Here’s the latest from the crossroads of faith, media & culture: 09/01/23

Since I went off the grid off the grid in August:

My wife and I saw Barbie. We originally intended to see Oppenheimer but the play times didn’t work out for us. While I still think those Barbenheimer memes were beyond crass, Barbie is actually LOL funny. While I get the criticisms from Bill Maher and others that the film is anti-man, I think they are a little overblown. Does it poke fun at the so-called “patriarchy” and do I agree with every opinion put forth? Sure and no – but it is truly creative and has an actual sense of humor that isn’t mean.  And, as I’ve said before, we all need to lighten up a little – especially when it comes to jokes about ourselves.

I also have to say that I was surprised that the movie actually bumps up against the idea that the Kens of the world face their own challenges – particularly in a world where the power imbalance between the sexes is not merely corrected but over-corrected (as it is in Barbieland – and, increasingly, in the real world). It comes oh-so-close to making the case for true equality and a cessation of counter-productive “reckoning” impulses. Unfortunately, to put it in Gymnast Barbie terms, it doesn’t quite stick the landing on that.

The Bottom Line: Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling make a great Ken and Barbie and Will Ferrell is absolutely hysterical (whoops! bad word!) as the CEO of Mattel. Speaking of Mattel, you gotta give the company credit for being willing to poke fun at itself – even to the point of allowing the movie to put forth the untrue narrative that its executive team is all male. The movie and director Greta Gerwig deserve the Oscar nominations that are surely coming their way.
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Freedom pays. Angel Studios has paid back Sound of Freedom crowdfunding investors their original investment plus a 20% profit. On August 16th, Angel Studios CEO Neal Harmon announced “6,678 Angel Guild members have now received $1.20 for every $1 they invested into the launch budget for Sound of Freedom and we are thrilled to be able to get funds back to them in three months.”

Sound of Freedom, which I reviewed here, stars Jim Caviezel (The Passion of the Christ) as Tim Ballard. the real-life Homeland Security agent who quit his job to rescue a little girl from sex traffickers in the Colombian jungle. Since its July 4th release, the sleeper hit of the summer has banked over $180-million at the the domestic box office – beating out such major studio-backed offerings as Disney’s Indiana Jones and Dial of Destiny and Paramount’s Mission Impossible – Dead Reckoning.

BTW, here’s an idea for boosting ratings for this year’s Oscars. First cut the number of Best Picture nominees from the current ten back to the traditional five so that people may be able to actually remember the nominees. Then nominate movies people have actually seen, i.e. Barbie, Oppenheimer and Sound of Freedom. The first two are, of course, shoo-ins. While I wouldn’t hold my breath for the latter, it would be a nice gesture for Hollywood to nominate a popular well-crafted film that is embraced by flyover country and takes on the important issue of international child sex trafficking.
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At the first GOP Presidential Debate, candidate Nikki Haley reflected my approach to abortion – and gained ground in the polls.

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Neptune’s clouds have disappeared, and the Sun might be responsible.” So reads a Smithsonian Magazine headline. The subhead goes on to say “Scientists have linked shifts in the distant planet’s cloud coverage to the ever-oscillating solar cycle, which is due to peak soon.” Gee, Neptune is farther away from the Sun than Earth yet somehow bringing up its possible impact on our climate is off the table. Could it be because (as the subhead states) that the solar cycle is peaking – indicating cooler times ahead, perhaps allowing cooler heads to prevail over the climate change alarmists out to stamp out the use of fossil fuels and reorganize the world economy in a way that benefits China to the detriment of America, its allies and the developing world.
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For the third time in less than two weeks Guardian Angels Founder and homeless advocate Curtis Sliwa ran afoul of the powers that be earlier this week when he was among those arrested for protesting New York City’s controversial plans for housing migrants in a way he says unjustly displaces Americans. The popular WABC Radio host, homeless advocate and Big Apple mayoral candidate (who I interviewed during his 2021 run) is facing charges of “obstructing governmental administration and disorderly conduct” spoke to the media upon his release.

Sliwa’s compromise migrant housing plan – as opposed  to sending them home or at least to Washington where President Biden might get a glimpse of the chaos and inhumanity his policies have wrought – involves opening up the non-prison portion of Riker’s Island. Elaborating on Spectrum News’ NY1 he said “Fix the plumbing, electricity. They have the cafeterias and kitchens. They have sleeping quarters. They have dormitories. They have 400 acres, lots of space – one way in, one way out. I would suggest you keep them there for six months. You properly vet them because they haven’t been vetted for criminal records. You make sure they they get all their vaccines. You check them medically. If they have a medical issue treat it and then in six months you’ll be able to get a permit to get a job…but, let’s face it, that’s not gonna happen.”
IMHO: Curtis’ ideas are certainly preferable to what’s going on now though I might suggest that housing the border crossers at Ellis Island rather than even the non-prison portion of Riker’s Island might be a bit of an easier sell. Still, the Biden open border policy is the immorality masking as compassion that needs to be addressed and reversed. I am personally tired of Christians and others of good faith being guilted into supporting ludicrous policies that are the opposite of compassion and good for nobody – including, in this case, the migrants they claim to help. Maintaining boundaries is important for individuals and for nations. Not to do so is saps us of the very balance and energy we need to appropriately and effectively help others effectively.
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Sound of Triumph. With Deaf Awareness Month kicking off today, there couldn’t be a more appropriate time for Never Give Up to hit select theaters nationwide. The ReelWorks Studios movie tells the extraordinary true story of Deaf World Champion Tennis Great Brad Minns and one of the greatest tennis matches and biggest comebacks in sports history. Writer-Director Rob Loos talks about why he decided to take on the project following the trailer.

JWK: What drew you to the story of Brad Minns?
Rob Loos: Well, how can you not like a guy like Brad?! He’s amazing! Part of it, honestly, was that I’m a tennis player. I’ve played most of my life. This story is really the greatest tennis comeback in Olympic, collegiate or professional history. Brad was in the finals in the World Games for the Deaf in 1985. He lost the first two sets and was down in the third set…It was Triple Match Point. It was like the match is over. There was no way this guy could ever come back – and he does! He comes back to win! And it becomes a way to tell the story of him throughout his life (from) when he became dead at age three…It shows his resilience and shows his sense that God had a plan for him. He wasn’t going to let the fact that he’s deaf stop him from achieving his dream in this life.
Also, it’s a great family film. I kind of get tired of seeing these films where parents are really stupid and they’re sort of the comic relief or something. This is a family that helps him overcome but it’s not (laid on) so heavy that you forget the story itself. It really (says) a lot of wonderful things. So, I can relate. Both Brad and I grew up in Ohio…We sort of knew of each other maybe a little bit…The main thing is its an amazing story and it makes a wonderful film.
JWK: Did the producers come to you and ask you to take on this project or were you the one who pushed it?
RL: Brad had written a book a couple of years ago. He met the producer Rick Eldridge and they really liked each other. I had worked with Rick a couple of times before. He knew that I played tennis. He knew that I wrote and directed. He (thought) it might make a match. So, I went and talked with Brad and we decided to do it…Brad always wanted to do it. Rick pulled it all together. My responsibility as the writer and director was to figure out how to tell somebody’s life story in under two hours, make it really compelling, visually interesting and understandable for those who may or may not understand what tennis is all about.
JWK: What was it like to meet and speak with Brad Minns? He reads lips, right?
RL: He does. He’s a master lipreader. He does not sign. He does not do ASL – American Sign Language. It was fun to meet him. He is really a charismatic personality. He lights up a room. You know when Brad’s around. He is just so much fun. He just loves people. He just reaches out to everybody. He’s just a wonderful man. He has such a joy inside of him and wants to share that joy with everybody…Wherever he goes he knows the waiters and waitresses…He’s just that kind of amazing guy. It’s contagious. It’s wonderful to be around. In this world which is sort of dark and dire most of the time, it’s wonderful to be around somebody so joyous and hopeful.
JWK: What do you hope people take from his story?
RL: To never give up is, basically, the best thing to take…That no matter where we are God is around and will help us…It’s about not giving up. It’s about moving forward. It’s about continuing to find a way. People quit doing stuff every day but if you really feel led to do it, called to do it (and) believe in it then don’t give up!…It’s a great message for kids. Never give up! It’s gonna be hard. There are gonna be hard times for sure but don’t give up! Keep going! Keep moving forward! I think we need a little more of that today. People give up too easy.
JWK: Did you have a moment in your life where you felt like giving up but you pushed through?
RL: Of course. I think we all relate to that. I probably relate to this on an even different level. Brad became deaf at age three. For me, my disability is the fact that that I’ve been an insulin-dependent diabetic since I was 13-years-old. Every day and every moment I’m aware of that. I have to take shots of insulin and balance my blood sugar every day. Sometimes, especially when you’re growing up, kids make fun you. They think you’re getting special treatment or they just think you’re weird that you can’t do certain things…I could really relate to that (idea of) perseverance. (My diabetes) is not going to stop me from doing what I do. It’s not going to stop me from TV and movies…or wherever I need to go. I just have to manage it as best I can and never give up. I can relate to the fact that my parents never babied me either. It was like figure it out. Be on the tennis team. Be on the golf team. Do whatever else you want to do. Just figure it out! You don’t just give up because a coach or somebody says “Hey, he’s a diabetic. We don’t think he belongs here.” You just do it! I can really relate to that on Brad’s side.
I went to Northwestern (University) in Chicago. It was a big film school in those days. We had a prominent alum, a guy named Garry Marshall. Garry was the creator of sitcoms like Laverne & Shirley, Mork & Mindy, Happy Days and those kind of things. I asked him in class “Mr. Marshall, what does it take to make in Hollywood?” I was a little college junior thinking about moving from Ohio and Illinois and going out to Hollywood. He says “Rob, I’ll tell you what Desi Arnaz told me.” I was like this has got to me the most amazing thing – from Desi Arnaz to Garry Marshall to Rob Loos! Oh, man! I’ll have the secret now! He says “Don’t give up…If you stick in long enough you can make it.” So that’s been a theme that fits into my life time and time again. It’s never give up, perseverance, keep going.
JWK: Do you think we’ve lost that sense of perseverance and optimism is in mainstream media? From my point of view, it seems that to a large degree movies and TV shows have gotten darker and less inspirational at least from the time when I was growing up. Do you agree and do you think such optimism in our entertainment is important?
RL: Yeah, I do agree. I think it’s important. We live in a pretty dark world…I hope we’re making a turn.

John W. Kennedy is a writer, producer and media development consultant specializing in television and movie projects that uphold positive timeless values, including trust in God.

Encourage one another and build each other up – 1 Thessalonians 5:11

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