Slowing Down Isn’t Always Good!
Perhaps you’ve seen this popular video of a laughing baby… but have you seen what happens when you take the same video and slow it down:
Kinda creepy, huh?
Kidologist.com: Karl Bastian’s Personal Site and Blog
Archive for Entertainment
Harrison Ford Isn’t Too Old, We Are.
I went to see Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull on opening night with seven other grown men and had a great time chompin’ pop-corn and watchin’ Indy crack his whip and knuckles again after a 19 year break from the silver screen. How was the movie? Fun. Was it spectacular? Nah.
But I’ve actually been getting a kick out of listening to and reading all the negative reviews of the movie. While I agree with most of them as to whether the movie is on par with Raiders or Last Crusade (Temple seems to be nearly universally hated) - I’ve got a different take on it.
Like Star Wars Episode I, which came out 20 years after the last Star Wars film, Indy 4 was doomed to be criticized by those who loved the first three. (or at least two of the first three.) Interestingly, Episode I was met with mostly whining and complaining by all the twenty or thirty-something year old men (like me) who saw their first Star Wars film when they were a boy, but was loved by all the young boys who saw it. Hmmmm. Could it be it wasn’t really made for us grown ups? Yes, I hate Jar-Jar, but is Chewbacca really that much more believable or sophisticated? Would we really have loved Star Wars so much if we’d been our current age, then? My dad doesn’t seem as obsessed with Star Wars as I am, and he saw them all with me. I wonder why. Oh, yeah, he saw them as a grown up.
Which brings me to Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. The issue isn’t that Harrison Ford is too old. The issue is that we are. He did a remarkably great job doing an older, worn out Indy who could still crack a joke as well as a whip. In fact, he probably brought the most spark to the film. Indy 4 (a much easier to type title) had a no-win challenge. If it did what could be done 20+ years ago, we’d say it felt dated and didn’t take advantage of modern technology. If it did take advantage of today’s technology, then we’d say it lost the feel of the original films. Either way it can’t live up the expectation of being an Indiana Jones movie of the 70’s or barely 80’s. We want the movie to do to us NOW what the originals did to us then… too bad. We grew up. That’s one of the costs of growing up. We start to criticize and analyze too much. When we were kids, we just went to the movies and got lost in it. Those were good times.
My parents left me in the theater ALL DAY when Raiders came out. We were on vacation - I’d come to the doors at the front of the theater and signal thumbs up or thumbs down if I was going to stay in and watch again, or if I wanted them to pick me up. (In those days, they allowed you to pay once and stay and watch as many times as you wanted.) I stayed all day and watched it as many times as it showed that day.
So, yes. Indy 4 lacked the magic I hoped for - but I don’t blame the movie. I blame my age. But it was a fun film. A little far fetched at times, but, hey! It’s a movie! Ever hear a kid complain that a movie was too far fetched? I thought it was less scary, less gross and had less sexual humor than the earlier ones - and all the adventure and mystery for the most part. Realistic? Not a bit. Just the way a movie is supposed to be.
I’d love to be a kid again, but if I can’t, the next best thing is going to a good adventure movie. Pass the pop corn.
(You can read the official Kidology Review by Pastor Marty Martin on Kidology.org, he covers the Christian concerns angle so I didn’t bother here.)
Way too much time on his hands
OK, I can juggle three balls. Sometimes, even on my unicyle… and I’ve even been known to make a half court shot in less than three trys, but this guy is outta my league:
I wish I had the time to practice enough to get this good at anything!
Veggie Pirate Spotting!
I had another Veggie Marketing sighting when I went to see National Treasure 2. (my first sighting) This was a framed poster in the theater - pretty cool!
The movie hits theaters on January 11th! Let me encourage you to take the family and GO SEE IT! It is a great movie, but besides that, we need to show Universal that good wholesome, even Christian, movies are worth investing in! If this movie doesn’t do well in theaters we risk losing the argument that “Hollywood” refuses to produce good movies and help them in their argument that they don’t because people don’t go to see them. Do your part and support the film in the theaters so the market will be encouaged to make more clean wholesome fun entertainment for the kids of America!
Allow to me share an excerpt from what I wrote to Phil and Mike to thank them for participating in the Veggie Pirates Q and A on Kidology:
The Pirates film is FANTASTIC and I am praying that God will really use this as an opportunity to show the secular media world that Good entertainment is a worthy investment. I hope that many people will see it in the theaters to boost its success.
I know that the “Christian market” is tricky… - thanks for doing what it takes to communicate Truth to a lost but entertainment hungry world.
You two are star players in my opinion of meeting the enemy on his own turf and giving Truth a good name where it really matters - shining light in the darkness - and providing laughs at the same time. It’s actually rather profound what you are accomplishing.
As I mentioned in my review, this is a very fun film and well worth the cost of admission. For a ton of fun supporting materials about the movie, visit the Kidology Veggie Pirate Page!
A Pirate on the Side of the Road
Saw my first Veggie Pirate Movie ad today since I went to the early screening. I was able to grab my camera and snap this out the passenger window while at a red light:
Since I first announced this film was coming I’ve been curious how the marketing would be. I get their e-mails regularly and I , but I’m curious how the general public will find out about the movie since Universal is underwriting and marketing it. It is only a few weeks away… I hope I see more promotion. It really is a great film with a fantastic message.
HOW MUCH ADVERTISING HAVE YOU SEEN? Where? I do encourage you to see it in theaters. Christians whine a lot about the poor morals of films, and then when secular film production companies come out with something wholesome and truly good entertainment, we tend to yawn or wait until DVD. If that is the case, we really have no right to complain when the world “spices” things up to grow their audience.
Let’s show them we’ll come out for good wholesome fun. And it’s not like it is a mercy viewing, it really is a very fun and entertaining movie!
If you missed when we had the “Bob and Larry” on Kidology.org a few weeks ago, you can read the transcript of the Q and A we hosted as our part of helping to promote the film. Phil and Mike did a great job, and yes, I am saving my personal e-mails I got from them. I know they are “just men” - but they have made a profound impact on our culture and I was honored to be able to help them promote their latest effort to shine some Light into the world!
12 Days of Christmas Toybox Tales! #2
WHAT IS THE 12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS TOYBOX TALES? Read the Introduction!
REMEMBER: BLOG or COMMENT and WIN!
BLOG ABOUT THE 12 DAYS OF TOYBOXATALES or COMMENT on posts and you could win a very VERY cool toybox prize! WIN an orginal ToyBoxTales set used in a Toybox Tale! I’ll post the set and the tale it was used in half way through the contest. Every comment and post you make gives you another entry in the contest! So comment and post away! Just point your links to: www.kidologist.com/12-Days-of-ToyBoxTales so I’ll know you linked!
HERE IS YOUR SECOND CHRISTMAS TALE:
Donkey 4000 (The Story of Mary and Joseph)
From Christmas in Playmobile Land on Toyboxtales.com
TOMORROW: While Shepherds Counted Their Flocks By Night
12 Days of Christmas Toybox Tales! #1
Well, it is 12 days until Christmas, and what better way to pass the time than to give you ONE CHRISTMAS TOYBOX TALE A DAY?
I’ve created more than 12 Christmas Toybox Tales over the past several years, and they are all available on www.ToyBoxTales.com, but I will post one a day here in easy-to-view flash each and every day! If you want them for Kid’s Church use, I will also provide a link to the download page.
BLOG ABOUT THE 12 DAYS OF TOYBOXATALES or COMMENT on posts and you could win a very VERY cool toybox prize! WIN an orginal ToyBoxTales set used in a Toybox Tale! I’ll post the set and the tale it was used in half way through the contest. Every comment and post you make gives you another entry in the contest! So comment and post away! Just point your links to: www.kidologist.com/12-Days-of-ToyBoxTales so I’ll know you linked!
HERE IS YOUR FIRST CHRISTMAS TALE:
Struck Speechless (The Story of Zechariah)
From Christmas in Playmobile Land on Toyboxtales.com
TOMORROW: DONKEY 4000
An Open Letter to Philip Pullman
A GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY and an
Open Letter to Philip Pullman
(discuss this post on Kidology.org)
“Here we go again,” was my first thought when I got my first (of many) e-mails warning me about the latest assault on Christianity in the form of a major motion picture based on a trilogy of children’s books written by a professing atheist. The Golden Compass became almost an obsession to parents and children’s leaders across the nation as blogs and church bulletins were filled with warnings against this “threat” to our children. The author, Philip Pullman, seemed pleased by the uproar and fueled the debate himself with his own anti-Christian, anti-religious, anti-God, and anti-C.S. Lewis comments. Unlike R.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter, whose message may have been harmful or dangerous to an unparented child, but was not written for that purpose, Pullman practically boasted his anti-Christian agenda. And so the e-mails and blogosphere erupted in a frenzied panic to fight the message of this upcoming film. (Remember The DaVinci Code?)
I’m all for this wave of helpful communication. Well written reviews have been written both by Christian and secular reviewers. (Focus on the Family and TIME magazine) My own website, Kidology.org, hosted a lengthy forum discussion on the topic with good spirited debate about how serious the threat may be, and shared resources to put into the hands of concerned parents. I shared my own thoughts on the movie there – echoing many of the concerns that were confirmed in my mind when I read the first book and viewed the film for myself on opening night. Some will not agree with my conclusions, and that’s fine. Debate is one of the realities that makes our freedom in America such a blessing, and the dialogue of ideas within online communities one of the best applications of the Internet. Bring it on! We all benefit from sharing and then being sharpened as others challenge our thinking. But in the midst of the debate do we miss a broader opportunity?
As often happens when the world infringes our assumption that everyone ought to be Christian – Christians turn on each other and miss a golden opportunity to get a glimpse into the hearts and minds of those we are trying to reach.
