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Books, Movies, Sermons... All reviews posted on our "Reviews" Page are personal opinions expressed and declared by the authors. Allen Creek Community Church and the editors of this page are not responsible nor claim any responsibility for whatever may result. All reviews are edited for grammar, punctuation, and spelling. Allen Creek Community Church reserves the rights not to post any reviews that contain inappropriate or questionable comments. Please do not consider this as a censor of your opinions or views. Though we encourage you to share your honest opinions with us, we neither change nor suggest to you what to write in your review. It's just our rule for posting. |
 Perlandra
by C.S. Lewis
Review by: Kellie Hazen "It was, of course, a taste, just as his thirst and hunger had been thirst and hunger. But then it was so different from every other taste that it seemed mere pedantry to call it a taste at all. It was like the discovery of a totally new genus of pleasures, something unheard of among men, out of all reckoning, beyond all covenant. For one draught of this on earth wars would be fought and nations betrayed. It could not be classified." That was just a small sample of C.S. Lewis' unquestionable brilliance in his story “Perelandra”. “Mr. Lewis had a genius for making his fantasies livable.” – New York Times. Of this, I can only say, “Amen!” Lewis has always been a personal writing hero of mine ever since I found my love for it. His fluent writing and poetic thinking makes him the perfect storyteller as he embellishes his stories with symbolism and creativity the whole way through. Yet especially in his book “Perelandra” in which I would only describe in one word as a triumph. The basic outline of the story picks up where we were left off from his first in the trilogy, “Out of the Silent Planet”. Dr. Elwin Ransom has been summoned by supernatural forces called eldila to Venus, to which they refer to as Perelandra. Ransom is literally carried to Venus in a special one-man pod and lands on the beautiful, oceanic planet. Here, he will discover that a new world is being created, with one man and one woman. However, the woman there has been separated from the man, and she is undergoing the process of evil, which has recently landed when Ransom did. Ransom must then intervene to save the innocence of this new planet. As with most C.S. Lewis books, I had to read it a second time to get the proper grasp on the story. Lewis knows his language so well, it almost comes across as if he’s trying to deceive us. But that’s simply not true. This just means we have a lot of learning to do when it comes to English. In my opinion, “Darkness fell upon the waves as suddenly as if it had been poured out of a bottle” is an amazing description of Venus’ spontaneous night falls. Lewis has an innate ability to make you feel and experience everything he writes, because he writes with such weight. At the beginning of the story, he is narrating in first-person, as if he himself were the character, as he is walking in the dark along a country road, battling with internal fears. Most are induced by the night, and the feeling of insecurity of leaving his pack on the train. However, he makes it clear with foreshadowed obscurity that something is not at all normal about Dr. Ransom since his return from Mars.
Another fantastic example of creating a sense of horror was in this passage:
Words like, “Slowly,” and “shakily,” coupled with phrases like, “with
unnatural and inhuman movements…” paints a beautiful and startling picture
of the evil and horrors coming out of the hole. I literally had nightmares
after reading that passage. C.S. Lewis’ talented is appalling and grand. Do you have a comment regarding the above review? Click here to send us your feedback. |
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 Underworld by Len Wiseman
Review by: Asher Cochlain Ah, the vampire genre is certainly not dead because dead things cannot further crawl into deeper piles of gothic shame. Len Wiseman perhaps thinks the shiny visual aesthetics can maintain the suspension of disbelief and redeem flagrantly boring character interaction. And, in fact, the box office success prompted his misplaced writing talent to produce Underworld 2. Brushing aside the film’s Martixsy trench coat tail flapping with one-dimensional sour faced cops and screeching apartment number transitions, a bowl full of yawns is unearthed. Allusian’s opening line is a lame, intelligence insulting stage setter. Craven remains the unlikable antagonist to logic, reason, and progress. Because he’s really the bad guy! His persistent, unexplained nagging throughout was only worsened by bad, rushed acting. That’s what you get when you’re focusing your attention on blue screen integration and which nu-metal song your going to put to a slow mo walk. Michal is the neutral victim with no personality of his own, rebounding all his lines and actions off of single faceted characters. He is Yawny McYawn-yawns. Victor’s character actually prevails against Wiseman’s intolerable directing and character development skills. The director manages to puppeteer Victor’s seething malice and odium with some grace. Selene is also alright. Kate Beckinsale works with what she is given- I have no hard feelings. However, the romance between her and Michal is a floundering joke because it cannot exist in a world where characters are built for the sake of what makes them look the coolest. Then comes Raze played by Kevin Grevioux who also co-wrote the Underworld story. Since he’s kinda like the weapons guy let’s have every establishing shot of him be looking through a scope to see if it’s straight. It’s so painfully obvious that it was shot out of chronological synchronization that I feel warped back to the same lowered character elevation even though it’s an hour later in the film! All that aside this is what really grinds my gears: the pathetic battle of good vs. evil as seen here and in most Holly movies and in many Independents. The evil in this movie is so terribly wicked, scary, abominable, corrupt, sinister and POWERFUL. The good is pathetic, corrupt, non-existent, feeble, and graceless. Often it abolishes the good completely and settles for the lesser of two evils to be pitted against the greater. And what’s so sad is that a vampire movie could be a beautiful clash of brilliant righteousness crushing against perverse, mocking evil reveling in debauchery and the slaughter of innocents. How great it would be if someone painted the grand picture of this eternal image in a vampire movie (any movie really). But it’s not to be, from Van Helsing to Queen of the Damned to the Blade Trinity. I weep at the upcoming Castlevania movie written and directed by the genius that brought us Alien vs. Predator. I hold out hope for the day when some lad or lass writes a real bang up vampire film to show us what goes on behind the scenes in a parallel universe where good vampire movies are made.
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The Hungering Dark by Frederick Buechner
Review by: Neil Allender Frederick Buechner reveals the true face of
men and women, as well as the face of the One who gave them faces of their
own, by exorcizing the hard nosed certainty with which men and women so
often profane His name. In our hungering dark Buechner is courageous enough
to describe Christ and His Father as we usually see them in this world: an
ancient statue easily cast aside from our attentions by something so trivial
as the opposite sex, a distant Life we can only follow dumbly after with
charcoal eyes and granite hearts, a voice drowning the whole world that we
can only hear as muffled syllables through ears stopped up with rubber
cement; the vulgar Prince of Fools who was born among steaming dung heaps
only to grow up and die chained to a tree, raving drunk off the pain of His
own torture. Jesus, who climbs up cliffs and freeway overpasses like a
spider to write in left over paint his message of thrift – Jesus Saves –
using a brush he rummaged out of a dumpster because none of his well-fed
followers would buy him a new one. Do you have a comment regarding the above review? Click here to send us your feedback. |
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Review by: Dan Hazen Did anyone else manage to see through the poor movie making to catch Hollywood functioning as "the Great Cultural Normalizer" by taking a modern American icon (The Man of Steel) and turning him into just another dead-beat dad? I'm not saying that we should deny the REALITY that family is rapidly being redefined these days, and that one, married, heterosexual, monogamous couple is no longer a requirement...at all. And I'm certainly not trying to dog single who parents who find themselves in the predicament of raising children alone. It's just that I was surprised to see that Clark Kent had WILLFULLY bought into it. I was quite saddened to discover that as a people, the arguably greatest hero in our pantheon of heroes is still considered worthy of hero status after he: a) put his own sexual desires in front of the needs of his beloved (Lois) and their potential off-spring, and unintentionally fathered a child. b) THEN left town for 5 years to find himself. c) Returned and was deceived by the mother of his child (who refuses to marry the man she currently sleeps with) and was really only interested in getting next to HER again..."HELLO! Did you not NOTICE the 5 year old that miraculously appeared while you were gone...SUPERman!?" d) then at the end of the movie, offers his son some platitudes about receiving his "legacy" then flies off again, taking no responsibility, offering no help, no apologies, and no fatherhood. Sounds like an episode of the Jerry Springer show! But NO! It's Superman! Yikes. This is our hero? The movie sucked...but what REALLY sucks is the reflection of what our culture now sees as heroic in the mirror of Hollywood. Do you have a comment regarding the above review? Click here to send us your feedback.
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Review by: Neil Allender “What do you think of that; death as an act of creation?” This is the question asked by Rachel Weiz’s character to Hugh Jackman’s in The Fountain. So do not be distracted by the historical fiction, Aztec mythology, modern drama, scientific dreams, or cultural additions from The East because they are not what this movie is about. They can be thought of as different clothes the main themes develop in at different times throughout the movie. Viewers have the opportunity to enjoy the creativity employed in presenting these themes - cosmic ideas of love, life, and death. These themes and their ‘clothes’ are carried in a modern setting of marriage. But that scenario is varied, explored, and interpreted though a past fantasy where Weiz and Jackman are caught up in a Spain which still talks about the ‘new world’. There is also a future fantasy where the themes of the movie are resolved and a remarkably Buddhist Hugh Jackman is on a cosmic journey toward ‘Shambala’. Shambala is a symbol of eternal life for the future thread while a medical cure is the symbol for eternal life in the present thread and the Tree of Life is the symbol for the past thread. It may sound confusing, but the complexity adds to the enjoyment as viewers become aware of how each thread affects the others as the movie progresses towards its perfect end. If all that is not enough the movie is a story of massive committed and monogamous love – something AC3 parents might be wishing to see more of from Hollywood. Hugh Jackman will have your wife or teenage daughter in tears of awe when they see how he portrays his character’s love for Weiz’s and your husband might be inspired by what he sees. The Fountain is not a mere movie; it is a painting, a piece of art, and a masterpiece. It is a post-modern’s movie so if you have creative or artistic young adult kids I’d rent it, watch it with them, and ask, “So what do you think of that, death as an act of creation?” The question could open all kinds of doors for conversation about Seeking and Finding.
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Looking for a good book? Choose one of Rick's Picks. Books listed here have made a positive impact on the lives of those attending AC3. Check back regularly as you'll be the first to know what everybody's reading at AC3! If you have a favorite book that's the buzz in your circle of friends or small group, email the title and author name to Rick. You'll never know, it just might become one of Rick's Picks! |
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The Relational
Way - With all the excellent books on small group ministry on the
market today, one would think the subject has been covered completely.
However, the foundational basis for holistic small group ministry (a
highly relational set of values) must be in place before holistic small
group ministry will thrive. In this new release, Scott Boren does an
excellent job dispelling the most common myths about small group ministry. Each chapter delves into the missional truths about each issue with detailed views from theologians, psychologists, and Boren’s own excellent biblical exegesis. If you’ve struggled with small groups in the past, this book has the answers you have not found in any other book we have published. |
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Total Truth -
Does God belong in the public arena
of politics, business, law, and education? Or is religion a private matter
only - personally comforting but publicly irrelevant? In
today's cultural etiquette, it is not considered polite to mix public and
private, or sacred and secular. This division is the single most potent
force keeping Christianity contained in the private sphere - stripping it
of its power to challenge and redeem the whole of culture.
In Total Truth, Nancy Pearcey offers a razor-sharp analysis of the public/private split, explaining how it hamstrings our efforts at both personal and cultural renewal. Ultimately it reflects a division in the concept of truth itself, which functions as a gatekeeper, ruling Christian principles out of bounds in the public arena. |
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