Ben Stein's Documentary

Ben Stein's controversial documentary, Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed, about the possibility of an intelligent designer who created the universe (i.e. God) is coming to theaters this weekend! He interviews scientists who have lost their careers and reputations for questioning the theory of Darwinism and suggesting that, scientifically, there may be evidence of an superior intelligent being who created the universe. Ben Stein shows how the theory of Darwinism is infiltrating the media, the courtrooms, school systems and society in general. Freedom of speech is impeded on those who point out the flaws in this theory. If you would like more information on this documentary or to find it in theaters near you click here, and check out the trailer below:

And Action!

I don't know about you but I don't get the opportunity to be in movies very often, so when I had the chance to go to Philly to be an extra in a new movie called Our Lady of Victory I was pretty excited. Although doing "extra" work was not everything I ever hoped and dreamed of, it was a pretty good time. In addition to spending hours waiting to go on set and then hours on set being really quiet and doing the same thing over and over, I had the opportunity to talk about Jesus! Now, it wasn't anything amazing – no mass conversions or anything - but just talking about faith a couple times reminded me of how simple sharing Christ can be.
The first opportunity I had was while on a bus on the way to the set. It was about a 10 min. ride but I had to sit with a stranger. Of course we went through the normal introductions listing who, what, where, ect. and eventually we got into where we work. She is married and does "extra" work a good amount and I introduced myself as a summer intern at ChristLife: a Catholic ministry of Evangelization. From then we continued on, chatting about faith here and there and discussing the importance of knowing Christ as your personal Savior and then sharing your faith. This little chat got me excited for the rest of the day as I looked for more opportunities to share Christ's love.
To my surprise and joy the scene we were shooting was in a Catholic Church. So, sitting quietly for 4 hours on hard wooden pews was a task my body was all too well trained for and of course the setting lent itself to an easy discussion of faith. During the scene the "priest" read from 1 Peter making sure to emphasize the verse “wives submit to your husbands” and that women are the weaker sex and then, according to the script, the priest was to go on giving a very sexist homily. During a short scene break I turned to a girl near me and we discussed the verse from 1 Peter. We shook our heads sadly at the movie's misuse of the verse, recognizing important parts that were dropped and I summarized Ephesians 5:25, 28 which says, “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her…In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself.” The other women near us overheard our conversation and began chatting on their own about the movie’s misrepresentation of the Catholic Church and the Mass in various ways.
After a few similar conversations I inwardly rejoiced in the Lord for having the chance to talk about faith in an easy casual way. Hopefully I’ll continue to take advantage of the little ways I can share Christ’s love daily on set and off.

Into Great Silence

I went to a showing of this movie, Into Great Silence, last week with some friends in Baltimore. Its an independent film that was produced in Europe last year. Here's the movie's own description:
Nestled deep in the postcard-perfect French Alps, the Grande Chartreuse is considered one of the world’s most ascetic monasteries. In 1984, German filmmaker Philip Gröning wrote to the Carthusian order for permission to make a documentary about them. They said they would get back to him. Sixteen years later, they were ready. Gröning, sans crew or artificial lighting, lived in the monks’ quarters for six months—filming their daily prayers, tasks, rituals and rare outdoor excursions. This transcendent, closely observed film seeks to embody a monastery, rather than simply depict one—it has no score, no voiceover and no archival footage. What remains is stunningly elemental: time, space and light. One of the most mesmerizing and poetic chronicles of spirituality ever created, INTO GREAT SILENCE dissolves the border between screen and audience with a total immersion into the hush of monastic life. More meditation than documentary, it’s a rare, transformative theatrical experience for all.

Overall I agree with the review above - it was very good - and different... I must say I've never been to a movie with so much silence ... it was a bit hard at first to watch because we are so used to action and noise... but, as I got used to it, it grew on me. It is a movie that, if approached in the right way, is very profound and can move you to prayer and meditation of the God who reveals himself "not in the earthquake or the thunder, etc." but in a "whisper" (see 2 Kings). It is also remiscent of the Psalmist who says "For God alone my soul waits in silence."

In addition to the daily lives of the monks - there are many impressive and artistic shots of the nature that surrounds the monastery.

If you have a friend who is interested in the arts or in learning more about the experience of living in a monastery... well this is a good film. It also - is not overtly Catholic - in that you could go with Joe Smo the agnostic - and they would probably be comfortable throughout the movie... it may even spark a conversation or - the joy in the monk's own lifestyle - may witness of the beauty and joy of knowing Jesus.

Checkout the trailer online, if interested in seeing it.

Anyone else seen this movie? Do you think it provides a chance for evangelization? Or maybe is a turnoff?

Spiderman III

From Fr. Mike, a Dominican priest who is a lead contributor at an excellent blog called Intentional Disciples:

Christianity Today has a movie review about the new Spiderman movie that might be interesting to read if you plan to see the movie... Apparently, the Peter Parker/Spiderman character has to deal with his own pride and vengeance. According to Mark Moring, the reviewer, "The movie's tagline is "The Battle Within," and the story is reminiscent of St. Paul's struggle with his sinful nature in Romans 7: "I do not understand what I do," the apostle writes. 'For what I want to do, I do not do, but what I hate, I do.' The film is rife with themes of love, friendship, pride, vengeance, confession, repentance, forgiveness and redemption. No kidding—it's all there … not to mention a critical scene in a church that I won't say much about here."

If you've seen the film, would you recommend it to others? Is it something that might generate a discussion on the topics of temptation, repentance, confession, forgiveness, redemption or virtue with someone who is not a Catholic?