Coooooool

So I was doing a little diving this afternoon, in pursuit of one of my deepest interests: bladed implements. Upon visiting this one sight that I bookmarked, but never really looked over,( http://www.shadowofleaves.com/Shinken.htm ) I found this link to a film of a traditional katana (that's a samurai sword) being made. You talk about cool. It's a little long and you probably need high speed to view it, but it's definitely worth the viewing. Check it out. http://video.mpegnation.com/a001786578322021606131719250.html

In other notes, did anyone catch the Oscars? I intentionally didn't watch it but I read about the aftermath. You talk about a bunch of disjointed, disassociated, sycophantic narcissists. And they wonder why their industry is failing? When a film like The Departed wins four awards, including best picture and best director, when others like The Prestige get two paltry nods and no chance of winning anything and it actually conveys a point. Now, I didn't see The Departed. It didn't interest me, mainly because I can't stand Leonardo DiCapitaded (that man's head always looked like it was bout to fall off of his body when he was young), but also because it was R rated and almost always that means lots, no, let me correct that, TONS of language, and sex. And frankly, none of that helps a movie at all. "Evil communication corrupts good manners." "Oh, but it's reality. It's how the world really is. We need that kinda realism in our motion pictures." If we wanted realism in movies, we would not go and see movies like Narnia, or Lord of the Rings. We would get out the lawn chairs and the soda and the potato chips and watch the neighbors fight. We don't want their kind of reality. We want stories about heroes, and redemption, and happy endings, okay we don't always have to have a happy ending, take Zhang Yimou's films which are absolutely beautiful and most end tragically, but I think that that might be a Chinese thing. You know, no hope in their culture, no awareness of a Christ who longs to redeem them. (But that's changing.) More in him later. Now, like I said, I didn't see The Departed, but I read the extensive review at "Hours Later . . ." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Departed and I also read the review for the Chinese movie that it was adapted from and frankly, I would rather watch the Chinese version. It had seemed like it had more hope than Scorsese's!

I mentioned the The Prestige also and how it didn't get anything. This is the single most influential movie that I have seen. See, for a long time I have maintained the opinion that no mater how good a movie is, it can only be entertainment. That it doesn't have the ability to really impact, or even change ones life. This may come as a surprise to some of you, but I think that this also includes the Christian films. All of them. No matter how good they are, all they will ever be is good, on some rare occasions, very good entertainment. It has nothing to do with how well they are made or how well they are written or how well they are acted. It's the format. For so many years, movies and television have been for entertainment only. A diversion. A chance for you to forget, for two hours, that you have a life out there, beyond the double doors, where you are embroiled in trouble. If you want to be educated: you watch a documentary. If you want to be encouraged: you watch a video recorded message from a trusted minister of God's Word. But. The Prestige has got me thinking about changing that position. When I left that film, I was definitely impacted by the message that the Nolan brothers were trying to get across: Obsession will destroy you and everything that you touch. And it was a good. There wasn't any language (that I can remember. Ah, the subjective memory) and no sex, though there is some romance. And it's smart. A movie has to be smart, or it's a waste of time. There was a time when I loved B movies, not so much anymore. But more on that at another time.

So. Okay. I feel better.