Summer Kickoff - The Avengers

Chris Hemsworh and Chris Evans in The Avengers. Courtesy of Image.net

Film Grade: A-

Summer movie season has arrived, and looking at the lineup, it won’t disappoint. The Avengers serves a strong kickoff. The film is packed with A-listers including, but not limited to, Robert Downey, Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, and Scarlet Johansson as the comic book characters. Having so many well-known stars in one film is risky, as chemistries often don’t transfer well on-screen, but Avengers proves to be a rare exception.

The plot is a simple one. Bad guy steals valuable power, runs off, plans to take over the world, and lets his native alien family destroy Earth. Naturally, when a juggernaut of a villain like Loki arrives, Nick Fury, the creator of The Avengers, enlists the aid of Iron Man, Thor, Hulk, Black Widow, Hawkeye, and Captain America.

Chaos and hilarity ensues, mostly from heroes, as their personalities could not be more opposite. The result is a 2.5 hour movie with more laughs than any other superhero flick I’ve seen. Where The Dark Knight movies are a serious exploration of the moral themes in Batman’s world, The Avengers provides a colorful explosion of action and fun – just like a comic book.

Besides being enjoyable, the movie is well-made. The acting and chemistry of the on-screen personalities jibe well together; none of the heroes outshine each other, and each is given his own spotlight and dialogue. The dialogue is probably the best I’ve seen in a superhero film. Rather than being predictable and cheesy, it’s clever and witty, much like the banter in Golden Age films – which is most fitting, considering Iron Man’s character. Some of the funniest scenes were when Iron Man and Captain America argued. Where Iron Man is narcissistic, egotistical, arrogant and progressive, Captain America is self-sacrificing, traditional and humble. Their interaction is a gift from filmmaker to viewer, extracting at the very least, a pleased smile.

Is there a deep, meaningful lesson to be learned in The Avengers? Not really, except that if we’re to be “good” or heroic, sacrifice is necessary, and that sometimes, we will have to work with people we'd rather not associate with in order to bring about a common good. Other than that, Avengers simply keeps you entertained the entire time. Like Captain America, which was released last summer, it is a respectable film that brings the comic book to life, with lots of action and witty banter in between. The perfect formula for a summer movie. 

Published on National Catholic Register!

An article I wrote on The Hunger Games has been published on the National Catholic Register website. Check it out here!

Beauty vs. Technology

“Truly great must be the value of human life if the Son of God has taken it up and made it the instrument of the salvation of all humanity!” – John Paul II

The human person is the summit of all creation.  You think the dazzling night skies, the beautiful seas, and the animals were awesome? We are God’s cherry on top. Everything about us, body, soul, mind and heart are unique to us alone.

Being bodily creatures, we experience and come to know things through our physical senses. We’re wired that way. The body is God’s greatest work of art and deserves nothing less than sheer wonder and awe at its beauty. Not only is it created with systems that help it function, but it is a marvel to see. Every body is beautiful, every body tells a story about the soul that lives inside it.

So often, we live two extremes: either we are so desensitized to the world’s objectification of the body that we no longer give the body the value it deserves, or we turn away from beautiful bodies to avoid temptation. There has to be a happy medium.

The first extreme shows the body is good, but doesn’t give it its proper value. The second extreme shows the body to be bad. Both are wrong. The body is good. While we should guard ourselves from temptation, we nevertheless need to recognize and appreciate beauty when we see it, especially in a person.

As shown in the Greeks' nude sculptures of bodies or the paintings in the Renaissance period, the body reflects the beauty of the divine, namely, the soul, which is made in God’s image. Simply by being human, we are transcending God Himself. We point our fellow man further to God because we are a reminder of His goodness and beauty. By becoming human Himself, He glorified our bodies even more, since He shared in our humanity, in all its beauty and weakness.  

But it doesn’t stop there! While the body is the most magnificent work of art by a Creator who inspired all other arts, the person is more than a body. He is a soul. A human person never dies, though his body will. Every soul has a purpose, and every soul has infinite value and is loved by the Creator. Generally, our culture has lost the sense of the worth of the human person.

This is evident even in what we do when we “socialize”. For example, if you go to a movie theatre and watch the crowd before the movie starts, nearly everyone has their phones out. If eyes aren’t glued to smartphones, they’re glued to a computer screen. We’ve lost touch with interpersonal relationships. We have forgotten how wonderful people are, what we can learn from them and what we can give to them. We don’t worship a golden calf per se, but we practice idolatry by sacrificing the human person on the altar of technology and progress with the way we use our time. Technology is good, if used in moderation.

By nature, man is a social being and cannot develop gifts if he lives in solitude within himself. Meaning, if he's glued to his technology, he's not developing relationships, or himself. Like the ripple affects the entire body of water, so our interactions with others affect the entire brotherhood of humanity. Once in a while, take a break from technology. Turn off that phone, close that computer and have a meaningful conversation with someone. Who can compare "stuff" with the marvelous beauty of the human person?

Case and point: BlimeyCow’s video on Smartphones and how they make us lazy. I’m afraid it’s too true.

The Hunger Games Review

Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss gives a sign of honor to District 11

“I want to show them they don’t own me. If I’m going to die – I want to still be me.”

Those are some pretty chilling, yet gutsy words for young adult fiction. The Hunger Games, which has sparked a frenzy like other fantasies such as Harry Potter and Twilight, (though I hate bringing those up, since the stories are completely unlike Hunger Games), has turned into a film franchise with just as much potential.

For those of you still unfamiliar with the story, The Hunger Games is set in post-Apocalyptic America, which is separated into 13 districts and afflicted with nation-wide hunger. Now named Panem, a frighteningly tyrannical government called The Capitol controls the districts with an iron fist. To remind the people of their control, they annually pick a girl and boy from every district, throw them into an arena, and force them to kill one another. The sole victor wins food for his family for the rest of his life.

Every district and oblivious Capitol citizen watches the Games on nationwide television; those who are wealthy enough can sponsor their favorite “tributes” by sending them gifts, which help them stay alive…for a while.

Katniss Everdeen, the heroine of the story, is a quiet, feisty girl who illegally hunts in the forest to provide for her family. When her younger sister, Prim, is chosen for the Games on “Reaping” day, she volunteers to be the tribute instead. She and the gentle Peeta Mellark are thrown into the Games and the Captiol world, where citizens are completely desensitized to the suffering districts around them. They are blinded by their obsession with fashion, entertainment and violence at the tributes’ expense. Rhetoric slews from their politicians in slimy terms like, “this shows sacrifice…it brings us together” – which is not unlike our own politicians’ rhetoric.

What follows is a violent survival story, mixed with comical characters like Effie, District 12’s ridiculous Capitol manager of sorts, and Haymitch, Peeta and Katniss’s mentor. What gives the story its depth is its heroine, making self-sacrificing choices, enkindling her nation with hope about changing the regime, and the realization that human life is sacred. Even in the darkest of times, the main characters hold onto their humanity, even though they’re scarred. In addition, there are several beautiful relationships, such as Katniss and Prim’s loving, sisterly relationship; Rue, Katniss’s timid ally from District 11; and Peeta, who loves Katniss, even though she doesn’t actually love him back.

The story is intense and keeps a fast pace both in the books and in the movie. The 2.5 hour running time seemed to be just 40 minutes. It had me teary-eyed, smiling,  on the edge of my seat, and then jumping out of my seat. It was well-done story-telling to say the least.

The choice of actors in the film made fans skeptical initially, but in the film proved to be perfectly chosen. While Katniss didn’t look exactly like she was described in the book, Jennifer Lawrence effectively captured Katniss’s personality and heart. Stanley Tucci, who played the Games host, was perfectly animated and charismatic. Woody Harrelson made a perfect drunkard that still had a caring heart and witty sense of humor. Elizabeth Banks, who played Effie, looked and acted perfect. Josh Hutcherson, as Peeta Mellark, practically stole the show. Though not as big or tall as the book’s character, he fit the role to a tee, embodying Peeta’s gentle, self-sacrificing essense and likeable personality.

Not only is the acting spot on and the story of The Hunger Games riveting, but the movie was filmed in a artistic way that fit the movement and tone of the book. Director Gary Ross believed that a handheld camera was a necessary element that fit the raw emotion of the film. He said, “If I made a glossy, slick, kind of overproduced piece of entertainment, then...I’m basically staging the Hunger Games…If you try to create a piece of entertainment that indulges the premise…you’re going to end up really losing the point and the heart of the book." Some viewers challenged the use of swish pans, closeups and quick, jerky camera movements – but artistically, I believe it stresses Katniss’s point of view.

Overall, the film is well-made and is very faithful to the book. In terms of faithfulness and quality, I compare it to the first Narnia movie, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Some fans found the minor changes that were made annoying, but that’s going to happen with any book-turned-movie. Tom Bombadil wasn’t in Lord of the Rings either, but they were still faithful and fantastic movies.

Some, if not many, will overlook the deeper elements and themes of the story, so I want to explore them. The Hunger Games in an unsettling story. Unsettling because it deals with young people beating each other to death – something that goes against our nature. This discomfort has a purpose: it warns us that, in our current society, which is so engrossed in entertainment, especially “reality TV”, we have become desensitized to that which harms our humanity. We no longer give second thought to shows about destroying another person, even if it’s only through gossip. We have become so focused on being entertained that we forget the importance of real relationships in our life and the real problems we face today. Even worse, we’ve become indifferent and lazy – we’ve become afraid to say something and make a change in response to problems we see. We continue to push God out of our public society. What if He completely disappeared from the public sphere? What would happen to the basic moral codes that are written in the hearts of man? Our government has lost its founding principles and is slowly forcing mandates on us without our approval. What will happen if we don’t do something about it? The Hunger Games is an exaggerated foreshadowing of what our culture could become if we do not speak up, if we do not do something to alter the path where our society is headed.

Through the darkness of The Hunger Games, through its Godless culture, and through the horrendous attack of human life in the story, it shows us there is still truth and beauty. The story shows the intrinsic truth that human life is sacred, because the violence is not glorified. The characters are suffering victims that choose to do something about the injustice they face. Through this, the story shows the beauty of meaningful, self-sacrificing relationships. It’s about holding onto humanity and making the right choices, even if it means losing our lives. While its themes are dark, it is supposed to shock us out of our indifferent attitude towards our culture. It is not unlike those heart wrenching, dark stories such as Schindler’s List, where humanity seems all but lost; like Schindler’s, it nevertheless shows that despite the most difficult and horrifying circumstances, we can hold on resiliently to our humanity, which is the greatest gift of all.

Having said this, it is important to note that The Hunger Games is probably best suited towards more mature audiences – both the movie and especially the books. Parents should discuss these deeper themes with their kids, because if they’re not able to discern it themselves, readers might end up becoming that which is warned of in the story – a society like the Captiol civilians, who are desensitized to the violence, injustices and Godless culture that surrounds them.

"The Vow": Classic Ephesians 5

In a country where the divorce rate is a whopping fifty percent, it seems we have lost our sense of faithfulness to one another, and most of the time, films reflect that - which is why The Vow is so refreshing to see.

Starring Channing Tatum and Rachel McAdams, The Vow shows the beauty of a faithful marriage when loving a person isn’t easy. Leo and Paige are a newly married couple who end up in a car crash, resulting in Paige’s memory loss, and their vows are tested to their limits.

Leo is a heroic husband amid the tragedy, sacrificing his money and business to help Paige remember the last four years of their life together. In Paige’s mind, she is still engaged to her previous guy and is in law school instead of an art institute.

Despite Paige’s difficult situation, Leo upholds his role as an Ephesians 5 husband.

“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her.”

Although the Christian aspect of the true story isn’t in the film, Leo still lays down everything to help his wife through her confusion and pain. Even with his goodness, he’s still human, and at one point reminds Paige that she still needs to respect him as he tries his best to love her even when she’s difficult to love.

Leo never stops pursuing his wife. When Paige’s memory doesn’t return, he decides to try to make her fall in love with him again. He tells her, “You know when you read a good book, and you want a friend to experience the same excitement you had? Well, our life together was really great, and I want to share it with you, as if I’m lending you a book. So how about one date?”

Paige struggles with remembering the person she was when the accident happened, and it causes her to drift away from Leo until she remembers why she made those decisions in the first place. She ends up making the same decisions again, this time, after making peace with the broken relationships in her family.

While Leo’s self-sacrificing love is a beautiful example, in the end, it isn’t Leo and Paige’s marriage that is the best example of faithfulness to their marriage vows: it’s her parents, broken and imperfect. The most touching moment in the movie is when her mother shares why she never left her husband after he had an affair.

With tears running down her face, she tells Paige, “I chose to stay with him for all the things he did right, instead of leaving him for the one thing he did wrong. I chose to forgive him.”

As romance movies go, this one is surprisingly deep in an industry that thrives on stories about superficiality and infidelity. The script had some great lines, and while Channing Tatum and Rachel McAdams weren’t their best, they had tremendous depth and emotion in their characters. Overall, the film isn’t perfect, but the message is worth the viewing.

This film shows the beauty of self-sacrifice in marriage, and that real love involves a daily choice. Real love is willing the goodness of another more than your own needs. Despite faults and failings, real love is to choose to love one another – especially in the times where the warm, romantic feelings are absent. Sometimes it isn’t pretty, but in the end, faithfulness is always worth it.

Adele Deserves Every Grammy She Got!

 

Adele's soulful pipes are mindblowlingly beautiful. Check out her performance at the Grammy's! 

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close Review

9/11 is still a touchy subject, still too close for comfort. So any movie based on the event has heart-tugging potential, since every American was wounded that day, some more than others.

Oskar Schell lost more than others. In the book-turned-film Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, young Oskar lost his father in the Twin Towers on 9/11, or “The Worst Day”, as he calls it.

Having been raised by a wonderful father played by Tom Hanks, Oskar took his father’s death quite hard, though he doesn’t let it harm his earnest spirit. Oskar is the most persevering son/amateur pacifist/vegan/oxymoronist/martial artist/inventor, who will stop at nothing to find answers.

Oskar’s father taught him to search, to dive into his curiosity. Oskar will relentlessly search for the pieces of the puzzle that satisfy the questions of his heart. So when Oskar finds a key in his father’s room with the name “Black” on it, Oskar believes his father intended that he find what the key unlocks.

The journey sends Oskar on a wild goose chase, since there are over 400 people with the name of “Black” in one region of New York alone. Oskar even employs the help of an elderly man who can’t speak to help him, and learns from him the art of letting go.

Note that for this movie, as it is often in life, the point isn’t about the destination, as it is the journey. Along the journey, Oskar learns about himself, his family, and about loving family relationships. Most importantly, he learns that it’s okay to be sad and to hurt. It’s also ok to move on. At some point, we have to let go to move toward the future.

While the premise of the story is initially touching and relatable, the intense dramatization is a bit too much to bear without any happy moments mixed in. With such a heavy subject, the movie needed to be more balanced; it was all depression, all time, until the last few minutes.

Sandra Bullock and Tom Hanks, who played the Schell parents, were raw and genuine. Their loving natures were believable, and their gestures and mannerisms unique. Thomas Horn, who played Oskar, was a bit too over the top personally, although in certain scenes in the movie, his emotion was spot-on.

While 9/11 is a heavy subject, it seems that the event and the people surrounding it should be portrayed in a hopeful light to reflect that, as a nation, we have let that grief go. 9/11 will never be forgotten. But I don’t think those who were lost would want us to wallow in depression, so Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close shouldn’t, either. We shouldn’t focus on the pain, but rather let its memory propel us forward, motivating us to live each day to the fullest.

Check out this movie review on Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close featured at MyBenedictineBlog.com!