Sorry To Bother You is absolutely absurd, incredibly hilarious, and refreshingly original but it also has a really potent and important message and that morals are more important than money. This seems like a pretty obvious thing to a lot of us, but unfortunately we have become numb to the fact that people are still exploiting others for their own monetary gain. This film argues that even "sitting on the sidelines" is a form of support for evil.
Recently I watched a documentary called A Cambodian Spring. In this film it is shown that the Cambodian government is so obsessed with making their country an economic powerhouse that they disregard their own citizens and make their lives a living hell. To this day these people are being ignored and jailed for speaking out against these injustices. Watching this film was the first I had heard about any of these things. And there are people being exploited for money in our own country everyday that we never hear about! It's almost as if they are slaves, as they will just be fired and jobless if they try to do anything about it. Money and greed go hand in hand. Between our selfish desire and the false lie that the more money we have, the more important we are, money has destroyed a lot of lives. Unfortunately money is an everyday thing that we must deal with. Wanting nice things isn't a bad thing, and money is something we need to have in order to provide for our families, but when it becomes a crutch for others to succeed, or more important than other human lives, that's where the evil comes out. In the end, money will mean nothing, but it's the things we do on this earth that will matter. So speak out against injustices and care for all people so everyone can have their basic human rights. I highly recommend Sorry To Bother You. It is insanely fresh and original and that is very hard to find in cinema today. It has great performances, an absurd and interesting plot, and it's really funny. It's not for everyone, but if you're in for something unique with a great message then please check this film out! We need more original films like this one!
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I don't know if anyone is going to read this. Whatever.
I watched a lot of movies this summer. Some for enjoyment, some that were challenging, but honestly not a lot of bad ones. But I think I was hoping to find some sort of fulfillment in watching and writing about movies. News flash: Nope. So I started a YouTube channel. Maybe fusing my passion of watching film and making stuff would help. Nope. Movies can't save us. Can't save me. It hasn't been a bad summer by any means. I've made a lot of great friends, I've had great times with old friends, and I've watched some amazing films! But a lot these films have challenged me tremendously in ways I never expected. A Cambodian Spring, a film about the political unrest in Cambodia, reminds me that there's more to this world than my white small-town in western New York. Bo Burnham's Eighth Grade reminds me that we are constantly putting up a front online that we have it all together when we really don't, and that's okay. The Florida Project reminds me of the innocence of a child and how I'm never going to get that back again. Films like Good Time and Sicario throw me into a world that is not my own and help me see the brokenness of this world. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind reminds me that relationships aren't easy, they're messy but that doesn't mean they are all bad. Love, Simon and Boy and Wind River show me people different from me but remind me that as humans we aren't all that different. And finally First Reformed gets me thinking about what it means to be a Christian in 2018. And honestly, these things have been weighing on me all summer. Whether they have been in the front of my mind or just deep inside me, they have been impacting me and making me tired. How do I navigate today's world, a fallen and broken world, where my biggest problems are, in comparison to Cambodia, very very small. My straight whiteness has been a privilege, but I want to talk about the real injustices of the world, but I don't want to take away from the voices of the people who are really struggling through these big world problems. I want to be creative, but I don't want it to be a cry for attention. Is this blog just a cry for attention? I don't know. All I can do is be honest. All I have is my story. No one else's. And I can tell that story. Through movie blogs, review videos, short films, and if people find it disingenuous, well that's their problem. I'm hope to get back to blogging consistently soon. But sometimes I really don't want to. Why did I start this blog? To show that there's HOPE to be found in cinema. What is that hope? Jesus Christ, the Son of God. So if I'm going to show people that hope, then I need to remind myself of that hope daily. So where's the hope in this blog? That Jesus isn't done with me yet. There may be a lot of despair in this world, but there's hope too. And as long as we hold onto that hope, we can overcome that despair one day at a time. Hold onto hope. Horror movies usually aren't my thing (says the guy who's favorite film is Alien). But honestly, I don't seek out scares too often, but when I hear a film is just plain good, I can't resist. So with reckless abandon I decided to watch The Babadook. I wouldn't really call this a horror film. It's more of a psychological drama with a horror framework. It's probably within the same genre of The Sixth Sense but a little scarier and more artsy. I fell in love with this film, as it takes the horror genre and uses it to tell a deep and enthralling tale of depression and grief. The film follows a woman who lost her husband in a car accident as they were on their way to give birth to their son. Now she lives alone with her 6-year old son, who is afraid of monsters in his room. Still grieving the loss of her husband, she reads her son bed time stories to get him to sleep, while loosing sleep herself. One night a book called Mister Babadook shows up on the self and the boy chooses it for the book of the night. This book tells about the babadook and how once you let him in, he won't leave until he kills you. Of course now her son is terrified and she puts the book out of reach. As the film goes on, her depression and grief continues and grows, and as this happens, the babadook enters the house and terrorizes her family. What I loved so much about this film is that it's not about a scary monster. It's about something much more terrifying, depression. The babadook is a clear metaphor for depression. And while the film might hand it to you on a silver platter, it's extremely clever and makes the horror of the film seem much more plausible and in that respect scarier in a way. The film as a whole really feels like a huge battle with depression. I've never been diagnosed with depression, and if you know me then you know I'm a super optimistic, fun loving, joyous person, but a few months ago I went through a short spout of depression. I didn't even want to call it that because I'm usually so positive but I couldn't shake it for a while. I didn't want to go to classes, I didn't want to do anything worth while, I didn't even want to hang out with friends because I didn't want to bother them with my sadness. So I would just go home, wallow in my sadness until I fell asleep. It wasn't healthy at all. I was just like the woman in this film, and it wasn't until I confronted it head on that I started to get better. I was just like "God, I can't do this anymore. Please help me." It was finally when I gave it up, called it what it was, gave it to God, that I started to move forward. It wasn't a magic switch however, it was still extremely hard to cope sometimes, but I got through it and I praise God for that. Maybe this is you right now. Maybe you're being terrorized by the babadook. It's not going to be as easy as saying a prayer and poof it's gone, but when you really evaluate your life, see the depression as what is, depression, and give God all your pain and sorrows, that's when the healing can start. But also, maybe your depression is deeper than that, and if you feel like it is, then I would encourage you to go and see a doctor. Sometimes medication is the best option. Depression isn't an easy fight, and I'm sure I don't even know the half of it, but I believe it is one that can be overcome by the blood of Jesus, even if just for a day. I encourage you to look into The Babadook. It's a wonderful look at the battle with depression and grief and it reminds me that depression can be overcome. Yes, some days are much harder than others, but Jesus is there to help us through our hard days and He will be there until the end of time. Amen. So my movie a day thing didn't pan out. Maybe I'll try again in July or August. Still saw a lot of great films this month though! This being one of them! The Florida Project is a bittersweet tale of the life of a child in modern day American poverty. If you aren't sold by that sentence, then maybe this film isn't for you, but I urge you to look into this film because I found it wonderful and charming, as well as real and honest. It transport you into the life of a young child, where things seem so magical to you, even when the world is really falling down around everyone else. I honestly loved it. It also brought to mind the thought that kids are SUPER impressionable. The main child in this film is a 6-year old girl named Moonie. Her and her mother live in a cheap motel outside the greater Disney World area and her mom is less than ideal. She blows her money on weed, swears up a storm around her child, has little respect for people, and used to be a convict, but she tries her hardest to provide for herself and Moonie. No matter how well meaning she is for her kid however, these things are rubbing off on Moonie. Monnie swears, she has no respect for adults, and she kinda just goes wherever she pleases. A lot of these moments can be seen as endearing and heartwarming at times in a honest way, but there's no doubt that her mother's bad choices are rubbing off on her. Without spoiling the film, there's a fantastic scene towards the end of the film where there are great cross-cuts between Moonie and her mother and it just really shows how people can really have an effect on their children. As kids, we might not want to admit, but our parents have a HUGE influence on us and at a really young age. And parents if you're a certain way at home, that's going to bleed through to your children in some way as they grow up. So like let's put respect on the top of the list when it comes to showing our kids how to behave. Just some food for thought. You can check out The Florida Project on Amazon Prime Video RIGHT NOW!! And I highly recommend it. It's such an intimate look at childhood during our modern age and it's filmed masterfully. There is so many great things I could say about it that I may save for another blog one day, so check it out! Oh also I watched The Emperor's New Groove the other day sooo now that's 5 out of 30 films this month! So I watched Signs last night, and I couldn't help but think "dang this is a better God's Not Dead than well God's Not Dead!" Now you may be asking, what does a film about aliens have in common with a Christian propaganda film? Well I'm glad you asked! I would like to present to you that the film Signs by M. Knight Shyamalan presents the same message better than the "film" God's Not Dead. So buckle in and let's start by talking about Signs. In Signs we follow a man and his family during an impending alien invasion. We learn that this man used to be a preacher but he lost his faith because he lost his wife in a car accident. He no longer believes in a divine purpose or in miracles but believes everything is up to chance or luck. He can't believe in a God who would take his wife away. This turns him into a cold man, and during this time of fear of the unknown he can't be the strong man that his family needs. As the invasion takes place, his son has an asthma attack and begins to pass out. As he's trying to help his son he cries out to God, "I hate you!!" As things begin to settle, they look around the house to see if the coast is clear but find one last alien in their home. Thinking back to the last conversation he had with his wife, he remembers her words "Swing away." He tells his brother to grab the baseball bat on the wall and swing away. (Spoilers). Of course the aliens hate water and of course the little girl has been leaving glasses of water around the house for seemingly no reason. These moments that seem like coincidences look like miracles to this man and they restore his faith and save his family's lives. A little cheesy? Maybe, but very effective story telling. Now let's look at God's Not Dead. A professor who is an atheist tries to get his class to say that God is dead just to pass by a section of the curriculum. One student says no, and they decide to have a series of debates whether God is real or not. Through these debates we learn that this professor used to be a Christian until he lost his mother of cancer while he was young. He then proceeds to say he hates God because He took everything away from him. The student then asks "How can you hate God, if He doesn't exist?" (Boom Roasted? Eh.) The professor then go's for a walk during a Newsboys concert (I don't know why that's relevant either). (Spoilers). Then he gets hit by a car. RIP. Now a pastor who happens to be driving by, comes over to him to try and save him (his soul that is!) He then becomes a Christian and dies. And everyone enjoys the Newsboys concert happily ever after. The End. Now these are essentially the same story. Man loses faith due to a loss, but after a miracle they regain their faith. Now what makes Signs much more effective is the fact we see the before and after. We see what this man is like without his faith, one who's struggling to be a good father, and what he is like with his faith, a man who cares for his family and one who believes that God will provide for them in the future like He did during the alien invasion. God's Not Dead has nothing like this. Yes the professor is a jerk without faith, but I have no reason to believe that he regained his faith because of the car accident. The film is so bogged down by all of its side characters and trying to convince you that God is real (unconvincingly of course) that it doesn't fully flesh out its main characters, so during the conversion scene you don't believe that it's genuine, whereas Signs fleshes out it's characters well enough that when he regains his faith, you believe it's genuine and that it is for the better. Christian films often get so caught up in their own propaganda that they fail to tell a compelling and convincing story, which is sad because I think there are some great stories that can be told through a Christian lens, but unfortunately Christian filmmakers are too caught up in pushing a moral agenda that they lose sight of what makes a good film. Thankfully we still have movies like Signs and Hacksaw Ridge that tell compelling stories centered around faith that are enjoyable and not overly preachy. Signs isn't a perfect film, but it's an enjoyable experience with a great tale of faith. It's also just a thrilling monster movie as well. That's how you do it right there. That's 3 out of 30. I think Science Fiction has become my favorite genre of film recently. The thing is, I'm not even a huge science guy either, but Sci-Fi does a great job of taking something unfamiliar to us and using it as a way to talk about the human condition. Annihilation, starring Natalie Portman, is no different. It is an incredibly rich and interesting film that I honestly still don't fully understand, but deeply appreciate, so much so that I ended up watching it twice this weekend to hopefully catch a better grasp of it before writing this blog. What I want to talk about is the idea of self destruction which is a central idea to the film. The film presents the idea that, as humans, we almost seem like we are designed to self destruct our own lives, whether that be through addiction or leaving a perfectly good job or ruining a perfectly good relationship. It's almost as if we seek out ways to mess our lives up. The film often compares this to cancer. The fact that our cells just continue to split and split with out any rhyme or reason, it's as if our own body wants to destroy us. I look at my own relationship with God and see this play out. When I feel a true connection with God, even when life is tough, I feel an unexplainable peace. When I'm with God, my life feels complete and like it has a purpose. I look at His love for me and feel joy and self worth and honestly that's when my life is at its absolute best. Then, like a cancer, I destroy myself from the inside. I self destruct myself. I go off and do things my own way, when things are rough I look to escape through other mediums like film or music and drown it all out instead of going to the source of life. And just like a cancer, I don't notice it until it has already spread. Luckily, I can run back to The Healer. He can restore my life that I regularly mess up on my own, and I know He'll do so with love in His arms. Just like the prodigal son left his father and ran head first into self destruction, so do we. But also, just like the father welcomed him back after the son rejected him, so does our Heavenly Father welcome us back after we self destruct ourselves. Are you destroying yourself right now? Has your life become like a cancer? Let's turn back, let's be restored, let's get back to the way things are meant to be. This film has a lot of great themes and ideas in it, while also just being a crazy and challenging Sci-Fi film. If you're a fan of Sci-Fi I would highly recommend this film. Day 2 of 30 in the books! Have you ever watched a movie and were just completely uninterested? Maybe it wasn't intellectually intriguing, maybe the actors were just super stiffed necked and boring, or maybe it was just taking itself waaaaay too seriously. Sometimes you just want to watch something fun and enjoyable. Marvel has been pretty good at this as of late, I mean that's why people love Deadpool so much! Last night, as the start of my June movie venture, I watched the film Logan Lucky and this was an extremely fun movie to watch. It follows the Logan family as they attempt to rob Charlotte Motor Speedway during one of the biggest NASCAR races of the year. This could have easily taken itself far too seriously for it's own good, with cold and calculated characters and an over complicated plot that no one is interested, but it wasn't! Why? Well here's something I noticed that made this a fun movie. 1. Fun and Likable Characters Step one in a movie like this is you need to like the characters. Right away this film introduces you to Channing Tatum's character with his daughter having a good time. You then find out he has a bad knee and he loses his job because of a liability issue. Instantly you see a man who is trying to be a good father but he just lost job, you are made to root for him! As you meet his siblings and his friends, you see that they all have some sort of fun quirk and they are all just regular people, not specialists. What also helps with the likable characters is that you can see that all the actors are just having a fun time with their performances which really translates into the fun nature of the film. 2. Light Tone and Simple Premise If you want to make your movie fun you'll most likely want to keep the tone light. You don't need to deep dive into the psychology of the characters, it doesn't need to be super introspective either, just give each character a few quirky traits and a cool premise and run with it. The basic premise of this film is that these characters are going to rob a racetrack during a NASCAR race. Simple but intriguing, and as long as you don't over complicate things then you are all set up for a fun movie. 3. A Good Payoff Finally you need a good payoff. The protagonists don't just need to get what they want, but it's how they get it that's important. In a heist movie, it's no that they pull it off, it's HOW they pull it off and in this film they pull it off in a very satisfying way in which I won't spoil here, because you should watch it! It's free with Amazon Prime so it's right there waiting for you! It's a good movie to watch with a group and I'm sure you will enjoy it on some level! Thanks for checking out the blog! The month has just begun so if you want to get email updates then sign up for the "newsletter!" Film is an absolute powerful medium that can express complex ideas and feelings with relative ease. Of course most people look at film as a source of entertainment, escapism, and fun, but film can also express ideas that get people to think and feel and convey complex ideas that no other art medium can express. I want to use the Before Trilogy as an example of this, mostly because I just watched it and it's on my mind, but also because it expresses the idea of love and connection in a real, true, human way that art or music could never really do. We live in an age where love is often commodified through sex, or products that will "make our love life better." It's often hard to see true love and connection in today's world, but the Before Trilogy discovers it and shoes it in a way that isn't trying to sell you the idea of love, but what love really could be between two people and it does that through one relationship in three different periods of time. Before Sunrise is the beginning of this love story. Two strangers who meet on a train and have an instant connection through conversation and decide to spend the evening together in Vienna. You know like normal people. But that's the thing about this film. It feels like someone got a camera, and just followed these two people around and documented their day. It just feels so real. The conversations that they have don't feel fake or cheesy, the way they interact feels genuine, and the connection they share feels like a real love, not a Hollywood-esque love. Fast forward 9-years to Before Sunset, these two people are reconnecting for the first time since their special night in Vienna, as they walk around Paris remembering the night they had and what could have come of it. Once again this film is juggling these complex feelings with relative ease and it doesn't feel cheesy or fake. The actors show with their faces and performances that they are broken people who wish that their lives were different and that they were with each other. Then we finally move forward another 9-years to Before Midnight. We see these two, now with twins and navigating their adult lives and feeling the sting that is failing love. This film tackles the idea of unconditional love and how love can persevere through built up emotions, painful arguments, and fading feelings. What happens when that initial connection fades? When life is beating you on all sides? Will love prevail? Through clever writing, beautiful scenery, amazing performances, and masterful directing, The Before Trilogy takes an honest look at love through time that I don't believe many other mediums could handle. The power of film is very evident with this trilogy and it may very well be the best trilogy I've ever seen (sorry Dark Knight Trilogy). Hopeless romantic or not, I would highly recommend this Trilogy to anyone who wants to think about or be challenged by the idea of love and connection, because that's what great films do, they challenge us to think about our lives and how we live them. We may not always agree with a films message, but if the film gets us to think and come to a conclusion than I think that makes a powerful film. And that's why in the month of June I'll be watching at least one film a day and blogging about it, to find the deeper meanings and to catch up on my increasingly huge backlog of films. I'll be watching all types of films, from action to comedy, sci-fi to horror, animation to historical drama, and anything in between, to continue to show that there is more to film than just entertainment. Please subscribe to my newsletter if you are at all interested in the film journey I'm taking this upcoming month! I am beyond excited and thrilled to watch some great films! The other day I watched The Truman Show for the first time and as a Media Arts major I FREAKING LOVED IT!! This film tackles so many subjects from media to ethics to consumerism, it's just great. Now one thing that really stood out to me was not just what was happening to Truman, but the effects this sow had on the people watching it. Throughout the whole show they put in multiple product placements, they create story lines for Truman to live through (even though he has no idea about it), and subtly planting ideas of what a perfect life is. And people are fascinated by it! These messages are subtly telling the viewers what you need to be happy. This is EXTREMELY relevant to today. And I really hope we are all aware of this but sometimes we just consume media and don't ask ourselves what there are telling us. The Truman Show was all about the money and call me cynical but that's all media is for today. Even this movie, that is commentating on the problems of media, made money and had a goal of making money. So media is going to subtly tell why life is better with their thing. The Truman Show was not only trying to sell different products, but trying to sell the idea of the traditional family will make you happy. Sometimes, that's what people want and that's great! But sometimes that's not what is going to make people happy and that's alright! We shouldn't be looking to the media to tell what will make our life better, but we should be looking to God and the Holy Spirit to reveal to us His perfect plan for our lives. That could mean a traditional family, 8-5 job, suburbia lifestyle, but it could also mean traveling, being single, freelance work out of a tiny home. I don't know what your life will en-tale, but don't let the media be your informer, please look to God for the guide of your life. It's been awhile but I'm back with the blogs and I'm planning on going through the summer with plenty of blogs! Please subscribe to the newsletter for updates whenever I put a blog out! With a great cast and an incredible true story, Only The Brave makes for an honest and emotional film, one that is sure to leave you in awe of the incredible things that people do on this planet that often we take for granted, especially for those of us who aren't affected by fires on a regular basis. So I just want to say thank you to all our brave firefighters who risk their lives on a regular basis for others. Thank you. But the thing that stood out to me the most was the kindness and compassion that these men had for one another. They would support each other through family struggles, one man invited another to live with him, and they helped each other through the struggles of their addictions. These men not only had each others backs while fighting fires, but in their personal lives as well. And of course it wasn't always convenient for them, they had their own lives to worry about, their own struggles. They treated each other as family. As brothers and sisters in Christ, we are all a family, and unfortunately I feel we as Christians argue way more than we go out of our way for each other. And of course I'm preaching to the choir, but how the frick are we supposed to show love to everyone else if we aren't loving each other first. We get so fed up with little things (again, preaching to the choir) and don't take the time to do things for the people hurting in our churches. These men risked their lives on a regular basis, and then in their personal lives helped their brothers out, despite their backgrounds or own struggles. Of course this movie is a dramatization of true events, but that doesn't mean this isn't something we should strive towards. I'm challenging myself this week to put aside the things that might be frustrating me or my own struggles, to love the people who are in front of me. I would like to challenge you as well. Also check this film out, it's very very good. I hope you all have a wonderful week and I pray we can love one another as the family we are. |
Austin VincentJust a guy with a passion for film and Jesus who's trying to show that He can be found in our creative endeavors. Archives
November 2018
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