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BernettaThorneWilliams
Reviews
The Shack (2017)
Journey to The Shack
I personally believe that in a lot of cases, organized religion has done more to turn people away from God than anything else. In some cases the church has taken what some could consider being an extreme stand against the LGBT community, morality, and magnetization of certain ethnic groups. People tend to view the church as God and that could not be further from the truth. The church is made up of imperfect people, who in their imperfection tend to pass judgment on those not like them. So the question that I wrestled with as I went to see 'The Shack' was whether movie goers might be ready for a different view of God.
As an avid reader as well as a writer, I'm saddened to admit that I did not read 'The Shack' by William Paul Young. With the release of the movie, by the same title, I couldn't miss the opportunity to see what all the hype was about. I knew some of the narrative behind the story before purchasing my ticket. However, I was totally unprepared for the uplifting emotional roller coaster that I experienced. Spoiler Alert!
'The Shack' is the story of one man's journey to find God after a horrific family tragedy. The narrative is told by Willie (Tim McGraw) and stars Sam Worthington, who many may recognize from Avatar and Terminator Salvation. Worthington does an amazing job as a grieving, guilt -ridden dad. His portrayal of Mackenzie, a man wrestling with his own personal demons and religious paradigm is compelling. Young Mackenzie grows up in a bible-believing family, one in which his father is the elder of the church, a closet alcoholic and a wife and child abuser. To say that Mackenzie's view of God as a loving father is skewed by his abusive relationship with his earthly father is an understatement.
The adult Mackenzie is blessed with a beautiful faith-filled wife, portrayed by Radha Mitchell, and three amazing children. As the story unfolds, the loss of one of his children leaves him spiraling out of control until he receives a letter from 'Papa'. Papa is a nickname that his wife and youngest child have for God.
Mackenzie receives a mysterious invitation to visit 'The Shack', a place that holds a lot of painful memories. It's during his visit to 'The Shack' that he comes face to face with 'Papa' (Octavia Spencer), Jesus (Avraham Aviv Alush), and Sumire Matsubara (the spirit), thus making up the trinity. The cast is as diverse as our individual beliefs about God. I applaud the director Stuart Hazeldine and the casting directors Deborah Acquila and Tricia Wood for not making this just another bland, vanilla movie.
As Mackenzie gets to know each entity that represents God, he learns more about himself, loss, hate, forgiveness, love and acceptance. The movie takes you on this amazing emotional journey with just a glimpse into our chaotic world, our judgments and preconceived notions of 'Papa' only to shake you up and make you realize the unrelenting love that 'Papa' shows to each of us. The movie challenges you to take a leap of faith and believe that we could all be better than we actually are and thus, that our world could better.
Whatever your spiritual journey, I highly recommend taking a trip to 'The Shack'. It is one of those movies that not only entertains you but leaves you to ponder the questions, "What if God is real?" and "What if He does love me with this unrelenting kind of love despite my numerous mistakes?" If that is the case, then am I then challenged to show love and forgiveness to others?
#TheShack
Drive (2007)
A Thrilling Ride Brought to an Unexpected Halt
Drive had the potential to be a top rated television show. It was not given the time to develop an audience. The writing was superb and the cast performances were simply outstanding. If given more than three weeks to garner fan support, Drive could have proved itself to be the next 24 or House. Television executives are too quick to cancel a show after only a few episodes. Television programs need time to develop a fan base which is often generated by word of mouth buzz. I had spoken with several co-workers about the show and had them eagerly awaiting the next installment of the action packed road sage. Fox, you simple made a mistake by not allowing Drive to rev up your otherwise lagging ratings. NBC made the same mistake with Jag which went on to be a hug success for CBS. NBC also made the came mistake with Fame which Fox, you had the great sense to pick up and the rest was history. I can only hope that Drive will find a new home on a network that is willing to give the show the opportunity to prove what it is made of. As a fan I found it frustrating to invest in a show only to have the plug pulled prematurely. If Fox just had to get rid of something, how about the sagging and long overdue departure of The Simpson's.