Doggy bags are a wonderful thing and one of simple pleasures in life is that blissful moment the pizza from the night before comes out of the microwave and hits your early morning taste buds. The crust might seem a little soggy but all the things that are right out weight the potential staleness. In many ways, this is the story of the latest installment of the Ghostbusters franchise, although this pizza has had a few jalepenos thrown on for good measure. It's been 27 years since the last cinematic instalment of the Ghostbusters franchise, and audiences finally get to see the proton packs blaze away in all their sizzling glory once again. The twist in this film is the much discussed nixing of the original male Ghostbusters characters in favour of an all new of female line-up.
Helmed by director Paul Feig (Bridesmaids, The Heat), the movie, eschews the continuity of the previous films, and the two critically acclaimed animated series from the nineties, in favour of a new narrative that ignores all that has gone before while dragging us safely back into familiar territory. Replacing the original line-up of male Saturday Night Live alumni, are an equally funny group of female comedians drawn from the same show. Added to the convention flipping is Chris Hemsworth, who appears as the useless but hunky 'himbo' receptionist whose main function is to act as eye candy for the 'Busters', as well as to get caught up in events in a way that recalls Rick Moranis' character in the original movies. While the characters are different, Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon, and Leslie Jones portray a similar group of off beat scientists who desperately want their research into the supernatural to be taken seriously while seeking to save New York from a world shattering supernatural apocalypse. If it sounds familiar that's because it is and enjoyably so. What are the jalapenos on this reheated pizza you may ask? Well for some it be the uber-hunky addition of Chris Hemsworth but for others it might be the sparkling, witty and quirky performances of McCarthy and Co who also provide an element of eye candy for the thinking man and possibly for many that don't. For GB geeks, another new pizza topping in this outing is the array of new gadgets the teams creates that sit in their armory alongside the more familiar ones of old. No matter the gender, these 'Busters' love their toys.
While the movie is determined to be a version of Ghostbusters that stands alone in it's own continuity, the film tries desperately to remind us that it is still part of the 80's-90's franchise. You may be the 30 something fan who watched every show, read every comic, had every figure and spent your holidays with your mum's vacuum cleaner strapped to your back and mourn the erasing of your childhood heroes. Don't worry, they are not far away. With frequent cameos by original cast members, even including a bust of the late Harold Ramis, its pedigree is constantly thrust at the audience in case we have forgotten it's the third installment of a popular but long dormant franchise. If we feel that it's not kosher with out the original GB team, they hope to convince us otherwise by turning up like a sprinkling of turkey bacon on a cheese pizza. Ironically Bill Murray, who played the cynical Peter Venkman in the original films, takes on the role of an equally cynical skeptic who publicly challenges the credibility of the Ghostbusters with dire consequences. If all this fails, we get to see a version of the Marshmellow Man and the return of Slimer, the only continuing character to survive all incarnations of Ghostbusters franchise.
Plot wise, the movie safely follows the basic formula of the previous films and reproduces much of the same iconography as the original series. The Ghosbusters must work with and against the City Council to foil a massive supernatural plot centered around New York which threatens the world as we know it. Far from a bad thing, it reminds us of all the fun and silly things that we loved about feasting on the original movies. With proton packs, witty dialogue, ghouls, cranky mayors, a giant monster and an impending apocalypse laid on with thick SFX cheese, this is a reheated dish that is still delicious after all these years. Busting still makes me feel good the third time around.
Monday, 25 July 2016
Thursday, 21 July 2016
The Love of Christ: Letting the Genie Out of the Bottle
In The Beginning
In the first part of the modern era the Christian faith burst onto the cultural scene from what seemed like a disastrous beginning and rose to a point where it was the official religion for the once hostile Roman Empire. The defining elements of this faith were
Doing the Splits
For the early church already finding itself divided from Judaism, schism among its members was an already a sad possibility. Maintaining unity while actively seeking to discourage those that caused division was never an easy thing. Some, believing they were carry on the leadership of Christ's disciples, sometimes disagreed with others who were also considered to hold authority. Charlatans and opportunists were already appearing to take advantage of the good nature of the young movement and looked to lead it in directions that were directly opposed to to the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. This didn't go unaddressed in the letters and other writing that would in time become collected together as The New Testament. The Gospel of John is very clear about what is important in relation to understanding who Jesus is and the nature of his being. In the Gospel of John it says,
'In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it................. The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. (The Gospel According to John 1: 1-5, 9-14).'
Here the writer is laying out the idea that the origins of Jesus Christ didn't begin in the womb but stretched back into the very essence of the Eternal Divinity. He was a major player in creation and now He inhabited it. This idea of Christ being eternal divinity, God's Word made flesh, is carried on into the 1st Letter of John, which traditionally the church has attributed to the same author. Here it becomes a rallying point for those who are seeking to discern what teaching and which persons truly represent Christ against those that seek to deceive,
'Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world. (1 John 4: 1-3)'
For John, the most dangerous thing that could take hold of the church was a belief that denied that the divine Word of God, the means by which the unseen Heavenly Father had interacted with his creation since the beginning of time, had not been born into human history as the man Jesus of Nazareth. If Jesus was merely a man or even a spiritual being that merely looked like a man, the Christian message was undermined. God could dwell with in his creation, his creation was good and he loved it enough to die for it. Human life is precious, human life matters, Human life is of eternal value and the way we treat others counts. The way of this world says that someone has to die to pay the piper, the way of Jesus says that if someone has to die to appease the murderous spirit of this world,
it will God giving himself freely. God is love and he loves us, warts and all.
'This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. (1 John 4: 10-12).'
Dying For the Here and Now
This amazing cocktail of love is the good news of the christian message. We are agents of God's love who share this love with others because He loved us first. In fact it is by our love that people will know us and by which God will recognise us as His people. It seems simple but as history rolled on the same old enemies began to rear their heads. In my own life time God's people seem to have been recognised by their doctrine, their assigned list of beliefs. Often it didn't matter how much this lead to discrimination, oppression, hate and intolerance, what counted was that the persons doctrine was perceived to be right. If this was the case these things could be over looked no matter where it lead the holder of such beliefs. In fact if your life was a mess and you were suffering, it was probably your own fault because you were following the wrong set of beliefs. You probably deserved everything you got. Maybe your faith wasn't strong enough, that's if you had one at all. For many Christians it was belief in a right set of doctrines that guaranteed entrance into heaven and not a belief in the divine power of love that would empower you as a child of the God to transform the world here and now. They forget it was in the 'here and now' that Jesus came and dwelt in order to the redeem the whole 'here and now' from the destruction that a lack of love was bringing upon it.
Street Freak Fear
This has lead to what I call 'street freak fear', the moment when a street preacher approaches you and asks whether you are a Christian. If the answer is in the affirmative, they will begin to tell you why your not and why they need to save you. Loving God and your neighbour is no longer enough, there are levels of Christianity beginning with what ever doctrinal slant the preacher holds to and where ever they see as you sitting theologically. Look out if you belong to another religion all together, you are hell bound no questions asked, despite the fact that Christians believe that Christ is the ultimate judge. Love has seemingly disappeared as the true defining principle of Christ's followers and has been replaced by an adherents to a set of propositions. There was even a time, long after the Romans ceased burning Christians at the stake, that the followers of Christ started burning each other over issues of doctrine. I'm not suggesting that we should turn our backs on the basic tenants of the Apostolic Tradition, only that Christ's command to love comes first in our dealings with others. Instead of being the salt that gives flavour to the world, we are at risk of becoming pickled in our own self righteous juices. Is this how Christ meant it to be?
Release the Genie!
Looking back through history, through reformations, schisms between East and West, inquisitions and crusades, I think it's time for us to return to our first love, Christ and His sacrificial passion for the 'last, the lost and the least'. We need to let the genie out of the bottle and unleash the lavish love of Christ on a world that needs it more than ever. When we meet others, no matter who they are, their well being needs to be our main concern. In fact, the way we treat them is the way we treat Jesus (1 John 4: 19-21). It's always seemed ironic to me that the church has fixated on all kinds of things that it has perceived to be the greatest of sins, even to the point of social isolation and execution, and has ignored the very things Christ said would be the issue in question at the last judgement. We struggle with common law marriage, same sex relationships and evolutionary theory but openly tolerate greed, social inequality, sexism, racism and gossip. Something seems to have been lost over the years.
Nail Your Colours!
If the just, merciful and loving treatment of those around us is the ultimate hallmark of a Christian, why don't we nail our colors to that mast? Why don't we make that our goal? Then we will truly be salt and light in our tiny corner of the cosmos. Only Christ's love has the power to transform our world, when we come to see all humanity as beloved brothers and sisters redeemed by Christ's blood and not enemies to be crushed. We need to let love flow freely and to all, no matter who they are, because in doing so we are showing Christ how much we love him. We need to be the people who cause the vulnerable to breath a sigh of relief in our presence and the ones with a vested interest in suffering to flee or change their hearts. Christ has called us to be the ones who work with him to piece back the broken pieces of the human race into a beautiful mosaic of spirit filled family, at one with its creator and one another. Release the genie now!
In the first part of the modern era the Christian faith burst onto the cultural scene from what seemed like a disastrous beginning and rose to a point where it was the official religion for the once hostile Roman Empire. The defining elements of this faith were
- That the Creator God had entered human form in the person of Jesus of Nazareth, a Jew whose followers saw him as God's promised savior and king.
- He taught that the Law God had given to the Jewish people could be summed up in the two commands, 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind' and ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’
- He was executed by the Romans and that He went willingly to death, offering Himself as the final atoning sacrifice that would allow humanity to reconnect with the divine.
- That He rose from the dead and now is present with God the Father
- That He will return again one day in judgment over the living and the dead, examining each on how they have followed his faith and lived out his commands of love, after which the creation will finally be set free from the bondage that evil forces have had over it.
Doing the Splits
For the early church already finding itself divided from Judaism, schism among its members was an already a sad possibility. Maintaining unity while actively seeking to discourage those that caused division was never an easy thing. Some, believing they were carry on the leadership of Christ's disciples, sometimes disagreed with others who were also considered to hold authority. Charlatans and opportunists were already appearing to take advantage of the good nature of the young movement and looked to lead it in directions that were directly opposed to to the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. This didn't go unaddressed in the letters and other writing that would in time become collected together as The New Testament. The Gospel of John is very clear about what is important in relation to understanding who Jesus is and the nature of his being. In the Gospel of John it says,
it will God giving himself freely. God is love and he loves us, warts and all.
Dying For the Here and Now
This amazing cocktail of love is the good news of the christian message. We are agents of God's love who share this love with others because He loved us first. In fact it is by our love that people will know us and by which God will recognise us as His people. It seems simple but as history rolled on the same old enemies began to rear their heads. In my own life time God's people seem to have been recognised by their doctrine, their assigned list of beliefs. Often it didn't matter how much this lead to discrimination, oppression, hate and intolerance, what counted was that the persons doctrine was perceived to be right. If this was the case these things could be over looked no matter where it lead the holder of such beliefs. In fact if your life was a mess and you were suffering, it was probably your own fault because you were following the wrong set of beliefs. You probably deserved everything you got. Maybe your faith wasn't strong enough, that's if you had one at all. For many Christians it was belief in a right set of doctrines that guaranteed entrance into heaven and not a belief in the divine power of love that would empower you as a child of the God to transform the world here and now. They forget it was in the 'here and now' that Jesus came and dwelt in order to the redeem the whole 'here and now' from the destruction that a lack of love was bringing upon it.
Street Freak Fear
This has lead to what I call 'street freak fear', the moment when a street preacher approaches you and asks whether you are a Christian. If the answer is in the affirmative, they will begin to tell you why your not and why they need to save you. Loving God and your neighbour is no longer enough, there are levels of Christianity beginning with what ever doctrinal slant the preacher holds to and where ever they see as you sitting theologically. Look out if you belong to another religion all together, you are hell bound no questions asked, despite the fact that Christians believe that Christ is the ultimate judge. Love has seemingly disappeared as the true defining principle of Christ's followers and has been replaced by an adherents to a set of propositions. There was even a time, long after the Romans ceased burning Christians at the stake, that the followers of Christ started burning each other over issues of doctrine. I'm not suggesting that we should turn our backs on the basic tenants of the Apostolic Tradition, only that Christ's command to love comes first in our dealings with others. Instead of being the salt that gives flavour to the world, we are at risk of becoming pickled in our own self righteous juices. Is this how Christ meant it to be?
Release the Genie!
Looking back through history, through reformations, schisms between East and West, inquisitions and crusades, I think it's time for us to return to our first love, Christ and His sacrificial passion for the 'last, the lost and the least'. We need to let the genie out of the bottle and unleash the lavish love of Christ on a world that needs it more than ever. When we meet others, no matter who they are, their well being needs to be our main concern. In fact, the way we treat them is the way we treat Jesus (1 John 4: 19-21). It's always seemed ironic to me that the church has fixated on all kinds of things that it has perceived to be the greatest of sins, even to the point of social isolation and execution, and has ignored the very things Christ said would be the issue in question at the last judgement. We struggle with common law marriage, same sex relationships and evolutionary theory but openly tolerate greed, social inequality, sexism, racism and gossip. Something seems to have been lost over the years.
Nail Your Colours!
If the just, merciful and loving treatment of those around us is the ultimate hallmark of a Christian, why don't we nail our colors to that mast? Why don't we make that our goal? Then we will truly be salt and light in our tiny corner of the cosmos. Only Christ's love has the power to transform our world, when we come to see all humanity as beloved brothers and sisters redeemed by Christ's blood and not enemies to be crushed. We need to let love flow freely and to all, no matter who they are, because in doing so we are showing Christ how much we love him. We need to be the people who cause the vulnerable to breath a sigh of relief in our presence and the ones with a vested interest in suffering to flee or change their hearts. Christ has called us to be the ones who work with him to piece back the broken pieces of the human race into a beautiful mosaic of spirit filled family, at one with its creator and one another. Release the genie now!
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