In celebration of handing in my dissertation on Tuesday (2 days before the deadline!) I finally got round to selecting some DVDs to rent from my LoveFilm account… I only bought 4 rentals so I’m being somewhat selective.

Anyway, the first one I got was American Gangster. It’s based on the true story of Frank Lucas, Harlem drug-lord in the late 1960’s and of Richie Roberts who prosecuted him along with other drug dealers and corrupt police officers. Although there’s a couple of bloody/not very nice violent bits it’s surprisingly tame for a gangster film, it gets the 18 rating very much for the drugs theme.

Denzil Washington (Lucas), and Russell Crowe (Roberts) both give good performances, and you know it’s going to be pretty good with them in it. The film is well produced, good dialogue and visually captivating - unsurprising as it’s directed by Ridley Scott. I liked the way in portraying a true story you get to see something into the personal lives of the two men surrounding the ongoing drug-dealing main events. Good distraction from starting revision.

One more film. I still had more vouchers. Also this is one of the few things I actually specifically asked for for Christmas - and didn’t get. Anyway, believe it or not I hadn’t seen this until just now. When me and my dad went to the cinema back in August, the showing was sold out… so we went home, and I never got round to seeing it. Sad times.

But I have seen it now, and it was pretty good, a worthy finale to the trilogy. The question has been asked who would win in a fight between Jason Bourne and Jack Bauer (notice, both JBs), and I am torn, clearly Kiether Sutherland could take Matt Damon, but Bourne is seriously hard, Bauer wouldn’t last long.

Anyway, I liked the film, the scenes in London were particularly good, can’t go wrong taking out a Guardian reporter! The best bit is the very end… now I quite like Julia Stiles (Nicky Parsons), she’s easy on at least one of the senses, but for the whole Trilogy she never smiles once - except at the very end, it’s beautiful! Nothing special, or particularly surprising or unique, but it’s just so much better than James Bond (another JB) or your average action film, although to be fair Daniel Craig will give it a good go.

So I bought two films the other day, the second one I got was ‘The Prestige’. I’d never heard of it until I saw a trailer for it on another DVD, which was fortunate, it would be rubbish if I was still ignorant of the existence of this film today. Christian Bale and Michael Caine team up again which brings back good memories of Batman Begins, which reminds me, July 2008 sees a very long awaited sequel, it’s called ‘The Dark Knight‘. Anyway, this film is a story about a rivalry between two magicians, competing to out-do one another in their tricks and destroy the other ones act. It’s quite hard to follow some times, both because of understanding the order of events and also because the plot is very clever. The climax of the film is the battle to produce the perfect magic trick - ‘ The Transported Man’.

It’s a good cast, Jackman and Bale have a great duel going, Michael Caine is Michael Caine. Scarlett is quite pretty, and David Bowie, I was trying to work out who he was playing, couldn’t spot him, but now I look back at can see it, he portrays the genius Nikola Tesla. The film starts off seemingly being quite light and comical, but soon becomes much more intense, with various unseen plot twists that make it quite dark. I can’t really say any more, wouldn’t want to spoil it - great plot and well made. Get a copy and have a watch, I liked it.

Yesterday seemed as good a time as any to go and spend the Christmas HMV vouchers, so I picked up two pretty decent films for £14… not bad, but should have asked for Amazon vouchers really, that would have saved me £5.

So, on the recommendation of JB I picked up a copy of 300. I loved it. The dialogue and general story is nothing special, partly as the story is known and fairly predictable anyway, but who cares, it’s the action you’re watching it for. Since the basic synopsis of the film is that 1 million Persians have a big battle against 300 hard as something very hard Spartans you know it’s going to be a good spectacle.

I was told that because this film is based on a graphic novel, that some of the Persians were a little strange, some of them were, but quite normal by Lord of the Rings standards. I guess also the portrayal of Xerxes is a bit weird… he’s the King of a huge empire, he’s leading his army, he is as we know from the book of Esther a heterosexual ‘dude’, yet he’s pictured as a kind of drag queen with husky voice, a little strange really. Great action film, a little bloody… but I guess it would have been, more so probably!

I cried today (not ashamed to admit that). I was listening to Mark Driscoll speak from Philippians 1:19-30, ‘A Rebel’s Guide to Joy in Death‘ it was moving enough listening to him talk, then he played an interview with a member of his church in hospital with maybe weeks/months to live having battled cancer for 7 years, then heard the story of Horatio Spafford and they played his hymn, ‘It is well with my soul’ (see below), I challenge you to listen to this and not be moved…

1. See above

2. Seeing someone I love die for the first time, my grandpa

3. Realising that God’s in control, and I’m helpless without Him

4. Films: To End All Wars, Crash, the end of Gladiator, Lion King, and some others

5. Hearing about people giving up everything to serve Jesus around the world

When peace like a river, attendeth my way, when sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say, it is well, it is well, with my soul.

It is well, with my soul, it is well, with my soul, It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come, let this blest assurance control,
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate, and hath shed His own blood for my soul.

My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought! My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more, praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight, the clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend, even so, it is well with my soul.

Last Saturday I watched Channel 4’s 100 Greatest War films (100 - 51), tonight I watched from 50 to 35…. we then got bored so we watched Return of the King, having done the previous two LOTR films the two night before… on a side note, I really enjoyed looking at the relationships in the LOTR films, and not just the somewhat cliche (although touching nonetheless), somewhat gay, “I love you Mr. Frodo” relationship… I loved the bond between Gandalf and Pippin at Minas Tirith, the banter between Gimli and Legolas, and the courage of the Roheran in Eowyn, Merry and Theoden… to name a few.

Anyway, my real purpose of this post was something of a rant against the Channel 4 programme. I shouldn’t be surprised because all these programmes end up with the same, predictable results - that’s because the winners are clearly chosen by a panel of half-wits who rather than judging films on whether they are actually the best film for that particular genre, they appeal to the masses, the fairly clueless Englishmen who haven’t heard of most of the films outside the top 20 and give them the easy choices…

Their top 10 are (from 10); The Bridge on the River Kwai, Black Hawk Down, Zulu, A Bride Too Far, Platoon, Full Metal Jacket, Schindler’s List, The Great Escape, Apocalypse Now, and Saving Private Ryan.

These are all good films (I’ve seen 7 of them) but I would suggest that they’re not chosen as ‘the best’ because ‘they are’, rather they are chosen because they are iconic - be that because they are patriotic, cutting edge, chilling or something that strikes a chord with society to give lasting value. Is Saving Private Ryan the best war film ever? Well it would probably be in my top 10… but I feel this is more because it was the first film to graphically capture war with the aid of CGI and expensive special effects!

Anyway, here are my top 10 - in no order, when you get to top 10 you can’t compare… (C4 rank in brackets)

• To End All Wars
• Blackadder Goes Forth (not a film, but, well…)

• Ice Cold in Alex (26)

• Last of the Mohicans (35)

• The Eagle Has Landed (99)

• Saving Private Ryan (1)

• Good Night Mr. Tom

• Longest Day (20)

• Sink the Bismark

• Where Eagles Dare (21)

It’s hard, I think maybe some of my choices are a bit sentimental on account of having grown up with them… clearly we all have our own biased reasons for the choices we make…

Just watched (now several days ago) Cromwell on Channel 4 - better than the usual daytime TV. Don’t know how accurate it is historically, but I do like it, generally because I like those classics, historical, war based films, also because it’s very interesting politically, thinking about the establishment of our political system, and in the past debating with my housemate whether Cromwell was right in doing what he did. On top of this we have the Puritan element, the hope a nation under God, Cromwell coming to prayer, seeking to do God’s will.

Interestingly at the end of the film it shows Cromwell’s coffin with the epitaph “Christ, not man, is King”. This quote of his got me thinking about a few things studied recently…

Two weeks ago at CU we were joined by Elliott from Gloucester Place Church in Brighton. The focus of his talk was Acts 5:29 - The Apostles under persecution say “We must obey God rather than men”…

Colossians 1 (we’re doing the book on camp this year), Jesus is king over everything! He created all things and all things were created for him. He is the image of God. He was before all things. The fullness of God was in Him. He reconciles us to God.

I did a talk at Global Cafe this week, Mark 8: 27-29… Peter says “You are the Christ”. You are God’s chosen king - wow! This guy Jesus is chosen by the Father to be his eternal king, king over all things.

Hmm… Piper again…