HOPE CHURCH FILM SERIES 2007-2008

 

The Hope Church Film Series is open to the public and free of charge. This year’s series highlights heroism; a swash-buckling mythological hero who tends to the poor by standing up to the rich and powerful; a real life hero who confrots the British Empire; a boy who stands up to the U.S. military; the heroes of 9/11 who are still struggling to find decent health-care; a reluctant hero whose name is legendary; and a heroic village that stands up to the imposition of developers and their so-called progress.

 

All films show on Sunday evenings at various times, and are projected on a large screen (around 10 feet) in our worship space. The pews are padded, but you may want to bring a favorite pillow. Make yourself as comfortable as possible. Also, feel free to bring your own refreshments.

 

                                                      

OCTOBER 14, 2007 @ 7:00 PM

The Adventures of Robin Hood

     1938          112m          NR

 

This swashbuckler is perhaps one of the most color-saturated (and therefore beautiful to the eye) films given the Technicolor moniker. It is our “classic” film for this series and stars Errol Flynn in the title role of the Sherwood denizen. He, like all mythic heroes, is about truth and justice. The powerful Normans rule over the Saxons in this film, prompting Robin to clarify that he does not hate all of the Normans. “Its injustice I hate, not the Normans.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

NOVEMBER 4, 2007 @ 6:00 PM

                   Gandhi                                   

      1982           195m         NR

 

There is that powerful moment in this film when Gandhi and those who stood with him in his non-violent effort to stand up against the British Empire, a scene that will haunt the memory of the viewer. But its true power lies in the simple verbiage from the lips of this great man of peace who utters, “You have been guests in our home long enough. Now we would like for you to leave.” Its 3.25 hour length will likely cause you to think twice before committing, but you will find it time well spent, a meditation upon a life you will not merely view, but absorb. There will be a brief intermission

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

DECEMBER 9, 2007 @ 6:00 PM

              The Iron Giant

   1999        86m          PG

 

Roger Ebert writes, “Imagine E.T. as a towering metal man and you have some of the appeal of The Iron Giant, an enchanting animated feature about a boy whom makes friends with a robot from outer space…a family movie with a message: a Cold War parable in which the Iron Giant learns from a little boy that he is not doomed to be a weapon because “you are what you choose to be.”” This movie is our family feature for the series, with hopes that the children will be in attendance, and the adults will be equally present. This is an animated film that has something to teach us all.

 

 

 

 

 

 

JANUARY 13, 2008 @ 6:00 PM

                     Sicko

   2007      113m         PG-13

 

The closest this film ever came to Sturgeon Bay was Green Bay. So, I guess you could say this is a premiere, of sorts. The facts are embedded in Michael Moore’s humorous and satirical film, and the facts are compelling. Can we imagine that there are other countries in the world that provide better health care for their citizens than we do? Can we imagine that we could have a better system of health care in America? How can we bring about such a change? Take a few hours to view our health care system through the eyes of some of those other countries, to reflect upon where we are, and to wonder where we might be in the future. This is a non-partisan approach to addressing what some might say is the most challenging problem for the 21st century in America.

 

 

 

 

 

FEBRUARY 10, 2008 @ 6:00 PM

The Last Temptation of Christ

   1988         164m             R

 

Not to be confused with the film by Mel Gibson (The Passion of the Christ) which was adored by conservative Christians, and a great film in its own right, this is Martin Scorsese’s adaptation of the novel by Nikos Kazantzaki of the same title as the film, The Last Temptation of Christ. It is a very human portrait of Jesus, a man who struggles with his identity, and his human passions and foibles, just like the rest of us. The emphasis on Jesus’ divinity is much diminished in this film, the cause for controversy when it first hit theaters in the late 1980s. Scorsese pairs with screenwriter Paul Schrader, and they do not pander to Hollywood, or their audience. Roger Ebert writes, “They have paid Christ the compliment of taking him and his message seriously, and have made a film that does not turn him into a garish, emasculated image from a religious postcard. Here he is flesh and blood, struggling, questioning, asking himself and his father which is the right way…”

 

This film should not be attended by those who fear the risk of offense. The film is rated R for adult situations and some nudity, but the greater offense might be in the vulnerability of this particularly legendary hero of Christianity who was, after all, a Jewish man who followed his own path, and changed history forever. To put it another way, Ebert again writes, “The film has offended those whose ideas about God and man it does not reflect. But then, so did Jesus.”

 

                                                  

MARCH 2, 2008 @ 6:30 PM

The Milagro Beanfield War

  1988         118m            R

 

See what happens when a small, New Mexico village wrestles with land developers over water rights. This is a magical, mystical fable about Joe and his beans with a message. Directed by Robert Redford in a charming, yet mindful manner, one may question whether or not we should wall ourselves off from the rich traditions that gave birth to this whimsical fantasy.