Genre: Drama, Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy, & Remake
Runtime: 1 hr. 57 min
Rating: PG 13 for sexuality including language, and some nudity
Starring: Nicholas Cage, Meg Ryan, Dennis Franz, Andre Brauer
Synopsis: An angel comes to earth and falls in love with the woman he's assigned to watch over.
Excuse me for complaining about the terrible synopsis offered online...I think I might need to find another website that offers better synopses then Yahoo! movies. But let's move on...
This movie starts out by showing the writer's/director's/producer's view of what an "angel" is and does. In this case, it's all about watching, occasional helping, and leading the dead into the afterlife. Now I could probably go on for pages talking about how much I disagreed with the theology of this movie, but that's not really the point of this blog, so I'll leave it alone.
I will admit however, that for the first hour to hour and a half I was seriously wondering if I would have anything to say about the movie that wasn't ranting against the theology of it...and then it struck me.
WARNING: SPOILER ALERT!
Seth (Cage) is one of hundreds, if not thousands, of angels that live and "work" in Los Angeles. Every morning and every evening they go to the same beach and listen to the sun rise and set. The rest of their time is spent listening to people's thoughts, helping, and guiding the dead. Many shots show the angels standing passively above the city on high rises.
One key scene near the beginning of the movie, shows Seth and a fellow angel sitting on a freeway sign comparing notes on what the souls they've guided have said was the best thing about life. Seth asks his companion if he's ever wanted to know what it felt like to be human.
Not far into the movie, Seth meets Maggie (Ryan) a cardiac surgeon trying desperately to save a man's life - Seth is there to collect the man's soul. And so begins the journey of Seth and Maggie. Along the way, this angel who doesn't know what it is to experience any of the five senses, falls in love with Maggie AND finds out that it is possible for an angel to become human by "falling" to earth.
It was at this moment that the epiphany hit me. It takes most of the movie to get there, but Seth is a type of Christ figure. Christ left heaven, discarded his eternal body, and endured the pain of humanity because he LOVED us.
Showing posts with label Love. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Love. Show all posts
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Eat Pray Love
I'm sorry about the hiatus, but I'M BACK! And what a movie to start with. Although this could be considered a "chick-flick" I prefer to call it a "real life quest".
Genre: Drama and Adaptation
Run time: 2 hrs, 13 min
Rating: PG-13 for brief strong language, some sexual references and male rear nudity
Starring: Julia Roberts, James Franco, Javier Bardem, Richard Jenkins, Viola Davis, Billy Crudup
Synopsis: Liz Gilbert had everything a modern woman is supposed to dream of having -- a husband, a house, a successful career -- yet like so many others, she found herself lost, confused, and searching for what she really wanted in life. Newly divorced and at a crossroads, Gilbert steps out of her comfort zone, risking everything to change her life, embarking on a journey around the world that becomes a quest for self-discovery. In her travels, she discovers the true pleasure of nourishment by eating in Italy; the power of prayer in India, and, finally and unexpectedly, the inner peace and balance of true love in Bali.
Although Liz Gilbert's (Roberts) mention of God is brief, the entire movie is her journey to a deeper understanding of life, God, and spirituality. Despite the obvious leanings toward Eastern religions, I found that much of what Gilbert discovered on her quest could be applied to any and all religions, including Christianity.
The idea of enjoying life is the first lesson that Gilbert learns during her time in Italy. While in Italy, she learns to enjoy food, to take a break from life/stress, and to enjoy life as she's been given. By the end of her stay, she has discovered a passion for life that many in the West have lost in the midst of work and entertainment.
The next stop on Gilbert's quest is India, where she lives in an Ashram and attempts to meditate and pray. I could personally understand her problems with meditation...I find it so difficult to shut off my brain and focus on one single thought, idea, or even Bible verse. But more than the focus on prayer and meditation, there were two things that I found pertinent to this section of the movie. 1) Gilbert was adamantly told by another member of the ashram, that it wasn't her job to forgive her husband or hope that he could forgive her, instead she had to forgive herself. How many of us have this problem? We know in our heads that God has forgiven us, but we don't feel forgiven and we can't forget what we've done. Part of the forgiveness process is learning to forgive ourselves. 2) Just before leaving India, Gilbert comes to a profound realization: God doesn't expect a specific type of research, or a strict form of behavior, instead God meets us where we are and uses us how we are.
Finally, on the last leg of her trip, Gilbert continues her study of balance and meditation in Bali, only to discover that true healing only comes through love. As Christians, we are deeply aware of this fact, for had it not been the love of God, we would not have had the opportunity for reconciliation with Him. "For God so loved the world..."
So...the four things that I walked away from this movie with are 1) enjoy the life that God has given us, take time to enjoy it; 2) we must forgive ourselves before we forgive ourselves before we can hope to forgive others; 3) God works in mysterious ways, we should not limit Him to certain times, places, or activities; and 4) LOVE is everything!
I highly recommend this movie to everyone, but especially to those who are on a similar journey...
Genre: Drama and Adaptation
Run time: 2 hrs, 13 min
Rating: PG-13 for brief strong language, some sexual references and male rear nudity
Starring: Julia Roberts, James Franco, Javier Bardem, Richard Jenkins, Viola Davis, Billy Crudup
Synopsis: Liz Gilbert had everything a modern woman is supposed to dream of having -- a husband, a house, a successful career -- yet like so many others, she found herself lost, confused, and searching for what she really wanted in life. Newly divorced and at a crossroads, Gilbert steps out of her comfort zone, risking everything to change her life, embarking on a journey around the world that becomes a quest for self-discovery. In her travels, she discovers the true pleasure of nourishment by eating in Italy; the power of prayer in India, and, finally and unexpectedly, the inner peace and balance of true love in Bali.
Although Liz Gilbert's (Roberts) mention of God is brief, the entire movie is her journey to a deeper understanding of life, God, and spirituality. Despite the obvious leanings toward Eastern religions, I found that much of what Gilbert discovered on her quest could be applied to any and all religions, including Christianity.
The idea of enjoying life is the first lesson that Gilbert learns during her time in Italy. While in Italy, she learns to enjoy food, to take a break from life/stress, and to enjoy life as she's been given. By the end of her stay, she has discovered a passion for life that many in the West have lost in the midst of work and entertainment.
The next stop on Gilbert's quest is India, where she lives in an Ashram and attempts to meditate and pray. I could personally understand her problems with meditation...I find it so difficult to shut off my brain and focus on one single thought, idea, or even Bible verse. But more than the focus on prayer and meditation, there were two things that I found pertinent to this section of the movie. 1) Gilbert was adamantly told by another member of the ashram, that it wasn't her job to forgive her husband or hope that he could forgive her, instead she had to forgive herself. How many of us have this problem? We know in our heads that God has forgiven us, but we don't feel forgiven and we can't forget what we've done. Part of the forgiveness process is learning to forgive ourselves. 2) Just before leaving India, Gilbert comes to a profound realization: God doesn't expect a specific type of research, or a strict form of behavior, instead God meets us where we are and uses us how we are.
Finally, on the last leg of her trip, Gilbert continues her study of balance and meditation in Bali, only to discover that true healing only comes through love. As Christians, we are deeply aware of this fact, for had it not been the love of God, we would not have had the opportunity for reconciliation with Him. "For God so loved the world..."
So...the four things that I walked away from this movie with are 1) enjoy the life that God has given us, take time to enjoy it; 2) we must forgive ourselves before we forgive ourselves before we can hope to forgive others; 3) God works in mysterious ways, we should not limit Him to certain times, places, or activities; and 4) LOVE is everything!
I highly recommend this movie to everyone, but especially to those who are on a similar journey...
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