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where faith and film are intertwined

Jonah

Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Return – Appreciating the Good (and Bad)

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Photo by Darren Michaels, SMPSP

A large portion of my cultural knowledge came while attending graduate school. One of my classes involved watching classic films such as Crimes and Misdemeanors and The Godfather, analyzing them for their relation to aspects of the Christian faith. Friends introduced me to the Claymation short films of Nick Park one evening (specifically those involving Wallace and Gromit).  Another student in my department talked glowingly about a series called Mystery Science Theater 3000 that poked fun of horrible films.  This concept sounded interesting, so my roommate and I invited a friend over to watch Joel and the bots skewer Manos: The Hands of Fate. It was oddly fascinating to see the effect witty commentary had on one of the worst films in history (the guy we invited over actually fell off the couch from laughing so hard).  Since then, I’ve enjoyed an occasional foray into the world of MST3K.  The series ended in 1999, but devoted fans kicked in over $5 million dollars to have a new season created (currently on Netflix as Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Return).  For the most part, it’s as if the gap of seventeen years didn’t exist—and this is a great thing.

For those who are unfamiliar with the concept of MST3K (as it’s commonly known), here’s a quick primer: an unwitting human (in this case, Jonah Heston [Jonah Ray]) is forced to reside in a bone-shaped spaceship called the Satellite of Love by some mad scientists (Kinga Forrester [Felicia Day] and TV’s Son of TV’s Frank [Patton Oswalt]) as part of an experiment: How much can a person deal with when it comes to watching horrible films?  The answers are revealed as the subject and his robot friends (Cambot, Gypsy, Crow [a gold-plated wisecracker voiced by Hampton Yount], and Tom Servo [gumball machine body and all played by Baron Vaughn]) endure horrible film after horrible film, seen only as silhouettes sitting in the front row of a theater. There is some interplay between the Mads and Jonah, and that’s about it.

Strangely enough, it works.

There are definitely some changes between the old episodes and the new—Crow has movable arms; Tom Servo can fly in the movie theater; the Mads’ base is on the dark side of the moon; and the jokes come quicker.  As with the older episodes, each will take multiple viewings to pick up on different aspects of the commentary, ranging from Aeschylus and Shakespeare to Facebook and Temple Run.  You’re not going to get it all on a first viewing, so sit back and enjoy the films as best you can.

As for those films . . . MST3K has always prided itself on picking non-mainstream films to make fun of, and this season is no exception.  At this point, I’ve seen the first four episodes, so here’s what you can look forward to:

* Ep 1 – Reptilicus: It’s a Godzilla-like film that takes place in Denmark with wooden dialogue and some laughable graphics—as an example, two of the monster’s human victims look like they were excised from a flannel board.  After about 20 minutes finding their footing, Jonah and friends begin to get into a rhythm.

* Ep 2 – Cry Wilderness: Imagine a forest with wolves, eagles, raccoons, and tigers.  Add in a sunburnt, badly costumed Bigfoot and a kid who runs away every thirty seconds, and you can imagine the result.  I thought the tiger sequence involving the jeep was classic.

* Ep 3 – The Time Travelers: A bunch of scientists jump a century into the future, only to find some ugly android creations and mutants.  Danny, meanwhile, is too focused on the future women.  If I was on the Satellite of Love, I might’ve pleaded for mercy after this one.

* Ep 4 – Avalanche: Poor Rock Hudson and Mia Farrow—their chemistry is completely nonexistent (I think he’s still trying to fufill that lunch date). It’s a horrible sign when an avalanche is the most memorable character in the film.  Crow gets in a zinger while the snow falls: “Just when you thought this movie couldn’t get any whiter…”

As is typical for MST3K, some of the jokes fall flat, but others are fantastic.  Your experience will vary, of course.  The more you’ve invested in the series, the more you’ll be rewarded.  There are also cameos by famous actors sprinkled into the season (one sings a duet with Day in the fourth episode)—see if you can spot them.

One thing I’ve come to appreciate from viewing episodes of MST3K over the years is what it takes to make a good film.  There must be a convincing plot, actors and actresses willing to invest in the film emotionally, quality camerawork, and realistic sets/backgrounds.  If any one of these is not present, the movie will not work as intended (and could become fodder for a new season of MST3K, should more be created).  A beginning filmmaker would be wise to consider examples of what comprises a good film—and what doesn’t—in order to get the full perspective. If anything, God wants us to learn from our mistakes instead of repeating and perpetuating them across generations, as the Israelites often did (see Isaiah 1:10-20).  If we can do this, our lives will provide encouragement and purpose the whole world can see and appreciate.  Appreciating the bad can truly be a good thing!

Being Chosen: The Story of God With Morgan Freeman S2E1

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(Photo Credit: National Geographic/David Kraemer)

The success or failure of a television or cable program can be largely attributed to many different factors.  Having a good story is important, as is good videography and relatable characters. A topic that’s intriguing also helps considerably.  But in the end, it all comes down to the number of eyeballs looking at the show each week. In the case of National Geographic Channel’s The Story of God with Morgan Freeman, there were a lot of eyeballs looking at Freeman’s foray into faith-based questions we’ve probably asked at one time or another.  In fact, the show was National Geographic’s most watched of all time. Thankfully, a second season of episodes are one the way—the first airing this evening (9 PM/8 CT).  In it, Freeman (and a few new characters) take a look at the concept of the Chosen One and what that means across faiths.

If you’re not familiar with the show, Freeman takes a topic relating to faith and looks for commonalities within various religions around the world. Christianity is given significant attention, but so are Muslim, Buddhist, and Hindu perspectives. It can be quite fascinating, and the first episode of the second season is no exception.

What does it mean to be chosen? Is it exclusive to a specific faith?  Freeman takes a look at a number of different variants of this concept, beginning with a nine year-old named Jalue Dorjee.  He plays soccer like many kids his age, but at age two, his parents were given a paper from the Dalai Lama signifying he’s a reincarnation of an individual who has inhabited folks for five centuries.  In another instance, Freeman travels to London to celebrate the martyrdom of a grandson of the prophet Muhammad. Native Americans are also represented in the form of Chief Arvol Looking Horse, the chosen one of the Lakota, Nakota, and Dakota tribes (see top picture).

(Photo Credit: National Geographic/Seth Nejame)

Even though chosen ones “help the faithful get back on track,” they’re not always living.  In the case of the Sikh culture, their chosen one is a book (see photo above). Some show their devotion in Thailand by piercing themselves with various objects such as metal spears (!) to gain superhuman powers. And sometimes the chosen are more along the lines of missionaries, such as Christian Kenneth Bae, who endured two years of hard labor in North Korea for simply organizing prayer groups.  His journey has brought him to the realization that “Jesus is [his] hope—[he] wants to be a blessing.”

There are a few changes to the program this season.  Gone is the blast of the shofar to start the program; instead, a graphic montage replaces it.  I thought the horn was a great part of the first season and am sad to see it go.  In addition, Freeman is not in every section of the show—at least in the first episode.  Two people—a man and a woman—take his role as they explore aspects of the episode’s theme (I think they’re one-time examples, however).  It adds a different perspective, but I think the focus of the show has been Freeman’s personality shining through the exploration of certain faiths and customs.  In the two sections of note, that seems to have been somewhat lost, although the two individuals do a good job with their questioning.

For me, the biggest takeaway from the episode was along the lines of what it means to be chosen.  In essence, it’s another way to say an individual is called out by God for some special purpose.  Sometimes it happens in a dramatic way, such as Paul’s encounter with God on the road to Damascus (see Acts 9:1-18) or Moses finding a burning bush (see Exodus 3:1-10).  But for many people, it’s not that way.  There’s an inward nudging that God has plans beyond anything a person could ask or even imagine.  To respond in any way other than acceptance is to be in a state of rebellion akin to Jonah (with or without the whale).  From there, it’s a process to become so in tune with God’s plans that one’s plans simply become his. In fact, Jesus made it clear that all that follow after him are to be his ambassadors to the world in their words, thoughts, and actions, seeking to make disciples of all nations (see Matthew 28:18-20).  It’s not easy, but being chosen is a responsibility that must be taken seriously.  The end results can be incredible—if we’re just willing to listen and respond in faith.