Crash, The Academy Awards, The Church, and other movie stuff…

Bob FranquizUncategorized

Tivo_logoCarey and I TiVo’d the Academy Awards and watched them on Monday.  It was a significant improvement over previous years.  They actually acknowledged that there are viewers who are paying the bills for your event.  It was very well done.

A question for you TiVo users:
Have you ever tried to hit the 8 second rewind button or hit the pause button in a conversation?  I have…many times! 

Also, the M. Night Shyamalan American Express commercial was fantastic!  He just rules!  I’d watch anything he wrote!  By the way, what’s your favorite M. Night film?  My vote is on "Unbreakable".  I can’t get enough of it.   

It’s interesting that Bruce Willis and Samuel L. Jackson have been in 3 movies together and they have all done very well at the box office
(This one, This one, and This one).

Speaking of the box office, did you notice all the references to the fact that box office numbers are down? Maybe the problem isn’t the public.  Could it be the slew of half-baked, cookie-cutter, are you kidding me…another remake, movies that have come out in the last year?  Write great stories and I promise, we will come out in droves. 

By the way, this downturn in box office numbers has left movie theatres hurting for cash.
  That means (church planters, this is for you) movie theatres are looking for new revenue streams.  So your church meeting in a theatre isn’t a very hard sell.  When we first started meeting in our theatre, I had to talk the manager into and tell her it could work.  Now, theatres have signs looking for churches and other groups to rent their facilities.  I think the next wave of theatres will be more multi-purpose in their layout if America’s movie going habits stay the same. 

Kevin had a great post yesterday on why non-Christians make better Christian movies than Christians. Very interesting stuff. (Can I add music to his premise as well?) 

39mCarey and I rented Crash last night (I know, FINALLY!) It was amazing!  Probably the best movie I’ve seen in a year.  It’s no surprise it won Best Picture.  Great themes.  Great acting.  Gripping story.  The whole package was amazing! Plus, how awesome was it to see Matt Dillon working again!  He’s a great actor.  (There is some cussing in the film.  So if that bothers you, don’t go see it.)

Pastor and leaders need to know what’s going on in film.  Movies are where people shape their ideas about God, life, and relationships.  It’s important for us to know where people are coming from so we can enter the conversation understanding what have shaped their world-view.  I believe movies are modern-day parables that we can leverage to drive home the message of Scripture.