The Year in Film: 2011 Edition

I’m not gonna lie, guys, this was a disappointing year for movies.  I honestly didn’t get around to seeing nearly as many as I would have liked, and I know there are some that I probably should have seen/wanted to see before making a list (The Artist, The Tree of Life, The Descendants, Hugo, The Adventures of Tintin, I’m sure there are others that I can’t think of.)  As such, I couldn’t make a proper list, as it probably would have been about seven entries long, so I’m going to do something different this year.  Categories!

JAY’S 15 BEST FILMS OF 2011 CATEGORIZED COMMENTARY OF CRAZY… CELLULOID… CREATIONS

BEST SUPPORTING BACON

• Kevin Bacon, X-Men: First Class

Honestly, I wasn’t as impressed with this movie as most people were.  It had some great ideas, good performances and a few memorable scenes, but it’s still a pretty big mess.  However, while Michael Fassbender definitely stole the show as a young Magneto, the true star was Kevin Bacon as Sebastian Shaw, a character I never thought I’d see in a movie.  I mean, look at him:

Dapper.

Runner-up: Kevin Bacon, Crazy, Stupid, Love.  Ryan Gosling punching him in the face?  Classic.

BEST MOVIE WITH “ZOO” IN THE TITLE

• We Bought a Zoo

Cameron Crowe’s first movie in six years, and probably his best one since Almost Famous, is a tender, heartwarming tale.  Is it a bit overly sweet and cute?  Sure, but in this day and age of rampant cynicism and violence it’s nice to see a movie that isn’t afraid to wear its heart on its sleeve.  Despite all that, it’s still a well-written movie with some good performances, especially from scene-stealer Maggie Elizabeth Jones as bar-none the cutest kid to ever be in a movie.  Ever.

WORST MOVIE WITH “ZOO” IN THE TITLE

• Zookeeper

Once again, I saw this on a field trip at work.  Once again, I got paid to see a movie.  Once again, I still felt ripped off.  Absolutely terrible.

Moving along then.

BEST OPENING TITLE SEQUENCE

• The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

First, watch it here.  And I apologize if there are any ads.

I’ve read all of the books in the Millennium trilogy and, while they’re entertaining, they aren’t exactly the best written pieces of prose.  The movies fix some of the problems, especially the American version, but they’re still imperfect stories.  However, with David Fincher as a director, a great opening title sequence is almost a given, and the movie doesn’t disappoint.  The imagery has a sinister quality that the rest of the movie struggles to keep up, literally dripping with dread, and the choice of song (Led Zeppelin’s “Immigrant Song” as sung by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ frontwoman Karen O) fits perfectly.  Even if it’s about Icelandic vikings.

MOST DISAPPOINTING FEATURE

• Cowboys and Aliens

I really wanted to like this movie, and to an extent I did.  Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford were pretty good in their roles, and the western aspects were actually handled pretty well.  The movie itself, however, was underwritten and, frankly, boring.  It honestly didn’t go far enough with its concept, instead opting to be a western that just happens to have aliens, not a creative western/science-fiction hybrid.

Runner-up: Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows

BEST STUNT

• Climbing the Burj Dubai, Mission:Impossible-Ghost Protocol

Listen, I don’t have a real problem with heights, but this scene… wow.

The highlight of an incredibly solid movie, Brad Bird really gets the vertiginous feeling of being high up the world’s tallest building to translate to the screen.  You know he’s going to make it, but the stunt (which, to my understanding, used more practical effects than you’d think) is so intense and well done that you can’t help but grip the edge of your seat.  Well done.

Plus you get to see Tom Cruise whack himself in the face.

“WELCOME BACK” AWARD

• The Muppets and Winnie the Pooh

       

Was it all nostalgia?  Maybe, but when not one but two beloved properties make a comeback in the same year, it’s hard to feel anything but the unadulterated joy that comes from watching such beloved characters.  It’s a shame that Winnie the Pooh didn’t do better at the box office, because it was delightful, respectful to the property, and we need more traditionally animated films these days.  Even with that property’s future in doubt, at least we’re bound to get more Muppet movies sooner rather than later.

BEST COMIC BOOK MOVIE

• Captain America: The First Avenger

So many things could have gone wrong with this movie, and thankfully none of them did.  I was skeptical from day one for multiple reasons: Chris Evans seemed too young for the part, Cap doesn’t exactly have a good history in film, and it was going to have to tell its story while tying in with The Avengers, meaning it would have a hard time standing on its own.  When I left the theater, I am not afraid to admit that I was eating my words.  The period film aspect worked brilliantly, making it seem more like a war movie and less like a run of the mill comic book movie, and the cast was perfect: Tommy Lee Jones and Stanley Tucci were great as always, Hayley Atwell provided the strongest female performance in a comic book film in a long time, Hugo Weaving and Toby Jones were terrific as Red Skull and Arnim Zola (another character I never thought I’d see in a movie), and, above all, Chris Evans was perfect as Steve Rogers.  He embodied the heart and soul of the character, making his transformation from heroic everyman to true hero believable.  On top of all that, though, the movie was just fun.

Runner-up: Thor

WORST COMIC BOOK MOVIE

• Green Lantern

See here: http://jayaws.wordpress.com/2011/07/05/green-lantern-review/

WORST MOVIE OF THE YEAR

• Abduction

I can say two good things about this movie: it was the first movie Kari and I saw in theaters as a married couple, and it was hilarious.

BEST ACTOR

• Albert Brooks, Drive

He was absolutely terrifying, which I never though I’d say.  In a movie full of great performances, Brooks gave one that went completely against type and made the movie.  The film itself is dark, moody, and incredibly stylish, but Brooks brought a human element to the proceedings, no matter how despicable his character was.  I’m going to go out on a limb and say that it was the best gangster performances since Joe Pesci in GoodFellas, and he was truly robbed by not getting an Oscar Nomination.

Runner-up: Tom Hardy, Warrior

BEST ACTRESS

• Rooney Mara, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

I respected this film more than I actually enjoyed it, but Mara was truly brilliant as Lisbeth Salander, the titular girl.  She perfectly captured the nature of Lisbeth’s personality, both the anti-social hacker and the brutal, ultra-feminist warrior when needed.  There was one scene that I thought was completely out of character for her, but I blame that more on the writing than on her acting.  She carried the film incredibly well with the equally as good Daniel Craig, and they displayed the perfect chemistry that the characters needed.  Along with him, she was harsh, she was hard, and she was incredible.

Runner-up: Jessica Chastain, The Help

BEST FILM OF THE YEAR

• Warrior

Tell me if this sounds like a movie that I’d want to see: two MMA fighters, who also happen to be brothers, face off in a UFC tournament and also learn a little something about family.  Despite that admittedly cliche description, however, Warrior is a fantastic film.  With three fantastic performances from Tom Hardy, Joel Edgerton and Nick Nolte, it’s less a story about a fighting tournament than it is about family, forgiveness and redemption.

Hardy, in one of the most intense performances I’ve ever seen, plays Tommy Conlon, a disgraced Marine who seeks out his estranged father (Nolte) to help him train for the Sparta fighting tournament.  Edgerton plays Brendan, a high school chemistry teacher who is deep in debt, facing foreclosure and mounting hospital bills due to his daughter’s heart condition.  At night, he participates in shady fights at bars, reliving his days as a fighter and making a few extra bucks on the side.

It’s no surprise, thanks to both common sense and the terrible trailers, that Tommy and Brendan end up facing each other in the final round of the tournament.  Like I said, though, the fighting is really just a backdrop for these characters and their history: each brother is mad at the other for their parents’ break-up years before, and their father is trying to keep his life together while mending the broken relationships with his sons.  There are no easy answers to any of their problems, and even though the film ends on a some what ambiguous note, the final scene showcases that even the angriest, most hardened people just desire love and forgiveness.  And while it is cool to see Tom Hardy straight up wreck some dudes before seeing him really unleashed as Bane in The Dark Knight Rises, the movie is a serious reminder that redemption, even unsought, is what we all need.

Runners-up: We Bought a Zoo, Source Code, Rango, Cars 2, Thor, Captain America: The First Avenger, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Muppets, Drive, The Help, Winnie the Pooh, Mission:Impossible-Ghost Protocol, Pearl Jam 20, Crazy, Stupid, Love., Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, Super 8, The Beaver

There you have it.  Like I said, there are still many, many movies from last year that I want to see, so don’t take this as a completely comprehensive post.  It’s just getting late in the month and I think it’s silly to post a list about last year in the second month of the year.  At least, even more silly than thinking this much about movies already is.

But hey, I have a wife now, so huzzah!

Impromptu Review: “Batman: The Brave and the Bold” Happy Meal Toys

In what is possibly my saddest post thus far, I’m going to walk you through the brilliance that is the latest Batman offering from McDonald’s: their second wave of Batman: The Brave and the Bold toys.  They’ve offered figures before, but this is significant because each set comes with three figures.  That’s three toys and a case of juvenile diabetes for $4.  Amazing.

A little background on the subject matter: this Batman show is awesome.  It’s incredibly silly, and not at all the Batman that you’d think I would enjoy, but man is it fun.  It mixes Golden and Silver Age second string heroes with modern interpretations of others who team up with Batman to fight evil.  Like ghost pirate ships.  Also, this happened.

It’s a goofy show, but with tongue planted so firmly in cheek it threatens to come out the other side.

…..

That was gross.

Anyhoo, why I’m doing this review: I got the last two sets today.  By ordering them on Amazon.com.  Because I never got them at McDonald’s.  Like I said, sad.

So, here’s Jay’s Impromptu Review of Some Happy Meal Toy

First things first, this promotion was quite a deal.  Like I said before, you got three figures in one package.  They’re only about an inch and a half high, but with eight sets, that’s twenty-four toys in this line.  That’s insane.  Even more insane?  Some of the characters they included, but I’ll get to that.

SET ONE:

A punching Batman... well, that's redundant, isn't it?

Here we have, as you can see, “punching Batman,” the Penguin, and the Batmobile.  The best figure here is probably the Batmobile, because the Batmobile freaking rocks.  In the set I have, the paint application for each of the figures is pretty good, although Bats’ left eye looks a little squinty.  I like the paint job on the Penguin, if only because he has a monocle in his right eye.  That’s a classy breed of criminal, my friends.

SET TWO:

Did nobody tell Harvey that his brown and purple suit kind of clashes?

This set is probably the least desirable character-wise, which is understandable: a C-list villain in Grundy, a C-list hero in Firestorm, and Two-Face, while admittedly A-list, isn’t exactly the most interesting character visually.  However, each figure is really well done: Grundy has a dapper mobster look going, Firestorm is actually transparent red plastic to give him a more “glowing” look, and Two-Face is nicely detailed.  He even has a coin in his right hand, which old D.A. Dent is never without.

SET THREE:

"Batman, Robin and Gorilla"? Don't you tell me you wouldn't watch the crap out of that.

One of my personal favorites, figure-wise.  I will always have a soft spot for Robin (and a long-box full of his solo series issues), and even in his Pre-Crisis Earth-2 outfit it’s still a nice figure.  This is my favorite Batman figure in the set, even if the color scheme is nowhere to be seen in the show.  The pose is just really dynamic and is appropriately menacing.  As for Grodd… it’s a talking monkey that wants to take over the world.  With that, I move on to…

SET FOUR:

Nothing like a tiny figure of the embodiment of God's vengeance included with your burger...

Here’s where we get obscure.  I doubt most of you have never even heard of either of the characters, have you?  That’s fine, because that’s precisely why this show exists: to showcase lesser-known characters alongside the Dark Knight.  Like Firestorm, Gentleman Ghost (man, that’s a terrific name) is made of transparent plastic, and also has a top hat.  The Spectre is a bit dull in comparison, but don’t say that to his upraised fist.  Haunted Coach is a ghost car with skulls for hubcaps and glowering eyes for headlights.  I’ll let that sink in.

SET FIVE:

I... just can't get over a villain named "Sportsmaster."

Here, we have “karate chop Batman,” which is as delightful as you’d want it to be, the Flash and Sportsmaster.  Batman is okay, even though the gray Batsymbol looks a little odd.  Flash is… bent weird, and also ripped to the extreme, but still: Happy Meal Flash.  Right on.  Sportsmaster is as bizarre as you’d think, but he has a molded on whistle, so it’s all good.  Also, he’s voiced by Biff Tannen.

SET SIX:

I want to know where I can get a car with a hood that looks like my face.

This set has another one of my favorite figures: Bat Mite.  I never, ever, ever thought that I’d see a Bat Mite figure of any kind, let alone in a Happy Meal.  He makes this set, even with a pretty solid Joker figure and a car that… has the Joker’s face on it.  Honestly, it’s my least favorite of the vehicles, but still: BAT MITE!

SET SEVEN:

The Riddler looks good, and "Batarang Action Batman" is pretty cool if a little poorly painted. I'm saying this here because it pales compared to the star of the set.

PLASTIC MAN AS A CAR.

I’m going to go as far as saying that we will never see a single greater toy in the history of man.  We should be sending this into space for aliens to find.  IT’S PLASTIC MAN AS A CAR.  This was one of the sets that I didn’t originally pick up, and you have no idea how much I needed that one figure.  Because it’s PLASTI [mercifully passes out]

SET EIGHT:

Ah yes, Black Manta. Who is purple. Enh.

Let me first say that this version of Aquaman is the greatest interpretation of the character ever.  Watch the show to see why.  The final set itself is pretty solid: good sculpts and paint jobs on Aquaman and Black Manta, and Batman Robot is a nice solid figure, but none of them are PLASTIC M okay, I’ll stop.

OVERALL:

I don’t know why I bought all of these.  I really don’t.  If it makes you feel better, I only ate, like, one Happy Meal and just bought the rest by themselves.  Which doesn’t make it better, come to think of it…

But seriously, they’re great little figures, even if they have zero points of articulation, and the well-known characters are balanced nicely with more fan-favorite, obscure characters.

My favorites in the line are Bat Mite, black suit Batman, Gentleman Ghost, and, yes, Plastic Man.  As a car.

I hope you enjoyed this Imromptu Review.  I’m going to rearrange these on my comic book shelf, and I’ll leave you with this video of Aquaman:

(Note: I meant to take the pictures myself, but my phone’s camera stinks, so thanks to Super Punch for the images.)

The (new) Worst Song Jay’s Ever Heard

To celebrate my 100th 98th tweet, I’ve decided to give everyone a treat.

For some reason (mostly boredom, I assure you), I felt like analyzing a music video.  I got a bit nostalgic for the days on MySpace where I would post a hilariously awesome “Bad 80′s Video” or equally awesome “Cheesy 90′s Love Song.”  This time, though, I’ve decided to present the video for what may be the (new) worst song I’ve ever heard.

I give you…. LMFAO’s “Party Rock Anthem, or, as someone in the Youtube comments called it, “Hipsterpocalypse.”  I prefer the latter.

So, either open the video in a new tab or watch it embedded right here and follow along.  Hopefully it won’t be as painful for you as it was for me.

So, let’s go through this moment by moment.

0:00- the video begins with what I can only assume is an homage to the movie 28 Days Later.  Because, you know, they’re all deep and into culture and stuff.

0:50- this is the beginning of the “shuffling” theme that runs through the video.  I think it’s a metaphor for the oppression of modern youth, but I’m also pretty sure that nobody in this video knows what “metaphor” means.

1:05- here we’re introduced to my favorite character in the video, a guy who reminds me of Mos Def.  From this point on, I will call him Fauxs Def.  He tells us the plot that we just read a minute ago, and we get some more “comedy” from Fro-Pick and Guy-Who-Looks-Kind-Of-Like-Kirk-Hammett-From-Metallica.  It is incredibly painful, but I did giggle at “vitamins” at 1:46.

For reference:

Kirk Hammett-

Kirk Hammett, probably playing a guitar solo.

Not-Kirk Hammett-

Not-Kirk Hammett, probably not playing a guitar solo.

Moving on…

1:56- I love how this girl’s outfit perfectly captures the entire hipster attitude.  She’s wearing bright pink shoes, a construction helmet, and a reflective vest.  What do you wear a reflective vest for?  So people will see you.  That is all.

2:02- hey look, a robot.

2:16- oh trust me, Fro-Pick, it gets scarier.

2:26- sadly, Fauxs Def leaves us, but instead of shuffling or whatever, he just walks away.  Classic.

2:29- at this point I’m  still not entirely convinced that this isn’t just a big joke, based pretty much on their faces.  But then they start rapping, and I start looking for toothpicks to shove in my ears.

2:39-2:53- WORST RAPPING EVER.

3:07- DON’T YOU DARE SULLY THE GOOD NAME OF LED ZEPPELIN, FRO-PICK.

3:20ish- I didn’t notice this the first time (yes, I’ve watched this more than once), but not-Kirk Hammett’s outfit changes between frames while Fro-Pick’s doesn’t.  Huh.

3:38- Ha ha!  Fake out!

3:39- well crap, I was right.

3:40- this is when I realize that, sadly, they are taking this completely seriously.  They’re dancing with way too much conviction to have the least bit of irony about their… well, irony.  Also, a robot.

4:17- yes, but what if hatin’ is justified?  I think about these things so you guys don’t have to.

4:25- I honestly think that Random Blonde Girl is the best (as in “most normally”) dressed person in this whole video.  Besides Fauxs Def.

-the robot is a close second.

-or is it third?

4:37 or something- Gah, say something else!

4:55- “No hipsters were harmed in the making of this videHOLY CRAP HOW DID HE NOT BREAK HIS NECK.”

-I freely admit that some of the dancing is pretty impressive.  Still, this is ridiculous.

5:22- more dancing

5:26- more dancing.  Also, I’m getting tired of the robot.

5:48- more danci… is that Jesus?!

5:58- the end of the song, and what is no doubt going to be printed on hundreds of shirts sold at the LMFAO concerts that nobody will go to.

Final thoughts:

I know it’s a “dance track,” and musically it serves its purpose.  The rapping and singing, however, range from “meh” at best to “Jay can do better” at worst.  Plus, the fact that everyone in the video has absolutely no self-awareness whatsoever makes it even more hilarious.

Is it truly the worst song I’ve ever heard?  Not quite.  It’s catchy, albeit stupid, and as long as Nickelback, the Black Eyed Peas and, uh, “third crappy band” continue making “music,” it’s hard for anybody to top… err, bottom…

…

Be worse than them.

Seriously, though: WORST RAPPING EVER.

Fun facts!

-the two guys are the son (not-Kirk Hammett) and grandson (Fro-Pick) of Berry Gordon, the founder of Motown Records.

-the Random Blonde Girl, according to her Wikipedia page, is known for, among other thing*, “her work with LMFAO.”  Neat!

Sad facts…

-the two guys are the son and grandson of Berry Gordon, the founder of Motown Records.

-not-Kirk Hammett is 36.  And he still dresses like that.

Thanks for reading, and hopefully I can get back into more frequent updates soon.  I want to do more “Great Christian Albums” entries, and I’m still kind of keen on doing a live-blog of a movie, which would read kind of like this but longer.  Obviously.

Have a good night.

*yes, thing.

“Green Lantern” Review

Because I feel like it, and to please my many, many fan(s?), here are my thoughts on DC Comics’ sole 2011 film, Green Lantern.  Be warned: there are spoilers afoot, but nothing at all shocking.

Synopsis

The movie begins promisingly with a brief account of the history of the Guardians and the Green Lantern Corps, as well as Abin Sur’s fabricated for the film but still interesting conflict with Parallax.  This introduction promises an epic “space police” movie that the mythos deserves, but sadly, it quickly delves into tedium.

After we’re essentially told “this is what Green Lanterns are,” we’re dropped into Hal Jordan’s story.  Now, let me say this: Hal is not my favorite Green Lantern.  When I was getting into comics over on the DC end of things, Hal had been out of commission for years and Kyle Rayner was the wielder of the ring.  As such, I have a softer spot for Rayner (who I think Ryan Reynolds would have been much better at portraying), but I do realize that Hal is the “definitive Green Lantern.”  But don’t tell that to Alan Scott.

Anyway, Hal is essentially a reeled-in “Van Wilder as a test pilot”, which is not at all how Hal Jordan has ever been written ever.  Still, it’s been said that the character is about as interesting as watching paint dry, so this might be artistic license exercised for the better (SPOILER ALERT: it isn’t).  So… after the very interesting first ten minutes, we’re treated to roughly forty minutes of the following, in no particular order: Ryan Reynolds taking his pants off; Carol Ferris’ call sign being “Sapphire;” Ryan Reynolds taking his shirt off; a half-baked Top Gun-esque backstory; Hal Van Jorlder receiving a power ring from a near-death Abin Sur; a nephews’ birthday party; the introduction of Hector Hammond, the most interesting character in the movie; Jay laughing at Blake Lively’s acting performance; and Ryan Reynolds taking off his pants and his shirt.

To the films’ credit, the actual origin part is fairly accurate: Abin Sur crashes on Earth, the ring seeks a new Lantern, and Hal Jordan is chosen.  However, everything else in the movie is so poorly written and superfluous that it’s almost like they forgot that this movie was supposed to be awesome but decided that they wanted it to suck.

Eventually, Hector Hammond (Peter Sarsgaard), a dorky college professor, is brought in to examine an “alien life form,” which is, of course, Abin Sur.  He becomes infected with the yellow power of fear and slowly develops telepathic and telekinetic abilities.  He’s truly a tragic character who is quite brilliant and seems like a fairly nice if somewhat quirky guy, but he becomes evil pretty much because the screenplay demands it.  I’m not positive what his character’s motivation is in the comics, but here, he’s almost shoe-horned in as a villain.  But I’m getting ahead of myself.

Eventually, Hal Jordan is taken to Oa, the center of the universe (which I don’t think they ever actually say) and the home of the Corps, where he meets Tomar Re (voiced by Geoffrey Rush), Sinestro (Mark Strong), and my personal favorite, Kilowog (voiced by Michael Clarke Duncan).  All three of these guys are much, much more interesting than Hal Jordan and his lack of courage and tendency to kind of be a prick, but they aren’t nearly as attractive so he gets top billing.

This part of the movie is also pretty awesome: we see the other thousands of Green Lanterns and Hal starts to learn how to use his ring.  The training scene with Kilowog and, later, Sinestro is what you pay to see: Lanterns using their rings to make constructs.  It’s fun, exciting, and everything you’d want in a Green Lantern film, except it only lasts about ten minutes.

This is running a little long, so I’ll summarize: Hal quits but still keeps the ring, saves some people at a party, then gets his identity discovered by Blake Lively (which was actually pretty funny); Parallax makes its way toward Oa but gets side-tracked to Earth, all while Sinestro tells the Guardians they should make a yellow ring to fight fear with fear; Hal pleads for the Guardians to help save his planet, but when they decline he offers to do it himself; he’s told he can’t; he does; becomes an awesome Green Lantern who even earns the respect of Sinestro, who, despite showing absolutely no inclination to do so the entire movie, puts on the yellow ring of fear and becomes a yellow lantern, foreshadowing being the bad guy in the next movie.

End of movie.

Thoughts

I’ll break this up into “positive” and “negative” sections.  First, the positive aspects:

• Like I said, everything that had to do with the Lantern Corps and Oa was awesome and incredibly well done.
• The ancillary characters of Tomar Re and Kilowog really steal they show, even though they are in approximately three scenes.
• Mark Strong is, well, strong, bold, and somewhat charismatic as Sinestro, three traits that the star of the movie lacks.
• Despite the previews, most of the effects are pretty good.  Hal’s mask looks really silly most of the time, but overall the CGI is solid if less than groundbreaking.

Now, the bad:

• Ryan Reynolds.  Now, he’s a likeable actor to be sure, and he does hint at being able to be a strong Hal Jordan, but he’s written poorly.  In fact…
• The script is just weak.  It fluctuates in tone almost within the scene quite often, and the dialogue is just silly.
• The direction, if only because it seems like Martin Campbell (Goldeneye, Casino Royale) really wanted to make an outer space epic but was forced to make a “character study” of Hal, which doesn’t work.
• The under-use of characters who are performed well (pretty much every Lantern, Hammond, Amanda Waller, and even Hal as an actual hero), and the over-use of pointless (Hal’s friend) or poorly performed (Carol Ferris) characters.
• And Blake Lively, who is so bad she deserves her own bullet point.

In conclusion…

The movie was a disappointment.  There’s a good if not outright great movie in there, but Reynolds and Lively aren’t cast in it.  Hopefully, the sequel will get it right and make Hal Jordan a secondary character within an ensemble piece of other Lanterns in the Corps.

Overall, I gave the movie a 6/10.  If that seems high, it’s because what I liked I really, really liked and what they did well they did really well, but they didn’t do enough of it.

It’s funny, because I like the DC characters more, but I’ve enjoyed every Marvel film that’s come out this year more than this.  Granted, DC still has the upper hand with Chris Nolan’s Batman films, and Marvel has been making more movies, but there are more good Marvel movies than DC films.  The best of DC’s best is better than Marvel’s best, but still, they need to take more risks with lesser-known characters.  I mean, really, how many people were clamoring for Iron Man or Thor movies?

Finally, you want a good Green Lantern movie?  Check out the direct to dvd Green Lantern: First Flight  and Green Lantern: Emerald Knights.  They’re both solid takes on the character, and one even has Nathan Fillion as Hal Jordan!

Jay and Kari’s 2010 Year End Film Extravaganza!

This past year was a great one personally (engagement?  Huzzah!), but not a great year for movies.  Oh, there were some great ones, but barely enough to justify making a list again.  However, Kari decided to take part in this endeavor with me this year and, thus, we both have our own best films lists, plus a few other goodies.  So, without delay, here’s…

Kari’s Top 10 Films of 2010 (with commentary)

10. The Other Guys- This movie was funny, but it also had a pretty good plot, which seems to rarely happen in Will Ferrell movies.

9. Ramona & Beezus- This one is on my list for a sentimental reason. I think it is a really good movie, but it’s on my list because it’s a little reminder of my childhood. I read the Ramona Quimby books as a child and I loved them. I’m glad they finally made a movie about them

8. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World- This was just a fun movie, and I really like Michael Cera. I loved how the movie plays like a video game.

7. Black Swan- I’m still processing this one. The more I think about it, the more I like it. The visual effects were done very well, and the story was interesting. It’s a great depiction of how the quest for perfection leads to destruction, and also the effects the paranoia can have on a person’s psyche.

6. Shutter Island- When we started watching this movie, I didn’t like it at all. It felt too slow in the progression of the story. But the ending really surprised me. I love movies that are surprising.

5. Tangled- This was a cute movie. I am a sucker for Disney movies. This one really surprised me. When I saw the preview I was kind of irritated that it was called Tangled instead of just calling it Rapunzel. However, Tangled is a better fit for this retelling of the story. I ended up really liking it.

4. The Fighter- This was a great story. The cast was phenomenal, so much so that I hated a few of them for most of the movie. They did a great job of really becoming the person they were portraying.

3. The King’s Speech- I loved this movie! Colin Firth is an amazing actor. The scenes involving him and Geoffrey Rush were fantastic, as were his scenes with Helena Bonham Carter. I have always been interested in the British Royal family, so I really enjoyed this story.

2. Inception- Two reasons this is number 2:Tom Hardy and Joseph Gordon Levitt. Great performances in a fantastic storyline.

1. Toy Story 3- This movie made me happy, it made me laugh, and it made me cry. Movies that trigger multiple emotions are always great to me. I love Toy Story and Toy Story 2, and I felt that Toy Story 3 was a fantastic ending for the series. Another reason it is number 1 is because the day we saw this movie is the day that Jay proposed.

And now…

Jay’s Top 15 Movies of 2010 (also with commentary)

15. Leaves of Grass- A great Coen Bros. movie not made by the brothers themselves.  Tim Blake Nelson’s film about twin brothers (both played by Edward Norton) is equal parts bizarre and introspective.  The cast is good, if a bit quirky, led by Norton and supported by Nelson himself, Keri Russell, and Richard Dreyfus in an… interesting cameo.  It shifts tone pretty drastically in the final third of the film, but it’s still a good entertainment all around.

14. The Town- Ben Affleck is proving to be a great director, with a steady, confident hand and great knowledge in how to let his actors breathe.  The story itself is rather unremarkable (bank robbers in a rough neighborhood), but the mood and performances (Jeremy Renner in particular) elevate this above a typical crime drama and make it something memorable.  Blake Lively is still terrible, though.

13. Shutter Island- It’s weird: all of Scorcese’s most loved films, such as GoodFellas, Raging Bull and Taxi Driver, I find to be terrific works of art but leave me a little cold.  It’s his “lesser” works that connect with me more.  After The Aviator, this would probably be my favorite film of his.  It’s dark and moody with a decent enough twist at the end, and it stands just fine as a nice little pot-boiler thriller.  Is it high art?  No, but it’s great entertainment.

12. Tangled- Mandy Moore and Zachary Levi really shine in this retelling of Rapunzel.  It’s one of the better Disney Princess movies made in quite some time, with plenty of humor and feeling to go around.  My only real problem is that, while the songs are fine, none of them were truly great, but at least they fit in the context of the movie.  A great, solid animated film for everyone.

11. The Other Guys- Like Kari said, this movie was surprising in that it had a pretty solid story in addition to being laugh out loud hilarious.  Not all of the jokes hit, and I’m sure the plot isn’t air-tight, but Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg display great buddy chemistry and deliver some terrific one-liners.  Plus, Michael Keaton is in it, and he’s likable in just about everything.  Except Jack Frost. ::shudder::

10. Black Swan- If only because I feel that if I didn’t include it, it would haunt my nightmares.

9. Somewhere- Let me put it this way: if you liked Lost in Translation, there’s a good chance you’ll like Somewhere. If you didn’t, then you probably won’t.  And if you liked Marie Antoinette, you are apparently either me or Roger Ebert and nobody else.

8. How to Train Your Dragon- Honestly, this is probably the best American made, non-Pixar or Disney animated film since The Iron Giant. What I thought was going to be another tepid Dreamworks offering with wall-to-wall pop culture references and stupid jokes instead proved to be a film filled with heart.  It’s fun and a little silly at times, but the scene where Hiccup and Toothless “communicate” by drawing in the dirt was so well directed it honestly left me awe-struck.

7. True Grit- One of the better westerns (I seem to say that about every good western, but whatever), True Grit is less a remake and more a new adaptation of the novel.  The story follows the source material much more closely, and while Jeff Bridges isn’t as memorable as John Wayne in the Rooster Cogburn role, he’s at least a better actor in the role, supported by other great actors who surpass the skill and performances of their counterparts in the original film.  Matt Damon is great as the arrogant, obsessive LeBeouf, Barry Pepper is menacing as Lucky Ned Pepper, Josh Brolin plays Tom Chaney as more of a simpleton to good results, and yet each of these seasoned actors is outshone by relative newcomer Hailee Steinfeld, who is absolutely marvelous as the tough, smart Mattie Ross.

6. The King’s Speech- This is a great example of good old fashioned movie making at its finest.  Nothing fancy goes on here, just career best work from some great actors.  Colin Firth’s final speech in the film is more moving and intense than most sports film climaxes.

5. The Social Network- Like The Hurt Locker last year, I’ll be fine when this one most likely wins Best Picture.  The script is sharp, the acting superb, and the pacing and direction are fast-moving and fresh.  Not my favorite film of the year, but definitely one of the true best films of the year.  Is it the movie that defines a generation?  Quite possibly.  I mean, Facebook may not exist a decade from now, but print media is dying and yet we consider Citizen Kane a great film, right?  A very specific “fad” that could only exist now is taken and made timeless, which is truly an example of great film-making.

4. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World- Honestly, I’d say this better defines our generation, for better or worse.  It’s a “comic book movie,” and yet somehow it’s the greatest video game movie ever made.  Somehow Edgar Wright was able to condense six volumes of story into one two hour movie, and give it an arguably more satisfying ending.  Granted, he had to take a lot of stuff out, but the movie is still fun, fast and satisfying.  While Michael Cera may not embody every young twentysomething male out there, the film is smart in weaving in the influence video games, comic books, computers and pop culture in general has on our lives.  It’s not deep or open to interpretation; it’s just a visually stunning, highly entertaining ride.

3. The Fighter- There’s just something about boxing movies that connect with me, and I don’t even think I’ve seen more than one fight, and that was an amateur youth fight several years ago.  Christian Bale and Melissa Leo are getting heaps of praise, and it’s all well-deserved.  However, I need to give props to Mark Wahlberg.  His performance is low-key, restrained and underplayed, and yet that’s exactly what the movie needs to prevent from going into over-cooked parody.  If he performed with the same relish that Bale and Leo did, the movie would go off the rails, but he performs a terrific balancing act.  Some of the actual history of the events is a bit muddled, and it’s not quite as emotionally satisfying as the first Rocky or even Rocky Balboa, but it is a perfect blend of that type of underdog story mixed with the hard-hitting (yeah, no pun intended) true to life storytelling of Raging Bull.

Once again, I’m cheating a bit.  I had a very, very difficult time choosing between the next two films and deciding which one was the best.  For all intents and purposes, it’s a tie, but I’ll still rank one ahead of the other simply because it can stand on its own a little better.

2. Toy Story 3- Is the Toy Story trilogy the best trilogy of all time?  You know, quite possibly.  Each of the movies got progressively better and better, and the emotional impact of each one still rings true after repeated viewings.  If for no other reason, I loved this movie for the nostalgic aspects; I grew up with these toys.  However, the story is strong, the characterization fantastic, and the emotional wallop that the ending delivers is not brought on with even a hint of manipulation.  Plus, like Kari said, I proposed right after we saw it, so it will always hold a special place for that reason alone.

1. Inception- I feel kind of weird putting another Chris Nolan film as the number one pick, but Inception is brilliant from beginning to not-that-hard-to-figure-out end.  The characters, while lacking in back-story save for two, are likable and serve the story without just being plot-points, and the story itself twists and turns, asks interesting questions, presents interesting ideas, and goes deeper and deeper into its labyrinthine structure while still emerging as a solid, satisfying picture.  While I’d still say The Dark Knight is his best film, this is probably the best example of Nolan’s film-making skills.  He has yet to make a bad movie, and Inception is a marvelous achievement in an already impressive career.  Now bring on The Dark Knight Rises.

Honorable Mentions: Batman: Under the Red Hood, Iron Man 2, Winter’s Bone, TRON: Legacy, Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths (Yes, I included two direct to DVD movies, but DC is really doing a fantastic job with these things.)

The Worst Films of the Year (according to Jay):

• Leap Year- not even Amy Adams and “Irish scenery” could save this movie.
• Cats and Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore- I got paid to see this and still felt ripped off.
• The Bounty Hunter- I laughed a few times (I think), but the acting, directing, writing, pacing, and everything contained therein were just sloppy and formulaic.

Jay’s Favorite Performances of the Year:

• Halee Steinfeld as Mattie Ross, True Grit- like I said before, she effectively carried this movie on her shoulders.
• James Franco as Aron Ralston, 127 Hours- I didn’t love the movie itself (Danny Boyle, I’m afraid, is most likely a hack, and was not afraid to remind us that he directed the over-rated Slumdog Millionaire with every single shot of this film), but Franco is genuinely fantastic.  He literally carries the film, as he’s the only thing on screen for most of the runtime.
• Tom Hardy as Eames and Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Arthur, Inception- These gentlemen stole this movie right from Leonardo DiCaprio.  He’s good, yeah, but Hardy delivered a star-making performance while leaving the scenery unchewed, while Levitt further proves that he’s an excellent, exciting young actor.
• Andrew Garfield as Eduardo Saverin, The Social Network- I was expecting Justin Timberlake to give the best performance, and while he was good but not quite great, Garfield surprised me by giving a truly heartfelt, emotional performance.  Jesse Eisenberg is fantastic as well, but considering I only knew him as “the kid who’s going to play Spider-Man next,” I’d say he takes the honors.
• Alison Pill as Kim Pine, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World- She just delivers the line “WE ARE SEX BOB-OMB!” with such conviction that I couldn’t not include her.
• Christian Bale as Dicky Eklund, The Fighter- See above.
• Colin Firth as King George VI, The King’s Speech- See above.  Again.
• Aaron Paul as “Weird” Al Yankovic, Weird: The Al Yankovic Story. See link: Weird: The Al Yankovic Story

Well, that about does it for 2010. By the time the next list rolls around, I’ll have been married for three months. Yay!

Okay, that’s all.

Great Christian Albums, part 4

A Collision or (3+4=7) by David Crowder* Band

This one… yeah, it’s a doozy.

David Crowder* Band (what’s with the star anyway?) wrote an entire album contemplating the one thing nobody really wants to think about: death.  I’m as guilty as anyone in having reservations and fears about dying, but really, why should we?  It’s the continuation of eternal life with Christ, and this album reflects that in various movements.

At about 73 minutes long, this album is epic.  It’s filled with worship songs, a few covers, and some filler material that’s all summed up in one amazing statement: “when our depravity meets His divinity it is a beautiful collision.”  With A Collision (“A” as in “before B,” not “a single collision”), Crowder seeks to confront our fears about death, dying and the afterlife with a spiritual mindset and rejoice in the eternal life found in Jesus.  Plus, they continue their streak of being a “nerd’s Christian band” by having references to physics and chemistry, bizarre chord shapes and music structure, and even a music video done in an Anime style about hating squirrels.  You heard read me.

The album is divided into four parts.  “A Part” begins with “Everybody Wants to Go to Heaven (A Walk Down Stairs),” which is just that: David Crowder singing a few bars of the Loretta Lynn song and then walking down the stairs.  “Come and Listen” is an invitation for the listener, for anybody who hears, for anybody who knows God to come and listen to what is being said.  “Here is Our King” is a celebration of Christ and His glory evident in creation, even in troubling and distressing times.  “Wholly Yours” continues with that theme in a way, this time celebrating Christ loving us even though we’re imperfect.  “Foreverandever Etc.” is an incredibly upbeat song with a twofold meaning: we will rejoice with Christ forever, and His love for us is everlasting.  In essence, “A Part” is about worshiping our Savior and King here on Earth, awaiting the eternal life to come.

“B Part” is about the redemption offered in Christ and the transformation the believer goes through after being redeemed.  It opens with “A Quiet Interlude,” with some light strings leading directly into “A Beautiful Collision,” the song that describes the seemingly paradoxical beauty of the thesis: our depravity meeting His divinity.  “Soon I Will Be Done With the Troubles of the World” is a sampled recording of a choir singing an old spiritual.  “Be Lifted or Hope Rising” captures the anxious anticipation of Jesus returning in glory, in the meantime being held up by His strength.  “I Saw the Light,” that old familiar hymn, sounds as if it were recorded in a barn (I think it actually was) and, with a new eschatological stanza, reinforces the transformation found in redemption.  “O God Where Are You Now? (In Pickerel Lake? Pigeon? Marquette? Mackinaw?)” is a Sufjan Stevens song describing the longing and almost frustration felt waiting for God to return and take the Church to be with Him in glory.

“C Part” begins with “B Quiet Interlude,” this time a short song calling for silence so that we can hear what God has to say.  “Do Not Move” describes the feeling of awe and wonder one gets when the magnitude of Jesus’ sacrifice is realized: the fact that anyone, especially God Himself, would die for you leaves you stunned and unable to move.  “Come Awake” has a duel meaning as well: the sinner being called to be made alive in Jesus, formerly being dead in sin, and also being called forth from the grave to live forever.  “You Are my Joy” puts words to the feeling of complete awe and thankfulness that left one speechless in “Do Not Move,” and “Our Happy Home,” an anonymous hymn, tells of the eagerness and joy that the Church has to be made one with Christ in eternity.

“D Part” opens with “(Repeat/Return) or When the Seventh Angel Sounded His Trumpet, and There Were Loud Voices in Heaven, Which Said: ‘The Kingdom of the World Has Become the Kingdom of Our Lord and of His Christ, and He Will Reign Foreverandever, Etc…,” containing nothing but eleven seconds of guitar feedback.  The title of it actually takes longer to say than the track itself, which might be the intended irony.  “We Win!” is a joyous acclamation of victory over death and sin, with “Rescue is Coming” extolling the hope of a returning Savior.  The album concludes with two curious tracks: “A Conversation” between a journalist (who doesn’t quite get the point of the album) and David Crowder, which continues into “The Lark Ascending or (Perhaps More Accurately, I’m Trying to Make You Sing)” which also has the violin solo of that name being played under the conversation.

While the album isn’t a consistent set of songs like Church Music from last year (another worthy contender of a “Great Albums” installment), it’s an incredibly ambitious concept album that pays off.  So very few Christian musicians, let alone Christians period, speak of death in a joyous, optimistic manner, but the band takes and attitude that we should have and, instead of being depressing or macabre, rejoices in the fact that in Christ, there is no real death.

The album is accompanied by B Collision or (B is for Banjo), or (B sides), or (Bill), or perhaps more accurately (…the eschatology of  Bluegrass), an EP of a few live tracks and a few new tracks including a full version of “Everybody Wants to Go to Heaven,” and a book  entitled Everybody Wants to Go to Heaven But Nobody Wants to Die or (the eschatology of bluegrass), written after the tragic death of their friend pastor Kyle Lake.  I recommend both, for what it’s worth.

Choice lyrics:

• “Come and Listen”- Come and listen, come to the water’s edge, all you who know and fear the Lord.
• “Here is Our King”- And what was said to the rose to make it unfold was said to me here in my chest, so be quiet now and rest.
• “Wholly Yours”- And the truest sign of grace was this: from wounded hands redemption fell down, liberating man.
• “Foreverandever Etc.”- Love too unthinkable and true for anyone but You, for anyone but You.
• “A Beautiful Collision”- So afraid You’ll find me out, alone here with my doubt.  Here it comes, a beautiful collision is happening now.  There seems no end to where You begin and where I am now You and I collide.
• “Be Lifted or Hope Rising”- How long till You mend us?  Till You come back, we ain’t giving up.
• “I Saw the Light”- When death takes me down and I breathe here no more, my anthem will sound on that eternal shore.  When I join with the angels in heaven on high singing, “Praise the Lord, I saw the light.”
• “Do Not Move”- The costliest of costs.  The deadliest of loss.  The wonder of the cross.
• “Come Awake”- You are not the only one who feels like the only one.  Night soon will be lifted, friend.  Just be quiet and wait for a voice that will say… Rise, rise, to life, to life.
• “You Are my Joy”- And I cannot hold it in and remain composed.  Love’s taken over me and so I propose the letting myself go.
• “Our Happy Home”- We soon shall join the throng.  Their pleasures we shall share.  And sing the everlasting song, with all the ransomed there.
• “We Win!”- This is for glory, His glory.  We have already won!
• “Rescue is Coming”- I’d love to start again, go back to innocent, and never leave.  Don’t give up now.  A break in the clouds.  We could be found.

Great Christian Albums, part 3

i see things upside down by Derek Webb

Here’s one of my personal favorite albums of all time.  It’s a somewhat thematic album, exploring the different paradoxes of the Christian faith.  Musically speaking, it’s not like most Christian albums: ambient noise is used quite frequently (in fact, the album opens with it), and the songs are more meditative than sing-songy and catchy.  In fact, I didn’t much like the album when I first heard it, and it took a long time to grow on me.  Now, though, I find it quite brilliant and always interesting to listen to.

For Derek Webb’s second solo album, he decided to eschew the traditional folk style of music he built most of his career on and went with something more akin to Radiohead or latter-day Wilco in sound.  Interestingly enough, each one of his albums has a completely different sound than any other, which makes the music at least seem fresh.  The opening track, “I Want a Broken Heart,” is a confession of complacency and plea for brokenness; something we should ask for more often but tend to shy away from.  The second song, “Better Than Wine,” is a love song written for his wife based almost solely on imagery from Song of Solomon.

“The Strong, The Tempted & The Weak” is akin to an old hymn (it very well may be), while “Reputation” and “I Repent” seem to me, at least, to be a cry for confession and the confession itself, respectively.  “Medication” contains some of the heaviest imagery on the album, with the narrator desiring a true Christian life no matter what the cost.

“We Come to You,” my personal favorite track, is the closest the album gets to a worship song: it’s a meditation on Christ coming to save us and how, with the broken heart of the title track, we need to come to him.  It also has a roughly six minute musical outro that seems off-putting, but goes well with the contemplative lyrics and also serves as a bit of an intermission for the album.

“T-Shirts (What We Should Be Known For)” is a somewhat sarcastic look at the state of the Church as a whole and what we are known for instead of what we should be known for, which is love.

“Ballad in Plain Red” is an honest but cynical look at how materialistic everything has become and how, instead of caring for the poor or speaking outright truth, carnivals are thrown and bumper stickers are displayed.  Like I said, it’s cynical, but sadly accurate in many aspects.

“Nothing is Ever Enough,” from my understanding, is about his split with Caedmon’s Call, though it sounds almost like a ballad until you examine the lyrics.  “Lover Pt. 2” is a sequel of sorts to “Lover” from She Must and Shall Go Free. Where the latter is a song of great hope and beauty and told from the perspective of Christ, “Pt. 2” is told from the sinner’s point of view and, like several songs before, is all about being broken and the need for salvation.

The album closes with “What is Not Love,” a track that fully explores the apparent paradoxes of Christianity.  Where the world would see weakness and foolishness, faith in God brings strength and wisdom.  It’s an apt ending to a sometimes bizarre but always interesting album, and along with “Medication” contains some of the most brutal yet hopeful imagery in any song he’s yet written.

Like Share the Well, the album isn’t for everyone: the open, almost jammed aspect to some of the songs can be off-putting to a casual listener, and the lyrics get pretty heavy and convicting, requiring introspection and study.  Plus, as with “Ballad in Plain Red,” it can get quite cynical, but Webb doesn’t shy away from songs of hope and redemption.  There’s nothing quite as strong as “Lover,” which is one of the best songs ever written about Christ, but as always, hope is always there.

Choice lyrics:

• “I Want a Broken Heart”: I’ve got alibis for every crime, a substitute to do my time, ’cause Your heart breaks enough on both our parts
• “Better Than Wine”: I tell you my beloved that you cannot be replaced, with my left hand beneath your head and my right arm around your waist.  So take a deep breath, because I feel a little drunk, but I’m in my right mind, babe, I know your love is so much better than wine
• “The Strong, The Tempted & The Weak”: When storms or tempests rise or sins your peace assail, your hope in Jesus never dies, ’tis cast within the veil
• “Reputation”: I know you know me well enough by now and you’re loving me as well as you know how
• “I Repent”: I repent, I repent of trading truth for false unity.  I repent, I repent of confusing peace and idolatry.  By caring more of what they think than what I know of what we need, by domesticating You until You look just like me
• “Medication”: So I’d rather suffer my whole life and be this rich man’s wife if loving You means suffering
• “We Come to You”: You came to show the way, not around but through, so through it all, we come to You
• “T-Shirts (What We Should Be Known For)”: They’ll know us by the billboards that we raise, just turning God’s words to cheap cliches.  It says “what art of murder don’t you understand?” but we hate our fellow man, and point a finger at his grave
  
• “Ballad in Plain Red”: Don’t want the song, I want a jingle.  I love you Lord, but don’t hear a single.  And the truth is nearly impossible to rhyme.
• “Nothing is Ever Enough”: And you’re a wreck because you suspect that she’ll never be who she was years ago
• “Lover Pt. 2″: I am my Beloved’s and my Beloved’s mine, and I am as surprised as any man born blind.  But it’s still coming in blurry, the images I see, but someday it will all come clear and I will be set free
• “What Is Not Love”: What looks like torture is a time to rejoice.  What sounds like thunder is a comforting voice.  When what is beautiful looks broken and crushed.  I say I don’t know You, but You say it’s finished.

Great Christian Albums, part 2

Share the Well by Caedmon’s Call

For the second album in the series, I’m going to cover an incredibly ambitious record from one of Christian music’s most enduring bands, Caedmon’s Call.  For their first album after the departure of long-time vocalist/guitarist/songwriter Derek Webb (we’ll hear more from him in a later installment), the band recruited former Normals singer/guitarist/songwriter Andrew Osenga (perhaps more from them later, as well), travelled to India and South America to reach the people there, and wrote songs about their experiences.  The resulting album is a sometimes bizarre mix of strange sounds and instrumentation, but is still a showcase of excellent songwriting and the effect of actually taking the gospel to the world and engaging in fellowship with believers in completely different cultures.

The album opens with a “count-off” from an indigenous Indian man leading right into the title track: a call for believers to share the good news and love of Christ with everyone, no matter the circumstances.  “There’s Only One (Holy One)” begins a semi-recurring theme of God being the one true God the world over, which is a pretty enduring theme if you ask me.  “Jenny Farza/Mother India” are the best songs on the album, hands down.  The former is essentially a vocal solo by a young girl leading into the “Mother India” track.  It explores the differences between American and Indian culture and how, despite those differences, God still showers His love upon everyone.  The song also has a vocal bridge sung by Jenny Farza, which are possibly the most beautiful vocals I’ve ever heard.  It honestly brings me to tears every time I hear it.  After “Mother India” is “International Love Song,” a nice little number that sums up the affectionate feelings one gets toward the locals and their way of life when on a trip.

“All I Need (Did Not Catch Her Name)” tells the story of a woman who, despite being poor and losing her loved ones, still clings to Christ through hardship and trial.  “Los Hermanos Countoff,” with the sons of the woman from the previous song, leads into “Volcano Land,” an incredibly bouncy tune about life in Ecuador.  Next is “The Roses,” a song about an old Ecuadorian couple who have seen God’s influence in their lives over the years.

“Mirzapur Group” is another “lead-in”song, this time for “Bombay Rain,” a number that details the fact that the rain falls on everyone the world over and, once again, God is the same God everywhere.

“The Innocent’s Corner,” inspired by a room in Westminster Abbey, details the hardships that the “lower” caste members of society face day to day, and also the attitude that many members of American society have toward those who have less than us.  “Sarala” tells of a young Indian girl who visits India with her parents for the first time, sees the difference in their homeland and hers, and learns about how her grandpa came to know Jesus.  “Punjabi Group with Joseph D’Souza” captures the impromptu worshipping of a group of Indian believers and leads into “Wings of the Morning,” a song about the unending hope present through faith in God.  “Dalit Hymn” closes the album with the cries of the Dalit people of India, a group of people who, according to the liner notes, are not allowed to even draw water from a well.  It is a cry for emancipation from the caste system and a song of praise, repeating the phrase “sub kooch ho sak-ee dey,” which means “anything is possible with God.”  A hidden track, presumably titled “I Miss You,” comes a few minutes after the hymn ends, and an extended session with the Mirzapur group truly ends the album.

This album isn’t quite for everyone; as I said, some truly strange instruments are used, and some of the indigenous vocals sound pretty strange.  However, it is a true testament to the power of God in the world, both in the love and care we should show others and in the fact that every person washed in the blood of Christ rests in His hands.

Choice lyrics:

• “Share the Well”: Do you think the water knows, flowing down the mountain thaw, finally to find repose for any soul who cares to draw.
• “There’s Only One (Holy One)”: But where my Shepherd leads, where else can I go?  Who else fills my cup till it overflows?
• “Mother India”: There’s a land where our shackles turn to diamonds, where we trade in our rags for a royal crown.  And in that place, our oppressors hold no power, and the doors of the King are thrown wide.
• “International Love Song”: A perfect love is a world without hunger.
• “All I Need (I Did Not Catch Her Name)”: Who else knew my name before the day that I was born?  Jesus is all I need.
• “Volcano Land”: A bumpy ride on the bus to the amber hill, I was feeling like a hundred pesos, but something in my soul was certainly there to stay.
• “The Roses”: Honey, that’s all they have and they’re happier here than any of my friends back home.  They’ve met Jesus and they really know Him.
• “Bombay Rain”: But most amazing of them all is the grace that we believe in, that we are known and loved, loved and known.
• “The Innocent’s Corner”: But we sit here debating the meaning of justice with self righteous spin and an uppser caste grin.  We’re still suffocating on quicksand indifference where no choice is ever that hard.
• “Sarala”: Jesus found her grandfather there.  I heard him say these cows aren’t sacred, they’re just in the way.
• “Wings of the Morning”: Made in the image of a giver and a lover, Who left His throne to come down here.
• “Dalit Hymn”: God made every man forward and free, sub kooch ho sak-ee dey.

Great Christian Albums, part 1

I’m starting a series, if you will, where I focus on great albums by Christian artists.  Not just songs, but entire albums that are consistently fantastic.  This probably won’t serve any greater purpose than having me listen to albums that glorify God and speak of His greater truths, but that’s okay.  Even though it’s music and not strictly the word of God, it’s still cathartic and cleansing to engage in songs of worship and truth.

I’ll do a main rundown of the whole album, list choice lyrics from each track, and try to find an accompanying video to go along with it.  If you have any suggestions, I’d be more than happy to hear them.

With that said, I’ll begin with:

Rich Mullins’ A Liturgy, A Legacy & A Ragamuffin Band. If you know me well, this is hardly a surprising choice, but it sums up perfectly what I mean by a great album: each track is at the very least good, and nothing seems out of place within the context of anything else.

Liturgy, as Mullins said, is essentially two halves of contemporary worship that go hand in hand: the liturgical aspects of our history as the Church, and the legacy of what we have to leave for future generations.  It starts off with “Here in America,” a meditation on the mundane aspects of life and how, even in those, God is ever present and guiding us.  “52:10 [Entroit],” based solely on the same verse in Isaiah, begins the actual liturgical portion of the album, which roughly mirrors the actual order of a service in early Christian worship.  “The Color Green [Gloria in Excelsis]” moves the focus to glorifying God for everything in our lives, especially the things we take advantage of (hence “the color green”).  “Hold Me Jesus [Dona Nobis Pacem]” is a song of confession, pure and simple.  Mullins wrote this song in a time of great temptation in his life, and the brutal honesty shows in the lyrics and emotion he puts into the vocals.  ”Creed [Credo]” follows and, taking the Apostle’s Creed and a quote from G. K. Chesterton, sums up the precepts of the Christian faith almost perfectly.  The act of communion is represented by “Peace (A Communion Blessing from St. Joseph’s Square),” and the liturgical portion of the record is capped off with “78 Eatonwood Green,” an instrumental number.

I’m not going to lie: the first half of this record is almost perfect.  As such, the second half, the “legacy,” is merely really, really good in comparison.  Each track is still excellent in its own right, but compared to the likes of “Creed” and “Hold Me Jesus,” nothing shines quite as brightly.  But, like I said, it’s still good.  “Hard” describes the difficulty of living a life of faith and following Christ, and “I’ll Carry On” serves as a thesis of sorts for the “legacy” aspect of the album.  “You Gotta Get Up (Christmas Song)” does seem out of place on first listen, but the lyrics are full of child-like innocence and wonder, two incredibly important qualities that are sadly missing amongst most adults.  “How to Grow Up Big and Strong” is a cover of a song originally by the artist Mark Heard, who died the year before the album was released.  Finally, the album closes with “Land of my Sojourn,” a companion piece to “Here in America” that views the world as a place that is not our true home.

Choice lyrics:

• “Here in America”: There’s so much beauty around us for just two eyes to see, but everywhere I go I’m looking
• “52:10”: The Lord has bared His Holy arm in the sight of all the nations and all the ends of the earth shall see the Lord’s salvation
• “The Color Green”: Look down upon this winter wheat and be glad that You have made blue for the sky and the color green to fill these fields with praise
• “Hold Me Jesus”: Surrender don’t come natural to me.  I’d rather fight You for something I don’t really want than take what You give that I need.
• “Creed”: I did not make it, no it is making me.  It is the very truth of God and not the invention of any man
• “Peace”: In His blood and in His body, in this bread and in this wine, peace to you, peace of Christ to you
• “78 Eatonwood Green”: uhh, instrumental
• “Hard”: And it’s hard when your soul has been stripped bare, hard to raise your eyes toward Heaven
• “I’ll Carry On”: But when they hoist that sail I know my heart will break as bright and as fine as the morning
• “You Gotta Get Up (Christmas Song)”: Oh, I hope there’ll be peace on Earth, I know there’s good will toward men on account of the Baby born in Bethlehem
• “How to Grow Up Big and Strong”: Strong man is survivor.  He live to pound little wooden crosses in the bloody ground
• “Land of my Sojourn”: So I call you my country and I’ll be lonely for my home and I wish that I could take you there with me

In my eyes, you can’t really go wrong with any album of Rich Mullins’.  He was truly an amazing poet and songwriter, plus he lived out his faith in all he did.  A Liturgy, A Legacy & A Ragamuffin Band will always stand as one of the greatest albums in all of Christian music, and perhaps even all of music in general.

The Top 50 (yikes) Films of the Decade

I’m a little later getting this up than I wanted, but whatever.  Here you go.

50. Fantastic Mr. Fox

49. Steamboy

48. The Aviator

47. Pan’s Labyrinth

46. Inglourious Basterds

45. (500) Days of Summer

44. Serenity

43. Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow

42. Ratatouille

41. Pride & Prejudice

40. Catch Me If You Can

39. Munich

38. Sin City

37. Into the Wild

36. Rocky Balboa

35. Big Fish

34. Star Trek

33. Watchmen

32. The Fall

31. Iron Man

30. Juno

29. Primer

28. United 93

27. Up in the Air

26. Doubt

25. Zodiac

24. Ponyo

23. Stranger Than Fiction

22. Kill Bill Vol. 1 & 2

21. City of God

20. Love’s Labour’s Lost

19. Spirited Away

18. Casino Royale

17. Donnie Darko

16. As You Like It

15. Apocalypto

14. The Incredibles

13. Amelie

12. The Passion of the Christ

11. American Splendor

10. Vanilla Sky

9. Up

8. Lars and the Real Girl

7. Batman Begins

6. Hotel Rwanda

5. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

4. The Lord of the Rings Trilogy

3. Lost in Translation

2. The Dark Knight

1. Almost Famous

I bet that was not the least bit surprising to anybody at all.  Good night.