My wife and I saw “End of the Spear” last week. I must admit, I was pleasantly surprised. It definitely was not the most technically sound movie I’ve ever seen (the editing was often awkward), but the acting was solid, and the story and scenery were quite compelling. I don’t cry a whole lot at movies (unless it involves a guy and a girl in the front of an imminently doomed boat kissing as the sun sets in the background), but I did cry during the final sequence of this movie. It was very powerful. And the real footage that rolls during the credits is incredibly moving having just watched what took place during the characters’ lives. This is a great story and a very good movie.
I find it interesting, however, that if it weren’t for my wife, I wouldn’t have even known that this movie existed. Why is it that Christians felt the need to cause such a media storm over a horribly produced TV series that wasn’t worth the six episodes green lighted by NBC in the first place (“The Book of Daniel”) and did nothing to create publicity for a good movie with such a positive message (“End of the Spear”)? Why is that? I don’t have the answer, but I do think it is a shame.
Since I mentioned “The Book of Daniel”, I find it necessary to admit that I did watch the first two episodes. To be honest, I thought the scenes with Jesus were excellent. Now, the costume and beard that the actor who played Jesus wore were cheap and stereotypically silly. But the scenes were well written and I like the way Jesus was portrayed. Was it accurate? Probably not…I don’t know. But I thought its take on how Jesus responds and interacts with his screwed-up and confused children (which is every single one of us, in case we have forgotten) was refreshing. Beyond that, though, the show was a joke. No where near worth the hype and publicity it received.
Finally, I want to address Kanye West. As you can see from this Rolling Stones cover above, he is at it again. Is this offensive? Maybe if you are Mel Gibson. I don't think that it is. But I do think that Kanye West is a fool. Granted he is an ambitious and very talented fool, but a fool nonetheless. How can anyone take him seriously? His statements and actions are always ignorant, shallow, and completely self-promoting. They are more contrived than controversial. But, with that said, I must give kudos to the guy because he is definitely effective at creating a buzz for himself by stirring up controversy. Of course…so was that gay Teletubby, so I don’t know how impressive a feat that really is.
4 comments:
yeah, those damn teletubbies were the downfall of Christianity in America! Bastards.
If the Christian community was better organized (good luck on that one) and "wise as serpents, but gentle as doves," we would know that the best way to respond to offensive movies is to ignore them completely and the best way to draw attention to good movies, like "End of the Spear," and the documentary about the same event, "Gates of Splendor," is to riot. Not literally riot maybe, but what if we had lines down the street and around the corner on opening night? The movie industry would be bending over backwards to make more movies that we, the Christian viewing public, liked. The unbelieving public would wonder what all the hubbub was about and see the movies. Many of them would spend a lot of time bashing those movies, and as any advertising exec knows, "any publicity is good publicity."
wow, that seems completely backwards. i love it.
Kanye West...man I love that guy! George Bush!
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