Another New Fantastic Four Reboot?

Back in 2015, 20th Century Fox pooped out a new reboot of Fantastic Four called "Fant4stic." It bombed really hard. From what everybody has said, it was a really bad movie. Before that, Fox released FF movies in 2005 and 2007. Both weren't good. So, after all this, Fox hasn't given us confidence in their ability to make a good FF movie. 

Now, the news broke yesterday that they're developing a new reboot—but this one has a twist.

http://screenrant.com/fantastic-four-reboot-kid-friendly-rumor/

Basically, it's supposed to be a kid-friendly movie that focuses on Reed and Sue's kids instead of the Fantastic Four team itself. The report says that The Thing and the Human Torch will appear. Take this with a grain of salt, as it is just a report.

What do I think? I like the kid-friendliness idea a lot. This could be an entirely different discussion, but superhero movies shove in lots of sex and language for really no reason. A family-friendly superhero movie is a great idea. However, the idea of focusing on Franklin and Valeria (the children of Mister Fantastic and the Invisible Woman) is a really dumb one. The thing Fox botched with the last two attempts is that they didn't pay attention to the source material. The Fantastic Four are a family of explorers that go on bombastic adventures and explore the deepest, most sci-fi parts of the multiverse. They aren't just a generic superhero team. It doesn't help that they botched Doctor Doom TWICE, too. 

On a side note, can we have The Thing wear pants, please?

Will we ever get a great Fantastic Four movie? I don't know. The FF deserve much better than what they've gotten. What do you think? Do you care about the Fantastic Four? Do you wish we could get a good movie out of them?

Some Things I Learned From Being a Church Camp Counselor

So, my church puts on a very large 5-day church camp each year, and because I’m a foolish man, I signed up to be a teen counselor. I’d done it previously last year, and apparently I thought it was a good idea to do it again, and volunteered to work with 5th graders (boys, of course). Little did I know, this week would be much more life-changing for me than it seemed to be for the kids. I thought I’d share what I learned (and tell you what you can do with it.

1. Show love. It’s what Jesus would do.

I volunteered with fifth-grade boys. I’ll give you one guess how they behaved the first couple days. Yeah, it was bad. One kid especially quickly became the bane of my existence. 

Nope, not that Bane. Pretty close tho.

This kid rebelled in every way possible. Everything I said, he argued with it endlessly and did the opposite. He refused to do just about anything both me or the two adult counselors in my group told him to do. I won’t burden you with the details, but needless to say— he was a handful. Not only him, but all the other kids weren’t behaving well either. Instead of showing mercy and love (but still being authoritative), I focused only on dealing out punishment. On Wednesday (day 3) afternoon, the woman onstage teaching the kids said that “leadership wasn’t just bossing people around.” This changed my world. You can’t just tell them what they can’t do. You have to be encouraging. You have to be loving. You can’t focus on being God’s swift-and-terrible sword of judgement. While discouraging bad behavior is part of the job description, encouraging good behavior and being loving to the people you’re leading is, too.

2. Don’t try to do things on your own power. Turn to God when things get hard.

When I was having the most trouble, I would sit and complain about it or try to fix things by my own strengths or abilities. Therein was the flaw that kept any change from happening. I was trying to do it with Spencer’s (mine) power, not God’s. That whole time, I could have prayed for the situation to get better,  but instead I got bogged down in the frustration and didn’t even think about it. Pray to God when things get hard. It’ll do ya good.

So, About Women-Only Screenings of Wonder Woman…

So, the Wonder Woman movie is now out, and it’s getting pretty good reviews. I myself have no opinion on it (haven’t seen it yet, but I’m planning on going tonight), something came out recently in the news that to me seems absolutely idiotic.

http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2017/05/25/alamo-drafthouse-launches-women-only-screening-wonder-woman-sparks-outrage.html

So, in case you didn’t click on the article (you had one job), I’ll give you the gist— Texas theater is having “women-only” screenings of the Wonder Woman movie. Before the rant begins, I’d like to point one thing out that really rustles my jimmies.

It’s not even women only… they’re looping in “people who identify as women.” As if this idea wasn’t stupid enough… Do I really have to say it? People who identify as women aren’t women. It takes more than desire to be a woman to actually be a woman. So, already, this is pretty hypocritical of Alamo Drafthouse.

Now back to your regularly-scheduled soapbox. What does this have to do with me, you might ask? Well, think about it— isn’t this discriminatory? In my mind, it echoes segregation, except it’s now about gender instead of race. Telling people they can’t watch this showing because they’re a dude (or at least they identify as one) just seems, well, wrong. 

I’m sure you’re thinking, “Why do you care? You don’t live in Texas, and even if you did, you could just go to another showing.” Yes, I could, but roll with me for a second. Imagine, when the new Thor movie comes out, somebody does men-only screenings. Or when Black Panther comes out, somebody does blacks-only screenings. That’s not okay. As a nation, we all agree that segregation and discrimination aren’t cool… unless it’s against white, straight men of course. As a culture controversy about this has been mostly limited to Facebook comments that get slammed for being “bigoted and misogynistic.” This is seen as a win for women. However, if it was women being discriminated against with a men’s-only screening of a blockbuster movie, there would be bedlam and riots in the streets.  Feminists are jubilant about this, but if it was women on the side being discriminated against, they’d be indescribably furious. 

If something is morally acceptable, it’s acceptable for all people. Not just a certain people group. Morality doesn’t change depending on what people group (women, men, blacks, whites, etc.) we’re talking about. If it’s wrong for a white guy to kill someone, it’s also wrong for a black guy. Segregation and discrimination aren’t okay just because it’s against men and not women. If discrimination is wrong, it wrong for everybody. That’s how morality works.

DC Rebirth, Escapism, and Men In Tights

Let's get this started with one admission—

I freaking love comic books. Shocking, I know. I also don't like to pick sides— I love Marvel and DC  characters equally. But DC's comic books right now are waaaaayyy better. While I won't go into great depth, the main reason? A little word called escapism.

Case in point— Superman Vol. 1: Son of Superman. It's a fun, action-packed story about Superman protecting his wife and son and just being heroic. There's not even any swearing in this volume (though swearing is present in other DC Rebirth books). It's not hyper-violent, either (thought that's also present in other books.) That's what we want superheroes for. We want them to be heroes. Most superhero stories now feature a grim antihero causing wanton destruction, killing unabashedly, swearing up a storm, and doing other morally reprehensible things. A lot of stories— like a lot of the stuff Marvel is spewing these days, like Champions and Captain America: Sam Wilson, are all about forcing political agendas down your throats.

But not Superman. Or Batman. Well, maybe Green Arrow, but that's not the point. Most of these comics have one goal in mind— telling good stories. They aren't focused on shoving leftist agendas down your throats. Just good stories.

Superman especially. When we read comics, we want escapism. We want to be transported to another world, one filled with men and women in bright costumes fighting evil and saving the day. We don't want to read about problems we currently have. We don't want to read about whatever platform the left wants us to swallow. We want to see inspirational figures that point us to what's right.

So, take notes, Marvel and others— tell good stories.

(Note: I do exercise restraint and research before giving your kids these. Superman is okay, but some of the other DC books aren't exactly kid-friendly all the time, like Batman, Harley Quinn, and others.)

 

Drawing Under the (Creative) Influence

Growing up, I was a rabid fan of VeggieTales. Apparently, I was potty-trained with the help of their merchandise, and one of my most frequently-used words as a toddler was “Bob.” A few days ago, many years after those occurrences, I was reading Phil Vischer’s (the creator of VeggieTales) book about his company’s meteoric rise and fall— Me, Myself, and Bob. As I scanned the book’s pages, I realized something that I hadn’t really thought about before. 

Art has always been my career path. Even from the beginning, God planted me with a desire for storytelling. 

As I sat all those years ago, rabidly devouring VeggieTales videos, I drew some of my first artwork— VeggieTales fanart. In first grade, I made rudimentary books telling stories with the characters. I was enthralled. As I grew older, VeggieTales was semi-replaced by Sonic the Hedgehog as my fictional obsession. I also watched the 2003 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles show at that time and loved it.

As I grew older, I found two pivotal pieces of entertainment for me— Spider-Man: The Animated Series and The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. These two shows instilled in me a love of superheroes and and comic books. They paved the way for my creative reawakening after catching the latter half of a Batman Beyond re-run a couple years later. 

Art and animation has always been my obsession. God has put a fire in my soul to tell good stories and to enjoy those that others tell from the very beginning. God’s plan is wonderful and unexpected— who knows where I’d be today if not for that Batman Beyond rerun. God has a plan. He has a desire for our lives. All we’ve gotta do is listen to Him. His plan is more wonderful than anything we could ever imagine.

Review: The Case for Christ Soars Above Its Genre Predecessors

I just got back from seeing the brand new Christian movie, The Case for Christ, based on Lee Strobel’s apologetics classic of the same name. What the verdict? It’s an amazing film. 

Let me preface my review with this— I am Christian that strongly dislikes 99% of the Christian films being released today. Films like God’s Not Dead, though their motivations are noble, because the filmmakers don’t care about quality or strong writing because they know the Christian audience will eat it up anyway. That’s a discussion for another time, though. The point is— I am a critic of modern Christian filmmaking. So, when I heard Lee Strobel speak at my church, saying there were no cringey moments in this film, I rolled my eyes. The plot twist here? He wasn’t lying. 

The Case for Christ, directed by Jon Gunn, succeeds where its aplogetics film predecessors like the God’s Not Dead films failed— it’s legitimately good and well-written. I was floored by how well-made it actually was. While God’s Not Dead is practically a cringe-fest with poor writing and a shameless ad for the Newsboys, The Case for Christ tries a little something unconvential— it tries to be good. Even the cinematography here looks like they put serious thought behind it— it looks, really, really good. 

Where else does the film succeed where its Pure Flix predecessor failed? It’s accessible. Whereas God’s Not Dead depicted athiests as one-dimensional hate mongers with no conscience or emotions, The Case for Christ offers a compelling (and true) tale of an investigative journalist searching for evidence to disprove God’s existence to his wife, while also unwraveling a strange mystery about a cop that got shot. Throughout the film, we see Lee’s shortcomings, but we also see something we never saw from G.N.D.’s antagonistic Professor Rattison— humanity and emotion outside of anger. The evidence is also depicted in a compelling and believable way that doesn’t come off as a sermon. It’s very organic and well-written.

The verdict? Watch the film. It’s incredibly well-done, and shows what Christian cinema could be— that is, good. 

Verdict: 9.5/10

Why Do We Call Good Friday “Good?”

On Good Friday, a couple millenia ago, an innocent man was tried without justice, whipped, beaten and bloodied beyond recognition, and nailed to a cross. He was to be the sacrificial lamb to soak up all of the world’s sin. He, the sinless Son of God, died a grisly death for our sin.So why do we call it Good? We call this day good because we know what happened afterwards. Jesus rose to life again, conquered death, established a new covenant, defeated The Enemy once and for all, and ascended to His father’s kingdom, where He now sits as an advocate for us. That is why Good Friday is good. Even though things may seem dark and hopeless now, we know, as S.M. Lockridge said— Sunday’s comin’.

The Oscars and the Darkness of Hollywood

A couple days ago, the 89th Academy Awards, also known as the Oscars (yeah, apparently they’re the same thing) took place. I didn’t watch it, because after the Golden Globes, I knew exactly what was going to happen, and it turns out that I was right. During the Oscars, host Jimmy Kimmel made sure to take time out to bash President Trump, and during the award show, they had a stand for Meryl Streep, who’d gone out of line during an award acceptance speech and started bashing Trump instead of accepting her achievment award.

The list of nominees was pretty ridiculous, too. Most of the nominees were R-rated and awful. Like the 2017 best picture winner, Moonlight, which focuses on a black homosexual man who gets persecuted for his “orientation.” There were a couple in there that weren’t all bad (looking at you animation category, Hidden Figures, and La La Land), but the majority were pretty iffy. Also, somehow Suicide Squad won an Oscar for hairstyling and makeup… which is an affront to life itself.

What does all of this have to do with Hollywood’s darkness? Think about it. Think about our new “best picture” winner and what it promotes. Think about how at awards shows, completely out of context, they’ve started shoving agendas down our throats. If we wanted that kinda stuff, we’d turn on the news. We’re here for MOVIES. We’re here for ENTERTAINMENT. We’re here for an ESCAPE from reality. Yet, Hollywood doesn’t care— they hate Trump, and that’s all that matters.

Hollywood, despite all of its bright lights, is one of the darkest places on Earth. Not in a physical sense, but in a spiritual one. They’ve turned their backs on God and cast aside traditional values, instead deciding to promote filth and immorality as if it’s normal and agreeable. Movies just keep getting progressively more vile.

What can you, as just a humble moviegoer, do? Stop watching the filthy movies they put out, instead focusing on those that encourage Godly values. When you go to see a movie, you cast a vote. Hollywood gets your money, and they get encouraged to continue pushing that negative thing. If we, as Christians in America, send a coordinated message to Hollywood executives that we will not watch something if it’s inappropriate and encourages immoral values, Hollywood will turn to something else. They want your money, and if you don’t give it to them, they’ll find another way to get your money— even if they have to start making cleaner films.

A House Divided…

The 2016 election was a vitriolic one, for sure. Lots of bad things were said on both sides. Bridges were burned. People were hurt. Now, instead of the vitriol coming from both sides, it’s mainly coming from one.

Watching the events unfold on television during Inauguration Day, I had a bright hope for the future. Jesus’ name was being boldly proclaimed at the capitol of our nation at the request of our President. I had a wide smile on my face. No matter what you think of President Trump, you have to admit that it was a welcome change after the past couple years. That smile faded the next day as I saw footage of the “protestors.”

Now, I wholeheartedly agree that we have a right to protest. What we don’t have is a right to riot, pillage, and loot. Those “protestors” were doing just that— using senseless violence and wanton destruction to accomplish their goals. Too cowardly to show their faces, they donned black masks and tore through Washington, D.C. This is the worst possible way to handle things. This is no protest— this is an anarchist display of immorality and evil. Seemingly gone are the peaceful ways of Martin Luther King, Jr., replaced by the Left’s “uncivil disobedience.” The day after the inauguration, there was a nationwide “women’s march,” in which women held up disgusting, vile signs laced with profanity, marching for “women’s rights,” even though it was just a thinly-veiled disguise for an anti-Trump protest. Madonna said she wanted to blow up the White House with no punishment, and other celebrities like Ashley Judd spewed hate-filled nastiness at everyone who disagreed with them.

What these people did is not peaceful protesting. It’s not even helping anything. All these rioters are doing is spewing hate and anger at people, not furthering their cause. Somehow, the media treated them like heroes. One thing they completely ignored? The March for Life, at which Vice President Pence himself spoke. During his speech, he said:

“Let this movement be known for love, not anger. Let this movement be known for compassion, not confrontation.”

These people didn’t tear down buildings and wear masks to hide their identities as they committed criminal acts. They did just as they promised— they marched for life. They peacefully protested abortion, which is a much more important issue than a bunch of women marching because they dislike the man  who won the presidency.The level of division and hatred oozing from these people right now is obscene, and we should be condemning it, not praising it. We need to look to those at the March for Life as an example of how to protest something in a civil way, instead of rioting, looting, and pillaging. That just furthers the division in our country. And, as Jesus said in Matthew 12:25…

²⁵ Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand.

We need to show love for one another and peacefully disagree. Further division isn’t needed, as a nation divided against itself will crumble. Let’s be peace-makers and not strife-stirrers. That’s what will heal our nation’s wounds, not rioting and senseless violence and destruction.

 

I’m With You ‘Till the End of the Line

I just got done watching Captain America: The Winter Soldier again. It is an amazing movie. While I was watching it, something stuck out that I’d never really thought about before. It’s a quote I love so much that I made it the title of this post.

“I’m with you ’till the end of the line.”

On the surface, it may seem just like a well-written line. It’s easy to gloss over. However, if we dig deeper, it has much more meaning than that. In the film, Captain America has been uprooted, having been torn out of his home time and thrusted into a future he’s entirely unfamiliar with. He’s a man out of time, and it seems like all of his friends are dead… until he finds that his old girlfriend, Peggy Carter, is still alive. He’s having a hard time adjusting to his new time, and seeing Peggy in her aged, frail state doesn’t help. Soon afterward, seemingly all he knows is uprooted, and he’s having an internal crisis.

Until he sees Bucky.

Bucky was his best friend. He was his only family after his parents died. Seeing Bucky makes his longing for family and friends even stronger. In the end, he refuses to fight Bucky. He instead tries to reawaken what’s left of Bucky. He wants to save his friend.  He’s willing to die trying, and takes a brutal beating in the process. In the end, Cap repeats what Bucky told him all those years ago.

‘Till the end of the line. 

In this age, it’s easy to lose what. true friendship is. We’ve watered friendship down to its most basic components, and when our friends need us the most, we step aside. The most we’ll be there for our friends is when we like their photo on social media. Here’s what the Bible says about friendship:

John 15:12-13 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. 

The greatest love we can have is to be there for those we love until the end of the line. To be in their corner when it counts. To be willing to lay it all down for them. Close friendship shouldn’t be an online only experience or something that only counts when you’re hanging around in the hallway at school. Close friendship should be something more than just a platonic relationship. It should be a shared desire to protect one another from what this world throws at us.

‘Till the end of the line.

How far are you willing to go for the ones you love? What would you give for them?

That, my dear reader, is something you’ll have to ask yourself.