Ellen Leventry: October 2008 Archives

In this era of what I dub "torture-porn" movies like "Saw" and "Hostel," there are few films on which burgeoning horror-philes can safely cut their teeth. Sure, the Disney Channel has some great offerings like the "Halloweentown" series, but I'm talking about films that are scary enough to scare you without leaving you traumatized or with the need for therapy. Films that make you feel like you've sneaked something by your parents, though you really haven't; films that leave you feeling a bit more mature after watching them.

With that in mind, I present three of my favorite oldies-but-goodies horror/suspense films appropriate for the pre-junior high and junior high set. Forget gratuitous violence and excessive blood and gore. These films scare you the old fashioned way--by letting your own mind scare yourself.

 

Several days ago, while watching coverage of the election, I began reminiscing about the days of Tabitha Soren. Remember when MTV's coverage of Presidential elections was seen as innovative and important? When Soren asked probing questions of the candidates and the "Choose or Loose" bus cris-crossed the country talking about important issues with America's youth? Yes, kids, there was a time when the network now best known for provoking nausea with shows such as "Parental Control" used to produce thought-provoking content.

So, I was absolutely delighted when I heard that MTV was hosting "A Night for Vets: An MTV Concert for the BRAVE," an event to mobilize support for the Bill of Rights for American Veterans (BRAVE), a petition organized by the network and several veterans' organizations.

Divorce among two adults can rarely be described as a good thing, and when children are involved divorce usually is downright disastrous. But, I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that while it is truly a tragedy for the couple's children, there may be a silver lining in Madonna and Guy Ritchie's divorce: Ritchie may once again be able to make films.

Now, interestingly enough, popular biographer Andrew Morton surmised yesterday at TheDailyBeast.com that Her Madgesty got bored with her hubby and his less than stellar box office following his brilliant and promising "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels" debut.

Just the other day I wrote about the hot trend of kosher cellphones in the ultra-Orthodox communities of Israel, asking if keeping users from potentially questionable secular cellphone technology, such as texting and internet access, was the best way to maintain a person's faith. Wouldn't allowing a potential peek at temptation and the resistance to that temptation build a much stronger spiritual being? With this in mind, I introduce Gosplr, a Twitter-like ministry microblogging application.

The purpose of the app is "to provide an effective communication medium for sharing thoughts, ideas, words of encouragement, prayer requests, daily scripture readings/devotionals, and more to friends, staff, ministries, family, and others." And at a limit of 140 characters, it's perfect for sharing one verse at a time!

But what's really interesting about Gospelr is that it is integrated with Twitter which means that there is potential for Gospelrs to be "followed" by folks who may be of differing opinions or may author questionable "tweets" -- a message on Twitter -- and vice versa.

It's the new calling plan sweeping the ultra-Orthodox Jewish communities, or Haredi, in Jerusalem--the kosher cellphone number. BBC News reports that the latest means "religious adaptation to modern technology" for those of the strictly adherent group, involves cellphones that "cannot send or receive text messages, browse the internet or take photos--all activities that could potentially involve behavior considered 'immodest.'"

But that's not the phone's only added-feature--Verizon eat your heart out!--this phone has a rabbinical stamp of approval, similar to kosher foods, and Israeli carriers have created distinct kosher cellphone code prefixes. Not only have these phone numbers "become a badge of religious observance," but certain plans only allow calls to and from other kosher cells.

The idea is that the kosher plans can keep teens and others away from the temptations of modern communications, such as pornography or illicit chatting and texting amongst the sexes. Whatever happened to the notion of testing one's faith? Wouldn't it be a better overall lesson to overcome temptation rather than to avoid it all together?

Everyone's favorite serial killer with a conscience, Dexter Morgan, returned to television last weekend with killer ratings, but the season three opener didn't exactly slay me. If it sounds funny that a drama about a forensic blood spatter specialist-cum-serial killer...