DATELESS TO DANGEROUS

The new Lifetime movie DATELESS TO DANGEROUS brilliantly digs deeply into the causes of the disturbingly common psychosis that leads some emotionally weak, easily manipulated, and spiritually ignorant disenfranchised people into stereotyping entire demographics as being the cause of the disenfranchised person's own personal problems, pain, and misery. 

We have seen the massively deadly consequences of blame shifting onto other demographics. Such disturbing misperceptions of factual reality have wreaked havoc when Nazis applied them towards Jewish people; the Black Lives Matter movement applied them towards white people, police, and businesses; when school shooters applied them to their classmates; or when women scorned were somehow emotionally manipulated into believing that murdering their own preborn babies somehow empowers them over men. None of these deadly massive movements of unjust hatred occurred in a vacuum. They are all emotional reactions resulting from methodical, diabolical, and predatory manipulation. The predators behind these evil movements used phony yet deceptive empathy as a manipulative tool for the exploitation of these hurting people's pain. The diabolically evil solutions suggested by those predators never even remotely heal the deep emotional anguish felt by their targets, but instead spread the misery, increase divisive hatred, and destroy innocent lives in the process.

The hateful movement that DATELESS TO DANGEROUS chooses to expose and condemn is a largely online and rather obscure movement called the incel movement. They are disenfranchised ignorant single men who believe they have no chance at getting a date, so they have strong hatred towards women, even to the point of viewing women as less than human. They discuss their hatred on open forums online, where they show each other toxic empathy that only encourages their diabolically evil viewpoints.

When people feel as if the people of a certain other demographic have rejected them or undermined their existence as a human being worthy of being seen, spoken about, and treated with inherent human dignity, it is fundamental in human nature to counter-reject that demographic that they feel has first rejected them. We do this naturally to protect our own perception of our own self-worth. The concept has been addressed in a 1967 song by the Doors called "People are Strange." The line, "Women seem wicked, when you're unwanted. Streets are uneven when you're down," summarizes the human condition quite well. We see men blaming women for their own moral failings as early as Adam blaming Eve, to God, for Adam's own consumption of the forbidden fruit, with Adam's audacity even partially blaming God for putting Eve in the garden with him. We see their eldest son Cain then murder his brother Abel, out of jealousy. While this was all long before the existence of Karl Marx, their evil attitudes and actions were inspired by the same source that would later inspire Karl Marx, the Devil. All the aforementioned movements also take the reality denying Marxist attitude of, "I am unjustly victimized. They have what I don't have, because they exploited me to get it. I therefore have the right and responsibility to take what I am rightly entitled to from them, even if that requires killing them in the process." 

Now that I have laid the groundwork, let's get specific to the movie. While some may find it surprising, it was written by two men, Edmund Entin and Gary Entin. The central character is Miles Miller (Alexander Elliot) who is an angst ridden teenage boy. At the start of the movie, Miles appears like a normal and typical teenage guy. There is nothing about his appearance that cries out "target," nor is there anything about his appearance that cries out, "psychopath." Miles is not made fun of by his peers. At the start of the movie, he seemed like a decent and normal guy.

The big star, and draw to the movie that inspired my wife and me to watch this movie, is actress Jodie Sweetin who plays Miles' mother, Noelle. If anyone is unfamiliar with the name Jodie Sweetin, she is most famous for playing the role of Stephanie Judith Tanner on Full House, one of the most successful sitcoms in television history. Stephanie is the spunky middle sister of the three girls (younger sister of the character played by Candace Cameron Bure, older sister of the character played by both Olsen twins, middle daughter of Bob Saget's character.) Stephanie was known for sarcastic quotes such as "pin a rose on your nose," and her catchphrase, "How rude," which originally comes from C-3P0 in The Empire Strikes Back, a movie that came out before Jodie was born. In DATELESS TO DANGEROUS, Jodie's acting reaches a whole new level that I have never seen before. This is not a comedic role, but a serious dramatic role. Jodie Sweetin is convincing in her delivery of every dramatic line, displaying acting talent that far surpasses what Full House or its reprise known as Fuller House ever allowed her to show. I have a whole new level of respect for Jodie's talent as an actress. While this movie will never become as famous as Full House, and Jodie's role as Noelle Miller will never be as iconic as her role of Stephanie Tanner, this movie shows a far greater depth of Jodie's acting talent. Her character is highly likeable the entire time, loving towards her children, and humble enough to admit that she was not aware of all the challenges that a teenage boy is forced to deal with.

The third major character is Haley Miller (Nikki Roumel) who is the younger teenage sister of Miles Miller, making her Noelle's younger child. Haley is a confident teenager who likes to dress in a sexy manner, even though her mother tries to moderate the degree to how Haley is allowed to dress. Haley is starting at a new school, the same school as Miles. Haley catches the romantic interest of Miles' best friend Sam (Kolton Stewart), much to the chagrin of Miles. 

Haley is respectfully adamant in trying to encourage her brother to ask a specific girl, Sophia (Alexandra Chaves) he had a crush on, to the homecoming dance. While Haley offered some romantic ideas of how he should approach the situation, Miles did not want to be generic about it, but insisted that his approach to Sophia should be more grandiose. So, in the school hallway, Miles lies on the floor, with a chalk outline around himself, and a message to Sophia that he is dying to go to the homecoming dance with her. A large crowd of teenage peers surrounds Miles as Sophia approaches her locker to see the situation. She politely declines, telling him that she already promised her friends that she would go with them in a group. Perhaps, from a female perspective, there may be something to that, but no guy is going to be convinced that such would have been her response had Miles been someone she was even remotely attracted to. This was a humiliating rejection for Miles, and in the digital age, the whole rejection was caught on someone's phone and widely shared. From my perspective, however, Miles brought this out on himself. He should have asked her in private, not in such a dramatic manner that could have been very uncomfortable for Sophia and totally puts her on the spot in front of her peers like that. I feel that his approach was insensitive to her and failed to account for the uncomfortable position that it potentially puts her in. Regardless, Miles feels incredibly victimized and mistreated, failing to see that regardless of his feelings and effort, she is a person with the right and freedom to turn him down, as hard as that is for him. Rejection is not automatically injustice, which is a concept that the rejected often struggle to understand.

While Haley tries to genuinely comfort her brother, claiming that it was Sophia's loss, Miles instead seeks his solace from a sketchy online gamer who puts down Miles over his appearance and furthermore refers Miles to a likeminded online community of incels, other single guys who also passionately loathe females. 

Miles, Haley and Sam are all on the debate team. The debate instructor, Mr. Kumara (Husein Madhavji) chooses the topic of purity pledges and whether they are helpful or harmful. The teenagers are initially split about 50/50 on this matter. Haley believes that purity pledges are harmful. Miles believes they are helpful. Mr. Kumara presses both sides to defend their position. Miles makes the point that purity pledges empower girls on the grounds that girls are openly given the free choice as to whether they will make those pledges or not, since the pledges are never compulsory. Haley provides an opposing viewpoint that if a girl makes such a pledge and then violates it, she has no power remaining. Haley states her case in a flowery and emotional tear-laden manner that tugs at the heartstrings of the easily manipulated ignorant. Incidentally, her emotional drivel yields full support from the rest of the debate team who all shift over to her side, save Miles who stands his ground, even though he stand it alone, feeling dejected once again. What I found fascinating here was the debate instructor's failure to capitalize on a teachable moment about the power of emotional manipulation. Miles' argument was solid and rooted in truth. Haley's argument was emotional and illogical. Purity pledges provide an open avenue for girls who desire chastity to openly and unapologetically proclaim their personal choice to respect their body, respect their future husband, and respect the stability of the home that their future children will be raised in, while aligning themselves with likeminded girls who share their values. That is very empowering for free-thinking and self-respecting girls. Haley's sad attempt at a counter-point ultimately had nothing to do with the topic of the debate, purity pledges. She erected a strawman argument that slickly shifted the topic away from purity pledges and replaced the purity pledge topic with an emotional appeal about the deep shame that girls who fail at chastity inevitably feel, after the fact, irrelevant to whether they ever signed a purity pledge or not. This is a strategy that democrat politicians and pundits use all the time. They tug at people's heartstrings while manipulating their minds, thereby getting them to blame the inevitable consequences of their own poor choices on something else, someone else, or some other demographic.

How does this manipulation work? Are there that many people who are that gullible? Sadly, the numbers are growing. The predators choose specific types of targets, specifically those who are most likely to be suffering emotional pain. In the case of Miles Miller, all three of the biggest boxes are checked. Firstly, Miles does not have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, and therefore is not firmly anchored in a worldview of absolute, universal, unchanging, and unchangeable truth. Secondly, Miles' father is no longer in the home, but off with a mistress. That leaves Miles with the void of a positive male role model, a void that predators love to capitalize on and fill. Thirdly, Miles was going through an emotionally difficult period of self-doubt, rooted in a chronic feeling of rejection by girls. These three factors make Miles a prime target, low-hanging fruit for predators who want to fill his heart, mind, and soul with all types of evil, masqueraded as empathy. He became putty in predators' hands.

Miles' romantic interests shift to his partner on the debate team, a girl named Beatrice (Shechinah Mpumlwana.) After a successful debate competition for the school, the team celebrates with alcohol in a a hotel. Beatrice has been interacting with Miles in a positive approving way. When the vast majority of the girls in a guy's world seem arrogant and stuck-up to him, and he is not accustomed to girls being decent and human to him, though, it is very easy for him to mistake her innocent receptiveness for flirtatious romantic interest and inevitably feel that attraction back towards her. After receiving some bad advice from his online community, Miles walks with Beatrice outdoors, gets in front of a brick wall, and then aggressively tries to kiss her, without warning. While Beatrice neither slaps him, speaks harshly towards him, nor appears grossed out, she clearly communicates that she does not want to date. She walks away from him, leaving him feeling further rejected. I could not help but notice the brick wall behind him at this moment and think, "There's another brick in his wall." From a male perspective, though, the very same move that Miles tried would have worked had it been done by a guy she was even the least bit attracted to. So, the sting of the rejection not only is more painful, but gets coupled by the additional stinging anguish that he came across as a jerk in the process.

A few days later, back at school, Miles tells Beatrice that what she did was alright. She responded that she knew that her own actions were alright, and furthermore calls out Miles on what she perceived as Miles having an attitude of entitlement, as if girls owe him something. Miles never even considers the reality that Beatrice could potentially view Miles' actions towards her as sexual assault, a concept that is not directly addressed in the movie. This attitude of entitlement is a very problematic issue in reality. A guy who takes and follows dating advice expects it to work. When people apply the, "if I do this, then I will get that," cause and effect mentality in their interactions with their fellow human beings, they will inevitably find out the hard way that human interactions are not as predictable as programming machines. In the hallway, Miles soon comes across to Beatrice in a physically threatening manner. Beatrice approaches the debate instructor and asks for partners to be switched. When Mr. Kumara agrees and switches a few people around, Miles goes ballistic, becomes disrespectful to the teacher, uses a derogatory term towards his female classmates, and makes the entire room feel threatened and uncomfortable.

On the car ride home, as Noelle drives, she rebukes her son over what Mr. Kumara has reported to her. Miles gets into an argument with Haley, leading to Noelle rebuking them both. Back in the house, Haley tells Miles that he doesn't even realize that he is the problem. Haley was right. This is very common among those who receive affirmation from evil sources. Miles needed the loving rebuke from his mother and from his younger sister, but he was so in over his head with the lecherous online community he was a part of, that he had no respect for his mother's credibility or his sister's credibility on the grounds that they are both females and therefore inferiors, in his poisoned and brainwashed mind. Miles even got to the point as if it appeared that he was going to physically assault his mother, but Noelle firmly rebuked him verbally, which was strong enough to make him reconsider. He did, however, "accidentally," push his sister's boyfriend Sam down the stairs, resulting in Sam needing to have his arm in a cast.

The night of homecoming came. Miles took his father's gun, gasoline, and a lighter. He set the school's float on fire while it was outside Sam's house, where the pre-homecoming party was happening. People left the house, as Miles ran off. Haley chased miles, hoping to talk some sense into him. When Haley catches up to Miles in a tunnel, Miles was ready to shoot himself on the grounds that he perceived that no one loved him. Haley reassured him that she loves him, as does their mother. Noelle who gets wind of what was going on pursues to find Miles, too. Before Noelle arrives, however, a bullet goes off. 

How does it end?
Watch it. I highly recommend this movie.

UNPLANNED

If I could request that every American see one movie, it would be UNPLANNED.  By God’s grace, everyone who sees this movie will come out of it a better person, regardless of where we previously were religiously or politically.  This movie tells the true story of Abby Johnson, a woman who worked for Planned Parenthood for about eight years, including as head of one of the facilities in Texas, a woman who personally had two abortions, and was accessory to about 22,000 more abortions, a woman who is loved by God and totally forgiven.  She blows the whistle on Planned Parenthood, and every American deserves the right to see the truth about this organization that the Democrat Party is forcing us to fund through our taxes.  Abby Johnson’s first-person perspective is brilliantly presented in this movie, with the incredibly talented actress Ashley Bratcher phenomenally playing the role of Abby Johnson.

In this movie, there is no judgment or pointing fingers at women who have had abortions, only love.  In fact, the movie condemns the actions of those who aggressively and hatefully point fingers, outside abortion clinics, and shows how when women encounter that type of hostility, the abortion clinic itself, in comparison, appears to be a loving, sympathetic, and understanding safe haven for those women.  It makes sense.  If we, as Christians, want these girls and women to run towards us and God’s better way, are they running towards the loving open arms of God, or are they running towards clenched fists and pointing fingers that misrepresent God, and will likely point those women right back to the clinics?   As someone who has been staunchly, openly, and unapologetically pro-life, all my life, without ever wavering, I still stand firmly anchored in my convictions against abortion, but, by God’s grace, this movie helped dramatically change my attitude towards women who have had abortions.  Rather than seeing them as heartless perpetrators of grave injustice, I now see them as lovable victims of extreme medical malpractice.

In my life, I have been falsely diagnosed with pneumonia, falsely diagnosed with having been born with a lazy eye, and have been prescribed medication that not only failed to cure or alleviate my aliments, but furthermore afflicted me with numerous unpleasant side effects.   What does that have to do with the movie?  It is what gives me empathy for those who put their trust in medical professionals whose advice, prescriptions, and/or solutions ended up harming those who trusted these medical professionals.  Do I blame myself for trusting medical professionals?  No.  Then, how can I point fingers at these thousands upon thousands of women and young girls who were outright lied to both by the staff at Planned Parenthood, and by the liberal media that made them believe that Planned Parenthood would be a decent and safe place to go to in the first place?  Like me, these women and young girls were earnestly trying to make the best decisions for their bodies, but were given faulty information as to what those best decisions would be.  The difference is that in my case, it took longer for my ailments to heal.  In the case of these women, they are saddled with lifelong emotional pain and regrets over choices that can not be unmade.  These women and young girls don’t need judgment.  They need love, and most importantly, they need Jesus, the only cure for their deep emotional turmoil.

In the movie, which I reiterate is based on a true story, Abby Johnson is given a series of abortion pills, by Planned Parenthood, and was told that what would happen to her would merely feel like a heavy period.  When she suffered intense and more enduring pain, she called up concerned and was told that it was typical.  She was flat out lied to at the time she received the pills.

When a teenage girl had extreme life-threatening bleeding complications, after an abortion, Abby Johnson was told by her supervisor not to call an ambulance, because it would look bad for the facility, and that the in-house doctor would heal her.  Abby was meanwhile told essentially to lie to the girl’s father about what happened.

These are just some of the examples of the horrors inside Planned Parenthood that this movie reveals.  While the movie charitably makes it clear that many Planned Parenthood employees are genuinely deceived into believing that what they are doing is something good for women, the movie also clearly unmasks the factual reality that Planned Parenthood, as an organization, takes a predatory approach towards women, during those women’s most emotionally vulnerable time.  It shows that corporately, Planned Parenthood workers are given the goal to drastically increase the number of abortions that are performed at the facilities.  When Abby Johnson questioned why they were trying to increase rather than decrease abortions, she ended up reprimanded and told by the higher-up that abortion is the biggest money maker for Planned Parenthood. 

The movie addresses the fact that no woman wants an abortion, in the way she may want a new car.  That is a key point.  No little girl dreams of someday having an abortion.  So, how is it, then, that thousands upon thousands of women have chosen abortion, despite the fact that such a decision does not resonate with any woman’s true soul essence or heart’s desires?  The answer is that many women feel trapped, as if abortion is their best or only option.  Why do they feel this way?  Planned Parenthood, like an abusive man, wants women to feel trapped, isolated, alone, and powerless, and like they (Planned Parenthood) are the only place that listens, cares, or will be there for them.  Then, Planned Parenthood sells them a bill of goods, Abby Johnson admitting that she was skilled at marketing abortions.

Lila Rose of Live Action makes a cameo appearance in the movie, as a reporter.  For those who don’t know, Live Action is the organization that used sting operations on Planned Parenthood to reveal, among other things, that Planned Parenthood is willing to cover up for human trafficking.  Pro-abortion proponents will often propagate the lie that there are no laws on the books declaring what a man can or can not do with his own body.  Well, apparently, Planned Parenthood actually believes that men should be free to use their bodies to rape women and young girls, as long as those rape victims come to Planned Parenthood for their abortions.  Yes, there is a war against women, and Planned Parenthood is on the front line fighting against them, injecting sharp objects and poison into their bodies, and misinformation into their minds. 

No woman who is making choices about her body with a mind that has been deliberately manipulated and misinformed by Planned Parenthood is a woman who truly is making informed decisions with autonomy over her own body.  She has instead put her body into the hands of someone who at best is a quack, and may be deliberately trying to manipulate and harm her, for financial gain.  Being pro-life does not constitute desiring outside control over the natural way that a woman’s pregnant body functions, but instead shows a desire to prevent outside interference and control over the way a woman’s pregnant body naturally functions.   Being pro-abortion, on the other hand, outright constitutes a desire for outside control over the way a woman’s pregnant body naturally functions.  This movie shows how Planned Parenthood is outright pro-abortion, therefore outright in favor of controlling a woman’s body by first controlling her mind.

So, despite everything Abby Johnson saw and was exposed to, what, after about eight years, made her finally leave Planned Parenthood and come to terms with the factual reality of what is still happening there?   On the spiritual level, it was the intense prayers of people in an organization called Coalition for Life, an organization that prays outside abortion facilities, and lovingly tries to discourage women from having abortions.  On the worldly plane, Abby Johnson was called into the room during an ultrasound abortion.  She saw, on the ultrasound, the baby physically trying to move away from the abortion instruments, an earnest and valiant attempt at self preservation that ultimately ended in the baby disappearing from the view on the ultrasound, as blood flowed though medical tubes.  The reality struck Abby Johnson, and she knew she could no longer be a part of this.  Even though that baby’s earthly existence was less than nine months, by God’s grace, that baby became a martyr from the womb, instrumental in changing multiple lives for the better, and saving many more.  We see the overwhelming grace of God, as Abby Johnson had a total change of heart!

How do we tell children who were conceived in rape, or in incest, or in adultery, or in fornication, that God simultaneously has a positive purpose and plan for their lives, yet He would not approve of them practicing the very behavior that led to their existence?  That sounds contradictory, yet it remains true.  The amazing new Matthew West song “Unplanned” that is played during the ending credits reveals the answer.  “Oh I don’t believe in accidents.  Miracles, they don’t happen by chance.  As long as my God holds the world in His hands, I know that there’s no such thing as unplanned.”  God can bring good things out of behavior He disapproves of.  Take the crucifixion of Christ as the ultimate example. 

What an incredible story!  What incredible courage by Abby Johnson to become so vulnerable to the world in sharing this story!  What bravery by Ashley Bratcher and the rest of this stellar cast for their willingness to risk drawing the ire of the elites in their own industry.  Most importantly, what an amazing God we have!

For people confronted with an unanticipated pregnancy, women who have had abortions and are looking for healing, or people working in the abortion industry who want to find a safe way out, by God’s grace, you can find resources and help at https://www.unplannedfilm.com/resources. 

SOLO

SOLO is the tenth of the full-length Star Wars movies, set in the timeline between Revenge of The Sith, and Rogue 1.  If you were worried that after The Last Jedi, the Star Wars films were heading downhill, destroying traditional characters, and introducing poorly written new characters who lack pizzazz, fear not.  SOLO is a comeback movie for Lucasfilm and Disney.  Screenwriters Lawrence Kasdan and his son, Jonathan know how to write a Star Wars movie.  I am happy to say that in SOLO, they have delivered something that traditional Star Wars fans can appreciate, without feeling like their childhood movie heroes are being destroyed.  The younger Han, Chewie, and Lando are all believable.  With the exception of a female droid, the new characters have pizzazz, too. 

 

Warning: Spoilers ahead.  Going into the movie, we know about certain spoilers, like how Lando Calrissian will lose the Millennium Falcon to Han Solo, “fair and square,” that the Millenium Falcon will make the Kessel Run in twelve parsecs, and that Han Solo survives, as do Lando and Chewie.  Beyond that, though, we don’t really know what to expect.

Breaking with tradition, we will not see R2D2 or C-3PO, although there is an R2 unit shown who could possibly be R2D2, but was never identified.  Anthony Daniels makes a very brief cameo as a different character.  There are references to a gangster on Tattooine, but we will not see Jabba the Hutt or Greedo.  There are no appearances from young Luke or young Leia.  No one from Rogue 1 appears either.  We won’t see Yoda or Obi-Wan, nor will we see the Emperor or Darth Vader.  There is no Bail Organa.  There is no young Biggs or young Wedge. 

 

Woody Harrelson gives an excellent performance as Tobias Beckett, a major character who has charisma, providing intrigue, even though we don’t always necessarily trust him.  It was a wise move to cast an established actor in this role.  The character is shady, but well written. 

 

Donald Glover does an amazing job as young Lando Calrissian.  He nails the Billy Dee Williams voice and mannerisms with precision.  He is very believable as a young Lando, an underhanded, untrustworthy person who nevertheless has no love for the Empire.  He also has some leadership skills that could later be used to run a coal mining industry.  He is furthermore a talented pilot. 

 

Alden Ehrenreich is also a convincing young Han Solo.  In some scenes, he even gets the Harrison Ford vocal tones and mannerisms down to a point where it genuinely feels as if a young Harrison Ford is performing the role.  Young Han Solo is more of an optimist, and a clever schemer.  He knows various languages which enables him to communicate with Chewbacca, who he makes peace with and rescues along with himself, after they were both pitted against each other in prison.

 

Young Han Solo has a love interest, Qi’ra, who is well performed by Emilia Clarke.  Qi’ra seems like the perfect match for Han Solo in the beginning of the movie.  She initially seems to be much kinder and more loving than Princess Leia ever was.  They get separated, against their will, and Han Solo vows to make it his mission to find her and rescue her from their home planet of Corellia.  When Han Solo in A New Hope uses the phrase, “big Corellian ships,” I always interpreted the term “Corellian” as referring to a type of metal used to construct the ships.  I now realize that it was in fact a reference to the planet upon which the ships were constructed.  Regardless, as the movie progresses, Han Solo meets back up with Qi’ra, in an unexpected place.  His feelings for her remain strong, but she has changed in a mysterious and shady way, a way that compromises her feelings for him, if they still even exist on any level.  This is an intriguing subplot that is well written and plays out well.

 

Some other cameos worthy of mention include the legendary Warwick Davis reprising his The Phantom Menace role as Weazel, and talented young actress Erin Kellyman as Enfys Nest, the leader of a gang of likeable pirates called Cloud Riders, a gang in which Weazel is a member.

 

The movie ends with the viewers wanting a sequel.  The Cloud Riders were an intriguing group who I would personally like to see more of.  The Han Solo and Qi’ra relationship needs official closure.  I furthermore get the impression from The Empire Strikes Back that the “friendship” between Han and Lando is more significant than what was merely shown in this movie.  Also, I would like to see the Han Solo negotiations with Jabba the Hutt and how he drops the shipment.  Even more significantly, (Warning: Read no further unless you want to see the spoiler of spoilers), the presumed deceased Darth Maul makes a very brief cameo appearance towards the end of SOLO.   This throws the force completely off balance as there are only supposed to be two active Sith at any given point in time.  I would definitely like to see the actual demise of Darth Maul, if that demise has even happened yet.  What if he had gone into hiding and could possibly reappear in Episode IX?  That would throw everything out of whack, but in a fascinating way.

 

In conclusion, SOLO is a movie definitely worth your time.  I would rank it as the seventh best of the ten official Star Wars movies.

AMERICAN IDOL (2018 Season)

Despite being an unscripted musical performance talent contest, this 2018 season of AMERICAN IDOL flowed in a manner as if a brilliant writer orchestrated the entire season.  For those of us who believe that God is ultimately in control, we saw Him work all things together in a way that reflects His glory.

 

 

Ryan Seacrest remains the host, but this season has three all new judges.  R&B legend Lionel Richie (formerly of the Commodores) is joined by country star Luke Bryan and pop star Katy Perry.  They did very well in discovering new talent and keeping most of it around deep into the season.

 

The first contestant who impressed me was a 16 year old Kentucky girl named Layla Spring who auditioned along with her even younger sister.  Layla has genuine wholesome sweetness, a precious love for her younger sister, and a great country voice.  The judges were initially hesitant on putting her through, due to the pressure they felt the industry would place upon her.  They chose, however, to give her a chance.

 

It was during the Hollywood weeks that I first noticed a Christian contestant by the name of Cade Foehner, a rocker with a 1980s voice, talent with guitar, good song choices, and a stage presence as if he was already a star.  He became my favorite, the one who I wanted to win the entire show, and believed could.   When Cade performed, it felt like watching an established musician, not a contestant in a talent show. 

 

In the first top twenty-four week, Cade’s roommate Trevor McBain, also known as the “man in the hat,” would unfortunately get cut, despite being one of the most talented and genuine contestants of the season.  Trevor’s Christian faith shined through, however, taking a positive attitude, even after getting cut, while trusting that God will continue to bless him, and use even his getting cut in a positive way.  Trevor is truly a class act, and I wish him all the best.

 

Much to my disappointment, Layla Spring would also get cut this week, despite a first- rate performance with Sugarland, on “Stuck Like Glue.”  Layla has all the makings of a true star.  It is my belief that the judges were afraid that the industry would take Layla’s sweet innocence from her, an unfortunate risk that young ladies face in the secular music industry.  A Christian record label could be a key to Layla’s future success.  She remains classy and I wish her all the best in the future.

Maddie Poppe is an impressive folk singer who had previously nailed such songs as “The Rainbow Connection,” and “Brand New Key.”  A deep voiced male country singer named Caleb Lee Hutchinson also impressed me, reminding me of Scotty McCreery, one of the more successful past winners of American Idol.  Another young girl named Mara Justine has an amazing voice, and an incredible stage presence, with a hair whipping gimmick that I thought was great, even though the judges encouraged her to stop it.  Maddie, Caleb, and Mara all survived this top twenty-four round, to join Cade in the top fourteen.

 

 

 

The top fourteen week would be the first time for the fans to get to vote.  The top six vote getters would be safe, while the judges get four saves, leaving ten survivors.

The top six were announced.  Cade, Maddie, and Caleb would be among them.  The other three would include country singer Gabby Barrett, a devout Christian named Michael J. Woodward, and Cate Turner, a young woman with incredible talent as a singer, performer and songwriter.  Cate is also an inspiration for women and young girls who choose to be their own person, and know how to do so well. 

 

 

 

Mara fell short of getting the top six fan votes.  After Mara performed, Lionel Richie criticized her, claiming that the contestants need the whole package.  Lionel Richie, in his critique, failed to mention what part of the package Mara allegedly did not have.  To me, she seems to have the total package.  Incidentally, she didn’t get one of the four saves.  Perhaps, like possibly with Layla, they were trying to protect this 16 year old from the dangers of the secular music industry.   

Within the next two weeks, all four people who the judges saved lacked the fan votes to stay around, as did Cate Turner.  The highlight of the tribute to Prince week was Caleb Lee Hutchinson’s successful country cover of “When Doves Cry,” a task I did not think was possible until Caleb pulled it off.

 

The following week, the top five would be cut down to a top three.  Michael J. Woodward would get cut.  Cade Foehner, much to my shock, would be the other person cut.  That being said, former contestants like Mandisa, Colton Dixon, Danny Gokey, Jason Castro, and Chris Daughtry did not win, yet have more successful music careers than the majority of the American Idol winners do.

 

The next week would feature shows on Sunday and Monday, Monday being the final show, after the votes are already in, Sunday being the day that the top three would each perform three times, including live debuting their first radio single.  In my opinion, Maddie Poppe would dominate the Sunday performances.  More than halfway through Monday’s show, it was announced that Gabby got the fewest votes, and would not win.

 

It then came down to Caleb Lee Hutchinson and Maddie Poppe as the final two.  When they stood on stage together, Caleb revealed that he and Maddie were boyfriend and girlfriend.  They performed a duet of the “Over The Rainbow/What a Wonderful World” medley.  After the song, Ryan Seacrest revealed to Caleb and Maddie that, as the top two contestants, they both won vacations to Hawaii and that they get to bring a plus one.  Caleb said they would bring their parents along to supervise, even quoting the cliché “Save room for Jesus.”  In choosing to bring their parents, Caleb publicly protected Maddie’s dignity and reputation, showing the world that he wants an honorable courtship with her, one that treats her as a person to be loved and cherished.  This shows young ladies the level of respect by which they deserve to be treated and young men an example that part of being a protector involves protecting her purity, and protecting her reputation by the way we treat her and speak about her.  Had Cade Foehner been in the top two as I had wanted, this moment between Caleb and Maddie would not have happened.  God has once again shown me another example of His will being greater than what I would have wanted, prior to seeing what He actually had in store. 

 

The final winner was Maddie Poppe.  She was crying so many tears of joy that she was unable to sing her single.  The entire top ten contestants, including Caleb came out on stage with her to congratulate her and help her sing her song.  This was a very special moment, unprecedented, at least in the seasons I have seen.   The bond between these contestants was very strong, the love from the Christian contestants being the dominant culture reflected among all the contestants on the show.

 

I am wishing for successful careers and a successful relationship for Maddie and Caleb.  I believe that they can be a celebrity couple who have enough of a platform to, by God's grace, revolutionize the way youngsters view romantic relationships.  They can provide single young women with the confidence that there are still decent men out there, while showing single young men that true romance and true love protects her dignity, purity, and reputation.   In conclusion, this was a very positive season of American Idol.  I am glad I watched it.

I CAN ONLY IMAGINE (The Movie)

It is rare that a movie as deep and emotionally powerful as I CAN ONLY IMAGINE comes around.  Named after the song by MercyMe, this movie is based on the true story of MercyMe lead singer Bart Millard’s life, from his childhood days up to that moment when “I Can Only Imagine,” the song, topped the Christian music charts and established itself as what many consider to be the greatest song in music history.

 

J. Michael Finley stars at Bart Millard, playing the role so well that it is easy to forget that we are not watching the real Bart Millard.  The standout performance, however, comes from Dennis Quaid as Arthur Millard, Bart’s abusive father whose humanity still shines through, even when he is at his worst.  This is Dennis Quaid's greatest acting performance that I have ever seen. 

Bart did not have an easy childhood, but as we can trust from Romans 8:28, God worked it all together for good, as the music of MercyMe has touched the lives of millions, with “Almost There,” their debut album featuring “I Can Only Imagine,” going triple platinum, and counting. 

 

Country star Trace Adkins gives a strong performance as Scott Brickell, MercyMe’s manager who shows confidence in Bart’s abilities, but makes it clear that Bart truly shines when he sings songs that he genuinely feels passionate towards, in his heart. 

 

Without providing a spoiler and explaining why, the viewers will also likely leave the movie with a whole new level of respect for Amy Grant, who is played convincingly by Nicole DuPort. 

 

Madeline Carroll also shines as Shannon, Bart’s girlfriend, whose presence becomes a significant subplot in the story of MercyMe’s quest for stardom, and Bart’s relationship with his father.

 

There is so much more to say about what an amazing movie this is, but it is best if you just go and see for yourself.  You will feel the characters' emotions, and leave with an even greater appreciation for what is truly one of the greatest songs ever written, as the journey to that song was divinely ordained. 

This movie is definitely worth your time!

 

 

 

 

 

THIRTEEN REASONS WHY (Season 1)

THIRTEEN REASONS WHY is a controversial Netflix Series that has yielded a large spectrum of opinions and emotions from viewers and critics.  It appropriately has thirteen episodes and involves an ensemble cast of incredibly talented actors and actresses, all of whom truly become their characters on the screen.  Some of the characters are likeable, while some are despicable.  For the purpose of this review, I only provide pictures of the likeable youth in this show.  This review is loaded with spoilers, so for those who have not seen this show, but plan to, be warned.

The central character is Clay Jensen (Dylan Minnette) a high school student who is dealing with the death of two of his friends, one of whom, Hannah Baker (Katherine Langford) is a girl who Clay had a huge crush on, one that was reciprocated, but that never materializes into a steady relationship, both due to shyness, confusion, and typical high school male “nice guy” obliviousness on Clay’s end, and an acquired distrust in guys mixed with a low self-esteem, on Hannah’s end.  Clay is a very likeable protagonist who may have his flaws, but is a very relatable character in many ways.

Hannah’s suicide is exposition to the story.  The story begins when Clay returns home to find a mysterious box of seven two-sided audio cassette tapes, the final of which has a blank side B.  He begins to play the first tape and realizes that they were left by Hannah as audio suicide notes, each side of each tape implicating someone whose actions she regards as being responsible for her suicide.  The tapes include the warning that a second copy exists, and that if anyone destroys the first copy, the second copy will be broadcast in a very public manner.  Hannah gives the instruction and explanation that the tapes are to be listened to in their entirety in sequential order, and then passed on to the next person, the next reason.  The tapes initially were given from a third party friend who Hannah left them with, to the person implicated on tape 1 side A.  That person is then responsible for passing them off to the person implicated on tape 1 side B, until all thirteen people, all thirteen reasons have received the tapes, and heard all thirteen reasons Hannah gives for her suicide.  Clay is very upset that he is on the tapes, and does not know which number reason he is, or what he did to even be on the tapes.  We find out in the first episode, however, that Clay is not the first reason.

Right away, some people may take issue with this premise.  Deliberate unassisted suicide is ultimately a decision made strictly by the person committing the suicide.  It is a shunning of personal responsibility to blame it on even one second party, much less a multitude of others.  There is also the fear that this could plant ideas in the heads of others who are feeling suicidal, as a way to stick it to people who the suicidal feel have ruined their lives.  The show never brings up the alternative of forgiveness, through the grace of God, combined with an understanding that vengeance is the Lord’s.  It is therefore very understandable why some people would take issue with this show and refuse to let their own impressionable children watch it. 

On the other hand, this show helps reveal how extreme the consequences of what may come across as minor bullying behaviors can be.  The messages can help teens think twice before treating others with a disregard for their feelings and emotions.  It also reveals to parents, the living hell that even their seemingly well-adjusted teenagers may be experiencing in the war zones that we refer to as schools.

All thirteen episodes constantly weave back and forth on the timeline, showing things that happened during the time frame of Hannah’s tapes, and the present tense of Clay listening to the tapes, and processing everything that is going on.

Reason one was that a guy named Justin (Brandon Flynn), who Hannah went on one date with took a racy photo of Hannah when she was sliding down a slide in a skirt.  He proceeded to show the photo around at school, as it got texted around school, accompanied by the untrue claim from Justin that he had sexual intercourse with Hannah.  Justin is the type of guy who “nice guys” detest in that he radiates sleaze that every guy can clearly see, yet some young ladies have trouble detecting.  Even when some young ladies see it, they feel sorry for him over his unhealthy home situation, while the “nice guy,” in this case, Clay, feels slighted, jealous, and devastated that the girl of his fancy would even as much as consider talking to a guy like that, much less dating him.

Reason two was that Hannah’s friend Jessica (Alisha Boe) stopped being friends with her, under the false impression that Hannah was messing around with Jessica’s then boyfriend.  Jessica was totally wrong, and her faulty allegation hurt Hannah badly.  Jessica remains a rather dislikeable character throughout the show, both due to her off-putting arrogant personality, and her intolerable naivety in her eventual dating of Justin.

Reason three was that Hannah’s friend Alex (Miles Heizer), Jessica’s exboyfriend, put Hannah’s name down on a dehumanizing, objectifying list of girls in the school as the girl who has the best butt.  This led to Hannah being further viewed as an object, even to the point of being physically harassed as a senior boy grabbed her butt.  Alex made this terrible mistake, but overall, he was a likeable character who showed genuine remorse for his behavior.  Unfortunately, in the final episode, it is revealed that he was in the hospital, due to a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.  Last we hear is that he is in critical condition.

Reason four was that a peeping tom classmate named Tyler (Devin Druid) was standing outside Hannah’s window, and snapping pictures.  He eventually got a picture of Hannah kissing another girl.  Hannah was not a lesbian.  This girl dared her to do it.  Tyler, for his part, despite his completely inappropriate stalking behavior, became a comparatively likeable character, as a frequent victim of bullying, himself.  Towards the end of the thirteen episodes, his likeability dramatically decreases, as Tyler amasses an arsenal of weapons, and hangs pictures of his intended targets for his hit list.  Season one ends, however, before he executes these actions.  Still, it provides insight into the mind of a school shooter. 

Reason five was that the girl who Hannah kissed, Courtney (Michele Selene Ang) , when pressed on the manner, claimed that it was part of a sexual encounter that involved a guy.  She was willing to further throw Hannah’s reputation under the bus, in this manner, to protect her two gay fathers.  Courtney did not want to admit to being a lesbian, because she felt that those who oppose gay adoptions would have a field day with the idea that the adopted daughter of two gay men would turn out gay, too.  Regardless of the show’s intent, or the fact that the characters were fictional, the message sent was that children of gay couples have to furthermore fear that if they were to come out as gay, their homosexuality will be used as evidence to fuel an agenda to oppose allowing gay couples to adopt.   Courtney never becomes a likeable character on the show, and seems to lack both integrity and remorse to the very end of the season.

Reason six is a guy named Marcus (Steven Silver) who asks her out on a date, shows up late, and then tries to make a sexual move on her, in front of other guys.  She aggressively rejects his advance, to which he replies with verbal aggression.  Marcus never seems to show remorse, lacks integrity to the end, and even frames Clay for drugs, by planting them on him.  He never becomes a likeable character.

Reason seven is a guy named Zach (Ross Butler) who tries to pick up the pieces where Marcus left Hannah.  Zach later tries to ask her out, but did not choose his words well.   Hannah assumes the worst about him and very publicly rejects him, which embarrasses him.  This is partially on Hannah, but she doesn’t see it that way.  In a class that Hannah and Zach share, the students write kind notes to each other, and put them in boxes within the classroom.  These kind notes helped encourage Hannah, until Zach decided that he would steal all of Hannah’s notes, thereby depriving her of her one source of encouragement.  Zach comes to deeply regret his actions, with genuine remorse, honesty, and decency.  He messed up, but was ultimately a likeable character.

Reason eight is a guy named Ryan (Tommy Dorfman) who is a classmate of Hannah’s who also took a poetry class with her, outside of school.  Ryan plays a strong role with the school magazine, and published a personal poem of Hannah’s without Hannah’s permission, thereby violating a trust that Hannah had with him.  Ryan comes across as snobbish and unrepentant, never being a likeable character.

Reason nine is Justin, once again.  At this point in the story, Justin is dating Jessica.  There is a party at Jessica’s house.  Hannah ends up in a closet, and becomes an eye witness to Jessica getting raped by another guy named Bryce (Justin Prentice), while Justin fails to do enough to protect Jessica from this situation.  The scene is not overtly graphic, and includes quick cuts.  Nevertheless, it can be a very difficult scene for some viewers to take, due to the subject matter, so caution is advised for episode nine.

Reason ten is a girl named Sheri (Ajionda Alexus) who is likeable from the start, and all throughout, with the exception of one, quite literally fatal mistake that she made, while driving Hannah home from that party.  She crashes into a stop sign and knocks it over without damaging her car, fails to report it, and leaves Hannah at the roadside when Hannah insists that she report it.  Another classmate, a likeable character named Jeff (Brandon Larracuente) gets into an accident at that intersection and dies, the other aforementioned friend of Clay’s who ends up dead.  Sheri initially is in denial that her actions are responsible for Jeff’s death.  That is a normal and totally understandable human reaction.  Sheri eventually accepts responsibility, feels deep regret and eventually reports what she has done to 9.1.1.  She even helps the other people who were involved in the accident, but survived.  The show does not reveal the outcome for her.

Jeff was a likeable character during the flashback scenes in which he appeared.  He had been like a mentor to Clay, trying to encourage him to more aggressively, yet respectfully, pursue Hannah, romantically.  Clay meanwhile tutored Jeff, academically.

Reason eleven is Clay, but on this one, Hannah assumes personal responsibility.  At that same party, Clay and Hannah eventually started making out, in a bedroom.  Hannah suddenly pictures every guy she had been in any way involved with before, falsely attributes their personalities to Clay, and tells Clay to stop and leave, Clay not understanding what he did wrong.  Clay leaves, and then Hannah hides in the closet when Justin and Jessica enter the room, hence the background to the start of her night.  Hannah realizes she blew her chance with a guy who truly liked her.  Clay was dismissive of her afterwards, understandably, yet something he deeply regrets, after Hannah’s suicide.  Clay wishes he didn’t leave the room, and that he had told her how he truly felt about her, that night, feeling that she would still be alive, had he said that.  An alternate scene plays in Clay’s mind, he reacting in the way he wishes he did.  Personally, however, I feel that Clay acted the way he needed to.  When a girl aggressively tells a guy to leave, he needs to leave, even if he doesn’t feel like he has done anything wrong.

Reason twelve is Bryce.  He rapes Hannah in a scene that is far more graphic than the scene involving Jessica.  This takes place in a hot tub, at a party.  Clay, upon hearing the tape, goes over to Bryce’s house, having wired himself, and manages to get somewhat of a confession out of Bryce, which becomes side B to Hannah's seventh tape.  Bryce is obviously never a likeable or remorseful character.

Reason thirteen is Kevin Porter (Derek Luke), Hannah’s guidance counselor.  At this point, Hannah had recorded the first twelve tape sides and then decided to seek help, from her school guidance counselor, Kevin Porter.  Hannah implied that she was suicidal, and implied that she was raped, but would not reveal the rapist’s name, out of fear of further retaliation.  When Kevin told her that if she is not willing to reveal the name, another option she had was to move on, she disgustedly walked out of his office, hoping that he would follow her out, but he didn’t.  Clay never gave the tapes to Bryce.  He skips over Bryce and gives the tapes straight to reason thirteen, Kevin Porter, along with tape 7, side B which was Bryce’s confession obtained by Clay.  Episode thirteen includes the very graphic scene of Hannah sitting in her bathtub, with a shirt on, and gashing her arms with a razor.  This scene contains a lot of blood and is not for the faint of heart.

Hannah’s parents are never portrayed in a negative way, which is a huge plus to the show, showing that these type of things can happen to children of loving, responsible, and involved parents. 

There are several other characters of significance, as well.  Most notably is Tony (Christian Navarro), a rather mysterious character, but the one who Hannah trusted with a back-up copy of the tapes, and the responsibility of giving the originals to Justin, to start the whole thing going.  Tony became like a mentor to Clay, as Clay went through the tapes.  Tony was likeable at times, but annoying at other times.  Tony was insistent that things be done the way Hannah wanted them done, but eventually (major spoiler) comes around, shows remorse for his own poor judgment call, and places the contents of the tapes, including the one Clay recorded, on the equivalent of a flash drive which he chooses to give to Hannah’s parents.

There is a character named Montgomery (Timothy Granaderos) who is the stereotypical bully, really the only stereotyped one-dimensional character in the entire show.  He is surprisingly not listed as one of the thirteen reasons, even though he was largely responsible for Courtney’s lie about the reason behind her behavior with Hannah.  Montgomery never becomes likeable at all.  At one point, he gets into a serious fight with Alex, which Montgomery unfortunately wins, at least in terms of who hurts who more.

The final character worthy of mention is Skye (Sosie Bacon, yes Kevin and Kyra’s daughter) who is highly likeable from her first appearance.  She is somewhat of a social outcast, but comes across as approachable, from a “nice guy” perspective, like she wouldn’t be too stuck up to give you the time of day.  She is a cutter, which is merely glanced over in the show, a serious issue impacting many teen girls, an issue that will hopefully be addressed responsibly with more detail in the next season.  Skye was a childhood friend of Clay’s, but their relationship was strained throughout high school, until the very end when Clay, after realizing how he messed up with Hannah, reaches out to Skye, asking her to hang out, which she accepts.  While there is no indication of romance between Clay and Skye, the possibility is definitely open for Season Two.

While THIRTEEN REASONS WHY is definitely not for everyone, and I respect parent decisions to not expose their children to the show, I personally feel that there are some powerful statements made about how teenagers treat each other, and what the end results can be.  Kindness and decency are ultimately extolled amidst the violence and often excessive, yet all too realistic use of cuss words.  We see how one guy harming a girl’s reputation leads to a string of events that eventually leads to her making the free choice to take her own life.  We see technology’s role in Hannah’s demise.  The show is a lot to take in.  While some people believe it could lead to the glamorization of suicide, I believe the messages, if adhered to by bullies, or potential bullies, could help save lives.  If you want to see something emotionally intense, THIRTEEN REASONS WHY is worth your time.