Kris Rasmussen: January 2007 Archives

Nowhere on television is God's existence more consistently, vigorously, and eloquently debated than on Fox's medical series "House," and in last night's episode the acerbic, cynical doctor's faith--or lack of it--was once again put to the test in almost Shakespearean fashion.

As Gregory House is treating a series of patients with STDs , he encounters Eve, a woman who has been raped but refuses to talk about it. She also refuses to leave the hospital and won't let anyone treat her but House. When House then finds out thar Eve is actually pregnant from the rape, a fiery philosophical debate ensues about abortion, justice, and whether or not the choices in life matter at all.

Eve believes she should have the baby because life is sacred. She argues with House that "eternity is what we live for" and that she has to believe in God because she has to believe there are ultimate consequences for our choices. House counters by telling Eve to have an abortion and that "either God doesn't exist or he is unimaginably cruel" for allowing this to happen to her. She also challenges House's personal motives for always finding an excuse for not feeling comforted by a belief in the possibility of a higher power.

In true "House" fashion, the ending of the story is a little morally cloudy, as Eve does, in fact, choose to abort the baby, but House wonders whether or not he gave her the right counsel, leaving the man who declares he loves questions more than answers with even more questions still.

Filmmaker Alexandra Pelosi's HBO documentary "Friends of God," which premieres tonight, promises a behind-the-scenes look at the "broad tent" that is evangelicalism in this country, but instead, the film simply follows the same unimaginative formula of other documentaries, like "Jesus Camp." The formula goes like this: After stating that you are going to provide a thoughtful and fair-minded look at the millions of Christians in the U.S., you show extensive footage of Ted Haggard and Jerry Falwell interwined with interviews with Southerners who have various Jesus slogans on their vehicles and t-shirts and who homeschool their children. For good measure, in case anyone misses your point, you make sure you edit your film footage to show these people in the most unattractive way possible.

Such a static treatment of Christians is frustrating, but it is not even remotely the most annoying part of this documentary. Even if I give Pelosi (daughter of Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi) the benefit of the doubt and assume that more moderate, socially-conscious evangelicals like Jim Wallis, Rick Warren, or Rob Bell were wisely unavailable for comment, that doesn't excuse Pelosi's simplistic interviewing skills. "Friends of God" doesn't give any insight into Christianity in our culture, but it sure does give us a good glimpse at Pelosi's lack of professionalism as a journalist.

When she attends a church service in Texas, she approaches three young men in amazement, asking them what a group of "swingers" like them are doing in a church on a Saturday night. That's the extent of the interview, but then she moves on to chatting with motivatinal speaker/pastor Joel Osteen. She asks Olsteen in mock astonishment how he could possibly fill a stadium with Christians. And that's as far as that interview goes.

But then there is the most uncomfortable moment of the show, when she talks with Ted Haggard--who had not yet been enmeshed in his very-public sex scandal--about sex. He and a few of his parishoners tell her that evangelicals actually have better sex lives than other people--and she giggles, saying she had no idea she was with a such a group of "studs." In between listening to all of these fascinating soundbytes, I tried counting how many times Pelosi says in sarcastic bemusement, "Wow, we don't have that in New York" whenever she is talking to a Christian or looking at a Jesus slogan on a billboard, but I eventually lost track.

But just in case any Idol Chatter readers think I am responding to one bias with a bias of my own, the national trade paper Variety also criticizes the way Pelosi treats her subject matter, saying she displays "thinly veiled condescension" of Christians. The Variety article goes on to wisely suggest it is foolish to lump all evangelicals into one mold and to assume there is no common ground. Variety defending Christians against a New York liberal? Now that's what I call progress.

I read the rumblings in the trade papers about how the dysfunctional family comedy "Little Miss Sunshine" was going to sneak its way into the Oscar nominations, but I was still disappointed that the rumors became reality in the early morning hours today. Granted, 2006 was a weak year for movies, in my opinion, but honestly, the fact that the movie received nominations in every single major category is a little shocking. "Sunshine" is unworthy of a golden statue for two main reasons: First, the tiny bit of redemption at the end of the movie is not worth the 90-minutes of sludge--and I found it to be mostly highly unrealistic sludge at that--to get there, and secondly, giving the nod to a narcissistic, nihilistic movie like this left other redemptive performances out of the limelight.

Does the Academy really think a little girl (nominee Abigail Breslin) prancing onstage to "Superfreak" translates into an Oscar-worthy performance over touching performances by Maggie Gyllenhaal and Maria Bello in "World Trade Center" or Julianne Moore in "Children of Men"? If they wanted to recognize a comedienne, why not nominate the brilliant Catherine O'Hara in "For Your Consideration"? By the same token, Alan Arkin's over-the-top performance doesn't really rate in comparison to many other overlooked performances, such as critically-acclaimed Ken Watanabe's turn in "Letters of Iwo Jima" or even Ben Affleck's role in "Hollywoodland."

Oh , and a little side note to my fellow blogger, Esther: Do you hear those hoofbeats? That's the four horsemen of the cultural apocaplyse bearing down on us, because Borat will most assuredly take home an Oscar for its lewd and crude screenplay. Between "Sunshine" and "Borat," perhaps lewd and crude will be Oscar's theme this year.

As the red carpet season officially started with Monday's Golden Globe Awards, I have decided it is finally time to announce my personal picks for the best films of 2006. Granted, there are two films I have yet to see that I believe probably would have made my list ("Half Nelson" and "Little Children"), but in general, my picks aren't exactly tracking with what will probably take home the gold statues come Oscar time. So, in no particular order, here they are:

Brick: This low-budget indie film is perhaps the only intelligent teen thriller I have seen--ever-- and it gives a thoughtful millenialist perspective on the desire to love and be loved unconditionally.

Monster House: The best, smartest, and freshest family movie of the year that seems to have been overlooked on some other Beliefnet lists.

Inside Man: It takes quite a bit to stump me, but this heist movie always kept me guessing, and was socially conscious to boot.

For Your Consideration: I believe in the healing power of laughter, and this was the funniest movie of the year, as director Christopher Guest exposes the humor of human frailties without exploiting them.

Children of Men: While not completely satisfying, this movie is still a creative reflection on the value of human life.

The Queen: An original premise, brilliant acting, and layered nuances make this movie a gem.

World Trade Center: While "United 93" only gave me a panic attack, this 9/11 story filled me with hope in my fellow man.

While many in the press have continued to heap accolades on NBC's "Friday Night Lights" as the best new series of the fall season, I withdrew my enthusiastic support after the show took a wrong turn and starting heading into tacky teen soapdom in the vein of a series like "The O.C." But I am back with a vengeance to drum up support for the ratings-deprived Dillon Panthers football team, as recent episodes of the series have insightfully and poetically portrayed the plight of the teens of a small town in Texas, as well as the harsh reality of too many teens all over the country. Issues such as steroid use, domestic violence, living with a physical disability, and absentee parents are all examined with emotional depth and deep respect in a way that should have everyone supporting NBC's courageous deicison to give this show a chance to find an audience.

Last night's episode brought to a head several storylines involving teens who are, for all pratical purposes, raising themselves. The new Panther QB, Matt Sarinsin, has been struggling for weeks to balance his new responsibility on the field with his ongoing burden of caring for his grandmother--who is supposed to be his guardian while his dad is in Iraq--who has severe dimentia.When his father returns from the war, it is not a happy reunion, as the father would rather be back in Iraq, and Matt is once again left on his own.

At the same time, across town, an ex-girlfriend of another Panther player has had enough of watching her mother being assaulted by a deadbeat boyfriend. The girl not only attacks the man to protect her mother, but threatens to leave home once and for all if mom doesn't end the relationship. In both storylines, the teenagers are sadly parenting the parents, when the teens themselves are desparate for some guidance themselves.

The two overlapping storylines have different endings--the girl's mother bravely chooses to not return to the abusive boyfriend, while Matt resigns himself to his dad's return to Iraq--and they are framed by a third storyline involving the one redemptive role model these teens know: Coach Taylor. The coach wearily but gladly takes on the challenge of fathering some of these teens, only to have his efforts repaid by being sued by an ex-football player's family, essentially severing his bonds with the boy permanently.

As the show comes to a close with one father rather foolishly praying for God to let the Panthers win in the upcoming playoffs, his befuddled prayer only sheds more light on this series' celebration of the importance of facing life's important battles off the field with unconditional love and a little hope.

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