Tag: film

New Star Wars: A Spoiler-Free, Bullet-Points-Only Review

Star Wars_Force Awakens

 

I saw the new Star Wars film (The Force Awakens) last night. It was fantastic. Here’s a bullet-point, spoiler-free, in-no-particular-order reaction:

  • The new characters were stellar. They were written and developed well, and their acting was top-notch
  • There were lots of female heroes: Rey (played by Daisy Ridley: above, left), the General of the Resistance, Resistance fighter pilots, etc.
  • Another lead was a man of color: Finn (played by John Boyega: above, right)
  • This is to say–they really did a good job with diverse casting, more so than with the George Lucas films
  • The first scene is action-packed, and the movie is exciting and compelling all the way through
  • THE MUSIC. Whoa. So good
  • There are some good surprises that, even halfway through, you can’t see coming
  • Even if you haven’t seen previous movies in a long time (or ever), The Force Awakens makes sense on its own

There’s a lot more to say, but I’ll leave that to the Star Wars bloggers. I already want to see it again.

Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Pacifist, Nazi Resister (MOVIE)

Bonhoeffer Movie

My wife recently checked out a Bonhoeffer DVD for me, which we started watching the other night. We’re halfway through, and it’s already quite moving. First Run Features put it out, called Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Pacifist, Nazi Resister (pictured above).

Here is the film synopsis:

The German theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer was one of the first, and strongest, voices of resistance to Adolf Hitler. An acclaimed preacher, pacifist and author, Bonhoeffer came to the famed Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem on a teaching fellowship. When Bonhoeffer returned to Germany in 1932 he had a new awareness of racial prejudice and challenged Christian churches to stand with the Jews in their moment of need. Bonhoeffer eventually joined the unsuccessful plots to assassinate Hitler and was executed three weeks before the end of the war.

Here’s part of the movie, “Bonhoeffer Speaks Out Against Hitler”:

You can find the DVD here (affiliate link) or, most likely, at your local library. With how much Bonhoeffer I’ve been reading lately, it’s been nice to watch a filmic representation of his life–although further study of his life and struggle against Nazism is not for the faint of heart.

This is the fourth post in “Tuesdays in Lent with Bonhoeffer.” See the first one (on forgiveness) here. The second post covers Bonhoeffer’s early life, here. Some brilliance from 19-year-old Dietrich is noted here.