More Than One Lesson

In this minisode, Tyler and Josh kick off their “Best of Pictures” series with a discussion of Ben Affleck’s Argo.

Several years ago (on my Myspace blog, if you’re looking for a time stamp), I started what would become a yearly tradition for me.  At the beginning of every new year, I look back at movies that were released ten years prior.  At first, it was a way to get nostalgic and make myself feel old.  However, as time has gone on, I’ve really come to enjoy looking back at some of the more notable movies that have been around- either in the pop culture or in my head- for a full decade.  Just thinking about these movies in relation to one another makes me think back fondly to who I was as a person and as a movie watcher ten years ago.  Some movies that I only kind of liked have grown significantly in my head, while others that I really enjoyed have faded from my memory.  I saw a good number of these films with my girlfriend, who I asked to marry me ten years ago, shortly before I graduated from college.  It was ten years ago that I got a job at Blockbuster, right around the time that it made the official change from VHS to DVD and tried to implement its “No More Late Fees” policy to try to keep up with Netflix; of course, we now know how that turned out.

Indeed, 2004 was a significant year in my life and thinking back on the films that were important to me provides a nice framework with which to reflect on how far I have come in that time.  I would welcome you all to do the same.

Happy New Year!

The following movies are now ten years old:

THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST
DAWN OF THE DEAD
ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND
HELLBOY
SHAUN OF THE DEAD
KILL BILL VOL. 2
MEAN GIRLS
HARRY POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN
NAPOLEON DYNAMITE
DODGEBALL
FAHRENHEIT 9/11
THE NOTEBOOK
SPIDER-MAN 2
ANCHORMAN
THE BOURNE SUPREMACY
GARDEN STATE
COLLATERAL
ALIEN VS. PREDATOR
SKY CAPTAIN AND THE WORLD OF TOMORROW
SAW
I HEART HUCKABEES
FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS
TEAM AMERICA: WORLD POLICE
SIDEWAYS
FINDING NEVERLAND
RAY
THE INCREDIBLES
THE POLAR EXPRESS
MILLION DOLLAR BABY
THE AVIATOR
THE LIFE AQUATIC WITH STEVE ZISSOU

Tyler and Josh bring their Top Ten minisode series to a close with a discussion of Michael Curtiz’ Casablanca, Josh’s favorite film of all time.

We start with two dead men. One of them is still breathing, speaking, and growling humbugs at everything joyful and hopeful in the world. The other is as dead as… well, as a doornail. But both of them are quite dead indeed. And as Charles Dickens wisely instructed us on the very first page of A Christmas Carol, “This must be distinctly understood, or nothing wonderful can come of the story I am going to relate.”

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In this minisode, Tyler discusses the idea of home.

In this episode, Tyler and Josh discuss Francis Lawrence’s The Hunger Games: Catching Fire and Billy Ray’s Shattered Glass.

EPISODE BREAKDOWN
00:00:44- Intro, Christmas songs
00:14:00- The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
00:55:45- Shattered Glass
01:39:40- Episode wrap-up

In this minisode, Tyler and Josh discuss Tyler’s favorite film of all time, Robert Altman’s Nashville.

In this episode, Tyler and Josh discuss the film content that Christians avoid.

EPISODE BREAKDOWN
00:00:44- Intro
00:06:10- Jim’s Top Ten
00:11:30- MTOL Store
00:23:55- The R rating, drug use
00:39:25- Violence
01:02:45- Language
01:13:25- Sex/Nudity
01:39:15- Episode wrap-up

9. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)

“Therefore what God has joined together, let no man put asunder.”
Mark 10:9

The ninth verse of the tenth chapter or Mark’s gospel is the go-to citation for anyone trying to Biblically justify the forbidding of divorce.  At its heart the verse makes a lot of sense.  As Christians we believe, to one extent or the other, that many of the significant turning points in our lives – choice of college, career path, marriage, etc. – are willed by God, individual breaks deliberately constructed into a path that is meant to lead to the fruition of His will for us.  But removed from context, this verse has also been cited to induce shame, to bully weak minds and weaker hearts into submission and to ultimately justify greater evils, such as the acceptance of emotional and/or physical abuse, over lesser.

So, what happens when the words in that verse are flipped – “Therefore what God has put asunder, let no man put together”?

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In this minisode, Tyler and Josh discuss Josh’s second favorite film of all time, the Coen Brothers’ Fargo.