WORDS FROM W.W. September 9, 2011
Carol and I went to see The Help on Labor Day. Loved the movie! Extra butter on the popcorn! It was an enjoyable afternoon!
We arrived at 3:10 for the 3:10 showing, but when you arrive at the time of the showing guess what you watch? About 20 minutes of “Coming Attractions!” At least the theater no longer has the dancing candy box waltzing with a hot dog and a Coca-Cola cup across the screen, but most movie previews now don’t really get me excited.
What I noticed was the wide differences in the movies that were previewed, and I especially noticed this. There was a preview about the film Courageous. It’s a faith-based film from Sherwood Pictures, the movie-making ministry of Sherwood Baptist Church in Albany, Georgia. It’s the same group that produced Facing the Giants, and Fireproof. The new film, which arrives on September 30, is about four law enforcement officers, who are highly effective on the job, but struggle in the roles as fathers at home. It focuses on the urgency for fathers to invest into the lives of their kids, the vitalness of loving relationships between parents and their children.
The theme of the movie is clear.
The next movie preview that blasted onto the screen after that was the polar opposite. It was about one night stands, the non-commitment to another person when it impacts my personal comfort and convenience, and rapidness with which many people move from one relationship to another.
Don’t get me wrong! This is not about the moral decline of Western Civilization, or a lashing out at the brevity of present-day loving relationships. No, this is about the closeness of polar opposites that I sense is meshed into our culture today. Many of the same people who go to see Courageous, will go to see the other film the week after that.
There will be little recognition of the conflicting life perspective and values between the two films. Many in the audience will take in both films, remembering a touching father-son scene in one and a mad dash for the bedroom in the other.
It is perplexing, but also troubling to see the fluidness of our beliefs. It seems that we’ve become more and more flexible. We can sing praise music in one moment, and think like hedonists the next.
I’m not bitter, or even trying to be judgmental. I’m just a little bewildered.
Words from WW Blog 