Scott Pilgrim vs. The Culture: A Hero for the 21st Century?

Anyone who knows me knows that I really enjoy heroes, comic books, and video-games.  Now if someone

 can successfully turn that into a movie, I am all in.  Scott Pilgrim vs. The World is all this and more.  Scott

Pilgrim vs. the World is based on the six volume comic book saga of the same name, volume six having just

recently released in the last month.  In truth, I have not read the comic books yet, so I do not know how well

it follows the source material.

In the film, Scott Pilgrim (played perfectly by Michael Cera) is a 22 year old bass player in a band with some friends from high school. The band's desire is to make it big, to sign with a producer everyone calls “G-man” and Scoot is dating Knives Chow a high school senior. Enter Ramona Flowers, a roller-blading punk girl with wild hair colors that Scott really wants to date. The audience soon learns that in order to date Ramona Flower, Scott Pilgrim has to fight and defeat Ramoa's seven evil exes (a.k.a. The League of Evil Exes). It's riot to watch Scott Pilgrim go one-on one with with Lucas Lee (played by Chris Evans - Fantastic Four's Human Torch and soon to play Captian America) and Todd the Bass Player (played by Brandon Routh; Superman in Superman Returns). I particularly enjoyed the “Bass Battle”.

Some are going to see this as romantic-comedy-esque, because yes, romance is one of it's main themes, and

it's a very funny movie.  As someone who doesn't like romantic comedies all that much, I actually like this

(battling a League of Evil Exes who all have superpowers to win the heart of a girl while; who doesn't?). 

This movie is that, but it's so much more.  This is a movie that is a complete ode to a generation that's grown

up loving video-games and comic books.  One of the wonderful aspects of the films is the use of music and

sound effects from the classic video-game franchise The Legend of Zelda (a Nintendo series which happens

to be my all-time favorite gaming saga).  From using the history of Pac-Man as a pickup line; learning the

bass line to Final Fantasy II; many nods to classic arcade fighters like Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter;

Thor's Hammer – Mjollnir; and a final duel influenced as much by role-playing games as it was by Star Wars;

this is a movie that a gamer/superhero fan will love.  In many ways this is the movie that was made for the

“Nintendo generation”.  There are nods to many other cultural icons like Bruce Campbell/Evil Dead,

The Seven Samurai, and the late John Huges.



The whole idea of seeing Scott Pilgrim (while surely flawed) as a hero goes beyond honing skills, winning

fights, scoring points, and collecting change in the process – it's the idea that he's willing to fight and defeat

seven evil villains so he can date a girl, not so he can take over the world.  He's willing to risk life and limb

because of a girl (and to protect his friends).  Most films don't execute this all that well, but Scott Pilgrim

does so in a way that's humorous and nostalgic.  It's nice to see the geek hero triumph and see a character

actually learn something worth learning.  Pilgrim is a much better hero than many of the anti-heroes who are

popular today, such as Wolverine, Punisher, Blade, and Spawn.  There is an innocence to his heroism that is

akin to Link in the Legend of Zelda games –Scott Pilgrim didn't seek to become a hero, the circumstances

found him.  I think this is a film that will define this generation long after it leaves theaters.  Children of the

Eighties have The Goonies, and this  generation has Scott Pilgrim – just beware the Nega-Ninja.   

Captian America; A hero and a movie, but not a country?

In 2007 I talked about the death of a hero, the death of an icon in both the comic book world and American culture; I talked about the death of Captain America. Back then Marvel decided (in what ended up being a stroke of marketing genius because the issues flew off the shelves) to kill Captain America as part of the Civil War storyline, Marvel’s take on terrorism, the Patriot Act, and the Global War on Terror during the Bush Administration. This event was so huge it actually made national news in 2007.

In 2010 Captain America is making news again because a new movie is slated to hit theatres next summer. Anyone who knows me knows how excited I get when a new comic book movie is getting ready to release. Batman, Iron Man, Incredible Hulk, Thor, Green Lantern; I love it all, and I love what Marvel is doing in trying to build a consistent and cohesive movie universe. I’ve looked forward to this one particular story because it’s a story about a man who embodies all that is good about America - in a phrase “America’s exceptionalism”. The idea of America being ‘the Last Best Hope of Earth” as Lincoln said or that “city on a hill” made famous by President Regan’s quoting Christ from the Gospel of Matthew. The idea America is a force for good in the world (it’s even part of the marketing for the United States Navy now).

Unfortunately at San Diego Comic-Con last week, it was reported that Joe Johnston (the director of the upcoming Captain America: The First Avenger using a script written by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely - the same talent that did Lion, Witch, and the Wardrobe and appreciated that source material) has been sure to tell the world that “Captain America isn’t about America”. I find this hard to believe considering that much of it is a period piece set during World War II. Honestly, how can you have a movie about an American superhero (with America in the title AND set during World War II – when the comic book itself at that time had covers of “Cap” punching out Hitler) and it not be about America? Then I remind myself what happened to the Man of Steel in 2006 (so much for Truth, Justice, and the American Way right?) Instead, Johnston wants to create an aura of equivalency by saying that America is no better than anyone else, because the rest of the world is just as great.

In order for this to make sense, consider the source material that is being drawn from. I’d bet money that the source material for this film isn’t the old Captain America comics insomuch as it is from the newer Marvel Universe known as the Ultimate’s universe. In this universe the Fantastic Four, Spiderman, the X-Men, and the Avengers have all updated, modernized, and re-imagined for the 21^st Century and all that entails (in full disclosure I was an avid reader of this universe up until a few years ago). One of the markers that points to this is Nick Fury, head of S.H.I.E.L.D. In this universe, Nick Fury is an African-American who looks a lot like Samuel L. Jackson. It’s no mistake because if this particular iteration of Marvel characters ever made it to the silver screen it was fully understood that Sam Jackson would play that role. What I find disappointing about this is the gentlemen who wrote an excellent screen treatment of the first Narnia story and stayed true to the material are going to stray from the origins of Captain America and not make this an opportunity to showcase American exceptionalism and still make it a World War II period piece.

I hope I’m wrong about this, and I hope John Nolte at Big Hollywood Blog is wrong too; next summer, we’ll find out.

Before and After Tienamen Square: The State of Liberty and Freedom in Communist China

Thursday, June 4, 2008 marked the 19th Anniversary of the Protest of Liberty and Democracy at Tienanmen Square in China. On that day in 1989, individuals who believed in liberty and freedom in the face of the Communist dictatorship stood up and captured the attention of the world (as illustrated through the picture of the man standing in the way of the column of tanks as they came lumbering down the street). Since that day, there are still 130 individuals who are wasting away in a Communist prison cell in China simply because they stood up for the inalienable rights to Life and Liberty which God, the Creator of the Universe, wrote upon them.

In 2002, a man by the name of Brother Yun, a leader in the House Church movement in China in the 1970's and beyond, published his story, The Heavenly Man. In the book, he describes the great lengths to which the Communist Government in China went to silence him and other Christians in a desire to crush the spread of Christianity across China within the last twenty-five years of the 20th Century. Many people were arrested, imprisoned, tortured, and killed in trying to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ across China; in the spreading of the Gospel, religious freedom was strengthened despite a vast and evil government which tried to snuff out it's flame. Many in the West would stand ashamed, as we do not know what real suffering, difficulty, and persecution are. This is a hard book to read and digest.

Today, in 2008, many would make the case that China has changed and continues to - for the better. In various provinces and locals it is stated that the Communist government allows for local democratic elections, and sometimes the hand-picked puppet candidate of the Communist Party actually loses. Religious freedom is said to be greater today because the government looks away when individuals meet for worship, because they are good citizens. Considering this: as long as someone is not "disturbing the social order" by spreading their beliefs to others (i.e. Evangelism) the government is hands off. However, isn't this the call of the Christian, to help bring others to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ? What about the Church serving as the conscience of the State, as Martin Luther did at the start of the Reformation, as Dietrich Bonhoeffer and the Confessing Church did in Germany during the Third Reich? (Remember, Bonhoffer was executed for his beliefs which put him in oppostion to the Nazi government in Germany.) If this were to happen in China then surely the government would take harsh action.

What about Beijing 2008? In two months China will strut before the world stage as the host of the Summer Olympics. The Communist rulers there have forced the athletes competing in the Olympics to sign an agreement stating they will not speak out against the government and its human rights abuses. Even acclaimed director Stephen Spielberg stepped down in February as a technical advisor to the events this summer because of China's involvement in the conflict in Sudan.

So the question becomes: Are things better than they were in 1989? Yes and No: Yes, Communist China is experiencing an economic boom which has now caused great concern for the United States (and rightly so), but any advancement in the areas of religious and democratic freedom appear as but a mask, and if a true turn about occurs it will not be expedient. Therefore, in the intervening time many will continue to experience suffering and oppression for what they believe, be it religious faith or a desire for democratic freedom.

Communist China is still the dragon, even if the world deems it not.

On the Eve of the National Day of Prayer, the zeal for Life is fanned further into a blazing flame

There are days in life when one cannot do anything but sit back and marvel at how the Almighty has orchestrated Life itself and different paths that cross.

Tonight I spent three hours with ardent pro-life Members of Congress and staffers as we were confronted with the horrific reality that is abortion in the United States. Representative Trent Franks (AZ) organized a special dinner briefing around the premise of combating abortion in our nation. To just illustrate how incredible God can often be, one of the speakers, an OBGYN nurse, has a seven year old grandson who has Cerebral Palsy and we got to talking and comparing notes on life and she asked some great questions in relation to what he’ll face in the future, from others, from a school system that does not understand him, and what aging could possibly do to his muscle and joint health. It’s a real honor to be considered an encouragement to someone such as her, as she has been on the front lines of this fight in ways I never will. What’s more, scenes from a documentary on fetal development, as aired by National Geographic, were playing throughout the evening and I commented to a Member of Congress about how the image shown at six months must be what I looked like when I was born a preemie kid. The reaction to that was one of amazement, especially since I now work on pro-life policy in Congress.

First up, Phil Kline, former Attorney General of Kansas and nationally known for going after Dr. George Tiller, the abortion doctor known to have broken the law by conducting abortions in circumstances deemed illegal by state law in Kansas. General Kline spent much time discussing how America rationalizes cruelty (from the slave, to the holocaust, to the unborn). Moreover, he cut to the heart of the issue by discussing the effects of relativism in society as resulting from the absence of any abject moral standard of absolute Truth.

Second was Jill Stanek, the aforementioned OBGYN. This dear lady has seen more horror in the halls of hospitals as a result of abortion than I or anyone else care to admit or expirence. So many children aborted, some still alive, and left to die because they were not wanted. In the end she was fired for what she saw and stood up against. Since then she has testified before the Judiciary Committee in the House of Representatives and various state legislatures across the nation about abortive practices.

Finally, Dr. Fletcher Armstrong. If there is anything to learn from this amazing man it’s this – follow the same path that William Wilberforce did to abolish slavery in England, that Martin Luther King did during the Civil Rights movement, and victory will come easier; change the hearts and minds of the citizenry first and the codifying of morals into law to protect the unborn will come much easier. For if we take away the self-evident Truth that all Men were created equal and Endowed by their Creator with the inalienable right to LIFE, then what does America, our bastion of Liberty really have to offer anyone? There must be LIFE in order to enjoy Liberty and pursue happiness.

Not as deep as my thoughts on Strange Encounters, but I think a good example of what the Father can do to use a broken but willing vessel to astound even those in positions of power and authority. If that is what door number two brings, I'm all about it.

Chasing Peace: Another Inklings Wedding

In three years this is my first non-political blog entry here:

Today was the second Inklings weddding, as Tom and Alana Puskarich are married now. The first one was last July when Mike and Amon Colburn were married. It was such a joy to be around the entire Inklings family this afternoon - many of whom I hardly see as Inklings has grown and off-shot over the last semester.

It was a peaceful thing, no where to be, nothing to do but focus on the second most important day in the lives of Tom and Alana; no work, no reading, and minimal pain - at least it began that way.

Not to mention making a fool of myself on the dance floor trying to swing dance with Chris, Mike, Jana, Adrian, and the rest of the gang.

It was a good day...

Wounded, but Warriors still.

Last Friday April 11, 2008, I found myself a part of a most unique opportunity which rarely, if ever, is covered by our nation’s media outlets. On a sunny day in the nation’s capitol I boarded a bus with a co-worker which was in route to the Pentagon. A chance had been offered to me to welcome home some of our wounded Warriors; the best our nation has to offer in the defense of our God-given freedom, those who have fought well but have not emerged unscathed. Pending our arrival, as I saw the United States Air Force memorial in the distance, it's three spires rising high into the blue, I contemplated how I would never get to serve in such a capacity for the United States; for my country – hence the decisions which led to my current station. I would never walk the halls of the Pentagon or any other American military instillation as such a warrior, but only a civilian. However, in every generation of our family someone has served so someone always walked as such, as my brother does now.

As we arrived and disembarked from the bus, I hadn’t expected to be told how happy military and civilian staff of the Pentagon were to have a small contingent of Congressional aides present to welcome these folks home. I, along with others, was led into a long hallway where many unknown faces were already present standing against the walls. Looking down the hallway this is just what was; grateful people from all walks of life showing respect and gratitude for the willing sacrifice some choose to make to defend our great nation. I didn’t know what to make of the scene, didn’t know what to expect once the procession started. Next thing I knew the music began and with the clapping, just continuous clapping, as the musical standards of the military branches played. First down the hall: a young man, probably younger than I, in a wheelchair because he was missing both legs. I was later told in detail the different prosthetics he would be receiving so that the ability to walk and function as normal as possible would not be lost to him; he was just the beginning. Some warriors were in casts, others limping. A good number seemed to be doing just fine; still the clapping continued at a steady pace as the honorees moved down the line, thanking many of us for being there to support them; their faces saying all that needed to be said. One warrior in particular had lost an eye, and I can imagine the day in his future when his young daughter asks why her father looks a bit like a pirate – what a story that will be.

As I looked I saw heroes, regardless of race, gender, mobility or whatever else – those who, when the country asked “Who will go for us?” said, as the prophet Isaiah did “Here I am, send me”. The call came, and they answered, willing to defend the Constitution of the United States of America, and the People of these United States without purpose of evasion. It was an honor to be there, something everyone should get to do, but yet this never gets talked about, goes vastly under reported in the news, even though it happens once a month, and as a result the knowledge of such honoring is not widespread.

But now you know, and knowing is half the battle.

In the New Year the Quest to Protect the Unborn Continues

Yesterday marked the 35th Anniversary of the landmark legal decision we have come to know as Roe v. Wade. This is the decision that legalized abortion in America. Since that day in 1973, almost 50 million young lives have been snuffed out - according to statistics from the Alan Gutmacher Institute, the statistics arm of Planned Parenthood, the United States should reach the 50 million mark this year.

Virtually unreported in the Main Stream Media (MSM) however, was the annual event known as the March for Life, which also happened yesterday. This march finds thousands of pro-life Americans in Washington DC raising their voices in protest to abortion, in defense of the unborn, who themselves have no defense. I was there, out in the cold, listening to members of Congress and Senators pledge themselves in defense of those younglings who never get to experience the liberty and freedom America offers.

As part of yesterday's events, I had the privilege of meeting with twenty or so high-school students who had come to Washington to participate in the march. As I talked with them, I was once again amazed at the fact that so much of the present and future success of the pro-life movements is dependent on these students, on this generation - this is a hefty burden, but not one which is seen with annoyance or disdain but rather vigorous energy. I had the chance to share with them how not too long ago I could have been one of those lives which didn't get the chance to be, save parents filled with God given courage - to show what's possible.

Today, I had the chance to view a documentary entitled I Was Wrong, the story of various women who have had abortions and come to the conclusion that it was an incorrect decision. In no certain terms, this film went into the actual abortion procedures, as well as testimony concerning the physical, emotional, and mental side-effects and consequences. Of special note is the story of one Norma McCovey. This woman had an abortion, as well as worked in Planned Parenthood abortion clinics. In the documentary she discussed how she got into drinking and other forms of substance abuse in order to deal with the feelings of loss, guilt, and shame she experienced post-abortion. In the end, she came to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ and has experienced the Forgiveness God offers through Christ. Here's the kicker: Norma McCovey is the plaintiff Roe in Roe v. Wade as well as Doe in the companion case Doe v. Bolton.

It's tough stuff, and while it is my hope and prayer the pro-life movement is victorious in the end, it is the days, weeks, months, and years after that day that concern me, as the backlash comes and the enemies of Life are enraged and re-invigorated. What is the defense plan then?

Time will tell, until that day I continue to work in the defense and stead of those I could have joined...