One punk under God

I highly recommend checking out the six-episode Sundance Channel documentary One Punk Under God that began airing in December. It recounts the recent adventures of Jay Bakker, son of maligned 70s and 80s televangelists Jim Bakker and Tammy Faye Messner, and his wife Amanda.

After rebelling and partying for a few years (as most preacher's kids do), Bakker settled down, grew up and started a church of his own, one that's a little different from the average steeple on the corner and a far cry from his parents' scandal-ridden PTL days. Not surprisingly given his childhood, Jay is focused on avoiding the kind of hypocrisy and self-righteousness that left him with a bad taste of Christianity in his mouth. He has concentrated instead on humility and grace and being authentic and loving to other people in seeking a relationship with God. Here's a quote from Bakker spoken on Larry King Live in 2001 that resonated with me:

"I think we get caught in this idea of pleasing God rather than trusting God. And I think once you learn to trust God, it's a lot easier to please God."

If you're God, do you really want people bringing you grapes? I think Bakker this is absolutely on to something with those words. In my opinion, one reason Christians and dedicated people of many other religions generate a backlash is that they are awfully quick to speak for God instead of letting God speak. Now I'm not really sure whether God uses words or performs miracles to get his points across, but I do think he acts within our hearts and minds. I think it is better to act with respect and love than with hostility and judgment. Bakker appears to agree with me here, too, based on the stickers he likes to place on parking meters and road signs to promote his church:

"As Christians, we're sorry for being self-righteous judgmental bastards."

Lately I'm tending to err heavily on the side of grace when it comes to God because I sincerely think that, if God as an all-powerful supreme being is real, why wouldn't he demonstrate his power with compassion and grace? Is there a better way to say "Hi, I'm God?" What would sending millions of people to Hell really do to prove that he is mighty?

Many media outlets have reported on Jay and Amanda's story, including the New York Times Magazine and The Seattle Times. Both are good reads if you are looking to learn more about this generation of Bakkers, and Jay's church has its own shop on the Web. Sundance has plenty of repeats of all the episodes running.

Sad news for Franklin Cinema

Franklin Cinema is scheduled to close at the end of this month, though there is a small chance it could still survive. I'm sad to see this beloved neighborhood cinema go, and I'll confess that I'm as guilty as the rest of us out there for neglecting it. I've only been to a movie there a few times, and I've opted for closer and fancier multiplexes instead.

“I really think that there’s not enough traffic to justify it operating as a cinema. It is very nostalgic, very heart-warming, everyone has stories from the Franklin Cinema, but what has happened is that the Cool Springs multiplexes have drawn most of the business from downtown Franklin. It just can’t compete with the digital, Dolby multi-screens playing 12 of the 15 latest movies,” [property owner Mark] Bloom said.

Unfortunately, I think Bloom is right.

No more Jack?

Would Lost really kill off Jack? One of the reasons I love this show is it's willingness to do almost anything, but I wonder whether the producers would willingly go that far. (Granted, if Matthew Fox bolts to do more movies, there really isn't much they could do to prevent it.)

As I've previously mentioned, my wife and I have an "untouchables" theory regarding Jack, Kate, Sawyer and Locke, meaning that the show will never get rid of these characters. That theory can't cover when stars decide to get out while the show is in its prime, though, so we'll have to wait and see.

Maybe all of this is one reason why the producers awkwardly introduced two new cast members at the beginning of this season by pretending that they had been part of the crash survivors all along. Note to the producers: If Fox or anyone else leaves, please do kill them off or somehow explain their absences. Don't recast the roles. (I don't really think they're that foolish, but it has crossed my mind.)

VHS: 1976-2006

No additional VHS videocassettes will be produced, ever. The Video Home System, long obsolete in the DVD era, is gone.

I personally can't remember the last time I purchased a VHS-format movie, and apparently I'm not alone. As Variety magazine indicates in this obituary to the format, VHS ultimately died of "loneliness:"

"After its youthful Betamax battles, the longer-playing VHS tapes eventually became the format of choice for millions of consumers. VHS enjoyed a lucrative career, transforming the way people watched movies and changing the economics of the film biz. VHS hit its peak with "The Lion King," which sold more than 30 million vidcassettes Stateside."

I can't say I'm shocked that videocassettes have fallen out of fashion or that they will no longer be produced. How long will DVDs last as the successor to VHS? Here's a bigger question: How long will it be before there isn't a container at all for our entertainment? The technology is already there, minus the bandwidth needed for wide acceptance of movie and TV downloading, and society has already been struggling to deal with what it means when you can't confine entertainment to a box. Until these questions are answered, DVD, you are on the clock...

Education is stalking you

You've been warned.

007: Top to Bottom

In honor of the release of Casino Royale, I've compiled my personal ranking of Bond films from best to worst. How does my list compare with yours?

• From Russia With Love (1963)
• Goldfinger (1964)
• Thunderball (1965)
• For Your Eyes Only (1981)
• Dr. No (1962)
• GoldenEye (1995)
• On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969)
• You Only Live Twice (1967)
• The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)
• The Living Daylights (1987)
• Octopussy (1983)
• The World is Not Enough (1999)
• Live and Let Die (1973)
• Tomorrow Never Dies (1997)
• The Man with the Golden Gun (1974)
• Die Another Day (2002)
• A View to a Kill (1985)
• Diamonds Are Forever (1971)
• Moonraker (1979)
• Licence to Kill (1989)

A Better Bond Than Connery??

Will Daniel Craig be the best Bond since Sean Connery? I think maybe he will, and I'm not alone. Some in the media have even gone as far as saying Craig is the best Bond ever now that the film has opened. I think that's bold, and I'm not about to make that claim without having even seen Casino Royale myself. I do like what I have seen of the film via previews, but it will take one heck of a performance to eclipse Connery's long shadow in the franchise.

Can he ever top Connery? That may be the challenge, as this story pointed out:

“[N]o matter how good Craig might prove to be in the role, he may never be able to surpass Connery’s defining performance in many fans’ eyes. 'From all the reviews, I think [Craig] will be the best Bond since Connery,' [said one fan.] 'But Craig is interpreting a character that was formed by Connery. All the others have had to follow that template, and whoever follows Craig will have to as well.”

Nonetheless, I am thrilled that Casino Royale's debut is finally here. Will anyone dare say it is the “Best Bond Since Goldfinger,” the Bond against which all Bond films are compared? (I personally prefer Thunderball and From Russia With Love.) Some have already said, as expected, that Royale is the best since Goldeneye, but tracing back all the way to 1964 for what many consider the signature 007 movie is a longer distance to travel. We'll see soon. I'll post my personal review on Saturday.

Casino Royale: The Best Bond Since?

I'm excited about the debut of Casino Royale, the latest installment of the James Bond film franchise set to open this Friday.

As I've mentioned previously, this reboot of the 007 storyline initially had me concerned, but no longer. From the preview advertisements I've seen, Daniel Craig looks to be a convincing and realistic secret agent, and the movie appears to be light on CGI and heavy on characterization and drama. (Well, as heavy as Bond movies get, but the presence of both is saying something).

The initial buzz appears to be very positive and heavy on hyperbole. New Bonds typically receive a similar welcome to newly elected presidents: They get largely warm praise at first, and only in hindsight does the picture become clearer.

Timothy Dalton, perhaps the right Bond at the wrong time, earned a good reception with The Living Daylights in 1987 that soon cooled. Pierce Brosnan was greeted with enthusiastic acclaim that survived his four-film run as Bond despite increasingly weaker scripts. (Sean Connery and Roger Moore obviously were well received in their debuts while George Lazenby was not, but I only saw their debut films in hindsight, not in the theater.)

That leads me to two questions I intend to ponder this week. What film will critics hail Casino Royale as "The Best Bond Since ..."? Which actor will Craig be compared to as "The Best Bond Since"? The answer to the latter may be more compelling than the former, but we'll see. More to come.

Galactica recap: A Measure of Salvation

I think Battlestar Galactica is getting better by the week right now, and last night was no exception. This has been a strong season so far, but this episode may be my favorite so far. It was eerie watching the Colonial crew take their first look inside a Basestar, especially one decimated by a mysterious illness.

I am searching for an explanation about one apparent discrepancy, though: Why are the basestar interiors we've seen this season radically different from the ones we saw in Kobol's Last Gleaming during season one? I think the practical answer is that Galactica's budget has been increased or adjusted since that season, but discrepancies such as these bug me without an explanation that justifies the storyline. Perhaps there are two classes of basestars that serve different purposes, maybe the first season basestar was an older ship or maybe we've just seen different levels of the same ship design in season one and season three, respectively.

I liked the explanation for the virus, but is this really something that the Cylons could not quickly overcome? They may not diagnose human diseases frequently, but they've created synthetic people that are visibly indistinguishable from the real thing. That technical expertise makes me think that their civilization would easily be able to deal with this kind of virus. On the other hand, perhaps time (possibly as much as 3,000 years) and something about the beacon where the virus was found allowed the virus to mutate in an especially lethal form.

It was interesting to me to see the deliberations about whether the Colonials would use the virus as a weapon. Even in a holocaust situation, I think there would have to be some consideration for the ethical issues genocide would represent, but I think I would have sided with Apollo and Laura Roslin in electing to use the virus against the Cylons. It would be a horrible and difficult choice, but one made in an almost impossible crisis of survival. I disagreed with Helo, but I could also understand his reasoning. I do think Adama let him off too easily by doing nothing in response to his sabotage, an action that likely caused casualties and/or fatalities and put Galactica in major jeopardy. I hope there will be some consequences for him in the future, even though I like his character.

Regarding the torture scenes with Baltar and D'Anna, anticipation was, for me, worse than the reality. James Callis was convincing in his agony, but the Cylon methods were more vague and centered ambiguously more on pain than I imagined. D'Anna operated more out of necessity than wrath, which is a logical assumption given her need for more information, but I had expected (and feared, honestly) the latter leading into the episode. Baltar is in a more precarious position than anyone, except possibly Colonel Tigh, and I am curious to see what his options are as the story continues.

Galactica: A Measure of Salvation

What's in store on Battlestar Galactica tonight? As usual, I've done my best to avoid anything more than the teaser description, but I'm looking forward to tonight's episode. I'm happy to have the Colonials off of New Caprica and back out in space, and I am enjoying seeing the new storyline gradually unveil.

I hesitated before posting the photo (above) from SciFi.com because it makes me uncomfortable. I consider James Callis (Baltar, seated and wailing in the photo) to be an excellent actor, and his performance in the episode preview following last week's show really wigged me out. He is very evocative, and my imagination ran wild imagining what the Cylons must be doing to him to make him respond that way when being tortured. I never particularly enjoyed (or watched) Xena: Warrior Princess, but I think Lucy Lawless has made a great addition to the cast. She doesn't physically or emotionally resemble the character of Xena at all. I think that's a good thing because I can't see a Xena-type character working very well on Galactica.

I'm especially curious where the writers are ultimately going with the series and with the search for Earth. Normally, I'd think this search and its eventual conclusion would run the high risk of being cliched and overdone, but not on this show. What surprises do they have in store for us?

Several sources on the internet this week have assumed that the foreign device the Cylons found last week originated from Earth. I may need to watch that episode again because I didn't really see evidence of that other than it being an unknown object (which wouldn't necessarily point to Earth). I guess we'll see.

Lost review: I Do

If you haven't seen this episode, spoilers await below.

I thought last night's episode of Lost was fine. Really, that's about it. As with most of this season's episodes, I enjoyed this installment, but it was not riveting for me the way that previous episodes have generally been. Here are a few of the highlights, according to me:

• Jack to Ben, after refusing to perform surgery to save Ben's life: "At least you won't have to be disappointed [that I refused] very long."
  
• The assessment of Kate's fiancee about his future bride, who thinks her name is Monica: "That's what I love about you. What you see is what you get." Boy, did she have him fooled.
• Eko's posthumous guidance to Locke, via the carving on his staff ("Lift your eyes and look to the north"). Hopefully we'll see where that leads before too long.
• "I love you" and "I love you, too" by Kate and Sawyer.

My favorite element of the episode was Jack's eventual decision to perform Ben's surgery and his bold move to threaten to let Ben die in the midst of the procedure. I loved this retaliation by Jack, and his initial refusal to perform the surgery perfectly concealed his motives from the Others. I do have one gripe, though, with the cliffhanger setup. If I were Ben, I would have had Pickett hold Kate in the observation room with a gun to her head throughout the procedure to ensure Jack's cooperation. It seems perfectly logical for Ben to use this kind of insurance policy, and he has no real reason to trust Jack. It seems like a plot flaw to me that Ben doesn't do this. A simple solution would have been to have Kate and Sawyer escape prior to the beginning of the surgery, so they couldn't have been used as leverage.

I'll keep watching in February to see where all of this leads, but I'm not desperate for more the way I have been previously with Lost. The recent episodes have been adequate, but they are not delivering on the prior seasons' intrigue and excitement in the same way. Success is a tough act to follow, and will see in a few months whether Lost can regain its previous energy and suspense.

Lost: I Do

I don't know what to expect from tonight's Lost mid-season finale episode, "I Do." I love this show, period, but I also really hope that there are some tantalizing revelations this evening. I don't want everything spelled out. I do love the mystery, but I'd like for it to be a progressively evolving mystery, one where some questions are answered and others are raised. That hasn't felt like the case lately.

I have a feeling that we'll be left wondering until February (when Lost returns) whether Sawyer is alive. ABC's teaser brief suggests that Pickett, the member of the Others that Sawyer keeps sparring with, may try to kill him. I hope not because as much as I often loathe Sawyer, I also find myself liking him and his contributions to the show.

My wife and I have discussed Lost at length (our friends may need Losticil to keep up with us), and one thing we love is how well the writers catch us by surprise on a regular basis. Almost anything is fair game (sometimes to a fault), but tonight's episode may test our untouchables hypothesis: Our theory is that Jack, Kate, Locke and Sawyer are exempt from the possibility of being killed off because they are too integral to the show. Many shows have these characters, but Lost has displayed more willingness to dispense with important characters than most, so it's an important distinction that this "core four" may never leave the show. We'll see the latest test to that theory tonight, but I'm not expecting it to be proved false.

The ABC teaser also indicates that Jack will decide about helping Ben by performing surgery to treat his spinal injury. I'm curious to see what he does and to see how much we find out about the consequences of his choice tonight. I can't decide whether Juliet was sincere about her clandestine communications with Jack during last week's episode or whether she was merely testing to see if he could be trusted to perform the surgery.

As an aside, I sure hope someone gives the castaways on the beach something to do. They've been especially dull so far this season.

Lost: The Cost of Living

It looks like we'll see where John Locke is headed on his search for Jack, Kate and Sawyer tonight. There's been so much--and so little, as a result--going on so far this season that I'm really hoping we get some substance tonight. Don't get me wrong: I still love all the mystery and confusion, but I do think we aren't seeing enough of events as they develop. The core group of passengers still on the beach are behaving awfully normally for a bunch of people exposed to the hatch meltdown just a few days earlier, and it's gotten a little dull. I realize that the producers want to keep the Others and our heroes separate for as long as they can this season, but the ones still at "home" need something to do. Playing golf and watching Desmond wig out aren't enough, in my opinion.

The impressions I get from ABC's previews are that the show is headed for a suspenseful conclusion prior to its upcoming mid-season break after next week's episode. I sure hope so, but I sure hope we get some answers in the meantime.

Galatica follow-up: Collaborators

Note: Spoilers ahead below for this episode.

The most recent episode of Battlestar Galactica, Collaborators, is my favorite so far this season. I enjoyed seeing the Colonials begin to move forward from the horrible ordeal they faced on New Caprica. Even though I admired the writers' guts for taking the story in such an unexpected direction at the end of the second season, I really didn't care much for the storyline. It was still engaging and interesting, but I prefer the fleet when it's traveling in space, not trapped on a dreary planet.

Executing Jammer was a bold move by the writers, and I am glad they included this in the episode. In this kind of situation, I think this sort of reprisal absolutely would happen. I also like that Galactica makes efforts to avoid the predictable "Ensign Jones" scenario where a character we really don't know gets killed instead of our heroes. Yes, Gaeta later survives, but the writers have taken the time over several Webisodes to introduce us to Jammer, and he has very likeable qualities despite his decision to sign up with the Cylons on New Caprica. Jammer was a living, breathing character on the show, not a cardboard cutout. That attention to storytelling is a common recurrence in this great series. I'm also glad Gaeta survived and that it happened by chance when Starbuck revealed his heroism. I was seriously questioning whether he would live.

Involving Starbuck in the Circle was a good choice. Clearly we are set to see her continue to spiral downward this season, and taking on a questionable vigilante role to deal with her demons made sense to me, especially because of the torture she endured (and inflicted) at Leoben's hands.

I'm very curious to see where this new Roslin-Zarek partnership leads, if it continues. It makes perfect sense that Zarek authorized the Circle, and now Roslin knows and will have to decide how to respond. The presidential transition from Zarek back to Roslin seemed a little clumsy, yet still clever. I hope Zarek will have more opportunities to contribute this season.

Seeing Baltar aboard a Basestar was mysterious and entertaining. I love that his fate was also in doubt, and I hope that it will continue to be from time to time. Introducing uncertainty into his relationship with Number Six also promises to invigorate their pairing, if it lasts. I still hope we are headed for a glimpse of the Cylon homeworld at some point, too.

Are you sure about that?

I know what the folks at the White Bridge Road Shoney's meant, but I'm not sure they thought much about how this sounds. If it's all the same to you, I think I'll pass on the breakfast bar tomorrow morning.

The report on Colbert

I've been meaning to look up Stephen Colbert in Wikipedia ever since he began encouraging viewers to vandalize the well-known collaborative encyclopedia.

I finally did so just now, and it was worth it. First of all, there are two entries: one for the real-life actor Stephen Colbert, and one for his pundit characterization that is the star of the Colbert Report. I spent most of my time on the latter, and it is a good read.

Did you know that Colbert's real middle name is Tyrone? Or that he has a pet goldfish named Anthrax? Trust me, it's worth the visit.

I was sad to learn from this Toronto Star article that Stephen's push to have a bridge in Hungary named after him did fail, though it appears he was cheated out of his victory. At least he has a hockey mascot named after him:

Lately Colbert has been dispatching his followers "on a rampage of merry mischief," including "bombing the website of a junior-league hockey team holding a name-our-mascot campaign (the team's mascot is now Steagle Colbeagle the Eagle)" and "hijacking an online poll posted by Hungary's Economic Ministry to name a new bridge over the Danube the Stephen Colbert Bridge (he topped the poll, but Hungary disqualified him because he's not dead)."

Galactica Friday: Collaborators

Tonight's episode, Collaborators, looks to be intense based on this brief description and on the preview scenes. I am really curious to see where Galactica heads from here. The writers have finished the New Caprica storyline, as far as we can tell, and they've sent the Colonials back into space (where they belong, if you ask me). Tonight's episode looks like it will focus on the aftermath of the settlement and the Cylon occupation as humanity begins picking up the pieces of a catastrophic 16-month existence.

I am hoping to see more of the painful consequences of everything that has been taking place. No, I'm not a sadist, but I do appreciate the realism that the writers incorporate in the stories they tell. (Yes, I just argued for realism on a show where robots are chasing people around outer space, but if you watch the show, I think you probably understand what I mean.) The current scenario on the series would rank as one of, if not the, greatest tragedy to befall humanity if it were true, and there needs to be fallout from that kind of turmoil. I feel confident that no one on the series will be the same after all of this, and that there won't be a sense that this segment of the storyline never happened. We'll see for sure in a few hours.

I'm also curious to see where the Cylons go from here, whether Baltar stays with them and, most importantly, if we get to see any of it.

Extreme makeover: pumpkin edition

Have you carved your pumpkin yet? If you're like me and you haven't, don't worry. Extremepumpkins.com can give you some advice on how to make a really unique design. The site also has techniques for preserving your pumpkin, so it isn't black and rotting by next Tuesday. My favorite pumpkin is rated PG-13, but he's still funny.

Lost: Every Man for Himself

Note: If you haven't seen this week's episode, there are spoilers below.

I have come to love Lost since my wife and I began watching it on DVD this past summer. My initial impressions of this show, based on the preview ads show before its debut in fall 2004, were that the series was basically a serious take on Gilligan's Island: a bunch of castaways stuck in the middle of nowhere, minus the hi-jinks.

Boy, was I wrong. I thought the writers would run out of ideas within months. It's no secret that many fans are tiring of the constant mystery and confusion that Lost displays and it's tendency to generate new questions before answering those that it has already raised. I love that about this show, though I'd be happy to see a few more answers emerge, too. The creativity in storytelling is unique and amazing, and I love seeing them continue to tangle the Web. I can be patient, but my one sincere hope is that, in the big picture, the writers know where this whole mess is going over the long run. I'll only be truly disappointed if they never make an effort to connect the dots, or if their resolution isn't satisfying. Until that day comes, I'm along for the ride and enjoying the breeze.

The psychological torture inflicted on Sawyer last night was fun to watch. (The injection scene in the midst, however, was not. Pulp Fiction 2.0.) The writers continue to give him great lines each week, and his approach to the character makes him a very likeable jackass. (That's my favorite kind.) When one of the Others tries to bait Sawyer into a beating as he's been taken off for a phantom surgical procedure, he says, "Give me a reason [to beat the hell out of you.]" Sawyer's reply, "I thought I just did," is classic and gave me a good laugh. I feel like his character is an adult take on John Bender from The Breakfast Club, and most any show can benefit from that kind of personality when it's done well.

I liked seeing the Others have to call on Jack for help in trying to save Colleen's life. I thought it was powerful that Jack couldn't do it, and that will make for increased tension in this storyline. (It sure did in the aftermath, when Colleen's husband takes out his wrath on Sawyer. Wow.)

The big tease from last night: There are two islands. Whoa! All this season, the writers have allowed us to believe that the Others have been holding Jack, Kate and Sawyer on the opposite site of the island from the rest of the Oceanic flight passengers. We knew Jack was underwater, but I had still assumed he was near the shoreline. Now we know differently, but we still don't know what it means. Oh, and now we know there's a submarine, too.

I sure hope this is all leading up to an exhilirating cliffhanger in two weeks, when the series prepares to take its mid-season break until February. We'll see.

Way too much time on their hands

I have to admit that this Cylon pumpkin is very creative, but wow, have these guys seen daylight anytime recently? Thanks to Galactica Station for the link.