good, bad and ugly "Pirates" review

Since the hottest movie of the summer, at least from the box office, is Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Mans Chest, I thought I might chime in. There seem to be differing opinions for this movie from extremely wonderful to extremely terrible. I will give my $.02, and hopefully not give out any spoilers but no promises.

First thoughts from the theater: there was a trailer prior to the move for a movie about snakes being let loose in an airplane. I know a couple people who are scared stiff by snakes, but just in general- terrible idea. The entire theater, which was full, was laughing by the time it finished- and it was people laughing like Thats the stupidest idea Ive ever heard!! and I commented to the unknown young man next to me I cant believe Samuel L. Jackson is in that movie, which, consequently, would be the only reason to see it. Because he doesnt do much crap- bad movies with him in that come to mind are only Star Wars Episodes I & II, and he probably did those because theyre Star Wars for crying out loud.

Ok, on to the movie. In general, there were some really good parts, some parts that made me roll my eyes, and some ugly parts. So in that spirit, I do a The good, the bad and the ugly review.

The Good: somewhat recycled music. I absolutely love the music in the first one. It is quite possibly one of the best movie scores of the past 15 years of movies, and I would venture to say the best non-John Williams score of that time period. They used the same basic theme from the last one, and at times, it even sounded like it was the same music, just refit for a new scene. This may confuse me in the future as I listen to just the music.

Another good- some great sword fighting scenes- one with an especially interesting plot twist. Either there are some really close looking stunt guys, or Jack Davenport, Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom have been really well trained with the swords, although we already knew that about Depp and Bloom from the first Pirates movie.

There were also some comical moments alluding to the first movie. The first moment which stood out to me was when the Governor was standing in the dungeon hallway with Bloom and he put his hand on an iron candle arm extending from the wall and it broke off and he had no idea what to do with it. The best allusion from the first movie, however, was when we find that Depp has been made the chief of a tribe. Its so funny because the first movie has this strange line that seems to make no sense whatsoever as Depp is talking to the two British navy-men while Kiera Knightley falls- And then they made me their chief.

The bad: Just as some of the moments that alluded to the first movie were amusing, some of them were really not. The one in particular that I felt the movie could do without was the two bumbling pirates from the Black Pearl, one with the wooden eye and his friend. They were amusing, but their antics did not provide the comic relief that they were intended to do.

This movie was a bit darker than the first one. I know, hard to get darker from cursed pirates who turn into skeletons in the moonlight. It, did however, feel darker. Some of the scenes were a little more tense, but not in a good way.

The plot- it just didnt seem as intriguing this time. There were parts when I was really drawn into the movie, but they were fewer and father between. Sometimes it felt thin. By the time Depp finally admits something about his compass, which is a focal point, I (and Id assume the whole audience) had already figured it out.

The ugly: Without a doubt, Davey Jones. He himself and all of the people who were under his curse, were becoming more and more like the sea. Jones had squid tentacles for his face, other guys had barnacles, star fish and other hardened creates that their faces and bodies were becoming. It was no more or less disturbing or disgusting than the skeletal creatures in the first movie. There was one part with a guy whose head was inside of a seashell. His head got knocked off and he eventually just had to have a crab come out of the shell to move his head around.

The sight of Depp with six eyes painted on his cheeks and another pair painted on his eyelids.

NOT Orlando Bloom or Keira Knightley. They were beautiful people, just the way they are and hardly needed any make-up to look the part of pirates! Probably still a big drawing point for this movie.

Final thoughts: Depp made the first movie with his staggering around, being a pirate who is somewhat crazy and seemingly always drunk. He continued that role well, but it was not as much the movie maker. There were multiple plot twists, some expected and some unexpected. The end of the movie was, from my point of view, quite predictable. Even the final scene before the credits rolled. However, after sleeping on it and thinking about it, I would give this movie a high B or a low B+. Not the greatest movie, but certainly not without its good parts.

Recommendations

My Recommendations:
In light of my recent blogging regarding books, reading and intellect, Ive kept up with that and decided that its time to give my recommendation list. It is by no means comprehensive, but it is a good list. Enjoy!

Max Lucado- I used to read from Max when I was a new Christian and found LOTS of great stuff. I still find good stuff in reading some of his books, although Ive been turned off recently by the new covers on some of his books- seems to trivialize the writing. I havent read many of his works that are more recent, however. John Piper- God is most glorified when I am most satisfied in Him. Piper has heralded Christian Hedonism and it comes directly from Westminster Catechisms The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. Richard Foster- His writing is quite deep and challenging. For as thick as it is to wade through, however, it is very applicable and always worth taking the time A gifted writer and communicator, hes among my favorite authors. C.S. Lewis- a gifted man. His fiction is world renowned and recently put into major motion picture. They tell the story of the Gospel through wonderful allegorical stories. His non-fiction works are renowned as faith classics- they are read worldwide and have been helpful to many Christians, old and young, spiritual babies and giants and in between. Books: My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers- while it may seem to be a little trite and on everyones list, Ive used this multiple years and still found myself drawn by it. It was very helpful in getting me to the point of daily devotional time. Holy Wild by Mark Buchanan- I stumbled across this book while browsing. Its not typical of me to browse and find something- usually Ill look at the stack of books at B&N and decide its too daunting to try and find one or two non-specific books in there. So Ill start looking for authors instead. But I found this and decided to pick it up. I read it with my antennae up because Id never heard of the author. It is a good book dealing with how we view God and how that defines us. It is an invitation to see God as beyond our current ideas- untamable, mysterious, and surprising. Not too academic of a read, it was worth the time put into reading it. Boy Meets World by Joshua Harris- The guy who kissed dating goodbye. He wrote this as a follow up. Whatever you call it- dating, courting, holy dating- doesnt matter. What matters are the principles by which you go about searching for a spouse. There are some helpful tips in here- but warning- this is more for young adults and older- teenagers who are not anywhere near ready for marriage need not read this. Stop Dating the Church by Joshua Harris- Im really not as big of a Joshua Harris as may be indicated here. However, this particular book is a good call to membership and commitment to a local church body. As a youth pastor in a church setting, I find it nice that someone has taken the time to explore Biblical ideas in commitment to a local congregation you would call home. The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence- clanging pots and pans, washing dishes, being the cook for a monastery. May not seem very enticing nor may it seem quiet enough, but this is the place that Brother Lawrence was when he did what he called Practicing the presence of God, a continual going with God, continual communion and conversation. He took 1 Thes. 5:17 to heart. And we can do well in our fast paced world to learn from this mans letters and attitude. The Gospel According to the Simpsons by Mark I. Pinsky- I was first introduced to this as it was cited in a textbook that is now in my to finish pile of books. It is a good look, if not a little stretched, at some of the moral and positive things to come out of the show that was so widely opposed by evangelicals and fundamentalists when it began. As a fan of the show, I simply could not miss reading this book, and recommending it to others. The Prayer of Jesus by Hank Hanegraff- most likely written in response to The Prayer of Jabez craze that was all the rage a few years ago, Hannegraff examines the prayer of the ONLY person in the Bible who is worth emulating completely. He explores the prayer that Jesus taught to his followers, and a prayer that we ourselves can benefit from praying. Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster- while hes listed in my authors, this book is one worth noting! It is a deep look into 12 classic Christian disciplines, both corporate and individual- from fasting to prayer to worship and beyond! The kind of book thats worth reading over and over again, if I could recommend one book to aid the growth of new and young Christians, this book tops the list. The Fire of His Holiness by Sergio Scataglini- while I was at Christ Community Church in college they had this Argentinean pastor visiting. His message is about God's call to radical holiness 98% purity does not suffice. God's fire must fall on us to burn away the impurities and cleanse us to meet this call. The God Chasers by Tommy Tenney- this book was very popular at one point- readers are familiar with Tenney's story of being in a church and the pastor pleading for God's presence. presence and God's manifest presence showed up. While a bit charismatic and somewhat mainstream, it's a good call to drop everything and pursue the one thing that satisfies the soul and can fill us. Comics: Calvin & Hobbes -perhaps the greatest comic ever penned for the daily paper and the weekend funnies. The kid was WAY too smart and funny to be 6 years old. But in so many ways, he is normal. Ozy and Millie- reminds me very much of Calvin & Hobbes sometimes. Bentley introduced me to this comic and I go back to see each days new strip. The Far Side - Jim Larson always made me laugh with his comics. Sometimes they were completely random, sometimes historical and sometimes just flat out funny. Takes an appreciation for many aspects of life. I still remember getting The Chickens are Revolting collection in 7th grade and taking it around to different teachers and showing comics that reflected things we were learning in history, science and more. My anti-recommendation list: There may be nothing wrong with these books in particular, but I give warning in these books and authors. Joel Osteen- his preaching and books are very light. As in fluff. He comes across to me, from what Ive seen and read, as more of a motivational speaker. Hes very much into the positive aspect of the Gospel and does not seem to talk about issues of sin, dealing with sin and our unworthiness to be called. Rick Warren- While not hardly as light as Osteen is, Warren can be light sometimes, too.His focus on purpose for lives, churches and other ministries can be good, but often times leads to the belief that its more about us. Something more to be wary of. And then his ministry started a ministry called Celebrate Recovery for anyone with a hurt, habit or hang-up which is fluffy talk for anyone with a sin problem. The Prayer of Jabez by Bruce Wilkinson- not a bad little book when read correctly. But too many have read it as a book to pray for wealth and happiness. Its not that. And there must also be a remembrance that Jabez was a small figure in the Bible and if he was worth emulating, there may have been more about him in there.Also reached craze stage for many churches and people read it just so they could say theyve read it. Lee Strobel- actually a VERY good author. He has written some very good stuff. But his most noted works are the Case for series which give logical explanations and reasoning arguments for the faith. I recommend caution here simply because the world of today, a post-modern world, does not respond as much to logical arguments. They will not be argued into the faith and will say that while you may have made your point, they still do not agree with you. Do read, however, of his books, Reaching Unchurched Harry & Mary if youre interested in evangelism. George Barna- He is the Christian version of the Gallup poll. He is very good at polling people, gathering information and reading that information. However, in some of his more recent books, notably Revolution he did a very poor job of interpreting that information. He is not a theologian and he does not often make good use of the Bible in his assertions. He has done some good work with his polls and I remember reading 2 of his books for classes at college and agreeing with them, but I also remember disagreement. Keep your brain turned on when reading his books. In general, be vigilant and watchful regarding and books or even music that become extremely popular.The gospel is an offensive thing and there will be people who reject it.If there is a book that has no critics or appeals to so many people, be careful. Often times, books such as that miss important parts so as not to be offensive and ultimately short-change Christs death. Also, while reading, I encourage everyone, do not be afraid to disagree with the author. Just because the person has published a book does not mean that he/she is always right and you cannot disagree. It is important to use our minds because thats what God gave them to us for. stay tuned for my wishlist of books

reading list

so, in light of yesterdays little blogging session, I feel inspired to share with you my current reading list. I've removed a BUNCH of books off my shelves and put them on my "to read" pile. I'm going to name them all here and why/how I came in contact with each book. This is a pretty good sized list, but takes a large chunk out of the "on my shelf but never read it" books.

so, here we go- in no particular order. I would recommend each of these books mostly because I haven't read them, or at least, in their entirety, but mostly because they came recommended to me somehow.

Your God is Too Small by JB Phillips- got for my Christian Theology class in college. Forgot that we had an assignment on the book and missed turning in my paper about it. We discussed it, but there are some good little nuggets I want to pull from it. It's a small book. Read, Think, Pray, Live by Tony Jones- a book I'd gotten a year and a half ago- was previewing it to use as book study for my youth group- decided against it, but maybe now. I'm over halfway through- I just need to finish it now. 21 Things God Never Said by R. Larry Moyer- I don't read much by people from Dallas Theological Seminary, but this book was particularly enticing. It is primary a book regarding evangelism and takes 21 common misconceptions and puts some light to them. I started reading a few days ago. This may be a good book for a book study, too. Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller- You may note this is on my list of books in my profile. It has been recommended to me by so many people, I don't think I could start to count! Rachel bought it for me for Christmas and I just haven't gotten to it yet. Note the long list of books- that's why. Praise Habit: Finding God in Sunsets and Sushi by David Crowder- One of my favorite worship leaders, I have heard excellent things about this book. I began it in the middle of May because I was using some material from it for a sermon I preached. Now I want to finish it- I've had a few times to sit and read it, but have not made that conscious effort. Love, Sex and Relationships by Dean Sherman. Actually a book that Rachel acquired while she was with YWAM, it's a book that I totally want to read. What i've previewed of it is excellent and I may want to do a book study with my youth group through this book, as well. Desiring God: Meditations of a Christian Hedonist by John Piper- I was turned on to Piper by Luke as he helped Rachel and I move across the country. Then, my senior pastor preached a series about joy from another of Piper's books. Seemed like something I'll want to be reading. When I Don't Desire God: How to Fight for Joy by John Piper- Actually a book I'd begun a while ago, but it got misplaced as I had to use it to prop up the projector at youth camp and now no one seems to know where it is. As it is replaced, it will be started again. No More Mr. Christian Nice Guy by Paul Coughlin- I simply noticed this book as I walked through Borders last October. I picked it up, read the book jacket and leafed through the Contents page, and some of the book. Looked like an interesting read. Haven't gotten into it yet, I'll let you know how it turns out. A little put off that the foreward was written by Dr. Laura. Your God is Too Safe by Mark Buchanan- I had read another book by this author- Holy Wild. I picked it up off the shelf at Barnes and Noble one day while I was just browsing. The title caught me and I bought and read. He referenced this one many times, and reminded me of the JB Philips book that I have listed. Seemed like a logical next book. God in the Details: American Religion in Popular Culture by Eric Michael Mazur and Kate McCarthy- I have read certain portions of this book- it was a required source for my "Senior Seminar in Theology and Religion" class in college. They were good books. Plus, it seems like the kind of book I'd want to read as I find myself engaging my faith with culture on a regular basis. Paradoxes for Living by N. Graham Standish- this book was required reading for my "Christian Spirituality" class. The prof was so boring. I read enough out of the book to be able to participate in discussion. The discussion was good and encouraged me to read it, but in college, there was no time for non-class reading pretty much. So it got put on the shelf.. And stayed there. Created for Community: Connecting Christian Belief with Christian Living by Stanley Grenz- a required book for my "Christian Theology" class. It was our primary source book, and I read some of it- it was good, but for some reason, I insisted on being a bad student (this was during my first year at college when I needed to make adjustments to my study habits). Seemed like something I may want to pick up and finish off, especially in my current situation where community seems to be to a lesser degree than in many places Ive been. Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis- hard to believe I've never read this "essential" classic of the faith. But I haven't. I've read others of Lewis's books, but not this. It is lauded with praise, it'll be worth taking on. The Power of a Praying Husband by Stormie Omartan- My step-father got this for me for Christmas/my birthday right before I was married. Its not a very long book, but I have not taken the time to go through it. It seems like it will be a break from the HEAVY books on this list, but hopefully it will be something useable, too. Sometimes I feel as though I'm not the husband I want to be and I'm thinking there's something I can do about it. Soul Feast: An Invitation to the Christian Spiritual Life by Marjorie J. Thompson- diving back in DEEP, this book was for my spirituality class as well. Again, the boring prof, etc, etc... Squeaked through by reading a little and participating in discussion, etc. Really DO want to read this, and have actually begun it. It's very thick reading and I can get a chapter at a time before I really need to reflect on it. I have to stop in the middle sometimes just to keep up. Conformed to His Image by Kenneth Boa- Bought this book online as a suggestion to preview for the young adult ministry I was leading at New Hope. Got it and found it was much bigger than I expected as well as a very deep book- probably a little more than we wanted to do. So after a quick preview, went to the shelf. The Great Worship Awakening by Robb Redman- a recommended book that had a good review written to it. Bought it online and just haven't gotten to it. Really excited for it, but... no dice so far. The New Worship by Barry Liesch- another recommendation with a good review, I have started this book, but it got buried under the pile of stuff I needed to do while at New Hope. Apparently, preparing me spiritually for leading worship and researching worship trends was not part of my primary job as worship leader there. The Seven Cries of Today's Teens by Timothy Smith- a quick preview led me to thinking this was more a book for parents. But I want to know what's in there because I'm here for parents as well as teens as the youth pastor. So it's on the list. Streams of Living Water by Richard Foster- The author of what I'd consider to be one of the most comprehensive books on the Christian Disciplines, A Celebration of Discipline. I read that book and it was intellectually stimulating, excited my faith and encouraged me toward growth! I bought this book shortly after having read that and have simply not taken the time to read it. It's a large book, and it promises to be as deep as Celebration of Discipline- it may take a long time to read. But I'm sure it will be excellent. Unbreakable: The Seven Pillars of a Kingdom Family by Tom Elliff- a book I just happened to pass at Ollie's Bargain Basement- I got it for $2.99. It's not a large book, and I'm not sure I've heard of the author before. It's a book I'll read with my "Satan Sense" in gear (see Simpsons Episode- 13x11- She of Little Faith). If it looks like a lot, that's because it IS. I'm very ambitious and I know that this will not be completed by this summer, maybe not even by the end of the year, but I'll be working on it. Stay tuned as this has inspired me to put together a list of book recommendations from my shelves. While this list is primarily Christian things, that list may not be.

just wasn't thinking

See, that's the problem right now. I honestly don't think that I've been thinking much recently. I am an intellectual person, stimulated by intellectual conversation and very much a thinker. I love good books, good conversation, good debate and I have a tendency to do well in school situations if I can focus enough to do required readings, etc.

But I have this problem. In general, with these things at least, I guess I'm lazy. I haven't finished a good book in quite a while (though i've started some). I have a large number of books on my bookshelf in my office which have not been read completely through. But I REALLY do want to read them!!

Today, I began to dig in to some of my books- a few in one day! Wow- forgot how much I loved the thrill of challenging my intellect, of interacting with great thinkers, disagreeing, following arguments, whatever! Perhaps I've tried to do some of these things online but have not failed- while I love reading friends blogs that deal with deep issues, my concentration on the internet is not very good. Reading a book- my attention is all there.

So I guess I'm starting fresh today- I want to break out of my laziness and challenge my intellect again! To read good books, to think about things more deeply. I must have been using it at least a little bit because it was not strenuous to read today. I just want to get more into it.

of gasoline and cow juice

back in 1998 (December of '98) when I got my first car as my early high school graduation gift, gasoline cost around $1.45ish/gallon. It's nott that it was terribly expensive, but just that I didn't have a job or money to fill my tank. but as I was talking about it, a older friend of mine commented that he was just glad we didn't run our cars on milk, which was at that time, between $2.50 and $3.00/gallon. It's not so much anything special about cow-juice, it was more just for the comparisson that there are things that cost more than gasoline.

Now here I sit, 7 1/2 years later. I'm on the other side of the country (Oregon now, compared to northern Maine then) and I wonder... Who's going to be the genius that makes a milk car. I honestly wonder what costs more per gallon than gasoline now and think of how I paid less than $2.50 the last time I bought a gallon of milk. So why can we not somehow start running our cars from the milk of cows? It's a more renewable source of energy.

So, if you're a scientist and you come across this, I think the next great idea should be for someone to make a car that runs on milk. that would be awesome!

everything will be ok?

So, I was at the Northwest District Wesleyan Youth Camp this week with 5 of my teenagers. Hopefully I will reflect and share more on my blog about that (both here and myspace). But for now, I want to reflect for a moment on something that is fit for this blog, which no one in my church or with connection to my current church know of or reads.

On thursday, our District Superintendent came to camp and shared with our teens in the morning rally. It was a great talk that my teens absolutely loved (especially when they saw him and his white hair, they thought he'd be boring). But aftward, he and I got a chance to talk. All of these frustrations I've had since moving out here have been weighing on me. And Rachel and I are... Well, not trying to move on, but unsure of how much longer we really belong here... But I got to share these things with Karl and it was very relieving to me.

I shared some of my biggest concerns, the biggest of which is not having the church reach out to us, but even more, our senior pastor, who has expressed wanting a friendship relationship with us (Rach and me), not reaching out very much to us, either. He and his wife are very non-expressional and Rachel and I don't feel close to them. We woudl go to others with major issues before going to them. So we want to get that. It was great to get that out and share this and many other concerns with my DS.

I love being in a denomination. I love being able to share such things with a guy above my senior pastor and just be able to talk things off him and have a good listener, person with experience and more to share back with me. his job is basically to shepherd the shepherds, which is not an easy job, but... nonetheless- I am very happy to be able to share with him and figure out what's just me and what is real stuff to bring up.

I plan to talk with Kerry about a couple things sometime this week, or at the very least, soon. Pray for me as I do- I want this to work out right now cuz we're not quite ready to leave.