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Michael Evans, painter of light - full frame

Monday, July 8, 2013

Two from Stan


Stan sent me a couple interesting links.

It appears that some Christian movie reviewers aren't really happy with the new Lone Ranger. Apparently they are not alone, most everybody I know that has seen the film has panned it or just said it was okay. Not a big Johnny Depp fan myself, hated the Pirates thing and he butchered Willy Wonka. Just ask Gene Wilder. But this is different, Tonto, is (gasp) a pagan!

Here is Stan's link:

"The new "Lone Ranger" film has been a critical and box office disappointment, but the fact that the Indian character "Tonto" is not a Christian has upset some Christian conservatives.
Ted Baehr of the Christian Film and Television Coalition is also upset that the U.S. government is portrayed as "bad" and the army is shown killing Indians, which is historically accurate.
"The government is bad – the army is killing Indians – the bad guy is a businessman, the military-industrial complex is bad,"complained Baehr in his review on Movieguide. "The pagan elements triumph because you're looking at it from Tanto's [sic] point of view. It's not Buddhism, it's not Hinduism, it's a mishmash."
Focus on the Family's movie review site, Pluggedin.com, also slammed Tonto for not being a Christian.

I read both backlinks and it didn't seem that the reviewers were that strident or out of line. Case of conflicting world views, if you want to be outraged, be outraged. I personally would expect native americans in the 1800's to be christians about the same way I would expect martians coming out of their spaceships to be christians but hey, who asked me?
Here is the blurb from Plugged In:
PaPa, PCPC, FRFR, ACapACap, APAP, B, CC, Ab, LL, VV, N, AA, D, M) Strong mixed pagan, revisionist, politically correct worldview, with allusions to “spirits” who have power to influence events, anti-capitalist elements, anti-patriotic elements and themes, some moral elements, some overt Christian elements where Christians pray and sing, a man says we are “under God,” woman asks main character to pray with her and main character says John Locke’s book is “his Bible,” and a moving prayer is said but by the villain, so the Christian elements are tinged with some irony; 19 light obscenities, four profanities, man urinating, defecation by a horse, man dragged through horse defecation, and man vomiting; extensive action violence where people are killed by guns, pierced by arrows, stabbed with swords and knives, and blown up in man made explosions, it’s implied a man cuts out heart of another man and eats it, and animals are cannibals; upper male nudity; alcohol use and drunkenness; smoking; and, greed, cheating, corruption, moral relativism.

I find it a little funny that both sites have a guy in charge of counting "hells and damns." And that they point out anti capitalist elements in the movie. Upper male nudity? Tell me that whoever noticed that is not a closet case. And where exactly does it mention capitalism in the bible again?

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Westboro Baptist to picket Arizona firefighter's memorials.  I am a bit surprised somebody hasn't taken these bastards out.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

The Lone Ranger movie is what it is; That being a action movie with a lot of special effects and comic relief between the scenes. Johnny Depp has established himself as the premier lead character actor in the biz.
Great scenery and incredible special effects. Wasn't made to be a boring success with the critics like Spielberg's Lincoln.
Anybody that attends this movie is a mental gnome if they expect it to be a historical drama, The Christian right wingers should take a serious look at the role of Christianity in the holocaust of the American Indians.
Not the epic movie of our generation, just a fun movie.

Anonymous said...

Westboro Baptist, what a bunch of sick fucks.

Sanoguy said...

Haven't seen the movie... probably won't... there are too many other good ones out there... "Before Midnight" and "Mud" being two of them...... I agree with Anonymous' sentiments about Westboro Church. Un-frigging-believable!

Anonymous said...

Pastis is really funny and so is Depp (I agree Wonka was not the role for him - Wilder owns it). "Lone Ranger" was enjoyable entertainment/"Western"

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