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 Win a Trip to Hollywood
Doesn't That Sound Appealing?
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 Rambo Coverage Launches
A Look at Missionaries on Film
On January 25, Sylvester Stallone returns to the director's chair and brings us, after twenty years, another tale of his iconic character John Rambo. The film is simply titled after the Viet Nam vet's surname.
After last having been seen battling Soviets in Afghanistan alongside his mentor, Colonel Trautman, Rambo returns to his haunts in remote Thailand where he ekes out a living by hunting exotic snakes, among other things. After twenty years of relative peace, Rambo is recruited by missionaries to help guide a relief mission up the Salween Rvier into the repressive neighboring state of Myanmar (Burma). Rambo
reluctantly agrees.
When the missionaries are later captured, Rambo sees that his isolationist thinking has its shortcomings, and he sets about doing what his hand finds to do: venture once more up the Salween to execute the kind of mission he was trained for.
This fourth film about Stallone's other alter ego is hardly the first to couple intense violence with a tale that integrally involves missionaries. And it's certainly true that missionaries do indeed put themselves in harm's way in the service of faith and evangelism, as was the case with New Tribes Mission's Burnham family in the Philippines in 2001.
But is the element of danger being overplayed in Hollywood films? Is faith being exploited when the real product is action and mayhem? This month we take a look at a number of films and their depiction of missionaries in danger.
First up: Darrel Manson looks at At Play in the Fields of the Lord. Also check out links to Rambo and missions resources both at Hollywood Jesus and elsewhere.
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The Week in Movies
The Orphanage
Darrel Manson | 01/13/08
Many horror films rely on blood and gore or
sudden surprises to scare us. The Orphanage has a few gotcha moments
and just a touch of blood, but for the most part the horror in this
film comes from the atmosphere and situation.
The Bucket List
Tim Berroth | 01/12/08
For anyone who has gone through any sort of
health challenge in the past or currently, either personally or with a
loved one, it is a great escape to live vicariously (and victoriously)
through the lives of Edward Cole and Carter Chambers.
First Sunday
Elisabeth Leitch | 01/11/08 First Sunday is goofy, simple, cheesy, and
filled with stereotype on top of stereotype. But at its core, in the
story it tells and the messages it presents, it could very well be the
opening illustration of many a Sunday morning sermon.
Darrel Manson | Movies, Blogs
The more we see of the broader world and of
other religions, the more we will see the many things we all have in
common. In that, festivals such as this are springs of hope in a desert
world. But then, this is Palm Springs, where waters flow in the desert.
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New DVD, Music, Books, and Games Articles
Death Sentence
CoachZ | 01/08/08 | Blogs, Previews, On DVD
The only things that kept noodling at me to
watch this movie were: a) there's a brief hockey scene, and b) Kevin
Bacon and Kelly Preston are in it and they usually have good judgments
as far as movie roles. I should have passed.
Sunshine
Ed Travis | 01/08/08 | Movies, Reviews, On DVDIf you come into the film looking for a
thrill ride, the chances are good that you will be watching tensely. If
you come looking for scares, you'll find them. And you'll also find
insightful sci-fi meditations on God and man. Boyle is practically
walking on water!
Love's Unending Legacy
CoachZ | 01/08/08 | Movies, TV, Previews, On DVD
The movie is basically a very long Hallmark
commercial; you know the ones with the poignant stories and music that
can get you crying in less than 30 seconds? The acting, directing, and
music make for a great combination worth at least a rental.
Wallace & Gromit: Three Amazing Adventures
CoachZ | 01/08/08 | Movies, Previews, On DVD
We get a fair amount of press releases and
screeners here at HJ, so I'm writing this column to let you know what
is Queue, Rent, or Buy worthy and when it's going to release. This one
is absolutely packed with special features on top of the shorts.
No Santa, Just Hope
Jacob Sahms | 01/12/08 | Music
The album closes on a different tone, but
the same message, with the first single, "This Holiday." His latest
project brings the singer-songwriter in out of the cold, and stands the
chance of doing the same for others feeling isolated and alone.
Just Enough To Make You Want More
Jacob Sahms | 01/09/08 | Music
Myriad is back, and while I went digging
for my copy of their first album and couldn't find it, it's with great
pleasure that I listened to this cruel but delicious pre-taste of their
upcoming album due out this spring. I'm hooked, gentlemen.
Ultimate Grammy Collection: Contemporary R&B
Memories of Rhythm and Blues
Jacob Sahms | 01/07/08 | Music
Periodically, I get collections in the mail
from various music companies, and I always struggle to listen to them
because they don't fit together, or they have some band I've never
heard of playing one song, etc. But these Ultimate Grammy Collections
are starting to make my day!
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Regina Doman | 01/07/08 | Books
Rowling has seemed blasé about faith
issues, revealing first that she is a Christian (incensing her
secularist fans), next that she has no reluctance to use homosexual
inclination as a plot device in her books (disappointing her Christian
fans).
Frontlines: Fuel of War
Yo | 01/12/08 | Games, Previews
Frontlines: Fuel of War takes a very real
problem in our world and uses it for the setting of this open-world,
first person shooter. Althought the setting is rather dramatic, thought
provoking and compelling, how does the gameplay measure up?
Madden '08 [Divisional Round]
Yo | 01/12/08 | Games, Sports, Analysis
Another weekend, another round of the NFL
Playoffs. We got off to a good start last weekend with our simulations
being 100% accurate in predicting who would win and who would go home.
Did we have similar success in the Divisional Round?
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Previous News
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Glad to be here,
The Staff
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