A rat named Remy dreams of becoming a great French chef despite his family’s wishes and the obvious problem of being a rat in a decidedly rodent-phobic profession. When fate places Remy in the sewers of Paris, he finds himself ideally situated beneath a restaurant made famous by his culinary hero, Auguste Gusteau. As Remy enters, so does Linguini, a clumsy youth hired as a garbage boy. Despite the apparent dangers of being an unlikely – and certainly unwanted – visitor in the kitchen of a fine French restaurant, Remy’s passion for cooking soon sets into motion a hilarious and exciting rat race that turns the culinary world of Paris upside down.

I had the honor of doing an audio review for a room full of parents and young children at nearly 9pm, with children showing signs of fatigue with bedtimes and potential meltdowns imminent. What transpired is one of the quickest audio reviews I’ve done, so hopefully brevity is the source of wit.

Remy the rat was told he was BORN a certain way… into a certain time, place, and culture, and he must accept this as his reality and truth. At on point Remy says “No. Dad, I don’t believe it. You’re telling me that the future is – can only be – more of this?” His father says “This is the way things are; you can’t change nature.”

Can our nature be changed? If we are rats on this ship called life… trapped in a sociopolitical situation like Hindus in the untouchable caste, or genetically predisposed a certain direction – are we locked into that? Is our identity FIXED? Is our destiny dictated by our birth and/or environment?

The message of Ratatouille is NO – it CAN be changed… and there IS hope.

Listen right here by clicking the play button below.

You can alternatively choose to download the mp3 by clicking (or right clicking and selecting “save as”) HERE.

This is also reflected in the movies human protagonist, Linguini – a “nobody”, a son without a father, a garbage boy. Linguini believes he has no legacy, no heritage, just silly dreams. Truth is, he has a legacy – he has a father who is known to MANY, he is the child of an amazing CREATOR of cuisine, and he has an inheritance…

Do we resonate with this in vain hope for the fairy tale? Or does this strike a chord deep in our souls toward something true? The picture of Gusteau’s kitchen at the end of the film is a portrait of the church – an odd collection of VERY different peoples freed from the constraints of their identity, from their culture, brought together and unified in one kingdom, one kitchen, laboring together with joy to produce something sweet and savory for those around them that points not to us, but our participation as image-bearers of our Father and Savior, our inspiration and guiding light.

In the message of Ratatouille there IS truth, and hope, at least for the Christian. It is not just distraction or delusion for our kids… there is a warm spot of real connection with the same gospel Jesus preached.

Pan’s Labyrinth
Audio Review by James Harleman (contains spoilers)

“Is there real immortality and real magic? I believe there is… I believe they are a spiritual reality that is as tangible and as real as the material world… Only those that KNOW where to look - only those that have the right GAZE - can see it.”
– Guillermo Del Toro

The film has a 96% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and it received a 98% rating at Metacritic, making it Metacritic’s fourth highest rated movie of all time. At the Cannes Film Festival release, it received a standing ovation. Clearly, it made an impression. After viewing the film at a Cinemagogue event with a large audience, I unpacked the underlying themes in Guillermo’s beautiful story, using many of the artists own words.

To Director Guillermo Del Toro, the film represents “Violence and fantasy – how the “real” material world scoffs at the girl’s interest in the fantasy world.” There are differing ideas about the film’s religious influences. Del Toro himself has said that he considers Pan’s Labyrinth “a truly profane film, a layman’s riff on Catholic dogma”, but that his friend Alejandro González Iñárritu described it as “a truly Catholic film”. Del Toro’s explanation is “once a Catholic, always a Catholic”.

What does this story intimate about “reality”, our belief in what lies beyond the material world? Does Ofelia invent a fantasy world to escape the horrible realities of life that surround her in 1944 after the Spanish Civil War? OR… are her eyes open to a world that is deeper and wider, beyond her understanding but ultimately offering, hope, escape, and immortality? More importantly, what does this say about us? Is our assumption of the material world as “reality” the true fantasy?

Del Toro: “That moment of putting away our toys and giving up our childhood is a profound, melancholy moment.”

“Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” – Jesus (Luke ch.18)

You can listen right here by clicking the play button above.
You can also listen to the audio in another browser by clicking on the link below, or right click and “save as” to download the mp3. For those options, click here.

A review of THE DARK KNIGHT
by James Harleman
starring Christian Bale and Heath Ledger
directed by Christopher Nolan
Rated PG-13

“This is not a dance…”

Actor Liam Neeson spoke these words to a weary Bruce Wayne in the first act of Batman Begins. Rather than simply criticizing the balletic fight moves of a man who would become Batman, the statement seemed to speak more deeply about the film itself, which took a deviation from the choreographed, “beautiful” battles of recent superhero and action fare, steering the movie in the direction of fierce scraps with a heavy script. This was not Iron Man. Batman Began BOLDY, and the world took note of it’s brooding, philosophical edge (audio review of Batman Begins appears below).

Still, by comparison , 2008’s summer smash The Dark Knight makes even Batman Begins look like a whimsical two-step.

When asked, my first response to what I thought of the film was “I feel like I got kicked in the head and stomach for two and a half hours”. Other keywords began to stir in my brain: lumbering, brutal, tiring, fearsome, depressing. Even agonizing. Most days, readers will think most of these words were intended to pepper a negative review. However, for a film wrestling with mankind’s lack of moral compass, the exhilarating anarchy of The Joker, and the heavy and seemingly unbearable weight of leadership, this movie - like it’s titular character - is exactly what it needs to be.

The story begins with a clown-masked bank robbery, unveiling the arch-nemesis Batman will be tangling with throughout the flick (played by the late Heath Ledger). However, The Dark Knight is not about the Joker, or Batman, but truly about Gotham City and its denizens. While the first movie dealt idealistically with whether or not Gotham should be saved, this installment is where the rubber Bat-Pod meets the road. Bruce Wayne’s lifelong friend and potential paramour Rachel Dawes (Maggie Gyllenhaal) is paired - in business and pleasure - with new District Attorney Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart). The photogenic yet genuine idealistic seeks to root out corruption inside the police department as well as removing the mob factions left in the city, who are beginning to band together. Even Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) sees Harvey’s white knight crusade pointing to a possible end for his own dark nights, carrot-dangling the possibility for a normal life.

(more…)

Audio Review of JUNO
by Pastor James Harleman

“I need to know that it’s possible that two people can stay happy together forever…”

Jason Reitman, the brilliant Director that gave us Thank You for Smoking, shot Juno in just 31 days. It was the highest-grossing film of all five Best Picture Oscar nominees (2008). Writer Diablo Cody won for the Award for Best Original Screenplay.

I know that, as a Christian, I’m expected to talk about the movie’s controversial handling of whether or not “all babies like to get borned…” but let’s be honest people, the baby is a macguffin; the real issues that this film gives birth to ultimately address finding one’s identity, and the seemingly hopeless nature of love.

“I’m just like losing my faith with humanity. I just wonder if two people can stay together for good.”

Faced with an unplanned pregnancy, an offbeat young woman makes an unusual decision regarding her unborn child. While the movie focuses on the women, one real issue seems to be “what’s wrong with our men”? The men in the film don’t act, and at best REact. I unpacked this and other facets of the story at a local film event… (includes spoilers, watch film first!)

Listen right here by clicking the play button above.

You can also listen to the audio in another browser by clicking on the link below, or right click and “save as” to download the mp3. For those options, click here.

Audio Review of
NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN
by Pastor James Harleman

The COEN BROTHERS adapted Cormac McCarthy’s novel into this film of the same name, After writing No Country in 2005, the 75 year old McCarthy has won a Pulitzer Prize for his novel “The Road” in 2006, once again exploring his familiar themes of extreme isolation, perversity, and violence to represent normal human experience. The novel’s motifs of chance, free-will, and predestination are familiar territory for the Coen brothers, and the film subsequently won the Academy Award for Best Picture in early 2008. With so many prizes surrounding these themes and creators, it is fascinating to explore why these works have had such an unstoppable impact on our culture.

“It’s been traveling twenty-two years to get here. And now it’s here. And it’s either heads or tails. And you have to say. Call it.” - Anton Chigurh

Violence and mayhem ensue after a hunter stumbles upon some dead bodies, a stash of heroin and more than $2 million in cash near the Rio Grande. No Country For Old Men, the 2008 Oscar winner for Best Picture (and in three other categories) stumbled upon the Wedgwood Campus for our live, monthly Cinemagogue event.

I’ve been a big fan of the Coen brothers since Raising Arizona and have enjoyed their work from Miller’s Crossing to The Hudsucker Proxy. For some reason, I’d missed The Big Lebowski until last year and finally enjoyed Jeff Bridges amazing performance. (Did anyone notice Jeff’s tip of the hat to Lebowski in his latest film, Iron Man?) Still, I wasn’t immediately enraptured with this film as most were last year. A few friends of mine loathed it. After contemplation, repeat viewing, and some study, it’s actually quite illuminating to me why this film has struck a chord in both film buff and casual viewer and I’ve come to a profound appreciation for what the film has to offer.

Listen right here by clicking the play button above.

You can also listen to the audio in another browser by clicking on the link below, or right click and “save as” to download the mp3. For those options, click here.

Fairy Tales: Folly or Faith?
An audio exploration of Enchanted
by Pastor James Harleman

Enchanted intrigued me as it hit squarely on one of my favorite narrative dichotomies in Hollywood storytelling… what I affectionately call “Life Under the Sun” and “Life Beyond the Sun” films. These worlds collide in Enchanted in what I think is one of Disney’s strongest achievements to date – cinematically combining elements of their best animated and live productions into a self-effacing pageant that comments on both their wonder, their humor, they’re syrup, and also our own earthly disenchantment without them.

Whether it’s the seemingly naive Giselle or the Carrie Underwood song that closes the film, it’s apparent that we want to believe in fairy tale endings but many of us, like Robert in the film, believe that “The lovey-dovey version that you talk about – it’s fantasy. And one day you have to wake up and you’re in the REAL world.” What if neither of them are wrong? What if BOTH worlds are true?

Listen right here by clicking the play button above.

You can also listen to the audio in another browser by clicking on the link below, or right click and “save as” to download the mp3. For those options, click here.
(more…)

Whether you cross decades or cross the pond, you can find shared shenanigans, duplicated drudgery, synchronized self-absorption, and facsimilied foolishness. Office politics and the cubicle life play themselves out in some amazing comedies which don’t try to hide that they’re dipping in the same office pool. From Peter to Tim to Jim, we feel a kinship and a frustration with life under the sun. For those of us in leadership positions, there is the nervous laughter as we fear people view us like Lumbergh, David Brent, or Michael Scott. In part, I think all of these feelings hold a kernel of truth, which is why we laugh at exaggerations (oh, you HOPE they’re exaggerations, don’t you!)

(more…)

LEGENDS AND FALLEN HEROES
AUDIO REVIEW by Pastor James Harleman

“The time of heroes is dead: the Christ god has killed it, leaving nothing but weeping martyrs and fear and shame.” - Beowulf, from the 2007 film

The tale of Beowulf in 2007 differs greatly from the epic, ancient Anglo-Saxon poem. What of Beowulf’s claim in the film? What of Director Robert Zemekis’ boast that his version of the tale has ”nothing to do with the Beowulf you were forced to read in junior high — it’s all about eating, drinking, killing, and fornicating.” If this is true, what does the tale inform us about where that leads?

The original story of Beowulf is about a hero, Heroic myth, the foundation for Arthurian legends, Lord of the Rings and even Star Wars according to co-writer Robert Avary. Originally written between the 7th and 12th century by monks, modern writers Neil Gaiman and Avary assumed the Monks imposed some of their own spin on it. Thus, they felt the liberty to “liberate” Beowulf from his “purer” version. In this revision, even Beowulf asks the queen to remember him “not as a hero, but as a man, fallible and flawed”.

Their “subtle” alteration doesn’t just add or tweak the tale, it BECOMES the tale. They have changed it in the most significant way POSSIBLE… and I’m fine it.

King Hrothgar boasts that “the gods will do nothing for us that we will not do for ourselves – what we need is a HERO!” Along comes the alleged hero, boasting “Mine is strength, and lust, and power! I am Beowulf!!!” Boasting, temptation, and tragedy feature largely in the audio exploration of Beowulf I was able to offer at our Seattle-based “Film and Theology” event.

James 3 says “So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic.” Considering Beowulf’s dealings with the demon in this adaptation o the story, this verse rings with fresh truth in 3D imaging. The following examination of the film runs just under 30 minutes.

Listen right here by clicking the play button above.

You can also listen to the audio in another browser by clicking on the link below, or right click and “save as” to download the mp3. For those options, click here.

For those who don’t sample the audio, I’ll share a few thoughts… (more…)

I was excited to see The Bourne Ultimatum get three Oscars, which I would say are well deserved. Of course, if you asked me what the differences are between “Best Achievement in Sound”, “Best Achievement in Editing”, and “Best Achievement in Sound Editing”, I would be hard pressed to differentiate between them. Fortunately, Director Paul Greengrass’ brisk, jarring documentary style didn’t win the “Best Achievement in making my wife seasick” award like the second installment, The Bourne Supremacy, did.

I posted a written review on the Bourne movies a while back, but since the third film won two awards for aspects of audio, I thought it prudent to post the audio review I did of The Bourne Ultimatum for a live audience in December ‘07.

NOTE: this 30 minute review assumes you have seen the Bourne trilogy and contains spoilers.

Listen right here by clicking the play button above.

You can also listen to the audio in another browser by clicking on the link below, or right click and “save as” to download the mp3.
For those options, click here.

Anyone who’s perused this site and added up the number of posts knows that I’m a Transformers fan. I mean come ON, I was an eleven year old boy when they debuted; it was inevitable. Whether it’s my commentary on the fatherly nature of Optimus Prime, my musings about fan favorites Bumblebee and Starscream, or the text review of the “live-action” film by Michael Bay, it’s evident I’m paying attention. I’ll even confess that this little tune is my default Blackberry ringtone.

Still, it could be worse; I could be as obsessed as this guy…

… or have too much time on my hands like the Mirasol Twins, reconstructing this scene from the latest film using stop-motion animation and Lego people.

What I DID have time to do was speak about the latest film at a recent Cinemagogue Event, unraveling this coming-of-age story with giant robots, and revealing how the narrative is merely a classic, timeless narrative in disguise. The transforming robots serve as a backdrop for the transforming life of Sam Witwicky, played with verve by Shia LeBeouf. This 27 minute audio review contains plot spoilers and assumes you have seen the film.

Listen right here by clicking the play button above.

You can also listen to the audio in another browser by clicking on the link below, or right click and “save as” to download the mp3.
For those options, click here.