Charlie Wilson's War

In 1980 the Soviet Union was advancing its borders and influence, and one place this was happening was Afghanistan. The Afghans were trying to fight back, but they were getting mowed down (a rifle versus an attack helicopter). Some people were noticing, but not many. One such person was Joanne Herring (Julia Roberts). Herring was a wealthy Texan who had a great deal of influence upon politics. So she started talking to her people, namely Representative Charlie Wilson (Tom Hanks). Wilson is an interesting character. He likes women a lot, he likes to booze, and he likes.... well those are his big two interests in life. Be forewarned. Yet he is a congressman who does not have a lot on his plate. So he has time for many issues that others don't. One such issue is funding for covert operations. He starts to increase the funding for covert ops in Afghanistan, and teams up with Gust Avrakotos (Philip Seymour Hoffman). This small team takes on the giant, the USSR.

Although this all happened 20-25 years ago, this is such a relevant film to today. Basically, we saw an enemy (communism) and did whatever we could to stop that enemy. We helped the little guy out. But in the end, we left a small problem that was a sleeping giant. We help people, other nations, fight wars, etc. but we always leave. We are not concerned about reconstruction, about building up what is to replace it. The government eventually increases the budget for covert ops in Afghanistan to $1 Billion but won't give $1 Million to build schools after the war has been won. Basically, we had a chance to help out in a big way but screwed it all up, which led to much of the "war on terror" now. Also, the idea of winning a war and opting out of reconstruction sounds a lot like evangelism. One problem we Christians have sometimes is that we convert people, and then think that's it, that they will find their way, that we don't need to disciple. All we need is for them to "say the magic prayer."

One scene stuck out to me above all the others. A southern white man goes to the refugee camp in Pakistan to see the devestation. He gets on a loud speaker and starts telling everyone that the US government is going to help this war. Then he gets into the good versus evil rhetoric, which is where this all gets dangerous. All the people are shouting "Allahu Akbar (God is Great)!" And he yells "God is Great!" with them. It's disturbing not only because Allah and YHWH are two different Gods, but also because they are claiming God is choosing sides. There is a part in Joshua in which Joshua asks an angel whose side he is on (thinking the angel has to be on his side, they are God's chosen people right?) and he says "neither" [Check out the article on Rob Bell in the new Relevant Magazine, highly recommended]. Wait, God cares about the "bad guys" too? God loves commies? God loves fundamentalist Muslims? We need to be very careful that we don't use God for our own purposes, or let others do it on our behalf. It is a very scary thing. Gust even says something to the effect of: "soon God will be on both sides, then what?"

The visit to the refugee camp was also a wake-up call for Wilson. He was doing some important things in his life, but mostly he was just about fast living hedonism. But then he saw the suffering of others and felt a call to action. He started to value his time and energy more; he suddenly had purpose. We have to have purpose.

Charlie Wilson's War was not only politically engaging (whatelse do you expect from a screenplay by The West Wing's Aaron Sorkin?), but it was hilarious. Hoffman was awesome, just a flat-out joy to watch. I was reminded why he is my favorite actor. I was originally suprised to see this film in the Comedy category of the Golden Globes, but now I see why. Yet the film is still honest and thought-provoking. It's a difficult task to be an entertaining/funny/interesting/intellectual/enlightening film, but Mike Nichol's (The Graduate) Charlie Wilson's War succeeds.

Once

Once is one of those films that is benefiting greatly from word of mouth. It is a simple Irish folk musical. Yeah, it's a musical, and yeah I despise musicals. But this is more of a story that involves musicians, and those musicians write good music.

Glen Hansard plays Guy, a street musician who is mourning the loss of a romance. He is trying to do everything he can to get his music out there and make a living doing what he loves. One day he meets Girl, played by Marketa Irglovna, and they start a friendship. She is a classically trained Czech pianist and vocalist, so they start writing and playing music together. What makes the film a "good musical" is that these two are actual musicians, and they wrote the tunes that are featured in the film. The music has a Damien Rice vibe to it, so know that going in. The film follows the creative journey of Guy, his quest to make music and move to London, and his pursuit of Girl.

The relationship between the two is interesting and very dangerous. Guy "falls in love" with Girl, but Girl is married, we find out later. She just doesn't take into account what signs she is sending out. If you are married, you just can't have close relationships with the opposite sex. It's too complicated and dangerous. But these two just move along and pretend like everything is good and fine, much like Lost in Translation. Interesting fodder for thought and conversation.

Once is an honest work of starving artists. It is a "low-budget" film that succeeds on many levels, because of its straightforwardness and transparency. The music is great, the idea is creative and unique, and the people are interesting to watch. This film has garnered a great deal of praise from critics throughout the year, and is appearing all over top ten lists that come up this time of year. The film is about heartache, about passion, about creativity and the pursuit of self-expression.

I Am Legend

I was mildly interested in this film going in, but I Am Legend really impressed me on many levels. Will Smith plays Robert Neville, the only man left after a biological disaster of epic proportions hits the planet. It all started with man's desire to cure cancer (hey, we are all in favor of that, aren't we?). But that seemingly incredible miracle actually spawns a mega-virus that gives people uber-rabies. Let's just say they are scary and like to eat people. From what I have heard, the film is very different than the book, so know that going in. Now, Neville spends his days hunting for food, renting movies, trying to find a cure for this disease, and hanging out with his dog Sam. At night, he has to get back to his secret and heavily fortified hideout. Why? Because the vampire-like crazy people get severely harmed by UV rays.

Neville is driven by a desire to save the world/fix the problem/find a cure for this disease. He has an extensive lab in his basement where he does experiments. He believes that he can do this, that he can stop this. This is a noble and manly desire, but as most of us men realize, we cannot fix everything or cure everything alone. He has been disconnected with people for three years now, so he is beginning to go crazy. He places mannequins around a Blockbuster store to have people to talk to and interact with. He sees hallucinations. And why is that? Because we were created to be social beings, to live in community, not alone.

Neville's daughter is named Marley, after Bob Marley. This becomes a very important thematic element in the film. We hear a story about Marley. Once upon a time Bob Marley was shot by a man who did not like him working for peace. Just a few days later he performed a concert and was asked why he got back out there so quickly. He said that the bad guys don't take a day off, why should he? He said we must bring light to the darkness. This is Neville's motivation, to bring light to the darkness.

Much like Shyamalan's Signs, I Am Legend has very strong spiritual overtones. There is one scene in which the characters prayed for safety and protection before the bad stuff started happening (very rare in Hollywood). Neville begins as a Christian, but eventually loses faith because of all the horrible things that have happened. It is refreshing to see Neville not blame God for it, "God didn't do this, we did." We like to blame God when things go wrong. But Neville doesn't blame God because he doesn't believe in Him anymore. But then things start happening that make him sit up and take notice to the fact that something bigger might be happening. God may have a plan for all of this after all, but we have to listen. So many times in our lives we fail to see God's plans because we do not take the time to quiet ourselves and listen to His voice (like Elijah in the cave in 1Kings 19). But when Neville begins to listen to God, to welcome God back into his life, things change. The film ends with Marley's "Redemption Song," which is perfectly appropriate considering how the film ends (but I won't give it away).

Aside from the annoying product placement (Fords everywhere), I Am Legend was a pleasant surprise. This is one of the best big-budget blockbusters of the year, if not the best. Smith is great to watch as always, but the film has a depth that many mainstream Hollywood films are scared to dive into. Kudos Legend.

Atonement

Atonement has been adapted from the Ian McEwan novel for the screen and directed by Joe Wright (Pride and Prejudice). James McAvoy plays Robbie Turner, a gardener at the Tallis estate in rural England during the 30's. The eldest sister Cecilia (played by a heroine-addict-thin Kiera Knightly) is beginning to show her feelings for Robbie. At the same time, the younger sister Briony (Saoirse Ronan) still has a crush on the older boy. Briony is only 13, so her crush is quite irrational, but very real nonetheless. A few awkward moments pass between Robbie and Cecilia, but those events lead up to a quite steamy scene in the library. While the lovers are in passionate embrace, Briony walks in. She is quite disturbed and becomes enraged with jealousy. Later that same night Briony witnesses something horrific. Instead of pointing the finger at the perpetrator, she sees this as an opportunity to get back at her sister and Robbie. So she frames Robbie. If Briony can't have him, no one can. This deception wreaks havoc upon the life of Robbie. He is sent to jail for four years, and can only leave to serve as a private in the Armed Forces, during WWII. Cecilia is also incredibly angry at the budding romance that was taken from her. How can Briony atone for her sin?

The power of words takes center stage in Atonement. There is a brilliant musical motif that combines rhythm with typing on a typewriter. Not only does it sound cool, but it highlights the fact that words play a major role in the lives of the three main characters. One important exchange in the film centers around a letter written by Robbie, Briony's words convict Robbie of rape, and Briony tries for years to write a novel about what happened. When Briony was a child, her words destroyed two lives. In the Bible we can also see the power of words (God spoke creation into being, Esau lost the blessing to Jacob because of words he spoke, John 1 states that the Word became flesh in Jesus, etc.). Words are important to God. The Bible is referred to as His Word. We must look upon what we say with much more reverence; we must take our words seriously. Yet Briony attempts to atone for her sins through her words as well, and this underscores that point that words have the power to heal, to give life, and to give happiness. Briony even states that in her novel she gave them something they would have not gotten otherwise: happiness. This emphasises the power of story as well. She had changed some events in the retelling of the story, so that she might atone for what she had done, and in some way make it up to them (the tagline for the film is "You can only imagine the truth"). She really believes that stories can heal and bring joy. So do I. That's the whole reason I write this blog.

So what is atonement? In Leviticus, God set up a holiday once a year for Israel to atone for their sins. It was called Yom Kippur (The Day of Atonement). The High Priest would enter the Holy of Holies (after much cleansing of himself) and sprinkle the blood of a sacrifice on the Ark of the Covenant. He was required to wear bells and tie a rope around his ankle. This is because God's holy presence was in the room with him, and it was so awesome that it could strike the priest dead at any moment. If the other priests waiting outside did not hear the bells for a while, they would pull out the priest's body. No one else was allowed in. Now, when Jesus died, the curtain that separated this holy room from the rest of the temple is the one that was torn. God did this to show us that the separation between God and man has been destroyed through Christ. He is the curtain. Through Him we can now go to God without fear. So Israel had to atone (or make reparations/amends) for their sins every year. Then Christ did this, once for all time. So we as Christians now have the opportunity to truly give over our sins so that Christ can make amends for us, and in fact he already has. Yet, we are called to make things right with those we have wronged. We are called to repent, to seek forgiveness of those whom we hurt. This is what Briony's life has become. And we can see the horrible damage that putting this process off can cause to everyone involved.

World War II is a good backdrop for this story because in many ways the relationships in the film are a microcosm of war. These lives were destroyed because of anger and jealousy. These feelings turned into injustice. Isn't that why every war has ever been started? It seems like it sometimes. One peoplegroup is angry at another, or jealous of their land/money/position. It seems an apt parallel to me. Speaking of the war, there are no war action scenes to speak of in the film, but at one point Robbie catches up to his army on the beach after they have been defeated and are waiting to be taken back to England. This is an amazing scene for so many reasons. First, there are thousands and thousands of men on the beach. Some are happy, some sad, some singing, some going crazy, some fighting, some shooting horses, some staring off into space. And we see the devastation the war has wrought on these men all in one five minute epic shot, no cuts. It is truly a beautiful piece of filmmaking, putting you there in a way that most filmmakers only dream of.

The acting is superb, the directing is flawless, and the film looks great. No doubt this will be No Country For Old Men's best competition in the Best Picture race this year. Atonement is a magnificent story of how we hurt each other, why we hurt each other, and how we could ever make up for those sins. We truly have been made in God's image, given the power to create and destroy using only our words.