Batman - The Dark Knight
Awesome...but not for the little ones.
With so much buzz about this movie, I wanted to issue a spoiler-free caution to anyone considering going to see the new Batman flic. The Focus on the Family review is very helpful but also contains a few spoilers.
I saw the movie last night and was absolutely thrilled. Although it's rated at PG-13 and will undoubtedly be marketed, both directly and indirectly to the masses, this movie is not for the masses. Despite being a comic book on the big screen, this film is simply not for young kids. It is also not for anyone upset by both graphic and suggested violence in films.
The movie is extremely dark, and the bad guy is one of the most convincingly sinister characters I can remember. The knowledge of Heath Ledger's miserable death as you watch his portrayal of The Joker almost adds to the madness of the character. That he did not live to see the accolades for his performance will be one of the many sorrows for Heath Ledger.
The Dark Knight intelligently dances around the concepts of good and evil. But evil is on display in many shades; evil for personal gain, for self-preservation, and just pure evil. At times, I found myself charmed by The Joker despite his menacing appearance and terrible acts. Good is tinged with wrongdoing in even the most admirable characters. To dwell in this realm for very long can be provocative but also upsetting. I won't give away any more.
Although, I don't think this is a Christian film nor does it attempt to deliver a Christian message, I do think there are some things Christians can reflect on and take away some healthy self-examination. The Dark Knight is truly a blockbuster that deserves the buzz. But be careful about who you take to the theater.
I saw the movie last night and was absolutely thrilled. Although it's rated at PG-13 and will undoubtedly be marketed, both directly and indirectly to the masses, this movie is not for the masses. Despite being a comic book on the big screen, this film is simply not for young kids. It is also not for anyone upset by both graphic and suggested violence in films.
The movie is extremely dark, and the bad guy is one of the most convincingly sinister characters I can remember. The knowledge of Heath Ledger's miserable death as you watch his portrayal of The Joker almost adds to the madness of the character. That he did not live to see the accolades for his performance will be one of the many sorrows for Heath Ledger.
The Dark Knight intelligently dances around the concepts of good and evil. But evil is on display in many shades; evil for personal gain, for self-preservation, and just pure evil. At times, I found myself charmed by The Joker despite his menacing appearance and terrible acts. Good is tinged with wrongdoing in even the most admirable characters. To dwell in this realm for very long can be provocative but also upsetting. I won't give away any more.
Although, I don't think this is a Christian film nor does it attempt to deliver a Christian message, I do think there are some things Christians can reflect on and take away some healthy self-examination. The Dark Knight is truly a blockbuster that deserves the buzz. But be careful about who you take to the theater.
Going to dinner? Bring the handi-wipes.
I took the family out to dinner to celebrate the Mrs. birthday Sunday night at one of our regular restaurants. Food was great as usual, except it was served by a woman who was either suffering from an inner ear problem, or had been dared to spin in place for a few minutes before serving drinks that night. For her first trip to the table with drinks, she quickly drew my attention away from her thumb and finger resting on the rim of my martini glass by spilling about $1.50 of appletini (no laughing, I didn't know it was a chic drink) on the table. Then she just spread it around a bit with one of those totally non-absorbent cloth napkins. On her second trip, she dropped a bottle of root beer on the table in front of my daughter. It landed right-side up, but the impact launched root beer all over my daughter, who was gently escorted to the ladies room by our lazy-gripped waitress to be toweled off.
My second appletini (after all I didn't get to drink a whole one), came in a different martini glass. This one was beefy, without a stem, was very stout, and seemed to be designed just for the caliber of wait service we were getting. I was really curious whether she asked for it to be poured in this clutzware or if the bartender was hip to her.
At the end of the meal, which was excellent, butter-fingers Mary informed us that the root beer would be taken care of, but that was all she was permitted to take off the check. She then thanked us for being so patient and said something close to, "you were all much nicer than all the other people I've spilled on." Huh? We were apparently only the latest victims in this woman's drink-spilling rampage!! Clearly this occurred often enough to start impacting revenue for the establishment, necessitating the "pay for the drink only" rule to be enacted. I shared with my family my temptation to suggest that maybe she should practice, which in turn gave way to all kinds of hysterical scenarios involving crash-test-dummies sitting at a dinner table being served on nerf dishes, with a coach giving instructions behind a one-way mirror. I laughed so hard my head hurt.
My second appletini (after all I didn't get to drink a whole one), came in a different martini glass. This one was beefy, without a stem, was very stout, and seemed to be designed just for the caliber of wait service we were getting. I was really curious whether she asked for it to be poured in this clutzware or if the bartender was hip to her.
At the end of the meal, which was excellent, butter-fingers Mary informed us that the root beer would be taken care of, but that was all she was permitted to take off the check. She then thanked us for being so patient and said something close to, "you were all much nicer than all the other people I've spilled on." Huh? We were apparently only the latest victims in this woman's drink-spilling rampage!! Clearly this occurred often enough to start impacting revenue for the establishment, necessitating the "pay for the drink only" rule to be enacted. I shared with my family my temptation to suggest that maybe she should practice, which in turn gave way to all kinds of hysterical scenarios involving crash-test-dummies sitting at a dinner table being served on nerf dishes, with a coach giving instructions behind a one-way mirror. I laughed so hard my head hurt.
New ink
After two years of being unsatisfied with the cross designs for tattoos we had seen, the Mrs. and I got some new ink over the weekend. Hers is a simple cross with script-style lines on the back of her neck.
I love it!
Mine is based on another design I found with lots of swirly, ornate stuff in the middle. I worked with the artist to have a triquetra in the middle replace the swirly stuff. I'm stoked with how that came out.
I wanted the sharp bottom of the cross to appear to just pierce the skin. The artist took a little license with that idea and "opened the wound" a bit. I suppose that if you're gonna say something with a tattoo, say it! I'm ok with it. The scripture verses are Isaiah 53:5 and 2 Corinthians 12:7-10.
I love it!Mine is based on another design I found with lots of swirly, ornate stuff in the middle. I worked with the artist to have a triquetra in the middle replace the swirly stuff. I'm stoked with how that came out.
I wanted the sharp bottom of the cross to appear to just pierce the skin. The artist took a little license with that idea and "opened the wound" a bit. I suppose that if you're gonna say something with a tattoo, say it! I'm ok with it. The scripture verses are Isaiah 53:5 and 2 Corinthians 12:7-10.