DR. POPCORN FACE

ALMOST FAMOUS (2000) - Directed and Written by Cameron Crowe

Rock ‘n’ Roll meets Rock Journalism: The band Stillwater seduces the kid reporter William, aka “the Enemy” (Patrick Fugit). The groupies seduce him too. The rock scene seduces him as well while he tours with the band to get an interview for Rolling Stone magazine. 

The entire rock gamut and stereotypical things like drugs and sex do appear in this film. But what separates this film from a cheesy rock film is the poetry and meaning that drugs, sex and rock music carry. Drugs, sex and music are seductive to the characters and us, the audience. Still, it’s this temptation to the drugs, sex and rock that drives the characters. The right and wrongs of these elements develops each character throughout the story. 

This goes for music too. Music is not a soundtrack in this film. Music is a character in this film. It’s talked about. It motivates the characters’ actions. Its appearance holds key plot points. Its tempos and emotions change with the characters throughout the film. It runs parallel to the story. Music’s face morphs depending on who succeeds or precedes it’s sound. Almost Famous is probably the first film to literally personify Rock ‘n’ Roll as a character. In Almost Famous, when you hear music, you know it arrived in the scene like the presence of an actor. Music speaks to us and the characters with profound melodic insight. It’s dialogue drives the plot. 

Almost Famous breaks away from some of the stereotypical rock issues. For instance, it’s anti-groupies. Penny Lane (Kate Hudson) explains, “We are not Groupies. Groupies sleep with rockstars because they want to be near someone famous. We are here because of the music, we inspire the music. We are Band Aids.” Pardon me Penny Lane, i mean Band Aids! The film is “honest and unmerciful”. It’s a historical piece which reveals rock music of the 70’s and the impact it had on culture. Although confined to the 70‘s, the life lessons are timeless. The characters are well rounded and accurate in terms of what they contribute to the story. 

Again, Almost Famous is about the Music! It’s about the critics, the creatives, the audience, the substance of music. Music links life and creates it. There’s a line in the movie which Russell Hammond (Billy Crudup) lead singer of Stillwater tells William in an interview that strikes a chord to echo the film. Russell tells William whom he calls “the Enemy”, that “Rock ‘n’ Roll is gonna save the world.” Later Russell denies this line wholeheartedly, like Peter denied Jesus. But somehow, you always believe that rock music will save the world.

i think Almost Famous indirectly inspires artists to pursue their passion thus impact culture. This is one reason i love it!

Almost Famous has one of my favorite montages among my favorite films. It’s short in time, and is a musical montage in which Zooey Deshanel gives her vinyl albums to her younger brother before she abandons her home. The following scene is one of discovery of rock music. The younger brother, William, flips through the album covers. i’m man enough to admit that i always become emotional in this scene. i ended up doing this with my brother when i left home. i told him he could have all my cds. Nirvana, The Who, The White Stripes, Bob Dylan were among those artists/albums i gave to him. 

This montage wraps up beautifully when The Who’s song “Sparks” swells up. This scene got me into listening to The Who. Matter of fact, this film introduced me to Davie Bowie’s albums too! Before this, i only listened to Bowie’s best of songs and not albums. This film changed all that. i have to say that Almost Famous redirected the way i listen to music. After this film, i began to appreciate albums from beginning to end. At least i gave acute attention to those albums recorded before my lifetime. And i realized that those artists didn’t write songs - they wrote albums!

Anyway, like William, i too became seduced by the incredible characters in the screenplay. Matter of fact, this screenplay won the 2000 Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. i want to brag that after i saw this film for the first time, i said to myself, “This is going to win the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay.” And it did! It was the first and only time my prediction was true right after an initial viewing. But the story and characters were just so outstanding, there couldn’t have been another choice. Almost Famous beat other nominees:The Gladiator, Erin Brockovich, Billy Elliot, and You Can Count on Me.

So, i watched this film 3 times in a day at the movie theater!! i watched it by myself, then with Dan Braun, then with Dustin Ruth. These guys were my roommates at the time this film was released. i suckered them into going with me because i thought it would add value to their lives and more to mine. At this time, i was into motivational films like American Movie (which i saw 20 times in 4 months) and The Big Lebowski. Overall, i was into movies with inspirational themes. 

Lester Bangs (Philip Seymour Hoffman) is the art philosopher of the film. He’s the guy i relate too!! i hate to admit it, but i even agree with Lester on some level when he describes rock legend Jim Morrison as a “drunken buffoon posing as a poet”. i’m a huge DOORS fan or should i say Band Aid. But Hoffman’s performance is so strong that his delivery of that line has me agree with him. Most of Lester Bangs’ dialogue is analytical and a defense on the “uncool” guys of the world. So my empathy towards his “uncool” status is probably why i agree with his view on art on some level. 

i leave you with a quote from Lester: “Music, you now, true music - not just rock n roll - it chooses you. It lives in your car, or alone listening to your headphones, you know, with the cast scenic bridges and angelic choirs in your brain. It’s a place apart from the vast, benign lap of America.”

THE RED SHOES (1948) - directed by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger 

The Red Shoes is among my favorite films on the topic of the artist. For me, it ranks up there with films like Amadeus, My Left Foot, The Doors, Don’t Look Back, The Aviator, Pollock, Lust for Life, The Mystery of Picasso, Stranger than Fiction, Girl with a Pearl Earring, Son of Rambo, Burden of Dreams, 8 1/2, Andrei Rublev, Midnight in Paris, Cinema Paradiso, Ingmar Bergman Makes a Movie, A Face in the Crowd, Control, and most recently, Hugo. These are the films i really really really admire! Alright, i don’t admire them, i love these films!!

However, unlike the prior films, The Red Shoes is about an artist whom chooses her art over the love of her husband. This film’s visuals are tightly knit into the psychological struggle of it’s artist. The Red Shoes isn’t too surreal to be misunderstood. Sadly, this criteria is why some films are not on my list of great films about artists. Their message is not clear. An example is the film Not Yet There or I Shot Andy Warhol. On the other hand, a film like Shakespeare in Love is too corny…well, maybe i need to watch it again. And the film James Dean was just too cheesy (sorry James Franco), and so was the one about Beethoven titled Immortal Beloved. And Last Days didn’t do it for me (total disappointment). Anyway, The Red Shoes has a clear message in the story while also showcasing artistic visuals. 

In short, The Red Shoes is about choosing - art or love! In some cases, as far as artists go, the choice is about choosing art or God. Either way, this mindset has human limitations. We’re so dramatic aren’t we. God wants us to have life and live it to the fullest (John 10:10). Will we artists ever grasp this verse?

The Red Shoes is taken from the story by Hans Christian Anderson. Except, Han’s story is more brutal, with the dancer having her legs chopped off to break the curse of her dancing. Although this doesn’t happen in the film version of The Red Shoes, there’s still a violent edge to the film’s drama. This violence is always on the brink of exploding from the character Lermontov. The other characters think of him as heartless. You never know if this guy is pulling a fast one to get what he wants, or is genuine to the other characters, or just has a sick way of looking at life. Probably all the above is what makes him such a dangerous character. It could be argued that his selfish ambitions drag Vicky down or at least entice her to choose her art over her husband. 

i like how the film gives one option to Vicky. That option is to either choose between love or art but not both. This film doesn’t allow a compromise between the two. There’s a conversation which occurs behind stage between the director of the ballet, Lermontov and his colleague Ljubov. It goes like this:

_____________

LERMONTOV

You cannot have it both ways. 

The dancer who relies upon the 

doubtful comforts of human love 

will never be a great dancer. Never!

LJUBOV

You cannot alter human nature.

LERMONTOV 

No. But you can ignore it.

____________

Lermontov is the most extreme of all artists!! He’s sacrificed love and people for his art. He loves the power of control over artists. This is his downfall. Sadly, he expects other to follow his lead. Personally, i think both worlds can be enjoyed! You can love your craft and pursue it with all your heart. And at the same time the artist can enjoy a loving relationship. [Simultaneously, the heart can also be dedicated to Jesus.]

i believe Lermontov genuinely finds Vicky to be a great dancer, but what really attracts him to her is her willingness to sacrifice her life for her craft. In one short conversation with Vicky, Lermontov is impressed by her because she seems to be an earlier version of him - in terms of passion for the stage. The conversation goes like this:

____________

LERMONTOV 

Why do you want to dance?

VICKY

Why do you want to live?

LERMONTOV 

I don’t know exactly why, but I must.

VICKY

That’s my answer too.

____________

The story is a visual exploration inside the head of the ballet dancer and main character - Vicky Page (Moria Shearer). We get inside her head via the editing process. Many film lovers agree that this film’s editing created a major breakthrough when it was released. Martin Scorsese even cites some of its editing it in many of his films. Recently, he cited a shot of the famous stairs-and-feet shot in his film Hugo. He has also acquired memorabilia from The Red Shoes including the actual ballet shoes used on the set 

“Music is all that matters. It’s all about the music.” This is a constant refrain in the film. And 1hr:06min:51sec into the film, the dramatic red curtain opens and the ballet starts. We hear the music. We see the dance. We get taken into a world that only the magic of cinema can do. We get inside Vicky’s head. i’m still blown away by the surreal dance sequence! Genius filmmaking! The film is always worth watching for this dance. It’s an inspiration for me and for any artist!

The film’s hard edits really attracted my attention when i first saw it. (i can’t remember what year). But i read on Roger Ebert’s page that it was one of his favorites so i watched it. 

i love to edit, so i suppose this was an automatic attraction while i viewed it. This film taught me to take poetic liberties with art! The Red Shoes contains influences from pioneer filmmaker Dovzhenko and Eisenstein in terms of editing - or so i think. The combination of editing, color, and story of an artist keeps The Red Shoes at the top of my cinema list. A masterpiece indeed, with its bright Technicolor, great swelling original music score, and professional dancing. Beyond this, how Powell and Pressburger get into Vicky’s head with dramatic effects and cuts is still impressive after all these years!

Of course this is a tragedy. Pain isn’t always needed to inspire art, but in this case that typical lie works within context. i’m always sad to see Vicky become possessed by her shoes. To be the best at something doesn’t guarantee happiness. Vicky and those around her find this out the hard way. They learn that something is always sacrificed for greatness. Sometimes the sacrifice is the heart. But is it worth it? NO!

But i didn’t always think this. Embarrassingly enough, at one point in my life i would have said yes, it’s worth it. My mind leaned towards Lermontov’s ideals. Since, my mind has been transformed. i once thought a good life meant ignoring reality and sole dedication to a craft. Not the case anymore! Thank you God for that breakthrough!

THE CIRCUS (1928) - directed, written, produced, acted and music by Charlie Chaplin

For me, The Circus, is a “comfort” film. i first watched it in the summer of 1999. Ever since then, i’ve gravitated to it in times of depression or struggle in my life. It’s my rainy day film. It’s my movie to watch with a subtle fire in the fireplace. It’s my movie to share for virgins of silent film and/or of Chaplin. 

At the 1st Academy Awards ceremony in 1929, Chaplin received an honorary Academy Award for “versatility and genius in writing, acting, directing and producing The Circus”. This film deserves its own accolades. A distinct genius inherits this film. It stands out among other films that came out about the same time. And for an American film in that era, it is a masterpiece. i’ve watched every film of Chaplin that i could get my hands on. That means i’ve seen about 50 of his 80+ films. Yes, i’m slightly obsessed with the genius gags and slapstick comedy. The way Chaplin pulls off his comedy is precisely why it’s HIS comedy. 

i hold sentimental value to The Circus. Although i know every gag in the film, i still find myself laughing at it. i’ve seen this film more than i’ve seen Die Hard 1 and Amadeus combined…and that’s really saying something! The first time i watched The Circus, i fell in love with the ending. As with most of Chaplin’s famous films, i love the way he has the best film endings. The ending in The Circus is particularly my favorite of all the Chaplin films i’ve seen.

i can relate to the Tramp in the final scene; especially, when he crumples up a star on a piece of paper. This scene always sends my imagination to my days in Los Angeles. i feel the Tramp’s initial feelings of hostility to the entertainment industry. But like the Tramp, i also know i should just move on - which i did. The Tramp kicks the crumpled piece of paper, turns his back to the camera, and walks into a barren background. 

It’s this last scene which always motivates me to keep on keepin’ on! Because of this film, i’ve been inspired to be intentional about creating art; i’ve realized that the loss of love isn’t the end of the world; i’ve explored more silent film comedians such as Harold Lloyd and Buster Keaton; i’ve become prone to view silence in modern films as golden moments; and i’ve grown to see film as the ultimate art!

The Circus has fueled my love of film. The Circus is the first film that i’ll share with my kids. The Circus is a cinematic language which my soul occasionally must interpret. The Circus is a visual instrument which calms my soul just like David’s songs calmed Saul’s soul. 

AMADEUS (1984) - directed by Milos Forman

Amadeus is my most cherished film! It started my craving to learn about the filmmaking process at the age of 9. It inspired me to want to read music. It directed me into an artistic direction. Above this, Amadeus had me asking spiritual questions about how God interacts with humans. 

This film made my spirit cry. i felt as if i was stabbed with a dagger made of Sorrow. i cried after watching the scene when Mozart dies on his bed with wife and child near. The next few scenes when his body is dumped into a grave without a respectful burial twisted the dagger of Sorrow even deeper in my heart. Even as a kid, i thought this genius deserved a better burial. Up to that point in my 9 year old life, i had only cried at two films: The Champ (1979 version) and The Elephant Man. At my first viewing of this film, i learned the meaning of a dramatic film. i was wholly captivated. By the end of the film, i had made up my mind to be Mozart. 

Initially, Amadeus was a film that my 23 year-old Uncle Juan insisted my parents had to watch. i overheard him tell them about the film with symphonic zest. He spoke of it in the Christmas season of 1986. His excitement of this film peaked my interest too. One night, he stayed up late to record Amadeus on his VCR as it was showing on HBO. He was going to give us the VCR Tape - yes, a pirated copy.  As credits rolled at the end of the film, he realized he forgot to press the record button. Back then, there wasn’t On Demand movie watching. You had to catch it on cable at it’s random programming time. And he’d tried to record it at 2am. Crazy guy! He really loved this film.

Fortunately, a few days later when my parents took us to visit him, Amadeus aired on HBO again. My parents felt obligated to stay and watch it because Uncle Juan had gone to great lengths prior to record it. My parents, sisters and i got comfortable in our seats. i sat on the carpet in front of the television. The film started and i fell in love with filmmaking!

However, one thing surfaced on the screen that touched me beyond Mozart’s death. It was the relationship of Salieri and God. The man attempts to outsmart God. Salieri, in the film, believes Mozart to be a favorable artist of God. Salieri’s jealousy of Mozart’s musical talent, in Peter Schaffer’s adaptation, drives him insane. Unfortuneatly Salieri associates God with a giver of musical talent and not as a God of love, to love, and be loved by. Salieri’s perception of God is tainted. Matter of fact, Salieri’s perception of God is so perverted that he believes each time Mozart laughs it’s actually God laughing at him. 

i was drawn to ask questions about God by watching Amadeus. The curious seed of who God is was planted in my eyes that night i watch Amadeus. The film stirred my imagination which in-turn activated my soul. Questions and quests that this film sent me on after that night has truly been an adventure. Because of this film i ended up working in Los Angeles, working in Beverly Hills, studying film, had a desire to be an actor and screenwriter, participated in band, learned to read music, laugh out loud, listen to classical music, sat and listened to music as a teenager while my imagination explored images in my head, started a love of films by Milos Foreman, started a love for European art, started a huge passion for FILMS, began a love for God and my purpose on earth, learned that life is short, created a lifestyle of prayer, became a believer in my dreams, crave an association of being with artists, became a believer that talent has power to change lives, created a passive attitude not to be jealous of other’s talent, and developed a love of creatives and their art! 

i love way too many scenes in Amadeus. But the one which still burns my heart after 25 years is the last 23 minutes of the film. Mozart dies within this tail-end of the film. Little did i know that after spending time with my Uncle Juan near Christmas of 1986, that it would be the 2nd to last time to see him. He died in a brutal car accident on New Year’s Day just as the clock changed to 1987. Little did my Uncle Juan know that this film would drastically alter my life when he shared it with us. So the end of the film takes me back to the death of my uncle too. 

If i had not seen this film at age 9, then i wouldn’t have been the man i am today. i wouldn’t have sought after God the way i have. i thank God for films like Amadeus! The next time you share a film, just know it could change the person with whom you share it! One last thing, before my Uncle Juan died, he had questions about salvation and God because of this film!!! Between the time he shared this film with us, until the time of his death (2-week interval), he yearned to know more of life after death, heaven and hell. If you don’t believe me then ask my sister Vivi. There is power in art!! There is influence in cinema!! Art can and does glorify GOD.

THE JOKER: from The Dark Knight (2008) - directed by Christopher Nolan

Power of Persuasion

In terms of acting, Heath Ledger’s portrayal as The Joker is up there with Robert De Niro’s in Raging Bull, and Al Pacino’s in A Dog Day Afternoon. Ledger gave complete life to The Joker. Thank you, Ledger! Now, on to why i write these blogs. 

In an earlier blog, i wrote about Batman and his similarity to Jesus. It’s not possible for me to write about the film The Dark Knight, without mentioning The Joker. The Joker is the greatest deceiver to hit the cinema in the last few years. His persuasion on other characters drives the darkness in the film. He is more than his own description of himself as a dog chasing cars who wouldn’t know what to do with one if he caught it. He causes immense havoc with “a few drums of gas and a couple of bullets” like he tells Harvey Dent. His deceitful nature to take others’ plans and turn them on themselves is what makes him a slithering deceiver in a man’s body. He asks Harvey, “Do I look like a guy with plans?” The Joker does have plans, but sees plans as games. 

Much like the serpent who deceived Adam and Eve in the garden, The Joker, tries to deceive the citizens of Gotham into believing Batman is to blame for the rise of corruption. He actually has a conversation with Harvey Dent in a hospital that holds the same weight as Eve’s conversation held when she spoke with the serpent. This weight i’m talking about involves permanent internal change.

The Joker explains to Harvey how Commissioner Gordon, the cops - all that’s a symbol of good - is trying to control him. The Joker calls them “schemers”. He says the schemers are “trying to control their little worlds.” The real schemer is The Joker, and he’s a pro at scheming the cops and criminals. The Joker’s slick talk is a successful effort to secure Harvey’s allegiance against good. The Joker believes his own lies too. He believes killing a few people doesn’t mean he’s a bad person. He says, “I’m not a schemer. I try to show the schemers how pathetic their attempts to control things really are.” This means the killing of innocent people, as well as greedy criminals. And all plots by The Joker are done to advance his agenda of havoc and chaos in society. 

In Genesis chapter 3, the serpent makes God out to be a schemer whose trying to control his little world. The serpent speaks about the evil fruit to Eve saying, “For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” The serpent says this as if God is holding her back from really living. This is a mind game - the battlefield in the mind.

Much like the serpent did with Eve, The Joker plays mind games too. The Joker starts his mind game by telling Harvey, “You were a schemer. You had plans and uh, look where that gotcha.” A few words spoken by The Joker nudge Harvey Dent’s beliefs of justice out of his soul. In short, The Joker speaks a new identity over Harvey, and Harvey doesn’t argue! 

Harvey was an extra beam of light in a city wrapped in darkness. Light was his destiny. The The Joker forces Harvey to hold a gun and tells him to “Introduce a little anarchy.” The gun is in Harvey’s hand, and Harvey’s hands are in the hands of The Joker. He exchanges good for evil. He betrays the light he stood for. The persuasive power of The Joker is physical and mental. From this point, Harvey Dent’s mind, heart and soul are set in a new direction as a vigilante. 

The Joker continues to press Harvey by advising him, “Upset the established order and everything becomes chaos.” This is what The Joker lives for. “You know the thing about chaos - it’s fair.” Harvey’s mind goes into agreement with the lies of The Joker. Harvey grabs his “chance coin” to flip it. One side of the coin means life, the other death for The Joker. In Harvey’s mind, whichever side the coin lands is out of his control and won’t be his fault. Harvey erases his guilty conscience with the action of flipping the coin.

Him flipping the coin reminds me of Eve plucking the fruit off the tree of knowledge of good and evil. She held the fruit just as Harvey holds his coin. Touching the fruit meant going into agreement with what it stood for. Eve put what she was thinking into the fruit. She thought to be like God. Harvey too, puts what’s in his mind into the motive for flipping the coin. The coin takes on more than a value of currency. It becomes a key to unlock his heart’s desire for revenge. If all else fails, and Harvey comes to his senses then he’ll have someone to blame for his actions, just as Eve had someone to blame. 

The Last Laugh

At the end of The Dark Knight, The Joker has set up a scenario where criminals are in one boat and citizens in another boat. Each boat has the capacity to blow the other boat up with a detonator in order to save their own lives. The Joker says that if neither boat is blown up by midnight then he’ll detonate both boats. Life and death is a game to The Joker. From here on, i’ll refer to the boats with the citizens as “the Citizens” and the boat with the criminals as “the Criminals”. (Sometimes it feels good to be Captain Obvious.) Anyhow, both boats are in bondage to The Joker. 

The Citizens and the Criminals are on the same equal moral plain. Under the threat of The Joker’s death game all are equal. Jesus said “the last shall be first, and the first shall be last” Matthew 20:16. In God’s eyes, we all have an opportunity to go into agreement with his love and forgiveness. The Citizens who are supposed to have higher morals are tested in their beliefs as midnight approaches. And they become like the Criminals when they vote to detonate the Criminals. Citizens decide to kill humans. They justify why they should kill by saying the other boat is loaded with criminals. They don’t see that the other boat has lives!

Meanwhile, the Criminals decide to blow up the Citizens. But because of the inner-good that seeps up from one ugly inmate, the Citizens are spared death. This goes to show that there’s always opportunity to release the spiritual good in all of us. Neither the Citizens, nor the Criminals, have someone in their boats who is willing to push the detonator. In a way, the Citizens and the Criminals have decided it best to die so that others may live. They’ve also decided that they were not created to kill. The inner-moral code instilled in us supersedes the evil we are inclined to daily follow. It’s this sacrificial way of life which correlates to a Christian path. 

So as midnight continues to approach, both the Citizens and the Criminals wait for their death. Little do they know that there’s a hero fighting his way to the source of the issue whom is The Joker. 

Batman beats up armed thugs and uses his sonar goggles to track The Joker’s location. His determination to defeat The Joker drives the last scenes of the movie. Sadly the Citizens and the Criminals await Death and not a Savior. They’re confined to what they see and the situation they’re in. If only they knew that a Savior was fighting for them, then they wouldn’t be sad as midnight approaches. They’d be hopeful in spirit! In the words of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, before being thrown into a fire, “If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up” Daniel 3:17-18.

When Batman finally reaches The Joker, he doesn’t kill him. Instead, he captures him. There’s something to be said about this action. God is Justice. He’s about life, not death. Even in the book of Revelations, God will judge all, not destroy all. God will cast some creatures into eternal damnation, because of his justice. Separation from God is worse than physical death. Midnight arrives. Neither boat has been blown up. Therefore it’s now up to The Joker to follow his “plan” to detonate both boats. However his plan, like plans can be, are ruined. Batman reaches The Joker to delay the detonation. Batman battles The Joker! Punch! Kick! Dogs!? Giant net!? Pinned down! He asks The Joker, “What were you trying to prove, that deep down inside everyone is exactly as you?” He tells the The Joker, “You’re alone.”

Batman overcomes The Joker and the greatest upside-down scene in cinema history occurs. As The Joker dangles right-side-up, he reprimands Batman for sparing his life. He asks Batman“You truly are incorruptible, huh?” 

The conversation shifts to good and evil and spirit and soul. “This city just showed you that it’s full of people ready to believe in good.” But The Joker doesn’t care. He’s after their spirits. That’s why he fires back at Batman “Until their spirit breaks completely.” The Joker even speaks of how his plan with Harvey Dent will destroy “Gotham’s soul”. The Joker is the cruelest jokester. He’s a killer prankster. And his punchline is to bring down the hopeful spirit of an entire city. Without hope for good, the entire city will self destruct. 

But through the film, The Joker has become what he said he wasn’t: a man with plans. He gets a taste of his own medicine as his plans are foiled. [YOU CAN READ HOW IN THE BLOG ABOUT BATMAN]

“Why so serious?” is repeated throughout the film by The Joker. Life and Death are serious subjects to contemplate. Good and Evil are serious issues to discuss. Wrong and Right are serious matters to live and relive. It’s easy to choose how you want to live, but harder to choose the way you should live. If only we knew the battles occurring on our behalf in the spirit realm. If only we could take the focus from ourselves and our situations and think of others. If only we could resist the persuasion of the deceiver.

The Joker’s last line in the film points us to the the power of persuasion, which is his ultimate gift. He tells Batman, and in a way, really warns the audience:

“Madness, as you know, is like gravity. All it takes is a little push.”

BTW: i’m not against plans.

THE DARK KNIGHT (2008) - directed by Christopher Nolan

Early November, i was visiting my parents and on a whim decided to watch The Dark Knight. My sister Christa and Father watched it with me. It’s one of my favorite films!! By the end of the film, i had two revelations that surfaced as clear as the light on the LG television on which the film had played. Once the film ended, i shared these ideas with my sister and father. Now, i’d like to share these so called “revelations” with you.

With less than 4 minutes left in the film, Batman, has fallen a million feet above the ground, slammed onto his back and survived. He and Commissioner Gordon, whom i’ll call “CG”, “the Commish” or “Gordon”, stand over Harvey Dent’s body. Neither one checks his pulse. But it’s okay. It’s a film. Anyhow, Batman’s scratchy bass voice slaps CG’s face with the words, “I killed those people. That’s what I can be.” He becomes a sacrifice for Gotham. The Commish argues Batman, tells him he doesn’t have to take the blame for Harvey Dent’s murders. But Batman knows he has to take the blame for Harvey Dent’s murders or else all Gotham will lose hope in the White Knight - who is Harvey Dent. Harvey Dent had stood up the the criminals in the city without a mask. 

When i heard this phrase, “I killed those people” near the end of the film, a thought hit me like a ton of bricks. i actually saw Jesus as a similar declaration while he died on the cross to take the blame for us. Jesus’ death really spoke, “I killed those people.” By saying this, Jesus took humanity’s sins into death. All the evil i’ve done and am to do was placed on Jesus’ shoulders long ago. The weight of my sins helped drive him into the ground. Jesus’ love for his people on earth is likened to Batman’s love for the city of Gotham. Batman was willing to take Harvey Dent’s sin, in order for citizens of Gotham to find hope. 

On the other hand Gordon has lost hope and says, “The Joker won…The Joker took the best of us and tore him (Harvey) down. People will lose hope.” Batman fires back, “The Joker cannot win…Gotham needs its true hero.” Batman says this as he turns Harvey Dent’s face from it’s burnt side to its beautiful side. Although Batman calls Dent Gotham’s true hero, i think Batman is prophesying about himself (The Dark Knight Rises). Batman reminds the audience that “you either die a hero, or you see yourself long enough to become the villain.” Batman’s voice hovers over the screen as we see CG give a speech. We hear Batman say “Sometimes people deserve to have their faith rewarded.”

In the bible, Israel had long prayed for their Messiah to be born. Jesus was born out of their faith and by God’s promise. But the leaders of Jesus’ day, as well as people in Jesus’ hometown, rejected him as their Messiah. Like citizens and cops of Gotham City, the Pharisees and Sadducees, etc., couldn’t recognize their true hero. Commissioner Gordon’s face is nearly cape-whipped as Batman starts his nightly jog to escape the cops. The Commish’s son runs to his father. He looks up at his dad and asks, “Why is he running dad?” CG’s answer is parallel with our relationship with Jesus. CG answers, “Because we have to chase him”. How fitting! Moreover, the son comments, “He (Batman) didn’t do anything wrong.”

That’s right, Jesus didn’t do anything wrong! He never sinned! He only showed LOVE! But society of his day turned against him. Jesus was never “on the run,” but in a symbolic way he does have to be chased after. If we chase after Jesus, then we’re willing to find him. When we seek Jesus, we find truth. We encounter love! We encounter the hero of not just a city but of humanity!

CG confesses to his son and out of Batman’s presence, “He’s the hero Gotham deserves.” There are people you may know who think of Jesus as a great prophet but not a Savior - not a hero of them. They could believe in a god, but not the God. Unless confessed that Jesus is the hero humanity deserves, then the criminals or demonic reals will rule over their soul. Some people refuse to make a confession similar to the one made by CG.

According to Wikipedia, “By the late middle ages the rank (knight) had become associated with the ideals of chivalry, a code of conduct for the perfect courtly Christian warrior associated with the values of faith, loyalty, courage and honor.” This definition rings true in Commissioner Gordon’s exit words of the film. CG watches Batman weave in and out of storage containers. Then in dramatic fashion, CG gives us a description of why Batman is not only taking Harvey Dent’s sins, but all of Gotham City’s sins when he says of Batman: “He’s a silent guardian, a watchful protector, a dark knight.”

PANDORA’S BOX (1929) - directed by G.W. Pabst

Louise Brooks (Lulu) steals the film from the moment she appears. i was completely enamored with her acting, which to me seemed naturalistic, or shall i say “organic”. Brooks’ organic acting allowed for a silky viewing of each scene which included her. She displayed a childish-matureness in her body language. She scampers around the screen dancing and laughing. She epitomizes the perfect flapper of the 20s era. Brooks is one of those actresses who knows just how sexy she is. This means she knows how to swagger in front of the camera. Aside from Louise Brooks stealing the movie, the plot held my interest and took me in a surprising direction. 

Yes, Brooks’ character - Lulu - is a dancer/actress and prostitute, but as the plot unraveled, i realized that all the characters were equal to Brooks’ character. In other words, all the characters exchange who they are for something they want. It’s as if all the characters are prostitutes! The way Pabst dared to push morals to the forefront of the plot was genius. The way he allowed Brooks to act only permitted him to tell the story of humankind’s prostitution against its Creator with subtle clarity. 

After viewing the film the first time, i was left with the impression that Pabst was a pioneer filmmaker who wasn’t shy to reveal the evil in beauty. He was a bold filmmaker who knew how to reveal the ugliness of society. There’s a saying that bad company corrupts good people. It could be said that this aphorism echoes in the background of each scene. Beautiful people too, can become ugly through life’s circumstances. Likewise, the ugliness in society can seduce beauty until beauty forsakes its aesthetic power. In this case, “beauty” of course being the thriving 1920s as well as Louise Brooks, betrays the viewer. 

Pandora’s Box is a pure masterpiece! Pabst, although outside the film, has prostituted himself for telling such a vulgar story. He has symbolized his era as a materialistic whore and received critical acclaim for doing so. But it’s a story which resonates with every decade of the last century and within every society. The film’s life is attractive to people of all types. The story of a prostitute resonated with me, and i consider myself a good Christian guy! Even so, i have been a prostitute in some ways: at times exchanging a righteous path for temporary treasures and pleasures. Although i have a penitent spirit, i couldn’t help fall in love with Louise Brooks in Pandora’s Box. Even as a spectator 100 years later, she makes it easy to fall in love with her.

In one way, Louise Brooks’ character - Lulu - is a naive instrument passed from one mouth to another. Lulu plays her tune no matter which man she encounters, but the motive by whom she’s played is always an evil tune. If only a follower of Jesus could be as he and befriend Lulu. We know from scripture that some of Jesus’ friends were tax collectors and prostitutes. With pure love and no lust, Jesus had a heart to witness to women with scandalous behaviors. 

i would’ve loved to have seen Lulu feel Christ’s pure love and not just man’s pure lust. Poor Lulu, she realizes in the casino that she’s become a victim of pure commodity to a rich man. And with a new hairdo and a classier lifestyle, she has only tried harder to cover her inward pain. Moments later in the casino we see her soul being purchased for money. The ultimate transaction of her life. It’s what i call the “devil sell”. Luckily, she escapes slavery, but her naive childlike heart isn’t mature enough to break through the chains of sexual imprisonment. By now she only knows sex. So do the bad company she hangs around. So when desperate times call for desperate measures she sacrifices herself for food. It would take a supernatural act of God to completely break her free. 

In the last few scenes of Pandora’s box, the Salvation Army appears on the screen. High in celebration with Christmas songs and volunteers giving alms to the needy made me think that this story could end happily. But then i noticed there’s no spiritual outreach by the volunteers. This is why Gustav Diesel’s character, Jack the Ripper, is free to wallow in his sin. If only the Salvation Army handed-out SALVATION, then Gustav Diesel’s character would’ve fell victim to the power of the Holy Spirit and been transformed as he passed through the Salvation Army’s celebration. 

Another angle of the film revealed to me is Lulu as a libertine dancer. Her life is propelled by a dance in the first two scenes of the film which i see as symbolic. She dances for her father figure in joy for him reuniting with her. However, she doesn’t know how evil he is because of his adoration and praise of her. She’s receiving the wrong praise and easily settles into it. His praises are like a warm blanket in which Lulu wraps her desolate soul. 

Sadly, she is an artist who has perverted her imagination to the point where her dance has submitted itself to prostitution. Her perversion led her art to a downward spiral of destruction. Her need for constant attention superseded her need to create dance. Art could’ve elevated her to a spiritual awakening. Her surroundings of materialism and slimy men-serpents lead her to believe she’s a beautiful dancer. Her dance is for show and not for impacting culture. Her art of dance prostitutes itself in exchange for an art in seduction. She uses her beauty to advance her selfish desires. Her dance only inspires lust and conflict. If only Lulu would’ve pursued love and a passion as a dancer, then perhaps Lulu would’ve overpowered the men closest to her. If only she could open her eyes and see bad company showing a false love to her.  Maybe art would’ve led her closer to her Creator which in turn would’ve led her to salvation. 

i love Lulu in G.W. Pabst’s film Pandora’s Box, and i wish i could jump in the screen and save her from herself and the riffraff around her. The Apostle Paul declared in Romans 6:23, “the wages of sin is death” and Pandora’s Box is a story to tell this eternal truth. In conclusion, here is a message from Micah 1:7. God pronounces judgment against Samaria and Jerusalem by saying, “All her idols will be broken to pieces; all her temple gifts will be burned with fire; I will destroy all her images. Since she gathered her gifts from the wages of prostitutes, as the wages of prostitutes they will again be used.”