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Title: Hollywood Worldviews: Watching Films With Wisdom & Discernment by Brian Godawa ISBN: 0-8308-2321-2 Publisher: Intervarsity Press Pub. Date: July, 2002 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $14.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.5 (16 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: Nail on the head ...
Comment: For those people who are interested in applying the Word and Will of God to all aspects of their lives, this book truly identifies ways in which we can accomplish such a task as it pertains to our "movie watching". The emphasis the author maintains on Christian WORLDVIEW provides a guiding theme throughout the book, and provides illuminating lessons to those of us not wanting to be fooled, deceived, influenced, or manipulated at the hands of those who despise our own worldview. The book provides broad and historical applications, and represents quite a fascinating take on how we can watch movies from a Christian perspective - something I am sure most readers didn't even know was possible. Beyond a thin, fundamentalist take on Hollywood that simply "warns" us of the "bad" things in Rated "R" movies, the author provides a much more helpful analysis of the "bad" elements in most movie-maker's worldview, and explains the way in which art can be used to make claims for or against an entire particular way of thinking. Bottom line: a GREAT read for culturally minded Christians!!
Rating: 3
Summary: Hollywood's agenda in film
Comment: Brian Godawa tackles the issue of how to watch movies and be a discerning Christian at the same time. He believes extremes are wrong, whether it's the belief of being able to watch any and every movie that comes out (and not have it affect you) or being a Christian prude and declare that all movies are evil. He does an admirable job disecting movies--many of which were released in the past decade--and explaining the message that the producers are trying to convey. I esepcially appreciated the different charts that he laid out, including p. 37 and a comparison of The Matrix, Christianity, and Greek religion. Very helpful.
I found myself agreeing with Godawa in many places, including his analysis of various films. At other places, I found myself disagreeing out loud. Besides disagreeing with his analysis of certain films, let me give one example where I did not click with Godawa. In the appendix, much space was used to show how the Bible has sex, violence, and profanity, thus almost making it seem that watching practically any movie would be A-OK. He tempers this, especially in the last few pages, but I still think it's apples and oranges if we were to say that we can watch whatever we want because such issues are dealt with in the Bible. In a way Godawa acknowledges this and says that "a sense of balance is what a Christian needs...Christians tend to be either cultural gluttons or cultural anorexics. It seems we either avoid all movies or watch too many of them." I agree with him that, if we pick our movies wisely, there is much to gain. I found it interesting, though, that many of the movies talked about in the book are probably those movies I myself would avoid, either because they were lame (as many movie critics would attest) or are so morally objectionable that I would have to ask, Can you really get anything good out of a dumpster full of garbage?
Two other criticisms are the inclusion of "director's cut" notes throughout the book, which in reality was multiple promotions of his web site. Several times I wished that Godawa would have further expanded on a particular topic in his book rather than ask us to go to his site. Isn't this why we buy a particular book? Couldn't he have expanded it to include the issues his sites had, including unpublished chapters? I appreciate the fact that he had other information available, but I didn't look up one reference. Finally, how could a book like this not include an index, especially one that would have incorporated the different movies talked about in the book. Since he talked about a movie more than once, I found myself thumbing backward to see what else he had said about that particular film. Not being able to look in an index was extremely frustrating. It might have also been a benefit for the reader if Godawa provided his personal ratings of the books he reviewed, perhaps giving us an idea of movies that he feels we should or should not see. These ideas would have given Hollywood Worldviews a more complete feel.
My criticisms aside, I still feel that this is worthy of a look by the discerning Christian moviegoer.
Rating: 4
Summary: A terrific resource for church-group or personal study.
Comment: Lately I've been scanning almost all the literature I can get my hands dealing with the church and movies.
Sadly, the vast majority of the books say nothing about how to actually understand and appreciate film. Most of them are "how to reach your teen" or rather anemic apologia for pop culture.
Godawa's book is much meatier. He starts by giving a basic treatment on the idea of story and myth, including discussions of redemption.
Part two discusses various worldviews, mainly the existenialism and post-modernism, using films as examples.
He then takes on spirituality at the cinema, and concludes with a broader view of how to watch films as a Christian.
While I think the book has weaknesses (ie post-modernity as a worldview rather than sociological phenomenon, and an over-reliance on narrative [thank you PTC]), this is probably one of the best mass-appeal books I've seen from an evangelical writer on the subject of film. It would be appropriate for a church group study or personal study.
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Title: Reel Spirituality: Theology and Film in Dialogue by Robert K. Johnston ISBN: 080102241X Publisher: Baker Book House Pub. Date: November, 2000 List Price(USD): $16.99 |
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Title: Eyes Wide Open: Looking for God in Popular Culture by William D. Romanowski ISBN: 1587430096 Publisher: Brazos Press Pub. Date: April, 2001 List Price(USD): $12.99 |
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Title: Still Bored in a Culture of Entertainment: Rediscovering Passion and Wonder by Richard Winter ISBN: 0830823085 Publisher: Intervarsity Press Pub. Date: October, 2002 List Price(USD): $12.00 |
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Title: Faith and Film: Theological Themes at the Cinema by Bryan P. Stone ISBN: 0827210272 Publisher: Chalice Press Pub. Date: April, 2000 List Price(USD): $23.99 |
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Title: Explorations in Theology and Film: Movies and Meaning by Clive Marsh, Gaye Ortiz, Gaye W. Oritz ISBN: 0631203567 Publisher: Blackwell Publishers Pub. Date: January, 1998 List Price(USD): $37.95 |
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