Whether you are Christian or not, it cannot be refuted that a gut instinct for sudden approaching disaster is just second nature for most of us. It could be by an asteroid striking Earth, it could be by the revelation of Jesus Christ, or it could be by some foreign country dropping a nuclear bomb, but however it’s done, the end of the world is inevitable for Christians and non-Christians alike. Jordan Peele utilizes that fear in his newest film, twisting in public fears of government-kept secrets to create a satire on America’s supposed innocence, and does so to clarify how people cause their own annihilation. Going deeper into a Christian lens, God will someday judge all creation, which the man in the movie with a sign saying, “Jeremiah 11:11” foretells. The verse reads, “Therefore this is what the Lord says: ‘I will bring on them a disaster they cannot escape. Although they cry out to me, I will not listen to them.’”
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The prologue says many, many miles of abandoned tunnels lie beneath the US, many without an identifiable purpose. Then the screen shows its first sign of disaster—a storm forecast on a TV that cuts to an advertisement of Hands Across America, which also features the twin towers, ironically forming an 11 shape. Then, lightning and rain strikes before Adelaide meets her Tethered in the hall of mirrors. As the events of the film progress, power always surges whenever the Tethered arrive, something lightning often causes, ultimately associating these evil clones with God’s judgment like what He did to Israel and its surrounding nations. (Genesis 19:14-15, Job 37:2-6, Jonah 3:4, Revelation 4:5) The use of the number 11 is deeply prevalent throughout the movie, as it signifies the freaky coincidences that signal the Tethereds’ approach, such as the twin girls who keep accidentally talking in unison and a frisbee landing on a towel circle perfectly. However, in real life, true destruction can never be predicted by things like coincidences, in fact nobody, not even Jesus himself, knows when precisely God will unveil his wrath on the whole Earth. (Matthew 24:36)

It says in Matthew 5:48, “You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” But… why would Jesus ask us of that? Nobody is perfect! There is a whole Hannah Montana song dedicated to that fact! Why would he command us to do something he knows our sinful selves cannot do? Well, Good Will Hunting is one of those movies that says the personality flaws in another could help a confused mind love them completely. The idea off seeking completeness is at core what it means to become “perfect, as your heavenly Father is,” which happens when we see the Godly traits in our friends and family despite those little imperfections.
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In the way it’s played out here, Will Hunting is a confused young man who wants to keep everyone, even his girlfriend, Skylar, out. Will’s refusal to combat his inner demons causes him to turn into his greatest fear once he goes borderline abusive towards Skylar then says he does not love her. Instead of people or scripture, he relies on book smarts to get past trauma, as he does when shaming some jerk at a bar early in the film. But this doesn’t get him far, as he winds up in a courtroom almost immediately after this scene. This proves that book smarts mean nothing without applying that learned knowledge for the good of those around you. Will may be able to solve complex geometry equations in the hallway but has no self-control to use that in a professional setting, something his therapist, Sean, emphasizes quite a deal at their scene on the park bench. Here’s a biblical example of how knowledge can turn into fruits for the good of another:

“Night of the fight, you might feel a slight sting. That's pride f***in' with you. F*** pride! Pride only hurts, it never helps. You fight through that s***. 'Cause a year from now, when you kicking it in the Caribbean, you gonna say to yourself, ‘Marcellus Wallace was right.’”

According to Pulp Fiction, recent pop culture causes its followers to seek pride, which causes decay into prisoners of the sin media celebrates. Romans 8:22 describes it as, “We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.” Commands against pride are described further via parable in Luke 18:9-14; two men, a tax collector and a pharisee, speak to God. The pharisee prays, “Thank you I’m better than the tax collector next to me.” The tax collector prays, “God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” The tax collector goes home justified before God. The concept of trying to survive a prideful media-controlled nation falls on deaf ears of everyone in this movie but has a clear impact on Jules. Before making a kill, he says a stylized version of Ezekiel 25:17 in his attempts to be a shepherd to evil men:

“The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the inequities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men. Blessed is he who, in the name of charity and good will shepherds the weak through the valley of darkness for he is truly his brother's keeper and the finder of lost children. And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who attempt to poison and destroy my brothers, and you will know my name is the Lord when I lay my vengeance upon thee!”

Okay, I know this is two weeks late, but I was kind of in Spain at the time Far from Home first came out in theaters, so I had no time to put this together. But nonetheless, here's what I believe is the genuine ranking of every cinematic Spider-Man film we've had. He's always been an interesting figure, especially for me. When I was in middle school, the Raimi Spider-Man films were my favorite movies ever, I thought it was so cool to see a total loser like Peter Parker become a somebody without anyone knowing who he is. I also really envied the fact that he could score a girl as beautiful as Mary Jane Watson. But then I grew up. I watched the trilogy again with my movie review knowledge I didn't have at age fourteen, and saw how stupid those movies really are. 

So now, between four reboots within less than twenty years, which one is the best?

While the first movie ever produced entirely on a computer remains enormously celebrated today, the moral messages about friendship in Toy Story go further to complement important biblical values too: “Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all in perfect unity.” (Colossians 3:13-14)

That particularly includes the willful sacrifice friendship requires of one another: Woody goes from resenting Buzz in all his technical awesomeness to saying, “forget me, go save yourself” at the second act break. After Woody humbles himself for the one he envies, Buzz in turn forgives Woody, and they both get what they want together. Woody bears with Buzz, Buzz bears with Woody. (Galatians 6:2)

But of course, the path to turning their rivalry into a friendship is a rocky one, as it starts with them each wanting to get their own idea of home: Woody being Andy’s favorite toy again, and Buzz going to fulfill a mission that does not exist. Yet because of these impossible goals, they both wind up instead inside the home of toy horror. It puts Sheriff Woody into a rethought process on what it means to be there for Andy, and it puts Buzz Lightyear into an existential crisis. Woody realizes how pathetic of a toy he really is, having only a pull-string as his one accessory, and Buzz wonders why Andy would want a toy over a space ranger. Woody is demeaned by being Sid’s first choice to launch with a rocket, Buzz is demeaned by a tea party. In both cases, they each feel like Job, having lost everything they once knew, or maybe like David, who wrote many of the Psalms based on his suffering throughout 1 and 2 Samuel.

Although the theme of BEING YOURSELF has been done to death by other storytellers, director/screenwriter Bo Burnham conveys it with unique mastery and precision that wipes away the lies. His film, Eighth Grade, told from the point of view of Kayla during her last week of middle school, reveals all the personal stresses and insecurities of being a preteen. To make it greater, this apparently Atheistic cast and crew ended up supporting numerous biblical truths about what it means to be sincere with others and ourselves.
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It starts with Kayla’s expectations going into a bigger school, and how her past three years in middle school gave her knowledge far more valuable than the right boy to cuddle with or how to apply makeup on just right. Kayla struggles with putting herself out there but feels weak no matter how much attention she tries to get. The Beatitudes of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount affirm that all who feel weak will be blessed, (Matthew 5:2-11) which proves a point made by Kayla in one of her vlog entries: always be yourself (or humble yourself). The funny thing though is after recording this video, she then immediately follows a YouTube makeup tutorial, then gets back into bed to post a phony “just woke up like this” photo on Instagram. Despite her seeking approval from infinite followers, her father proves through the way he treats her that she does not need to look just right for his approval. It’s that same way with Jesus, who sees us as of “more value than many sparrows.” (Matthew 10:31)

The official nominations will be announced on January 13th 2020, and the ceremony (hopefully going hostless again) will be on February 9th, all so much earlier than last year, and hopefully much better!

​Thanks for reading, happy watching!

Maximus is a great leader for the people of Rome. That we already understand.
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Commodus is a poor leader for the people of Rome. That we also understand.

But how do we know what makes a great leader? What is at stake if somebody has poor leadership skills?

There is one thing that helped me to learn the qualities on what takes a great leader: the very leaders of my own life—my mom and dad. Today, my lesson for this film is how every parent has the responsibility to be positive role models for their kids.

Six-Word Lessons for Dads with Autistic Kids, Lesson #58: He Must Know When He’s Wrong.

It took me a bit longer than others over time to learn how to pick up social cues, which was why my parents helped me learn by being socially well behaved themselves, and making sure that I saw that, even today with me as a grownup. Too many parents underestimate the heavy burden that every parent has in setting proper role models for their kids. Gladiator therefore contrasts positive role model (Maximus) against how a negative role model (Commodus) should look.
Commodus does all he can to win the people over, with great emphasis put on the deadly gladiator games. He even strives to win the honor of his nephew, who boasts of how he much prefers Maximus as the “savior of Rome.” Maximus didn’t have to live under the same roof as a child to leave a greater influence than the child’s corrupted uncle.