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Messiah (2020)
Absolutely amazing and thought provoking
I don't give ten stars lightly. This series is well worth it, owing to the questions it asks, the acting and cinematography, the writing, and every aspect of its message.
Messiah is a fictional series based upon a premise: what if a person like Jesus of Nazareth appeared in our modern world? How would we react? Would we be tied to our belief systems, thinking that this "messiah" is some fulfillment of scripture? Or, being that he doesn't quite fit our expectations, would we believe that this "messiah" is a "false messiah", an "anti-christ", or in islamic terms, "al Masih ad Dujjar": the "deceiver messiah"? Curiously enough, the main character, "al Masih," arabic for "Messiah", is a product of all three Abrahamic faith traditions: Jewish, Christian, and Muslim, so the question as to who he is, is quite difficult to discern.
Even the ads for Messiah draw you into this question. "Will you believe?" Each episode leads you deeper into the mystery: who IS this guy? Why does he do such inconsistent things to what I believe either the Messiah or the Antichrist should do. Each episode ends with a cliff-hanger, with more questions than answers. Will we ever know who he is? Will it matter?
It's fun to read the reactions from various people on social media. Many people are convinced that the story is about the Islamic "Deceiver Messiah," yet a cursory search as to what "al Masih ad Dujjar" is would reveal that the creators of the show got a lot wrong if they were trying to make that point. Others bring their beliefs about the Christian "second coming" in probing whether the main character al Masih is the returning Jesus Christ, or is he a "false messiah", and anti-christ. And again, if so, the creators got a lot of details wrong about that as well. But what is truly fascinating is how much this stirs people up in their certainties about their belief systems. The problem is, that if you come to this series thinking you know who "al Masih" is, you are probably wrong.
Michael Petroni, the creator of the series, has made it clear that the theme is to address our belief systems. In the same way that people throughout history have resisted prophetic voices because of their entrenched beliefs, al Masih proposes, "What you will see, will be your own choosing." Thus, if we choose to see a divisive, anti-christ figure, then we will become certain that this is the theme of the series, and we would be wrong. If we choose to see that al Masih is truly a God, then we will be certain of this as well, and we would be wrong. The paradox is that if we choose to be open, without an agenda of who or what al Masih is, we may learn something about human nature and our belief systems.
The beauty of this series is how it is opening a serious dialogue among the three Abrahamic faith traditions about the futility of insisting on our certainties. And once we realize this, we are open to new possibilities of dialogue and interaction between us.
"What we will see, will be our own choosing."
The Legend of Bagger Vance (2000)
A movie about doing the right thing, authentically
The Legend of Bagger Vance is much more than a film about golf. As a retelling of the Bhagavad Gita, it is about life, responsibility, and overcoming one's personal demons to act--to seize the moment, and to do so with integrity, with authenticity.
In the movie, a troubled hero, Rannulph Junnah (R. Junnah, played by Matt Damon), returns a sole-survivor from the horrors of WWI riddled with doubts and detached from his life. When called to act, in this case, to represent his hometown in a golf tournament, he cannot 'find his swing', or act to his potential. At his moment of trial, a caddy appears, Bagger Vance (played by Will Smith), and leads him through. Bagger Vance shows R. Junnah 'the field'--gives him a vision of who he really can be and what he really can do if he sets aside all the 'would-have's and should-have's and could-have's.'
In the Gita, a troubled hero, Arjuna, is called on to act, but is also riddled with doubts. His charioteer, is none other than the 'beloved one'/Bhagavan, also known as Krishna or God, who shows him the field and purpose of life. In Hindu mythology, Krishna is not the hegemon of western theology, but rather playful and compassionate. Both Will Smith's portrayal of Bagger Vance and Matt Damon's of R. Junnah are delightfully true to the mythical tradition.
Both the Legend of Bagger Vance and the Bhagavad Gita encourage action without reservation and doubt. But the action is not arbitrary, but rather, completely and totally authentic. Bagger Vance teaches Junnah to find his own swing, the one he was born with. And later, Junnah finds a moment of integrity in action unparalleled in any other film. Doing the right thing when the whole world tells you not to is when authentic action truly matters.
Kakushi-toride no san-akunin (1958)
Quirky but beautifully entertaining
I had no clue that Lucas used this as inspiration for "Star Wars" when I saw "Hidden Fortress". And, when I found out, I didn't see the connection. Sorry George, I don't get it.
So I get this DVD from a friend who loves Japanese movies. For the first half hour or so, I'm following two stupid, greedy peasants who fall into one dumb mishap after another. I'm left thinking what's the point here? This is really lame. Eventually, a mysterious samurai general appears, none other than Toshiro Mifune, (THE Shogun), who uses these contemptible idiots to his advantage in transporting a spoiled, order-barking princess to safety.
Mifune's powerful acting, coupled with absolutely the most beautiful panoramic B&W long-angle photography, make this movie a worthwhile view. There's magic in the fire festival, where the villagers burn all their world-sorrows in a bonfire, while frenetically dancing and singing to a dirgelike song.
While I hear that the two clowns in this movie are the inspiration for R2D2 and C3PO of Star Wars, it's only a vague inspiration at best. (Ok, well, maybe there's an exiled princess and a Jedi master or so...) There are fundamental differences: the 'droids are motivated by duty to mission, and the clowns are motivated by greed. Princess Leia is a world-wise action figure, Princess Yuki is a spoiled brat. The plots bear no similarity, no war of conquest over an evil empire.
My suggestion? Forget Star Wars on this one. Appreciate Hidden Fortress for what it is, a satisfying comedy.
On the Waterfront (1954)
Great film with troubling political overtones
There's no question that Elia Kazan and Marlon Brando are at their very best in "On the Waterfront". Kazan led a cast of solid talent in a morality play amidst the backdrop of the Depression-era New York waterfront. Brando, much calmer than in his mercurial performance in "A Streetcar Named Desire" (also directed by Kazan), personifies the best in "Method" acting, perfectly engaging the viewer with his genuineness as Terry Malloy.
In the most famous scene, Brando, a has-been prizefighter, confronts his brother (Steiger) who is about to set him up to be executed by the mob bosses of the union. When Steiger reveals his intent to set Brando up, the scene explodes with reality and pathos. Brando's words, "Wow", sum up the intensity and emotion of the scene.
Great acting and directing, however, cannot cover up the transparent political/apologetical intent of the movie. Two years earlier, Kazan had sold out his integrity to the House Unamerican Affairs Committee (HUAC), "naming names" of those who would become the blacklisted Hollywood 10. Kazan, a former communist himself, regretted his involvement with the Party, and evidently decided it was politically advantageous to name his former associates. Likewise, Brando character Malloy finds himself in a mob-run labor union, and in his effort to 'get out', repeats much of what Kazan did in real life. Worse, Kazan, through the allegorical message of the film, brands his former writers as criminals and murders, and himself as the naive innocent. Being a communist was no crime in the 30s, and he was no innocent.
"On the Waterfront" is thus steeped in a right-wing political worldview. Mobs run labor unions. Unions are thus corrupt organizations who exploit workers and make it harder for businesses to thrive. Turn in union leaders into the police. Even the church becomes a tool of the state to further the cause of the police against the union.
Brando was never satisfied with "On the Waterfront". In fact, he later commented that it was indeed a tool for Kazan to justify his actions to the HUAC. One thumb up for the acting, one thumb down for the cheap political message.