BlakeAtwood.com » Movies

The Invention of Lying (and Religion): Relevant Magazine Online

Blake — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 22:34:35 +0000

Truth be told, The Invention of Lying, the recently released-on-DVD film starring Ricky Gervais and Jennifer Garner, caught me off-guard. I knew the basic premise, that no one ever lies, or even knows how to, but one man, our protagonist Mark Bellison, learns to lie. I assumed the movie would be funny because of Gervais’ leading role. Some parts were funny, in that cringe-inducing way that Gervais seems to have perfected. Some parts were more crass, or even mean, in a darkly comic way. I did not, however, expect an overtly spiritual bent to the last half of the film. If you have yet to see the movie, I recommend that you buy it, rent it, or stream it, watch it, then come back to this article.   Especially since I’m going to spoil stuff.

Read the rest at RelevantMagazine.com…

A Clean Slate

Blake — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 04:31:05 +0000

Clean Slate is a 1994 movie starring Dana Carvey as a memory-bereft private investigator. You’ve probably never seen it. The only reason I ever saw it was Dana Carvey’s involvement, and about the only thing I remember is the poor dog with the eyepatch who keeps running into walls (a gag used multiple times that never got old to me). The plotline is somewhat along the lines of Memento, only less deadly, more funny, and it doesn’t star Jesus, er, Jim Caviezel (er, Guy Pearce, which a non-blog-reading friend kindly pointed out to me after this post was published, and which, as you’ll see, only serves to further support the main idea of this post).

I’ve come to understand that I like movies dealing with the way we remember, or forget, certain things. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is another favorite, for instance. For a long time I couldn’t figure out why I was drawn to these types of movies. I started to blame this affinity for memory movies on the fact that I can’t remember most of what I’m told. I have a friend who chides me for this every chance they get. Honestly, I think my short-term memory shorted out when I gave myself a concussion during my sophomore year (which is apt considering sophomore means “wise fool”), and which shall remain an interesting anecdote saved for another post…. once I remember what happened.

Where was I?

Oh. Right. Remembering.

More than having a personal connection to these kinds of stories, because I do, in fact, wake up every morning thinking, “Who am I?” and “Why am I here?” and “What am I supposed to be doing today?” (and, let’s be honest, we all ask ourselves these questions every morning, even if they’re not spoken aloud, or even consciously thought) is having the very real desire to be free of who I was, to have a proverbial clean slate, to be able to consciously forget the things I can’t quit remembering.

Yet, for all the complexities of the movies I’ve mentioned (well, maybe not Clean Slate), life is even more invariably complex and vague and difficult and rife with things we’d sometimes rather forget. We accrue memories, both good and bad, like packrats. We can’t help it; it’s just what we do. In the same vein, certain memories are stored, but forgotten. Some are kept close, like treasured heirlooms. The worst memories are tossed like yesterday’s newspaper, only to reappear as front page news on an otherwise spectacular day. We can suffocate and drown in these memories.

But the clean slate offers witness relocation. It promises the hope of an unencumbered past, a new residence minus the detritus of the past. And this is why I like these kinds of movies. I want the simplicity of a white-washed life.

Sure, you can make the case that yes, Jim Caviezel, er, Jesus, promises us just that. He’ll make all things new. I know that. I get that (sort of). But that’s not exactly what I’m talking about here.

If I woke up tomorrow with amnesia, completely forgetting everything that had happened in my life up to this point, who would I be? Would I be happy or hopeful? Would I still consider myself a Christian? Would I believe other people if they tried to tell me who I was? I think the answer to those questions is “no.” I’d have no identity whatsoever, and that would be terrifying. More than that, if I truly wanted a clean slate, I’d have to forget the days my nieces and nephew were born, or the day I had a very meaningful talk with my grandmother, or any other joyful, memorable, moment.

In the end, the clean slate is a dream best left to movie plotlines. In real life, for good and ill (because the ill oftentimes makes the good that much better by contrast), I’ll take, and cherish, all my memories (at least the ones I can remember).

Redemption in Film

Blake — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 05:52:45 +0000

ScriptShadow is the brain-child of Carson Reeves (@scriptshadow) in which Mr. Reeves succinctly summarizes, grades, and analyzes upcoming Hollywood scripts, often including a link to read the script itself. It’s a fascinating look at what sells and consequently gets made in Hollywood. It’s an equally beneficial site for any type of writer. I only found out about it a few weeks ago, but became a quick fan.

At the end of most reviews, Carson tells “What I Learned” from reading the script. I was especially taken with his recent conclusion based off the script for Renko Vega and the Jennifer Nine:

What I learned: Is there a theme more powerful than redemption? I struggle to think of one. Maybe it’s the man inside me that feels stained, that feels like I need to somehow find a way to “right” things. I don’t know. Maybe it’s why I like noir so much. Characters trying to wash the blood from their hands, characters trying to balance a ledger that’s been corrupted by their own misdeeds and mistakes. I connect with these characters, and I love it go on the journey with them as they try to break through a wall and come out a more honorable person. It’s not only cathartic, there’s something about it that’s peaceful to me. In Renko Vega’s case, what’s so astounding to me is that he’s a character that re-discovers his own worth. He’s a character that learns how to believe in himself again. And belief, the ability to hope and to dream and to matter, that’s a powerful thing. I think, as writers, we shouldn’t be afraid to aim high. To dream big. Don’t be afraid. And writing about redemption, well, I think that’s as high as you can get…

I know that if I ever write something of worth, redemption will be the arc. What is it in that kind of narrative that is so universal? Why does it resonate so deeply within us? What is it about The Shawshank Redemption, Simon Birch, Gran Torino, A Tale of Two Cities, or Braveheart or any other number of films that allow us to glory in the death of a beloved character? Or that make us believe that wrong can be made right? And that death, in some form or fashion, is always a part of that equation?

What are some other films worth watching with redemptive themes? Why do you think they resonate?

The Matrix: Trinity Help Scene in Lego

Blake — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 02:13:56 +0000

One of my favorite movies. One of my favorite childhood pasttimes. 440 hours to create!

HT: Cinematical

Brilliant Oscar Idea

Blake — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 05:04:36 +0000

AMC Theatres is hosting a day-long showing of the five best picture Oscar nominees on the day before the Oscars. If you didn’t know, those films are Michael Clayton, There Will Be Blood, Atonement, Juno, and No Country for Old Men. And it’s only $30. And you get a free large popcorn. And free refills.

Although I’ve already seen No Country and will probably see There Will Be Blood this Friday, I was still tempted to try this Oscarthon. Then again, the listed showtime is 12 hrs, 25 mins.

But, I am glad to see theatres doing something a little different (and inexpensive) to keep the masses happy.

There Will Be Hype

Blake — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 19:52:39 +0000

There Will Be Blood, Paul Thomas Anderson’s new movie, hasn’t been hyped in the traditional sense; it’s just won or been nominated for a plethora of awards. I plan on seeing it, but the following review makes me even more anxious to view it, especially in light of the movie I took in last night, The Kingdom:

Though not a political film in the traditional sense, Blood nevertheless captures the blood-oil-Iraq-evangelicals-capitalism zeitgeist far better than the countless Lions for Lambs-type films have this year. It got me thinking about the presidential election, and how—like Plainview and his “conversion” to Sunday’s church—so many candidates are pandering to religion not out of spiritual need but material necessity. Like Plainview, it’s not that they necessarily want God on their side; they want God’s people—and the money and support that comes with them. This sort of melding of sacred and secular purposes, however, proves toxic for all involved.

There Will Be Blood is a stunning, thoroughly modern work of art that paints a stark picture of what happens when greedy capitalism and power-mongering is bedfellow with something so contrary as Christianity. As the title forebodes, the results—for all parties involved—will not be pretty.

- Brett McCracken’s The Search

Find Music Used in Recent TV or Movies

Blake — Mon, 08 Oct 2007 03:45:44 +0000

Tunefind allows you to search by TV or Movie title or artist for songs recently featured on television shows or movies. I stumbled across it because I was looking for a song used in, yes, you guessed it, the opening episode of this year’s Friday Night Lights (Fridays at 8pm on NBC). The song, by the way, that I found within three seconds of finding Tunefind is Wilco’s Muzzle of Bees. I have no idea what the song it about, but I sure do love the sound.

Be Wise, Don't Despise

Blake — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 21:45:03 +0000

Via Tim Stevens, pastor at Granger Community Church

One of the quotes I’ll be sharing is from the book Movies that Matter: Reading Film Through the Lens of Faith by Richard Leonard. The first 25 pages is worth the price of the book. Mr. Leonard, a Jesuit priest with a PhD in Film and Theology (wow, what a combination!), says the following…

“Given the power of media, becoming conversant with its mixed messages is an essential tool for Christian life. This involves the process of inculturation—discovering where Christ is already active within a given culture. Inculturation has traditionally been about uncovering Christian resonances in faraway places and exotic rituals. Yet the risen Christ sends us out to our media-saturated culture as well, and in it we labor with Christ to expose the signs of God’s saving love already present there. We cannot speak to a culture we do not know or one we despise…we have to learn its language and discover how Christ has already gone ahead of us, inculturated in some of media’s values, stories and style.”

Churches in Theaters

Blake — Fri, 29 Jun 2007 03:37:46 +0000

Mark Batterson at Evotional.com and Pastor of National Community Church in Washington, D.C., a church that meets in a theater, says its

Pretty exciting to see the way the theater church movement has taken off in the past few years. I’m still believing for a church in every theater in America!

That’s an ambitious thought, but a worthwhile pursuit. What would it mean if something like that happened? No more building campaigns for one. No more struggling for the best A/V equipment, or even usable equipment. No more pews, just nice, comfortable theater seating. Of course, these are just behind-the-scenes concerns (which are my main concern, given my job).

But what would it mean for the world’s perception of the church? Does it become cooler? More hip? Attractive? Does it lose its otherness, its spirituality, its awe and reverence inducing factors? Or does the environment matter less than the content – the people, the relationships, the stories told and presented?

I was blessed to be involved with terranova from its early stages, but, unfortunately, could not be a part of its shift to becoming a theater church (now meeting on Sunday mornings at City Lights Theatres in Georgetown). I hear its going well, but I wonder what trade-offs they’ve seen, if any, or what feels different. I guess I just miss being "in the know" about the life of that church.

In reference to yesterday’s post about wanting to be a filmmaker of sorts, I just now remembered that my "work" has already appeared on at least 12 screens. I helped to create and edit the promos terranova gets to run before every movie appearing at City Lights. So I am famous, but only in my own eyes. Alas, Pride goes before a fall…

Evan Almighty

Blake — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 03:22:46 +0000

The wife and I just got home from a free pre-screening of Evan Almighty, the follow up to the Jim Carrey-starring Bruce Almighty. Our new favorite actor (and has been ever since The Office began running in the States), Steve Carell, stars as Evan Baxter, a secondary character from Bruce, but also one that stole scenes.

He’s now a Congressman. God visits him and tells him to build an ark. See the movie for the rest of the story. Or read your Bible.

As for our experience, I received an email directing me to a website to sign up for a free pre-screening. Free movie? Sure. That it’s a movie we actually wanted to see made it all the better. This review is my small way of paying for the ticket, since the only benefit I can think of for the studio providing a free screening is word of mouth publicity. There were multiple cities with free screenings. Our theater easily filled up.

We arrived 30 minutes early and saw the line…outside of the theater. We joined the line, met up with a coworker from my church, had our hands stamped, our bags checked for cameras, then found our seats. The air was sticky, damp, and hot. Although we were given word that the A/C would come on, it never did. Oh how we suffered.

But the movie made the trickling beads of sweat disappear into a fairly engaging story with ultimately thrilling visuals. If you know your Bible, and this particular crowd did, then you’ll be in on all the jokes. I wonder how more secularly oriented people will take the movie – if they’ll get the jokes.

The morals of the story were well presented and went beyond repeating biblical platitudes into actual, heartfelt words of biblical wisdom. The touching moments are small, but memorable.

The effects, especially the climactic scene (guess what kind of cataclysmic event occurs?), are breathtaking. I felt like I was on the boat…er…ark. It’s worth seeing this movie on many accounts, but make sure you see the last scene on a big screen.

My last thought was this: if an event happened in real life anything like the final event depicted in the movie, it would change a lot more than what the movie shows it changes. At least, I hope it would.

Final words: Go see it.