Category Archives: Popular Culture

U2 and Africa

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I am a huge fan of the Irish rock band U2. I realize this confession may make me a pop-culture Philistine in some biblio-blogger’s eyes — at least compared to the regular postings on Mozart, Bach, etc. by Jim West, Joe Cathay, and Michael Pahl (among other blogging luminaries). Be that as it may, I can say without qualification that U2 is my favourite band (there are many in second place). From their very first album Boy (1980) to their latest release How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb (2004), I like all of their music. I have even appreciated their transformations throughout the years, including their Achtung Baby/Pop/Zooropa phase (which, BTW, I thought was a brilliant exposé of the superficiality of popular culture). I regularly use music, lyrics, and videos from U2 songs in my lectures as well as my sermons. Songs such as “Wake Up Dead Man” (Pop 1997) and “Yahweh” (Atomic Bomb 2004) are great examples of modern laments, while “Stuck in a Moment You Can’t Get Out Of” and “Walk On” (both from All that You Can’t Leave Behind 2000) are great expressions of (Christian) hope.

Perhaps more than anything else, however, I have appreciated U2’s prophetic voice and their ability to raise people’s social consciousness through their music. Songs such as “Sunday, Bloody Sunday” (War 1983; my favourite version is in the 1988 Rattle and Hum film), “Bullet the Blue Sky” (The Joshua Tree 1987), and “Love And Peace Or Else” (Atomic Bomb 2004) all convey a message that the world needs to hear. More than that, however, is the fact that the band also consistently backs up their words with actions. What compelled me to blog on U2 was the news story that U2 is going to be donating over six million euros to help fight poverty in Africa. Well done, boys! (Hopefully their generosity will be a model for all of us, including our over-paid “celebrities”)

UPDATE: In mentioning the musical tastes of other biblio-bloggers, I failed to note Ed Cook’s posts on Bob Dylan. (I also like Bob Dylan, though here I am showing my age since I know him more from his Travelling Willbury’s days!

Bravo for Batman Begins

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I went to see Batman Begins last night and was suitably impressed, to say the least. The look of the film was stunning and reminded me a bit of Blade Runner. The special effects were awesome but not overwhelming. The cast — led by Christian Bale (of American Psycho infamy) as Bruce Wayne/Batman and including other fine actors such as Michael Caine (Alfred), Liam Neeson (Henri Ducard), Katie Holmes (Rachel Dawes), Gary Oldman (James Gordon), Morgan Freeman (Lucius Fox), and Rutger Hauer (Richard Earle) — was magnificent. But the best part of the film was the actual script. I know it’s hard to believe that an action film would have a great script, but it does. I could say more, but suffice it to say that Batman Begins is everything that I hoped Star Wars III: Revenge of the Sith would be. Perhaps Christopher Nolan (director and co-screenwriter) and David S. Goyer (co-screenwriter) should write a book on Character Development and Dialog for Dummies and give George Lucas a complementary autographed copy.

Speaking of Star Wars, Jeffrey Overstreet has a hilarious dialog between Darth Vader and Batman on his Looking Closer Webpage (“Hey there, Dark Lord!” “Greetings, Dark Knight! Nice cape.” “You too! Capes are cool, no matter what the Incredibles tell you.”), as well as a very insightful review. Peter Chattaway also has some insightful comments on his FilmChat blog, and Ken Ristau’s musings on anduril.ca are also worth a look.

Tutoring Services Available!

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I don’t think I’ve seen anyone blog on this little bit of “news” yet, but it appears that Oscar-winning actress Nicole Kidman has been studying the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible.

According to various news reports, the 37-year-old has hired Dr. Robert Cargill of Pepperdine University in Malibu, California, to teach her theology and Old Testament.

Just in case any big-name Hollywood stars read this blog, I want to go on record saying that I am available as a tutor! 😉

Da Vinci Code Wins Best Book at British Book Awards

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Helenann Hartley noted on her blog that the Da Vinci Code won best book at the British Book Awards. On the one hand, as a novel I found Dan Brown’s Da Vinci Code a fun and engaging read, but I wouldn’t think it is the sort of book that should win a such an award! (I assume they have some literary standards for winners??)

On a more positive note, the Da Vinci Code has raised the profile of issues surrounding the development of the NT canon and the feminine divine in popular culture, which I think us academics should capitalize on by organizing public lectures, writing popular articles and books, etc., to deal with these and related topics. (I am hoping to organize a public lecture at Taylor University College in conjunction with the movie release, or perhaps sooner).

In my mind, anything that can raise the public consciousness of these important issues is OK in my books. The only negative thing (that I recall) about the book that comes to mind is its portrayal of the Catholic Church as this secretive oppressive organization. But that’s all the more reason to have good academic responses to such claims in the book!

And of course, we have to remember — it’s only a novel! (But soon to be a movie, then it will have to be reckoned with!).

Some Pop Culture Thoughts: Is There Redemption for “Sin City”?

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I went to see the film “Sin City” with a friend this week. The film moved at a brisk pace and was visually stunning. While I was expecting a film noir, it was a lot darker than I expected. The movie was loosely based on the graphic novels of Frank Miller, which are set in the fictional town of [Ba]sin City. There are a number of storylines in the film. [Spoiler Alert]

One storyline follows a really, really, bad guy named Marv (played impressively by Mickey Rourke) who trawls the darkest areas of town searching for the person who killed his “one true love,” Goldie. While perhaps his cause is noble (even though he only “knew” her for one evening!), his means of vengeance is anything but. The main storyline revolves around Bruce Willis’s character, Detective Hartigan. The film opens with Hartigan saving a young girl from a violent pedophile, who he injures in the process. While I don’t want to give away the movie, Hartigan is set up, but doesn’t say anything to protect the young girl and consequently goes to prison. Near the end of the movie the Hartigan character is released and ends up giving his own life to save the girl once again (now a young woman played by Jessica Alba). While much of the film is violence for the sake of violence, the idea of sacrificing oneself to save another obviously brings us images of Christ. I don’t know if I would go as far to say that Hartigan is a Christ figure in “Sin City” — especially since it is not even clear if he is successful. Moreover, the film totally buys into what Stone calls the “myth of redemptive violence,” which is in direct contrast to the way of Jesus. Not sure I would recommend the film; it is certainly not for the faint of heart. Also, Lord of the Ring fans beware: You will never look upon sweet little Frodo the same!