Yesterday I took my 17 and 12 year olds with me to see Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed, the new movie concerning discrimination in the scientific community regarding some scientists who hold to Intelligent Design. Hosted by actor/comedian/talk-show host/activist Ben Stein, Expelled attempts to demonstrate that a “Berlin Wall” has been erected in science and that only those scientists and theories on the “Darwinian” side of the wall are able to get a hearing, tenure and publication in scientific journals.
First, the movie itself. It was better than I expected it to be, though not as good as it could have been. There was almost a consistent use of video clips, some of which were funny, but many of which were just distracting or overblown. The way I see it, those clips will merely feed those who see the movie as primarily entertainment, rather than a serious documentary.
Most of the interviews were enlightening and informative. Anyone who has read ID materials would recognize the names of Stephen Meyer, William Dembski and Jonathan Wells. To their credit, the producers also include agnostics like David Berlinski rather than those who can easily be traced back to religion or “young earth creationism” (which, it seems, no one in the movie holds). Berlinski, a virtual unknown to evangelicals, was thusly described by Slate magazine:
A secular Jew born in New York City, the 66-year-old began his career in academia. After earning a Ph.D. in philosophy from Princeton, he spent time teaching at Stanford, working as a management consultant, and completing postdoctoral work in mathematics and biology. Nothing took—as he describes it, he “got fired from almost every job [he] ever had.” And then, at some point in the last few decades, he decided to remake himself as a maverick intellectual operating out of a flat in Paris.
For an entertaining and wide ranging interview with Berlinski see here. It didn’t take long to determine that he was probably the smartest person being interviewed in the film.
Interviews with Darwinists were also enlightening. One, with a prof named Provine, easily demonstrated that Darwinists are as closed minded as they accuse Christian fundamentalists of being. Atheist Richard Dawkins’ arrogance comes across as clearly here as in his books and debates. Interestingly, he does admit that an intelligence could be responsible for “seeding” life on earth, but said intelligence would likely have been beings from a super-advanced civilization from another galaxy who would “necessarily” have evolved according to Darwinian evolution. How does he know this evolution would be necessary? He doesn’t say.
(In an interesting turn, ID theorists tend to reject the idea of “alien seeding” even though the theory itself does not rule out that very possibility. Upon rejecting the possibility that super intelligent aliens could have planted the first cell which became the common ancestor, they have nowhere to turn for the intelligent source but God which then becomes self-fulfilling of the accusation that ID is mere religion in cheap scientific terms or creationism in sheep’s clothing.)
Second, as might be expected, the basis for the movie (loss of tenure and/or grants for ID promoting professors and scientists) has already been challenged. The website Expelled Exposed is claiming that there were plenty of extenuating circumstances in each situation that renders the claims of ID discrimination impotent. I am not persuaded by each of the arguments, but if you are going to debate the veracity of Expelled, you need to be aware of the objections as there are always two sides to each story.
The most important part of the movie, IMO, is not the ID issue, but the inextricable tie between Darwinian thought and both Nazism and eugenics. This was not news to me, but it will be for many who see the movie and while critics will cry “foul,” it will make no difference, it is absolutely true. But further, if Darwinism is true, then there was nothing wrong with either the holocaust or eugenics. Survival of the fittest, we know, is an ugly, bloody, violent concept and whether you are talking about lions, tigers, bears or humans, the ones who adapt and find a way to maintain their existence are the ones best suited for survival. Ergo, it matters not that huge gas chambers were built all over Europe and vast ovens for the disposal of corpses, the Nazis were simply better suited to survive than 13 millions Jews, gypsies, homosexuals and crippled. The same with eugenics: why cry over the fact that scores of imbeciles were sterilized? The strong and smart were simply asserting their superior fitness to survive. As ugly as it is, that is the logic of naturalistic Darwinism. To appeal to morality or conscience is to recognize an objective law or truth outside ourselves.
The reality is that we don’t need Darwin as an excuse to kill and maim each other; as sinful creatures we did that quite efficiently before he ever came around.
Expelled is rated PG for a curse word, thematic material and holocaust film footage.
I think my favorite scene from any movie is a simple but powerful scene in To Kill a Mockingbird. At the end of Tom Robinson’s trial, the courtroom has almost emptied as his defense attorney, Atticus Finch (Gregory Peck) picks up his papers and packs up his briefcase. Remaining attendants are only those seated the balcony (excepting his kids and neighbor Dill they were all African-Americans who were not allowed to sit on the main floor). As Atticus turns to walk out the door, all those in the balcony begin to slowly rise. In just a few seconds everyone is standing except for Atticus’ daughter Jean Louise (Mary Badham), better known as “Scout.” An elder African American man leans down and semi-whispers, “Stand up, Miss Jean Louise. Stand up-your Father is passing.” Unfortunately, I cannot find the clip online. If you don’t already on this movie on DVD, you probably hate your Mother, too. Get it here.
Another scene I really like is the singing of “La Marseillaise” from Casablanca. Another favorite movie, this scene puts me on the verge of tears every time I watch it. Some exiled French, holed up at Rick’s Cafe Americain, are being subjected to a terrible rendition the German anthem by some Nazi officers. A few measures into it, Resistance leader Victor Lazlo (Paul Henreid) instructs the house band to “play La Marseillaise…play it!” They do with stirring results
Last of my faves is one of the most powerful scenes ever committed to film. A scene that is as emotionally and physically exhausting for the viewer as it must have been for the participants. The original scene is 10 or more minutes long. This clip, missing the beginning, is a little over eight. Anne Bancroft as Annie Sullivan and the astounding Patti Duke as Helen Keller in the breakfast scene from The Miracle Worker.
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford stars Brad Pitt and Casey Affleck based on the novel of the same name by Ron Hansen. Amazon lists the book at 320 pages and I’m sure the movie was at least that many hours.
The story centers on the last few months of James’ life, from September 7, 1881 through April 3, 1882, the date of his death. The adjective “assassination” is used rather than “murder” or “shooting” due to the notoriety that the outlaw had received following his 20+ bank and train robberies (with brother, Frank, and the “James Gang”) and his self-proclaimed 17 murders.
The movie uses, not effectively in my estimation, a lot of narration that is supposed to sound old and western but really just sounds uninteresting. Pitt is believable as the weary warrior, who at the age of 34 is already well along the down side of life. He does a good job of avoiding the smirks of his Ocean’s series character so you never get the feeling that he’s just collecting a paycheck on this one, and he does admirable work portraying James at times of overwhelming mental stress, anxiety and paranoia and as the family man forever hidden under the alias Tom Howard.
Affleck, who was honored with a Best Supporting Actor Nomination for his portrayal of the young, conflicted, fame seeking Robert “Bob” Ford, has moments of sheer brilliance but the disjointedness of the story telling works against his overall performance, IMO. After his initial appearance, which is extended, there was one point where I thought, “Where is Casey Affleck? Isn’t he in this movie?” I always felt that the best actors could carry or change a scene with their eyes, facial muscles and vocal tones–he pulls this off well especially early when both Frank and Jesse seem to put him down as too young (he was only 19 at the time of the Blue Cut train robbery). A particularly good scene features Ford, with some amount of embarrassment, recounting the ways that he as a youngster had likened himself to James. I really felt empathy for this character who sought so desperately to be liked by the one he admired, but never earned that respect.
(As good as Affleck’s performance is it does not come close to the astonishing, screen filling turn of Daniel Day-Lewis in There Will Be Blood and there were actually a couple of times early in the movie when the silly grin of “Bob” Ford reminded me of Ernest T. Bass more than a real gunslinger. Of course, that may have well been the intent as, initially, that is rather how Ford appeared to those around him.)
Ultimately Ford is about making a name for himself and, as the gang begins to implode, Jesse James’ continued patronizing of and veiled threats toward the younger outlaw brings him to a point that no man had dared go: the betrayal and killing of the man he once admired as a hero. By the time the titular scene arrives, however, it is all one can do to stay awake. This movie is really long, 160 minutes worth and the last 30 minutes or so are a record of the self-aggrandizement of Ford after reaching his desired celebrity. It is stated in the narration that not long after the killing, Robert Ford was recognized by a greater percentage of Americans than the president of the United States and was “more renowned at twenty than Jesse James after fourteen years of grand larceny.”
The killing itself is most bizarre. It is as if Ford is the uncertain tool of assassination under the direction of a choreographer who was Jesse James himself. I have no idea as to its historical accuracy.
Unless you are a fan of every western ever made or you desire a lot of action in that genre, or simply enjoy movies that move very slowly you might want to steer clear of this one. It is a talkie.
The primary strength of this movie is its cinematography. Filmed in both Winnipeg, Manitoba and Calgary, Alberta, Canada (the latter of which boasts some of the most gorgeous scenery on earth) the setting passes easily for the midwestern US in both summer and winter. The snow scenes are tremendous.
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford is rated “R” for typical gun violence, a dozen or so swear words (but I wasn’t counting). There is no nudity or sexuality but there are a couple of brief sexually oriented conversations.
Friday marked the opening of the second Dennis LeHane book to be made into a major motion picture. Following the Clint Eastwood directed Mystic River comes Gone Baby Gone (see other reviews here), directed co-written by Oscar winning screenwriter (Good Will Hunting), movie actor and tabloid star, Ben Affleck. Affleck, in his first turn in the director’s chair, has given his audiences a remarkably well made film. I can’t remember a single wasted shot or scene and a scant few lines that I thought might have been better written. He is said to have used many locals for bit parts and it would not take much convincing of me to believe the truth of it. There are very few “actor looking” people in this movie.
The central characters of the story are Boston area private investigators Patrick Kenzie (Affleck’s brother, Casey) and Angela Gennaro (Michelle Monaghan), who are called upon to assist the police in finding a missing 4 year old girl, abducted from her bed while her mother visited with a friend next door. Morgan Freeman plays Jack Doyle, Captain of the Missing Children’s Unit, while versatile Ed Harris is ably cast as a Louisiana transplant, Detective Remy Broussant. So well cast is this movie that no part stands head and shoulder above the rest and with each performance being top notch. Freeman (of course he’s played God, so this should have been a piece of cake) in no way overshadows the others, as some might expect, and Casey Affleck (known to moviegoers as one of the “Mormon twins” in the Ocean’s movie franchise) is remarkably good in the primary role. Amy Ryan, as the conflicted, weak mother, with Titus Welliver and Amy Madigan as her brother and sister-in-law, round out the main parts.
To tell any of the story would be to tell all of the story, so I’ll tell none of it. But like the book, the movie deals fully in shades of gray. There is no black and white in the world of LeHane and Ben Affleck, while making a few minor changes in characters and some intricacies of the book, leaves the story a moral mess. Affleck explores the human condition and the emptiness of soul of people who have long since given up any clue about a holy God, choosing instead the full depth of depravity. The Kenzie/Gennaro series of books always leaves one thankful that there is a God who cares, though, apparently, He rarely makes an appearance in New England.
I would recommend this movie to pastors who are spending too much time cloistered away in the ivory towers of sermon preparation and need to be shaken and reminded as to the depth of sin. There is no sex or nudity in the film, but there is graphic violence, a particularly disturbing scene involving a child molester, suspense and pervasive bad language easily earning its “R” rating. Apparently Bostonians are partial to the letter “F” and have become very creative in ways to employ it.
When leaving today, I said to a pastor friend who attended with me, “What did you think?” He replied, “That’s the world we live in.” I did walk away thinking how we live in a world in which there are not always easy answers, everything isn’t always black and white and sometimes our field of vision is a little clouded on the grays around us, yet ever hopeful with the knowledge that the good news of Jesus can cleanse from the most vile evil and wickedness both in and among us.
I went yesterday to see the new 3:10 to Yuma starring Russell Crowe and Christian Bale. As most now know it is the remake of the 1950’s classic starring Glenn Ford and Van Heflin, based on a short story by prolific author Elmore Leonard. (See Rotten Tomatoes reviews here, Focus on the Family here, and ScreenIt here.)
The movie itself is not merely a western, not even like Unforgiven or Pale Rider. There is a psychological bent to this film and a type of redemption, though it clearly falls short of actual spiritual redemption in Christ. Christian Bale is Dan Evans, a Civil War vet who, having lost a leg, is now trying to make a go of it as a rancher in Arizona (the reason he chose AZ is not revealed until late in the movie). Russell Crowe is the suave but demented and deeply wicked Ben Wade, the leader of a gang of thieves who specialize in high dollar stage and train robberies. Their paths intersect early on in the story and form the basis for the action and exploratory dialogue that form the remainder of the film.
The story hinges on whether Evans will be able, with a diminishing posse, to deliver Wade to the town of Contention and get him aboard the 3:10 prison train to the Yuma pen. The entirety of the story seems to take place across the space of about 48 hours. If you favor high action like the more recent Die Hard movies, then there might be too much talking in Yuma; if you favor lots of talking, then there may to much violence and blood.
I personally evaluate movies like this as to whether there is clarity between the evil and the good. On one level here, there is: Wade, though a Bible quoter, is completely and thoroughly evil. He is as manipulative and cold and Hannibal Lecter ever dreamed of being, and, sans one sequence, can never be trusted. The problem with Wade, as several characters discover, is that he can laugh with you while talking about “the weather” one moment and end your life the next. It is unfortunate to me that the typical Hollywood pattern of a Bible quoting killer is used, though, in an unusual twist, the reason is actually made plain and it’s foundational to the criminal’s twisted conscience.
On another level the clarity is more murky: the hero is obviously operating in the realm of common grace, not saving grace. As a matter of fact, the “good guy” knows no scripture at all, though his family does observe their gratefulness to God in a blessing led by Evan’s wife (played by Gretchen Mol). Unlike Talladega Nights where everything having to do with God is played for laughs, this scene is utterly serious as the family gives thanks to God while one at the table ignores it. In the final resolution, as motives become completely clear, it brings out the most redemptive portion of the story and displays a moving portrait of the lengths to which Dads will go to win their sons.
3:10 to Yuma is rated “R” for language (including the “f-bomb” twice), violence and bloody gore including graphic shootings, an exploding horse (yep), and a bullet removal.
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