Boycotting Sinners

Ellen DeGeneres. Adam Lambert. Elton John. George Michael. Ian McKellen. Neil Patrick Harris. Rupert Everett. Nathan Lane. Freddy Mercury. David Hyde Pierce. Jodi Foster. Rosie O'Donnell. Stephen Fry. Jane Lynch.

What do they all have in common? Must I say it? You know.

I've spent years admiring these people, quoting them, trying to sound like them, laughing at their jokes, crushing on them, listening to their music, memorizing their lyrics, and getting goosebumps at hearing their voice. Why? because they have God-given talent, some of them have the biggest dose of talent I've ever seen.

I've mentioned this topic before, but this time I really want to put it out there. How do we as Christians treat those who are living Homosexual lifestyles? Not very well, I think.

Who out there doesn't know "Candle in the Wind?" Who out there actually knows bother version and who they were written for? How about "Benny and the Jets?" "Your Song?" Hey, here's one, "Circle of Life", or any of the music from Disney's "The Lion King"? Sir Elton John is one of the most influential artists of all time. He's been knighted for crying out loud. I know people who listen to his music all the time and sing along.

Those same people see the Ellen show on TV and say "Gross. Disgusting."

Why? Because Ellen is a strong woman who stands up for what she believes in?

HEY! look here. Homosexuality is wrong. I disapprove of it. God  forbids it. (just in case you thought otherwise for a moment) And I DON'T every want to give the impression I support those who are actively pushing gay marriage or anything of the sort, but this is what I''m trying to say:

Don't boycott them. Don't say, "Ew", every time they appear on TV or the radio. Don't say "I'm not listening to that song because the guy who wrote it is gay."

In my opinion, you do this stuff, you're only a softer version of those church folk who hold up those signs, God hates gays. And if anyone is reading this outside of the Christian circle, here's a plug for you. GOD DOES NOT HATE GAYS. Nor does he hate liars, thieves, drunkards, or any other kind of sinner, (which is me and you.)

"Oh man, I love the "Passion of the Christ" movie, but I'm not watching it because Mel Gibson is Anti-Sematic."
"Oh man, I'm not letting my kid watch "Finding Nemo" because a lesbian is the voice of Dory."
"Oh man, I'm plugging my ears every time I hear music by Mozart because he was an adulterer and a fornicator."

This is all the same to me. Do you see where I'm coming from? It's not wonder homosexuals today stay away from the church, they all think we'll clench our eyes and plug our ears if they enter our presence.

GAY MARRIAGE is being legalized, guys. HOMOSEXUALITY is becoming "okay" in the world. IT'S HAPPENING whether us Christians like it or not. So we can't plug our ears, we can't turn our backs.

How about statements like these instead of changing channels with a disgusted scoff?

Ellen DeGeneres is hilarious, she does incredible things for needy people, but we don't support her lifestyle.
Adam Lambert has the best voice in the world, his talent on and off Broadway is above and beyond, but we don't support his lifestyle.
Ian McKellen is Gandalf and Magneto. He is awesome. But we don't support his lifestyle.
Jodi Foster is an incredible actor, one of my favorites, but I don't support her lifestyle.

Those of you who follow my blog know what I'll say next.

I'M NOT TRYING TO OFFEND. I'm just saying what I think.

We shouldn't accept homosexuality. We shouldn't tolerate it. We shouldn't let it bounce off our shells. We shouldn't pretend like it doesn't matter. BUT WHAT WE SHOULD DO is treat these people with the respect and dignity every human being deserves from us. because that's what Jesus would do. He'd open his arms to them. He'd look them in the eye. He'd heal them. He wouldn't turn up his nose or avoid the market stall they owned.

Let's not be the sign holders. Sin is sin. It is all the same. Make any argument you want for how some sins are worse than others, but then remember that even if the only thing you'd ever done was told a white lie, you'd still be unworthy of Heaven.

You don't boycott yourself or your friends for lying or gossiping. Try to be consistent.




-----All for Him----- <><

This Old House.

Home is where your pillow is. That's what I came up with when I was 15 years old and living at a boarding school in a strange country. In fact, I haven't really lived in one specific place for longer than a year since I was 15. Three years in Germany doesn't count, because every year I changed rooms, roommates, and floors. Three years in Chicago doesn't count because every year I changed roommates, and the last year I changed buildings. Some people don't understand that for MK's, eventually you just get used to moving and changing locations, so much so that you actually feel uncomfortable if you don't.

We've been in our apartment, managed by crazy people (see previous blog post), for about 8ish months. We'd thought about moving to a house eventually, like in a couple years once we'd saved up enough for a down payment. And then when things got really bad at the apartment, we started looking for new apartments to move to as soon as we could. But something crazy unexpected happened, and it happened so dang fast that we now have to stand still and look back at what happened.  Here's a timeline for you.

JAN: Apartment managers give us many many many reasons to yearn for another living situation. We start thinking about moving.
FEB 1: Still thinking about moving, see another nice apartment complex, find out about a loan first time home buyers can get that will give them NO DOWN PAYMENT. We think, cool
FEB 2-4: Talk about possibility of getting a house instead of moving to a new apartment.
FEB 5: Talk to realtor at church about wanting to start looking around. She has a half a dozen houses in mind already.
FEB 6: Call the bank and get approved for a loan, cuz we are awesome.
FEB 9: I go look at 6 houses around the neighborhood. Find the one I like.
FEB 10 (later): Take Robert to the house I like, he's not as impressed. Thinks it's old.
FEB 10: Realtor calls me and tells me another realtor showed the house to different buyers, and they want it. So it's either place a contract on it or lose it.
FEB 11: Take Robert to other 5 houses so he can see why I chose the house I did. He agrees and loves the house I chose. We decide to put a contract on it and wait until Monday to see if the other buyers have a better offer.
FEB 12-13: Panic. Stress. Wonder. Hope. Fear. Anxiety. Anxious.
FEB 13, 5:00pm: Find out the other buyers got scared off and weren't interested in a bidding war.
NOW: We totally got this house and we close the deal on April 8th.

I'll have you know that it was 8 days between the time we decided to look for a house and when we got one. 8 days. 8 days. 8 days.
And it's one of those things that you know God gave it to you. We weren't even supposed to see that house, but my realtor took me there anyways. It wasn't being shown because the basement (yes, full basement) was being gutted, and the owner was really self-conscious about it. And check this, a while ago some people were all ready to buy it, and then some internal scandal erupted with a termite insurance company and the buyers were scared off, leaving it free for the taking. Heck yes. OURS.

So not ONLY is it in a premium location, a couple blocks from downtown, but it has a full basement which we can convert and turn into rooms to rent to college students. Hello people who will pay our mortgage for us! The backyard is big, and it had two old rusty BMW's in it, totally worth something at the scrap metal yard. Hello money to pay for repainting and refinishing the hardwood floors that some silly-face painted over! Hello new awesome house with brand new appliances. Hello yard that I can convert into the garden of my dreams, complete with swing, pond and water slide! (maybe not the water slide.) Also, most importantly, hello place I can cower in when the infamous NWA tornado  scares start pummeling us once a freaking week.

The Lord always provides what's best for us, even if he has to yank us from our path and throw us into an old house that wasn't on the schedule. Isn't it great not to be in the driver's seat? If we were, we'd sure miss out on a heck of a lot.

*sigh*

Sigh.

Why do things never stay "fine?"

I've been graduated from college almost a year. Doesn't feel that long. And yet it feels like an eternity that I've been out here in the big scarey world, all grown up and independent, with big grown up problems. Sometimes I wish I could transport myself back ten years where all I had to worry about was my bedroom, which pair of overalls looked the coolest, and which NSYNC song I should memorize the lyrics to next.

I don't know if I've ever ranted about the apartment managers we have or not. If I have, feel free to skip ahead. If I haven't, check this out.

When we first got here, the apartments seemed too good to be true. Spacious, good condition, a pool outside, and decent rent. All which are true. But one must remember, even Paradise seems like hell if you have a malicious dictator running it. The first sign was the pool.

ME: So, the rule that we can only have one guest  in the pool per resident... what if my parents and brother-in-law come over? That's only one over the rule... would I have to make my mother-in-law sit outside the fence and watch?

MANAGER:.... Yes.

I couldn't believe it at the time. So we never had friends come over and use the pool unless it was only two of them at a time. Think that's not too bad? How about this.

ME: So, there's ciggarette smoke coming in through our vents in the bathroom. And I'm allergic to smoke. Can you do something about it?

MANAGER: Well, we can't really tell the other tenants to stop smoking, so, I dunno what we can do about it.

ME (a week later when it happened again): So, that smoke is still coming in and it's getting ridiculous. Can you please do something about it?

MANAGER: Well... those vents don't actually connect to other people's vents. So. It's not cigarrette smoke.

ME: Yes it is. I know what cigarrette smoke smells like.

MANAGER: Well, I'll send someone over.

They never did. Every once and a while, smoke still comes in our bathroom and I get a nice pretty headache. Still think that's not bad? How about this story? (believe me, I have a point and I'm getting to it.)

NOTE ON DOOR: We've been getting complaints about your piano. Come to the office.

ME (at office): So, I got this.

MANAGER: Oh yes. You can't play the piano that loud.

ME: That loud? It's a piano, sir, there's only one volume setting.

MANAGER: Well you've been playing it after midnight.

ME: No sir, I have not. 

MANAGER (pretty much yelling by now): Yes you have and it's disturbing the peace. I can't have you disturbing the peace of the other residents.

ME (pretty angry): It's a piano sir, not a rave.

MANAGER: Young lady you are not the manager of this apartment, I am! And if you keep disturbing the peace we just can't have that! Some people go to bed at 7pm and if they can't sleep...

ME: Well what about when smoke was coming into my apartment? That was disturbing my peace and you told me to suck it up and get over it. How is this any different? They can get earplugs.

MANAGER: It is different!

ME: How so?

MANAGER:... it just is.

More yelling at me ensued. I left. I don't usually get enraged at strangers, but this man had my blood boiling. So now comes the last and final part. Apparently, we made a mistake in the rules of the apartment and now have one pet too many. Yes, one pet too many. Huge, monumental deal here. So, we have to get rid of one immediately because they say so. No exceptions, nothing. Apparently, some of our friends who live in the same complex got screamed at because their brother had brought his dog over for the day and they didn't know that wasn't allowed. AND, get this, one of the rules (nameless rule) was enforced because the manager was accused of spying on people through their windows.

I was looking over our lease today, seeing if we could get out of it and move, like, NOW, and apparently one of the clauses states that not even a DEATH in the family will get out out of the lease.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.

Shoot me now.

But this blog post isn't titled "10 Things I Hate About My Managers". It's titled, *sigh*. Because that's how I feel. 

I had a job for a while which took us through the Christmas holidays, which was awesome, but they couldn't keep me because they didn't have hours for me. *sigh*

Managers are evicting my puppy. *sigh*

We could move but it would cost 900$  to get out of the lease.*sigh*

I still live in the same apartments where the managers are evicting my puppy from. *sigh*

I gained back the 5 pounds I lost before the holidays. *sigh*

I want a big chunk of money to fall into my lap. *sigh*

Every time I write a blog post it's depressing. *sigh*

So tell me friends, what is the secret to not feeling *sigh* when things fall apart? It would be nice and easy to say, "Don't worry. God will work it out." And it's totally true. I'm not worried at all. I'm totally fine. But I'm ANNOYED and TIRED.

How does one get not ANNOYED or TIRED? Maybe it's impossible not to. I guess, what I'm looking for, is what does one do when one gets ANNOYED and TIRED?

Does it ever feel like all you're doing in life is hopping from one problem to the next? Like, if things are going well, you might as well suit up for battle because you know a fight must be around the corner? Or does it just feel like that because bad things suck up more energy than good things so the bad things are the ones that stick in your mind?

A pan flute just came on the radio. Reminds me of my childhood. I feel better.

Where are your treasures?

"Money: There's nothing in the world so demoralizing as money." 

- Sophocles

 
I've been reading the Sword of Truth series by Terry Goodkind. It was made into that show, The Legend of the Seeker... it's a good story. Anyways. One of the characters was trying to explain to another character the reason for gold coins--money. The man didn't understand why one would trade food, clothing, or weapons for pieces of useless, soft metal. He lived in a small community where everyone made what they needed form the land and traded amongst themselves. The rest of the world around them used money. No matter how much explaining or rationalizing was done, the man still thought the idea ludicrous. I found myself wishing we could go back to a time where the only things we ever needed could be dug up out of the ground or carved from wood or rock. 


I hate money.

I'm looking for a job. It's hard for me because I'm not extremely career minded. Sure, I'd love to land a job in a church somewhere, working with the worship music or the choir, and stay there for twenty years (maybe). But those kind of jobs don't just jump up in your face and offer themselves to you. So thus one must look for a different kind of job, a "real" job, with paychecks and bosses. Something which I've always hated. It hasn't been working out so well. The hours never seem to work for me at all, or the pay is extremely low for the time commitment. If I was a single guy on my own, heck, I could work any job. But I'm not. I'm married. I'm a girl, not that athletic even. So the idea of a paper route starting at 2am in the morning and paying me under a grand a month, doesn't seem to fly.

The money coming in covers everything down to the last letter. Yay. God is good. But how does one save anything? How does one pay off loans? If ones loans aren't paid off, how does one buy a house? How does one start a family? How does one get out of living from paycheck to paycheck without MORE FREAKING MONEY?

And then there are people out there (Kim Kardashian) who spend 2.5 billion dollars on a pair of earrings for her wedding, of which the marriage only lasts for 70 or so days. Then comes a multi-million dollar divorce. WELL WHOOPIE FOR YOU, KIM. You can do whatever the heck you want. The rest of us scrape by and worry about the one thing in our lives that we never seem to have enough of. Did you know that just ONE of those earrings is an equivalent of a thousand people's lifetime income? 

God is great. God is good. There had never been a time where my husband and I have felt totally screwed or in the hole for money or anything that we need. Amen to that. But that doesn't change the fact that life is hard and God just doesn't hand you everything you WANT on a silver platter. And if he does come by with a silver platter, it's on his schedule, not ours. And sometimes waiting around can be discouraging. 


So what insight do I have for you? What words of wisdom am I eloquently typing for your utter enjoyment and educational benefit? 

Nothing. no remedy. No get rich quick scheme. Nothing to fix the problems we all seem to have all the time. ---Debts--Taxes--Bills--Loans---Children---Mortgage--Rent---

But there is one thing I like to remember. We are still here. I've got chicken in the freezer for dinner tonight. My husband made me a cake because, yes, today is my birthday. Our apartment is clean and warm. The lights are on. And why do we have ALL THIS in the midst of paycheck-to-paycheck living?


Because I've got a friend in Jesus. 


Does this mean you'll never worry? No. It just means that when you find yourself worrying, because you will, you'll remember you don't have to. 


Does that mean your financial problems will go away? Maybe, maybe not. But they're not your problem, as long as you don't cling to them like they are. Give it up. Give it to someone smarter and more powerful than you. 


Does this mean your life will get easier? 


I guess that depends on you.

A Life of God-Worship

 ^19-21"Don't hoard treasure down here where it gets eaten by moths and corroded by rust or—worse!—stolen by burglars. Stockpile treasure in heaven, where it's safe from moth and rust and burglars. It's obvious, isn't it? The place where your treasure is, is the place you will most want to be, and end up being.  ^22-23"Your eyes are windows into your body. If you open your eyes wide in wonder and belief, your body fills up with light. If you live squinty-eyed in greed and distrust, your body is a dank cellar. If you pull the blinds on your windows, what a dark life you will have!
 ²⁴"You can't worship two gods at once. Loving one god, you'll end up hating the other. Adoration of one feeds contempt for the other. You can't worship God and Money both.
 ^25-26"If you decide for God, living a life of God-worship, it follows that you don't fuss about what's on the table at mealtimes or whether the clothes in your closet are in fashion. There is far more to your life than the food you put in your stomach, more to your outer appearance than the clothes you hang on your body. Look at the birds, free and unfettered, not tied down to a job description, careless in the care of God. And you count far more to him than birds.
 ^27-29"Has anyone by fussing in front of the mirror ever gotten taller by so much as an inch? All this time and money wasted on fashion—do you think it makes that much difference? Instead of looking at the fashions, walk out into the fields and look at the wildflowers. They never primp or shop, but have you ever seen color and design quite like it? The ten best-dressed men and women in the country look shabby alongside them.
 ^30-33"If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers—most of which are never even seen—don't you think he'll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? What I'm trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God's giving. People who don't know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don't worry about missing out. You'll find all your everyday human concerns will be met.

 ³⁴"Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don't get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.

-- Matthew 6:19-34 (The Message)

Bible-Colored Glasses

Worldviews.

If you've been to a Bible school, or even a Christian school at some point, the idea of Worldviews is pretty ingrained in your mind. A person's worldview shapes every single part of their philosophy. It affects their ethics, their morals, their opinions... it's the basis of who they are as a person.

I've known for quite some time what my worldview is. God is creator, he is all powerful and present in our  lives. There is nothing beyond his control. (Specific Theology left out here for future confusing blog post, for obvious reasons.) Sin is everywhere, polluting God's intended design. So when I look at the world, I see everything that shouldn't be--I see everything that the enemy is doing and am disgusted by it.

What happens when we take this further? Everyone knows that to be a good Christian means to watch out for sin in the world and keep ourselves clean of its influences WHILE loving and not condemning the lost. But the other day I thought of it this way: Imagine ripping a page from your Bible and gluing to your face, trying to see through it as you go about your day. Sure you see everything for what it is through the truth, but what are you missing? And more importantly, what are you saying to those who don't give a "rip" about the Bible-colored glasses you're looking at them through?

EXAMPLE: "Water for Elephants"

I never wanted to watch this movie. I heard about it when it was first coming out, and what was told to me was that it was about a woman who strikes up a relationship with a young man who is not her husband. My alarm immediately flared. "Oh no. I'm not watching that. That's garbage that's a sin that's adultery." I'd made my decision. And then it got really popular. Some of my friends were talking about it. The book was every where. So I looked it up, checked the rating, and decided it wouldn't be too horrible to see it, just so I could know what was going on. (I like to know as much as I can about things that have grabbed a media craze--so I'm informed.) So I watched it, and while I was watching it, I was completely enthralled. The music was spectacular, the world that was created was magical, the characters drew me in. (and it wasn't because of Edward...) Eventually I realized I WAS ROOTING FOR THE WOMAN TO LEAVE HER HUSBAND. The man was cruel and abusive, and the other man she was interested in was sweet and caring and so much better for her. They would both be happy if they could be together and away from that awful man who controlled the circus they were apart of.

NOW WHAT'S WRONG WITH THAT KIND OF THINKING?

Immediately you say, "Oh no! I've been compromised! The EVIL worldview is trying to break me and crack my beliefs! Heaven help me, I've sinned! That movie is filled with trash! So are all other movies! BURN THEM ALL!"

Sound like what you would say? Hey, I thought about it. But then I started thinking... (a dangerous pastime, I know.) What would the non-Christian world think about this movie? What would someone without a page of the Bible stuck to their face think about this movie? If you've seen this movie, you can make a bigger list for yourself, but here are a few values I pulled from it: abuse of spouse is unacceptable, cruelty to animals is unacceptable, love is powerful, friendship is necessary for life, murder is regrettable, alcohol ruins relationships, and money isn't everything.

Are these not good values for the un-churched to hold to? Do these very values, apparently spawned from heathens, not come directly from God? Of course they do. Because all that is right and good comes from the Lord. (But tell that to an atheist, a pagan, anyone who claims a different worldview, and they will disagree.) What happens when a non-Christian sees a good value in something, and they see you freaking out about it? What are they to think of you? Extremist. Religious. Are they going to be looking for your sign that says "God Hates __________"?

Most everyone who is not actively seeking the truth will reject that which is of God. So why do we turn our noses up at things that get his values across in a way that they will actually accept?

Now hear this, if you hear nothing else. I'm not condoning ALL non- Christian movies and ALL non-Christian books that have good values in them. I'm not saying anything like that. I'm saying, we need to think before we blind ourselves with our Bible pages.

Another example: I was watching the show "GLEE" to see what that was all about. The music is incredible, but if you watch both seasons, you will find it filled to the brim with "things" that are unacceptable to Christians. Pre-marital sex, Homosexual marriages, divorce, infidelity, bi-sexual relationships, vulgar humor, and anything else you can think of. Now when I have my Bible page glasses on, I see everything that is sin and I scoff at it and stick my nose in the air, ready to condemn absolutely EVERYONE who watches that show. But what do I see when I take my Bible glasses off?

You are beautiful, even when you're considered "ugly and fat" by others. Bullying is wrong and it destroys a person's will to live. Everyone should be treated equally and not discriminated against (race, sexual orientation). Unsafe sex has devastating consequences. Everyone needs a friend. Being selfish can isolate you. And on and on...

Here's the point: Not everything that isn't made by the folks who put out "Fireproof" is bad/sinful/worthless. The rest of the world doesn't judge their entertainment by the same standards as we do, so when they accept it as something good and wholesome, we cannot condemn them for it. To them, it's a perfectly acceptable judgment.

What do you do now? 

Never try to apply Biblical truths to anything you watch/read? 

(Take off the Bible glasses) 

NO.

Never comment on sin in entertainment for fear of offending a non-Christian? 

(Shoving the Bible glasses in your mouth). 

NO.

Never watch anything unless there is absolutely no hint of worldly values?

(Putting the whole book in front of your face) 

NO.

Consider what it looks like with your Bible-glasses on and without your Bible-glasses on, and how others who don't even have a pair of Bible-glasses see it, and how they see you? 

(Putting the glasses on, and then taking them off and looking around.)

MAYBE...

Try thinking about it the next time you watch a new movie or a new TV show. That's all this is. Something to think about. Don't take it to the extreme and look for good things to justify what you watch, though.

What is your worldview and what does it mean? It is "fair" to judge others by a worldview they don't hold to? Why or why not? What of the Christian worldview has been "borrowed" by other worldviews, and can we use that to find a common ground as we share our faith? And speaking of that, when's the last time you've shared your faith with someone? Have you ever even tried? Be honest.

I'm going to go look in the mirror now and ask that again.
<><

Top 5 Action Movies: Just for Fun

I've wanted to do another post for a while, but nothing extremely insightful was coming to mind. So here I present to you all the top five action movies, in my opinion. Feel free to agree or disagree and tell me why! Then I can explain to you how you're wrong. :)

Here goes.

-1-

STAR TREK

"The Future Begins."

Year: 2009
Director: J.J Abrams

Starring: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto
Trailer

       Follow the early days of Captain James T. Kirk before he joined Enterprise. This story is a unique twist to the beginning of the expected storyline, creating an entirely open realm of possibilities. The acting is superb, with Quinto delivering a stunning performance of Spock, staying true to the essence of the character and yet making it his own, and no one can complain over Pine's save of William Shatner's attempt at a character. The action and the effects are top notch, the plot is fast paced and solid, and the recognizable humor of Bones (Karl Urban), Scotty (Simon Pegg), and Chekov (Anton Yelchin) captivates fans of the original series as well as pulls the attention of first time Trekkies.

-2-

THE DARK KNIGHT

"Let's put a smile on that face."

Year: 2008
Director: Christopher Nolan
Starring: Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart
Trailer

     The second installment of the very successful remake of Batman takes superheros, and super villains, to the next level. The Joker makes his appearance, quickly captivating audiences everywhere, almost outshining Batman as a character, though entirely evil. The story development and the character struggles are very real and intensely portrayed as the two battle for victory, in their wake causing damage to Rachel (Maggie Gyllenhaal), Bruce Wayne's love interest, and even creating a new villain in the process, Two Face. The special effects are riveting, and the late Heath Ledger's performance is breathtaking, earning him an academy award for best supporting actor, making him the first actor to win an award posthumously. The film leaves Batman at a precarious choice that will affect his reputation, setting it up nicely for the third film, The Dark Knight Rises (2012).

-3-

The Matrix

"There is no spoon."

Year: 1999
Director: The Wachowski Brothers
Starring: Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Ann Moss
Trailer


     Being an almost ancient movie, released 12 years ago, The Matrix is sometimes forgotten, but it should always be remembered as the movie that revolutionized sci-fi action fighting, as well as the visual effect known as "bullet time" and other similar concepts. The main idea of the film is that the world as you know it is not real, it is a computer program designed to trap your mind--designed by machines. The second two installments of the Matrix trilogy follow the battle for human freedom once more. The complexity and creativity of the real world and the matrix is what makes this movie fascinating, as well as its mind blowing, slow motion action sequences. For Reeves, this really was his one and only redeeming role in Hollywood history because it required him to be mostly emotionless. Some of the actors that turned down the three main roles of Neo, Trinity, and Morpheus, were Will Smith, Nicolas Cage, Sandra Bullock, Val Kilmer, and Sean Connery.

-4-

GLADIATOR

"What we do in life echoes in eternity."

Year: 2000

Director: Ridley Scott
Starring: Russel Crowe, Joaquin Pheonix
Trailer


     The story of a Roman general who became a slave and had to fight for his life by participating in one of the most violent sports in history. Gladiators fight to the death for the enjoyment and spectacle of others, in this instance, corrupt and insane Emperor Commodus. The raw emotion portrayed in this film is what grasps at the hearts of everyone who sees it. Crowe and Pheonix deliver excellent performances, pulling you into a period of history that has captivated the imaginations for years. The plot pulls you along as you root and cheer for victory. The action and fighting is fast paced and nail biting, and the redemption at the end is more than satisfying.

-5-

THE LORD OF THE RINGS I, II, & III

"One ring to rule them all."

Year: 2001-2003
Director: Peter Jackson
Starring: Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Viggo Mortensen, Andy Serkis, Orlando Bloom, John Rhys Davis, Cate Blanchett, Sean Astin, and tons of other people.
Trailer


     One of the most, if not the number one, fantasy story of all time, written by J.R.R. Tolkien. Known and loved world wide, the world and characters Tolkien has created are masterfully represented in the three films of Jackson's. The story follows a young Hobbit as he embarks on a quest to destroy an evil ring with his eclectic band of companions including a Wizard, a Dwarf, and Elf, a man who would eventually become King, and a strange little creature named Gollum-- a genius character brought to life by Serkis. The trilogy won 17 out of 30 Academy Awards, the final film "Return of the King" winning all 11 that it was nominated for. The all star cast pulls out the stoppers for this 8-year long film project, fully keeping up with the costumes, the make-up, the sets, and the overall "epicness" of this epic tale.


Thus endeth my opinion on the five best action movies of all time. Some of the movies that came close to being in my top were INCEPTION, THE PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL, EQUILIBRIUM, and CAPTAIN AMERICA.


What do you guys think of that?