There is an old adage that states: “truth is stranger than fiction.” So what does this tell us about this movie? Do people narrate other people’s lives? No! This isn’t the point at all, rather that when faced with the truth of our own actions we are often open to a life changing experience.

Harold Crick is the most boring character imaginable to start this movie. Yet who else would be better for the exciting contrast of a movie character than Harold the IRS auditor. Numbers are Harold’s life blood. He may not enjoy or even like his job, however he is content. Or at least he thought he was.

Enter the depressive author Karen Eiffel. Karen begins to narrate Harold’s life. This distresses Harold immensely, not that someone is with him, but rather he hears her voice telling him what he is thinking and doing and hinting about knowing more of what will happen. What more this voice of Karen in Harold’s head speaks of his “immanent death.” Two words guaranteed to get the attention of any sane person.

Thus begins the mad cap adventure of Harold seeking out the author of his life and finding a life he didn’t dream possible along the way. Now this is not a direct analogy of God and us. He is not looking for a way to make us die or trip or stumble in any way, however if we let Him we can be led to what we always wanted and better what we were made for.

It took Harold a long time to come to terms with what is happening to him, but not many of us realize the greater story that we are in. No one would want bad things to happen to anyone. We may even wish to rebel and thumb our nose at authority at times, however sometimes the right things, the things that really matter are things that happen every day. Small things or things we don’t think about. Who we spend time with or what we spend our time on. Thinking about others and remembering them not just in memory but in initiative.

There is an appropriate saying among Christians: “God doesn’t call the equipped, He equips those He calls.” However this doesn’t mean a free ticket, this means that He will be there when we need Him after we start to work. And yet how much time do we set aside to do what is right? We run ourselves ragged on a tight schedule all the time, but if we were forcibly set back would we have a chance be a hero to someone? Would we get up and move when others hesitate. That is all it takes to be a hero really, is being in the right place at the right time and doing your best to do the right thing. Doing this we will have a life worth living.

Looking at films one of my favorite part happens to be the title credits. …No Really! You see unlike a book cover the title credits for a movie will give you some hint about how the movie is going to be and even what it will be about. “MIB” opens connecting the dots of stars leading into a very cheesy sci-fi spoof. “Batman Begins” with bats storming the screen. “Bridge to Terabithia” opens with a pencil on paper. That is how it all begins… on paper.

Terabithia doesn’t exist in the beginning of the movie, however the imagination and creativity that it is made of does. Meet Jesse, a middle school boy struggling to find his place amongst numerous siblings and bullies at school. Jesse is a good student a great racer and a better artist. He was all set on nailing down his world when a new student named Leslie appeared on the screen.

Leslie got the new student treatment, but seemed to take it all in stride. Still Jesse let her be… at least until the big race. Jesse had been training for a long time for this race. It was his chance to show up the bullies of his grade. When all of a sudden Leslie shows up at the starting line. The bullies object but Jesse likes her style and defends her still confident of his skill. Until she beats him in the race.

Jesse soundly bested at the end of the school day, hoped only to ride home with his little sister and grump at home when he turns and see Leslie hoping off the bus at his stop! Turns out she isn’t only the new kid at school she is also his new next door neighbor.

Thus begins a great friendship between these two kids as they explore the forest near their respective houses. They name their kingdom Terabithia and begin great adventures there. Leslie doesn’t draw like Jesse, but she can tell a story like no one Jesse had heard. Together they weave villains and heroes, monsters and critters embellishing everything around them.

Leslie helps open Jesse up to his own imagination. She continually finds fascination in what Jesse might have originally thought was ordinary. Even when she goes to church with Jesse and his family.

Now I need to stop right here in the story before I give it all away. But I wanted to get at least this far in the story because not many current stories especially movies show churches anymore, at least not in a positive light. This said “Bridge to Terabithia” shows a strange initial take on the church. Jesse’s little sister May Belle says to Leslie that if she doesn’t believe in the Bible that she is going to hell. Leslie asks Jesse if he believes that and in return he isn’t really sure. On the one hand that is what he feels like he has been told on the other he doesn’t want to say anything against Leslie on way or another. Leslie laughs at this though. She replies that Jesse and May Belle and folk are forced to go to church and believe the bible and they “hate it” while she isn’t forced to do either and she “loves it.”

There are really three things to take from this particular movie:

* Imagination - From the start of this movie to the end creativity abounds. We follow the story through pictures and paintings, sketches and images to speech and singing, instruments and colorful noise and arrive back in the stories read aloud or written. All the arts are represented in some way or other except for maybe dance, but with a little creative interpretation you might see some dance too. Now as for something to take from this we are made from the same creator who made everything. Think about that! The Creator of matter made us and tells us we matter! We are made in His image and so we tend to make things as He might create. We are divinely powered by not ’star stuff’ but by the stuff that made the stars!

* What is real - Terabithia is an imaginary kingdom. There is no question that is has no bearing on the reality that Jesse and Leslie faced each day. However the adventures they had and the lessons they learned stayed with them. Together they found courage and strength from not just their fantasy but the reality of each other. As human beings we need each other. Friends, Family, even Teachers are musts for us to get through each day. The worst feeling is being alone. The best realization is that we can never be truly alone with Christ in us.

* Perseverance - When in the midst of an adventure in their kingdom Leslie and Jesse fight to preserve their fort and face a menacing force. Leslie shouts at the forest that they are the ‘King and Queen of Terabithia and they can never be crushed!’ A bold statement to be sure, but also true. As a Christian we hold to the power of Christ resurrected for us as well as everyone. We have the promise that we may be struck, beaten and bruised, however we will never be finished or destroyed. With Christ in us we can always get up for we are “never crushed.”

This is a movie about two men who are proffesional magicians. Their stock and trade are illusions and misdirection.Their goal is to shock, awe and mostly entertain theater audiences. Well it seems there was a bit more drama behind the curtain than even their tricks hinted at.

There seems to be a Mantra or repeating phrase/sequence of phrases that encompases the movie. It is an explanation of every magic trick. Roughly paraphrased it goes: ‘There are three parts of a magic trick. The first is the “Pledge” This is where the magician shows the audience something ordinary but which is most likely not ordinary at all. The second part of the act is the “Promise” where something extrodinary happens, but it happens so fast you wouldn’t clap or laugh. That is why there is the third act called the “Prestige.” This is where the magician reaches beyond the magical and brings things back. It isn’t enough to make something dissapear… you’ve got to bring it back…’

Well the movie starts out as ordinarily as possible for two starting magicians who look to make the best tricks. Except something tragic happens and sets them against each other fighting for the best performance or trick to woo audiences and earn the reputation as the greatest magician of London. Still fairly ordinary except there is something hidden throughout all of this and the rivalry is brutal.

Throughout the movie we see the promise of the vendetta of these two illusionists flourish in their race for the best trick. They even resort to spying on each other to figure out what the other is doing and why. Yet even this is not enough. One of the magicians “the Great Danton” repeats the phrase “No one cares about the man in the box…” refering to the person who “disappears” in the magic trick. Danton was certain the audience only cared about what was shown to them. And indeed for the audience that does seem to be what they care about. However he misses the greater point that the audience’s approval or even attention doesn’t diminish the importance of even the “man in the box.”

The final part of the movie “the Prestige” where everything is brought back and the most of the holes are filled in I leave to you to judge. As a whole the movie was fairly predictable and a little slow paced, however it kept my attention by the drama and some of the tricks. As a warning there are rather dark imagry and even death spread through parts of the film. It is a dark film of two men so wrapped up in their own ego they can’t see the truth.

There is a good reason why the Devil is called the “Lord of Illusion” and it is not because he is good at having fun. Rather it is because he specializes in misdirection and promises of things that arn’t real. If you only hold onto the trick and care nothing for the reality of life or returning to life then you will find yourself either dying and decaying inside, drowning in self pity, or filled with the anxiety of slipping just barely out of the grasp of some great horror.

Sacrifice is also talked about in this movie and toward the end one of the characters makes a great sacrifice. He dies, but for the reason to make other lives better. The bible says that it is not easy to suffer for someone else. But for someone who is good especially friends we may be willing to suffer perhaps given the extreme circumstance to die for them. However how great was the sacrifice of Jesus that while we were still scum/sinners He died for us. He suffered so that we could be better. He lived and died so that we may die to self and live in Him. (a Christianeze phrase meaning that we can give up our own selfishness and open our eyes to the wonders around us that are filled with great things God has made. We can then go through life and see things in a whole new light. Everything is better because you have the Holy Spirit in you then!)

On the whole the Prestige is a good borrow and a thought provoking movie. If you do see it ask yourself what each character thinks about sacrifice and what is worth dedicating your life to and where does beign a work-a-holic turn into obsession.

Starting out looking over the desert of the old west “Ghost Rider” is a trial of restarting the cowboy vigilante western in modern terms. The ‘Rider is named as the Devil’s Bounty hunter … normally. However, Jonny Blaze is different. When offered the contract to work for the devil the terms were not purely selfish. What is good about this showing of this age old idea of selling your soul is that this movie showed correctly that the Devil cheats. Half-truths and inticing us by what we thought we always wanted but probubly don’t need is very old hat for the Devil. But this is only where our story starts.

We follow Jonny as he tries to find himself in stuntwork and challenge himself to not “live in fear.” Most of all is the question of second chances. Most everyone in this movie is looking for a second chance. A chance to “make right” what they had previously messed up. I don’t want to spoil the movie for anyone but for all the flames and stuntwork Jonny’s second chance isn’t going to come from trying to undo what was done. That is simply not possible.

When we need to get right there is only one way for us to really change. That is through the Grace of God given through His Son Jesus. The Payment of our sins and the opportunity to pick ourselves back up off of the floor is only offered by the one God who requires perfection, but allows for we who are flawed a covering grace to heal our hurts and make what was bad into good. It is through God that we can have our negative’s turned to positive. God doesn’t want us alone to go through pain and fear and strife that is caused by all the wrong choices of ourselves and others around us. He is with us and can take all of the pain and hurt and anger; and turn it all around. What is impossible for us is possible with our creator.

What is a danger for us is to think that we can become a “Spirit of Vengance.” The “Ghost Rider” is a work of fiction because of this. Not only is He a vigilante, but he also claims to have a authoritative look into a soul’s guilt or innocence. These things are God’s alone. We cannot judge that which is outside our family in Christ, when we are not judges. Vengance is God’s domain and I would only want God to have it, because for all the pain I would inflict on whoever I believe has wronged me it would not be just or fair. Whether that is because it was too little or too much God is the only one who has the right to judge and avenge. This may be agrivating as He seems so slow in judging the “bag guys” however He has soo much love for us he doesn’t want any to fall short of His grace.

No matter what you have done, from cursing someone out to giving yourself away to rage or sin or lust God can still bring you back. He can make you clean and give you a start that none of us deserve. This is Grace as only He can give.

Overall “Ghost Rider” is a decent movie with some creepy imagry and a rather anticlimactic ending, but has some great effects especially fire. I would waiting for this movie to hit blockbuster if you were thinking of it. It is good and worth a see, however it is not really that spectacular.

Till next time…

Gby,

 J