|
Previous Posts
The Last Text Message
Today is my last day with Beliefnet, and my last day as the author of this blog. The Text Messages archives will remain live at this location, but posting will cease. If that sounds gloomy, it's an accurate reflection of my mind this afternoon. I've chosen to pursue new opportunities, but I'm n
posted 3:47:12pm Feb. 04, 2009 |
read full post
»
Quitting Church: A Q&A with Julia Duin
Why do people stop going to church? This big question is the subject of Julia Duin's small book, Quitting Church: Why teh Faithful are Fleeing and What To Do About It. Duin is not a disinterested observer of the phenomenon of church-dropping; rather, she's a churchgoer who wants churches to work wel
posted 4:03:51pm Feb. 03, 2009 |
read full post
»
Rob Stennett vs. Marilynne Robinson
I'm overjoyed that my good friend Rob Stennett has won the Award of Merit from Christianity Today for his novel The Almost True Story of Ryan Fisher. (Here's CT's review of the book.) Stennett's hilarious book is about a real estate agent who joins a suburban church in order to reach the Christian h
posted 2:36:44pm Jan. 30, 2009 |
read full post
»
What is spiritual restoration?
Slate asked for an essay on Ted Haggard's spiritual restoration. I'm okay with what I came up with for now, but the more I think about it, the more I think we need better thinking on what restoration looks like for very public, outspoken, influential men and women like Haggard:Most people who fail n
posted 9:00:56am Jan. 29, 2009 |
read full post
»
It's Not TV; it's Ted TV
A blog might not be the best medium for an essay like this. But I want to offer some more considered thoughts on Ted Haggard and his HBO documentary; I hope this performs some kind of service in a story that I hope will end--in its public iteration--very soon. This was written as a stand-alone essay
posted 3:57:44am Jan. 28, 2009 |
read full post
»
|
posted December 4, 2008 at 9:48 am
Just watched Misery and I think Anne Wilkes was religious. She says lots of things like God showed me the way, God gave me clairity, etc… She wore a cross around her neck and Rob Reiner got lots of thrills from the fact that she was against profanity (do you think I go around shouting the “eff” word?) but she had no problem putting a wooden block between Paul Sheldon’s legs and breaking his ankles with a sledge hammer It was that dichotomy (executed best in the source material from King) that made Anne such a great and horrifying character.
posted December 4, 2008 at 10:30 am
Pretty much anything depicting the Crusades, Natie Americans, the slave trade………
posted December 4, 2008 at 10:47 am
Rob–that is a _great_ notion. I had completely forgotten about those aspects of Misery. Thanks!
posted December 4, 2008 at 11:47 am
The Cylons aren’t Christian, per se, but they do embrace their own monotheistic religion, talk a lot about “god’s love”, and often refer to the “one true god”, so they obviously reflect the behavior of certain breeds of Christians.
In “From Dusk til Dawn”, Harvey Keitel portrays a self-described “Mean mother mmmmin’ servant of God” who was once a preacher and rediscovers his faith in the face of supernatural evil (the crossed made of a shotgun is pretty classic vampire-slaying stuff).
On a related note, “Pulp Fiction” is loaded with (some would argue entirely comprised of) Biblical references, none more obvious that Samuel L Jackson’s bible-quoting, trigger-pulling Jules.
Somebody already mentioned the Crusades, and sure enough “Kingdom of Heaven” is loaded with Christian killers.
My favorite, though, is Barry Pepper’s Pvt. Daniel Jackson, an eagle-eyed sniper and devout Christian; probably the most memorable and compelling character in “Saving Private Ryan”.
posted December 4, 2008 at 12:11 pm
The scripture quoting sniper in Saving Private Ryan.
posted December 4, 2008 at 1:15 pm
John and Erick–SPR’s Pvt Jackson is perfect for this. Many thanks.
posted December 4, 2008 at 3:03 pm
Don’t forget Reese Witherspoon in Freeway – technically attempted murder, but a sweet scene nonetheless.
Did the mom kill the kids in Rapture? It’s been a long time since I’ve seen that movie.
posted December 4, 2008 at 5:03 pm
Why?
posted December 4, 2008 at 5:28 pm
Try “Frailty” (2001).
posted December 4, 2008 at 7:03 pm
The movie Timber Falls portrays Christians in a pretty disturbing light. I wouldn’t advise you to watch it though. Here’s a link to the imdb page:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0857295/plotsummary
posted December 4, 2008 at 8:02 pm
forestwalker–because it’s there? No, really for a long-term project I’m working on. And a Beliefnet feature I’m fiddling with.
posted December 5, 2008 at 12:38 am
There Will Be Blood–no kill, but definite lust for violence by the minister.
Arsenic and Old Lace. The old ladies say prayers and poison people. Not sure how “Hollywood” this one is.
Actually, some Hitchcock films may be good to look at. Shyamalan? I have no idea of current horror films.
posted December 6, 2008 at 9:55 am
That bald-headed guy from “The DaVinci Code.”
Other movies? Check out “The Others,” with Nicole Kidman. Creepy. And then there’s “Murder on the Orient Express, where a missionary Ingrid Bergman takes part in a murder. And, speaking of missionaries, keep in mind Robert DeNiro’s turn as a Jesuit in one of my all time favorites, “The Mission.” Mel Gibson’s William Wallace in “Braveheart” seems to be reasonably religious, even though he hacks through dozens of Englishmen.
posted December 23, 2008 at 11:37 pm
What!? No one mentioned _Schindler’s List_?
posted January 5, 2009 at 12:57 pm
“The Legend of Zorro” (2005) has a notably fundamentalist Christian hitman.
Ben Wade in “3:10 To Yuma” (2007) makes an impression as a cold blooded murderer who’s memorized the Bible.
Guy de Lusignan in “Kingdom of Heaven” (2005) is one of the more passionately depicted Christians in that film, and the one with the most blood lust.
“The Boondock Saints” (1999) features two devout Catholics whose “mission” is to murder criminals, or anyone they think might deserve it.
Pingback: Stanley Fish’s Top 10 American Movies - Text Messages
Pingback: Jake Busey’s Christian Killer - Text Messages