Beyond Oscars: Top 10 Best Spiritual Movies of 2012

February 9, 2013 by

FILM FANS in 100 nations will tune in The 2013 Oscars on February 24. Movies are a global language that speaks to the head, the heart—and the spirit. TODAY, faith-and-film author Edward McNulty shares his own list of Best Pictures—focusing on films with spiritual themes. The official Oscar competition has only 9 Best Picture nominees from 2012: Armour, Argo, Beasts of the Southern Wild, Django Unchained, Les Misérables, Life of Pi, Lincoln, Silver Linings Playbook, Zero Dark Thirty. McNulty picks only 5 of those for his list—then, he adds 5 more films for his Top 10 Best Spiritual Movies of 2012. You’ll enjoy the list—and these films also can spark spirited discussion in your small group.

And, “Best Spiritual Picture” goes to …
Top 10 Must-See 2012 Movies

By EDWARD McNULTY

As a columnist on faith and film, I reviewed more than 120 films in preparing this list of Best Spiritual Movies. By describing these 10 as “spiritual,” I don’t mean that they are “religious”—although several of them feature characters who believe in God and regularly worship. I mean “spiritual” in a broader sense—affirming that life is more than what we can see with our eyes, that life is often difficult and dark, but that it is possible to find the resources to overcome that darkness. Think about the Gospel song in the 2006 film The Pursuit of Happyness sung by the choir at Glide Memorial Church where a homeless father (played by Will Smith) and his son find food, shelter and spiritual strength.
Lord don’t move the mountain,
But give me strength to climb it!

BEST SPIRITUAL MOVIES: Les Misérables

DIRECTOR: Tom Hooper. RATING: PG-13.
Of the six versions of Victor Hugo’s masterpiece that I have seen, Tom Hooper’s film is now my favorite. I was disappointed that his film cut short the pivotal sequence in which the Bishop redeems the soul of the newly released convict Jean Valjean. But, overall, I was very impressed! What appeals most to me in this version is the way the music moves from the kind of auxiliary role that we expect from the soundtrack in typical dramas—to become a central vehicle for revealing the inner thoughts and feelings of the characters. This is the film counterpart to the interior monologue that novelists use so effectively, but that is difficult to transfer to the big screen. Now, in song, we can hear the turmoil in Jean Valjean’s mind and heart as he ponders the incredible grace bestowed upon him by the kindly Bishop. And in Javert we see the foundation of his whole life crumbling as he puzzles over Valjean’s very un-criminal act in sparing his life at the barricades. Finally, I love the inclusion of the novelist’s line at the end that gets to the heart of the Gospel: “To love another person is to see the face of God.” (Read my entire review of Les Misérables, which includes a free study guide for your small group.)

BEST SPIRITUAL MOVIES: Lincoln

DIRECTOR: Steven Spielberg. RATING: PG-13.
Steven Spielberg again delves into American history, this time two decades after the incidents he chronicled in Amistad, his film based on the trial of Africans who stage an uprising on a slave ship. The sheer artistry of Daniel Day-Lewis’s and Sally Field’s performances as the anguished Abraham and Mary Todd Lincoln are enough to place this film high on my list. The film could serve as a midrash on Jesus’s admonition that his disciples be “as harmless as doves and wise as serpents.” In this film, Lincoln is taken down from his high pedestal and is immersed in the political muck of arm-twisting and deal-making required to get Congress to pass a bill as controversial as the amendment to free slaves. The film honestly shows us how Lincoln shared the prejudices of his era in spite of personally hating slavery. We see how he develops along a courageous moral pathway until he becomes committed to leaving a legacy of everlasting freedom for those in bondage. (Read my entire review of Lincoln. And, you will also enjoy my story about the religious life of our 16th President.)

BEST SPIRITUAL MOVIES: Life of Pi

DIRECTOR: Ang Lee. RATING: PG.
A spiritual odyssey as well as a tale of survival at sea, The Life of Pi is one of the most religious films on this list. In fact, Jan Martel’s original best-selling novel has been a favorite selection of discussion groups—including religious discussion groups—since it first was published in 2001. President Obama made headlines in 2010 by sending a letter to Martel, praising his novel as: “an elegant proof of God, and the power of storytelling.” Ang Lee’s film is a triumph, considering that most fans of the novel declared that it never could be put on the big screen. At first, the story seems so simple. I still remember Walt Kelly’s famous statement by Pogo, “When you starve with a tiger, the tiger starves last.” In this case, the teen-ager Piscine Molitor “Pi” Patel tries to stay afloat and alive with a large Bengal tiger sharing his lifeboat. Pi is a devotee of three faiths—Hinduism, Christianity, and Islam—and he will need to draw on all of them to keep body and soul together during the 227 days afloat in the ocean. The spectacular beauty of the sea and sky make this a joy to watch, and the spiritual themes of God and hope make this a “must” for this list.

BEST SPIRITUAL MOVIES: The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Now available on DVD and Blu-ray. Click the cover to visit the film’s Amazon page.DIRECTOR: Stephen Chbosky. RATING: PG.
“The outsider” is a theme in many of the films on this list—a despised ex-convict in Les Misérables; a castaway trying to straddle three faiths in Life of Pi; a young boy and girl who “don’t fit” with peers in Moonrise Kingdom; a little girl and her dying father in Beasts of the Southern Wild; a boy unwanted by his own father in Kid With a Bike; and a college student alienated from his church and his father in Blue Like Jazz. Even Abraham Lincoln was an outsider. And so in Stephen Chbosky’s delightful film we meet Charlie, Patrick, and Sam, three young outsiders bonding and surviving—no, triumphing over the difficulties of their teen years. Unfortunately it was shut out of this year’s Academy Award nominations. I loved the film for its Zorba the Greek-like moments. In one scene, a character stands up in the bed of a pick-up truck and raises arms out as if flying because of the joy of the moment. The three friends are speeding through a tunnel at the end of which the skyline of Pittsburgh is revealed. The film shows in numerous scenes what the church, when it lives up to its calling, means by a life of grace.

BEST SPIRITUAL MOVIES: Moonrise Kingdom

Available in DVD and Blu-ray. Click the cover to visit the film’s Amazon page.DIRECTOR: Wes Anderson. RATING: PG-13.
Director Wes Anderson and co-writer Roman Coppola’s venture into magic realism is a delightful take on the outsider genre. This time, the outsiders are a quirky boy and girl, both bright and talented—and both awkwardly at odds with their peers. This story of their first love transpires on an island where young Sam is dumped into a scouting program and is smitten when he spots Suzy in a local church play. Without spoiling the film’s plot twists, it is safe to say: Suzy agrees to run away with Sam toward an Eden-like area of the island. Suspense builds as a hurricane looms and the young people wind up in the high tower of a church. But grace (or God) intervenes, and in the traditional comedic sense “all’s well that ends well.” We might see the writing team rise to the platform at the Oscars, since they were nominated in the Best Original Screenplay category. Anderson was nominated for two earlier Oscars, but has not won to date. As usual, Anderson has attracted a wonderful cast, including Bill Murray, Bruce Willis, Edward Norton, Francis McDormand and Tilda Swinton.

BEST SPIRITUAL MOVIES: Beasts of the Southern Wild

Now available in DVD and Blu-ray. Click the cover to visit the film’s Amazon page.DIRECTOR: Harold “Benh” Zeitlin. RATING: PG-13.
I was at times puzzled by what was going on in this first-time director’s film—but I never once glanced at my watch. Another film in the magic realism genre, this combines concern for the environment with a study of folk in the bottom strata of society, a group of adults who live in a bayou they call “The Bathtub,” cut off from the rest of the world by a levee. The story is told by 6-year-old Hushpuppy and involves both the reality of a hurricane and the onslaught of mythical creatures called Aurochs, set free from their frozen bondage in the Arctic by the melting polar icecap. Her dying father Wink is trying to prepare her for his coming demise when she will be left a total orphan. The film celebrates the proud spirit of these two and their rag-tag neighbors, as well as the real love of the father for his daughter. The surrealistic ending when Hushpuppy confronts the stampeding beasts and shares a last supper with her father stirs something deep and primal within the viewer. Perhaps most fascinating about this production is young Benh Zeitlin’s background. This was his first feature film; he is the son of the co-founders of New York’s famous City Lore, a center devoted to documenting and preserving urban folk culture. The son has traveled far afield for this film, but his storytelling ability is remarkable.

BEST SPIRITUAL MOVIES: Kid with a Bike

Now available on DVD and Blu-ray. Click the cover to visit the Amazon page.DIRECTORS: Jean-Pierre & Luc Dardenne. RATING: PG-13.
I’ll admit that I am reaching a bit to include Kid with a Bike, which was released in 2011. Unfortunately, this gem was virtually unknown in this country until the prestigious Criterion Collection decided to prepare one of its definitive DVD/Blu-ray sets. The Criterion version will be released this week. So, I’m splitting the 2012-2013 difference and declaring this an honoree in my list for 2012! (Click the cover, at right, for more from Amazon.) Seldom has a film dealt so well with a child determinedly striving for acceptance while feeling abandoned—and, as a result, rebelling against the people trying to help him. Little wonder that it was awarded the Grand Jury Prize at Cannes in 2011. As I watch this Belgian-French film, I envision it as a midrash on Jesus’s parable about the persistent woman who kept searching for her lost coin. Eleven year-old Cyril is dumped into a children’s home by his widower father, then he is invited into the home of Samantha. But, this angry boy is convinced that authorities are keeping him from his father, so he tests Samantha’s love and patience almost to the breaking point. The bicycle in the title becomes symbolic of the boy’s tenacious grasp on the illusion about his father. Told in minimalist style, the film depends upon its wonderful cast to open our hearts to their predicament with none of the sentimental props so common in Hollywood movies.

BEST SPIRITUAL MOVIES: Blue Like Jazz

Available now in DVD and Blu-ray. Click the cover to visit the Amazon page.DIRECTOR: Steve Taylor. RATING: PG-13.
This tale of the spiritual journey of a Southern Baptist student from Fundamentalism through agnosticism to an open-minded faith seems so far over the top at times that it would be unbelievable—were it not for the fact that it is based on Don Miller’s memoir of the same title. The book, published in 2003, was on the New York Times list of best sellers for 40 weeks! To this day, it is a popular choice for young adults and is promoted through the “emergent church” movement, sometimes compared to works by Anne Lamott. The director/script writers concentrate on the period when student Don Miller, disillusioned by his youth pastor, leaves Texas to enroll in his unbelieving father’s alma mater, the ultra-liberal Reed College in Portland Oregon. The ups and downs of his spiritual journey are told with a great deal of humor. Eventually, the influence of believers who are genuine in their obedience to a God of love and social involvement revives and transforms his faith. This is the only film on this list that is described as a “Christian movie” by the film’s fans, including many of the 60-plus reviewers on the movie’s Amazon page. Overall, that genre doesn’t measure up for a “best of the year” list like this, but—as one Amazon reviewer puts it—“This is not like typical Christian movies.” I agree.

BEST SPIRITUAL MOVIES: The Lorax

Available in DVD and Blu-ray. Click the cover to visit the Amazon page.DIRECTORS: Chris Renaud & Kyle Balda. RATING: PG.
Since it was published 40 years ago, millions of parents and children have read Dr. Seuss’s cautionary fable about the environment. Like most Seuss books, the story proved to be as popular with adults as with kids. And that’s the best thing I can say about this animated feature film: Adults will enjoy the film as much as little ones. Danny DeVito voices the moustached Lorax, the Yoda-like creature who announces that he has come to speak on behalf of the trees that are vanishing in pursuit of corporate greed. The film becomes a call to act when the Lorax says to the little boy Ted: “Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better—it’s not.” Some critics did not like this film version of the book, partly I suspect because so many of us love the original Lorax story and have strong ideas about how it should be retold. But, I find the movie delightful and a great opportunity to talk further with children about the environment from a faith perspective. For example, parents might want to share the Genesis creation story with their children after watching the movie. Remind them of the passages in Genesis that require us to “be responsible for” and not to “dominate” the planet. Eugene Peterson’s Message translation of these passages is a great choice for reading aloud.

BEST SPIRITUAL MOVIES: Zero Dark Thirty

DIRECTOR: Kathryn Bigelow. RATING: R.
There has been—and rightly so—much controversy over director Kathryn Bigelow and screenwriter Mark Boal’s film chronicling the ten-year manhunt and the killing of Osama bin Laden in May 2011. There is no debating that the film is well made, with Jessica Chastain excellent as CIA agent Maya who will not give up the search despite the doubts of her colleagues and several setbacks that would have stopped a less determined agent. The current controversy focuses on the film’s depiction of torture, practiced by Americans and supposedly producing key information in the quest to find bin Laden. A long list of top journalists and also U.S. Senators opposed to the use of torture, including Senator John McCain, have accused Bigelow’s film of unfairly serving to justify the use of torture. On my first viewing of the film, I was among those questioning the film’s basic morality. Then, I read perceptive comments by filmmaker Michael Moore, who says he questioned people who watched the movie—and learned that their sympathies in every case were with the Muslim prisoner, not with his brutal American interrogator. Moore also argues that the film clearly shows President Obama’s election, his ban on such torture—and a turn in the investigation toward real detective work. I find the character of Maya quite compelling and positive as a tough woman refusing to be cowed by bigotted male co-workers. Maya persists and without further torture manages to track down bin Laden despite her critics. With this analysis in mind, I went back and saw the movie a second time. Now, I agree that the film has positive moral messages and deserves to close out my 2012 list of Best Spiritual Movies.

FILMS THAT JUST MISSED THE CUT IN MY LIST …

Here are the other worthy films considered for this list. Each one offers plenty of food for thought and discussion. I also was impressed in 2012 with The Avengers; Argo; The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel; Boy; Brave; Cloud Atlas; Django Unchained; Flight; The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey; Hope Springs; Hyde Park on the Hudson; Intouchables; The Master; The Odd Life of Timothy Green; Paranorman; Promised Land; Seeking a Friend for the End of the World; Salmon Fishing in the Yeman; Silver Lining Playbook.

Where to find more from Edward McNulty …

Zondervan Publishes Comic Book Revelation

February 3, 2013 by

CLICK THE COVER to visit the book’s Amazon page.ZONDERVAN is jumping into the new world of comic books with a dramatic splash! More than two years of development went into the lavish, movie-like, full-color graphic novel based on the final book in the Christian Bible: REVELATION. This places Zondervan on the cutting edge of creating and marketing comic books—most famously promoted these days by DC Comics. In 2011, DC (publisher of Superman and Batman since the 1930s) made literary history by cancelling all of its existing comic book series and relaunching 52 comic book titles with dazzling new full-color art and fresh storylines.

ZONDERVAN IS BETTING ON COMICS: Over the past decade, the Christian publishing house Zondervan has pushed hard to reach young readers with comic books in formats often called “manga”—a style of thick and often less-expensive pulp comic books made popular in Japan. Zondervan’s online index to it’s “ZGraphicNovels” displays its wide range of themes, including actual Bible stories (Kingdoms), some super-hero adventures (Morningstar), Japanese-style sci-fi/fantasy (TimeFlyz), and even a series about a little girl who is secretly a Ninja warrior (Tomo). Graphic novels are likely to continue as an important genre for Zondervan, even though the publishing house is in the process of merging with Thomas Nelson under the overall ownership of HarperCollins. Graphic novels won’t disappear even if the merger brings some downsizing. After all, Nelson has been publishing its own graphic novels, including titles by popular Christian fantasy writer Ted Dekker.

Comics Are Booming: Read our other story today that explains why comics are booming worldwide.

REVELATION: THE BIBLE MEETS HOLLYWOOD AND COMIC BOOKS

CHRIS KOELLE working on Revelation. Photo courtesy of Chris Koelle.HOLLYWOOD has loved The Bible for more than 100 years, but American religious leaders hated comics for decades—even promoting large-scale comic burning in the late 1940s to safeguard impressionable youth. In the mid-1970s, religious themes blossomed briefly in comics. Former Archie writer Al Hartley created a series of popular Christian comics. DC Comics launched an expensive, large-format line of Bible stories. But none of those experiments flourished.

NOW—Flash forward 40 years and the current mash-up of the Bible-and-Hollywood-and-Comics is producing eye-popping new media like Zondervan’s REVELATION.

WHO IS MATT DORFF, The Hollywood Writer/Producer/Director? As a moviemaker, he’s not a household name like Tom Hanks or Woody Allen—but you’ve probably seen one of Matt’s made-for-TV movies over the past 20 years. One of his specialities has been made-for-TV films about the lives of celebrities, including the Osmonds, the Brady Bunch stars and Robin Williams. He has worked on comedies, dramas and thrillers.

WHO IS CHRIS KOELLE, The Comic Creator? Like thousands of independent comic creators, Chris Koelle worked on a wide range of “indie” projects before collaborating with Matt Dorff on Revelation. (For more on indie comic artists, see our other story today featuring Kurt Kolka.) Chris is both Christian and a talented comic artist, but his previous projects were far from biblical tales. One earlier project was called Battle Surgeon about the heroic adventures of a medic in the U.S. armed forces.

Writer Matt Dorff lives in Los Angeles, California. Artist Chris Koelle, lives in Greenville, South Carolina. ReadTheSpirit Editor David Crumm lives in Michigan. In a series of telephone interviews, Matt, Chris and David talked about the unique production of Revelation.
Today, we are sharing highlights of our conversations …

HIGHLIGHTS OF OUR INTERVIEW WITH MATT DORFF AND CHRIS KOELLE
ABOUT THEIR NEW ZONDERVAN GRAPHIC NOVEL: REVELATION

CHRIS: The official number of panels I created for this book is 575. And, I can tell you: Matt is the pickiest art director of all time. My arm still hurts! (laughing) I mean, I made it through this book but it was a big project and, sometimes, I wasn’t sure I was going to finish. How we did this is quite a story.

MATT: I know a lot about visual storytelling. I’ve written about 30 movies over the years that were produced for ABC, CBS, NBC and cable networks. I’ve done nine movies for the Lifetime channel. During the 2007-2008 Writers’ Guild strike, a comic book publisher contacted me out of the blue, saying he really liked one of my movie scripts and wondered if I would consider turning it into a graphic novel. That sent me off into this new form and I began to work on graphic novels.

In April 2010, when I received this new translation of the Book of Revelation in the mail, I was immediately fascinated with the possibilities. I grew up in a secular family. My parents weren’t particularly religious. The Bible wasn’t on my own radar screen much as I was growing up. Then, years later, when I began to read the Bible as a filmmaker, I kept telling myself: Wow, I can’t believe what I’ve missed! This is such a deep well of fascinating stories and archetypes.

CHRIS: I had worked with Matt—and when he first brought up the idea of doing Revelation as a graphic novel, I knew Revelation. I knew what was involved. I told him: “No! That’s way too ambitious. I’ve never heard of anyone doing a moment-by-moment, verse-by-verse visualization of Revelation in this format. No way.” But Matt kept at this idea.

We wrote lots of emails in which he would try to convince me and I would reply: “No, I’m not ready for such a huge project.” But when Matt wants something—well, calling him persistent is an understatement.

MATT: That’s true. Chris is a deeply spiritual Christian and he knew even more than I did how difficult this would be. But, I never had a doubt in my mind that, together, we could do it.

The main challenge was figuring out a point of view for this graphic novel. We decided that we would follow the verses—and just the verses of Revelation—in the book. But how do you visualize those verses?

The most important thing that I finally realized was: Revelation is from John’s point of view, so this whole story could be told in the first person—from John’s perspective. That made it very cinematic. Then, I could adapt the scenes into a graphic novel script that was a lot like a film script. I would go: Page 1 Panel 1—here’s what we see in the panel and here’s the text with that panel. Then, Page 1 Panel 2 and I could lay out the story from John’s point of view, as if we were making a movie of it.

CHRIS: He would give me his script for a chapter of Revelation and we would then call and email back and forth, discussing the final concepts for the panels I would have to sketch. Then, I would do some sketches and send those to Matt. We would call and email some more until we would approve each one, panel by panel for 575 panels.

MATT: The sketches were really just to make sure we were looking at each scene from the same viewpoint before we finished each panel. Were we agreeing on the composition? And, when we were, then we were ready for the photography. We had this long-distance working relationship with email and Skype and telephones. I made several trips out there to see him, but he really was leading the project in Greenville to produce the final pages.

REVELATION: FROM SKETCHES TO PHOTOS TO FINAL ARTWORK

CHRIS: Once each sketch was approved and locked down, I would work with models and props and produce the photos I would need to create the final artwork for that panel. So, by the time I was doing the final artwork, I had very detailed notes and I completely understood our concept of how to stage each part of the story.

DOUG YOUNG. Click the photo to visit Doug’s studio website.Most of the scenes and figures that appear in the book were drawn from live models or photographs of live models. I shot them in costume with lighting. We didn’t have finished period costumes for the models, but we might use a bathrobe or towel or something else to show how the ancient fabrics would have been draped around them. I am very thankful to Doug Young, a friend and a great artist who also lives in Greenville. Doug is a sculptor so he understands the kind of visual drama we wanted—the poses, the lighting, the forms and the shading that I need to see to create each panel. He was fantastic in helping me with a lot of the models and photos.

MATT: Doug Young was great and he actually wound up as our model for John in the book. When I saw Doug’s face, I said: “This is the face we need for John.” Because Doug was helping us with photographs and lives near Chris, we could go back to him again and again when we needed a different viewpoint or expression or angle on our figure of John.

CHRIS: I wasn’t kidding about being hurt in the middle of this project. This was so intense, day after day, month after month. When I was most of the way through the book and had just started Chapter 20—with three chapters left—I felt this weird sensation in my back. The day went on and I developed this paralyzing knife-in-my-back pain. It was the worst day of my entire life. I was thinking: This is it! No way can I finish this book! I couldn’t sleep that night. Eventually, it subsided and I was told that I had to stop working like I had been working. A good friend had a standing desk and she let me use that to finish the last three chapters standing at that desk.

REVELATION: MANY VISUAL CONNECTIONS THROUGH HUMAN HISTORY

MATT: The imagery in this book is so rich.

DAVID: In reviewing your book, Matt and Chris, I was absolutely fascinated! On nearly every page, I spent longer than I expected in just exploring the imagery. For example, in the ancient era when Revelation was written, the writer was reacting to the Roman Empire as a great evil force dominating the world. But I’m pretty sure that one of the Roman panels in the middle of your book is based on a scene from Leni Riefenstahl’s Triumph of Will, the famous film about Adolf Hitler’s early Nazi rallies. In your book, it’s the Roman Empire, but that one panel looks a lot like the towering imperial design of the Triumph of Will rally. Am I right about that?

MATT: That’s a very good catch! Yes, as a filmmaker, I was thinking of many visual associations in this story. If you look closely throughout the book, you may be able to catch a touch of Ingmar Bergman’s The Seventh Seal at one point. When we got to scenes involving Roman power, yes, I wanted to show one visual reference there to Triumph of Will. There are other visual references throughout the book. The point is that these forces described in Revelation stretch through thousands of years of human history.

DAVID: It is a tribute to both of you that the book carries a strong emotional message from start to finish. This book isn’t just a parade of strange symbols, which is how Revelation often appears to first-time Bible readers. This really is a moving story as you present it.

MATT: Turn toward the end of the book where we see John embracing Jesus in one scene. It’s in the passage where we read the words, “Death shall be no more”—and this truly is a moment of catharsis in the story. I hope that some readers will be shedding tears at that point in the story. The message is that strong.

You may enjoy our other story today: Why comic books are so important!

Originally published at readthespirit.com, an online magazine covering religion and cultural diversity.

Why comics and comic books are important today!

February 3, 2013 by

COMICS ARE BOOMING! DC Comics is so confident about the future of super heroes that the publishing house has completely redesigned and relaunched 52 of its comic book series as THE NEW 52. (Click on the image above to visit an Amazon page for a one-volume collection containing all of the New 52 debut issues.)

Comics Are Booming

COMICS are a global sensation these days.
The easiest way to see their popularity is to check the current list of Top 20 U.S. Movies of All Time (a ranking of U.S. feature films based on total boxoffice revenues). Numbers 1 and 2 on the list are the fantasy film Avatar and then Titanic. But 9 of the Top 20 films are comic book or cartoon movies, including Batman, Spider-man, the Lion King and Shrek. The rest of the Top 20 list is dominated by fantasies, including Harry Potter, Star Wars and Lord of the Rings—all of which owe a huge debt to the past century of comics.

WHY ARE COMICS SO POPULAR?
In a global media marketplace, comics speak an international language, says independent comic creator Kurt Kolka: “As humans, we need the spark of adventure in our lives. Wherever we live around the world, we share a hope that we can explore and find some meaning in our lives. As we live and grow, we all face challenges we have to conquer, and I’m not talking about physical conquests. We face many kinds of challenges in life. Comic stories from the adventures of Tin Tin to the most powerful super heroes are invitations to explore the world and to conquer both our limitations and our fears. That’s why comics continue to be so popular and why they have crossed over so successfully into movies.”

WHO IS KURT KOLKA? For more than two decades, he has been an independent comic artist and author—and he has been especially important in helping to connect with independent comic artists who highlight spiritual values in their work. Kurt is Christian and has worked with the many other independent producers of Christian comics to raise awareness of their work. More broadly, he is a full-time newspaper journalist at the Gaylord Herald Times in northern Michigan. Like the journalists who founded readthespirit.com six years ago, Kurt’s comics reflects common religious values shared by all major faiths—like compassion for the poor and vulnerable. Kurt also is a nationally known advocate for preserving classic newspaper comics.

WHERE CAN WE READ KURT KOLKA’S COMICS?
Since 1990, Kurt Kolka’s super hero has been The Cardinal, an 18-year-old college student named Rich Benton who has been given the super power of flight and a talent for acrobatic martial arts. Although the Cardinal is a super hero, able to cruise through the air at will—Kurt did not make him super-strong nor is the Cardinal impervious to injury. These are choices Kurt made so that Rich Benton, as the Cardinal, must wrestle with his human fears and spiritual values on a daily basis like the rest of us. Kurt Kolka’s current Cardinal story is a suspenseful tale about a strange serial killer who is attacking poor women and is baffling local police. The first 15 weekly pages already are posted at Go Comics: Here is Part 1 in the tale. In November, as this story unfolded, Kurt used this Cardinal page to highlight national Homelessness Awareness Week. The gripping story continues this month. (If you start at Part 1 of the saga, arrows in the upper-right corner move readers through the parts).

KURT KOLKA AND FAMOUS COMIC ARTISTS DECLARE:
‘BULLYING IS NO LAUGHING MATTER!’

COMING IN 2013: Stay tuned for an unprecedented comic event in 2013 as Kurt Kolka is organizing dozens of the nation’s top comic creators to produce a collection of short stories about overcoming the problem of bullying faced by millions of young people. The book opens with an entire, full-color Cardinal adventure—then showcases many of your comic favorites in short “story starters,” comic strips and comic panels that will get kids talking about the everday challenges they see with bullying.

This new comic book is aimed at young readers, parents, educators and community leaders—everyone who enjoys a great comic tale and who wants to reduce bullying. It follows the success of our 2012 book, produced with the Michigan State University School of Journalism, called The New Bullying. That 2012 book explains the current problem of bullying to adult readers. In spring 2013, the new comic book will be a perfect choice for young readers, classes and small groups. (Want to be on a list of people we alert as soon as the comic is released? Email us at [email protected])

Originally published at readthespirit.com, an online magazine covering religion and cultural diversity.

Movie review and Bible study: Les Misérables

December 22, 2012 by

EDWARD MCNULTY’S books on faith and film are used in congregations nationwide. Earlier, he reviewed Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln. In 2013, ReadTheSpirit will publish his new book, Blessed Are the Filmmakers. In the following review, McNulty shows how to spark discussion in your congregation.

Update for New Year’s: We are not alone in encouraging discussion of the religious themes in this new version of the classic. In reviewing Les Misérables for the New York Times, Manohla Dargis made the same point, writing: “Georges Sand apparently felt that there was too much Christianity in Hugo’s novel; Mr. Hooper seems to have felt that there wasn’t enough in the musical and, using his camera like a Magic Marker, repeatedly underlines the religious themes that are already narratively and lyrically manifest.”

Review:
Les Misérables

By EDWARD MCNULTY

OUR WAIT IS OVER! The long-awaited Les Misérables musical is here.

In world literature, the original novel ranks with War and Peace. But Victor Hugo’s story has been produced for film and television in at least 80 different forms over the past century, compared with less than 10 of Tolstoy’s epic. That shows the enduring, worldwide affection for Les Misérables. I think that we really have two great stories of Law and Grace in Western culture: Saint Paul’s transformation in the New Testament and Hugo’s celebrated tale of Inspector Javert and Jean Valjean.

If you’re like me and can’t get enough of Les Misérables, I recommend that you also enjoy other film versions, especially if you would like to lead a small-group discussion with this review and guide. Each of the filmed versions has some details that are omitted in other versions. Among earlier versions I can recommend are: the 1935 version with Frederick March and Charles Laughton, the 1958 version with veteran French actors Jean Gabin and Bernard Blier in the two central roles as Valjean and Javert, and then I also like the 1998 version co-starring Liam Neeson and Geoffrey Rush as fugitive and policeman. Like millions of moviegoers, you may have your own favorite version.

In Tom Hooper’s newest release, opening nationwide on Christmas Day, music moves from a supporting role into the heart of the story, thus adding an emotional intensity not possible in the straight dramas. The spiritual agony and questioning of Jean Valjean (Hugh Jackman) is beautifully expressed in the song “What Have I Done?” As fans of the story know, the repentant thief’s life is transformed by a graceous bishop—and, in a chapel, Valjean addresses his prayer to “Sweet Jesus.” He reflects upon the past injustice committed against him and the remarkable man who shows him such inspiring kindness. Valjean vows to live up to the bishop’s love and trust in him as he sets forth to build a new life, devoted to serving humanity and thus serving God.

Valjean succeeds and eventually becomes the mayor of the town where he settles. Unfortunately, the town’s new police chief turns out to be his nemesis from years ago, Javert (Russell Crowe). Close at hand and increasingly suspicious of Valjean’s real identity is the very man who can destroy him.

Inspector Javert is an uncompromising enforcer of the law with the zeal of a man who was born in prison but rose above his past. He clings to the law as his own form of faith. At one point, Javert sings: “Mine is the way of the Lord/And those who follow the path of the righteous/Shall have their reward.” But what of those who stray from “the path of the righteous”? “And if they fall/As Lucifer fell/The flame/The sword!”

There is more—much more—that could be said about the spirituality of this version, including other prayers and invocations of God in various scenes. If you are familiar with the Bible, you will see other stories and passages resonate throughout the film that you may want to raise in a discussion with friends. Clearly, though, the most striking is the parallel with the New Testament life of Paul.

And, what if you are not interested in these biblical connections? Well, you’re sure to enjoy the terrific storytelling and stirring music. Toward the end, the rousing repetition of the chorus “Do You Hear the People Sing” even puts a positive spin on the tragedy of the freedom fighters at the barricade, suggesting that eventually the struggle of people for justice and freedom will triumph. There is no doubt that this belongs at or near the top of this year’s best films!

Want more from Edward McNulty? See the links, after the Brief Study Guide. Through his own website, Visual Parables, Ed produces much more detailed versions of his film reviews and study guides for group leaders who like to regularly feature film-and-faith discussions.

Les Misérables Brief Study Guide

DISCUSS LAW and GRACE / SAUL and PAUL: An easy way to spark lively discussion is to revisit the life of Saul, who becomes known as Paul in the New Testament accounts. You can read about Paul’s transformation in the book of Acts. In addition, there are many passages in Paul’s writings that you can share with your group to get a Bible-related discussion going. Talk about Javert and Valjean in the film as embodiments of Law and Grace—the dual spiritual poles in the life of Saul/Paul. Here are a few passages from Paul’s writings that could be useful in discussion …

In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being well-fed and of going hungry, of having plenty and of being in need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.
Saint Paul in Philippians 4:12-13

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God—not the result of works, so that no one may boast.
Saint Paul in Ephesians 2:8

The Lord said to me, ‘My Grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.’ So, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.
Saint Paul in 2 Corinthians 2:9

DISCUSS RELIGIOUS LEADERSHIP: You also could start the discussion by focusing on the role of Victor Hugo’s fictional bishop as a religious leader who has a great impact on the world. If you care to get DVDs of earlier film versions, I suggest looking for the three productions I mentioned above. Find scenes involving the bishop and show them to your group. How does the bishop embody the best in faith and leadership? What do you think of his actions? Are there parallels with choices we face today?

DISCUSS THE MUSIC: Congregations struggle all the time with choices of music for worship and other settings. Is music relevant today? What kinds of music express faith today? Discuss the powerful message of the music in this version.

DISCUSS THE STATUS OF THE IMPRISONED TODAY: Many congregations have connections with prison ministries. America’s prison population has grown dramatically over the years and many religious leaders are raising questions about our current legal policies on crime and punishment.

Where to find more from Edward McNulty …

The 5 Best Christmas Movies (and all the rest)

December 9, 2012 by

A CHRISTMAS CAROL, co-starring Edward Woodward as the Ghost of Christmas Present and George C. Scott as Ebenezer Scrooge. Broadcast in 1984 and now available in DVD and Blu-ray.Truth about Christmas Movies:

100s of DVDs, but only 5 tales

By ReadTheSpirit Editor David Crumm

Love Christmas movies? My wife Amy and I are such fans that we have a lifelong mission to watch every Christmas movie. We’ve also vowed to watch made-for-TV Christmas movies and notable Christmas “specials.” True fans of Christmas video, for example, share our hope that someday George Lucas will unlock the vaults and rebroadcast the rarely seen Star Wars Holiday Special. Similarly, we’re hoping the Muppets will release the equally rare John Denver and the Muppets: A Christmas Together.

BUT, THIS YEAR, WE HAVE A CHRISTMAS MOVIE CHALLENGE FOR YOU: At our house, we started in the late 1970s watching home-movie versions of holiday films on VHS tapes. After 35 years of home viewing—now mostly on DVD and occasionally on Blu-ray—we have come to this conclusion:
There really are only 5 movie plots among the 100s of Christmas films.
The challenge to you? Let me explain this theory, then please email us at [email protected] (or leave a Comment below) and tell us what you think. Add to our listings, suggest a movie we may have overlooked—and feel free to disagree! (Psst! This also is a great discussion-starter for a holiday-season gathering of friends. I’ve tried this myself—and the discussion gets quite … Spirited!)

THE FIRST ‘MODERN’ CHRISTMAS TALE: CHRISTMAS CAROL

Click the cover to visit its Amazon page.The very first Christmas story is found in the Gospels—as little Linus pointed out in the 1965 debut of A Charlie Brown Christmas on CBS (now on ABC). But the first modern Christmas tale that echoed through Hollywood is Charles Dickens’ 1843 A Christmas Carol. Since the first documented silent-film version in 1901, more than 50 movies have retold Dickens’ tale. Think that’s a lot? The number of remakes doubles if we add all the slight adaptations, such as the new Hallmark version: It’s Christmas, Carol, co-starring Carrie Fisher as a Marley-like ghost with a few magical powers that even Dickens couldn’t imagine.

Then, the list of remakes expands even further if we add in all of the free adaptations of the Christmas Carol theme. Here’s what we mean …

THE BASIC TALE OF A CHRISTMAS CAROL: There is hope at Christmas even for at-risk adults whose anger or selfishness has isolated them from the wonderful, compassionate life surrounding them. In a Christmas Carol remake, this hope miraculously appears through ghosts or angels or other magical beings. (Author Benjamin Pratt has written a new take on Christmas Carol for the 2012 holidays.)

THE MOVIE FAMILY TREE: The biggest branch from the trunk of the Christmas Carol family tree came in 1946 with the release of Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed in It’s a Wonderful Life. The movie was based on a short story by historian Philip Van Doren Stern, who was steeped in 19th-century literature and told friends that his idea for a new twist came to him in a dream. Simply connect the dots and you can see that Dickens’ ghosts eventually become a single angel helping Jimmy Stewart to glimpse his past, present and future. Just like Dickens’ version, Wonderful Life focuses on the plight of Bedford Falls’ poorest residents.

Another branch sprouted in The Bishop’s Wife in 1947—remade most recently with a black cast in the 1996 production, The Preacher’s Wife. In these versions of the tale, an angel plays an even bigger role in the drama with Cary Grant starring in 1947 and Denzel Washington appearing in 1996. Like the original, it’s a tale of a heavenly messenger at the holiday to remind an angry-selfish man of life’s larger possibilities. Once again, the story focuses on the plight of poor neighborhoods.

Where is the story branching now? Oddly enough, newer Christmas Carol remakes seem to be losing the Dickensian concern for the poor. The dramatic tension in the 2000 remake The Family Man, starring Nicholas Cage and Tea Leoni (with Don Cheadle as the angel), is between a life of fabulous wealth (pre-angel) and living happily on a middle-class budget (post-angel). No one worries about the poor. The same is true in the more recent Hallmark remake. Carrie Fisher comes back as a ghost simply to make her former business thrive again and the up-scale employees even more successful. The poor? They’re nowhere to be seen.

OK, you get the idea. Here are the other 4 archtypical Christmas movies …

SECOND TALE: Santa Is Real

Click the cover to visit Amazon.THE MOVIE FAMILY TREE: Santa movies date back more than 100 years, debuting in the silent era. But the nostalgic yearning to restore a lost faith in Santa dates to the post-World War II era and the unforgettable performance of Edmund Gwenn as Santa in the 1947 Miracle on 34th Street (not to mention the precocious acting of little Natalie Wood). The movie has been remade a number of times (and the 1994 Dylan McDermott version of 34th Street is pretty entertaining). The Scrooges among us may argue that there is more than nostalgia at work in “Santa is real” movies—considering that the love of Santa is closely entwined with the need for Christmas shopping. Tune in network TV this month and you’ll see a clip from the original 34th Street in a Hollywood-themed advertisement for Macy’s.

Where is the story branching now? Big revivals of the “Santa is real” theme include the runaway 1985 bestseller, The Polar Express, a gorgeous children’s book that became a 2004 movie. After all, this yearning for the jolly red gift bringer is a potent tale! Tim Allen turned out an instant Christmas classic in 1994 with The Santa Clause, followed by two sequels. For younger children, the “Santa is real” story now has morphed into a very popular branch of movies about dogs and the holidays. Not only is Santa real—but Christmas-loving dogs can talk and bring even more holiday gifts!

THIRD TALE: Home for Christmas

Click the cover to visit Amazon.THE MOVIE FAMILY TREE: Dramatic stories of making it home for Christmas stretch all the way back to the American pioneer era. Laura Ingalls Wilder tells one such tale of a life-and-death sleigh ride that managed to get her home for the holidays as a young adult. But the boom in such movies came with the vast displacement of World War II—coupled with Hollywood’s full-tilt support of the war effort. Today, few of us can sit through the nearly three hours of the Oscar-nominated Since You Went Away from 1944, co-starring a teen-aged Shirley Temple. Today, it’s rarely seen—but, if you are steely enough for that mid-WWII melodrama, you’re in for the mother lode of “home for Christmas” movies!

The enduring milestone in “home for Christmas” movies came a decade after WWII in 1954’s White Christmas. irving Berlin batted out the title song at a sunny, southern California hotel in 1940, not expecting the tune to become a hit. Then, by 1942, with American service personnel scattered around the world, the song’s haunting plea swept around the planet. It was chosen to close out the black-and-white musical Holiday Inn. The scenes of European battlefields and WWII veterans didn’t arrive until the 1954 Tecnicolor extravaganza, named for the song.

Where is the story branching now? For a while, “home for Christmas” was one of the most popular Christmas stories in Hollywood. In 1963, The Homecoming: A Christmas Story, was the pilot that kicked off The Waltons TV series. But, today? Although widely available on DVD, The Waltons series seems a bit too sweet. Director John Huges began playing with this tale, looking for a way to freshen it, switching the holiday to Thanksgiving in the 1987 Planes, Trains and Automobiles—still a favorite of Steve Martin and John Candy fans. Then, in 1990, Hughes finally struck gold by flipping the tale inside out in Home Alone. This time, it wasn’t one individual trying to reach home—the entire family would struggle to return home. Americans just can’t get enough of that version! Last month, ABC debuted: Home Alone 5.

FOURTH TALE: Misfits become a family.

Click on the cover to visit its Amazon page.THE MOVIE FAMILY TREE: This Christmas movie plot also sprouted from the huge global mix of cultures in World War II—and Montgomery Ward’s creation in 1939 of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Suddenly, Americans were thinking about how “misfits” could peacefully mingle—and even dare to become a loving family. The children’s book was a big hit for Montgomery Ward, but it didn’t fully connect with the culture until after WWII. Gene Autry took America by storm with his famous version of the Rudolph song in the final days of 1949. Rudolph became a made-for-TV classic thanks to Burl Ives, Rankin-Bass and General Electric in 1964. Sure, Rudolph is popular partly because of great music and animation. But—there is something far deeper in this story’s appeal.

Everywhere Americans turned there were misfits—even within their own families. Soon there were a host of “misfits become a family” Christmas remakes. At our house, we never tire of watching Bob Hope in the 1951 Lemon Drop Kid, based on a story by Damon Runyon and proving that even crooks can form a loveable clan at Christmas. Of course, Hope played that movie version for laughs. Decades later, Ed Asner and Maureen Stapleton ushered in a long list of Kleenex-required dramas about “misfits becoming a family” with their 1977 ABC debut of The Gathering. Asner still is well worth watching, although The Gathering is a bit dated with its heated argument over the Vietnam War. Among our favorite “misfits” remakes is the 1995 Home for the Holidays with Holly Hunter, Robert Downey Jr., Dylan McDermott and the twist of focusing the story on Thanksgiving.

The key distinction between “misfits become a family” movies and “home for Christmas”—in classical terms—is the difference between the Illiad and the Odyssey. The Illiad is the tale of the Trojan War and how conflicting friends and families battle through their differences. The Odyssey is about a hero’s journey to his beloved home. Odysseus does have to clean house before the saga ends—but there is no question of his longing for home. Unlike “misfits” movies, “home” movies are about that deep yearning and the heroic journey to reach the home fires once again.

Where is the story branching now? By 2012, “misfits” are freshly scrambled—and lovingly united—in new Hollywood releases for every holiday season. There are even “misfits” movies for New Year’s Eve, Valentine’s Day—with more holiday remakes in the pipeline. If you discuss this story with your small group, challenge them to think about movies that cross over between these categories. “Home for Christmas” is a well that seems to be running dry. So, cross-over movies try to blend that story with “misfits.” Ask your friends to talk about the 2004 Christmas with the Kranks, in which a sudden “home for Christmas” announcement prompts a whole neighborhood of “misfits” to form a loving family. Or, ask about 2008’s Four Christmases, in which Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon have to visit four homes—chock full of misfits. Ask your small group: Which is more important these days? Finding home. Or, uniting misfits.

FIFTH TALE: Christ Is Real

Click the cover to visit its Amazon page.THE MOVIE FAMILY TREE: The first Christ-in-Christmas movies date back to the late 1800s, when short silent reels featured robed actors marching through Nativity scenes set against cheap theatrical backdrops. One early silent film even showed Mary and Joseph fleeing to Egypt past a painted wooden pyramid and sphinx that looked like they might fall over on the cast.

The “Christ is real” storyline was so common through most of the 20th century that it was unremarkable. NBC and Hallmark Cards simply assumed all TV viewers would accept the Gospel story when they commissioned Gian Carlo Menotti’s 1951 Amahl and the Night Visitors as the first Hallmark Hall of Fame production. Linus was free to proclaim the Gospel in A Charlie Brown Christmas a decade later. Johnny Cash welcomed Billy Graham onto his Christmas specials to tell the story of Jesus. Perry Como, a singer who was notable for his deep Christian faith, was winning praise for Christmas specials well into the 1980s.

Where is the story branching now? In recent decades, the “Christ is real” theme has faded at Hollywood studios. The biggest pointedly Christian production at Christmas came in 2006 with The Nativity Story, which Pope Benedict XVI agreed to personally promote via a world premiere at the Vatican. Unfortunately, the production all but tanked. It finally earned a profit, but drew lukewarm-to-thumbs-down reviews. Even though 9 out of 10 Americans tell Gallup that they plan to celebrate Christmas in 2012—and 6 in 10 say they plan to go to Christmas services—this final branch of the Christmas movie tree seems to be withering.

So, What Do You Think?

Add a Comment below or email us at [email protected] and, please, share this story with friends. You’re free to reproduce this post to spark discussion. Just add our credit line …

By ReadTheSpirit Editor David Crumm and …
Originally published at readthespirit.com, an online magazine covering religion and cultural diversity.

Eye-popping: Manufactured Landscapes … and NY, too

December 5, 2012 by

Documentaries on China and ‘Gotham’
newly released on Blu-ray

REVIEWS by ReadTheSpirit Editor David Crumm

Got a Blu-ray system and a TV screen that makes good use of high definition? Then, make sure these two documentaries are in your Christmas stocking as a knock-your-eyes-out glimpse of our world’s ominous twists and turns these days.

Click the Blu-ray cover to visit its Amazon page.MANUFACTURED LANDSCAPES (2006) takes us to China for exactly what the title describes: A series of scenes set in vast, man-made landscapes the Chinese have created in their nation’s desire to attain status as the world’s greatest power. A few years ago, when Jennifer Baichwal’s documentary was first released in the DVD format for home viewing, ReadTheSpirit recommended this film as a rare window into Chinese life and culture.

As a documentarian, Baichwal follows the large-format photographer Edward Burtynsky, who spent a couple of years capturing his own images in China. In one part of his photographic project, Burtynsky traveled to the dangerous regions where Chinese families break down the world’s discarded computers. They do this partly by incinerating the debris to harvest rare metals. In this film, he explains, “When you come to a town that’s doing a burning of the boards, you can smell it a good 5-to-10 kilometers before you get there.”

As a journalist for American newspapers, I was posted to developing regions of Asia for short periods on several occasions. I remember standing slack-jawed myself at the sight of what is called “ship breaking” in Bangladesh—another subject of Burtynsky’s photography. “Ship breaking” involves near-naked men wearing little more than loin cloths swarming over ocean-going ships with hand tools, literally breaking up the old ships into component parts that can be used in rebuilding other ships. One’s mind boggles at the danger and the obvious physical cost to these poor men grappling with mountains of steel in their bare skin—while at the same time seeing a mountain-sized ocean liner reduced to bits and pieces by the effort. There is a similar scene in this Chinese documentary of a hulking ship half stripped.

In our 2008 review of the DVD, I wrote in part: Baichwal and Burtynsky decline to preach at us. Even more provocatively, they show us a strange beauty within their most powerful images from China—the interiors of vast factories, ship-deconstruction yards that look like scenes from science-fiction films and even the world-record-setting Three Gorges Dam project. In the end, they almost seduce us into seeing the strange attractiveness, both in the visual imagery and in the values that lead Chinese decision-makers to pursue these projects. And, darn it all, if that doesn’t leave us in a spiritual dilemma about what choices we should make as global citizens. That’s perfect for small-group discussion. You won’t have any trouble at all sparking spirited conversation about this film.

Click the Blu-ray cover to visit its Amazon page.BILL CUNNINGHAM NEW YORK (2010) may seem like a strange dual recommendation, except that the new Blu-ray rendering of the film is equally thought-provoking. The film takes us on a wild ride through New York with famous, eccentric, brilliant “fashion” photographer Bill Cunningham. If you’re questioning my objectivity as a reviewer of these Zeitgeist documentaries, for the Bill Cunningham film, let’s turn to the opinions of other reviewers.

The New York Times’s Carina Chocano wrote in part: Bill Cunningham seeks out and captures humanity amid the maelstrom of life, looking for what Harold Koda, chief curator at the Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, describes in the film as “ordinary people going about their lives, dressed in fascinating ways.” In these fleeting and otherwise unseen or unremarked moments, Mr. Cunningham finds something creative, life affirming and free—and preserves it forever.

Variety’s Mark Holcomb, invoking Eastern spirituality, wrote: Director Richard Press … has crafted a near-Buddhist reflection on what it takes to fully engage Gotham, as well as an astute snapshot of its evermore avaricious soul: Cunningham’s cheerful asceticism is so out of step with what we currently expect and don’t expect from our city that tagging along with him is a bracing reminder of what’s been lost to the bottom line.

Two eye-popping films about photographers teaching us to see our world in new ways—now released in the dazzling high definition of Blu-ray. Go on. Click on the Blu-ray covers and order these gems.

Originally published at readthespirit.com, an online magazine covering religion and cultural diversity.

Movie review and free Bible study guide: Flight

November 16, 2012 by

EDWARD MCNULTY’S books on faith and film are used in congregations nationwide. Earlier, he reviewed Clint Eastwood’s Trouble with the Curve and Steven Spielberg’s new Lincoln. In 2013, ReadTheSpirit will publish his new book, Blessed Are the Filmmakers. In the following review of the film FLIGHT, McNulty shows how to spark discussion in your small group. After the main review, he provides questions you can share with others.

Review:
Flight

By EDWARD MCNULTY

Happy are those whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.
Happy are those to whom the LORD imputes no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit.
While I kept silence, my body wasted away through my groaning all day long.
Psalm 32:1-3

“When he had come to his senses …”
Luke 15:17

DO NOT BE DECEIVED! Flight is a Robert Zemeckis film, but it is not another of those action movies for which he is so famous—regardless of what you might have been led to believe by the trailer. Flight is the equal to other character-driven films that star Denzil Washington such as Remember the Titans, The Hurricane, and Malcolm X. This is not to deny that there is action—and plenty of it—in the thrilling section when the actor’s character Captain Whip Whitaker and two of his crew members are struggling to regain control of an airliner that is plummeting to earth. There are thrills and suspense aplenty in this sequence, but regaining control of the plane is not the point of the movie. The film really is about Whitaker regaining control of his chaotic life.

What a struggle this is! Our introduction to Whitaker begins in a motel room where he has spent the night drinking and having sex with his stewardess Katerina Marquez (Nadine Velazquez). Now that he needs to get to the airport, he brings himself out of his alcoholic stupor by snorting cocaine. Welcome to the friendly skies wherein you place your life in the hands of a flight captain who is a substance abuser!

In the cockpit Whip’s co-pilot Ken Evans (Brian Geraghty), a much younger man, suspects something is wrong with his chief (who even takes a nap at one point), but when he is questioned in the hospital after a crash landing, he reveals nothing of his misgivings. He is well aware that his superior’s calm and daring maneuvers during the crisis thousands of feet above the ground saved his life and the lives of most of the passengers.

Whip also is injured in the crash, waking up in a hospital room to see his colleague Charlie Anderson (Bruce Greenwood), who informs him that his skills saved almost everyone on board—but, still, six of the passengers and crew died and the investigation is already underway. Whip, despite being regarded by the media and the public as a hero, is not in the clear.

As the pressure on Whip intensifies, he at first returns to his apartment and empties out all his stock of bottles and flasks. Is he turning over a new leaf? At the hospital he had met Nicole, a recovering alcoholic, and later on the two connect. Evicted from her apartment for nonpayment of rent, she accepts his invitation to stay with him at his deceased father’s farm that he has been trying to sell. Though rundown, it provides a safe haven far from the crowd of news reporters trying to get a story from him. He spends his time refurbishing his father’s old Cessna, the very plane, he tells Nicole, in which he had learned to fly.

But, his alcoholism gnaws at him and with renewed drinking, Nicole’s worries about him increase. He reluctantly agrees to attend an AA meeting with her, but he is not ready to come to terms with the reality of his life.

People of faith will appreciate the way the film handles issues of morality and spirituality, especially of “coming to one’s self” or “coming to one’s senses,” depending on the translation of this line in Luke’s story of the prodigal son. Of course, we are a long way from the days when preachers railed against “demon rum” and alcoholism was regarded as sin. Still, the journey to come to one’s senses is a challenge we all face in some form in life. (NOTE: If you use plan to discuss Flight in your small group, you might also want to share a ReadTheSpirit column about the roots and the legacy of AA.)

Director Robert Zemeckis and his writer John Gatins have effectively combined the thriller and the lost/redemption genres into a riveting suspense film. Part of their skill is in making the second half of the film just as suspenseful as the action-packed struggle to keep the airliner from crashing.

DENZEL WASHINGTON IN FLIGHT: QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION

What did you think of Whip in the first part of the film? How would you describe him? Despite his addiction and refusal to deal with it, what elements of decency do we see in him?

Ask people in your group to name a personal hero they have encountered or read about in the news in recent years. Ask them to try to identify: What’s the noblest quality in your hero? What’s a flaw you noticed in your hero’s life? How are the nobility and the flaws related in this hero’s life?

What do you think of John Goodman’s character in the movie? We laugh at him and we are glad when he helps his friend, but how might he be an enabler for Washington’s character? Ask group members: Are there examples of enablers you’ve seen in recent years?

Re-read the story of the prodigal son from Luke and focus specifically on that moment when the son comes to his senses and sees his life clearly. Ask people in your group: Can you recall a time when you suddenly “woke up” and realized something important about your life?

Care to read more from Edward McNulty?