Divide, Conquer, and Control is the Plan of the Party

Just saw “Left Behind”

If you can get past the made-for-television quality it can actually be engaging.

The main goal of this movie, and the book series that the movie is based on, was to illustrate what the rapture might look like and how the remainder of humanity would deal with the situation; basically a more realistic version of “This Is The End” with Seth Rogen. Unfortunately it is still bogged down by limitations that most faith based films suffer from; low production quality and sermonizing dialog just to name a few. Nicholas Cage however does liven things up with his usual off-beat personality that any lesser actor would have made too stoic.

Not the best attempt but I did leave the theater curious about what would happen next.

FrontPageMag.com Cartoon

A Cartoon: The Death-Wish of Islam-Denial

Frontpage Editor Jamie Glazov and illustrator Luke Kruse have joined forces to depict the taboo truths about the Unholy Alliance between the Left and Islam. Below is their first production:

Just saw “The Equalizer”

A fun action movie whose main purpose is to say Denzel Washington is awesome.

As cool as it is to have a good guy be near-perfect its just so hard to make him/her interesting except during the moments of violence that contrast his/her kindly behavior. Denzel’s character is a man who’s past is revealed over time but it’s never really used to give the story more depth, most of which is already established in the beginning by referencing The Old and and the Sea and Don Quixote books the man is reading. Fortunately the action scenes are great and there is a awesome last fight which makes up any short comings of the film.

There could have been more to this but that would get in the way of saying Denzel Washington is awesome.

Just saw “The Boxtrolls”

A movie that looks so beautiful that you can’t hep but notice the sub-par story.

This was a concern that I had after the later trailers came out revealing details of the plot and characters. The story is not necessarily bad but it’s presentation is so mishandled that there is no overarching theme like there was in ParaNorman or clear a adventure like there was in Coraline. However the movie does try to compensate for this lack by having a cast of bizarre and awkward characters that feel as if they came from Monty Python universe. I’m not sure how consistent that is with the book the movie is based on but it is something to enjoy along with some witty dialog and astonishingly beautiful and detailed practical stop-motion animation.

Although I have mixed feelings I am ultimately disappointed and hope Laika Studios will do better again in the future.

Finding Christ in Steven Universe

Being born in a Christian home I believed that anything and everything was complementary to Jesus Christ and Christianity, especially my favorite cartoon series. As I got older and became a believer I realized that almost nothing is complementary to Jesus Christ and Christianity, much less my favorite cartoon series. However because cartoons are essentially fiction I could try to find middle ground between the messages in the series and the message of the Gospel. But after a while I realized that trying to find Christ in entertainment is not only tiresome but often fruitless. Cartoons are made primarily to entertain not edify so any connection I can find to Christianity is more or less a coincidence. Recently however one show has had enough Christian coincidences contained in it that I am compelled to wonder if I’m the only one noticing them. That show is Steven Universe, which is in my opinion, the most awesome cartoon currently in existence.

For those who haven’t heard Steven Universe one of the is the newest animated series on Cartoon Network created by Rebecca Sugar; former writer and storyboard artist of the same studio’s popular series Adventure Time. Best described as a coming of age story Steven Universe follows the life and adventures of a boy named Steven as he figures out his place as one of the Crystal Gems; a quartet of heroes who protect humanity by wielding weapons and abilities from the magical gems attached to their bodies. Steven inherited his magical gem from his late mother and throughout the series he learns new abilities while dealing with the with magical monsters, the Gem’s conflicting personalities, and just being an curious, musically-inclined, and always-willing-to-help little boy.

At this point you might be wondering how one could possibly find Christ or Christianity in such a show and at first I didn’t. I only saw a series of magical adventures and a possible middle ground message of “putting away of childish things” (1 Corinthians 13:11). That was until the 20th episode that one Christian coincidence made me remember and reconsider the other Christian coincidences that I previously disregarded.

(Warning: The following will have spoilers to elements of Steven Universe)

In the episode “Coach Steven” the most intellectual and protective of the Crystal Gems, Pearl, is concerned that Steven is too focus on achieving physical strength rather than inner strength. Disheartened, Pearl starts off a musical soliloquy where she eventually states:

“And I want to inspire you
I want to be your rock
And when I talk
It lights fire in you”

The song itself was beautiful as Pearl’s voice actress Deedee Mango-Hall carried the lyrics with such conviction, but what struck me the most was the use of word “rock”. My mind immediately thought of Jesus’ beatitude of building you house on the rock (Matthew 7:24-27), and Jesus himself being the cornerstone of the church. It’s so rare for me to hear the word “rock” used in that way during sermons or worship, much less in a cartoon about a magical boy.

Another Christian coincidence was in the episode called “An Indirect Kiss.” After realizing that he doesn’t have his mother’s magical healing tears Steven is worried that he will never be useful to the Crystal Gems and won’t be allowed to be with them because of it. However his lady friend, Connie, reminds him that he doesn’t need powers to be with her and starts leaning in to kiss him. Suddenly Connie twinges in pain and realizes that she can see without her glasses; her eyesight has been healed. It turns out that Connie was taking a drink out of Steven’s juice box and came into contact with his saliva. It is concluded that Steven doesn’t have healing tears but healing spit. At that point I couldn’t help but remember the stories of how Jesus heals the blind; where Jesus uses His spit to restore a person’s sight. (Mark 8:22-25) (John 9)

It was when these coincidences were considered that I reassembled a collection of coincidences that form together what I like to call the “Aslan Parallel.” In C.S. Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia, Alsan was the name of a sentient lion who was a literary metaphor for Jesus. During a Crystal Gem mission in a desert Steven befriends a lion, who he also names Lion, who has some very interesting characteristics. Although Lion was found in the wild he actually tame. While technically being Steven’s pet Lion only selective obeys Steven’s commands, only helps Steven in dire moments, and mostly wonders off doing whatever he wants. While giving Steven and Connie a ride Lion takes a detour into the nearby ocean revealing that he can walk on water. Aside from being able to open teleportation portals and smash structures with his magical roar Lion can deliver a magical sword to Steven by taking a royal bow and having the sword emerge out of his head. So just to recap: Lion is a tame lion, who does what he wants but helps in dire times, and can walk on water. All that Lion needs now is to have the sword emerging out of the mouthinstead of his head and have a voiced played by Liam Neeson for the parallels to be complete on an almost transcendent level.

To be clear I am not suggesting that there is direct Christian influence in the creation ofSteven Universe. For all I know the “I want to be your rock” line was inspired by Beyoncé’s “You are my Rock” while the healing spit and “Aslan Parallel” are just whimsical hodgepodge ideas created for the sake of humor and entertainment. Not to mention that most of the series have almost no middle ground connections to Jesus Christi or Christianity. The newest episodes, “Mirror Gem” and “Ocean Gem,” are long awaited epic moments of action with hints of greater adventures to come. These coincidences are as superficial as the Zeitgeist Movement’s Christianity-to-Paganism connections, and are merely speculations born from the mind of a Christian fanatic. What I am trying to say is that it is rather amazing that a cartoon show that engages me in every secular way actually reminds me of Jesus Christ and Christianity. I am also gratified to realized that Jesus didn’t need to be referenced directly in order for me to be reminded of Him, a factor that I plan to implement in any future artistic endeavors. However I do hope that at least one member of the staff at Cartoon Network is at least aware of these Christian coincidences. I can’t be the only one who notices them.

Just saw “A Walk Among the Tombstones”

Not quite as deep as the trailer implied but this film is morbid and thrilling.

This movie is basically what would happen if “Silence of the Lambs” was more action oriented. It maybe harder to sympathies with the main character since Liam Neeson can act as if he could take down a dozen Buffalo Bills but his character has his own past and demons to be redeemed from. The movie seems to have a theme about misplaced fears since the film is set in 1999 with the Y2K scare but it never gets a relevant conclusion. The movie does remotely appeal to God as a source of strength and it is always awesome have Neeson be the outlet of that strength.

Its not the best movie but its always great to watch a fallen hero find some kind of redemption and evil get what’s due.