Movie Reviews

Why Boycotting Disney over a Gay Character Is Childish and Hypocritical

March 20, 2017 by Matthew Distefano in Movie Reviews

I recently saw Disney’s Beauty and the Beast with my six year old daughter. We loved it. Emma Watson, Dan Stevens, Josh Gad, all of them—fantastique! The story is fantastic too. In fact, you can read my review of the 1991 version here. But some Christians aren’t too happy about this film. And all because one of the characters may be gay . . . Oh, the humanity! Franklin Graham is one of these, and has even gone so far as to advocate for an outright boycott of Disney:

“They’re trying to push the LGBT agenda into the hearts and minds of your children—watch out! Disney has the right to make their cartoons, it’s a free country. But as Christians we also have the right not to support their company. I hope Christians everywhere will say no to Disney.”

In the most literal sense, Graham is correct: Christians do have the right to not support Disney. I would never argue otherwise. But I also have the right to say how idiotic and childish it is to boycott an entire company over their acknowledging gay people exist. Because that is all this is, regardless of what Graham says. Pardon the innuendo, but it is not as if Disney is ramming some supposed gay agenda down our throats. They aren’t including a hot and steamy gay shower scene or anything to that effect. They simply made it more obvious that Gaston’s sidekick LeFou may be, as most of us already suspected, gay. And they did it awfully subtly too!

Nothing explicit or “sexual” at all!

But I guess… [Read more…] about Why Boycotting Disney over a Gay Character Is Childish and Hypocritical

An Act of Love: Frank Schaefer, United Methodists and Homosexuality

May 23, 2016 by Dan Wilkinson in Christian Issues, LGBT, Movie Reviews

If you pay attention to issues relating to homosexuality and Christianity, you probably know about Frank Schaefer, the United Methodist minister who was defrocked in 2013 for performing his son’s same-sex wedding. But unless you were directly involved with those events, you probably don’t know the details surrounding Schaefer’s trial or the deeply personal struggle his family faced.

The new documentary film An Act of Love brings the personal side of Schaefer’s story to the screen, casting valuable light on what was–depending on your perspective–either a valiant fight for orthodoxy, or a pivotal moment in Christianity’s move toward a more progressive stance on human sexuality.

Through candid and often touching interviews with Schaefer, his wife and children, members of his former church, and leaders within the United Methodist community, director Scott Sheppard examines Schaefer’s story as well as the ongoing divide over LGBT issues within the UMC denomination.

Particularly troubling, but sadly all too believable, is the revelation that the initial rancor within Schaefer’s congregation that ultimately led to his ouster had nothing to do a same-sex wedding, but instead stemmed from conflicts over contemporary versus traditional worship services. If we can’t negotiate compromise when it comes to choosing a guitar or a choir, how can we expect to reasonably deal with far more serious issues?

As the film makes clear, Schaefer is not alone in his struggle for a more… [Read more…] about An Act of Love: Frank Schaefer, United Methodists and Homosexuality

God Still Wishes He Were Dead: A Scene-By-Scene Analysis of the God's Not Dead 2 Trailer

November 12, 2015 by Don M. Burrows in Movie Reviews

I’ve been avidly consuming any and all speculation and analysis of the trailers for the upcoming “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” and it struck me that we should do our own scene-by-scene analysis of the latest trailer to drop for another blockbuster sequel. I’m referring, of course, to the no-doubt highly anticipated sequel to 2014’s “God’s Not Dead.”

As I wrote in my review of that horrid film, “God’s Not Dead” was a narrative fantasy of conservative evangelical projection. Non-Christians were bad. Academics and universities were bad. But atheists were especially bad. And good Christians have to rise up to defend their faith when they are confronted with a philosophy professor who seems more interested in science than philosophy (I have to agree there – that would definitely go on my student evaluation).

It’s hard to imagine a story even more divorced from reality than “God’s Not Dead” — hard, that is, until one sees the new trailer for “God’s Not Dead 2”:

https://youtu.be/Fq6lG4GeEMI

First off, what’s with the lame title? Most sequels nowadays don’t just go with numbers. Why not the obvious “God’s Still Not Dead” with maybe an editing caret adding “still”? Or better yet – “God’s Not Deader” or maybe “God’s Not Dead – Not Dead Harder”?

Whatever the title, the sequel appears to be connected to the first film only by way of sharing a (purely) fictional universe. But this time, the hero is a school teacher in a plot so impossible it should really be classed as speculative… [Read more…] about God Still Wishes He Were Dead: A Scene-By-Scene Analysis of the God's Not Dead 2 Trailer

A Navy SEAL's life-changing secret

February 6, 2015 by Dan Wilkinson in LGBT, Movie Reviews

Christopher Beck is a former Navy SEAL who, in the summer of 2013, came out as Kristin Beck — a transgender woman. Beck’s story garnered wide attention through an Anderson Cooper special and a book chronicling her journey, Warrior Princess.

This past fall CNN premiered a documentary about her life, Lady Valor: The Kristin Beck Story, which was recently released on DVD.

Lady Valor presents an honest, humorous and heartbreaking account of Kristin’s struggles. Kristin is someone who doesn’t have it all figured out, but is nevertheless negotiating life as best she can and is finding hope along the way. Addressing questions about her new identity she says:

It’s hard to explain. People ask me about that, they say “I don’t really understand transgender, and you know, can you explain it to me?” And the only thing I can tell them is I don’t really know what transgender is either. I don’t know — I mean, I know what it is, it’s this — but I don’t know where it comes from or why. It’s not an environmental thing that was pushed on me or some food I ate and suddenly I broke out with “transgender.”

I’m not a gay man. I’m not a drag queen. I am not maybe total dude and not total feminine, I’m not totally female. I’m not really — I think I’m living more in that gray world, and I’m still trying to figure it out, and maybe that’s what everybody else is trying to do too — they’re trying to figure me out. They’re like “I don’t know what that is,” which… [Read more…] about A Navy SEAL's life-changing secret

"American Sniper" misses the mark

January 21, 2015 by Dan Wilkinson in Movie Reviews

American Sniper, Clint Eastwood’s biopic about Navy SEAL Chris Kyle – “the most lethal sniper in US history” – has broken box office records and garnered six Academy Award nominations. Eastwood’s directing, Bradley Cooper’s acting and Jason Hall’s screenwriting have all been widely recognized as exemplary.

War films are often judged by their realism and accuracy: the claustrophobic intensity of Das Boot, the epic violence of Saving Private Ryan’s beach assault, the daring nighttime ambush of bin Laden’s compound in Zero Dark Thirty. For its battle scenes alone, American Sniper undoubtedly merits inclusion in that list – not just for the accuracy of military minutiae, but also for powerfully conveying the feeling of fighting in the streets of Iraq.

Intercut with these intense combat scenes, American Sniper presents Kyle’s story in an earnestly straightforward manner: a down-and-out cowboy signs up for the military in order to defend America, excels at his job (killing people) beyond all expectations, wrestles with the psychological trauma of war, overcomes that trauma by helping other veterans learn to shoot, and is finally celebrated as a hero.

But while every film must necessarily edit and shape its narrative into a coherent and engaging structure, American Sniper does so in a particularly pernicious way. As we are lured in by the adrenaline-fueled intensity of the combat scenes, we also are subjected… [Read more…] about "American Sniper" misses the mark

Some Classic Lessons from a Film Classic

September 23, 2014 by Chuck Queen in Fundamentalism, Movie Reviews

The Shawshank Redemption came out 20 years ago today and remains at the top of my all-time great movies list. It is punctuated with great lines and saturated with rich spiritual symbolism.

The warden, Samuel Norton, functions as an icon of toxic Christianity. The warden presents himself as a socially respectable, church-going, Bible-quoting Christian. It becomes clear, however, from the moment he appears in the story that his Christianity is in name only. His faith has holes in it larger than the one Andy Dufresne chiseled through his cell wall.

When Andy and the other new prisoners are first introduced to the warden and prison life, the warden’s self-righteousness dominates the scene. When one of the prisoners asks, “When do we eat?” the warden has him beaten. Holding out a Bible he says, “Trust in the Lord, but your ass is mine.”

Contrast the scene above with the one in Luke 4 where Jesus, in the synagogue at Nazareth, applies Isaiah 61 to his mission:
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
In one scene, the warden enters Andy’s cell and lays hold of his Bible. Andy and the warden engage in Bible ping pong quoting Scripture. The warden does not open the Bible, which is a good thing since hidden inside is the rock hammer Andy uses to tunnel through his… [Read more…] about Some Classic Lessons from a Film Classic

"Queers in the Kingdom" shares the stories of LGBT students at Wheaton College

September 16, 2014 by Dan Wilkinson in LGBT, Movie Reviews

Wheaton College is the flagship institution of evangelical Christian higher education. Consistently ranked as one of the best colleges in the United States, Wheaton prides itself as being “a rigorous academic community that takes seriously the life of the mind.”

But Wheaton also holds the ignominious distinction of being regularly ranked near the top of the list of the most LGBT unfriendly schools — a ranking confirmed by the troubling letter entitled “Being Gay at Wheaton: A Summary of my 9 months out of the closet” that went viral when we published it in February of this year. (See Something needs to change here.)

Wheaton’s antipathy towards homosexuality is embodied in their Community Covenant, which states:
followers of Jesus Christ will … uphold chastity among the unmarried and the sanctity of marriage between a man and woman.
and goes on to say:
Scripture condemns … sexual immorality, such as … homosexual behavior and all other sexual relations outside the bounds of marriage between a man and woman.
Despite these proscriptions, there are LGBT students at Wheaton College, and Markie Hancock’s new documentary film Queers in the Kingdom casts a much needed light on the stories of Wheaton’s LGBT alumni. These men and women courageously bare their souls for the camera, describing their struggles with faith, identity, exclusion, and fear. Their stories are often bleak, but are also full of hope. Each person made it through the challenges… [Read more…] about "Queers in the Kingdom" shares the stories of LGBT students at Wheaton College

"God Loves Uganda" highlights anti-gay Christian imperialism

May 19, 2014 by Dan Wilkinson in Movie Reviews

God Loves Uganda, the 2013 documentary by Roger Ross Williams releasing today on DVD and airing tonight on PBS’s Independent Lens, sheds a much needed light on the ongoing struggle for the heart and soul of Uganda. Framed by the infamous Anti-Homosexuality Act of Uganda, the documentary provides a sobering exploration of the American evangelical mission to impose right-wing Christian values on Africa.

The film offers a ground-level view of the struggle taking place in Uganda through looking at Kansas City’s International House of Prayer (IHOP) and its “God-given call” to bring the Gospel message to the people of Uganda. The Christians of IHOP are on fire for God, eager to spread the Good News of Jesus and to train Africans to continue spreading that news far and wide.

The passion and excitement of IHOP’s workers is palpably sincere. But, as this film deftly demonstrates, the shortsightedness of their work, and the practical outworking of their faith, is cause for great alarm. Their well-meaning naïveté gives implicit support to the vicious hatred of people like Pastor Robert Kayanja, Pastor Martin Ssempa, and Pastor Scott Lively, “Christian” leaders who share a near-frothing obsession with eradicating homosexuality. These men see homosexuality as an abomination that must be eradicated, and Uganda—nearly half the population of which is under the age of 15—as fertile ground to plant and grow that message. So they have spared no measure of zeal teaching Ugandans… [Read more…] about "God Loves Uganda" highlights anti-gay Christian imperialism

The (surprisingly!) profound theology of "Heaven Is For Real"

May 9, 2014 by Dan Wilkinson in Movie Reviews

“Heaven Is for Real” certainly isn’t worth going out of your way to see – it’s a solidly mediocre and benignly forgettable film. But questions about heaven, hell and the fate of every person who ever lived are always worth pondering, and in that regard “Heaven Is for Real” offers a few theological diamonds in its dross.

“Heaven and hell have always been concepts that have been used to control and frighten people.”

So says church board member Nancy Rawling (Margo Martindale) when she’s confronted by the possibility that heaven may be more than a fairy-tale. Pastor Todd Burpo (Greg Kinnear—and yes, it’s “Burpo”) is dismissive of such concerns. But isn’t Nancy correct? Haven’t the promise of reward and the fear of punishment been used as a means of manipulation and control throughout the history of religion? Shouldn’t we, at least, take such concerns seriously?

Later, Nancy queries Todd about the fate of her deceased son:

Nancy: Do you think my son went to heaven?
Todd: Do you love your son, still?
Nancy: Of course.
Todd: Do you think I love mine?
Nancy: I know you do.
Todd: Do you think I love my son more than you love yours?
Nancy: No.
Todd: Do you think God loves my son more than he loves yours?

Beautiful! And it strikes to the very issue: Who goes to heaven? Does love win?

Finally, in his closing sermon, Todd Burpo frames heaven in terms of our world:

“Haven’t we already seen… [Read more…] about The (surprisingly!) profound theology of "Heaven Is For Real"

Professor Strawman and the Right-Wing Fantasy Circus: a review of "God's Not Dead"

April 28, 2014 by Don M. Burrows in Movie Reviews

God’s not dead, but if he had to sit through the movie currently in theaters by that name, he might wish he were. A cinematic romp through stereotypes, caricatures, and gross generalizations, “God’s Not Dead” is one of the worst movie experiences I’ve had in a long, long time.

I suppose I should give a spoiler alert here, though it’s hard to imagine spoiling a movie already so thoroughly rotten.

For those who haven’t seen its comical trailer, “God’s Not Dead” is about a heroic Christian college freshman named Josh who defies his maniacal philosophy professor (Kevin Sorbo) by refusing to write and sign “God is Dead” on a piece of paper in a bizarre opening assignment, earning him the course requirement of defending the antithesis: that God exists and is very much alive.

I’ve taught college classes, and Sorbo’s class bears little to no resemblance to reality, but then neither do the myriad other caricatures throughout the film. Indeed, that is really all this film is: a Christian Right exercise in stereotyping all manner of God haters and God deniers.

There’s an anti-religious, vegetarian reporter who ambushes one of the Duck Dynasty crew to get him to admit he kills ducks when he hunts them (a very strange scoop indeed). She ends up with cancer and of course converts.

Her corporate tycoon boyfriend, played by Dean Caine, cares only for himself and his success, going so far as to ask her if their discussion about her cancer diagnosis can’t “wait till tomorrow.”