Brothers Review

I was a little hesitant when I picked this movie up at Red Box. I was in a hurry and there was a short line forming and Brothers was one of the first new releases I knew I was interested in so I got it. I practically had the movie figured out; husband goes to war and dies, wife mourns, brother comes into the rescue, they hook up and then, viola, hubby didn't die, drama, drama, drama, wife has to choose and
it's the end of the world for somebody. So I was curious how this would play out.
Right away I knew I was going to have a hard time watching this movie when I saw Toby Maguire playing Capt. Cahill, a marine and Natalie Portman as Grace Cahill, his military wife. Toby made an awful Spiderman and because of Toby's role as Spidey, I have lost interest in the whole franchise. He always seems to play weak characters and I thought the director could have picked a better choice for a marine.
What's up with Natalie?! She goes from queen Amidala, the other Boelyn girl and now a mom with two kids?! Not buying it! She looked like she could be her daughters' babysitter in the movie. I felt Jake, playing Tommy Cahill, Sam's brother, did a decent job but the acting awards go to the two girls who play the daughters. They did an awesome job.
My prediction about the plot was pretty close. Brothers did not focus on the build up of tension between the "death notification" and the development of the relationship between the wife and brother. As a watcher, you know right away that Captain Cahill is not dead and the romance that builds up between Grace and Tommy is slow and subtle, you even wonder if they are going to hook up. The climax is less than
climatic. You can see for your self and actually does the movie a lot of good.
Captain finally comes home, burdening a secret that he is ashamed to share and his family starts to fall apart, starting with him. An Othello like scene takes place where Sam asks Tommy if he was "@&$%#*" his wife and starts to get jealous and angry with no one able to persuade him that his family was telling the truth about what transpired between Grace and Tommy. Ultimately, Brothers was not about hot steamy
sex between bro and sis-in law, but about the domestic wars soldiers fight after they come home from battle, the loneliness, fear, loss of intimacy between wife and children, deep dark secrets buried 10,000 feet but still floating at the surface, the coming to that your world is not the same. The familiar is now foreign and the once foreign is now family. Honestly, when I think about all the soldiers and the hells they live through, as well as all the hells their families live through, my
heart breaks. Every time they deploy a part of them dies, a part of their family dies, and soon, if they let them, the relationships that are forged by sweat, blood and steel start to replace the folks back home. Out there, you are playing for keeps. Its life or death! The mechanic is your brother not because your both from NY, but he
maintains the Humvee you drive in day and night and if you can't count on him, you might as well count yourself among the dead. Your gunner is your brother, not because you both like the red sox, but he covers your 6 and you cover his. Back in Civi land, you don't have relationships like that. Your family doesn't understand but they want
to. Soldiers have dark, dark secrets that they try to bury but they fight they way to surface. Soldiers and military families face many battlefronts, abroad, state side, emotional, spiritual, and physical. My heart goes out to all soldiers and their families. Only Christ can bring that which is dead back to life! Only Christ can forgive any and all offenses and create a new person! There is hope, there is
redemption, and it is only found in Jesus Christ! Soldiers are trained for long humps with heavy packs, but some packs they can't carry alone but refuse to seek help due to pride and fear. May God remove the blinders and take away any pride that may hinder healing and reconciliation.
To God be glory forever and ever, Amen!

Should Christians Watch Movies?

Watching movies has been a favorite past time since I was a kid. I remember watching movies late at night with my parents, like Jaws and Killer Rabbits (not official title) and having discussions about what's real and what's not. One of my favorite classes in college was the "Art and History of Film", especially when my homework was to watch movies, holla!
Even though I love watching movies, I love my Lord Jesus Christ most of all! Do movies fit in a life devoted to Christ? Well, I don't remember Jesus going to the cinema and to be honest I don't know if he would go into a theater for the sole purpose of watching a movie. I don't know... Maybe there will be a time where I stop watching movies, I don't know. I do believe that the idea of watching R and even PG-13 movies split Christians and non-Christians alike. Some think it is ok and some don't. In Galations, Paul talks about Freedom in Christ and that we should not use this freedom to indulge in sin. So I believe it comes down to the heart. If watching certain movies causes you to sin, I say don't watch. I know my self there are movies I don't like to watch movies that contain a lot of sexuality, nudity, persistent vulgarities, over indulgent violence, gore, stories about infidelity, demonic and most horror movies. I do like to watch movies about people and issues people deal with on a daily basis. I like stories about redemption and change. God is in the business of changing lives and each unique person has unique baggage that needs to be checked in. I believe that movies reflect the thoughts and points of view of people that I might not have encountered and that leads to learning and understanding.
I watch movies in order to learn. I also watch movies to get out of the house and spend time with my wife. I watch movies because it is something I have been doing for over 20 years. Yet when talking about movies to others, except for this occasion, I am careful of my audience because my tolerance may be different from another and I do not want to offend a Brother or Sister in Christ. In Romans 14, Paul talks about not judging our other brothers and sisters. I should not judge a brother or sister who will not watch a certain movie that I would or vice versa for we will all stand before God to be judged. Paul also talks about some foods that some consider clean and some consider unclean, leading to arguments and judgements. Paul says to not destroy another for your own "eating." Be careful to not offend a weaker brother or sister. I would give up watching a movie if I knew it would offend another.

Watching and discussing movies gives me an opportunity to relate the truths of God to the ideas, values, philosophies that are portrayed in the films. I believe people are searching for truth and movies give us glimpses of what others see as truth. I see it as an access point to the Gospel, the One Truth, found in Christ Jesus. "I am the way, the truth and the light, no one gets to the Father but through me."