Reviews With Mike Furches: September 2010

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Amish Grace

Sometimes truth makes incredible story, sometimes, true faith brings about incredible life lessons. I remember being mesmerized regarding the Amish Tragedy in Pennsylvania a few years ago. Being Mennonite myself, and having studied some of the materials of the author of the book, Amish Grace, How Forgiveness Transcends Tragedy by Donald B. Kraybill, I was somewhat interested to see how the Lifetime Television Network did with their made for TV movie now on DVD.

Amish Grace is the story of a milkman Charlie Roberts, played by John Churchill who lives in an Amish community in Pennsylvania. He is distraught after the death of his daughter at birth. He blames God and figures the way to get even with God is to go to an Amish school and kill the children. Based on true events, the story explores the forgiveness offered to the wife of Charlie who is left with three children. In the process of forgiveness within the Amish community, one of the mothers, Ida Graeber, played by Tammy Blanchard, struggles with forgiveness, especially when her faith community has banned, ‘shunned’ (a term used within the religious community) her own daughter for leaving the community and marrying outside of her faith.

Amish Grace is unfortunately, an obvious made for television movie. Missing are the typical top actors, and certain film techniques. The good news is, that while many made for TV movies and series as of recent have been quite exceptional, this isn’t quite up to par too many of those shows. It is however a quite good, well acted, mesmerizing story, and one that is actually quite good for a Cable Network like Lifetime. One of the surprising and appreciative aspects is the respect given to the Amish Community in the filming of the movie, while not compromising some of the appropriate questions about their faith concepts.

The direction provided by Greg Champion is quite good as is the editing by Anita Brandt-Burgoyne. In their work the story evolves quite well, and the truth is, the DVD feature is likely superior to the television story, if for no other reason, the ability for the story to move along without commercial interruption. While there are some questions and some holes in the plotline, they are eventually answered and clarification is given.

The journey involves two women who were impacted by the events. It is here the film causes this reviewer to reflect on a number of issues. Amy, the mother whose husband killed the children at the Amish School, and later killed himself, and Ida an Amish mother whose daughter was killed in the shooting are both women whose faith are important to them. One doesn’t know how one could forgive, and the other doesn’t know why she should forgive when she has been hurt so much by her own faith community. Their journey to discover their own answers to their faith ultimately brings them together, to a place that isn’t easy to arrive at, and a place where most viewers will appreciate. One of the enjoyable things about watching this movie is the progression of the characters and the honesty of how the story is presented. While we see conflicts of faith, and conflicts of belief, we see them in a way where the good and the bad are presented.

One of the things we see presented in Amish Grace in a beautiful way is the complexity of a concept like forgiveness. It is a concept that when truly offered is offered out of love, a love that not many will understand. We also see it presented in a way where we realize it isn’t always easy. The question of who deserves and doesn’t deserve grace and forgiveness is asked in a real and unique way. While many would say that a murderer doesn’t deserve grace we learn to understand that sometimes the lack of grace and forgiveness may have more of an impact on the innocent than we realize.

Amish Grace is one of the best spiritually themed television programs to come about in a long time. The DVD is well worth the retail purchase price and deserving of an audience. One shouldn’t expect to see a top notch theatrical release because that isn’t what this movie is. What it is though is a thought provoking presentation of a people who live by peace, but also at a cost. It searches out in an honest way not just the highlights of their belief system and family oriented communities, it also explores the beliefs that seem to be inconsistent to much of their teachings, especially in the areas of how shunning impacts not just those intended to help, but those who are having to offer the practice. What transpires however in Amish Grace is a discussion and presentation of honesty. One I appreciated and could recommend.

In a world where so many want to condemn and judge, we see a movie where forgiveness and grace are ultimately offered, even to those seemingly not deserving of that love and grace. The amazing thing about what we see is that most of us won’t have an excuse to not try to exhibit this behavior though, because the story is true, and the events all too real. Sometimes those stories, despite them being on television as opposed to the big screen can be just as powerful. That is if given the chance, and Amish Grace is certainly worth giving a chance.

To see a video of the news coverage regarding the shooting click on the following video, if the video don’t appear, click on the following link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjJt3wKXdRc

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Tuesday, September 21, 2010

The Amityville Horror 2005 Blu-Ray

One of the most controversial, and studied horrors in America History involved a house in the Long Island community of New York known as Amityville. The story resulted in a top selling book, and a movie franchise that has resulted in 9 films. The latest theatrical release was in 2005. The Michael Bay produced film directed by Andrew Douglas is now on Blu Ray DVD. While the film starring Ryan Reynolds and Melissa George as George and Kathy Lutz is well made, it doesn’t fully explore the supposed and controversial history of the house at 112 Ocean Avenue that has led to skepticism among many and assurances of others regarding the haunting and murders which took place.

While there is skepticism and controversy that still exists regarding the haunting experienced by the Lutz family, there is no doubt as to the murders which actually occurred at the house on November 13, 1974. The story, as presented in the movie has it that 24 year old Ronald, ‘Butch’ Defeo Jr. took a 35 caliber, lever action Marlin rifle and shot and murdered his mother, father, two sisters and two brothers. He later claimed to have heard the devil telling him to “kill them all”.

The movie starts out showing the book, Evil is Proof of God, which has been read and marked up by Butch. Butch then proceeds on a shooting spree killing his family. After the house has set vacant for approximately 1 year, the Lutz’s recognize what they think is a good deal and buy the house. While the realtor is somewhat hesitant in showing the house, she later tells them the history of the house after they inquire about the price of the house. Despite their knowledge of the history of the house, the Lutz’s decide to purchase it. Shortly after moving in the newly married couple, and three children, (Kathy Lutz was a widow from a former marriage with 3 children) the family experiences what in real life, the Lutz’s swore was the true story of a horrific 28 days prior to moving out. While some in real life speculated the family moved out due to their inability to pay the mortgage, others speculate the events as largely portrayed in the movie, along with the haunting, poltergeist, and hallucinations, actually occurred. There seems to be collaborating evidence from real life priest, Father Ralph J. Pecoraro, played as Father Callaway by Philip Baker Hall in the 2005 movie and other sources that give credibility to the story.

On the surface, the exceptional editing, terrific sound to support a horror story, and acting are decent, the story just isn’t there. There are too many jumps in the script and few answers, for that matter, the appropriate questions aren’t asked that could have provided insight into the actual story. The 2005 movie is a rather poor remake of the original 1979 film starring James Brolin and Margot Kidder. The age of the older version adds to the visual horror better than the high definition Blu-Ray. While there is a sequence in the film resembling older 35 MM home video footage outside of this, there is little to appreciate about the film and transfer. Unfortunately, the story doesn’t benefit from the high tech aspects and one of the faults in the direction is the thought that newer techniques in the transfer would give reason for a remake and rerelease. While there are some good camera angles in the film, and unique perspectives, specifically within some of the Point of View shots, it seems as if the underlying themes that made the real story, and the legend of the haunting so scary is somehow lost in translation. I don’t see the need for a remake; I certainly don’t see the benefit of it being transferred to Blu-Ray some years later.

This movie touches on aspects of evil and good, and recognizes the reality of evil. What that evil is, and where it comes from is not fully explored in the story. We do hear about a supposed Indian burial ground, a fact in dispute in the real Amityville. While there is the possibility of evil coming from Satan presented in the movie, it is never really explored outside of the viewer seeing the book being read by Butch prior to the murders and the recognition of the house needing to be blessed and ‘exorcised.’ This also too place in real life by the Lutz’s. While the mother, a non practicing Catholic, and George Lutz, a non practicing Methodist, seemed to understand the importance of religion in the attempt to ‘cleanse’ the house it wasn’t until near the end of the 28 days the family decided to explore this option.

With the history of the house, and the legends surrounding it, one would almost have to work at ruining the story, that is exactly what we have in this movie, a story that isn’t that good, and not very scary. The transfer of the Blu-Ray high definition has nothing of value, certainly nothing to justify the higher price for the DVD combo package including the Blu-Ray version and the regular DVD version. The only benefit are the special features including the Deleted Scenes, Supernatural Homicide an exploration of the real murders, The Source of Evil, a Photo Gallery and more. While the special features seem to offer an exploration into the real story, they also lack the detail one would normally hope for, even here though, there is nothing new and this material has been available for some time for those researching the history of the Amityville Horror.

While the concept behind the story is intriguing, and quite interesting because of the exploration of good and evil, the movie and DVD fall short. One may challenge that good and evil cannot exist without the other and that is certainly a worthy debate and discussion. There is little good and little offered in that debate and discussion on this DVD though. There is nothing special about the DVD and the Blu-Ray version to justify the purchase. While one may find some value in the special features, I did not. That doesn’t change the need to search though, I just happen to prefer the potential and possibility of hope and good, unfortunately, The Amityville Horror, 2005 offers neither.

To see the trailer for the film just click on the video below, if it doesn’t appear, click on the following link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xHJOG03eDE

Thursday, September 9, 2010

The Mysterious Islands, Evolution VS Creation

Over the years The Virtual Pew has been on the forefront of online ministry. As a result I have been involved in various online social groups. One of the things I have seen is many debates on various issues. Near the top of those debates is the debate of Evolution VS Creation. Not many sources from the view of a Creationist have been available. With the release of The Mysterious Islands, this documentary may very well be the best exploration on the subject from a Creationist perspective.

Unfortunately, it seems as if most Christian filmmakers are satisfied with lack luster quality. I have personally seen many a documentary that isn’t worth the cost of the plastic it is pressed on. In regards to the technical quality of The Mysterious Islands I was more than pleasantly surprised at the quality of cinematography, sound, editing, and story. This top notch documentary accomplishes its purpose in providing a quality product beyond the typical lackluster ‘Christian’ film.

The Mysterious Islands follows the journey of the father son team of 16-year-old Joshua Phillips and with his father Doug. Also on the journey is Dr. John Morris, a noted Creationist. They travel with their team to the Galapagos Islands to search for evidence to refute many of the teachings and beliefs of Charles Darwin. The fact that this is done on Darwin’s 200th anniversary and 150th anniversary of the release of the book Origin of the Species is not lost in the production. It has been said that the Galapagos Islands are the birth place of evolutionary thought. While this is partially true, it is certain that many of the concepts espoused by Darwin were birthed on the islands.

The Mysterious Islands does a good job at following this road journey format as the exploration team searches out to discuss some of Darwin’s findings and conclusions regarding Evolution and the Origin of the Species. One of the concepts strongly challenged through out the journey is the belief in the Survival of the Fittest. Most documentaries start out with a premise supported by the film makers. Unfortunately, many don’t state their intent and present their film under the premise of fair journalism. The makers of The Mysterious Islands, from the get go, lets the viewer know of their intent and beliefs. There is no doubt their view will be presented from a Conservative Christian Creationist point of view. Thankfully on the exploration of the subject matter, they present their case in a logical way with the layman in mind. Most will understand the scientific material in a way that makes sense to them.

Unfortunately, I felt the action between the father and son was somewhat contrived and not needed. The story involving the two seemed to take away from the material being presented. The documentary would have been just as good without the preconceived concept of a father, son journey; I think it would have in fact been better.

This film respectfully explores the differences between Creationist and Evolutionists. From the start, they clearly point out that in their opinion; there were many things Darwin got right. They also point out that he got more wrong than right. They use the arguments of several well known individuals in the field who do not accept their faith to point this out. There is also respect and recognition given to many religions of the world that recognize and believe in creation. They also come to a place where they state that one who says they believe in God cannot believe any concept outside of creation. I would have liked to have seen more debate and openness on this subject. Especially from those who believe that God may have used parts of evolution, or even evolution as a means of creation. It is one of the things that Exposed by Ben Stein has over this film, a more open means of possibility. There are certainly far more beliefs than were presented by the makers of The Mysterious Islands, even from within a Christian perspective. One gets the opinion that if one doesn’t agree with a literal 6 day creation, then one can’t believe in the God of the Bible or be a Christian. It is these types of dogma that have the tendency to turn people away from a faith journey and honest discussion on the subject.

The Mysterious Islands does explore the concepts of transitional design within species. This is an interesting concept that was somewhat educational. As a lay person, I found this concept interesting and at times seemingly only a matter of semantics in regards to the differences between the two trains of thought. Concepts of transitioning, sounding like evolution seem to be accepted by the Creationists in the film. In this view however, the concept of transitions or changes outside of species is strongly attacked. There are compelling arguments and concepts presented that would have been interesting to hear from Evolutionists on. The documentary looks at the concepts presented in the Genesis account, specifically looking at the concepts of God created animals ‘in kind.’ From these various kinds of ‘in kind’ animals others came about.

Some other interesting views in the film look at the history of what they say have occurred as a result of Evolutionary thought. Here they present that the human species have been devalued. There are quotes provided by Darwin and others that accepted Evolution to promote their beliefs. These include people like Hitler and Margaret Sanger, the creator of Planned Parenthood. While it is debatable as to the role evolution played in supporting their perspectives and support of things like racism and prejudice, the quotes provided, seem to support these premises. They also seem to support the general notion that concepts held and presented from Darwin’s teachings were in agreement with the thought process of these individuals. There are additional interesting historical information presented including information regarding an affair between HG Wells and Sanger. It seems these are attempts to not just attack the various beliefs, but the character of these individuals.

While I greatly appreciated the technical quality of The Mysterious Islands, and the ability to communicate the message in layman’s terms I felt part of the story, while done to a small extent, could have been better developed with a more open exploration of the points. This would have taken this film from being widely supported by the Creationist community to a film widely used and effective to people in all belief systems. This could have effectively been used as a discussion point between Evolutionists and Creationists. This could have facilitated great discussions at Film Festivals, Churches, and Scientific Study Groups among others.

The Mysterious Islands is interesting and beautiful to watch. I appreciated that the makers recognize that their argument is an argument of faith, they also point out that the argument of the Evolutionist is also an argument of faith. When presenting the randomness and possibilities of evolution they ask the question of what it is greater to have faith in, random chance, or a God.

One of the things I like to comment on is the special features. I actually give them a mixed review. While there are ample features and information on how to obtain a study guide, much of the focus is more editorial. They vary from the history of the Galapagos to the history of Whaling in the area. It is certain; much of the features material will be controversial. I personally enjoyed The Flightless Cormorant, and their response to the findings of noted Atheist, Richard Dawkins as well as the history of the islands.

As stated earlier, while not perfect, this may be the best documentary on the subject from a Christian, Creationist perspective that has been made. While it will do little to change minds, it is done in such a way it can be understood and appreciated by audiences outside of Academia. I would have appreciated a more balanced approach, but I recognize this wasn’t the intent. It is worthwhile viewing and one Creationists will likely want to own.

“Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products for services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog, and in my reviews. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

The following is the trailer for the movie, just click on the video, if the video doesn't appear, just click on the following link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwyteUF43d0

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Amish Grace

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

The Amityville Horror 2005 Blu-Ray

Thursday, September 9, 2010

The Mysterious Islands, Evolution VS Creation

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