Frailty
Mood:  blue
Now Playing: Eminem's "Mosh"

last night i was just in the mood for a thriller, so i popped in Bill Paxton's directorial debut, "Frailty."

as thrillers go, it was excellent. it kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time (despite some corny dialog). but the further it went, and the lasting impression i have from the film, the most disturbed i became.

i won't try to spoil to much of the movie for you (should you choose to see it), but essentially, the movie about a father who receives a vision from God (an angel, actually) who tells him he has been chosen to be one of God's hands in the war against the devil and that he will be responsible for destroying demons. the kicker is these demons will look just like humans. God will send this father a list of people's names who are actually demons, and it's this man's responsibility to destroy them (typically with an axe).

the movie takes its twists and turns, the entire time, asking the audience, is the father doing God's will, or is he just crazy? what bothered me is that they never answered the question. are we supposed to salute this man or are we to fear him? are all Christians really just lunatics? is faith something that demands the abandonment of all logic? are we supposed to do anything God tells us, even if it means the abuse of our children and the slayings of our neighbors and random strangers?

these are all questions the movie raised and never answered. i suppose what disturbs me the most is that it's the antagonist who displays these character traits. he's the only overtly religious person in the movie. everyone else has nothing to say on the subject.

why do Christians always have to come off as crazies in a Hollywood production? Christianity, when on screen, has either come off as completely unfounded, or completely Catholic (and sometimes both). and it's really frustrating sometimes, going into a movie and seeing that. being a fairly liberal Protestant, i'd like to see a little cinematic representation, if you don't mind.

Ripple's going to Nashville this weekend! we're taking That You May Believe up there for two performances. we haven't performed this since the week after Easter, so everyone's a little nervous. it should work out fine, but that doesn't stop people from stressing.

i'm off, have much to do and less time to do it in. have a good weekend!