Douglas Howe: April 2007 Archives

The summer movie season officially kicks off (are you ready for this?) a week from Friday!

May 4th brings us Spider-Man 3—the summer's first movie release, the first anticipated blockbuster, and the first sequel.

Movie sites such as Moviephone and Premiere and papers led by USA Today seem to agree that this is the Summer of the Sequel. Since most movie-goers enjoy a certain kind of viewer-character relationship with the story's players, audiences are glad to return to see an old friend, which I see as a Good-News-Bad-News-Good-News situation.

Good News: Millions of us are genuinely curious to see what happens to Spidey, Shrek and his friends, Captain Jack and his crew, Danny Ocean's Twelve and their foe-turned-friend—number Thirteen, and Jason Bourne as Jason Bourne. Chris Tucker (Rush Hour 3) and Bruce Willis (Live Free or Die Hard) return as really-long-lost-friends, as its been awhile since their last reprise. Although It may sound goofy that we'd relate to a recorded image on the screen, it brings out the fact that we were created to be relational creatures, and while we may like watching things crash or lovers cry, it's the return of specific characters that we come back to and enjoy. I like that.

Bad News: Despite all of the buzz I hear about the independent film movement, it sure seems like sequels get the big budgets and backing. Since distribution is everything and risky themes don't fare well in a cost-benefit analysis, the films with the potential to say a lot rarely do. I don't like that.

Good News: Serials and movie trilogies (or quadrilogies and quintilogies!) allow more characters to interact in more settings amidst more plot twists with more characters, allowing deeper spiritual themes to emerge if directors and writers are so inclined. This allows us to go deeper with characters we relate to, and I like that.

Here are the dates of the Summer Sequels; I hope there's a whole lot in there for the reflective moviegoer on a spiritual journey:

• May 4: "Spider-Man 3" — Spidey vs. Sandman, Venom, New Goblin…and his darkside.
• May 18: "Shrek the Third" — Layers of comedy for every age group.
• May 26: "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End" — Likely not the end of anything!
• June 8: "Ocean's Thirteen" — Clooney, Pitt, Garcia, Pacino, Damon, Cheadle, Mac, Ellen Barkin.
• June 15: "Fantastic Four" Rise of the Silver Surfer.
• June 22: "Evan Almighty" — Morgan Freeman returns as God but Steve Carell is new as Moses.
• June 27: "Live Free or Die Hard" — Bruce "John McClain" Willis returns and is himself again.
• July 13: "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" — He keeps his clothes on.
• Aug 3: "The Bourne Ultimatum" — Paul Greengrass (United 93) directing Damon's defining role.
• Aug 10: "Rush Hour 3" — Chris Tucker’s first film since "RH 2" and Jackie Chan.

Of course, if there's anything of spiritual value to talk about, we'll be doing so right here at Idol Blogger and we welcome you to do the same!

I read in USA Today that ratings for several top-rated shows are down, and it listed several reasons why, including Daylight Savings Time, DVRs, and long hiatuses. I think there's one huge reason they missed: too many people are switching to news shows which spend lots of time retelling old stories and generating dialogue that doesn't seem to engage. However, I'm finding that there's better analysis—or at least provocative discussion—on the network shows. This week's "Boston Legal" is a great example, as it considered the following issues:

Racism: William Shatner's Denny Crane, the show's right-wing peer of the realm, evaluated a potential African-American prospect as "not sounding 'black'" and one who would "play well with whites." While his partners chastised him for his racist comments, the show also made the case that those who use descriptions like "urban," "other kinds" and "not right for the role" are the real racists, who form judgements based on skin color but won't say them out loud.

Given the media's uproar and exponentially increasing coverage of Crane's comments, Candace Bergen's "Shirley Schmidt" called them out for their own bias in choosing media anchors and other on-air talent, which silenced the crowd and left us viewers to reflect on any ways that racism creeps into our own circles without us realizing it.

Elite Charity: James Spader's Allan Shore has reached out to a fellow attorney with mental challenges in prior episodes and seasons. In this week's show, he finds himself losing in court to a man who he can't control or manipulate just because he'd given him a hand up earlier in life.

Thin Celebrity-ness: Paris Hilton, Britany Spears and Lindsay Lohan were called out directly for their negative effect on culture, as were those who profit from an influence that hurts adolescents and kids. Their (especially Hilton's) very thin claim to celebrity status was unflinchingly argued in court.

Petty Politics: Hilary, Obama, McCain, and even Jeb were all called out for the surfacy tactics that make up our American politic.

Traditional Marriage: Denise Bauer and Brad Chase are promiscuous characters whose wedding announcement is met with doubt bordering on laughter. Yes, their decision was based on a pregnancy, but their desire to normalize their lives (and their child's) makes a case for the second chance. (Of course that could change by next week!)

Ridiculous Must-See-TV Culture: How did wife-swapping bedroom antics end up on Family Night USA?! And what is its impact on the American family?

All in all, I found myself reflecting on these important life themes after this show, way more than my experiences with CNN's anti-government shows, CNBC's giddiness with controversy, and FOX's version of "fair and balanced."

Now if the networks could figure out how to package and bottle this kind of brand just a little bit better, ratings might again be headed north!

Of the CSI's (New York, Miami and Las Vegas) I believe "CSI:Miami" is either--depending on your taste--the most outrageous or the most prophetic.

Last night's show featured a future view on divorce that I wish would ignite a national discussion on marriage. An affluent couple's divorce got so ugly that they had laser beams split their home in half while the woman took a chainsaw to her husband's boat (he then shot holes in it to try and sink her). It was only later that he found out that she'd sold his $200,000 Lamborghini for $200, handing over a C-note for his half.

When questioned, their son informed investigators about his dad's affair with his personal trainer and his mom's similar relationship with the pool man. He had reign of the house, though, with remote control access to the laser beams dividing the house.

I think that the more that marriage is portrayed in the media as simply transactional and a matter of convenience, the more we are stripped of what used to be a reminder of the spiritual core of our nation, our society, and of many of our lives.

Marriage wasn't invented by cavepeople or evolutionists, nor was it invented by atheists or agnostics. Even across denominational and sectarian lines, marriage is seen as an invention of God that is essential not only to the marriage itself, but also to our society and to our view of God Himself.

In the end, the show tried to rescue itself as a morality tale, as the boyfriend went to jail, the girlfriend died, one attorney got disbarred and the two estranged spouses were finally unified over one thing: murdering their attorney. The show ended with them both going to jail after their son led police to the murder weapon. "It had to happen," he said, "they had to be apart."

"What we have here," said Lt. Horatio Caine, "is the future of divorce."

I hope he's wrong.

For the first time in the current season of Fox’s "24," the show finally became interesting again (at least for me) because it returned to the kind of ethical and moral drama that had made it great for its first five seasons.

Through most of this season the main plot device has been the attempt to find and stop a terrorist group in possession of nuclear bombs on American soil. To be honest, it felt largely like an elongated miniseries, with Jack playing a one-dimensional savior character willing to ask, gently urge, strongly persuade, and forcefully threaten even his friends to accomplish his mission his way.

But just one week after the season’s major plot device was concluded (the bombs were recovered and the terrorists caught or killed), several of this year’s main characters found themselves wound up into the kind of mind-numbing and heart-wrenching choices that brought power to the first several seasons. I believe this brought "24" back to its most poignant and authentic dramatic core--where the choices of many characters are challenged by the beliefs and convictions they’ve been trained in versus the awful choices they must make in situations they never could have imagined.

In this one episode:

A CTU operative is asked to violate protocols and national policy to help save an agent in peril.

An alcoholic, whose secret has been protected by a friend, borders on betraying that same friend when she wants to keep a secret from the boss.

The chief-of-staff is asked to reveal damaging information about the vice president, information that he has sought to conceal from the president for his own good.

The president makes a bold move in asking his subversive vice president to resign (after his coup attempt failed) "for the good of the country." Only through the threat of exposure was the veep willing to resign.

Moments from handing in his resignation letter, the vice president sees the president having a stroke and must choose between following through with his resignation or seizing another opportunity to claim power.

Taking temporary authority, the vice president must decide whether to allow covert actions to continue or recall Jack Bauer per the veep's own (and different) preferred course.

Jack Bauer calls in every favor to negotiate for the right to betray Russia and give its secret technology to the Chinese, and now he threatens to shoot his second partner of the day unless his orders are followed.

Even in this dramatic context these events are fantastic and over-the-top, but they help remind each of us that what we’ve been trained in (and what we think we believe) can always be challenged by unforeseen circumstances. This leaves us at that risky crossing between the convictions and ethics that got us this far and the situation we’re facing at the time. To that degree, '24' regained some of its inspiring quality this week, and I’m genuinely interested to see the consequences that come from the choices these characters are making.

At times of national crisis like this, it must be hard to be a professional comedian, especially one with a nightly show and millions of viewers. Luckily, Jay Leno is a class act who performed a courageous act at the start of last night's show. He came out on stage and did what every smart comedian knows never to do: He ruined his own show's chance at hilarity and laughter by starting on a hugely down note by referencing the tragedy. Yes, after all of the applause and high-fiving and music that is the start of "The Tonight Show," he then started his monologue by referencing the events at Virginia Tech, and expressed how no words could really capture or show enough respect to those suffering the pain of the dorm shootings there.

It showed how classy he really is. A pall was cast over the monologue and the crowd, and rightfully so. There's just no way to laugh or joke about that. He then went on with his show, receiving muffled laughter through most of the first part as he worked like a pro to lift the energy in the room. He worked hard for his money and by the end, respect had been paid and a few laughs had even been had.

When death or destruction get our national attention, most entertainers know how to close their act with a reflective reference or moment of silence. I don't doubt the sincerity of such tributes, but Jay graciously gave the only thing he had at this terrible time: the first and most important words of his show and the momentum he forfeited. It was truly respectful.

There's also a commentary by Leno that's making the rounds on email, and I've received it several times today. It's inspiring. It's encouraging. It's insightful. The only problem is, it's not from Jay!

It is a powerful thought, but it actually comes from Craig R. Smith at WorldNetDaily.com from Thanksgiving, 2006. The last line actually did come from Leno…back on Thanksgiving of 2005! Still, the piece is still moving and relevant today. Here are some excerpts:

"The other day I …came across…the Newseek poll alleging that 67 percent of Americans are unhappy with the direction the country is headed and 69 percent of the country is unhappy with the performance of the president. In essence 2/3s of the citizenry just ain't happy and want a change. So being the knuckle dragger I am, I started thinking, ''What we are so unhappy about?''... Is it that we have electricity and running water 24 hours a day, 7 days a week? Is our unhappiness the result of having air conditioning in the summer and heating in the winter? Could it be that 95.4 percent of these unhappy folks have a job? Maybe it is the ability to walk into a grocery store at any time and see more food in moments than Darfur has seen in the last year?... Maybe it is the ability to drive from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean without having to present identification papers as we move through each state?...

Perhaps you are one of the 70 percent of Americans who own a home...

Or if, while at home watching one of your many flat screen TVs, a burglar or prowler intrudes, an officer equipped with a gun and a bullet-proof vest will come to defend you and your family against attack or loss....

How about the complete religious, social, and political freedoms we enjoy that are the envy of everyone in the world?...

Think about it... are you upset at the President because he actually caused you personal pain OR is it because the "Media" told you he was failing to kiss your sorry ungrateful behind every day. Make no mistake about it. The troops in Iraq and Afghanistan have volunteered to serve, and in many cases may have died for your freedom.... We are among the most blessed people on Earth and should thank God several times a day, or at least be thankful and appreciative....

"With hurricanes, tornados, fires out of control, mud slides, flooding, severe thunderstorms tearing up the country from one end to another, and with the threat of bird flu and terrorist attacks, Are we sure this is a good time to take God out of the Pledge of Allegiance?" -- Jay Leno

Don Imus was fired--and I think it's a travesty.I don't have the same point of view as my esteemed Idol Chatter colleague Nicole Symmonds, who wrote that "you couldn't have said a more racially-charged comment," and "the apology is not...

It must be Easter, or Passover, or Holy Week, or Orthodox Easter … or at least Spring Break! I can always tell because there are two times a year (the December holidays and now) when spiritual issues rise to the...

I echo Michael Kress's post yesterday about giving thanks for baseball's Opening Day. There truly is something refreshing--if not anti-climactic--about the first day of a 162-game season. Most of the country saw the primetime emotion in New York, but I...