More Than One Lesson

DOUG JONES is a film and television actor, often working in science fiction, fantasy, and horror. He is known for playing non-human characters, usually in heavy make-up. His most notable roles have been in such films as Hellboy, Pan’s Labyrinth, and Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer.

Listeners of my other podcast know that I’m going to be co-hosting a live comedy show this Saturday night. It’s something that David, my BP co-host, and I have been trying to get off the ground for well over a year. We were excited to do it… when it wasn’t going to happen. In theory, it would be a lot of fun.

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In the most recent episode of the podcast, I spoke for about an hour about James Cameron’s Avatar. When I finished recording, I was rather pleased with myself. Not being a huge fan of the movie, it was imperative that I get across the specific things about the film that I thought were sub-par. Thinking back on the episode, I was pretty sure that I had done that. […]

In this episode, Tyler discusses James Cameron’s Avatar and what we as Christians can learn from it.

EPISODE BREAKDOWN
00:00:45- Introduction
00:01:47- Discussion of Avatar
00:48:56- Discussion of Munich
01:01:02- Episode wrap-up

Much has been made about the various themes of James Cameron’s Avatar. Some are quick to criticize Cameron’s views on the military, the environment, and America itself. Admittedly, Cameron makes no attempt to hide his commentary. As military contractors terrorize the mild-mannered natives of a lush planet, we are reminded of the United States’ involvement in Iraq, and, to an even greater degree, the disgraceful treatment of Native Americans as the government seized more and more of their land. […]

Avatar – we’ve been hearing about it for ages, and now it’s finally here. We were skeptical, but the response is amazing. Critics are praising writer/director James Cameron’s new epic to a fault. Now it’s being compared to what many consider the greatest science fiction film ever, Star Wars. Ebert equates the two in the first sentence of his celebratory review. The comparison may be a little contrived, since Cameron was pushing it before any of us had a chance to decide for ourselves. But it’s an interesting comparison, and the commonalities between the two hulking sci-fi wonders give it credence. Is Cameron raising the bar in bringing us a new galaxy far, far, away? […]

In this episode, Tyler discusses James Toback’s Tyson and what we as Christians can learn from it.

EPISODE BREAKDOWN
00:00:45- Introduction
00:01:25- Announcement of For The Title raffle winners
00:02:31- MTOL press
00:03:49- Discussion of Christian attitudes towards Fireproof
00:15:20- Discussion of Tyson
00:22:19- Discussion of The Fog of War and Deliver Us From Evil
00:31:45- Episode wrap-up

A Christian arts group called Fusion out of St. Louis has posted a blog about the show. The site is relatively new, but it looks like they’re doing some good stuff over there. Head on over and check them out. Meanwhile, the blog post is below.

Remember that rousing discussion we all had about Fireproof a couple months ago? Well, we weren’t the only ones. I recently discovered a podcast called “More Than One Lesson,” hosted by a fellow named Tyler Smith out in L.A. I was surprised and encouraged to find much of our conversation mirrored on his show.

By day, Tyler co-hosts the popular “Battleship Pretension” podcast, which he and co-host David Bax describe as “a weekly conversation between two movie nerds.” It’s a great deal of fun, and I highly recommend it if you enjoy some good film talk. Tyler and David have made appearances on some of my other favorite film ‘casts like “Filmspotting” and “On the Page,” so they’re not just messing around here. Well okay, they are, but that’s why it’s fun, and they know what they’re talking about.

Recently, Tyler branched out with a solo show. “More Than One Lesson” digs eagerly into popular movies with an eye towards gaining insights that Christians can appreciate. Mind you, this isn’t the kind of Christian review that counts up the swear words and points out who the Jesus figure in the movie is. It’s for Christians who genuinely love cinema and can hear God speaking through the art form, even when it’s in the hands of those who don’t follow Him.

Tyler’s first episode, for instance, talked about the film Milk, the true story of a gay politician assassinated in the middle of his efforts to gain civil rights. I’m sure many Christians, like myself, skipped it mainly on general principle. But Tyler waded into the middle of the controversy to see what there was to see–and there was quite a bit. You certainly don’t have to condone homosexuality in order to feel the same compassion Jesus felt when faced with the suffering of lost souls.

I’ll refrain from paraphrasing Tyler’s entire episode and instead invite you to listen. If you believe that art is originally a gift from God, capable of displaying His truth and beauty despite the failings of us fallen humans, this is a podcast for you. Check it out in iTunes, where you can subscribe to it, and visit the website at morethanonelesson.com. There you’ll find discussions about Harry Potter, Superbad, Wall-E, and of course Fireproof.

Every New Year’s Day, I take time to reflect on the movies that are now officially ten years old. When I first started doing this, it was just a fun practice. A few years ago, I found myself listing movies that were instrumental in my cinematic education. Movies like Fargo, L.A. Confidential, The Truman Show, Saving Private Ryan, and The Insider. It’s yet another sign that I am getting older. It’s strange to think that there are, as we speak, 17-year-olds being shaped by There Will Be Blood and No Country For Old Men. To these kids, movies like American Beauty and The Matrix are older gems waiting to be discovered; to me, they were the new vanguard, the product of cutting-edge new voices in cinema. […]

In this episode, Tyler is joined by filmmaker Josh Long to discuss being a film fan in the Christian community.