Son Of God: I'm Not Excited

Diogo Morgado in the title role. He must be the
real thing. He speaks with an English accent!

Son Of God: I'm Not Excited


A new Jesus movie is hitting the theaters and I'm not enthused. I mean, we've seen it before, right?

Let's see, oh yeah, a robed pretty boy in hairdo and beard shows up, spouts platitudes, performs miracles, ticks off the local civic/religious authorities and gets killed for his trouble. Oh yeah, he then returns from the dead ... Why? ... Because he's GOD!

Huh?

That's all I EVER got out of these flicks. People leave the theater just as much in the dark as when they went in.

NOTHING about as to what and why he went through what he did. Just a nice story about "a good man who died".

Maybe what I'm looking for is a cinematic Chick tract with a newsmans' five Ws' treatment and a so many step plan of salvation. You know ... WHY Jesus did what he did ... Where one stands with God (You're toast!) ... and how acknowledgement of the payment only HE could make can change that standing.

Only one "Jesus movie" ever made an impression on me.

The Passion of the Christ - Mel Gibsons' film about the events in the bogus arrest/prosecution of Jesus and the very REALISTIC portrayal of His crucifixion. This film is NOT pretty to say the least and I would not allow children to see it. My only problem is that it's lacking in the details of what the salvation He provides is.

Below are the details as to the what and why of salvation. Be sure to read the whole chapters they appear in for further clarification.


1. Romans 3:10 - As it is written, There is no one righteous, no, not one.

Psalm 14:3 -  They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that does good.

Keep in mind, you're not good enough to get to Heaven on your own. No matter what you do, you're just not "good" enough.

2. Romans 3:23 - For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.

You're under a penalty and will always fall short of being good enough for God on your own.

3. Romans 5:12 -  Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.

It's because of Adams' rebellion and act against God that we're under this hereditary condition of death and sin. It can't be "cured" by ones' own effort.

4. Romans 5:8 -  But God commends his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

God, however, loves us and provides a way out from under this crushing penalty. His son, Jesus is the only one who can make the payment we ourselves can't.

5. Romans 6:23 - For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Our sinful condition can only result in eternal separation from God. But through Jesus Christ, eternal life can be gained.

6. Romans 10:13 - For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

Here's where it starts. He is waiting for you.

7. Revelation 3:20 -  Behold, I stand at the door, and knock. If any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.

He's calling you (And has probably for quite some time. You just won't bother to hear it.). All that's needed is for you to let him enter your life and take over.

8. Romans 10:9 and 10 -  That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved.
                                   -  For with the heart man believes to righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made to salvation.

If you believe from within that He rose from the dead, so will you one day. If you tell others that He runs your life as well, you are destined for Heaven (Providing, of course, that He actually IS in charge of your life!).

9. John 3:16 -  For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

That last verse pretty much settles that!

Movies are fine but as they say, "It's not like the book". Read the book first.

Just sayin' ...

Wikipedia article on Son of God film here.

Wikipedia article on Mel Gibsons' The Passion of the Christ film here.


Go to Jays' Tee Vee blog main page here.

Wolf Children: A Little Creepy ... Yet Endearing

The three principle characters of Wolf Children Ame and Yuki.
L-R: Yuki, Hana and Ame.

Wolf Children: A Little Creepy ... Yet Endearing


Even a man who is pure in heart,
And says his prayers at night.
May become a wolf when the wolfbane blooms,
And the moon is full and bright.

Not quite.

Boy meets girl.

Boy and girl fall in love.

Boy shows girl he's a werewolf.

Say ... WHAT!?

Girl marries him anyway.

Say ... WHAT!? ... Again?

They have a couple of kids ... Who are also werewolves.

O ... Kay ...

Boy dies from an unspecified accident while out hunting, leaving girl to take care of the kids.

Complications ensue ...

And therein hangs the tale.

Yuki and Ame as toddlers.

I'm glad I got this film. The latest from Mamoru Hosoda (The Girl Who Leapt Through Time and Summer Wars.), Wolf Children is a heartwarming , Disneyesque, coming of age film about two kids with a "problem" and how they and their mother cope with it.

Yuki and Ame argue about identity (Are you human or are you not?)
just before their knock-down, drag-out dog fight.

As they get older, the daughter assimilates into the world of humanity while the son heeds the "call of the wild". Thankfully, there are no Lon Chaney moments in their seeking of identity (Unless you count one incident of an overly insistent classmate.) so no terrorizing of the neighborhood. It's mostly on their interaction with humankind and the finding of acceptance within themselves.

There is one (very) brief "love scene" early in the film where the specter of beastiality is seemingly brought up. Yeah, he's a wolf only from the neck up but the creep factor makes its' presence felt.

Except for the above scene, I have no qualms about teens seeing this. It has a PG rating mainly for animal violence and incidental nudity (Wolves aren't ones to wear clothing.).

They don't make werewolves like they used to. Lon Chaney Jr. in
a publicity shot for The Wolf Man (Universal Pictures, 1941.).

Wikipedia article on Mamoru Hosoda here.

Wikipedia article on Wolf Children here.

Wolf Children trailer on You Tube here.

My Summer Wars review here.


Go to Jays' Tee Vee blog main page here.

Don't Mess With Mother Russia!

Russia goes its' own way.

Don't Mess With Mother Russia!


It seems the "lavender love" crowd is a bit put out about Russia. They don't like Russias' "anti-gay" stance.

How narrow minded! How vile! How ... so ... UN-AMERICAN!

Of course it is ... It's Russia.

I find it the height of stupidity and arrogance that one should expect a people who literally live on THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WORLD to think and act as they do. Such fools are no better than the neo conservatives who think they can transform places like Iraq and Afghanistan into mirror images of the "good ole U.S.A." (Complete with shopping malls, fast food joints, porno shops and liquor stores.).

Shoot! The idiots in the past Soviet government learned their lesson about Afghanistan. Why can't the idiots in our own government do the same?

The REAL rainbow flag. No pink here ...

I over heard a conversation by some not so gay "gays" (They weren't even cheerful.) cursing Russia as a broadcast from Sochi was airing.

"Damn Russia! They're so behind the curve."

"These games are their way of saying they're the best. Fuck you!"

And on and on.

Behind the curve? Whose curve? Yours?

Maybe they have a curve of their own. Maybe they don't have a curve, period. Maybe they don't give a damn about curves (Except the feminine ones. Vive la differance! Poor fools ... You don't know what you're missing!). Maybe they're not afraid of your "influence" and don't care what you think.

A perfect illustration of the type of people/mentality that MUST wilt before the
inevitable might and righteousness of effeminate indignation. Not bloody likely ...

Be that as it may, consider these facts:

1. Russia is NOT the U.S.A. - They are an actual people, ethnicity, NATION. Not a polyglot empire like the United States. The Soviet Empire is, thankfully, long gone but the actual RUSSIANS remain (As do the the other two branches, the Belarussians and Ukranians.). You can not expect them or their government to think, act, and do as you do. You can only expect them to think, act, and do as Russians do.

Russia may be "backward" from various perspectives but you have to keep in mind:

2. When you talk about Russians, you're talking about a people who, FOR OVER A THOUSAND YEARS, have repelled, fought, endured one foriegn invasion/occupation after another. Most recently, the Axis onslaught of  almost seventy years ago. These folks are the main reason why Fascism was crushed once and for all. What makes you think they're going to be shaking in their shoes at the thought of you?

3. Many of these ordeals they went through while under the heels of some of the most brutal dictatorships imaginable. And I'm not only referring to those royale assholes, Joe Stalin and Vladimir Lenin. The various kings, czars, despots of ages past taught the reds a thing or ten about the implementation of oppression.

Natural Selection: It's a GOOD thing!

The above amounts to a winnowing out process of natural selection that has left an unbelievably tough, hardy people in place (Hell, their women are more rugged than I am!). It is also partly why they have a low population growth (Homosexuality is NOT an answer to that.).

No doubt some have indulged in fantasies of someone teaching the Russians a lesson militarily. NOT a good idea. The Russians may not have won every fight they were in, but they ALWAYS made sure the other guy didn't either.

DON'T ... mess with Mother Russia. She's a MOTHER!

Just sayin' ...


Wikipedia article on the history of Russia here.

You Tube/Russian Nat. Anthem with translated lyrics here.

You Tube/Russian Nat. Anthem rock version here and here. Both have great slide shows!

Music videos, Katyusha here and here.

"Music video", Katyusha, from the anime, Girls und Panzer here. This was edited out of the English release (And replaced with some kind of "Russian polka".). Nona and Katyusha sing as their T-34s plow across the tundra. URRAA!

"Music videos", God Knows, from the anime, The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, Russian dub here and here (Not as good picture resolution but better sound.).

Same as above in the original Japanese (Aya Hirano!) here. What the heck! I like the show!


Go to Jays' Tee Vee blog main page here. If there's a buncha' articles under this one, you're already there.

AMERICA ... IS ... FULL ... OF ... CRAP!

And the change can be devastating.

AMERICA ... IS ... FULL ... OF ... CRAP!

The debt ceiling debate is upon us again. And once again you are being fed a line of crap. Barack Obama is full of crap. The media are full of crap. Congress is full of crap. John Boehner and the establishment GOP are full of crap. And the debt ceiling itself is one big load of crap. It’s all a big lie. Let me explain in simple terms anyone can understand.

Have you ever had a sewage pipe break? If the raw sewage kept pouring out and piling up to your ceiling, would you hire contractors to raise your ceiling or would you ask them to correct the problem: to fix the broken pipe and clean the piles of crap out of your home?

Raising the ceiling of your home would be incredibly stupid; it would cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. It would change the entire construction of your home. Most importantly, it wouldn’t solve your problem. If you raised the ceiling but didn't fix the broken pipe, you’d spend $100,000 on the higher ceiling. But two weeks later, they’d have to raise it again. They would have to raise it again and again, until you’d spent more than $1 million on ceiling raises on a $100,000 home that is still full of crap.

Right now, I’m sad to say, America is full of crap.

The rest of this Personal Liberty Digest article by Wayne Allyn Root plus video here.

Personal Liberty Digest main page here.


Go to Jays' Tee Vee blog main page here.

From Up On Poppy Hill ... Creepy, Yet Endearing

"We're ... WHAT!?" Umi Matsuzaki and Shun Kazama share a
semi-tender moment in Studio Ghiblis', From Up On Poppy Hill.

From Up On Poppy Hill ... Creepy, Yet Endearing


Boy meets girl.

Boy and girl fall in love.

Boy and girl find out they might be brother and sister (EEEEEW! That's disgusting! Creep factor kicks in.).

Boy and girl later confess their love for one another anyway (EEEEEW! That's even more disgusting! Creep factor climbing.).

HENTAI TIME!

Uh ... no ...

Boy and girl later find they're NOT related.

Happy end.

Still no hentai.

I'm fine with that.

Now go away sick boy.

You're creepy too.

And NOT endearing.

Actually, the movie is much better than my above summation would have one think.

From Up On Poppy Hill is a heartwarming film about the emotional confusion stemming from such a situation. Set in early '60s Japan, we're given a sincere, non-prurient story wherein the two young protagonists struggle in dealing with their conflicting feelings. In the end, things turn out just fine.

I at first thought that, since there was nothing fantasy, mystical, or science fiction related, why this couldn't have been done live action. But then, it probably would have been a lot more expensive trying to recreate a Japan (Early '60s.) that doesn't exist anymore. Contrast this to "present day" anime with their all paved roadways, super sanitized streets, and ultramodern architecture.

Kyu Sakamotos' song, "Sukiyaki"/I Look Up When I Walk is "aired" at least twice, adding to the period feel.

All in all, get this film. While it doesn't have the giant robots, tropes, tsunderes and other etcetera one usually associates with anime, one will find From Up On Poppy Hill worth a view.


Wikipedia article for From Up On Poppy Hill here.

Kyu Sakamotos' song "Sukiyaki"/I Look Up When I Walk, with translated lyrics, here.

Film related Anime Music Video, sung by Rina here. As it says at the end: "Be sure to watch the film if you haven't already!"


Go to Jays' Tee Vee blog main page here.

Just Shaddup Already!

I don't think this guy is with the Westboro bunch. This photo did not
appear with this articles' original posting on Aardvarks' Plumbline blog.

Just Shaddup Already!

by

Weatherly Hardy


It has been observed that the Dread Dormomoo * and I have never had a trivial conversation. This is an offshoot of one of our palavers.

In the multitude of words sin is not lacking, But he who restrains his lips is wise. Proverbs 10:19

Social networks like Facebook and Twitter provide anyone with a household logic the means to Make A Statement, to Let It Be Known. It's like a blog without commitment, only obsession (One more scroll, and I'll go to bed....). The Need to Say leads ineluctably to the Need To Have Summat To Say., thus many will speak their mind (or what passes for it) on any topic at hand; the Outrage du Jour, because everyone deserves my opinion, and I'll bust like Alderaan if I don't state it. This makes for endless bloviation, a verbal spittle sprayed on the front rows.

The outrage du jour, then, is the trendy fixation of the moment, driven by talk radio, Drudge, the front page, whatever is whipping up froth  about whatever topic is George, is the thing right now; social media driven by media, which sees what is trending in social media and reports it, a hamster-wheel of inconsequentiae. And people read, and hear, and rage, and talk, because that is what we are good at, and it makes us feel like we have Done Something by our self expression, when all we have done is express our opinion, an opinion that no-one really needed.

Christians, bless our hearts, are the chiefest of sinners, at least the (politically) active ones. An Issue is put forth, support for some dire practise, or an opinion by a left-leaning person, or a right-leaning one, or an upstanding middle-of-the-road one. Well, I have to respond! I must fix it! I must state my opinion! I MUST SUCCEED!

Um, no.

For the last forty years, the churches have been led by the nose to do what they have not been assigned to do, to be what scripturally they patently are not! Between the Falwell and Robertson followers, trying to vote in the Kingdom of God, backing God's Own Party, and the vocal-oids of today who MUST weigh in on any issue, whether it impacts the church directly or not, we politically savvy (maybe) believers have managed to inoculate the culture-at-large against the Faith Once Delivered.

I have a son who is characterised by the fact that he always stops speaking one sentence too late. Our society has nurtured the same for itself, and that (especially) means Christians. The recent Phil Robertson unpleasantness is somewhat of an example, though he was answering direct questions in an interview (a disadvantage conservative Christians have, usually being taught to answer questions as asked, a little thing called honesty and candor). I see time after time Christian politicos, professionals, and just plain folks being goaded into making...unwise...statements and professions on the public stage, the effect of which is to swerve the conversation away from the (often cogent) point being made to one that is sure to cause embarrassment and facepalming on a grand scale.

To all brethren, as well as to persons of good will, I offer some advice:

Just because it is in your mind, does not mean it must come out of your mouth. Just because it is a tenet of your beliefs, or a closely-held opinion based upon your beliefs, you are not called upon to blurt it to the world. The Gospel is what we as Christians are to teach to the world, not derivative opinions. Neither Jesus nor Paul waggled the finger of Condemnation at the sinners, the hoi-polloi. (At self-righteous religious types, on the other hand....) They warned people against sin, certainly, but did not condemn. Paul, seeing all of the idols in Athens, did not take opportunity on Areopagus to condemn all of Athens to perdition, but rather used it as an opportunity to identify their "unknown god" as being the Messiah Jesus (even quoting one of their own poets). Therefore, we do not have leave to do other than present the good news of Jesus' life, teaching, death, burial, resurrection, and ascension to the Father's right hand. We may not punch someone's ticket for hell, we may only warn of consequence.

Churches are not called to rebut the New York Times, nor Newsweek. They certainly should not take their preaching points therefrom. You cannot play a defensive game and gain ground. Likewise, individual Christians on social media like Facebook, or in a position to speak to the mainstream media, please bear in mind that they Do Not Like You, nor do they wish to Be Your Pal. This goes doubly if you are a theologically conservative believer, because of a dirty little secret:

They think that you are Westboro, and will handle everything you say to make you look like it. They will ask questions designed to embarrass you, the church, and all believers by making you look like a This-ist, or a That-o-phobe. Let me be REALLY clear:

They think Christian=Westboro, and will dig and probe until they find a dull shade of brown that resembles Westboro, and then they will crucify you and your reputation, because you were stupid enough to think that they want to be your Friend, or that what they REALLY want is The Truth.

Don't be stupid, or naive. Jesus said "Be wise as serpents, yet harmless as doves.". If your hobby-horse (or teir detour question) is not something that Jesus (or even Paul) would have spoken publicly of, dummy up. Shut yer gob. Talk about the issue at hand, and when they try to lead you away into Controversyville with questions about your opinion about "Y" lifestyle, or "Z" ethnic issue, or any hot-button issue apart from what your business is actually about, refuse to talk about it, as it is not germane to your issue. Do NOT be fooled into thinking it is a chance to witness, or to present some truth of the Kingdom, because it isn't. It is a chance to further inoculate the culture against the Gospel of Christ by allowing yourself to be painted as a bigot, or other such postmodern evil.

In the multitude of words sin is not lacking, But he who restrains his lips is wise. Proverbs 10:19

Here endeth the lesson.

xxxxx

* The "Dread Dormomoo" Mr. Hardy is referring too is Mrs. Hardy. They seem to be Dr. Strange fans.


Original post at Aardvarks' Plumbline here.

Aardvarks' Plumbline blog main page here.


Go to Jays' Tee Vee blog main page here.

Dylan Farrow Asks: What's Your Favorite Woody Allen Movie?

Woody Allen in typical mode.

Dylan Farrow Asks: What's Your Favorite Woody Allen Movie?


I never really cared much for Woody Allen or his flicks. His weepy, angsty, whiny style of delivery makes ME look good.

I DID have one of his films in my collection, What's Up Tiger Lilly. The operative word is DID. I just pitched it.

What WAS yours?


An Open Letter From Dylan Farrow here.


Go to Jays' Tee Vee blog main page here.