Nine Generalizations

My purpose in Film Night is to try to find out what God is up to in the world of film. What is a movie? What is it good for? What are the limits of its goodness? What can we learn about ourselves and the world around us through them? Are there cathartic experiences to be had? Here are some things I've learned so far:

1. As humans, we've moved from being an oral culture to a print culture and, in the last 30 years or so, to a visual culture.
2. English teachers can say what they want; movies are the new storytellers.
3. Pastors can say the word is central; society responds to the image.
4. Movies have been around for only 100 years.
5. Christians have been watching movies sympathetically for about 15 years.
6. Christians are not good interpreters of movies. Humility must be our first interpretive tool.
7. Movies appeal primarily to the emotions through visually artistic clues, which need to be learned.
8. All movies make you feel; a good film can also make you think. The cathartic experience of Schindler's List can be more valuable than the reading of a Nazi history book.
9. Movies can exercise our emotions, and through that process help a brainy Christian become a more well-balanced person.

Film night is every second Sunday at 6:30 at the Hill's, 313 S. Orchard, Stillwater (405) 533-1153. We usually begin with a cartoon, then watch the movie, then someone leads a discussion for awhile.

Here are some movies we've watched in the last few years:
They Shoot Horses, Don't They?
Ghost World
Ararat
Run Lola Run
Memento
Big Fish
Fanny and Alexander
8 1/2
Juno
Annie Hall
What's Eating Gilbert Grape
2LDK
Benny and Joon
Alice Adams
The Host
A Tuna Christmas
Madea's Class Reunion
Groundhog Day
Dark City
Dancer in the Dark
Bucket of Blood
The Truman Show
The Tingler
The Royal Tennenbaums
A Simple Plan
The Fourth Wise Man
Psycho
The Big Kahuna
Raging Bull
Hero
Battlefield Baseball

We're going to tackle the documentary in the next few months with titles like Vernon Florida, Harvard Beats Yale 29-29, Stevie, and Project Greenlight. Come join the journey!