As you know, God speaks to me through movies (and music). I love movies, especially when there are spiritual themes running all through them. Personally, I think all Church leaders should see Denzel Washington’s new movie The Book of Eli.
I don’t want to spoil anything for you if you haven’t seen it or tell too much. I’ll simply say that I’m going to see it again – because it’s a movie you have to see twice. I’ll also say it struck a chord deep within me and that chord is that the Word of God is precious. Absolutely precious. There is no other book like it. Devour it!
I stand corrected… I love Invictus and think it is an outstanding story and movie, but after recently seeing Avatar, I think it will win Best Picture and James Cameron will beat out Clint Eastwood for Best Director.
Creative teams: listen to me. Go see this with your team and be inspired. The world that James Cameron creates is simply breathtaking. See it in 3D.
This weekend I saw Clint Eastwood’s new movie Invitus (twice). “Invictus tells the inspiring true story of how Nelson Mandela (Morgan Freeman) joined forces with the captain of South Africa’s rugby team (Matt Damon) to help unite their country. Newly elected President Mandela knows his nation remains racially and economically divided in the wake of apartheid. Believing he can bring his people together through the universal language of sport, Mandela rallies South Africa’s underdog rugby team as they make an unlikely run to the 1995 World Cup Championship match.”
I blog about movies that move and inspire me. I’m a movie-guy and God speaks to me through movies. I saw Crash and instantly knew it would win an Academy Award. I saw Slumdog Millionaire and instantly knew it would win an Academy Award and blogged about it on here.
Earlier this year, I blogged about Jamie Foxx and his performance in The Soloist. I think it’s an amazing movie, so I’m currently torn. I think Clint Eastwood should win Best Director for Invictus. I think Morgan Freeman will be fighting hard against Jamie Foxx for Best Actor and it will come down to these 2 movies for Best Picture. Matt Damon also ought to be up for an Oscar.
You heard it here first. Now go see the movie. It’s a powerful story of forgiveness and reconciliation.
4 years in the making // over 3 years of filming // over 2000 individual tapes // over 150,000 minutes of footage // over 25,600 gigabytes of memory space // edited over 550days //
NOW here we are, ONLY LESS THAN ONE WEEK OUT from THE PREMIERE of ‘The I-HEART Revolution’ Film Documentary: ‘WE’RE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER’!!
The date is set // The invitations are sent // The theatres are filling fast (don’t miss out, get your tickets here… [USA Tickets] [CANADA Tickets])
Never before seen or heard //
Hillsong United are streaming new songs of worship LIVE from Sydney, Australia, and directly to your theatre //
What has been a huge journey already, is only really beginning – because now, it’s up to US – & we’re all in this together!
Last Friday, with some friends in Oklahoma City, I saw The Soloist (with Robert Downey Jr. and Jamie Foxx). Going into the movie, I knew I would love it because I’m a musician and it seemed the movie was about a man’s love of music (which is a big part of it).
What I left blown away by was the spotlight it shined on the areas/issues of homelessness and mental illness. These are true realities that we all come across and many are working to minister to people in these situations. I loved the brilliance of the movie. It was beautiful and brilliant in its messiness.
They showed places in LA that I have actually been to and walked – rough, scary, real places. They involved the homeless in the movie and told their story. I thank God that someone is now putting the rawness of poverty on the big screen (like I raved about Slumdog Millionaire) and am now thankful for The Soloist.
I encourage you to go see the movie and get a healthy dose of reality. Homelessness is real. Mental illness is real. How music can encourage, bring hope, bond and transcend is a gift from God and a beautiful part of this true story. Have you seen it? What did you think?
I hate to say “I told you so”, but I did. I knew the moment I saw “Slumdog Millionaire” for the first time that it would win an Academy Award. It won 8 last night, including Best Director and Best Picture. It is truly an amazing piece of art and a wonderful film. If you weren’t convinced to go see it by my first post on it, I strongly encourage you to go see it now.
What were your thoughts on The Oscars? Who did you think got what they deserved? Who didn’t?
I’ve been in touch over the last few months with Andrew Morgan. Andrew leads a non-profit organization based out of Atlanta called Broken Voices. This is an introduction to their work:
Does my life matter? What is my purpose? Is it really possible that my life was meant for something bigger? – Something Greater?
Six friends travel the United States in search of answers to these questions. Living on the road for a month in a borrowed (and crowded) RV, they encounter seven stories of normal people doing extraordinary things with their lives.
This week Broken Voices releases there first full length documentary film entitled “Anthem”. To pick up your copy today click here.
After many recommendations and honestly waiting too long (I’ve just been really busy – see my last post), I finally went this weekend to see Slumdog Millionaire. WOW! – is all I can say. What a work of art. ART. Beauty, love, raw, powerful, intense, cool music, shot very well, gripping – the best movie I’ve seen since Crash.
I haven’t had a feeling like that leaving a theater (and I see a lot of movies) since I saw Crash for the first time in the theater. Crash went on to win three Oscars for Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay and Best Editing of 2005 at the 78th Academy Awards. I wouldn’t be surprised if Slumdog Millionaire does very well at the Oscar’s – it won Best Motion Picture – Drama at the Golden Globes.
I felt like the blinders had been removed from my eyes. I love movies that allow you to experience another culture/country. This movie really lets you see life in various parts of India. From povery to homelessness to human trafficking to a love story on many different levels - this movie has it all. Please go see it before I ruin it for you!
If you have seen it, what are your thoughts on it?
EXTRA:
We had to take some pictures during our worship yesterday for a magazine. Below are 2 of the pics we took. One is from the view of a camera man, one is from the back of one service looking out across 3000 people. If you’re coming to Innovation3, find me when I’m showing people around and you can see behind-the-scenes, back stage and the video control room.
Yesterday I spoke of my love for movies. I found this article from the Wall Street Journal interesting.
Here’s a brief part of the article: “Get ready for a lot more ways to catch a movie. Hollywood studios and tech companies are rolling out a host of innovations that will change the way we experience films at home and in theaters. They’ve already begun to serve up DVDs that let you chat with other people who are watching the same movie. They’re also sprucing up theaters with crystal-clear screens and amenities like cozier seats and restaurant-quality food.
Coming soon: kiosks that can burn a copy of a movie while you wait, from a library of thousands of titles. The industry is also working on ways to easily send movies from gadget to gadget — so you might download a movie on your iPhone and stream it onto your TV.
Down the road, expect new ways to easily store digital movies online, so you can access them from any computer, anytime. We might also get theaters filled with dozens of speakers for super-sharp sound, as well as much more lifelike animated characters.”
Want to know me… or know me better? Know that I LOVE movies. I see matinee movies, midnight movies, back-to-back movies, dollar movies, IMAX movies, sneak-peak movies. I LOVE movies. God speaks to me through movies – always has. Want to reach me? Speak my language? Move me? Do it through a movie. That’s why I’m excited to be sending one of my interns to Hollywood.
Anyway, there is a movie that has got my attention and I’ve started to tell my friends about it. It features two of my favorite actors: Jamie Foxx (a gifted actor, comedian and musician) and Robert Downey, Jr. The movie is called “The Soloist” and looks like a great film. I can’t wait to see it. Spread the word!
EXTRA:
On another note, I am thrilled to have our Christmas production out of the way. It went well. We had some power outages due to wind for the 2 hours leading up to the first show, but miraculously they stopped once it was go-time. We do have Christmas Eve services, but they should be relatively light and simple. Tonight we have our Worship & Arts Christmas Party and will be watching a highlight video of the past year. Should be fun.
Now go see the movie. It’s a powerful story of forgiveness and reconciliation.
