Month: March 2016

THE YOUNG MESSIAH

The Young Messiah - with soldier.

The young Jesus confronts the Roman soldier, Sean Bean as the centurion Servius

THE YOUNG MESSIAH

By Marlene Ardoin

If you enjoyed the Harry Potter films, especially the first one, you will love “The Young Messiah.”

It tells us about the young Jesus, who gradually discovers his hidden powers. He is a compassionate child, who empathizes so strongly with others that he wills good in their lives.

Adam Greaves-Neal plays the seven-year-old Jesus. His character overlooks the flaws in those he is helping, for example, the boy who is bullying him, the woman who wants to sell her bird, the rabbi, who is blind, and the bird, who is dead.

There is evil in his world, but he is somehow protected by his own goodness.

One character seems to personify the devil. Rory Keenan plays this character like a fallen angel, who is constantly trying to trip up this young, innocent boy.

The climax of this film comes when the young Jesus is about to be killed by the soldiers sent by Herod’s son, Antipas (Jonathan Bailey). I don’t want to give away how Jesus handles this dilemma.

The era is well captured and real. I came away from this film with a sense of what it must have been like living in that environment.

Sara Lazzaro plays his mother, Mary. She does a great job of describing her virgin pregnancy, and how her betrothed, Joseph (Vincent Walsh), comes to accept it all.

The most surprising part of “The Young Messiah,” is the fact that the script comes from an Anne Rice novel, “Christ the Lord Out of Egypt.”

Anne Rice’s personal spiritual journey has been circuitous. Raised a Catholic, she became an atheist in university. Her vampire novels propelled her to fame. Then, in 2002, Rice dedicated her life to writing for God. I would really like to read a novel about her own spiritual journey.

But, I think you will find that “The Young Messiah” is very engaging and professionally presented.

WHERE TO INVADE NEXT

Michael Moore as American ambassador.

WHERE TO INVADE NEXT

By Marlene Ardoin

In “Where to Invade Next,” Michael Moore invades one country after another in order to steal their good ideas to bring back to the United States. This is similar to what he did in “Sicko,” only he is not just concentrating on health care, but he is open to a whole bunch of new ideas.

I believe Moore’s heart is in the right place. He sincerely wants to make the USA better. And, Americans are open to this kind of exploration, since we are already made up of every country in the world.

Unfortunately, Moore did not learn anything by making “Sicko.” Moore almost died of pneumonia prior to the opening of “Where to Invade Next.” I know it is so hard to stick to one’s own advice, but he really needs a personal assistant, trainer, wife, or all of these. He needs someone who can say “no” to the Coke. Lots of countries have free health care, that’s not the issue here.

After viewing “Where to Invade Next,” I would love to go to Italy. They have great work benefits, like lots of vacation time off. Thirty days of paid time off and two hour lunches, so workers can go home to eat. Wow! The couple he interviews wanted to come to the USA, until he describes our measly work benefits. And, Moore is right, everyone in Italy does look like they just had sex.

After Italy, I really would love to go to France someday. Michael is impressed with how the French feed their school children. In fact, he sits at one of the tables with the children to partake in their one hour, multi course lunch. The chef describes the different, nutritional dishes, which are served with water. I can only imagine what the French children were thinking, when Moore tries to introduce a glass of Coke Cola to them.

As a side note, the French have a reputation of being cool to Americans. The reason could be that most Americans do not use the words bonjour and au revoir. Using those words when you meet someone is a French courtesy that acknowledges ones presence. Omitting this courtesy is very offensive in France.

Slovenia has free college, as does Finland.

Norway shows compassion to felons and the crime rate is low. Interestingly, this is the country where all the school children were massacred on that island a few years ago.

Portugal does not persecute people who use drugs, but offers rehab.

Iceland jailed the bankers who caused their financial meltdown, and recovered quickly.

Tunisia has scored women’s health care and Planned Parenthood, in spite of being an Islamic country.

Germany does not whitewash Hitler’s years, and has lots of reminders, so as to never forget.

And Finland, had the best educational rankings in 2012, when the film was made. Now, South Korea has that distinction. Both countries hold education in high regards and teachers are treated with great respect (equal to how we revere doctors or lawyers in the west).

I could spend a lot of time on each country and what they have to offer, but I suggest you see this film and decide for yourself.

Michael Moore has uncovered some interesting ideas and presents them with his usual humor and verve.

3/19/2016 # Where to Invade Next

THE MARTIAN

The Martion, Matt Damon and crew

Watney (Matt Damon) and crew

The Martion, growing plants

Starts a garden.

The Martian 4

Explores Mars.

THE MARTIAN

By Marlene Ardoin

Ridley Scott’s, The Martian, examines a conflict built around the moral choice of abandoning an individual on the planet Mars due to expense and difficulty. Watney (Matt Damon) is at first believed dead, but when NASA discovers that he has survived, they have to make a choice. Thank goodness, their decision is not based upon whether they like Watney, or not. Although, they do balance his life against that of the whole crew.

This film is also about the potential of creativity in humankind. The main character, Watney (Matt Damon) breaks the invisible barrier in an effort to survive alone on Mars. He does not make the mistake of seeing himself as the center of the universe, because, if he is to survive, he needs others.

Matt Damon’s sense of humor and self-confidence makes this film engaging. He remains undaunted by the mistakes, stays ever optimistic, and we are rewarded by the joy of his success. He seems to relish the peace of being on his own and of having the freedom to try out his ideas without any opposition.

As a result of this film, I keep seeing articles about astronauts attempting to grow plants in outer space. Humans really need plants. They give us oxygen and eliminate pollutants from our air, which is vital to our survival. Watney proclaims, “I am the greatest botanist on this planet!” He was not just surviving, he was making history.

I am wondering how a film gets 7 Academy Award nominations, but the director is left off the list? Ridley Scott deserves a little recognition as director.

The general public was wondering where this film was filmed. Wadi Rum in Jordan was the backdrop for Mars in the filming of The Martian. Jordan is a very convincing environment for Mars.

3/13/16 # The Martian

ROOM

Room - young mother at table.

Brie Larson as Joy “Ma” Newsome is brainwashed over time.

Room - young mother sleeps with son.

Jacob Tremblay as her son, Jack Newsome, was born in captivity.

ROOM

By Marlene Ardoin

The drama, Room, is loosely based on the kidnapping story of Jaycee Lee Dugard, which occurred on June 10, 1991 in South Lake Tahoe. Dugard was held captive for 18 years, gave birth to two daughters in captivity, and her step dad actually saw her being kidnapped as she was walking to the school bus, when she was eleven years old.

Room deals with female diversity. We see the female victim being pushed around by the victimizer. Brie Larson as Joy “Ma” Newsome is brainwashed over time. Her sense of survival knows that things will go better for her and her son, if she complies with her captor’s wishes.

The kidnapper sees himself as the center of the universe. His needs are more important than the rights of anyone else. Sean Bridgers plays Old Nick as a victim himself. We buy the idea that he is pathetic. He needs to do what he is doing. He tries to please his captives as much as he can, but is not stupid enough to give them their freedom. The real Jaycee Dugard was handcuffed, stripped naked and told that Doberman Pinschers were outside and trained to attack her if she tried to escape. She gave birth to her first daughter at age 13.

Held captive for seven years in an enclosed space, a woman (Larson) and her 5-year-old son (Tremblay) finally extract their freedom. When Joy is returned to her family, she finds that her mother has remarried.

Society not only judges the victimizer, but the victim as well. Society likes to think of themselves as better than the victim, as well as the victimizer. The young media interviewers were particularly insensitive and odious.

Jacob Tremblay as her son, Jack Newsome, was born in captivity. He holds the story together through his bond with his mother, Joy. He exhibits an emotional intelligence that apparently even trained media reporters were lacking.

One other major difference in the fictional story and the Dugard story, is that Dugard gave birth to two daughters while in captivity, and after captivity, she received a $20 million state settlement, while Arnold Schwarzenegger was in office. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kidnapping_of_Jaycee_Lee_Dugard

3/13/2016 # Room

THE REVENANT

The Revenant - Bear scene

DiCaprio fights off mother bear.

The Revenant - Indian horse scene

DiCaprio is saved by Hikuc and his horse.

THE REVENANT

By Marlene Ardoin

The Revenant does satisfy the diversity question. The American Indian issues could easily be replaced by the African American issues. The most important question raised is whether self-survival is a good enough reason to take away the rights of others. The American Indians did nothing wrong. The white man just wanted their land and their animals. The settlers lost their own humanity in the process.

In today’s era of the selfie, it is not hard to imagine oneself as the center of the universe, rather than a shared universe.

At some point, Americans need to admit that what settlers did to the American Indians and the African Americans was not worthy of our American ideals. All we need to do is to see things from the perspective of the American Indians/African Americans. What would we have done in their situation? I guess we will keep seeing films like this until we see change in our current society. I am really tired of hearing about unarmed Black men being shot by police and of minorities being the larger part of the prison population.

I am glad that Leonardo DiCaprio is getting the accolades. Apparently, the filming of this movie was really punishing. On his experience filming, DiCaprio stated: “I can name 30 or 40 sequences that were some of the most difficult things I’ve ever had to do. Whether it’s going in and out of frozen rivers, or sleeping in animal carcasses, or what I ate on set. [I was] enduring freezing cold and possible hypothermia constantly.” DiCaprio deserves the Oscar just for his endurance.

What stands out in this film is the kindness and humanity of the Indians, and the inhumanity of the settlers. Mexican film director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu could be a bit biased. There are good and bad in all groups of people. However, no one can deny his genius and command of the genre. His 2006 “Babel” and 2010 “Birdman” show that “Revenant” is not just a one trick pony act, as a director. He deserves our respect for the great work that he has produced.

Tom Hardy, who plays John Fitzgerald, a trapper who kills Glass’s (DiCaprio) son Hawk, also suffered a close call to death. He apparently nearly lost his life to scalping, by the Indians. If my memory is correct, it was the settlers who were scalping Indians for cash. (Connecticut and Massachusetts colonial officials had offered bounties initially for the heads of murdered indigenous people and later for only their scalps.) Anyway, if he nearly lost half his scalp, he must have had someone nurse him back to life. Hello!!

This film is inspired by the experiences of frontiersman and fur trapper Hugh Glass in 1823 Montana and South Dakota.

A revenant is a visible ghost or animated corpse that was believed to return from the grave to terrorize the living. That about sums up this film.

3/11/2016 # The Revenant

SPOTLIGHT

Spotlight, Child victim, Boston Globe

Breaking story in Boston Globe 2002, priests molesting children.

Spotlight, reporters with new editor.

Liev Schreiber as Marty Baron, the new editor, listens to reporters.

SPOTLIGHT

By Marlene Ardoin

Spotlight is also about diversity, low income children. One of the Best Picture Oscar nominees, Spotlight shows us the process of investigative reporters of the Boston Globe 2002 breaking a story of Catholic priests molesting children in their city. To be fair, this was not about all Catholic priests, just a few bad apples. But, those bad apples did plenty of damage and turned out to be more than originally suspected.

This film points out another example of where the weak are victimized by the strong. I assume the sexual exploitation of children from poor families by priests, started out small, then gradually grew to staggering numbers, worldwide. If the gatekeepers do nothing to stop it, it grows.

The children of poor families were easy pickings. Unfortunately, the vetting of priests was not very thorough at that time. And to be fair, the Catholic Church does a lot to help the poor, probably more than any other religion. Even today, the first thing one would suggest to a homeless person is to check with Catholic Charities.

The consequences of the victimization is heart rendering in this film. What resonated with me was the point that when you take away faith in religion from the poor, they are left without any kind of support system. What they turn to instead of religion is alcohol, drugs and suicide.

What the gatekeepers did at that time was to move the offending priests to new parishes, whenever problems were revealed. As a result, the priests had no feelings for or bonds with the communities that they served. I do not understand how anyone who has received religious training could do this. Why did they become priests in the first place? Was it a cover for their perversion?

The 4,392 priests who were accused amount to approximately 4% of the 109,694 priests in active ministry during that time. The report stated there were approximately 10,667 reported victims (younger than 18 years) of clergy sexual abuse between 1950 and 2002.

When sexual scandals involving Catholic priests in the US came to light in 2002, the Philippines media began reporting on abuses by local priests. In July of that year, the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines apologized for sexual misconduct committed by its priests over the last two decades and committed to drafting guidelines on how to deal with allegations of such offenses. According to Archbishop Orlando Quevedo, president of the Catholic Bishops Conference, about 200 of the country’s 7,000 priests may have committed “sexual misconduct” – including child abuse, homosexuality and affairs – over the past two decades.

Stanley Tucci as Mitchell Garabedian, attorney, stood out for me. He was characterized as a bit of a character, but I would characterize him as noble. His clients were the victims, the poor families. One of the last scenes was of him greeting such a family in a kindly, upbeat manner, which was endearing. He was a priest in attorney clothing.

Liev Schreiber as Marty Baron, the new editor, also made an impression on me. He carried a persona of a do not mess with me, quite, but deadly, intelligent boss, who was not afraid to go to battle. Apparently, the molesting priest story got lost in the machine years earlier, but he saw the merit and the value to the paper’s readership, who were largely Catholic. He was raised Jewish, so the Catholics had no one to manipulate.

Mark Ruffalo as Michael Rezendes, reporter, Michael Keaton as Walter “Robby” Robinson, reporter, and Rachel McAdams as Sacha Pfeiffer, reporter, all did excellent work in their roles.

The story this film tells was a paradigm changer for the world. It came right after the 9/11 disaster, and changed how the world viewed children. The countries most affected included the USA, Canada, UK, Mexico, Belgium, France, Germany, Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, Tanzania, Philippines, Austria, Norway, Poland, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Peru, Slovenia and Sweden, to name a few.

3/8/2016 # Spotlight

Film Reviews Based on Spirit

I have worked for a cinema chain since 1977 and I am a licensed Spiritual Practitioner, since 2000. I have had access to a lot of free films over the past years, and I have progressed to the critical mass of not wanting to waste my time on anything that diminishes me or my Spiritual wellbeing. The following reviews are those that will fluff your aura, not deflate it. – Marlene Ardoin