[Apologetics] Movie Recommendations

[Stephen Korsman]

Hi

What catches my attention is the small stuff.  The goofs.  If they did their homework, they could get it right.  If they are wrong on minor issues, it makes all the rest quite unbelievable.  A priest saying Mass with words the script writers made up, even if the entire film contains that as the only religion-related scene, misrepresents the Church to those who don't know it.  "I am the mantlepiece, the truth, and the life ..." (or whatever that mantlepiece word really was) could easily get non-Catholics who know that verse to wonder what these Catholics have done to the Bible.

Of the movies Art mentioned, I saw Shoes of the Fisherman when I was about 12 ... so I can't comment on it much, but I remember it was good.

Thinking a bit harder ... The Mission may have been without theological problems.  They did have at least one Jesuit on their consulting panel.

Left Behind, while not a movie that most Catholics would consider theologically correct on several issues, didn't misrepresent Catholicism by having a priest talking nonsense behind the altar.  The only Catholic reference I noted was a scene in an aeroplane with a nun ... later, after the rapture, you see her dress lying empty in her seat, with her rosary on it, which she had been praying.  Obviously the intent was to show a Catholic rosary-praying nun as a true Christian being included in the rapture, which is not at all a misreprentation of Catholicism.

As for The Omen ... Milingo would have done a better job.

If I see a movie with things that misrepresent Catholicism - goofs or major themes - I'll mention them here.

God bless,
Stephen

  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Dianne Dawson 
  To: Stephen Korsman ; Apologetics Group 
  Sent: Sunday, October 08, 2006 3:56 AM
  Subject: Re: [Apologetics] Movie Recommendations


  When I mentioned then theology being right I didn't mean the small stuff.  As you and Art said, no movie gets it completely right.  While I know it's not theology, per se, one example is Mary of Nazareth where Mary was portrayed as a nagging rebel and part of a gang along with Joseph.

  Dianne

  Stephen Korsman <skorsman at theotokos.co.za> wrote: 
    I don't remember a single movie that gets all the theology right.  They can't even manage to quote the Bible properly.  I just watched House of 9 ... the priest uses the Gospel of Thomas in his blessing of the dead ("he who is near me is near to the fire, and whoever is far from me is far from the kingdom"), and says something about "I am the mantlepiece, the truth, and the life ...."  It wasn't mantlepiece, and I don't remember the word, but it made about as much sense in the context he used it.  He could have been a priest from the Order of Da Vinci, for all he managed to get right.

    God bless,
    Stephen
    --
    Stephen Korsman
    skorsman at theotokos.co.za
    www.theotokos.co.za

    IC | XC
    ---------
    NI | KA

      ----- Original Message ----- 
      From: Dianne Dawson 
      To: Apologetics Group ; David Mullaney ; Mitch Michaelis ; Susan Shea ; Margaret Combs ; Holly Gatling ; Nettie Taylor 
      Sent: Saturday, October 07, 2006 9:09 PM
      Subject: [Apologetics] Movie Recommendations


      Last night a friend and I went to see The Guardian with Kevin Costner and Ashton Kutcher.  I highly recommend this movie,  It is a wonderful story of self-sacrifice.  The story line revolves around US Coast Guard rescue swimmers.  It has no explicit sex scenes (at least I didn't think so).  There is a sub-plot where one guy has an affair with someone he meets.  The most graphic scene has her sitting on the side of the bed, with a robe on, and he is under a quilt.  The photography is great.

      One of the preview trailers was about a movie due to come out later this year called The Nativity Story (www.thenativitystory.com).  If the trailer can be trusted it looks like a really good movie and pretty solid in theology.  The problem is I've learned that you certainly can't necessarily trust trailers.

      Dianne



      Like a deer that longs for running waters so my soul longs for you, O God.
      Ps 42:1



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  Like a deer that longs for running waters so my soul longs for you, O God.
  Ps 42:1




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