Wednesday, June 08, 2005
Save Me From This Movie
I have finally seen the movie and I am not impressed. I heard different opinions about the movie and none of them told me much about the movie itself. I thought the plot was going to be what was basically taken care of in the opening.
The message of the movie is that Christians are bad. They all are hiding a dirty little secret and because they all sin they have no right to stand up and say that something is wrong.
I attended two different (different in style and ages) Christian Schools growing up. I do not remember hearing people talk like these people. Maybe it is because I was brought up in a very conservative tradition (fundamental was a good word) but I simply did not relate right at the beginning to the characters and their language.
I get very nervous when I hear about movies portaying Christians, because these movies are either made by Christians and often not done well, or they are made by people who have an agenda against Christianity. I would put this movie in the later. I am quite sure this movie was not done to help people grow, but rather to offened Christians and then be able to point at them and say "See you guys are just not accepting."
You can disagree with me if you want about the movie, but I didn't like and I think it struck one of my nerves. Or maybe it was just the mood I was in tonight.
The message of the movie is that Christians are bad. They all are hiding a dirty little secret and because they all sin they have no right to stand up and say that something is wrong.
I attended two different (different in style and ages) Christian Schools growing up. I do not remember hearing people talk like these people. Maybe it is because I was brought up in a very conservative tradition (fundamental was a good word) but I simply did not relate right at the beginning to the characters and their language.
I get very nervous when I hear about movies portaying Christians, because these movies are either made by Christians and often not done well, or they are made by people who have an agenda against Christianity. I would put this movie in the later. I am quite sure this movie was not done to help people grow, but rather to offened Christians and then be able to point at them and say "See you guys are just not accepting."
You can disagree with me if you want about the movie, but I didn't like and I think it struck one of my nerves. Or maybe it was just the mood I was in tonight.
// posted by Eric @ 11:31 PM 
Comments:
<< Home
I haven't watched it yet but if there's some night when I feel like being angered, then I'll go rent "Saved".
I remember Tim commenting against it, I also remember Miriam and Paul both liking it.
It just did not feel like they represented real people or were trying to write so bad that it would be funny that way.
That's how I felt.
It just did not feel like they represented real people or were trying to write so bad that it would be funny that way.
That's how I felt.
It seemed like what would result if I tried to write a spoof of life in an African village.
Making fun of Christians is okay, but this was not well-informed or done well.
Save me from "Saved" (the movie, not BD's album).
Making fun of Christians is okay, but this was not well-informed or done well.
Save me from "Saved" (the movie, not BD's album).
I hesitate to respond because I did not see the end of the movie and I find that the ending sometimes makes or breaks the movie.
However,
I did enjoy the movie and thought it was somewhat representative of some "Christians" out there. I did not get the impression that the movie was trying to portray all Christians as the Mandy Moore character or the Minister character. There were other Christians who were horrified by both those people. I do think it spoke to a tendency of some to take a very shallow and often harmful approach to real issues like homosexuality or teenage pregnancy.
I think it also spoke to the danger of being in the dark, to denying the reality of temptation and no properly informing people. It was over the top and I saw it as a parody (especially considering Mandy's earlier role in A Walk to Remember) but I also thought it touched on problems in Christianity today - especially in some churches or schools in the Bible belt.
Certain characters resignated in me and reminded me of individuals I knew from my days at WCC. I wished that they could see it - but then again, I think they would just be offended and not see the irony in the film.
But - this opinion could change with a viewing of the ending. I left at the point where the jewish girl, cripple boy and pregnant girl were being framed for graphitti on the school.
However,
I did enjoy the movie and thought it was somewhat representative of some "Christians" out there. I did not get the impression that the movie was trying to portray all Christians as the Mandy Moore character or the Minister character. There were other Christians who were horrified by both those people. I do think it spoke to a tendency of some to take a very shallow and often harmful approach to real issues like homosexuality or teenage pregnancy.
I think it also spoke to the danger of being in the dark, to denying the reality of temptation and no properly informing people. It was over the top and I saw it as a parody (especially considering Mandy's earlier role in A Walk to Remember) but I also thought it touched on problems in Christianity today - especially in some churches or schools in the Bible belt.
Certain characters resignated in me and reminded me of individuals I knew from my days at WCC. I wished that they could see it - but then again, I think they would just be offended and not see the irony in the film.
But - this opinion could change with a viewing of the ending. I left at the point where the jewish girl, cripple boy and pregnant girl were being framed for graphitti on the school.
Social commentary is a tricky beastie. If you nail it, it can be funny, but is often more likely to be uncomfortable. It also doesn't travel well. An American who was familiar with Methodist churches in the South-West wouold be utterly gob-smacked if they walked into a United Church of Canada in downtown Toronto. They would wander about in a daze, looking for the "666" tattoos on people's foreheads.
"Saved" is about an American fundamentalist group. Much may be transferable to a Canadian environment, but much is not. In the US, almost 50% of adults believe abortion is wrong, no debate. In Canada, that number is less than 20%. There is a similar disagreement between the two cultures about homosexuality, the role of the state in the field personal endeavours.
Basicly, the difference between the two cultures is that Americans believe that the state is the best guarrantor of moral standards, and the worst guarrantor of the security of the person. In Canada the reverse is true. We believe, by and large, that the individual is their own guarrantor of morality, and that the state is responsible for the security of the person.
Thus, even our fundamentalists are "fundamentally" different.
To an American, "Saved" is a social commentary on human morality -- it is an attack on the social groups that it is "spoofing".
In Canada, it smells like a personal attack.
See, we are two different cultures.
Post a Comment
"Saved" is about an American fundamentalist group. Much may be transferable to a Canadian environment, but much is not. In the US, almost 50% of adults believe abortion is wrong, no debate. In Canada, that number is less than 20%. There is a similar disagreement between the two cultures about homosexuality, the role of the state in the field personal endeavours.
Basicly, the difference between the two cultures is that Americans believe that the state is the best guarrantor of moral standards, and the worst guarrantor of the security of the person. In Canada the reverse is true. We believe, by and large, that the individual is their own guarrantor of morality, and that the state is responsible for the security of the person.
Thus, even our fundamentalists are "fundamentally" different.
To an American, "Saved" is a social commentary on human morality -- it is an attack on the social groups that it is "spoofing".
In Canada, it smells like a personal attack.
See, we are two different cultures.
# posted by 
: 11:30 AM
: 11:30 AM << Home
