QUESTION OF THE WEEK

TV, Movies, and There 

Affect On our Lives

By

Thomas Brooke

Movies As Literature Student Writer

 

In the past few months, I have been struck by the amount of references my siblings and I make to the movies and TV shows we watched while growing up. It seems inconceivable to be with my family and not reference the Princess Bride, Monty Python, or The Simpson's.  My family has been molded to a degree by these shows in their entertainment and their educational value as well as their practical value in our daily lives.

 

You may think it’s not creative to copy and insert someone else’s lines into your own family conversation but the creativity is found in the timing and the repetition.  Even while thinking about my dad, who has been in Tampa for the past ten days, I felt connected to Inigo in the Princess Bride when his famous line flashed through my mind, “I want my father back you….”  Well, you know the line.   Although the Princess Bride is not a book based on sports, its thrilling fights, wit and escapes encompassed many hours of my family’s time.  But perhaps more time was spent in quoting and reminiscing then in the actual watching of the film. 

 

While these movies were entertaining to our family, they were very educational too.  From Monty Python, we learned that some systems of government are favored above others. 

 

“Listen strange women, lyin' in ponds distributin' swords is no basis for a system of government. Supreme executive power derives from a mandate from the masses, not from some farcical aquatic ceremony.”

 

We learned it was possible to free climb a rope up a sheer cliff, have that rope cut and still manage to hang on and complete the climb.  You can be “some dead” but not “all dead” and miracles can be bought.  While you may have been taught to revere the legend of the Knights of the Round Table, for choosing right rather than might, you should know that Camelot is a silly place. 

 

But it’s not only about the educational and entertaining value, it also provided ideas for staple meals.  One of my favorite family dinners is fried chicken, mashed potatoes, corn on the cob and salad.  This is  Bob’s dinner from What about Bob?.  We know the whole conversation during the meal and after when Leo is saved by Bob’s quick reaction, and the family’s encouragement, “higher, with your knee more!”  (He lives; you looked worried.)

 

  As you can see there are a few movies and shows that have affected my family, from what we eat to our views on proper authority, to simple entertainment.  So the question I pose to you is this: name three movies/TV shows that have affected you growing up and how they still affect you today?

Question of the Week

MAKING MY LIST, CHECKING IT TWICE

Some of you may have seen the movie "Bucket List" starring Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman. It's about a man who keeps a list of all the things he wants to do before he kicks the bucket. After finding out his time on earth may be cut short, he decides it's time to get as much checked off the list as possible. Seeing the movie, coupled with having the "C" word knock on our family's door, I began to consider what my bucket list might have on it and decided to share with you three things I have yet to check off.

Out of all seven continents, I have only been on two. I've traveled more than I ever dreamed I would, seeing such countries as Canada, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, England, Denmark, Sweden, France, Luxembourg, Belgium, Switzerland, Germany, Italy, not to mention the Bahamas and 38 of the 50 US states, including Hawaii. But my desire is to have my feet touch all seven continents. I have five more to go.

For me, traveling fulfills one of my deepest heart desires, but running a close second is singing. I grew up in a very musical family and watching Mom sing every weekend in nightclubs made it look so easy. With that kind of an influence, it was as natural for me to pick up a microphone as it was to bake a cake... she taught me how to do both with ease. Today, we each use our talent to glorify His name but I still have a longing to sing those same standards she use to sing. One day, I would love to record some of those old tunes myself.

Recording is not as costly as traveling to five more continents but going to the International House of Prayer in Kansas City for three months might come close. I have always dreamed of enrolling in one of the three month internships at IHOP-KC. The program is designed to immerse you in a deeper walk of intimacy with Jesus as well as expand the prophetic giftings. Although I could take my two youngest teens with me, I haven't figured out how to be gone from my husband for that long a time. Besides the cost of the internship, housing, and food, saving for this would have to include numerous trips back and forth so we could all see each other. Maybe this one is too big a dream.

Have I sight my sights too high or fallen short when it comes to grabbing at the abundance He promises? Already, I've had the opportunity to travel, visiting places all over the world. More recently, I've accomplished some extreme personal challenges I thought I would never face. Yet each new adventure has been totally Spirit led and truly purpose driven. Some have accused me of going through a mid-life crisis while others think my new found hobbies are pretty cool. My check boxes continues to grow and I've finally decided nothing on the list is impossible unless He says no.

Please share three things you have on your bucket list...
I'd love to know!

Cyberpsalmist

Question of the Week

COMING ATTRACTIONS

I was thinking about one of my favorite movies the other day. I realize most of you would not have this title on your top 10 list but it most certainly sits high on mine. Rodgers and Hammerstein's The Sound of Music starring Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer opened nationwide in living color around March of 1965. It might have been the era I grew up in, the architecture of the old theater, or the fact that this true story slightly mimicked my own life which contributes to the fact that this movie ranks very high on my list.

I grew up in a day and time when movies stayed in theaters for months and only one movie showed at a time. The Stardusk Drive-In was my parent's favorite theater because they could pile us all in the back of the station wagon in our pajamas with a grocery bag full of popcorn and a thermos jug of Kool-Aid. What made the venue inexpensive and family-friendly was the fact that they were charged by the carload instead of by the head and conveniently located on the grounds just below the huge screen were several rows of swing sets for bored, restless children.

The movie I'm talking about was not shown at the drive-in.

It played at the beautiful, historic Sheboygan Theater. I still remember the midnight blue ceiling of the theater with it's realistic sparkling stars. The interior resembled a summer evening in a romantic Spanish garden. Happy to have any seat on the floor, I dreamed of sitting in the box seats above me, just like in the movies. I anticipated the opening of the velvety scarlet colored curtains which revealed the shimmering silver screen.

Little did I know that same movie screen would also reveal a piece of my life. Just as Maria longed to devote her existence to the Lord through music and a life-long commitment to the church, I shared the same passions. At a very young age, I asked my parents if I could visit a convent to either prove or put to rest my desire to become a nun. Like Maria Von Trapp, I had a permanent song in my heart but my desire for children always seemed to get in the way of choosing a life of celibacy.

Four children and many songs later, I look back on the way that movie impacted me. I needed Maria to show me that I could serve the Lord just as fervently outside the convent as in. I needed the Mother Superior's advice to follow my heart and I sincerely needed Captain Von Trapp to instill hope that a Lover and a Rescuer would soon come for me as well. Whether it was the era, the building or the movie's mirror imaging, the "Sound of Music" was a coming attraction of my life.

What movie has made a big impact on your life and why?

I'd love to know...

Cyberpsalmist

Chrissy Larson