond to such heightened circumstances. In particular, Sang-ho created Unit 631, a military compound that pits man against zombie for the sport of those in control. 

“The idea behind Unit 631 was to depict people who completely gave up on hope and only act on impulse, chasing after stimuli,” he explains. “I thought, ‘What kind of stimuli would remain for them?’ Then, the idea of a race based on gambling came to mind and thus the hide-and-seek scene was created. I wanted the audience to feel the horror that Goo Chul-min felt in that situation, so I thought of creating the game scene in one cut.”

Though the film obviously takes place in a horrifying fantasy world, Peninsula also seems strangely current, especially in the context of a global pandemic. While today’s situation is something he could never have predicted, Sang-ho also believes that the timing couldn’t be better for the film’s themes of hope and survival.

“One of the most important questions in making the movie was, ‘What kind of hope can humans create in a world full of isolation and despair?’ I couldn’t have predicted that our current situation would arise. However, I consider it fortuitous to have been able to meet the audience with such a timely and relevant theme. And I believe that this is the destiny only for the movie Peninsula.”

For Sang-ho, this question of where one finds hope is embedded within post-apocalyptic films and stems from man’s ability to focus on his own actions.

“The theme of most post-apocalyptic movies is the story of humanism, which ironically shines even more when set against a post-apocalyptic background. While making a movie with a post-apocalyptic background, I wanted to highlight those points. In any situation, we can look for despair or we can look for hope.”

In addition, Sang-ho also believes that Peninsula speaks to the nature of man’s role in community with one another.

“The theme of this movie is not about what kind of situation you find yourself in, but what kind of people you surround yourself with. This work reflects a lot about a person’s will to live in solidarity in the world.”

Of course, the obvious question is whether or not Sang-ho intends to continue to play in the Busan universe or if he’s prepared to move on. Taking his unique approach to the franchise, it’s Sang-ho’s hope that Peninsula may only be the first of many stories that take place in this post-apocalyptic world.

“I think there are many more diverse stories to be told within the world of Peninsula. Apart from actually directing it, I think there are many different stories of people that were not covered in this movie. I hope these stories will one day be made into movies.”

Peninsula is available in theatres now.

The Grizzlies: Hope is Not Cancelled

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The opening of the recent film The Grizzlies silently follows a boy on a walk with his dog amidst a desolate landscape. He sits down amidst the rocky crags, calls his dog over, and pets him. Then the boy shoots himself, leaving the dog to run free.  It’s an extremely jarring beginning to a film.

The boy is a member of the Nunavaut tribe in Northern Canada. Life for the people is categorized by standing around, drinking, smoking, and trying to survive a brutal climate.  It’s no wonder the town has the highest suicide rate in the country.

Entering into this is Russ Sheppard (Ben Schnetzer), a young guy whose life has taken a northern detour to Nunavaut in order to teach high school students. He’s a bit arrogant and thinks he can simply come in sight unseen and make things happen, but soon experiences culture shock when what he thinks is a basic run to the grocery store ends up costing him hundreds of dollars. Sheppard’s first class in the town of Kugluktuk doesn’t fare much better. There are a handful of kids and only one (Miranda, played by Emerald MacDonald) has any interest in academics. Sheppard tries to go “by the books,” gets into a heated discussion with another student, then blocks the door and tells the student they’ll have to get past him first. The student punches Sheppard directly in the face and walks out.

Sheppard wants to get through to the kids and get them out of their situations, but their lives are mired in hopelessness he doesn’t fully understand. He attempts to push students to get better but to no avail. He protects one of his students from domestic abuse. He sees another student who is struggling and counsels him with basic platitudes. This backfires when Sheppard discovers the boy killed himself after their talk. Sheppard struggles with the ramifications and begins to wonder whether he can make any positive difference at all.

However, a breakout occurs when Sheppard realizes he already has the key to the tribe in his hands—a lacrosse stick. In Canada, the sport is nearly on par with ice hockey (it’s their national summer sport), but the students are reluctant to trust him when he begins to introduce the concept of a team. Only when he earns the trust of Adam (Ricky Marty-Pahtaykan) does the town begin to show interest—even allowing a mini-tournament to be held in the local gym. That success leads Sheppard to enter a team from Kugluktuk into the national tournament.  This drives a rift between the younger and older generation that threatens to rip the tribe apart.  

The Grizzlies appears on the scene in a very unique time in history – it was scheduled to be released in the US in late February (I had the opportunity to screen it at that time), but The Virus Which Must Not Be Named pushed the release to this month. My first take on the film: there are some nice aspects (particularly the cinematography and acting of the teenage characters), but the desperation and darkness at the beginning is simply too heavy for the rest of the film to overcome. I still believe this six months later, but I think we need the ending more than ever right now.

Hope is on the way . . . be ready for it!

With the world deep in the throes of a pandemic, the months of staying at home and limited contact with others (outside of a computer screen) have had a profound effect on people. A sense of hopelessness has developed as the days drag on. Frustration mounts as news reports provide pictures and videos providing conflicting information. Fear has arisen due to the unknowns and changes from what was once normal behavior. Yet hope isn’t cancelled. The sun rises each morning as a gentle reminder that today has the potential to be better than yesterday. As the Bible puts it, “[H]ope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it” (Romans 8:24-25 NASB).  We long for the days when handshakes and hugs become commonplace, when phrases such as social distancing disappear from use.  We might not see things change immediately, but we keep praying and doing our part to help end the pandemic, remaining hopeful in the eventual outcome.

At the end of The Grizzlies, the team plays its qualification matches at the national tournament, but the stresses of life, the expectations of a community, and Sheppard’s decision to leave the tribe rain hopelessness on everyone. Goal after goal after goal is scored on them—and they have no comeback. But hope is waiting and enters the stage at the perfect time, performing a transformational work.

The Grizzlies is available on demand now.

Jarrid Wilson & Hope in the Face of Suicide

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Jarrid Wilson

Aren’t Christians supposed to have it “all figured out?” Does the gospel really work? Can people change? Is victory over our struggles possible? How?

In this episode of the Your Sunday Drive podcast, we talk about Jarrid Wilson, a pastor and mental health advocate who recently committed suicide, and some related questions for Christians and non-Christians alike.

If you need help, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK. 

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



Sunday at #NBFF20

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The Newport Beach Film Festival presented by Pacific Sales continues to bring interesting films that may never make it to a wide distribution, but that doesn’t mean the films aren’t worthy of being seen. That is one of the values of film festivals. I would encourage everyone to look for film festivals near you. (Note that I am including my votes for audience awards. The options for voting are Excellent, Good, Fair, and Poor.)

Bushwick Beats is an anthology film with segments directed by A. Sayeeda Moreno, Chloe Sarbib, Brian Shoaf, Sonejuhi Sinha, James Sweeney, and Anu Valia. The common threads for the segments are the theme of unconditional love and the setting of the Bushwick community in Brooklyn. Each segment is its own short story. They include a story of vampire discrimination, a romance of two people who are living 3 years apart, a mother with ALS and her son’s desire to stay with her, and other interesting stories. The segment I found most interesting was “Wolves” directed by Anu Valia. It is not so much a plotted story as it is slice of life of a day in high school, which includes a couple nice spoken word presentations. (My vote: Good.)

In 2017 a series of fires devastated Napa and Sonoma Counties, the heart of the California wine country. Uncrushable is a documentary dealing with the fires and their aftermath. It is directed by San Francisco chef Tyler Florence, who organized a $500 a plate gourmet meal in a vineyard for 500 people a few weeks after the fires. As we see the planning for the Grateful Table event, we meet some of the residents who lost homes and businesses and some of the first responders who worked in the fires (those are often overlapping categories) and hear their stories of the catastrophic events. But we also see the community response of support and the hope that is going into rebuilding. Prior to the screening we heard from Bill Bracken, a chef with impressive credentials, who left the corporate world to found Bracken’s Kitchen, a homeless/hunger non-profit in Orange County. (Bracken’s Kitchen is a Community Sponsor for the festival.) He noted that the same kind of community spirit that came after the fires is a model for dealing with hunger and homelessness locally. (My vote: Good.) Bushwick Beats plays again on Tuesday.

The Wall of Mexico, from directors Zachary Cotler and Magdaleria Zyzak, is not about the proposed border wall, but it serves as a metaphor (at times bordering on allegory) about the American Dream and desire others have to share in it. The Arista family, wealthy Mexican-Americans, are resented by their poor white townspeople. The Arista daughters Ximena (Carmela Zumbado) and Tanya (Marisol Sacramento) are decadent, bored-with-life bourgeoisie beauties who spend their days and night drinking and snorting. The family has a well that that supposedly has some special qualities. The sell the water at exorbitant prices. But when the water level drops, they fear it is being stolen. A new hired hand, Don (Jackson Rathbone), is assigned to watch the well at night, and later build a wall around it. Don is obsessed with Ximena and Tanya, who alternately toy with him and abuse him. Don serves as something of a stand in for those who want to share in the Dream, but only get a small taste of it. He also represents the way those with wealth tempt workers with the promise of the good life, but never really offer it. I was a bit torn in watching the film. It at times had some very interesting artful shots, but they were more a distraction than addition to the story. Also, the portrayal of the decadence of the daughters was a bit over the top., so it wasn’t as effective a portrayal of American bourgeoisie as it could have been.  And the metaphor really paints an unflattering portrait of the American Dream. Is it really just a myth that we use to exploit the poor while we do all we can to keep it for ourselves? I very much liked the ambition of such a metaphor, but in the end found it a bit heavy-handed. (My vote: Fair, but it’s an excellent fair.) The Wall of Mexico plays again on Tuesday.

The Holy Fool of ABC’s The Middle (or: What Would Sue Heck Do?)

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not sure if you watch
ABC’s The Middle;
if not, you might consider it

it’s just a family sitcom,
but a pretty good one,
especially if you
watch with your kids,
which is how we do it
and how it’s intended, i’d say

it’s in its 9th (and final) season,
so i’ve been thinking
a bit about it,
especially about how
there’s something
particularly significant
about the character of
Sue Heck

over the years,
Sue became my
hands-down fave on the show;
compared to the
frazzled downtroddenness
of Frankie,
or the
practical indifference
of Mike,
or the
charmed nonchalance
of Axl,
or the
odd aloofness
of Brick,
there’s something
unique/
special/
different
about Sue

she’s…
romantic;
quixotic;
a true believer
when it comes to life

where others frown,
she smiles;
where they dismay,
she hopes;
where they doubt,
she trusts;
where they lay fallen,
she gets back up

i mean, seriously:

of course,
this type of
(supposedly)
overnaive/
overgullible/
overhopeful/
overidealistic/
character is oft made
the butt of the joke
by other characters,
and this holds
true for Sue, too

“that Sue,”
we laugh with them,
“always failing,
but never giving up –
she’ll just never get it!

what a fool!”

but that’s just it:
she’s not a fool;
she’s so much not a fool
that, truly understood,
the other characters –
characters not like her,
people not like her –
perhaps need to
consider for themselves
where that moniker might
truly fit best

Sue Heck is,
actually, truly, what’s called
a holy fool:
in the words of a
Russian hymn,
someone whose
“imaginary insanity
[reveals] the insanity of the world”

( i want to say so much more
about holy fools rn –
about Jesus Christ himself,
about Paul (who called himself
“a fool for Christ”),
about the Hebrew prophets,
about the myriad incarnations
of holy fools in art
(Don Quixote, Prince Myshkin,
Solaire of Astora from Dark Souls) –
but time is short;
if you’re interested, Google a bit;
also, check out this great piece:
“The Holy Fool” by theburkean )

in other words,
though her
perpetual smile
seems foolish,
it really only
shows us to be foolish
for smiling less

though her
unstoppable optimism
seems foolish,
it actually shines light
on our too-easy
doubting and despairing

though we want to say
“just stay down,
just give up,”
the fact that
Sue doesn’t
only makes us the fools
for saying so
in the first place

in biblical language,
we might say
Sue’s foolishness
exemplifies love,
for surely she
“bears all things,
believes all things,
hopes all things,
endures all things;”
and, surely,
living like this can seem
pretty silly,
pretty out of place –
pretty foolish –
in the warp and woof
of the day to day
of this world

but, we’re saying:
that doesn’t mean
that it actually is 

in fact,
we’re saying:
it may be
actually the opposite

and,
indeed,
doesn’t this all
seem to fall
pretty well in line
with the God who
goes down a “failure,”
the God who dies “like a fool,”
scoffers and mockers afoot,
but then gets back up
and comes back to life –
because of love –
despite the “insanity,”
despite the ridiculousness,
despite the foolishness 
of the story?

🙂

 

The Long Road Home: Lessons Learned

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(Photo: National Geographic/Van Redin)

When we last left the eighteen trapped soldiers in The Long Road Home (National Geographic), they were surrounded on all sides by enemy insurgents carrying human shields.  Lt. Shane Aguero (EJ Bonilla) gave the command to open fire while the screen went to black.  It was an effective way to end an episode, that’s for sure.

The final three episodes chronicled the continued search and rescue of not only Aguero’s team, but a second platoon led by Staff Sgt. Robert Miltenberger (Jeremy Sisto) who had a broken down vehicle, limited protection, no method of communication, and a bunch of soldiers who had never fired a gun in combat before.  Sadly, the result was exactly what you might expect.  Insurgents saw the weakness and attacked it mercilessly, leading to a number of significant injuries and deaths.

Aguero’s team was also in significant danger after the shots rang out in Episode 5.  They still had a house of refuge, but insurgents were still swarming.  The main problem was a lack of ammunition, dwindling by the second. Their interpreter  Jassim al-Lani (Darius Homayoun) was still around, but even he was in trouble if the ammo ran out.

As you might expect, there was some good news. A tank finally found them, but only after Aguero put himself in the crosshairs of death for the third time, chasing the tank down with a flashlight. Miltenberger makes a dash to keep an insurgent from bringing friends, but finds himself looking down the barrel of a gun—just as he predicted.  Thankfully, the person wanted to help him.  In the end, the soldiers in both platoons were rescued and taken to the base, where their injuries were treated.

But not everyone was able to successfully recover.  Pfc. Tomas Young (Noel Fisher) was left paralyzed thanks to a bullet that hit him before he ever fired a shot.  Specialist Israel Garza (Jorge Diaz), always the jokester, didn’t survive his wounds.  The scene where members of the Army inform his unprepared wife Lupita (Karina Ortiz) was difficult to watch.

I thought the ending was well done as Lt. Col. Volesky (Michael Kelly), in a gathering of the soldiers, called out the names of the eight soldiers who died, giving them the honor they deserved.  The role of the surviving soldiers was reinforced when they had a meeting the next day and told about their upcoming mission.  It wasn’t a ‘one battle and you get to go home’ deployment; it was ‘stay until the mission is complete, then go home.’ In the end, the ambush cost eight lives, injured over 60, and left soldiers with physical, emotional, and spiritual scars.  War isn’t fun; that’s for sure.

(Photo: National Geographic/Van Redin)

So what can we learn from all of this?

* As just noted, life doesn’t stop just because an attack occurs. We sometimes have days when it seems everything goes wrong.  We’d like to crawl into the bed and hide until the sun shines again.  But that’s not the way life works.  Instead, we have to draw on our reserves of courage and determination (or just ask God for some wisdom – see James 1:5) and go out again into the world.

* Sometimes bad things happen, as with Pfc. Young. We have to choose how to handle the adversity—can it be used for good in some way, shape, or form? If so, we can make a positive difference in the lives of those we come into contact with (see Romans 8:28).  Or we can choose to wallow in negativity, passing that on to people who don’t deserve it.

* I was struck by the role hope played in The Long Road Home. It would’ve been extremely easy for Aguero to give up as the odds were definitely against his squadron. But deep inside, he continued to hold out hope of being rescued even when the world around him was burning. That didn’t mean he was able to sit idly by; he had to lead his troops, play the role of counselor, and go after the tank after it drove by them numerous times.  Hebrews mentions faith “is the confidence that what we hope will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see” (11:1 NLT).  That hope turned into faith, which eventually saw his troops rescued with only Chen dying.

The Long Road Home brought the realities of the Iraq War into homes across the country. It wasn’t easy to watch at times, but was a necessary reminder of the sacrifice and bravery our soldiers make on a daily basis. Thank you, men and women of the Armed Forces, for all you do!

Star Wars: The Last Jedi -The Force of Hope

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“That’s how we’re going to win. Not by fighting what we hate, but by saving what we love.”

Okay, so millions of people are going to see Star Wars: The Last Jedi, the newest installment of the Skywalker saga. They will go for many reasons: They’ve been following this story for forty years. It is such a piece of popular culture that to not see it would be unthinkable. There are amazing special effects and battles. It is the last film for Carrie Fisher, who died nearly a year ago. Some will go to nitpick the physics. Others will want to consider the mythology around the Force and how that relates to our own ideas of philosophy and religion. This review is primarily directed to that last group.

The film carries the story on from The Force Awakens. The First Order is seeking to eliminate the last of the Resistance. Leia (Carrie Fisher) manages to evacuate their planet just before the First Order ships arrive, but soon the First Order finds them and puts them under siege. Fighter pilot Poe (Oscar Isaac), who is undisciplined and hotheaded, continues to break all the rules as he tries to fight against the enemy.  Meanwhile Rey (Daisy Ridley), a young woman who has an affinity for the Force, tracked down Luke (Mark Hamill) on a remote island. She wants Luke to come back and bring hope to the rebels. Luke refuses, saying the Jedi need to die off. Yet Rey persists to learn more of the Force. And so the battle goes on between the good and evil, but of course, when the Force is involved, light and dark are often at war within the characters more than they are between the armies.

Ever since the series began with what was later named A New Hope, the Force has been the main spiritual aspect of the series. It has a very mystical element.  The description that Luke gives to Rey about the nature of the Force is very close to panentheism—not that God is within all things, but that all things are within God. (But of course the Force is really a religion without a divine being.) Even though some of the characters are more connected to the Force, in reality, all live within the spiritual system of the Force. And so when each character steps up for their time of heroism or villainy, they are acting out their understanding of the Force. It allows even minor characters to bring enlightenment.

There has often been an almost monastic quality to the Jedi. Luke, like Obi-wan Kenobi in A New Hope wears hooded robes. The shelters on Luke’s solitary island are like the stone bee-hive shaped cells of an Irish monastery. Luke has become very like an anchorite, having separated himself from the world. Perhaps this hermit life is a form of penance. He had brought others here to train as Jedi, but when Kylo Ren (Adam Driver), son of Leia and Han Solo, went to the dark side, Luke’s faith in the Jedi philosophy was broken.

In this film, the real Force-related conflict is centered on Rey and Ren. Both have a special affinity for the Force. They are both in a struggle about how the Force is to be used. That good and evil exist in parallel within the Force is part of what makes the Force an interesting examination of the spiritual/theological realm.

Rey and Ren also seem to be connected in some way. While Rey in on the island with Luke, she and Ren begin to see each other remotely and have conversations. Rey recognizes that Ren is deeply conflicted. Ren sees in Rey a person who is searching. Both think the other can be brought over to the other side. There is a complexity to this relationship that opens many possibilities, both for this film and future episodes.

This film spends a good deal of time talking about hope. When Rey finds Luke, it is because she sees him as the embodiment of hope, even though he has essentially lost hope. The Resistance is trying to survive so that they can be the hope to others throughout the galaxy. Hope, in this film, is best seen in the darkest of times. It is not always easy to live in hope. Poe has not learned to hope, so he often acts impulsively. It is hope that sustains the rebels, even as they face sure annihilation. And hope that gives them new insights. It is also the need for hope that opens the door for Episode IX.

For me, the key part of the Star Wars franchise has been the web relationships. Going back to A New Hope, the links between Luke and Leia, Luke and Obi-wan, Han Solo and Leia, Darth Vader and both Luke and Obi-Wan, and R2-D2 and C3PO. In the current set of films (going back to the Force Awakens) new relationships are forming: Rey and Finn (John Boyega), Rey and Poe, Ren and Supreme Leader Snoke (Andy Serkis), and in this film Finn and Rose (Kelly Marie Tran). At the same time some of the older relationships are running their course to a finale. One of my complaints about the Star War series as it’s progressed is that the technological advances in effects has taken the fore and the relationship aspect of the stories has been diminished. As I said, some will go to the film to relish the battle scenes and CGI special effects. Although that is a legitimate reason, I’m not in that group. For me the amount of time blowing each other up is time away from the people and the connections that was so important in creating this franchise.

Photos courtesy of Walt Disney Studios

A Dog’s Purpose: Companionship In Life

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Growing up, I remember dogs were always a part of the daily activities at my house.  In the early years, there was a black Labrador who lived in our backyard and loved to play with the neighborhood kids.  Middle school brought a tan dachshund to the mix—she liked everyone in the family–except me. In high school, I found my companion in the form of Fred, a beagle named after the basset hound in Smoky and the Bandit due to his looks. He followed me everywhere and slept on my bed at night.  Leaving for college without him was bittersweet, but he always remembered me when I returned for holiday visits.  He passed away a number of years ago, but the memories and companionship he brought me live on today.

Into this theme of companionship comes a new film from Universal and Walden Media called A Dog’s Purpose.  You might have heard about it recently, as an online video surfaced that suggested animal cruelty happened on set.  PETA reacted predictably and called for a boycott of the film, but I’m here to say there’s no reason to avoid attending for that reason (by the way, this article by one of the film’s producer explains the whole thing and is quite interesting).  In fact, although extremely melodramatic, A Dog’s Purpose is a decent film and showcases companionship in a touching way.

In the story based on the book by Bruce Cameron, we see life portrayed through the eyes of a dog (voiced by Josh Gad).  Actually, that should be lives, as the dog’s first iteration finds him as a stray and caught by animal control before being euthanized.  Before he can determine what his purpose is, he’s back as a puppy and eventually escapes from a cage.  Two guys find him and leave him in a truck with the windows closed on a hot day.  Thankfully, a lady (Juliet Rylance) breaks the window and rescues him.  After a discussion with her husband (Luke Kirby), their son Ethan (Bryce Ghesiar) has his first dog and names him Bailey.  The two are inseparable, although Bailey gets out of control one night at dinner and ends up costing Ethan’s father a job—and eventually, his family due to alcoholism.

Ethan grows up (now played by KJ Apa) and Bailey indirectly helps him find Hannah (Britt Robertson), and a relationship begins.  Bailey doesn’t understand a number of things that happen later, such as why Ethan leaves for college and why he breaks up with Hannah.  But he’s fiercely protective to the end.  And when that happens, there’s a pause, followed by a new life to live as another dog.  The canine goes through lives as a female police dog, a smaller companion for a college student, and a St. Bernard look-alike that finds his way back to an old farm house and runs into Ethan (Dennis Quaid), who doesn’t recognize him. The ending is neatly tied up and is reminiscent of something airing on the Hallmark Channel, but dog lovers might find themselves wiping away tears by then.

Director Lasse Hallstrom (Who’s Eating Gilbert Grape) keeps the film going at a good clip, keeping the distractions to the story to a minimum.  The whole concept of a dog bouncing through multiple lives is a topic worthy of a later discussion, but it’s handled tastefully and quickly each time.  The soundtrack isn’t particularly memorable, but in this case, that’s a good thing.  In my opinion, the acting is a bit uneven, mainly due to having so many different lives to account for on the part of the dog.  And, outside of the melodrama, the biggest issue I had with A Dog’s Purpose’s involved characterization.  Not of the dogs, mind you, but of the humans portrayed in each section.  Only Ethan is fully conceptualized; the others need more background—why for example, did the police officer live by himself?  We see a picture of him and his wife (daughter?), but nothing else is offered. More characterization would help to increase the power of the bond between human and canine.

And that is really the biggest takeaway from the film for me. When man was created, God realized he needed something. “It is not good for the man to be alone,” he said (Genesis 1:18).  In this case, he created the woman, but the loneliness and companion factor are important for humanity.  Nobody wants to be alone forever, having nobody to talk to or shower love on them.  Perhaps this is why dog owners are so fiercely protective of them, even calling them part of their family—they’re friends who stick closely by through the good and bad times—“closer than a brother,” in fact (Proverbs 18:24).

A Dog’s Purpose offers a look at why canines are referred to as man’s best friend.  They provide more than companionship and love to their masters—they exude hope, courage, loyalty, and strength.  These are fantastic qualities each of us should seek to embody in our lives. Perhaps the film will help a person do just that—thanks to a little bit of wisdom from a dog.

Special features on the Blu-ray and DVD available now are deleted scenes, outtakes, and two featurettes, “Lights, Camera, Woof!” that looks behind-the-scenes and “A Writer’s Purpose” that shares about W. Bruce Cameron (writer of the novel and screenwriter of the film). 

Serenade for Haiti: Can the Arts Save Your Soul?

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“Music is in us.  It is in our lives.  It cannot disappear.  That would be like the end of life.”

– Father Cesar, Serenade for Haiti

Directed by the award-winning documentary filmmaker Owsley Brown (Night Waltz: The Music of Paul Bowles; Music Makes a City), Serenade for Haiti (Serenad pou Ayiti) reveals a side of the country that is often misunderstood by the rest of the world.  Filmed over a seven-year period that began before the earthquake of 2010, Serenade illustrates the powerful role that music, art and education can play in developing and empowering the youth of a nation.  By focusing its lens on Father Cesar and his dedicated staff at Sainte Trinite Music School, this documentary reveals the burgeoning artistic side of the children of Haiti and their commitment to hope.

However, Serenade for Haiti is not merely about the film’s bursting culture and musical talent.  Instead, the film is intent on Haiti’s quest to discover and express its soul.  Despite the vibrancy and colour of the nation, Cesar also reminds us that ‘there is a shadow’ that follows it.  Repeatedly throughout the film, we are reminded of the suffering and anguish that the Haitian people have experienced in recent years.  From politically-rooted violence in the streets to the vicious earthquake of 2010, the nation has found themselves torn apart by fear and bloodshed.

However, herein lies the very heart of Serenade.

In the midst of the pain, Father Cesar and his team recognize that, by teaching the arts to their children, they find a healthy manner of creative expression.  In fact, for Cesar, the arts are not merely a distraction from the country’s social challenges, but potentially the solution to them.  While many children do not have the ability to express their feelings through words, they manage to reveal their hearts via song and paintbrush.  In doing so, they find new hope and life through their creativity.  Like a small plant shooting up from the ashes, music and the arts have become a beacon of hope for the children in the midst of suffering.

Undoubtedly, Serenade paints this creative outburst as a spiritual breakthrough for a nation looking for answers.  As God establishes hope by creating all things new, so too does this expression demonstrate an echo of His image within the people.  In light of this, while the arts may not ‘save one’s soul’, they certainly allow us to connect with the heartbeat of God in a manner that allows for healing and growth.  Repeatedly in Scripture, we see that music is a response to and recognition of the beauty of God.  It is life-affirming and demonstrates an incomprehensible comprehension of His glory that brings wholeness to our soul.

In Serenade for Haiti, we get to see the restorative nature of music first-hand within the eyes of children who have seen the depths of hurt.  In the midst of their suffering, they seek beauty.

And that leads to Hope.

 

Serenade for Haiti is currently making the rounds on the festival circuit.

gaining from the waiting

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do you know about
The Last Guardian?

it’s this game
that’s infamously been
in development
since 2007;
spiritual successor to
2001’s Ico and
2005’s Shadow of the Colossus

it was originally slated
for release in 2011,
then pushed back,
moved from system
to system,
and re-slated in 2015
for release in 2016, October,
then delayed once again
until December, 2016 –
mere days away
as i write these words

now, you may have predicted that
i’m one of the
eager anticipators
of this game –
one of the many who
*loved*
Ico and Shadow of the Colossus,
and if so,
your prediction is correct

you may have also predicted that
i’m one of the many
who find this
waiting excruciating;
but if so,
your prediction is not correct

not only are these games
suuuuuuuuper zzzennnnnnnn,
attracting and instilling a sense
of calm reflection,
antithetical to things like
excrutiating over waiting,
i also like to think
that this particular
waiting situation,
like other, bigger,
more well known waiting situations,
is generally a *good* thing –
a thing to be embraced,
benefitted from,
enlarged by

how so?

consider:
“absence makes the
heart grow fonder;”
so too waiting

consider:
since 2001,
i’ve had the pleasure
of playing through
The Last Guardian‘s
spiritual precursors
several times,
enjoying their
artistic vision,
their quiet, sublime statements
about love, loss, life

even now,
mere days away
as i write these words,
i’m taking
yet another opportunity
to revisit them –
like a ritual meant
to more than remind,
but to ingrain
essence,
to create and underline
identity,
to birth and stoke
love,
to form
followers fit for waiting,
because:
such things are fit for followers
and waiting for such things
is worth the wait

do you know about
Jesus?

he’s this random guy
who claimed to be God
like 2,000ish years ago

these old stories about him
say he died, but came back to life,
and he’s supposed to be returning
sometime to sort of set
everything with the world
right

now, you may have predicted that
i’m one of the
eager anticipators
of his return,
but i bet now you know
that i don’t find this
waiting excruciating

i bet now you know
that i think it’s
part of the point

i bet now
you’re thinking of
rituals –
Sunday morning meetings,
bread and cup,
witnessing to the
ends of the earth –
rituals to ingrain,
to create and underline,
to birth and stoke,
to form
followers fit for waiting,
because:
such things are fit for followers
and waiting for such things
is worth the wait

i bet now,
i hope now,
in waiting situations,
you’ll get
suuuuuuuuper zzzennnnnnnn
and
calmly reflective,
and
benefit from,
get enlarged by,
the gaining from the waiting