GordoZone

Fireproof is a movie.

A DVD of this movie had been sitting on my television for about a month.  Being attached to a church, I have been under a little bit of pressure to see it.  Not in a direct way, but folks have been talking about it and would keep asking if I had seen it.  So I finally watched it tonight.

Here’s an abbreviated version of a pretty good synopsis from RottenTomatoes.com:

FIREPROOF…is a Christian relationship drama with a very strong message. The film stars Kirk Cameron…as Captain Caleb Holt, a fireman whose fearlessness is limited to his work. At home with his wife of seven years, Caleb shows little of the bravery he displays on the job, and has a failing marriage as a result… Caleb begins a difficult journey to reclaim his wife, and in the process, his faith in God.  The film offers an alternative to the common romantic comedy and… a more multidimensional view of romance… Likely to please its target audience, the film offers a fresh perspective on marriage and inspiring relationship tips viewers may want to try regardless of their faith.

A good, fair-handed review also comes from Neil Genzlinger of the New York Times.  This review is also worth reading after you’ve seen the movie.

OK, now The Gordo’s take on this:

The synopsis and review above are both solidly accurate descriptions.  Yes, you will encounter the primary elements of the Christian message, but no, you are not beaten over the head with it.  There are a couple of moments where it’s a little direct, but not ham-handed (well, maybe a little at the end).  Fairly, it’s a part of the story.  My point: this movie will provide the same experience whether you’re interested in matters of faith or not.  If you are not a Christian, or aren’t interested in such, the religious elements in the movie will allow you the understanding of the various characters’ motivations through their faith system, but you wouldn’t feel like you were watching a commercial on Christ.  Much like Hinduism in some of the Bollywood movies I’ve watched — elements I needed for story, but I didn’t feel proselytized. (ok, the end goes over the edge a little — coulda definitely trimmed the remaining several minutes after the climactic ending in the firehouse. Yeah, credits shoulda rolled there.)

The acting?  Um, well…

OK, not that bad at all, especially since I’ve discovered that this was an almost entirely volunteer cast.  Given that bit of information, the quality of acting was pretty darn good.  Since we all have direct access via mainstream movies to the very best actors in the world all the time, and very few of us even have regular access to modern b-movies or indy flicks (much less care to), it’s easy to be critical of anything that’s off the Hollywood standard, even if it’s still good.  Being a high school band director, I understand all too well about being held to world-class standards all the time in the musical world.  Also, I’ve tried my hand at stage and film acting — it’s really a lot harder than it looks.  And, of course, we all have suffered through numerous wretched mainstream movies performed by A-list actors.

Professional actor Kirk Cameron did a very good job, as did his lieutenant in the movie played by Ken Bevel, who is also a US Marine Corps officer in real life.  Oddly enough, lead female Erin Bethea, the only other professional actor (I think), didn’t quite have as good a day on set.  Given that she’s a degreed theatre actress currently under contract at Disney’s Magic Kingdom I expected a little more.  It was a passable performance, though, for sure.  Given her entire background is in theatre, that may have been a factor.  Acting on stage is a world of difference than film acting.

Actually, the very best actor of the entire movie was the emergency room nurse, played by Janet Lee Dapper.  She only has one 2-minute scene about 70 minutes into the movie, and all she is doing is being an active ER nurse to an injury.  But I tell you with all deep truthfulness when she was talking I would swear that I was actually standing in an ER listening to a real nurse.  She is interacting with both main characters, mind you, so it wasn’t like she was just talking nurse-talk (although most of it was).  With the enormity of volunteer-quality line deliveries throughout the movie, this just caught my ears like a sweet aria.  I’d like to see some of the other things she has done.

The script?  Much better than expected.

Dear goodness, there were a good half-dozen campy moments and at least ten lines that should have never been written.  In a couple of cases, you’ll just laugh out loud at the absurdity — I did.  Now, while this may sound harsh on it’s face, hear me out.  The fact that most of the script was good quality made those moments stick out like sore thumbs.

Where I have to give real credit is to the concepts that the script addresses and how they are addressed.  I’ll hit that further down the post.

Cinematography/Editing/Post-production?  Excellent.

A few moments seemed a little stylistically dated, like I was watching a commercial, but in general these elements were done rather well across the board.

Action sequences?  Excellent.

I did giggle once early on because the setup seemed forced, but the sequence itself was fairly well done.  In every action sequence, I believed in what I was seeing and bought into the tensions of the moment.

Concepts?  Outstanding.

Now, largely this is a coming-of-age, lost-love-found drama.  There are a number of enjoyable humorous elements, but it is not a comedy or action film.  It is certainly a drama.  The review above says the “film offers an alternative to the common romantic comedy and… a more multidimensional view of romance,” and I’m inclined to agree.  Forgetting the religious elements entirely, it’s definitely a fresh approach to the genre.

I have to give major credit to the script here.  The spousal dialogue was very direct and very true to human nature.  Of all the lines, these were the most refined and potent.  Particularly the opening sequences. 

Credit also to telling it like it is.  Very impressive here.  I put that in italics because it covers about three plot points that I don’t want to spoil for you.  Though done with utmost in taste, there’s no dancing around any of the marital concepts that are addressed (including the topic of internet porn, so note that point if you’re planning to have children watch it).  Also, there were at least two twists I didn’t even see coming.  One I had figured out, only to be drawn away from believing it anymore, to be shown later I was right.  Clever.

Strangely, I’m a little impressed that the lead male did all the deep, sensitive growth while his wife was an eternal DRAGON WENCH the entire movie.  Eat your heart out, Lifetime.

Were you moved by the film?  Some. Not like all the folks who told me to watch it – at least based on my perception of what other folks have experienced.

Largely, I’m not in a place in my marriage where this movie would give me the greatest impact.  I have had at least two folks give me the impression that the storyline was lifted straight from their own lives.  I can see why they were affected so much.  I’d play the man-card — you know, dudes don’t get all mushy and moved and such — but the folks who have been most vocal to me of the impact on their lives have been men.  Married men.

All marriages struggle with the movie’s general concepts to one degree or another at some point — mine included.  If your marriage is where theirs is in the story, then I can see why this movie might affect you greatly.

Do you recommend this movie?  Yeah, I do.  Probably not for the same reasons everyone else does.  First, see it just to shut everyone else up.  I’VE SEEN IT ALREADY, NOW QUIT BUGGING ME!  Really, though, it’s good to see films that don’t fit into the half-dozen basic movie templates that exist today.  It’s definitely a little bit different.

Oh, and if you’re a couple (married or not), then watch it together.  Talk about it.  Talk during it (use the pause button as necessary).  Even make fun of it a little if you want — I did.  But do it together.  No matter your faith, no matter your stage of relationship, you’ll likely discover that by the end of the night you’re talking to each other about each other.

At least that’s what happened to us.

Peace.

BrownKitty, my favorite little kitty buddy, passed away this morning.

He passed away less than a year after his 12-year friend Gracie Cat.  He was 16 years old — quite a bit of age for a cat.

He had been in great health for quite a long time, but his little kitty body simply began to shut down from old age this week.  It was very quick — just a few days.

BrownKitty showed up to our house in the fall of 1996.  I had began to see him around and would tell my wife ‘that brown kitty is back’.  We had concerns of him being fed, soooo, we did have a little food outside that I’m sure he was nibbling on.  Over the course of weeks, he would catch us as we came home and demand to sit on our laps for love.  He could pin you down for an hour and drool, drool, drool with love.

In December of 1996 he got injured, a nasty bump on the head we think was from a car.  He came to our porch and laid there.  It was below freezing that night, so we brought him in for the first time.  We went ahead and took him to the vet the next day.  He was fine, but bringing him in saved his life.  It was the start of a beautiful 13-year relationship.  Needless to say, ‘that brown kitty’ became his name, BrownKitty.

I also found out that he’d been fixed and had also been declawed (which we’d figured out by now).  Someone had gotten some work done on this cat.  We looked around for lost cat signs, but were never able to locate a previous owner.

He was the best of kitties.  As much as a cat can be, he was one of the very best friends I have ever had.  I could tell you many, many stories of how wonderful he was.  On laps, sleeping on me, kneading on me, and being a generally good friend.

Alas, he’s buried beside Gracie.  The kids were a little more understanding this time, and my oldest even wrote me a sympathy note.  More questions about life, death, and why dads sometimes cry.  Oh, well.

Goodbye, my dear kitty friend.  You were a good companion.  You were family.  I loved you much, and you will be missed.

This was a nice finesse.

N. Korean leader reportedly pardons U.S. journalists

I’ve always been reasonably appreciative of the current foreign policy.  Sure, I have complaints, but then I did during the Bush administration, as well.  Do keep in mind that foreign policy isn’t a high-priority interest of Obama, himself, which is why Mrs. Clinton was a brilliant choice for Secretary of State.  You gotta credit the Clintons, they’ve always been superior players on the international stage.

Now, if only Obama took that attitude with the domestic agenda  and quit trying to erase everything the Founding Fathers established here.

OK, enough of my kvetching.  I’m glad for this success, and congratulations to all involved.

Peace.

UPDATE: Jack Cafferty asks an interesting question on his CNN blog.  It’s an interesting little read, and most of the responses are interesting.  Why did Bill Clinton succeed in N. Korea where U.S. govt failed?

I’m watching the tube for a bit.  My DirecTV HD is being piped into my television through satellite.  The screen blips for a few seconds as the signal goes awry, and the screen is briefly pixellated.

Then it dawned on me — we’ve all gone digital.

Yeah, I know it’s been that way since June 12th.

What dawned on me is that my children, who are five and three, will never really know screen static like we’ve always known.  Think about it: unless you intentionally make it happen, most children will never deal with the snowy screens or the horrid white-noise hiss of signal loss.  It’s not just the signal loss — think about when you were engrossed in a TV show as a child and suddenly, without any warning whatsoever, you were affronted with a wretched load of noise and jumping snowy dots.  Think of those times when you were trying to watch something obscure through hazy lines and sub-par sound quality because you just had to see it.

Now, of course I know they will likely experience these things at some point, or, more likely, will still know what old-fashioned analog screen static is, but it will no longer have the impact that it did to us.  I have used it in video production for a shock segue or other effect, but ultimately the days of intentionally using it are numbered.

Case in point: I am a fairly big fan of Monty Python.  I purchased a ‘best of’ compilation called The Final Rip-Off.  I bought it in the early 90’s on two cassette tapes.  These comedy bits had been pieced together from recordings they had sold from as far back as the early 70’s.  At least twice, as a shock transition, I would hear a dreadful scratch of a turntable needle being dragged over a vinyl record.  While I thought this was funny, an older friend of mine mentioned that when those sketches first came out as a commercial recording, they were on vinyl.  People  listening to the recording for the first time would likely have jumped out of their skins thinking something had bumped their turntable and scratched the heck out of their precious Python recording.  Haha, joke’s on YOU, courtesy of Monty Python.

I didn’t quite have that reaction listening to them on cassette in my car.

You see the point.  I understood what I was hearing, but didn’t even recognize the shock value of it, being that I was not listening on the intended original medium.  By then, I didn’t even use a turntable anymore.  I surely didn’t think that it was anything more than an amusing transition sound.  In other words, I was too young to really get the shock value of the joke.  The power of the vinyl-scratch sound had already faded.

Our children may understand what they are seeing, but they’ll never understand the shock value of analog signal loss.

Sure, it is still around a bit here and there.  Sure, some folks with converter boxes and antennas may encounter it at signal loss.  But this is a turning point.  A half-generation from now, signal loss will be so completely different in our collective intelligence.

OK, I know it’s small, but it’s just one of those things.

OK, I had hoped to talk about my forays in Europe, the 40 cute things my kids do every day, or some other facts-of-life drivel.  But I’m afraid that I’m going to have to point out just how economically stupid the Obama administration is.

Point in fact: the Cash for Clunkers program.  Under the plan as enacted, vehicles purchased after July 1 will be eligible for refund vouchers worth $3,500 to $4,500 on traded-in gas guzzlers. The trade-in vehicle has to get combined city and highway fuel economy ratings of 18 miles per gallon or less.  Cash for Clunkers, which Congress passed in June, is set to end on Nov. 1 or whenever its $1 billion budget has been depleted.

Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., said: “I am delighted to hear dealers say that all of their salespeople are busy and they are selling more cars in a day than they had been selling in a month.”  The program has been a smashing success.  Even my own parents bought a car on the Cash for Clunkers motivation.

Well, well, well.  They’ve run out of money in less than a month.  Wow, do you notice how a tax cut moved the economy?  Give people their money back and they — wait for it — SPEND IT!  Rev the economy by CUTTING TAXES, and not stealing from the middle class to build bridges and ”create jobs” that will end once a project is over.

While I applaud the idea that we can celebrate the success of “give the people their money back” stimulus — WHY IS IT SUCH A SURPRISE?!?  Quit “stimulating” the economy, while absconding with enormous amounts of money and passing bills our children will never pay off.  Government, get out of the way and let the economy grow.

Why do I call a success a failure for the Obama administration?  Because what was supposed to succeed has failed, and a single, $1 billion tax rebate (that helps the environment, by the way) succeeds so wildly that it has actually harmed dealerships by not being big enough.  Dealers have invested enormous amounts of ad money they cannot undo and purchasers are being required to sign agreements will dealers that they’ll pay the $4,500 if the government defaults.

Now, again, is this really an Obama Administration failure?  Here’s how to tell.  Will they recognize the power of small government and free markets to heal the economy?  If so, then they will abandon this ridiculous power and money grab, reverse their command-and-control economic policies, and will apply these tactics to things like food, clothing, and, say, EVERYTHING ELSE.

I would also point out an additional failure involved: Why is it Barack Obama’s business what kind of car you buy?  Before we talk about just how great this program is, please note that not every new car is eligible for the deal.  I couldn’t buy a family van, as no vans qualify — they’re too big and aren’t fuel-efficient enough.  My problem is that I have a family with large cargo needs.  Now, I don’t get my money back simply because I do not need the type of car the government is telling me to buy.

You say, sure Scott, it’s better for the environment.  I say that a newer vehicle would still be better than what I have, and why can’t I get a hold of $4,500 of my own money for a new vehicle I can actually use for my family?  You say, well it’s still good for those folks who want a new small car.  I say, if it’s so good, then imagine the economic boom if this applied to all folks buying cars.  You say, but this was supposed to make for a better use of environment and fuel.  I say, so what — my point is that the principles of free market work, and that the Democrats are SO outside the realm of common sense they just don’t get any of this.  You think it’s OK to change Americans’ behavior by targeted cuts, and deny some folks tax breaks because they won’t buy the government-approved vehicle?  Just wait until they get a hold of your health care.  You better hope you’re the type of person they target health care resources for, or perhaps you’re the Clunker, and a trade-in may be in their best interests.  Enjoy your mandatory end-of-life counceling, then.

More money in people’s pockets (and company coffers) means a healthier economy, more jobs, less unemployment, more interest in purchasing cleaner technology, and higher revenues (for both business and government).

Will Democrats be able to see the goodness in all this, or will they continue to print money, spend us into oblivion, and demand even more of our personal cash to hand over to their designated victim-voter classes.  Will they FAIL by not embracing SUCCESS?  Will they drop their failed socialist policies and heal this country?  It isn’t just about cars — the cars are one aspect of how to heal the society. 

Can the donkey change its DNA?

…in regard to his response to the turmoil in Iran.

In short, we’ve been used as a Great Satan scapegoat for Middle East theocratic failures for quite a few decades.  The great people of Iran are as educated and modern a group of people as you will find in the Middle East (yea, the world, even).

While simply being the United States has had quite a bit of influence on Iranian culture, much to the dismay of fundamentalists and hard-liners, we have done well not to actively meddle in the current Iranian crisis.

These folks don’t want a specific president, they want freedom.  They want a state separate from their religion.  This potential revolution needs to happen from within.  The U.S. is already being blamed for meddling, but the genral populace isn’t buying it this time — precisely because we’re not meddling.  President Obama is engaging in wise action (or inaction, as the case may be) by keeping the U.S. out of it for now.

At some point in the future, active support for the uprising may be in our best interests, but for now we need to have freedom-loving Iranians pursue freedom for themselves.  President Obama made some early-stage pointed comments this weekend supporting freedom-lovers in Iran.  I expect he’ll get more clear in his support over time.  It needs time, though, to become an Iranian moment.

While I appreciate the folks who have believed we should be standing proudly beside the protesters, I do wish certain Republicans wouldn’t use this as an opportunity for Obama-bashing.  He is doing very well.  Besides, do you think that there is nothing going on behind the scenes or in the shadows to protect American interests?

Frankly, I gladly admit that President Obama has handled the entire Middle East situation quite well, including the speech I didn’t take to kindly to at first.  Bill Clinton used the same technique to our benefit in the 90’s.  I’m personally happy to throw my weight behind the President and Secretary of State on this one.  I expect we’ll jump in with the right kind of support once enough of the Iranian people claim the cause of freedom as their own fight.

Keep in mind, this protest has passed the point of no return.  This is no longer a protest, but an uprising.  Mark my words, the losers will hang.

Below are links to three great articles if you prefer far more intelligent and articulate positions than I can present.  They influenced my opinions, for sure.  I don’t normally align myself with Patrick Buchanan, but two of these links are to articles of his, and both are worth reading.  Read all these — you’ll be smarter for it.

Patrick Buchanan — Outlasting the Ayatollahs
This is an article in defense of current US policy.

Michael Ledeen — So NOW What’s Going On in Iran?
Michael Ledeen is one of our most valuable assets.  The link above is from June 17th, so things have already changed, but he has great insight as to who Mousavi was before the election and who he is now.  To read his latest (always worthwhile), click here to go to his blog.

Patrick Buchanan — Tiananmen Moments
An article on how autocratic regimes survive, and reflections on Iran today through the lens of history.

UPDATE: If you want the best live-blogging on Iranian affairs, then you should go read Andrew Sullivan’s blog.

A couple of worthwhile links.  First, this one by Brian M. Riedl on the debt bubble, i’ts possible effects, and some interesting facts about current spending.

And, of course, Instapundit has the telltale graphic showing how the current administration’s planned spending dwarfs all other presidential spending combined.  There are also several interesting links included there if you get the hankering for more detail.

Neither are particularly long, but both are horrendously informative.  You would do well to read these.

Peace, and may God clear the vision of the American people.

Zeigler hits a grand slam.  Brewer should go back to school.  The destruction is total.

Some pleasures in life need no further commentary.  Enjoy.  I certainly did.  Creds to MSNBC, the official news organization of the Obama White House, for having it on their site.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22425001/vp/31206590#31206590

I just read an interesting take on the question from Rabbi Freeman of Chabad.org:

An exerpt:

The quick and simple answer: It depends. If the enemy is the dark evil of this world, pray for an end to evil. If the enemy is a human being, defend yourself, attack first if necessary, and pray that all your enemies will live, become your friends and fulfill the mission for which they were born: To join together to create a peaceful, harmonious world.

Read the whole response here.

What gets into people?  I remember when George Tiller was attacked in the mid-1990’s.  Well, some loon finally went and shot the man to death while he was serving as an usher at his church.  What a sick, evil coward his murderer is.

And now for the rest of the story:

Doctor who performed abortions shot to death

I defer to Robert P. George, McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence at Princeton University:

Whoever murdered George Tiller has done a gravely wicked thing.  The evil of this action is in no way diminished by the blood George Tiller had on his own hands.  No private individual had the right to execute judgment against him.  We are a nation of laws.  Lawless violence breeds only more lawless violence.  Rightly or wrongly, George Tilller was acquitted by a jury of his peers.  “Vengeance is mine, says the Lord.” For the sake of justice and right, the perpetrator of this evil deed must be prosecuted, convicted, and punished.  By word and deed, let us teach that violence against abortionists is not the answer to the violence of abortion.  Every human life is precious.  George Tiller’s life was precious.  We do not teach the wrongness of taking human life by wrongfully taking a human life.  Let our “weapons” in the fight to defend the lives of abortion’s tiny victims, be chaste weapons of the spirit.

And, of course, every right-reasoning person’s fear:

Pro-Life Groups Fear Backlash After Tiller Murder

My heartfelt sympathies go out to Dr. Tiller’s family.

Peace, people.  Peace.