this was easily one of my top 5 favorite movies of 2007. it’s the story of a pregnant teenage girl faced with the choice of what to do with the fruit of her exploits. while it never seems that keeping the child is an option, she does consider both of the other options, adoption and abortion, and decides on the former. she then looks for a worthy family that can adopt the baby and finds, through a personal ad, no less, a seemingly perfect couple with a seemingly perfect life. the movie then goes through the events that transpire leading up to the birth of Juno’s baby.

now, there are several reasons that i loved this film. first, it’s just funny. i mean really hilarious. the conversations, especially between Juno (played by Ellen Page) and her best friend Leah (played by Olivia Thirlby), are brilliantly written and never seem forced or contrived. when the two girls are together they pretty much only talk in slang, which can be hard to keep up with but is terribly funny if you can. the word choice is amazing and it’s interesting that they can use certain words to convey meaning that could have nothing to do with the actual meaning of the word they use. that’s probably confusing, and i can’t remember any specific examples, so you’ll just have to see the film to see what i mean. but it’s brilliant. i also found it very refreshing that the majority of the humor in this movie is in the dialogue. frankly, i’m a little burnt out on comedies that are nothing but situational or gag humor. i want something witty, something intelligent. and Juno definitely fits that bill.

a second reason i loved this film is the relationships of the characters. i think one thing that hollywood often fails to convey is the reality of relationships. there are a number of reasons for this, of course, and some of them are justified, but one thing this film does really will is to portray the messiness and complexity of relationships. every relationship in this film is flawed, even the one between Juno and Leah. yet all the characters seem to be conscious of this and do what they can to work through their various issues. they don’t do so perfectly, of course, but through the trouble and pain comes love and redemption. and i think this film does a very good job at showing that.

a third reason i loved this film is what it says about life. now let me be perfectly clear in saying that i don’t think this film was in any way intended to be an “anti-abortion” film, nor do i think it was intended to make any kind of political statement whatsoever. it may, but if so then i am completely unaware of it. nevertheless, i think this film is a wonderful testament to the miracle of life and pregnancy. as i mentioned earlier, Juno does contemplate having an abortion. like one of Job’s friends, perhaps, Leah makes the calls for her and sets up the appointments, trying as hard as she can to help Juno with the situation in the way that she thinks best. but when Juno gets to the abortion clinic she meets a classmate, a stereotypical anti-abortion Christian, protesting the abortion clinic with a picket sign and chanting “all babies want to get borned.” the “Christian” is made to look like a fool, but what she tells Juno, that her baby has fingernails, completely changes Juno’s attitude towards what she is about to do. it’s through watching the nervous, unsettled fingernails of the other “clients” in the clinic that cause her to run out and choose adoption, and she never wastes an opportunity to tell everyone around her that her baby has fingernails. in her own quirky way, Juno comes to realize the wonder that is growing inside of her. and even though she refers to the baby as “this thing” or to her pregnancy as “a fat suit i can’t take off,” even though not having an abortion will bring scorn upon her from classmates and parents, she refuses to do the easy thing and to respect the life that is growing inside of her. it’s beautiful.

there are other things i loved about this film. the soundtrack is really great, the casting is perfect, Dwight has a cameo (i really wish he had more scenes), etc., etc. it’s just a completely brilliant film. this film has definitely aided in changing my attitude towards indie films. i’ve seen several of them lately (Once and Waitress being the best of the lot), which is unusual for me. i think i’ve been kind of leery of indie films because of the people that are really into them. i saw it as just another thing to be a snob about, and saw some that weren’t particularly great that just solidified my view. but that view has completely changed now. i’m not going to be one that ONLY watches indie films from now on, i love popcorn blockbusters too much to do that, but i definitely won’t be as suspicious toward them as i was little more than a month ago. like with Juno, in the best ones there’s a profound realism, and that’s something i’ve been looking for in film for a long time.

first, i must say that i really loved this book. yes, there’s controversy about it, and i’ll address that in a bit, but on its own merits this book is very well done. it’s a believable “world creation,” the characters are engaging and very complex, the story takes a lot of interesting turns, and the book doesn’t end…….well it doesn’t end, really, as it’s the first of three parts, but the ending of this first part didn’t really turn out the way that the reader probably would have expected it to. i like that in books. i know some people like everything to be all neatly tied up and explained, but i’m not like that. i love books that lead me in a certain way throughout, only to blow away all my preconceived notions of how the book should end at the last minute. i like books that leave me guessing and let my imagination try to fill in the holes. fiction, anyways. that’s not a desirable trait to have in non-fiction books. but i digress.

i loved this book. if you’re unfamiliar with the book or the film, this is the story of a young girl named Lyra. kind of a fitting name, actually, as Lyra is also a liar. a big one, at that. but she does know when she needs to be completely truthful and would probably say that she only lies when it’s absolutely necessary. Lyra has an uncle, or someone she believes to be her uncle, named Lord Asriel who also happens to be a world famous explorer. in this sort of alternate universe from our own, Lord Asriel, while exploring the far reaches of the North and trying to discover the truth behind Dust (more on that in a second), is taken capture and imprisoned by Gobblers, who also happen to be stealing children and performing experiments on them. little by little, Lyra learns what is going on and she sets out to help the stolen children and to free her uncle. aiding her in her task are her daemon (again, more on this in a second), an exiled armored bear, and a an alethiometer, a small golden truth-telling device that much resembles a compass, thus the title of the book.

i should say here that if you have not yet read the book or seen the movie and do not want to be spoiled, then you should probably read no further. so proceed at your own risk. (more…)

read the full press release here. this is such exciting news!! many Tolkien fans thought this day would never come, so it’s completely wonderful that Jackson, New Line, and MGM have been able to work out their differences enough to let this happen. i would have loved to hear that Jackson would also be directing the two films (though, i suppose, there is still hope until they officially announce a director), but oh well. executive producer (along with his wife, Fran Walsh) is much more than we had hoped to get at all.

as far as the details go:

The two “Hobbit” films – “The Hobbit” and its sequel – are scheduled to be shot simultaneously, with pre-production beginning as soon as possible. Principal photography is tentatively set for a 2009 start, with the intention of “The Hobbit” release slated for 2010 and its sequel the following year, in 2011.

2010 can’t get here soon enough!!!

UPDATE: The Hobbit: The Official Movie Blog has been launched.

Darrell Bock, professor of New Testament at Dallas Theological Seminary, offers some helpful advice on how Christians should respond when there’s a “groundbreaking discovery” like new gospels, ossuaries, tombs, etc., or when popular books take the world by storm to debunk Christianity or attempt to “kill God”. too many Christians, he says, too quickly resort to anger and dismissal, rather than openly and honestly engaging the issues that come up. he offers advice to a wide range of Christians, leaders and lay people, but his advice to individuals is most helpful:

Rather than seeing new media reports as conspiracies to rail against, why not see them as opportunities to discuss faith with friends and neighbors who will find them intriguing? Only we mustn’t do so with an angry or dismissive tone. Rather, we ought to respectfully explain the historic Christian view. Becoming equipped for such discussions may require seminars organized by local churches. Imagine churches working together to help believers contend for the truth in their communities.

of course, as he suggests, being able to explain the historic Christian view takes a concerted effort to become educated, to which he charges church leaders to undertake, but given today’s culture this is something that must be a priority, especially if the church is to continue to carry forth the Great Commission, not only to the far reaches of the earth, but to our immediate communities and cultural contexts. and it’s the Great Commission that i think is the heart of the matter.

Bock’s article is great and i highly recommend reading it. however, i think that while Bock does an excellent job with covering the “how” in getting to the point where Christians, lay and leader, can engage these things, i think he fails to rightly convey the “why” in getting to the point where Christians can intelligently respond. now that may be an unfair charge since his main intent was probably to focus on the “how”, but i’m afraid that a cursory reading of the article could leave people thinking that we need to be educated for education’s sake and to be able to engage the issues of the day intelligently so that we can put those nasty pagans in their place.

but if that’s what one comes away from the article thinking, then the point has been missed. if the motive of engaging the culture is simply to win arguments and appear intelligent, then this is a quick road to engagement becoming heated, tense, and hurtful. in this situation, the engagement, intellectual and informed though it may be, is no better than what is too often the current Christian reaction, namely holing ourselves up and cursing the darkness.

rather, Christians should pursue this education and these engagements of the culture, first, out of love for God, and, second, out of love for one’s neighbor. not for the purpose of winning arguments, but for the purpose of winning hearts. not in the confidence of one’s own knowledge and learning, but in the confidence that God, through his Holy Spirit, is at work in and around them, and it is he alone that opens the mind to discern spiritual things (1 Corinthians 2).

so it’s ok to read The Da Vinci Code or see the movie. it’s ok to read His Dark Materials or see The Golden Compass. it’s ok to watch National Geographic documentaries about tombs and lost gospels, and no one is going to hell for doing any of this. rather, Christians will be living up to their calling to be light in the midst of a dark and twisted generation. so, as Bock concludes his article:

the next time you hear an earth-shattering announcement about Jesus from the media [or hear about the next bestseller that seeks to undermine the Christian faith], don’t get angry. Rather, take three deep breaths, sit down with your Starbucks coffee, and…prepare yourself for the opportunities it presents.

in light of today’s events (download the full Mitchell Report here), i think it’s good for all true fans of our national pastime to remember and long for the purity and fun that the game is supposed to have. hopefully this report (which i admittedly have a wide range of thoughts and emotions about) is a first step forward towards restoring the wonder and beauty of baseball. hopefully this report will truly serve to remind us “of all that once was good, and it could be again.”

Andy Gullahorn is one of those artists that i keep “rediscovering.” i’m sure you know what i mean. i’ll listen to his records for a while and then, for some unknown reason, i’ll just stop. no real reason. maybe i just get distracted by other things, or something like that, but somehow his stuff will fall out of rotation for a couple of months. then, as i’m scanning through my iTunes library, i’ll see his name and realize that i haven’t listened to him in a while, and then i’m floored as to how songs like his could ever fall out of rotation. or why i even bother listening to anything else at all!

my first exposure to andy was a couple of years ago at Andy Peterson’s Behold the Lamb of God show in Nashville (if you ever see the BtLoG dvd, you might see a familiar face [*cough*me*cough*], as the picture fades to credits at the end; but i digress). at this show, Andy played a song called “Holy Flakes” that, quite frankly, was and is hilarious. however, i was not prepared at all for the end of the song in which a hammer was lowered that struck to the very heart of Christian consumerism. it was at that moment that i realized that a special talent was standing on the stage in front of me.

andy’s songs span a wide spectrum of themes. funny, serious, thoughtful, love songs. yet his genius is found in making each one of them deeply profound and deeply penetrating. i don’t know that i’ve ever met an artist who so clearly and quickly spoke directly to me in their songs. not at so deep a level as this, that is.

Reinventing the Wheel is Andy’s third album, and, in my opinion, it’s his best album to date. from lamenting the passing of the great work it takes to break in a new baseball cap, to the realization that a lifetime spent with the one we love is still not enough time spent with the one we love, to a beautiful ballad detailing the triumphs and trials of one of Andy Osenga’s toes (for those of you keeping score, that is 3 different “Andy’s” that have been mentioned in this post), these songs are a wonderful testament to Andy’s gift of storytelling and poetry.

the song on the album that i’ve been digging the most in the last few days is his “More of a Man.” this is a sort of “coming of age” song, but in a different respect. it talks about the changes that come from crossing the river that runs between the land of singleness and the land of marriage and family, and the struggle that comes in leaving behind your independence and “manly” things like chicken fried steak and Jean-Claude Van Damme, in exchange for maturity, responsibility, and Dora the Explorer.

my wife and i have not entered into the “with kids” stage of this adventure yet, but i can definitely relate to the song because so much sacrifice is required in marriage. there are many times when i long to be back in a place where i can spend all my time playing video games, watching mindless action movies, and drinking beer. but then i remember about the place that God has put me in and the relationships he has called me to pursue and invest in, namely with my wife, and all of a sudden those “manly” things don’t seem as important anymore. it seems more manly, especially in this point of history, to focus on being a good husband and growing in intimacy and relationship with my wife and friends, than any amount of (regular) dr. pepper could ever be.

so check out andy gullahorn if you never have. you will most certainly not regret it.

is now available (larger, higher-res version here).

as someone who was less than impressed with the adaptation of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, this second installment actually looks pretty good. i’ll reserve judgment until i see the film, however.

this is one of the greatest articles i’ve ever read in the new york times. apparently the highly exciting National Geographic discovery of The Gospel of Judas last year has taken a dramatic twist.

Judas, apparently, was not a heroic, holy spirit whom Jesus asked to hand him over to the Jewish and Roman authorities. turns out, quite the contrary, that Judas was a greedy, demon-possessed man who betrayed Jesus!!!! a shocking revelation, indeed (*cough*Luke 22:3-6*cough*)

in the above article, the author details the completely shoddy scholarship that National Geographic employed in translating the document, twisting what the ancient coptic actually said in order to gain flashy headlines and sexy praise for their efforts in calling the New Testament accounts of Jesus into question. thankfully, they have now been exposed for the frauds they are.

says the author:

I think the big problem is that National Geographic wanted an exclusive. So it required its scholars to sign nondisclosure statements, to not discuss the text with other experts before publication. The best scholarship is done when life-sized photos of each page of a new manuscript are published before a translation, allowing experts worldwide to share information as they independently work through the text.

Another difficulty is that when National Geographic published its transcription, the facsimiles of the original manuscript it made public were reduced by 56 percent, making them fairly useless for academic work. Without life-size copies, we are the blind leading the blind. The situation reminds me of the deadlock that held scholarship back on the Dead Sea Scrolls decades ago. When manuscripts are hoarded by a few, it results in errors and monopoly interpretations that are very hard to overturn even after they are proved wrong.

To avoid this, the Society of Biblical Literature passed a resolution in 1991 holding that, if the condition of the written manuscript requires that access be restricted, a facsimile reproduction should be the first order of business. It’s a shame that National Geographic, and its group of scholars, did not follow this sensible injunction.

shame on you, National Geographic.

that’s what this site says. my first couple of thoughts:

PJ directing? freakin’ awesome and about damn time.

3D? hmm…..

now i haven’t seen Beowulf in 3D (and i probably won’t because of the changes i’ve heard they made to the story; Beowulf is one of my favorite books), but i know some people that have and they said the effects were pretty amazing. the only complaint i’ve heard is that emotion still doesn’t translate and the eyes of the cgi actors are still lifeless and dead.

that’s my fear of doing The Hobbit (probably my favorite book of all-time) in 3D. i suppose this could be a non-issue if they can achieve the 3D effect without cgi actors, and i truly hope that this is the case. i just can’t imagine Bilbo, Thorin, Gandalf, etc. as lifeless, soulless cgi animation. the one thing that makes me think this will be a non-issue is the article’s mention of Jackson wanting to go back and do the LOTR films in 3D as well. i guess we’ll just have to wait and see how all this pans out.

another interesting note from the article is the mention that there will be two films. presumably, the first film will be The Hobbit and the second film will be a sort of prequel to The Lord of the Rings, speculating on events that took place in the 60 year period between the two. should be interesting, to say the least, but if there’s anyone we can trust to do this right, it’s Peter Jackson.

(HT: TORN)

so like i said, i’m sort of relaunching this site and that time has now come. if you’ve been here before, you’ll notice a new theme design, although the layout remains pretty much the same. you might also notice that the address of this site has changed and is now brandoncozart.com, so be sure to update your bookmarks if you have this site bookmarked.

along with a new design is a new, or rather, stated, focus. i think that one of the reasons i haven’t posted as much as i would have liked up to this point is a lack of clear intent for my blog. i think i thought too often that if i didn’t have something long and profound to say, then i just shouldn’t post. but over the last couple of months, as i’ve been reading more and more blogs, i’ve realized that most blog posts might just be a short paragraph, a single quotation, maybe even just a link to someone else’s blog post. my posts have sort of evolved into that in the last couple of months, but having it stated will help me out a ton, i think. so at least, if all goes to plan, i’ll have at least one post per week, but hopefully there will be more.

in addition to this, i’ve also decided to focus my posts in the area of the intersection between faith and culture. again, i think that that’s what my posts have evolved into in the past couple of months, as that’s what i’ve been most interested in in that time, but the sort of self-consciousness that i mentioned above still hindered the quantity of posts on here. what this means as far as content is that i plan to use this blog for book reviews, possibly movie and music reviews, as well as interaction with articles that i find interesting and relevant to this project.

so why a Peanuts theme? well aside from being the greatest cartoon strip of all time, when i think of something that perfectly captures the intersection of faith and culture i think of Peanuts. Charles Schulz was truly a genius at capturing the cultural sitz im laben and dissecting it from a number of angles, including the angle of faith. and he did so, of course, through the lives and conversations of children. brilliant!

Peanuts has had a big impact on me over the years and has always been a part of my life, and i feel that this is a fitting tribute to what Charlie Brown and his gang has meant to me. also, in further honor of Schulz’s life work, around the first of the year i plan to start posting a Peanuts strip per week on a particular day.

so that’s the manifesto, so to speak, of where i want this blog to go from this point on. and to get it started, i will be doing a series of posts on the highly lauded, highly controversial, His Dark Materials trilogy by Philip Pullman (from which comes the much anticipated holiday movie, The Golden Compass). i’m really looking forward to reading this books because i’ve heard so much about them, good and bad, and i think they will be a fascinating read.