April 29, 2005
Christian Teens Make Online Series
A group of Christian teens are producing an online series, Persecution Video. You can watch a trailer and some teaser bits, which are pretty well done.
The focus of the series is to show typical teens in public high school and the kinds of "persecution" they face. While persecution is a strong word for what they're talking about, it can often feel like that when you're being picked on and ridiculed for your faith from friends, teachers and family.
They hope to go into production this summer and are looking for help and donations. (link via YS Update)
Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 01:07 PM | Comments (5) | TrackBack
April 22, 2005
Jake Lloyd of the Phantom Menace
MTV scores the first interview in six years with the childhood star of Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, Jake Lloyd who played the young Anakin Skywalker.
On the dark side, he didn't expect the sudden fame that comes with starring in a movie two decades in coming: "None of us really understood exactly how much that film would affect us for the rest of our lives." Uh, Mark Hamill anyone?
But on the side of all things good, he can recognize a bad haircut: "That bowl cut really drove me insane." Now if only he'd express hatred for Jar-Jar Binks, we'd be in good shape.
And on a deeper note, Lloyd is trying to get into acting again after a six-year hiatus: "The most important thing to me when it comes to auditioning is something where at the end, it's not going to be like, 'Oh, I wasted three months of my life making this movie, but at least I came away with cash.' That's not important to me. I'd rather go in and say, 'I spent three months of my life and I created something that I can appreciate, that I'm proud of, that I enjoyed doing and I can enjoy the end result of.'"
Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 09:57 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
April 13, 2005
Should Christians Watch Horror Movies?
Having never cared much for slasher films, I've never worried much about whether or not Christians should watch horror movies. But the world's bigger than me, isn't it?
A few weeks ago my wife and I had lunch with several teens from the youth group after church. At one point the conversation turned to the latest horror flicks and I woke up to the reality that Christians teens do watch horror movies. I managed to stay in the conversation thanks to the overdose of slasher trailers I'd seen: The Grudge, The Ring Two, Cursed, etc.
Since my horror-fandom extends to Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and that's about it (you can read my confessional/defense, Don't Be Stuffy About Buffy), I don't have much to offer this discussion. But I will point the way to a recent Christianity Today commentary, "The Horrors!", which dives deeply into the subject.
It's weighty stuff, but if you're a teen wondering about horror flicks, it's worth considering. Here's a final point from the article (and if this is all you take from it, you're missing a lot):
True horror, finally, makes possible an experience of grace. It suggests that we too are misshapen, we too are duped by evil. There is in us all a Mr. Hyde. We are all of us Edward Scissorhands.
Note: The article I linked to above is probably more of a resource for parents or youth workers and it's not written with teens in mind. However, I'm a firm believer that teens are smart. So I'd rather offer the resource and encourage you to talk to your parents and youth workers about horror films than pretend they don't exist or that you don't really watch them.
Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 01:23 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
March 30, 2005
Favorite Movies of 2004
- Napolean Dynamite
- Spider-Man 2
- Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
- Shrek 2
- The Grudge
- Dodgeball
OK, I can understand just about every movie on the list—I completely agree with the top 3. #4 and #5 I accept, but Dodgeball? Come on. I can see how it looked funny: great sport, Ben Stiller, goofiness. But then when you actually watch it—yikes. Those jokes would make a frat boy blush.
Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 10:16 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack