C = Cast Away

Cast Away
Directed By: Robert Zemeckis
Starring: Tom Hanks and Helen Hunt
Rated PG-13 for Some Intense Images and Action Sequences

WARNING!!! Spoiler Alert... If you have not seen this film, I suggest you watch the movie before reading this blog. Otherwise, Enjoy!

Cast Away is the story of a FedEx Executive named Chuck Noland (Hanks)who survived a plane crash and is stranded on an island with nothing but a few FedEx boxes that contain different objects that he uses for survival. He lives on the island for 4 years with no company except for a Volleyball with a painted face named Wilson before he is finally able to build a raft and escape

I am very excited about writing this blog because I feel that of all the characters I have written about so far in this blog series, I can relate to Chuck Noland the most. Over the past few years I have turned away from the Lord and from my friends and family. I had pushed people away for so long that before I realized it, I was stranded on a beach, all by myself. We become so prideful and so self reliant that we sometimes push others away and eventually we are completely isolated.

I had pushed people away and eventually I felt as if I was completely alone. I didn't have any friends that I felt that I could talk to about my problems. I mean, I had freinds, I just did not feel that close to them because I was pushing them away. I felt like I was so useless and that it would be more of a benefit to God's kingdom to remove me from this Earth. I've caused so much pain and anxiety in my family. How can I call myself a servant of God, when I refuse to serve him? Nothing I do glorifies God. So maybe everyone would be better off if I just ceased to exist.

I know that this is somewhat melodramatic to you, but when in my shoes where nothing you do is right, this is a rational thought. So, please don't roll your eyes when you read this blog.

I literally prayed to God to just remove me from all existence. No Heaven, No Hell. Nothing. My mind, and soul would never exist. Maybe I was already in that position. Think about it. I had removed God, and everyone who is dear to me from my life. So what is left to define me? I was sitting on a beach talking to a volleyball. But then, God gave me a chance. A "sail" if you will. I was able to escape that island and start new. However, when I returned, everything was different.

I also believe that this film shows us that we must use the gifts that God has given us for our own survival and for God's Kingdom. This is represented by  the FedEx boxes that Chuck possesses on the island.

To me, my favorite scene in Cast Away is the very end when Chuck Noland is standing at a crossroads uncertain which direction he should choose. Regardless of what path he took, his life would be completely different. But he was meant to travel down one road. God chose one road. There were four possibilities, but only one was from God. How did he know which one it was? A symbol. The same symbol he had been looking at the entire time he was on the island. This symbol-

The Wings of Angels. God makes it so obvious where he wants us to go... We just don't listen. Sometimes when things get tough, we just want to give up and die. But it's not what God has planned for us. In the brilliant words of Jeremiah Mullins; "There's an Angel. There's a way out."

God's hidden message behind the film Cast Away is simple; When you feel trapped and alone. When you feel like giving up. Turn to God. He will provide you with the necessary tools to survive. Keep pushing forward, and never give up.

"I gotta keep breathing. Because who knows what the tide will bring in tomorrow."

A = American History X

American History X
Directed by: Tony Kaye
Starring: Edward Norton, Edward Furlong, and Beverly D'Angelo
Rated R for Graphic Brutal Violence Including Rape, Pervasive Language, Strong Sexuality and Nudity

WARNING!!! Spoiler Alert... If you have not seen this film, I suggest you watch the movie before reading this blog. Otherwise, Enjoy!

American History X is a tale about a man named Derek Vinyard (Norton), the leader of a group of white supremacists,  goes to prison for murdering two African American men in cold blood. During his stay in prison, Derek goes through many life changing experiences that lead him to become an honest and sincere man. However, after his release, he discovers that his younger brother, Danny (Furlong), is heading down the same path that he had just endeavored. Derek must take action immediately to make sure that his brother doesn't land in any serious trouble.
When I first thought about taking on the challenge of trying to find God behind the writing of movies I never would have thought that I would choose to write about American History X. The reason is because it is not a very "Family-Friendly" film. Just look at the rating on the back cover of the DVD; "Rated R for Graphic Brutal Violence including Rape, Pervasive Language, Strong Sexuality and Nudity" So why? Why choose a film with so much garbage? Because it is a challenge. And the whole point of this blog series is to challenge myself. I was very stressed and worried that I would find nothing to write about for this movie. But I remained faithful that God placed this film in my head for a reason. So I sat down and took some notes as I watched one of the most disturbing, and intensely depressing movies I have ever seen. And this is what I got:
In the first five minutes of this movie it is not hard to identify that Derek Vinyard is a very bad man. We see him shoot down and "curb stomp" two black men and then turn to his younger brother with a wide grin on his face as he is being arrested. Derek is about as bad as any man can turn out. He is a racist, prejudiced young man who has lost all sense of what is right and wrong.

But I seem to recall a quote by Mr. Walt Whitman; "I may be as bad as the worse. But thank God I am as good as the best." think about those words, "as bad as the worse". You are no better than this character Derek. Your life is completely consumed with sin. You are no better than Adolf Hitler himself. He was a sinner and so are you. In God's eyes, you are equal. Let that sink in a little bit.
Derek represents us in this story. He is a man, not a monster. A man who has endeavored into the darkness and is now consumed by sin. Just like the rest of us. Now, the concept I am going to be talking about in this post is Leadership. There are many different types of leaders in this story. There is The Leader of Light, The Misleader, and The Follower-Leader.
The first type of leader we will talk about is The Leader of Light. The Leader of Light is represented in this story by a teacher named Dr. Sweeney. Dr. Sweeney was Derek's teacher in High School and is now Danny's teacher. Sweeney had taken Danny aside from the other students at the school and is teaching Danny about current events (Problems America is facing right now.) This course is entitled American History X. Sweeney also takes the liberty of visiting Derek in prison and becoming somewhat of a counselor to the convict. He helps to bring about the changes in Derek's life. This is the type of leader we should all try to be like. Someone who takes care of his followers and tries to bring peace.
Now there is the Misleader, represented by a man named Cameron Alexander, the leader of a large group of White Supremacists who had highly influenced Derek's life from the time he was just a teenager. Cameron had lead Derek down a dark and painful road and was now doing the same for Danny. The Bible warns us about people like this in 1 Timothy 4:1-2; "Now the Holy Spirit tells us clearly that in the last times some will turn away from the true faith; they will follow deceptive spirits and teachings that come from demons. These people are hypocrites and liars, and their consciences are dead."
Now the third leader I want to talk about is you (Who is represented by Derek). The Follower-Leader. You are a leader, however you do not have all of the answers and sometimes you are unsure which path to choose. So you need another leader to help you find your way. But be wary. If you follow the wrong leader, you will find destruction. Derek chose to follow Cameron- at first- and where did that lead him? Prison! However, when Derek went to prison, he had no idea how much it affected the rest of his family. His brother was so inspired by him, that he started to do everything exactly as Derek would. He started meeting with the white supremacist members and he was on his way to becoming a "skinhead" or "neo-nazi". There is a quote I love that is delivered by Derek's mother while she is visiting him in prison. She says, "You think you're the only one doing time, Derek? You think you're in here all alone? You think I'm not in here with you?" when we choose the path of sin, it not only destroys our lives, but the lives of those around us. There is so much responsibility that comes with being a leader. You can't fall into sin. You can't start partying all the time. You can't start having pre-marital sex. You can't start slacking off in school. You have to be the perfect example of Christ. And say you do start doing that stuff, and your followers start doing it to, and you realize that you have lead them astray, you can't just leave them and hope they find a better leader that will guide them towards God. As Sweeney says, "Running just ain't good enough"

Derek got out of prison and immediately began to try and restore his family's life. He leaves the white supremacist group and tries to help his brother. But Derek realizes the only way to lead his brother back on the right track is to tell him the consequences of his actions. He tells his brother how he was raped in prison by several white supremacists because he was conversing with a black man. How eventually the only way he survived prison was because the only friend he had, a black man named Lamont, keeps the rest of the black convicts from killing Derek. Danny listens to his brother and turns away from the gang of neo nazis.
There is a scene in the movie where Derek and Danny begin to strip their bedroom wall of all the white supremacist posters and giant Swastika flag; I believe this scene represents repentance. In order to turn back to Christ we must strip ourselves clean of all sins until we are completely pure and can be filled by Christ. But that doesn't mean we will not remember our sins. There is another scene in the film when Derek get's out of his shower at home and looks at himself in the mirror, examining the large swastika tattoo'd on his chest. He tries to cover it with his hand but he still knows it is there. The sins of our past shall stain us like scars. And eventually they will come back to haunt you. We know what is right. And we know what is wrong. We just have to make the right decisions. And if you don't know what is right and wrong, that's why God gave us the Bible. You are kidding yourself if you think that you can live your life without God's word! Because without it, you will find death.

In the very end of the film Danny is gunned down by a young black teenager that he had discriminated against. His sins and his brother's sins had lead to his death. Derek holds his younger brother's body in his arms and he forever must face the fact that his decisions caused his brother's death because he lead his brother astray. If you don't want to see the people you love get hurt, then don't veer off into the darkness, because they will follow you in. A good Shepherd doesn't guide his sheep off a cliff. Don't Dig yourself a hole, because you might not be the one to be buried in it.

"Hate is baggage. Life's too short to be pissed off all the time. It's just not worth it." 

# = 127 Hours

127 Hours
Directed by: Danny Boyle
Starring: James Franco, Amber Tamblyn and Kate Mara
Rated R for Language and Some Disturbing Violent Content/Bloody Images

WARNING!!! Spoiler Alert... If you have not seen this film, I suggest you watch the movie before reading this blog. Otherwise, Enjoy!

127 Hours is a true story about a young man named Aron Ralston (Franco)  who while hiking along a crevasse in the middle of nowhere get's his arm jammed between a large boulder and the crevasse wall. Trapped, Aron must try to find a way to escape the sinister rock. However he remains stuck for 127 Hours before he decides to make the ultimate sacrifice.
When I was thinking through the many movies to write about for my blog, this was an obvious choice. Along with it's outstanding acting by James Franco, and the intriguing writing there is a tremendous message of vanity and faith.

In the beginning of the film we see our protagonist, Aron is getting ready to go on the hike in which he will become trapped underneath a rock. Aron is packing up his hiking supplies and food when his mother calls. He ignores the phone call and we hear his mother leave him a message on the voicemail. We also see later on in the movie, when Aron's coworker asks him where he is hiking, Aron lies and says he hadn't decided yet (when he had already made up his mind on where he was going). This becomes the first window into Aron's life that the viewers glance through. We see how his pride has shut him away from the contact of the people who love him. To me, Aron is a very relatable character. How often, when my parents try to talk to me, do I mask my emotions and retreat to my bedroom to be alone. I feel that this movie was made for teenagers and young adults for this very reason; We are prideful. We are completely consumed with ourselves and we don't care about anyone else. Don't get me wrong, I am not saying that we don't love the people around us. I love my friends and family to death. But do my actions show it? Because we are so consumed with ourselves, we forget that every other person in the world is facing a challenge just like we are. As Aron is packing up his supplies, he fails to pack up his Swiss Army Knife (Which would come in handy later in the movie) and is forced to bring a dull pocket knife that came free with a cheap flashlight. I feel like there is some spectacular imagery here as well. As I have said before, (and you can read about it in my poem, "Sword and Shield") our faith in God can be measured by the size and quality of our armory. I feel that it was put the best way by my youth pastor, J. P. Charfauros when he said, "When we are lacking in faith, we must battle off the lion (the Devil) with a plastic knife and paper plate. When our faith is strong we battle him off with a Longsword and a Steel Shield." The dull knife in the movie symbolizes Aron's dull faith.
Now, while Aron is hiking he comes across two young women, lost on their hike. With James Franco's dashing good looks and charming personality he is easily able to persuade the two young women to allow him to guide them to their destination. However, to do this, he had to lie and say that he was a tour guide (which he indeed was not). I feel as if this is a very common thing (at least in my life) among people. Especially leaders. We crave leadership so much and we want to lead people in the right direction so badly that we will lie in order to get followers. I will be the first to admit that I have mislead people countless times in my life. So, even though Aron lead the two young women to their destination, he must now face the fact that he lied to them. And why? Because he was insecure. He dreams of being a guide, but he has not accomplished those goals, so he is ashamed. So, he leaves the women and continues his trek on his own.
Now, we have reached the boulder. When he sees the boulder for the first time, Aron kicks it to see if it is stable. Now I am guessing, since the boulder ends up falling) that Aron must have felt that it was a little unstable. But as we have already noted, Aron is very prideful, so he probably assumes that he can handle everything on his own. In fact, not "probably" but "definitely". Later in the movie Aron will say to himself, "I'm somewhat of a big f***ing hard hero. and I can do everything by myself." as he realizes how prideful he has been. So, the expression "Pride comes before the fall" could not have fit more beautifully into this story seeing as how it was his pride that actually caused him to fall and become trapped under the rock.
At first after Aron becomes jammed between the rock and the wall, he tries with all of his might to move the rock. But however strong he might be, he cannot find the strength to move the rock on his own. He then tries to yell for help. However, he has isolated himself, so no one can hear him. Aron knows that eventually he will have to make a sacrifice. And to make this sacrifice he will have to use his knife (God). But it takes some time before he turns to his blade. In the meantime he continues to try and push the rock. And as he is trapped he recollects memories from his past. He realizes that he is now in the same situation that he has been in for years. He realizes how prideful he has been and he realizes how important the people in his life are to him. There are several moments in the film that brought tears to my eyes. The first is when he is talking to his sister in his mind and he apologizes to her. He apologizes for the fact that he will not make it to her wedding. It made me think of my sister and how I have distanced myself from her and how our relationship had almost diminished into nothingness. The second moment was when He tells his mother that it is not her fault that he is trapped under the rock. If there is anything in a movie that can be more relatable to me in any way, I have not seen it. This is my life. Countless times I find myself "trapped under a rock" whether it be with deceiving those around me, lusting to the point that I am looking at pornography every single day, or slacking off and not doing my school work. Or what about things like drug or alcohol abuse. (These are not things I have ever partaken in) These things destroy not only our lives, but the lives of the people around us. So, Mom, I know I have said it before, but I am saying it again, this is not your fault. I made this mess for myself, and I am the only one who can be held responsible for my actions. You can try to help me push away the rock, Mom, but it won't budge. I have to make a sacrifice. I have to turn to the Knife.
As Aron first turns to the knife, he uses it wrong. He tries to make a sacrifice, but he is not sacrificing anything that is important to him. He starts to jab away at the rock hoping that he can break enough of the stone away so that he may slide his arm out. This fails. How often do we, as Christians, sacrifice things that mean nothing to us? If there is one thing that you can walk away with after reading this blog, it is this; To escape the rock, you have to sacrifice what is most precious to you.

Now we have reached the most crucial point in the story. Aron now knows what is to be done. He must break his vanity and cut off his pride. So, Aron breaks his arm and the audience quivers when they hear the loud crack of his bone. And he takes his dull knife and begins to cut away at his arm. After a long and gruesome scene of Aron cutting through his flesh, he finally escapes the rock. Aron falls backwards and stares at his arm. He wraps up his "Stump" in his backpack, which he slings over his shoulder, gathers his things and begins to walk away when he turns around and looks at the rock one last time. He utters the words, "Thank you." Aron escapes the crevasse and slowly stumbles away trying to find his way back. I feel that the moment in the film when we see a complete change in Aron's life is when he is walking, he sees three hikers up ahead. He then falls to his knees and shouts, "Help!" He has finally dropped his pride. So, Aron has escaped the rock and he returns to his life as a changed man. He meets the love of his life, and has a son. He is now a humble, responsible man. And all I can think of after watching this film is this; God will do anything to get our attention. And there is nothing on this Earth that we can do without Him.

"This rock has been waiting for me my entire life... I have been moving towards it my whole life."

Return Tomorrow to read "A = American History X"

27 Days of Film

Dearest Readers,
I have decided to take up a blogging challenge. Inspired by my loving mother, I have decided to go through the alphabet and write a blog for each letter. For this challenge I will be studying and dissecting movies. I believe that within the script of each motion picture we can find God's Word. A phrase that Christians often use is "God is everywhere." yet we are constantly shooing away movies like Harry Potter. Through these blogs I will try to show you that we should not shun a movie simply because it is rated "R" but accept the message behind each story as message from God. We can worship God through anything. Whether it be writing, singing, or dancing. What about watching movies? I shall start today, June 25, 2011 with a movie that begins with a number. I hope that after reading my blog, you will view movies in a whole new light.

Love,

Adam Sill