So we finally moved! Contrary to my last post we didn't close last Friday, we closed the following Wednesday. We didn't get the keys until late Friday, and 15 min. after went straight to painting and moving. It's Sunday now, we're done with the big stuff, and I'm exhausted. I leaven tomorrow for Chicago (Moody Pastor's Conference) so we had to work hard to do the bulk of the moving now. Em's pregnant, so she can't lift anything. And it's hard for me now to lift anything (there's something about getting a queen mattress into a 15 passenger van all by yourself that is a little draining!). My folks are coming down to help with the rest tomorrow as well.
Before we got the keys I went to see the DaVinci Code (I didn't pay full price, I went to the matinee). I was quite different from the book, and a little less threatening to the church. People's general reaction has been that there's not so much to fuss over, it's clearly a work of fiction. I don't want to get into all the specifics about the discrepancies between the novel and the movie, or the easy job of debunking the whole theory. We should still pray for the gullible and for people in other countries (like India for example) who don't have the resources at their disposal. Over all this whole DaVinci circus has been a positive experience for the church at large. There is a new respect for many to the validity of our Scriptures. People who have never given it much thought before have a newfound respect for the all-time best seller down through the centuries, the Bible.
Now I'm reading a book I just got in. I'm probably going to have to separate fact from fiction in this one too! It's my cousin Dave's book, "Life's too short to be an Underdog." I'll write a full review once I'm through with it. Well, I got to go back to do something on the house, probably mow the grass. I'll post again after my trip to Moody.
posted by Gregory Fish @ 3:41 PM
5 Comments:
Greg, I'm glad you FINALLY got moved. I loved the pictures of the boys painting and I can't wait to see the house.
Everyone, Don't believe anything you read about Charissa (he actually spelled my name Carissa) in our cousin Dave's book. It is slightly exagerrated.
Uh oh, the scathing pen of the critic is preparing to slice and dice my "completely and overwhelmingly non-fictional" book.
I, too went and saw The Da Vinci Code this weekend. I was not particularly intrigued to go see it, but felt the need to be able to discuss it empirically and not speculatively.
I must admit upfront that I began reading the book and never finished it, so my knowledge of the second half of the book is limited (I have an overview understanding of it).
Here is my "review":
From a Christian standpoint, it is obviously a story that blasphemes the divinity and Lordship of Jesus Christ ... it does so, as you allude to, with a general "ham-handedness" (is this even a good attempt at a word) toward any semblance of historical reality ... instead throwing out wild theories and conjection in hoping that people will use the old Arsenio Hall bit: "Things that make you go, 'hmmm?'" As you say, it is hard to imagine anyone so guillible as to watch this, swallow it without question and accept it as fact and thus, question the Sonship of Jesus Christ. Yet, as always, I am certain that Satan will deceive some.
From the perspective of a Christian who likes good movies ... clearly, it is just a bad movie. If we accept that it is ultimately a work of fiction and agree that it is simply a movie, based on a best-seller, that tries to present a supposedly intriguing storyline, then I would say that it fails.
First, the movie almost demands that you have read the book so that you can actually follow some of the things that are going on. One who has no knowledge of the book, I would think, spends the over two and a half hours trying to catch up with characters that are introduced haphazardly, as though everyone knows who they are and how they fit in the story. Granted, the movie is trying to be somewhat of a mystery revealed, but come on ...
Second, the movie's pace is terrible. It is not a naturally progessing movie as plot-lines are suddenly introduced, scene changes seem to be, at times, randomly placed, etc.. All of this made the movie seem tirelessly long to me.
Finally, as mentioned, I read part of the book, so I understand why Langdon (Tom Hanks character) is involved in everything, but in the movie he simply seems to get in the way and provide occasional "historical facts" which he, throughout much of movie doesn't even believe himself. Was this just me that sensed this?
In the end, it seemed to me that Ron Howard's goal as director was to create a "religious" version of National Treasure, a fantasic "quest-type" movie from last year. But all the things that, to me, made National Treasure so great were missing or fouled up in The Da Vinci Code.
I wouldn't recommend it at all(even at matinee prices) as a Christian or as a Christian who likes good movies for that matter.
Langdon was the biggest change from the book to film. His character was totally different.
Listen Carissa ... I only spelled as I was told.
I was just kidding, Dave! You don't have to get so defensive! :-)
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