Thew & I watched a great movie tonight...put on some comfy clothes, lounged on the couch in the comfortable way we do (with Aslan even joining us) & settled in to enjoy a rarity.
A movie, nominated for a few academy awards, that was actually really good. As a movie buff who still gets goosebumps before a movie begins & the previews start to roll, who still feels the excitement of a little kid about to indulge in their favorite habit when the production studio's lion roars or that little boy sitting on the crescent moon throws his lore in the water & watches the ripples (you other movie buffs know what I mean)...it amazes me how excited I get when I see a good movie. You see, like most of you reading this, you have probably been where I have been in the past decade or two. You set yourself up to watch what you think will be a great movie...you heard it was good from so and so, it had this amazing cinematography or that famous actor who always makes a great choice in a role & you watch as your expectations are dashed when the movie disappoints.
Now I would definitely label myself as a conservative movie watcher. As I have gotten older & learned more, I have slowly whittled my movie collection down from movies that may have been wonderful to me at the time (only because I chose to overlook a scene or two that maybe wasn't edifying due to language or another much more offensive action) down to a smaller collection that is more appropriate for a God fearing woman like myself. This has taken a lot of effort and strength to try and take a step back and truly think, if Jesus was coming over to hang out & watch a flick, would I want to watch this with him? Some of you may think that's a little too much to think that, but Thew & I disagree. You see, our marriage is founded on Him...He is the most honored guest in our home & Thew and I think it would be the most amazing & entertaining evening if Jesus could physically stop by our house for the evening to hang out. When people ask you that question about if you could have dinner with anyone (dead or alive) who would it be, we both would automatically have Him on our list. The more I read my Bible, the more I believe that while He was on earth (and even now), no one could ever leave an encounter with Him unchanged & if they didn't want to admit that, they were hardening more than just their hearts.
Anyway, I digressed a little bit there, didn't I? I hope you don't mind...I tend to do that a lot, don't I? All well... :)
If you haven't had the pleasure of watching "Doubt", please do. Sit back, take an hour and 40 minutes without distractions, and think. There's so much to this movie I don't even want to give away any of it or talk about it in a forum (though I secretly would, but I don't have the time for that now :).
Just trust me, rent it, watch it...if you do, let me know what you think. I, for one, wanted nothing more than to play it again once the end credits started to roll so I could try and pick up on more. The four wonderful actors were superb and there is so much subtlety that I think I might form a different opinion on what each character meant with every statement each time I watch it. There was only one whispered bad word that you can barely hear, no one even wore anything inappropriate...now there were things that were implied that were disturbing, but the thing is that you never really know. Nobody ever truly talks about anything...everything is skirted in a way that you think somebody's gotta reveal something, but then, nothing is. Oh, I wish we got to know some of these characters a little more...they were so intriguing! And best of all, when a character shares a secret about another character & Hollywood had the chance to have a Christian judge that character in the way the world often thinks Christians do, the director chose to rather have that Christian show compassion. You get the watch the intimacy of how spending just a little over 1 hour watching someone can change your opinion of them entirely...you see through their hardened shell into their soul & wonder with them why things happen the way they do. And then you realize that it's not up to us to know & that we need to be okay with that. That we really don't have control like we think we do & that God allows things to happen because he gave us the gift of free will so that we're not His robots. He desires for us to use our free will so that we can be all that we are supposed to be, but unfortunately, it doesn't always work out that way. And you know what? This girl wouldn't want it any other way, despite the unimaginable hardships, trials, and struggles it brings...there is a greater good, a greater purpose, and a greater work going on than we ever could even fathom & I for one, can wait to see how it all works out...
now THAT'S what makes a good movie :)
