The Final Reflection

Dear Friends and Readers - Lent is come to an end, and so shall this Review. For another year, that is.

My thanks to all of you who read, responded, and encouraged me during the course of this Lenten season. It seems to have gone by exceptionally quick, but I hope you all found peace, challenge, and a deepening of devotion and faith as we meditated, prayed, and explored together. People still ask me why I spend so much time "pulling" spiritual themes out of films. I've used that word before, too, "pulling", but it doesn't feel like pulling at all...when I watch a film they're as clear to me as explosions and car chases.

I only missed two reviews this year, and that's in keeping with my previous "record". I'm glad we got to try out the idea of doing film series, and I think it went fairly well, aside from "Star Wars" in which the "Reel Reflections" weren't written in the form of a series, so that only half-counts. We made it to 100 reviews posted! And I hope we all grew closer to Jesus in some way. That is all I ever hope for in this Review. I also enjoy it when you go out and see new movies because of my reflections here. But it is always better to grow nearer to Jesus than to throw more money at Hollywood.

For the last two years i've suggested that I might do some reviewing during the "off-season"; that is, whenever it isn't Lent. I've failed to do any significant reviewing to that end, so I won't make any promises this time. Nor will I be producing hard-copy versions of this year's Review. The reviews will be available on the blog, and you're welcome to come back and read whenever you please. They're not protected under any sort of copyright, so you're free to quote the content of the reviews should you desire to.

See you in a few, and thanks again!

I wish you good and peace - E.T.

"The Town"

Title: "The Town"

Director: Ben Affleck
Producers: G. King and Basil Iwanyk
Editing: Dylan Tichenor
Composer: H.G. Williams and D. Buckley
Starring:
- Ben Affleck as Doug MacRay
- Jon Hamm as Special Agent Adam Frawley
- Rebecca Hall as Claire Keesey
- Jeremy Renner as James "Jem" Coughlin
- Blake Lively as Krista Coughlin
- Chris Cooper as Stephen MacRay
- Slaine as Albert "Gloansy" Magloan
- Titus Welliver as Dino Ciampa
- Pete Postlethwaite as Fergus "Fergie" Colm
- Owen Burke as Desmond "Dez" Elden

Plot and Critical Review: Four lifelong friends—Doug MacRay, James "Jem" Coughli, Albert "Gloansy" Magloan, and Desmond "Dez" Elden, from the dangerous streets of Charlestown, a neighborhood in Boston, Massachusetts—rob a Cambridge bank, taking bank manager Claire Keesey hostage. After Claire's release, Doug follows her and they begin a relationship. He explains that his mother deserted him as a child and apparently moved to Tangerine, Florida.

FBI agent Adam Frawley surveys the crew of MacRay, Coughlin, Magloan and Elden and realizes they work for "Fergie" Colm, a local florist. Doug is hesitant to undertake their next assignment, and his fears are confirmed during the robbery in the North End, where gunfire erupts. The police arrive quickly, a chase ensues, and the team barely escapes. Frawley then arrests the four of them and interrogates each of them, hoping to get a confession, but fails. Frawley learns of Doug and Claire's relationship through a recorded phone conversation and confronts her about the suspects. Claire is shocked to learn that Doug is a suspect, but Frawley believes she is an accomplice because of her relationship with Doug.

During a visit to his father at the local state prison, Doug reveals his plan to leave Charlestown and go to Florida. Jem approaches Doug with another job, but turns it down. Doug tells Fergie he will not do the job, but Fergie reveals that Doug's mother never left the family; instead, she committed suicide after Fergie got her addicted to drugs in retaliation for Doug's father attempting to also leave Fergie's employ. Fergie tells Doug he will kill Claire if he doesn't agree to the job, so Doug agrees, but threatens to kill him if he even suspects Fergie will harm Claire.

The job is at Fenway Park. Doug and Jem enter dressed as Boston police officers, trick the guards and counting room staff, steal millions of dollars, and prepare to leave in an ambulance dressed as paramedics. Jem spots SWAT officers and begins to shoot. In the firefight, Dez is killed. Gloansy creates a diversion and is killed while Doug and Jem put their cop uniforms back on and slip out. Agent Frawley figures out the ruse, catches sight of Jem, and tries to arrest him. Jem fires at Frawley and tries to escape, but he is cornered by the police. He has a shootout with the police in the middle of the street, and manages to shoot a few of the officers before being wounded in the leg by a blast from Frawley's shotgun. Knowing there is no way out, Jem chooses to let the police kill him in suicide by cop fashion, rather than go to prison.

Doug escapes in a police cruiser, heads to Town Flowers, killing both Fergie and his bodyguard. He calls Claire and asks her to come away with him, but he is watching from his uncle's apartment across the street and can see the FBI are in the same room with her. Claire, at first tells him to come to the room to pick her up, but in the end gives him a coded message to warn him to stay away. Doug takes an MBTA uniform from his uncle's closet and escapes from Boston. Later, Claire finds a bag buried in a community garden. The bag contains money, a tangerine, and a note that ends with "I'll see you again, on this side or the other." Claire uses the money to finance a renovation of a local hockey rink, and dedicates it to Doug's mother. Doug is then seen over an estuary, suggesting that he did, in fact, make it to Florida.

"The Town" has received critical acclaim. Review aggregate Rotten Tomatoes reports that 94% of critics have given the film a positive review based on 202 reviews, with an average score of 7.7/10, making the film a "certified fresh" on the website's rating system. The site describes the film as "tense, smartly written, and wonderfully cast". Review aggregator Metacritic gives the film a score of 74 out of 100 based on 42 critics. Roger Ebert gave the film 3 out of 4 stars, praising Jeremy Renner's performance and Affleck's direction.

Several reviewers praised the film's action sequences. In his review for the New York Times, A. O. Scott commented on the opening heist, "That sequence, like most of the other action set pieces in the film, is lean, brutal and efficient, and evidence of Mr. Affleck’s skill and self-confidence as a director." Brooks, in The Guardian, wrote that the action sequences were "sharply orchestrated" but added "it's a bogus, bull-headed enterprise all the same; a film that leaves no cliche untrampled." Justin Chang wrote in Variety that the action scenes strike "an ideal balance between kineticism and clarity" aided by cinematographer Robert Elswit and film editor Dylan Tichenor. Richard Roeper of the Chicago Sun Times gave the film an A+, noting that he found the film incredibly similar to Michael Mann's "Heat", which he described as "one of my favorite movies of all time."

As a Boston-based crime drama, the movie forms part of a "crime-movie subgenre" typically marked by "flavorsome accents, pungent atmosphere and fatalistic undertow," according to Chang. Within that subgenre, which includes "The Boondock Saints", "The Departed", "Mystic River" and Affleck's "Gone Baby Gone", "The Town" is more of a straightforward crime-procedural and has a more optimistic outlook. (Wikipedia.com)

My Rating: 7.5/10

Content to Caution:
V-4 - Gunfights, fistfights, beatings, stabbings, scuffles, etc.
L-5 - 150+ uses of the "F-Word". Not for children, this one.
DU-1 - Several characters drink heavily, and one character seems to always be using narcotics.
RT-1.5 - No comment.
H/S-2.5 - The violence certainly does ramp up, and the "line of suspense" is kept taught throughout.
CH-3.5 - Plenty of it here.
S/N-2 - Two sex scenes, but no nudity in either. A topless woman is shown at a strip club.

The "Reel Revelation": "Cement Boots"

We cheat on tests.

We lie to our friends.

We betray the confidence of others.

We cut throats to get ahead.

We cover up the evidence so that no one ever finds out.

And...

We confess "I believe in God, the Father, Almighty..."

We say our prayers before bedtime.

We quote Scripture to help the needy and hurting.

We lift our hands and hearts in worship.

We carry our crosses every day.

They seem to be in absolute opposition, the litany of trespasses and the litany of acts of faith. Yet we who believe in Christ one moment are sure to turn our back on Him and sin against God and one another the very next. It's what we do, and we ("we" meaning the human race) have been doing it for so long, we've gotten pretty good at it.

James, speaking only of the tongue (our words), had this much to say:

"But no one can tame the tongue; it is a restless evil and full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the likeness of God; from the same mouth come both blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be this way." (James 3:8-10)

In "The Town", we get to know a group of fellas who seem to be caught up in the same sort of duality. One moment they're enjoying one another's company, spending time with each other's families, having BBQs, and talking about baseball. The very next they're dressed up as nuns and carrying automatic rifles over their shoulders as they go to rob a bank. Are they not aware of the wrong they're doing? Are we?

Doug MacRay is aware, and as his relationship with Claire deepens, he begins to see the real danger in his "side-job". He sees the life they could have together, a good and happy life. He realizes that if he sticks with his crew and continues in his criminal ways, there will never be a chance to have what he begins to desire. He realizes it's just too dangerous, and decides to walk away from it all. When he tries to talk it over with "Jem", his words fall on deaf ears. "Jem" refuses to let him walk away, even threatening him if he should turn his back! To "Jem", crime is the only lifestyle! A lifestyle of sin will seem the same to the sinners, as well, even if they don't realize the sins they're committing.

As Christians we face a very similar predicament. We see our sin clearly (or we ought, for how can we so easily ignore the Man on the Cross and not think of what we've done), yet I know that, within my own heart, I often fail to grasp how serious my errors are; how tremendously destructive my trespassing can be. God's forgiveness abounds to us, and we must embrace it daily. But as we plead with God for mercy, let us take the necessary amount of time to realize what it is we've done by our sinful nature. Perhaps we might ask ourselves the following questions (or similar ones) as we prepare for confession before God:

- By my sinful nature, what have I done that has hurt me?

- By my sinful nature, what have I done that has hurt someone else?

- By my sinful nature, what have I done that has hurt the Heart of God?

- By the grace of God, how should I seek forgiveness with myself for what i've done?

- By the grace of God, how should I seek forgiveness with someone else for what i've done?

- By the grace of God, how should I seek forgiveness with God for what i've done?

We're not mobsters or crime-lords, but we behave like them everyday when we let our sins slip past us and don't take into account how much damage they really do. We might not be slapping concrete boots on our friends and throwing them in the river, but what we are doing (go back to the list at the top of this review if you've forgotten) is dealing a spiritual death to the ones we love.

Give thanks to God, for when you come to God and tell Him that you're ready to "walk away" from the sins you've committed, he will not reject you as "Jem" rejected Doug. Quite the opposite, my friends. He will defend you from your accusers, pick you up, show you the way, and say:

"I do not condemn you. ... Go. From now on, sin no more." (John 8:11)

I wish you good and peace - E.T.

Tomorrow...

Hi Everyone - I will be unable to post tonight, but will do so as soon as I can tomorrow. Thanks for your patience. - E.T.

"That Thing You Do!"

Title: "That Thing You Do!"

Director: Tom Hanks
Producer: T. Hanks and J. Demme
Editing: Richard Chew
Music:

- Score: Howard Shore

- Songs: T. Hanks, A. Schlesinger, R. Elias, H. Shore, etc.
Starring:
- Tom Everett Scott as Guy "Shades" Patterson
- Johnathon Schaech as James "Jimmy" Mattingly II
- Steve Zahn as Leonard "Lenny" Haise
- Ethan Embry as "T. B. Player," a.k.a. The Bass Player
- Tom Hanks as Mr. White
- Liv Tyler as Faye Dolan
- Charlize Theron as Tina Powers
- Bill Cobbs as Del Paxton
- Giovanni Ribisi as Chad
- Obba Babatundé as Lamarr
- Chris Ellis as Phil Horace
- Alex Rocco as Sol Siler
- Chris Isaak as Uncle Bob

Plot and Critical Review: In 1964, Guy Patterson is a drummer and jazz fan who works at his family's appliance store in Erie, Pennsylvania. Rhythm guitarist/singer Jimmy Mattingly and lead guitarist/singer Lenny Haise ask Guy to substitute at the annual Mercyhurst College talent show for their group's injured regular drummer. The group, including the bass player, plan on playing a ballad written by Jimmy and Lenny titled "That Thing You Do". Jimmy's girlfriend Faye Dolan suggests for the group the name "The Oneders"; it is pronounced "ONE-ders", but it is almost always mispronounced as the "oh-NEE-ders."

At the talent show, Guy unexpectedly sets up a fast, pounding beat rhythm to the originally slow-paced love song and it excites the crowd. The Oneders win the $100 top prize, obtain their first paying gig at a pizza parlor, and begin selling a single of "That Thing You Do", which receives local radio airplay and earns them bookings in nearby cities. After being herded by a local manager, their act becomes hotter and, at a Pittsburgh gig, a record company A&R representative (Mr. White) signs the band to Play-Tone Records, renaming the group The Wonders.

The Wonders and Faye tour state fairs across the Midwest during the summer with other Play-Tone artists. During the course of the tour Guy and Faye grow closer. "That Thing You Do" enters and climbs the Billboard Top 100. The Wonders go from being an opening act to the featured attraction, and throngs of teenage girls mob the band. Half-way through the tour The Bass Player announces that he still plans to enlist in the United States Marine Corps at the end of the summer. When "That Thing You Do" hits the Billboard Top 10, Play-Tone sends the band to Hollywood to meet Sol Siler, the label's owner. On the flight, Faye comes down with a mild case of flu and only Guy seems solicitous of her comfort. Siler and White promise The Wonders that they will appear in a major motion picture and have a recording session for a new album.

The Wonders appear as "Captain Geech and the Shrimp Shack Shooters" in the low-budget beach movie "Weekend at Party Pier"; this and Siler's other actions disillusion Jimmy, whose apparent disinterest in anything (or anyone) disturbs White and, slowly, the other members of the band. The Bass Player leaves the group to join Marines he met at the hotel restaurant and never returns. Guy meets his idol, jazz pianist Del Paxton , at a jazz club. An experienced studio bassist named Scott Pell joins The Wonders for a live performance on The Hollywood Television Showcase. During the nationally televised prime-time variety show, the words "Careful girls, he's engaged!" are captioned on the screen beneath Jimmy's image. After the show, Jimmy disrupts the Wonders' dressing suite celebration by demanding to know from Faye who suggested they were engaged. As the others listen in horror, Jimmy tells Faye he does not intend to marry her, and Faye brokenheartedly ends their relationship. As everyone but Guy leaves the suite, Guy asks Jimmy why he couldn't have dumped her in Pittsburgh.

The band gathers in the studio for a recording session and Jimmy is enraged to learn the Wonders are to record mostly songs from the Play-Tone catalog for their album. In an implication that this is his opportunity to teach Jimmy a lesson in humility, White tells Jimmy their Play-Tone contract gives White the final say on the album's material. He promises Jimmy one original song per side of the album but demands "snappy" material, not ballads. Outraged, Jimmy quits the band. Lenny never showed up for the session, having driven to Las Vegas to elope with a Play-Tone secretary/former Playboy Bunny after the televised show. White declares the group in breach of contract but declines to pursue those charges legally, concurrently implying that Guy - whom he obviously respects the most of anyone in the band - should pursue Faye. Del Paxton, who is recording next door, hears Guy's drumming and the two record a jam session. Later that afternoon Guy meets Faye at the hotel just as she is about to leave for Erie. Guy tells Faye that Del thinks he has potential as a studio musician, and that he's decided to stay in California to pursue his music. Guy finally expresses his feelings for Faye and kisses her. The two embrace.

I believe I saw "That Thing You Do!" when it came out in theatres. If I didn't see it on the big screen, I know I saw it soon after it was released on VHS. I was hooked from my first viewing. I remember pleading with my Mom to get me the soundtrack. I've since bought, lost, and re-purchased the soundtrack two or three times. The music is infectiously joyous and certainly reflective of the "pop" music of the 60s. Other tracks feature groups that try to replace the "popular sounds" of that musical era; jazz quartets, girl groups (think The Supremes), the ballad diva, and surf rock. Here are some links for your consideration:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-uP0N3jjmc&feature=related ("That Thing You Do!")

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dq9BDLpI3JI ("Hold My Hand, Hold My Heart")

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MgP4zxg1_hE ("Dance With Me Tonight" - My favorite.)

"That Thing..." brought in a modest $34 million at the theatres, but it has since gone on to reach cult-like status as a favorite in many demographics. Not only do people love the movie itself (a huge leap for Tom Hanks, as this was his direct directing gig), but the music has jumped off of the screen and found a welcome home with fans all over the world. Where else in the musical sphere do we find actual rock and roll bands covering songs written and performed by a fictional group?

Should you care to impress your friends with some trivia, you can tell them that Tom Hanks is the highest grossing actor of all time; his entire filmography has made over $3.6 billion dollars.

My Rating: 8.5/10 (That might seem high for a quasi-independent film, but the critics agree, as does the general response of moviegoers.)

Content to Caution:
V-1 - No comment.
L-2 - Young men with hasty tongues. You know how it is...
DU-1 - Some drinking and smoking.
RT-0 - No comment.
H/S-0 - No comment.
CH-2 - Young men making young men's jokes. You know how it is...
S/N-1 - Some kissing. Lenny befriends and marries a former Playboy Bunny who isn't afraid to show it.

The "Reel Revelation": "Failing Fervor and Single-Mindedness"

Have you ever gotten a job that you felt was "perfect" for you? You get into a new position and it feels like the job was meant just for you. You feel alive as you find that every ounce of your creative and professional energies are being utilized. Then, after a time, your fervor starts to fail, and you lose interest. Before long you find that you don't care quite as much as you used to; that your former love has faded. If this was your "dream job", you must've woken up, because it just doesn't have the appeal it used to. What happened?!

We all experience this sense of fading interest and passion. If we don't experience it in our jobs, we definitely experience it in our relationships. Once the "honeymoon phase" ends (be it in a new friendship or in a romantic relationship) we find ourselves holding back, discovering that we're not so willing to commit as much time or effort to the relationship. Our love for the person remains (just as we might still love a job, or a certain type of service), but our interest starts to fade away. This is, in a sense, the predicament faced by the members of The Wonders in "That Thing You Do!" You'd think they'd be endlessly excited about their meteoric rise to the top of the charts, but the higher they climb the more they're put to the test by distractions and other opportunities. Lenny, once the co-writer of the group, can't stop thinking about women. He drives to Vegas and marries a Playboy Bunny. The Bass Player only ever wanted to be in the USMC and bails on the band to enlist. Jimmy (who, at first glance, seems to be the musical center of the group) becomes more interested in his own music and success. In the end, Guy seems to be the only member of the band who genuinely cares about the music at all.

But even Guy faced distractions, and in the film that distraction came in the form of Faye Dolan, the heartbreakingly sweet "costume specialist" who tagged along with the group wherever they went. Even when Faye was dating Jimmy (which she was through 95% of the film), Guy's feelings for her were unchanging; he loved her from the get-go. But Guy kept his feelings for her in check. He recognized his affections, but didn't allow them to overpower his senses. He cared for her, played with her, laughed with her, and kept her company, but never at the expense of the task at hand. He never compromised his love of music, nor did he jeopardize his drive to become a great musician. And when the opportunity came for him to confess his love, he jumped at it. But even then, Faye didn't suddenly overwhelm his focus; she became a part of it! How has God turned potential distractions (whatever they may be) into a part of your ministry and evangelism?

St. Paul admonished the Christians in Corinth to be "like-minded" (2. Cor. 13:11) in proclaiming the Gospel. He knew that they lived in a city full of distractions and saw how easily they could be pulled apart by the divisions that could creep into their fellowship of faith. Even the most fervent Christians, full of zeal for Christ and the Gospel, were pouring their energies into issues which actually took them away from the work of the Kingdom. See 1 Cor. 1-4 for examples. While it was important for Christians to be tending to matters which concerned the Body of Christ, Paul saw how the concerns (and sin) of even one individual could distract others from serving Christ in a "like-minded" fashion. Go back The Wonders and consider how a band of immense popularity and (relative) talent ought to have been focused on one goal; making music, selling records, and showing fans a good time. The distractions they faced (that seemed to be no more than trifles in the beginning) eventually led to the band's dissolution. How much more damage will our distractions do to the Body of Christ!

The Christians in Corinth struggled with it, as did those in Philippi. To those, St. Paul wrote:

"Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose." (Phil. 2:1-2)

That "purpose"?

"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." (Matthew 28: 19-20)

Distractions to the left
Distractions to the right

Before and above

Behind and below

Shut them out
Shut them up
Shut them away
And "Go..."

See you tomorrow - E.T.

"The Terminal"

Title: "The Terminal"
Director: Steven Spielberg
Producers: S. Spielberg, W.F. Parkes, L. MacDonald, and A. Niccol
Editing: Michael Kahn
Composer: John Williams
Starring:
- Tom Hanks as Viktor Navorski
- Catherine Zeta-Jones as Amelia Warren
- Stanley Tucci as Frank Dixon
- Barry Shabaka Henley as Thurman
- Kumar Pallana as Rajan Gupta
- Diego Luna as Enrique Cruz
- Chi McBride as Mulroy
- Zoë Saldana as Dolores Torres
- Eddie Jones as Salchak

Plot and Critical Review: Viktor Navorski arrives at JFK International Airport, but finds that he is not allowed to enter the United States. While he was en route to the US, a revolution was started in his home nation of Krakozhia. Due to the civil war, the United States no longer recognizes Krakozhia as a sovereign nation and denies Viktor's entrance to the US on the grounds that Viktor technically has no citizenship. Unable to leave the airport or return to Krakozhia, Viktor instead lives in the terminal.

Viktor quickly befriends the staff at the terminal while being under the watchful eye of Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Head Frank Dixon, who wants Navorski removed from the airport. Initially being deprived of food by Dixon as a method of trying to get him arrested and made someone else's problem, Navorski takes on the task of retrieving vacant baggage trolleys for the 25 cent reward from the machine. He uses this money to buy food from Burger King until eventually Dixon prevents him from collecting. He then makes his first friend, a catering car driver named Enrique who asks him to approach a female Customs and Border Protection officer named Dolores for him in exchange for food. With Viktor's help, Enrique and Dolores eventually marry each other. He meets flight attendant Amelia Warren, who asks him out to dinner, but he tries to earn money in order to ask Amelia out instead. He finally gets an off-the-books job as a construction worker at the airport earning $19 an hour.

Viktor is asked to interpret for a desperate Russian man with undocumented drugs for his sick father. Viktor claims it is "medicine for goat," barring the drug from confiscation and resolving the crisis. Under pressure and the watchful eye of the Airport Ratings committee, who is evaluating Dixon for an upcoming promotion, Dixon has a falling out with Viktor. Though Dixon is advised that sometimes rules must be ignored, he becomes obsessed with getting Viktor ejected from the airport. An Airport janitor Rajan Gupta, exaggerates the "goat" incident to his fellow co-workers and as a result, Viktor earns the respect and admiration of all of the airport staff.

One day, Viktor explains to Amelia that the purpose of his visit to New York is to collect an autograph from the tenor saxophonist Benny Golson. His late father was a jazz enthusiast who had discovered the "Great Day in Harlem" photograph in a Hungarian newspaper in 1958, and vowed to get an autograph of all the 57 jazz musicians featured on the photograph.

A few months later, the war in Krakozhia ends, but Dixon will still not allow Viktor to enter the United States. Amelia reveals that she had asked her 'friend' — actually a married government official with whom she had been having an affair — to assist Viktor in obtaining permission to travel within the US, but Viktor is disappointed to learn she has renewed her relationship with the man during this process.

To make matters worse, Dixon needs to sign the form granting Viktor the right to remain in the United States, but refuses. He instead blackmails Viktor into returning to Krakozhia, or he will deport Gupta to his native country, where he is wanted for assaulting a corrupt police officer. Upon hearing this, Gupta runs in front of Viktor's plane and asks Viktor to go anyway. The plane is delayed, giving Viktor enough time to go into the city and obtain the autograph. With the blessing of the entire airport staff, Viktor leaves the airport after receiving a uniform coat from a U.S. Customs and Border Protection Assistant Port Director and hails a taxi. Dixon, watching Viktor leave the airport, decides not to pursue him. As Viktor prepares to take the taxi to a Ramada Inn where Benny Golson is performing, he observes Amelia exiting from a cab, where she gives him a wistful smile. He has a short conversation with the cab driver, telling him how to avoid traffic on the way to the hotel and that he is from Krakozhia. The driver tells Viktor that he is from Albania and arrived earlier that week. He attends the show and collects the autograph, finally completing the collection. Afterwards, Viktor leaves and hails a taxi, telling the driver: "I am going home."

I believe "The Terminal" ought to be considered an American classic, but I realize that I am one of very few who feel that way. While "The Terminal" opened to fair reviews and a relatively successful box office response (it made almost 4x its budget), it has since slipped in favor and most film critics rate it in the "middle of the road". That is, most reviews come back in the 4-5/10 range. Most criticisms surround the pace of the movie; that it fails to go slow or fast enough to create dramatic tension or suspense. That is one of the reasons why I favor this film; it doesn't require too much of the viewer (great films do not always have to, no matter what popular opinion says) but still satisfies with an original plot and solid acting.

"The Terminal" was the 3rd film that paired Steven Spielberg's legendary directorial technique with Tom Hanks' impeccable acting talent. Their track record speaks for itself, and I hope we will see more films that share the talents of these two tremendous artists.

The first three or four times I watched the movie I was astonished that Spielberg was able to convince an international airport into allowing him to shoot such extensive scenes in a public place that sustains unavoidably heavy foot traffic. If you need another reason to favor Spielberg as a director and producer, please take into consideration that he had a fully functioning airport terminal (International Transit Lounge) built for the sake of this film. Real coffee in the Starbucks machines, real books on the Borders shelves, and real Whoppers at Burger King. Spielberg spared no expense. The escalators were purchased from a department store that had gone bankrupt. The terminal might not have looked like any airport you've ever been in, but did you ever get the sense you were watching a film shot on a sound stage? Well done, sir.

My Rating: 7/10

Content to Caution:
V-1.5 - A man threatens to kill himself over the confiscation of medicine for his father. A brief scuffle follows.
L-2 - Here and there.
DU-1.5 - Some characters are seen drinking, especially when Viktor learns he can go home. One character smokes in a luggage assembly area.
RT-1 - No comment.
H/S-0 - No comment.
CH-2 - A few jokes are made about sexual topics, and there is some rough humor shared between characters.
S/N-1 - Amelia speaks of her affair quite candidly. She and Viktor share a kiss.

The "Reel Revelation": "The Blessed In-Between"

Viktor Navorski was in between flights. What should have been a brief stop in NYC and a speedy return home turned into an 11-month "in-between" period as Viktor waited for clearance to enter NYC, get a prized autograph, and fly back to his homeland. Viktor simply said, "I'm in between flights..." We also have a few "in betweens" we report to one another:

"I'm in between jobs..."

"I'm in between relationships..."

"I'm in between treatments..."

When placed against some of the real-life waiting periods we face, we might call Viktor lucky! As far-fetched as his story is, Viktor displays a model of behavior that we can genuinely learn from. If we're willing to be honest with ourselves, I think we'll find that we've been in his place many times, and are likely to find ourselves there again. Whether it's moving from one job to another, one home to another, one opportunity to another, or simply waiting to get from Point A to Point B, we find ourselves in a sort of "in-between" that challenges our patience and our trust in God, who guides us.

I felt challenged to that end in a particularly personal way when I was in between work. I'd resigned from one job and was trying to find another one. Time after time I was told that I wasn't qualified for the positions I was seeking. I felt just like Viktor when he'd visit Office Torres at the immigration desk..."unacceptable"...DENIED. The period of "in between" stretched on and on. I got distracted, disheartened, and disoriented. There were times when I forgot what direction I was supposed to be going; times when I'd forget how I even got to where I was in the first place. Frustration mounted and I just wanted to be out of the in between. Have you ever felt the same way?

Lent is very much a season of "in between". In a liturgical sense (that is, according to the calendar of the church) we're passing from "Ordinary Time" into the "Easter Season". Why can't we just get to the joy and celebration of the Resurrection? Why deal with 40 days of fasting, penance, and sad music? That we could, but the Resurrection would not be complete if there was no tomb for Jesus to come out of. Can we ignore it? If we tried to skip Lent we'd be as guilty as those who walked by the Cross and paid no attention to Jesus, hanging there in desolation. We'd be like those of whom Jeremiah spoke in Lamentations:

"Is it nothing to all you who pass this way?
Look and see if there is any pain like my pain
Which was severely dealt out to me,
Which the LORD inflicted on the day of His fierce anger." (Lamentations 1:12)

Jesus didn't suffer that "pain" for nothing. His endurance of such utter agony shows us that even the most unbearable periods of being "in between" can contain a most righteous purpose for our lives.

Think back to Viktor. He carried that peanut can with him at almost all times. It was a reminder of where he was going and a way of keeping him focused on fulfilling the promise he made to his father. Do you carry such a reminder with you? You might not choose to carry an actual item on your person, but is there something in your life that reminds you of where you're going, who you are, and whose you are? We would do very well to keep those three things in mind as often as possible.

If you're in an "in between" period right now and feeling pretty fed up, do not give up hope quite yet. Remember that even Viktor faced distractions. Not only was he compelled to help others complete their tasks, but he became quite distracted when he met Amelia. That relationship didn't pan out, but through his interactions with her he learned about himself and his capacity to love. You might be frustrated because something is keeping you from "moving forward", but what you might call an "obstacle" could in fact be an opportunity to learn more about yourself and your relationship with God. Thus, even when they are not preferable to our senses, we can still call the "in between" periods blessed. Remember...

"Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing." (James 1:2-4)

If you are struggling, let these words be to you what Viktor's peanut can was to him; a reminder that your period of "in-between" is blessed, indeed! The carnation blooms during the months of winter when it seems there ought not be any life at all...will not your life bloom all the more as you wait to get from Point A to Point B?

See you tomorrow - E.T.

Time Out!

Some of you might know that I am currently producing/directing the performance of an original musical composition at the church where I work. The performance is this coming Wednesday evening, and tonight we had our final dress rehearsal. The rehearsal ended on time but I wasn't able to get home until just recently, and as such I feel I am unable to do a review tonight. But I don't like to leave a void on the blog, so i'll share a short story I wrote a few years back. I might have posted it before on the Film Review blog, but if I did I don't remember. I hope you enjoy it and find that the message speaks to your life!


“Lessons in the Lettuce”

A man planted a garden with a variety of seeds and buds greater than that of any garden on Earth. When he had finished sowing the seeds, he watered and tended the garden with great care for many months. His faithful care and the provision of nature’s rain and sunlight caused the plants to grow speedily and in the best of health. The weeks of late summer arrived and the man would often look out over his garden, beholding the swaying harbor of green blossoming. Though he ate well off of the stores he kept through winter and spring, the prospect of young tomatoes, sweet carrots, and tender green beans tempted him toward the end of every day when he was most weary from his labor.

After a day of exceptionally difficult toil in the fields, the tired man returned home through the back gate which stood near the entrance of the garden. Oh, the scent of the cabbage! Oh, how the stems of the potato plants had grown and were beginning to show the fullness of the earth apples below his feet! And yes, how lovely the lettuce stood, leaves broad before the failing sunlight. It was a sight strong enough to entice even the boldest and stead-fast of souls. So great was the feast of green spread before the man that walking away empty-handed became a sure impossibility. Walking as one who hides a great secret he made straight for the tomatoes. His hand struck at the nearest crimson orb. Even now he cannot understand why so heavy a guilt encompassed his heart as he took hold and pulled. What a surprise when the tomato pulled back!
“Sir! Sir I do say unhand me this very moment!” What else could the humble farmer do but pull his hand back twice as quickly as he had reached out? He stumbled back. The tomato bobbed up and down before coming to a rest as two clever-looking eyes and a broad mouth formed out of the waxy flesh.

“How dare you pick me, sir?! Have you no good sense? I am red enough for looks, yes, but I am at least two weeks away from ripeness! I should be thankful indeed that my stem is much stronger now and able to resist your greed and gluttony. Why, you are worse than the deer that prance through the garden and nibble as they please. Half of this vine has been lost to their unchecked feeding!” Silence stood. I don’t have to describe to you how shocked and dumbfounded the farmer was. Finally he managed to form what we might accept as a phrase of surprise.
“You can talk!” exclaimed the farmer.
“Aye, I can. It seems I’m also quite better at it than you.”
“I…I am sorry. I’m used to staring at you, not conversing.” There was but a moment of pause as his eyes filled with a most-greedy twinkle. “And what a beautiful tomato you are! Why, you could tell me all the secrets of tomatoes. How to grow them, how often to water them, and what type of vine bracing proves the most fruitful…pardon the pun.” Again, a moment of dreadful silence stood. Being the more daring of the two, the tomato was the first to break the stillness.
“You, sir, do indeed deserve all the shame those of your race can give!” The tomato turned ‘round and faced the whole of the garden to speak. His voice sounded like a horn of war. “Awake, all of you awake and look upon this worm of a man who calls himself our keeper.” As soon as the tomato cried out the entire garden stirred with life not of its own. Carrots and potatoes burrowed skyward and shook off the cool soil to reveal smoky eyes near their stems and roots. String beans stood erect like trumpets and even the strawberries which were planted quite near to the farm-house turned ‘round to gaze upon the farmer who started to quiver where he stood.
“Why do you covet us when your storehouses are yet full of last year’s most gracious harvest?” Could you not wait a few more weeks? When the harvest arrives the fullness of this garden will be made altogether available to you. Until then, let us grow! Let us blossom and stretch. Farmer, let the Earth’s good gift be made complete. We grow for your sake, farmer. We grow for your sake.”
It may have well been an hour that the farmer stood in silence. His eyes bore holes into the boots on his feet. He became so full of shame he could have sown a bushel of seeds into the hole in his heart. He did not look up for a moment and so did not see a thousand pairs of eyes slowly slip back into green and red and brown bodies. Night came and he crept to his bed. His sorrow was complete, but not because he’d been told off by a tomato. Rather, he sank into a slumber of shame because he had attempted to take what was intended for him long before the season of harvest had arrived. He failed to realize that even men must obey the seasons of sowing, reaping, and harvest. To violate them is to lose far more than the crops of the field and the bounty of the soil.

O God, grant us patience to bear the seasons of our lives as they begin and end in accordance with Your will. May we not be hasty, but embrace the seasons of growth and change, holding fast to the hope of the harvest to come. This we ask through Christ, Our Lord. Amen.

See you tomorrow - E.T.

"Star Wars Episode VI: Return Of The Jedi"

Title: "Star Wars Episode VI: Return Of The Jedi"
Director: Richard Marquand
Producers: H. Kazanijan, G. Lucas, and R. McCallum
Editing: S. Barton, D. Dunham, and M. Lucas
Composer: John Williams
Starring:
- Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker
- Harrison Ford as Han Solo
- Carrie Fisher as Princess Leia Organa
- David Prowse as Darth Vader
- James Earl Jones as 'The Voice Of' Darth Vader
- Billy Dee Williams as Lando Calrissian

- Ian McDiarmid as Emperor Palpatine
- Anthony Daniels as C-3PO
- Kenny Baker as R2-D2

- Warwick David as Wicket
- Peter Mayhew as Chewbacca
- Jeremy Bulloch as Boba Fett
- Alec Guinness as Obi-Wan "Ben" Kenobi

Plot and Critical Review: Luke Skywalker, having nearly completed his Jedi training, initiates a plan to rescue the frozen Han Solo from Jabba the Hutt with the help of Princess Leia, Lando Calrissian, Chewbacca, C-3PO, and R2-D2. Leia infiltrates Jabba's palace on Tatooine disguised as a bounty hunter and releases Han from his carbonite prison, but is caught and forced to serve as Jabba's slave. Luke arrives and allows himself to be captured after surviving an attempted feeding to the Rancor. Jabba sentences Luke and Han to be fed to the monstrous Sarlacc. As he is about to be put to death, Luke breaks free, receives his newly-constructed lightsaber from R2-D2, and a large battle erupts; in the ensuing chaos, Leia strangles Jabba to death with her slave chains, Han inadvertently knocks Boba Fett, the bounty hunter who captured him, into the gaping maw of the Sarlacc, and Luke, escaping with his allies, destroys Jabba's sail barge. As Han and Leia rendezvous with the other Rebels, Luke returns to Dagobah where he finds that Yoda is dying. With his last breaths, Yoda confirms that Darth Vader is Luke's father, and that Luke must confront him again to become a true Jedi Knight; he also mentions "another Skywalker". The spirit of Obi-Wan Kenobi reveals that Darth Vader was once Anakin Skywalker and that the "other Skywalker" Yoda spoke of is Luke's twin sister — who Luke finally realizes is Leia.

The Rebel Alliance learns that the Empire has been constructing a new Death Star, larger and more powerful than the first. In a plan to destroy the new weapon, Han is elected to lead a strike team to destroy the battle station's shield generator on the forest moon of Endor. The destruction of the generator would allowing a squadron of starfighters to enter the incomplete superstructure and destroy it from within. Returning from Dagobah, Luke joins the strike team along with Leia and the others. The strike team uses a captured Imperial shuttle to get to Endor's surface. Darth Vader senses Luke's presence on the shuttle, but lets them through so that they will be ambushed by the Imperial forces lying in wait on the planet below.

On Endor, Luke and his companions encounter a tribe of Ewoks (who mistake C-3PO for a diety) and form a partnership with them. Later, Luke confesses to Leia that Vader is his father, that she is his sister, and that he is leaving to confront Vader one more time, believing that there is still good in him. Luke surrenders to Imperial troops so that they will bring him to Vader. He then tries to convince Vader to turn from the dark side, but Vader says it is too late for him and takes Luke to the Death Star to meet Emperor Palpatine.

Palpatine reveals to Luke that his allies are walking into a trap and that the Death Star is in fact fully operational and set to destroy the Rebellion once and for all. Back on Endor, the Rebels are captured by Imperial forces, but a surprise counterattack launched by the Ewoks allows the Rebels to fight back. During the strike team's assault, Lando leads the Rebel fleet in the Millennium Falcon to the Death Star, only to find the station's shield is still up, and the Imperial Fleet waiting for them. As fighting between the fleets ensue, Palpatine tempts Luke to give in to his anger and join the dark side of the Force. A lightsaber duel between Luke and Vader erupts, during which Vader probes Luke's mind and learns that Luke has a sister. When Vader suggests she would turn to the dark side instead, Luke snaps and attacks him with full force, cutting off Vader's hand and rendering him helpless. Palpatine goads him to kill Vader and take his place as a Sith Lord, but Luke realizes how close he is to suffering his father's fate and casts his lightsaber aside, proclaiming his allegiance to the Jedi. Enraged, Palpatine attacks Luke with Force lightning. Unable to bear the sight of his son's suffering, Vader grasps Palpatine and casts him down a reactor shaft to his death, but is mortally wounded by Palpatine's lightning in the process. The redeemed Anakin Skywalker asks Luke to remove his mask, and tells his son that there is good in him after all before dying, finally at peace.

Meanwhile, on Endor, the strike team, with the help of the Ewoks, defeats the Imperial forces and finally destroys the shield generator, allowing the Rebel fleet to launch a final assault on the Death Star. Lando leads the remaining ships deep into the station's core and fires at the main reactor, causing it to collapse, which slowly engulfs the Death Star in flames. Luke escapes on an Imperial shuttle with his father's body before the Death Star explodes. Lando escapes in the Millennium Falcon. On Endor, Han tells Leia that he knows she loves Luke and offers to step aside; but before he goes she tells him that Luke is her brother and kisses him. That evening, Luke returns to Endor and cremates his father's body and armor on a funeral pyre. The entire galaxy is shown to be celebrating the fall of the Empire. As the Rebels celebrate the end of the Empire, Luke sees the spirits of Obi-Wan Kenobi, Yoda, and a redeemed Anakin Skywalker watching over them with pride.

Here's a few more lesser-known facts:

- Approximate Budget: $32.5 million

- Approximate Income from Initial Theatrical Release: $475 million

- Kenny Baker, who played R2-D2 through the course of the first two films was cast to play the role of Wicket but became ill with food poisoning the morning of the shoot. Warwick David (who was 11 at the time) had previous auditioned for the "Star Wars" when there was a casting call for dwarf actors. At the time Davis had no acting experience whatsoever. He went on to reprise the role of Wicket in several movies based on the race of Ewoks and became internationally famous when he played Willow in the film of the same name. You're might be familiar with his recent work as Professor Flitwick (and Griphook) in the Harry Potter films.

- Lucas had hoped to hire Steven Spielberg to direct Episode VI but was unable to as Spielberg had removed himself form the Directors Guild of America, making it almost impossible for him to work for any larger film studio. It seems Spielberg managed to do alright in the long run...

- The original theatrical poster used the title "Revenge Of The Jedi". Lucas quickly had it changed as he felt that revenge wasn't in keeping with the Jedi code. The posters which bear that title are highly collectible.

- Vader is the Dutch word for "Father".

My Rating: 7.5/10 (This one is exceptionally difficult to rate. "Return..." is a true finale and provides a suitable ending to a tremendous film series, but in terms of revenue, reward, recognition, and general fan approval, "Return..." is probably ranked about 3rd of 4th out of the entire "Star Wars" series. I love this movie, but my love and affection alone cannot grant it a rating above 7.5.

Content to Caution:
V-2.5 - Woodland creatures are killed by Stormtroopers. Some people have a hard time with that...
L-.5 - No comment.
DU-0 - No comment.
RT-0 - There's a lot of talk about Luke being a "slave" to the Emperor, but it doesn't exactly quality as being "racial slander".
H/S-2 - To maintain balance while trying to convey the action of two epic battles is never an easy feat, but it's done here with style and precision.
CH-.5 - No comment.
S/N-1 - A kiss here and there. Lots of hugging toward the end.

The "Reel Revelation": "A Galaxy (Not So) Far, Far Away - Pt. 6"

In a previous review I wrote about the plot device in which a character offers his or her confession to another character at the last possible moment. Whether it's a confession of love (and it is, most of the time), a declaration of victory, or a final plea for help, Hollywood leans heavily on confessions offered in last-minute moments for the sake of heightened drama and tension. And it does. In that previous review, however, I reflected that we ought not wait until the last minute (as characters in films and books seem to do) to share what is most important. This is especially true when it comes to sharing the Gospel of Christ and expressing God's love to those around us...we simply can't wait until the last minute, especially when God is calling us to speak and act now!

But try as we might, those moments do occur when someone, at the very last possible moment, says something that changes our lives. We see it in "Return Of The Jedi" as Anakin Skywalker (Darth Vader no longer, having killed Emperor Palpatine to save his son) asks Luke to take off his mask (which keeps him alive in the first place) so that he can look on his son "with (his) own eyes". It's then that Anakin tells Luke he was right all along, that he hadn't truly been lost to the Dark Side of The Force and that he truly was a good man. And then he breathes his last. A tender sentiment at the very end. While it might not happen for us on the ramp of a spaceship in the middle of an exploding space station, we too have experiences of last-minute confessions that will stay with us for the rest of our lives.

To that same end we are responsible for our own last-minute moments in which our final words will be the words by which people will remember us. We naturally think of the final words we'll speak during this life, be they spoken from our death bed, on the phone, or in a living will and testament, but let us not forget the many last-minute moments we move through on a daily basis:

- Walking out of the house on the way to work.

- The end of a phone conversation with a loved one.

- The final lines of a letter or e-mail or text message.

- The way we close conversations with friends, family members, and strangers.

- The final words we speak to a spouse or child before we fall asleep.

How we choose to end such conversations and encounters really matters! Not only because there's a chance (however slim) that they'll be the last time we speak with those we know, but because those final words will represent us from that moment until the next moment we meet with that person or group of people again. To this end St. Paul wrote to the Christians in Ephesus and urged them to: "Speak truth each one of you with his neighbor, for we are members of one another. Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not give the devil an opportunity." (Eph. 4:25b-27)

Have you ever ended a conversation with a set of poorly chosen words and, later on, realized you ought to have spoken differently? From the moment that conversation ended until the moment you reconcile with that person and seek forgiveness, who knows what will happen in their heart! Even a simple set of poorly chosen words can throw a person off-center for days, even weeks! Even a lifetime.

My sister always ends our phone conversations with "I love you". Even if I call to ask her a simple question about baking and the call doesn't last more than 60 seconds she always says "I love you, brother". There was a time in which I grew tired of it, feeling that it was starting to become somewhat contrived. Now, i'd rather end my conversations with her with those words than any others; it leaves me no room to doubt how she feels about me. What a grace from God.

I do not wish to give you the idea that I am at all fascinated or obsessed with death and the dying, but I find the stories of peoples' last words highly interesting. In closing, here's a list of some noteworthy last-minute moments from some folks you're sure to recognize.

"Please put out the light." - Theodore Roosevelt

"I'm bored with it all." - Winston Churchill

"It is very beautiful over there." - Thomas Edison

"Let me go to the house of my Father." - Pope John Paul II

"I have tried so hard to do right." - Grover Cleveland

"Either that wallpaper goes, or I do." - Oscar Wilde

"I shall hear in Heaven." - Ludwig van Beethoven (Unconfirmed)

Make your last words count my friends, be they at the end of this life or at the end of your next phone call. I'll try to set a good example in saying that I hold you all in my heart, and love you with the love of our Lord, Jesus Christ.

See you tomorrow - E.T.

"Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back"

Title: "Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back"

Director: Irvin Kershner
Producers: G. Kurtz, G. Lucas, and R. McCallum
Editing: P. Hirsch
Composer: John Williams
Starring:
- Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker
- Harrison Ford as Han Solo
- Carrie Fisher as Princess Leia Organa
- David Prowse as Darth Vader
- James Earl Jones as 'The Voice Of' Darth Vader
- Billy Dee Williams as Lando Calrissian
- Anthony Daniels as C-3PO
- Kenny Baker as R2-D2.
- Peter Mayhew as Chewbacca

- Jeremy Bulloch as Boba Fett
- Alec Guinness as Obi-Wan "Ben" Kenobi

Plot and Critical Review: Despite the destruction of the Death Star, the Rebel Alliance has suffered many setbacks and the Empire's vast military force has driven the rebels into hiding. Some members of the Alliance establish a hidden base on the bleak, remote ice planet of Hoth. Darth Vader, having become obsessed with finding Luke Skywalker, has multiple probe droids dispatched throughout the galaxy; one of which lands on Hoth. While patrolling near the base, Luke sees a meteor (actually an Imperial probe droid) strike the planet surface and tells Han Solo that he is going to investigate. While searching the area, Luke is attacked and knocked unconscious by a Wampa, a snow creature indigenous to the planet. Back at the base, Han Solo announces his intention to leave the Rebellion to pay off a debt to Jabba the Hutt, much to Princess Leia's displeasure. When Luke does not return that evening, Han decides to travel through an approaching storm to find Luke, who has since been trapped by the Wampa in a cave. Using The Force, Luke manages to retrieve his lightsaber to free himself and slice off the Wampa's arm in order to escape. Escaping from the creature's lair, Luke almost immediately succumbs to the freezing cold and collapses. The spirit of his late mentor, Obi-Wan Kenobi, appears before him and instructs him to go to the planet Dagobah to train under Jedi Master Yoda. Han manages to find Luke in time and uses the body of his own Tauntaun, which died due to exposure, to provide a shelter for Luke. They are rescued the following morning by a search team sent from Echo Base.

Meanwhile, the Imperial probe droid Luke was previously searching for locates the Rebel base and reports its location to the Imperial Fleet. An attack on the discovered base is ordered by Vader while the Rebels prepare to evacuate and disperse. The Imperial forces eventually overpower the Rebels using gigantic AT-AT Walkers and capture the base. Han and Leia escape on the Millennium Falcon with C-3PO and Chewbacca, but they are unable to enter hyperspace because of technical difficulties. They evade pursuit in an asteroid field where Han and Leia begin to grow closer to each other. Frustrated at having lost the Millennium Falcon, Vader turns to several notorious bounty hunters, including Boba Fett, to assist in locating the missing ship.

Luke escapes from Hoth with R2-D2 and travels to Dagobah, where he meets Yoda. After a period of intensive training, Luke has premonitions of Han and Leia in pain. Against Yoda's advice, Luke leaves to save his friends, promising to return to complete his training. As they watch Luke depart, the spirit of Obi-Wan laments that Luke is their last hope. Yoda disagrees and reminds Obi-Wan that "there is another".

Having escaped the Imperial forces, but unaware that they are being tracked by Boba Fett, Han's party sets a course for Cloud City, a floating gas mining colony in the skies of the planet Bespin, which is run by Han's old friend Lando Calrissian. Shortly after they arrive at Cloud City, Lando turns them over to Vader to be used as bait in a trap for Luke. Lando then reveals to Han and Leia that he was forced to betray them to prevent the occupation of his city by the Empire.

Vader intends to hold Luke in suspended animation via carbon freezing, and selects Han as a test subject for the process. Before Han is frozen in the carbonite freezing chamber and taken to Jabba the Hutt, Leia professes her love for him. Han simply replies, "I know". Vader gives Han's hibernating form to Boba Fett, who plans to present the body as "prize" to Jabba the Hutt. Later, after Vader effectively reneges the deal, Lando helps Leia and the others escape, insisting that there is still a chance to save Han. Despite their efforts, Boba Fett makes off with Han, forcing Leia, Chewbacca, and Lando to make an escape on the Falcon.

Luke arrives at Cloud City and falls into Vader's trap. They engage in a lightsaber duel in which Vader quickly gains the advantage and cuts off Luke's right hand. With Luke cornered, Vader tempts Luke with the offer to rule the galaxy alongside him, making the revelation that he is in fact Luke's father. Shocked, Luke refuses Vader's proclamations, and throws himself down the air shaft until he reaches a tube system that ejects him onto an antenna attached to the underbelly of the floating city. He makes a desperate telepathic plea to Leia, who senses Luke's distress from aboard the Falcon and persuades Lando to return for him. They rescue Luke as TIE fighters close in and escape from the planet. Luke is taken aboard a Rebel medical frigate and fitted with an artificial hand. As Luke, Leia, R2-D2 and C-3PO look on from the medical frigate, Lando and Chewbacca depart for Tatooine to free Han as the Rebel Fleet amasses in preparations to strike back at the Empire.

I really enjoyed digging up some lesser-known facts about "A New Hope". Permit me to do the same here with "Empire Strikes Back":

- Approximate Budget: $18 million (One of the most expensive films of its day.)

- Approximate Income from Initial Theatre Release: $538 million

- The Writers and Directors Guild fined George Lucas $250,000 for placing the credits at the end of the film. They allowed it with "A New Hope", even though it was unusual for the credits to come at the end of a film during that time. Lucas wanted the credits to roll at the end to keep the look of the film series consistent.

- It cost approx. $250,000 to produce and record the entire soundtrack for "The Empire Strikes Back"

- It is reported that, during the filming of the extensive scenes on Dagobah in which Luke trains to become a Jedi Knight, Mark Hamill became quite resentful of being the only human actor on set. He was applauded for his efforts in working with puppets and animatronic creatures. At the time it was somewhat rare for so much human-puppet interaction to happen on screen; another ground-breaking elements of the "Star Wars" trilogy.

- Emperor Palpatine's voice was provided by Cline Revill, but Elaine Baker did all of the physical acting. Ian McDiarmid portrayed Palpatine in "Return of the Jedi" and the prequel films.

- The script indicated that Han Solo would say "I love you, too" when Leia confessed her love for him. Harrison Ford didn't feel the line fit Han's character and, after a couple takes, improvised the now legendary, "I know."

My Rating: 8/10

Content to Caution:
V-2 - Violence and action consistent with Episode IV. Fistfights, blaster duels, and one dismemberment as a result of a lightsaber duel.
L-.5 - No comment.
DU-1 - No comment.
RT-0 - No comment.
H/S-2 - Big works live in asteroids. Deal with it.
CH-1 - No comment.
S/N-1 - "You're trembling." - "I'm not trembling."

The "Reel Revelation": "A Galaxy (Not So) Far, Far Away - Pt. 5"

Have you ever been in a job or taken a position in which your employer or supervisor offered to pay for training so you could strengthen your gifts? Perhaps you're offered the opportunity to go away for a week to a conference where you can learn from experts in a certain field. Maybe your employer is willing to purchase instructional material so you can pick up tips and strategies to help you in certain elements of your job or position. Whatever the situation may be, we ought to feel privileged to have employers or supervisors that care enough about our success (and the success of their company through our performance) to help us get in touch with the right people/resources so we can improve upon the gifts we already have. As Christians we must realize that God is concerned with the very same thing; the strengthening of our gifts for our good and the extension of His Kingdom.

In "The Empire Strikes Back", Luke Skywalker spends over half of the film on the swampy and overgrown planet of Dagobah receiving instruction from Yoda, an 800-year-old Jedi Master. Yoda challenges Luke on physical, emotional, and intellectual levels as he trains him to become a Jedi Knight. While Luke displays obvious improvement in his abilities, his greatest test isn't in the physical conditioning or the many exercises in which he learns to manipulate The Force; his greatest challenge is when he must face the flaws of his own character.

If you've ever trained for an event (or a job or a certain task, etc.), you've probably experienced the same sort of ultimate challenge. You can go over a certain exercise a hundred times or learn a certain skill forwards and backwards. You can tone and strengthen your body so it will react to your every command. You can memorize information and perfect your knowledge of any given task. But the final challenge in almost all training - the challenge which we all must face and overcome in order to put our training to good use - is in confronting ourselves and achieving victory over the self, itself.

Luke fails to do so. As soon as he senses that Han and Leia are in trouble he decides to forsake his training and help them. Even though Yoda and Obi-Wan (who appears in apparition form) tell Luke that he is not ready to face Vader, Luke's concern for his friends drives him to leave the planet. His heart might have been in the right place, but by the end of the movie Luke is no better off, having lost a hand in a lightsaber duel with Vader and unable to save Han from carbonization. Have you ever disobeyed the instructions of your teacher and, even though you thought you were doing what was best, ended up in more trouble because of your disobedience? When we train, we must commit ourselves to the process, no matter how grueling, and see it to the end. Consider how much more important this sort of commitment is when it comes to the spiritual training we receive from Our Lord!

None of us are born ready to complete the tasks God has for us. We come into the world and begin to learn at once. We learn to recognize certain faces and voices. We learn how to respond to simple commands and, by our natural instinct, how to let others know when we're hungry or tired. All of our squirming strengthens our muscles and, before long, we learn how to keep our balance and support our own weight. Then we walk. Then we talk. And only after countless repetition do we learn the basic functions of human life. The very same sort of repetition is a crucial element in our spiritual training and growth.

- In learning to forgive, we must forgive ourselves and take up the "practice" of accepting God's forgiving grace each and every day. This inward discipline will help us as we seek to forgive others. (Eph. 4:32)

- In learning to trust, we must realize our weaknesses and confess that we can't do it all on our own. This will help us to lean upon the grace of God and the presence of those whom God sends to help us. (Psalm 28:7)

- In learning to love, we must turn away from our own inclinations and choose to love others through the heart of Christ. Whatever natural love we might have to offer is but straw compared to the love of God which we experience and share through Jesus Christ. (Phil. 1:1-2)

- In learning to surrender, we must realize that if we had our own way, our plans would surely fail every time. We are too full of sin and sinful behavior to ever fulfill God's calling on our own. Without Him we are lost, but in Him we are found, and in Him we find an abundance of love and grace that teaches us to lay ourselves aside and submit our lives for His good and good purposes. (James 4:7-10)

We will be in spiritual training until the day God calls us to Himself. Do not miss out on an opportunity to learn from Jesus, for in learning from Him we have the opportunity to become more like Him. Pray that the Spirit will open your eyes and help you to see opportunities to "practice" the spiritual disciplines Jesus teaches.

See you tomorrow - E.T.

"Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope"

Title: "Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope"

Director: George Lucas
Producers: Gary Kurtz
Editing: R. Chew, P. Hirsch, and M. Lucas
Composer: John Williams
Starring:
- Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker
- Alec Guinness as Obi-Wan "Ben" Kenobi
- Harrison Ford as Han Solo
- Carrie Fisher as Princess Leia Organa
- David Prowse as Darth Vader
- James Earl Jones as 'The Voice Of' Darth Vader
- Peter Cushing as Grand Moff Tarkin
- Anthony Daniels as C-3PO
- Kenny Baker as R2-D2.
- Peter Mayhew as Chewbacca

Plot and Critical Review: The galaxy is in a state of civil war. Spies for the Rebel Alliance have stolen plans to the Galactic Empire's Death Star: a space station capable of annihilating an entire planet. Rebel leader Princess Leia is in possession of the plans, but her ship is captured by Imperial forces under the command of Darth Vader. Before she is captured, Leia hides the plans in the memory of a droid called R2-D2, along with a holographic recording. The small droid escapes to the surface of the desert planet Tatooine with fellow droid C-3PO.

The two droids are quickly captured by Jawa traders who sell the pair to moisture farmer Owen Lars and his nephew, Luke Skywalker. While Luke is cleaning R2-D2 he accidentally triggers part of Leia's holographic message in which she requests help from Obi-Wan Kenobi. The only "Kenobi" Luke knows of is an old hermit named Ben Kenobi who lives in the nearby hills; Owen, however, dismisses any connection, telling Luke that Obi-Wan is dead. That night R2-D2 escapes to seek Obi-Wan.

The next morning Luke and C-3PO go out after him and are met by Ben Kenobi who reveals himself to be the Obi-Wan they are looking for. He takes Luke and the droids back to his hut where he tells Luke of his days as a Jedi Knight. He also tells Luke about his association with Luke's father, also a Jedi, who he claims was betrayed and murdered by Darth Vader, Obi-Wan's former pupil who turned to the "dark side of the Force". Obi-Wan then views Leia's message in which she begs him to take R2-D2 and the Death Star plans to her home planet of Alderaan where her father will be able to retrieve and analyze them. Obi-Wan asks Luke to learn the ways of the Force. After initially refusing, Luke discovers that his home has been destroyed and his aunt and uncle were killed by Imperial stormtroopers in search of the droids. Luke agrees to go with Obi-Wan to Alderaan, and the two hire smuggler Han Solo and his Wookiee co-pilot Chewbacca to transport them on their ship, the Millennium Falcon.

Meanwhile, Leia has been imprisoned on the Death Star and has resisted giving the location of the secret Rebel base. Grand Moff Tarkin, the Death Star's commanding officer and Vader's superior, tries to coax information out of her by threatening to destroy Alderaan. Leia pretends to cooperate, but Tarkin destroys the planet anyway to demonstrate the power of the Death Star. When the Millennium Falcon arrives at Alderaan's coordinates, it encounters cloud of rubble. The Millennium Falcon follows a TIE fighter toward the Death Star and is captured by the station's tractor beam. Once in the hangar bay the group evades search parties and escapes from the Millennium Falcon. Some of the group take refuge in a command room while Obi-Wan goes off to disable the tractor beam. Luke discovers that Princess Leia is on the station and is scheduled to be executed. Han, Luke, and Chewbacca stage a rescue and free the princess. Making their way back to the Millennium Falcon they witness a lightsaber duel between Obi-Wan and Darth Vader. As the others race onto the ship to escape, Obi-Wan allows himself to be struck down by Darth Vader's lightsaber; Kenobi disappears while his empty cloak and deactivated lightsaber fall to the ground.

The Millennium Falcon journeys to the Rebel base at Yavin IV where the Death Star plans are analyzed by the Rebels and a potential weakness is found. The weakness will require the use of one-man fighters to slip past the Death Star's formidable defenses and attack a vulnerable exhaust port. Luke joins the assault team while Han collects his reward for the rescue and leaves, despite Luke's request for him to stay and fight. The attack proceeds when the Death Star arrives in the system. (Vader had a homing beacon placed on the Millennium Falcon so they'd know the location of the Rebel base.) The Rebel fighters suffer heavy losses and, after several failed attack runs there are few surviving pilots. Vader appears in a TIE Fighter with his own group of fighters and begins attacking the Rebel ships. Luke, realizing he is one of the few Rebel pilots left, begins a bombing run. Vader prepares to shoot Luke down; all while the Death Star closes on firing range of Yavin IV. As Vader is about to fire at Luke's ship Han arrives in the Millennium Falcon and attacks Vader, sending his ship careening off into space. Guided by Obi-Wan's voice telling him to use the Force, Luke switches off his targeting computer and fires a successful shot which destroys the Death Star seconds before it could fire on the Rebel base. Later, at a grand ceremony, Princess Leia awards medals to Luke and Han for their heroism in the battle.

There's no shortage of critics who have written at length (to the point of books and beyond) about the impact of "A New Hope". Because you're probably aware of the many technological breakthroughs Lucas made to make this movie, i'll spare you the babble for a change. Instead, permit me to present a few facts you might not have be aware of:

- Approximate Budget: $11 Million

- Approximate Income from Initial Theatrical Release: $775 Million

- "A New Hope" opened in 32 theatres worldwide. It broke attendance and revenue records in almost every theatre where it was shown.

- "A New Hope" was hailed as a "blockbuster", the first film to be called one. It is widely believed, however, that Steven Spielberg's "Jaws" was the film which marked the beginning of the "blockbuster" era.

- Chewbacca's growl consists of a combination of growls from bears, tigers, lions, dogs, and walruses.

- It took 12 days for John Williams and the London Symphony Orchestra to record the entire soundtrack for "A New Hope".

- That soundtrack won John Williams his third Oscar.

- There is a common misconception that Harrison Ford's first acting role was in "A New Hope". This is untrue.

- It is true, however, that Ford landed in George Lucas' good graces because he had been employed to build cabinets at the film director's home in the early 70s. That's also how he got his first starring role in "American Graffiti".

- George Lucas suffered from tremendous stress and strain during the production of the film. Cast and crew members tried to get him to smile, for he often seemed depressed. He was eventually diagnosed with hypertension and ordered by doctors to lower his stress level.

Now you'll be prepared to impress people the next time "Star Wars" comes up in water cooler conversation.

My Rating: 8.5/10

Content to Caution:
V-2 - A fistfight here, a lightsaber duel there. A well-rounded sci-fi film is sure to follow.
L-1 - No comment.
DU-1 - Luke and Obi-Wan walk through a bar where many creatures are seen to be seen drinking. In the same scene some characters smoke what appears to be a hookah.
RT-0 - "We don't serve their kind here!" - How disrespectful...
H/S-1.5 - No comment.
CH-1 - No comment.
S/N-0 - Awfully clean this film is.

The "Reel Revelation": "A Galaxy (Not So) Far, Far Away - Pt. 4"

During the season of Lent I read from a very simple prayer book called "Lift Up Your Heart - A Prayer Primer for the Quiet Hour". Tonight's meditation includes a very special poem that i'd like to share. As you read it, especially the third stanza, consider how fortunate we are that God should choose us to be His instruments of peace in the world. We come to Him broken, hurting, bleeding, weighed down from the sins of the past, and weak. He sees us precisely as we are and, knowing all our faults and failures more throughly than even we do says, "Come and follow me."

Jesus, my Lord, my God, my All!

Hear me, blest Saviour, when I call!

Hear me, and from Thy dwelling-place

Pour down the riches of Thy grace.

Jesus, My Lord, I Thee adore!

O make me love Thee more and more.

Jesus, too late I Thee have sought;

How can I love Thee as I ought?

And how extol Thy matchless fame.

And glorious beauty of Thy name?

Jesus, My Lord, I Thee adore!

O make me love Thee more and more.

Jesus, what didst Thou find in me,

That Thou has dealt so lovingly?

How great the joy that Thou hast brought,

So far exceeding hope or thought!

Jesus, My Lord, I Thee adore!

O make me love Thee more and more.

Jesus, of Thee shall be my song,

To Thee my heart and soul belong;

All that I have or am is Thine,

And Thou, blest Saviour, Thou art mine.

Jesus, My Lord, I Thee adore!

O make me love Thee more and more. (Henry Collins)

Amen.

See you tomorrow- E.T.