Top 50 Films of the Decade: Part 2

Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas with friends and family. Can't believe it's nearly 2010! I remember as a child thinking that by the year 2010 we'd all be flying to other planets in spaceships. Disappointing, I guess, but at least we got a great movie this year called "Avatar" that allowed us to virtually visit an alien world. So while reality may refuse me the opportunity to fly to another world, an artist's imagination brought to reality through film can allow me to experience something I've been dreaming of ever since I was a child.

I guess that's good enough of a segue into part 2 of my list of top films of the decade...

#39: District 9

Non-hostile aliens get stranded in South Africa and are treated with prejudice, locked away in camps, segregated from society and abused in a scenario intentionally reminiscent of Apartheid. After decades of films in which aliens are the enemy, we get two interesting films this year in which humans are the villains in an alien struggle.

#38: No Country for Old Men

Kind of depressing film about old school law ill-equipped to deal with a new brand of criminal. Depressing but also thought-provoking, and incredibly well-acted, especially the role of one of the most disturbing and evil villains ever put on film.

#37: The Last Samurai

Yes, Dances with Wolves did it, and more recently Avatar... A film in which a person begins to see things from the perspective of those who were formerly the enemy and switches sides. But there's a reason this kind of story has been done in some form or another so many times, and this is done really well. A very emotional story with some amazing action and battle choreography.

#36: The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe; and Prince Caspian

The Narnia movies aren't anywhere near on the level of the Lord of the Rings films, but I thought they were wonderful movies that were faithful to the spirit of Lewis' books if not the letter. The amazing musical score, the excellent effects, and the well-played characters of Lucy, Mr. Tumnus and the White Witch are special highlights for me.

#35: Ratatouille

My third favorite Pixar film of the decade. Very funny, great love story, and it actually made me want to learn more about cooking, something I've traditionally hated.

#34: Cloverfield

A monster attacks New York City and the action is filmed from the perspective of a camcorder. I'm a sucker for these handheld camera type movies and this one's done especially well. Very humorous but also thrilling and terrifying, leaving a lot to the imagination which I always find much scarier.

#33: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

I found the first two Harry Potter movies quite dull... Not bad, per se, just not very interesting, exciting or magical. But I've thoroughly enjoyed all of them since the third movie. This one is my second favorite. I've never read the books, and I've heard it makes a lot of changes, but as a movie it's really fantastic. It's just a tightly made film that has a level of emotional gravitas and suspense that the other Potter films just can't quite match.

#32: Kingdom of Heaven (Extended Cut)

It may not be very historically accurate, but a great movie in its own right. One of my favorite aspects is the way it delineates a clear difference between empty religion and genuine faith, and just how rampant the former has been for much of our history. See the extended cut only, because the theatrical cut is a mangled version produced by studio interference that doesn't reflect the movie that Ridley Scott was trying to make.

#31: Napoleon Dynamite

The little movie that became a phenomenon. This film is a joke that you either get or you don't. First time I saw it, I didn't get it... the second time, it clicked and now it's one of my favorite comedies of all time. I do think that if you've never spent time in the mid-west, a lot of the humor will be lost on you, though.

Well, that's all for today. The next 10 will be up in a day or two!

Top 50 films of the decade: Part I

In evangelical circles, I often hear movies and television spoken of as essentially an evil: at best a waste of time that distracts us from what's really worthwhile and at worst an idol that keeps us from intimacy with God and others. Like most good things, I think this is true when it's abused. But when enjoyed appropriately, the visual media is a wonderful way through which humans can express their creativity. It's the next logical step in what humans have been doing for as long as we've been around: telling stories.

Certainly, there is a lot of trash out there to be avoided. But at the same time, through the media of film and television, there has been some breathtaking art created and some amazing stories told. I have found my heart deeply moved through some of the things I've witnessed on both the big and small screens. I've found myself motivated to be a better husband and father, to want to live for something greater, to show compassion to the poor, to be braver in the face of suffering and opposition, to reflect on the fallenness of man and our need for a Savior. The visual medium is an important avenue of human expression, and to completely reject it as an evil is to reject the gift of creativity that we have been given.

So out of appreciation for this gift, I have recently compiled a list of my top 50 films of the decade. Actually got the idea from some friends who've done this, and they inspired me to do the same. I'll do this in multiple postings over the next five days, counting down from #50 to #1, ten at a time, and giving a brief reason for each of my choices. So without further ado...

#50: Spiderman 1 & 2.

I know, it's sort of cheating to have two movies under one listing, but I think it's fair enough for a movie and its sequel if the sequel is as good as the original. You'll see me doing the same thing again several times in this list. Anyway, these were great, character-driven movies that really helped to bring superhero movies into a new golden era where they were allowed to be great films in their own right. Unfortunately... Spiderman 3? Not so much...

#49: Solaris.

Very polarizing movie, but I for one loved it. Very slow-moving, but amazing cinematography and soundtrack. Showed the pain of loss and how important it is to appreciate the good things we have while they're still around.

#48: Matrix Reloaded & Matrix Revolutions

Nowhere near as good as the original, but still great. Some really groundbreaking effects and action sequences, and a resonant story of self-sacrifice for the good of humanity.

#47: Passion of the Christ

Speaking of self-sacrifice for the good of humanity, how about the True Story that inspired all the others? A brutal, realistic look at the suffering Christ endured for our justification. Keep meaning to watch it again every Easter, but haven't been able to bring myself to yet.

#46: Howl's Moving Castle

Filled with the imagination and visual spectacle expected of any Miyazaki film.

#45: Sin City

A film doesn't have to be squeaky clean to be inherently moral. Even though it's violent and bleak, it packs some important lessons. It shows how power (political or religious) can corrupt, the emptiness of vengeance, the darkness inherent in the human soul, and the transcendence of laying down our lives for those we love.

#44: "300"

The same creative team as "Sin City" delivers another excellent film. The classic underdog story of bravery in the face of unspeakable odds, while not shying away from the brutality of war. And a disturbing picture of what happens when man deifies himself.

#43: The Darjeeling Limited

The story of three brothers seeking spiritual enlightenment in all the wrong places. Quirky and hilarious.

#42: Donnie Darko

A bizarre film about one teenager's vision of the apocalypse. With elements of time travel, other dimensions and the end of the world, what's not to love?

#41: 28 Days Later and 28 Weeks Later

The first of several Danny Boyle movies that have made it onto the list. These are his take on the zombie movie genre, and in my opinion he does it better than anyone else.

Well, that's all for now. I'll try to get the next ten up shortly after Christmas Day. For now, have a very Merry Christmas everyone!

I do believe; help my unbelief!

So goes the desperate plea of the father of a demon-possessed boy (Mark 9:24). Jesus has just told him that everything is possible for him who believes. And in response to the man's seemingly contradictory reply, Jesus then proceeds to heal his son, who has been afflicted by this malicious spirit since childhood. And as I read this passage, something amazing occurs to me: Jesus rewarded this man’s imperfect belief.

This is a massive comfort to me, because I know that I believe very imperfectly. Oh, I’ve accepted the truth of the gospel, and I know I believe it, but so often I act in ways that betray the doubt that lingers in my heart. I believe that God is good, but I don’t trust Him fully. I believe that I’m completely forgiven, but my sin still feels like it’s separating me from God sometimes. I believe that it’s only because of Christ’s righteousness that I’m accepted by God, but I still find myself acting like my good deeds will earn me brownie points with God. I believe that total fulfillment can be found in Christ, yet I find myself not wanting to spend time with Him. I believe that sin hurts me and grieves the heart of God, yet I sin still.

If I believed completely and perfectly, I wouldn’t be plagued by these problems. I could entrust myself to the Father without reservation, just as Christ did. Why can’t I do this? It seems so simple! It’s because I’m a fallen man. The great sin of the fall was unbelief which led to disobedience. And that stain still remains on my soul. Even as a follower of Christ, it’s a daily struggle to believe. Which brings me to another amazing thing that occurs to me from this passage: even our imperfect belief is apparently made perfect in Christ. How else could Christ reward the man’s belief in spite of the fact that it was flawed? What’s amazing to me about this is that it’s our belief in the Gospel that allows us to be saved in the first place, yet even this foundational condition of salvation God doesn’t require to be perfect. This is another comfort to me, because I so often feel guilty about the unbelief in my heart… an unhealthy guilt that makes me feel like I don’t deserve to go before God. Which is actually true, but only part of the truth. Because the rest of the amazing truth is that even my fumbling, inept efforts to believe are perfect in the eyes of God because of Christ and His blood.

The final encouragement is that Christ himself is the solution to our unbelief. The man’s solution was to pray to Christ for help in overcoming his unbelief, and this was apparently the appropriate response. So let us pray regularly and fervently for help not just in overcoming this or that sin, but that God Himself would overcome the doubts and disbeliefs in our hearts that lead us to sin in the first place. I look forward to the day when I will fully believe and trust my heavenly Father; when I see him face to face with sanctified eyes and respond to Him with a sanctified heart. But for now I can stand confident in His grace, in spite of the fact that I see more of myself than I’d like to in the following passage from Deuteronomy I read this morning:

“Then I said to you, "Do not be terrified; do not be afraid of them. The LORD your God, who is going before you, will fight for you, as he did for you in Egypt, before your very eyes, and in the desert. There you saw how the LORD your God carried you, as a father carries his son, all the way you went until you reached this place." In spite of this, you did not trust in the LORD your God, who went ahead of you on your journey, in fire by night and in a cloud by day, to search out places for you to camp and to show you the way you should go.” (Deut 1: 29-33)

Made for another world.

I'm still not sure about this whole blogging thing. I mean, is anyone really interested in reading my thoughts on anything? It's not like I have much to say that hasn't already been said, and probably said much better than I ever could. And though sometimes I like to think I know better than others, God has been increasingly showing me just how little I know.

But here it is... A little corner of the Internet where I'm going to share things from my life--pleasures I'm enjoying, struggles I'm enduring, lessons I'm learning. And perhaps God in His mercy will let there be something here that may help, encourage, or perhaps even bless you.

So I feel an explanation is in order for the title of this blog. "A swift sunrise" is an exerpt from one of my favorite lines in Lord of the Rings. Here is the entire quote: "White shores and beyond them a far green country under a swift sunrise." In the books, this is what Frodo sees at the end of his journey across the sea to the Undying Lands. In the films, it's Gandalf's description of what awaits him and Pippin should they be killed in battle. In both instances, it's a simple picture of a longing that is deep inside all of us: a longing for a better world.

This is a longing I've found in my own heart for a very long time. I look at the world, and I can see that something's wrong. Things aren't the way they should be. This was something that struck me, even (and perhaps especially) when I was an atheist. Why do I long for joy, yet this life gives me sorrow? Why do I long for peace, yet this life gives me worry? Why do I long for acceptance, yet this life gives me rejection? Why do I long to be part of a grand adventure, yet this life gives me monotony? Even as a child, I noticed it... this dissonance. I remember being seven years old, crying in my bed one night because I wanted someone to come and take me away from this world to a place where people were kind to one another, where goodness reigned and life was full. I absorbed myself in fantastical stories, filled with adventure and heroism and love, stories that gave me glimpses of how I wished life could be.

There's something wrong with this world, and for much of my life it's made me feel like a stranger in a strange land.

One of my favorite C. S. Lewis quotes is, "If I find in myself a desire which no experience in the world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world." It is this reality that first pointed me towards God. The reason that nothing in this world satisfies me is that I was created to find satisfaction in God. God desires to satisfy all my deepest longings with Himself for all eternity. And because of Christ and His work on the cross, that can begin here and now!

Yet I still seek satisfaction in things I know can't satisfy. I have, just a prayer away, the most satisfying Person I can ever know, and yet I so often settle for lesser pleasures. Why? Because I remain a fallen person in a fallen world, and my tendency is still to try to make this world work the way I wish it would, instead of looking ahead to the better world that God has prepared for His children.

This really represents the two paths that a person can go down in order to cope with the fact that we do not belong in this world. Either they can try to make the world work for them, or they can trust God while looking ahead to something better. I've been doing the first thing for so long, it's been a difficult-- even painful-- process for me to transition to the second. My overwhelming tendency is still to try to control my life in my own strength, futilely trying to make the world into what I wish it would be. But I feel that I'm at a defining moment in my life, when I'm learning truths about myself and God that could utterly transform the way I see the world. So a lot of what you see in this blog may be a picture of one man struggling to live out these truths in his daily life, as I try to give the fight up to God and let Him carry me into the better world I'm longing for.