For any who may be interested, there is a discussion going on at Infuze over the Heroes pilot. There have been some good responses, and yes, I am in the thick of it. If anyone has thoughts related to it, I invite you to check it out (you may need a free Infuze registration to view it).
For any who may be interested, there is a discussion going on at Infuze over the Heroes pilot. There have been some good responses, and yes, I am in the thick of it. If anyone has thoughts related to it, I invite you to check it out (you may need a free Infuze registration to view it).
One of my favorite internet places to hang out is Infuze Magazine. You can find it at the intersection of art and faith. Or by clicking on the link.
They do a great job of discussing movies, television, music, novels, comic books, and video games. They promote creativity from Christians, and being a portal to the entertainment world. I enjoy going there, and I have a habit of checking a few times throughout the day to get the latest updates.
One show that they have been excited about was NBC’s new show Heroes. The premise is that random people around the world begin to develop “abilities” that are special. One could say…super. The tagline is “Fate chose them – Destiny will unite them”. There is the Japanese corporate drone/comic book geek who seems to be able to control time, the cute Texas cheerleader who burns and falls and gets her hand caught in things like a sink disposal, but doesn’t get hurt, and the tortured artist who paints the future.
Overall it looks like a very intriguing show. Since I was the type who daydreamed of flying, saving the people around, and being extraordinary, it seems like a TV show I could finally get interested in.
Except…for one thing. Another character is Niki Sanders, a single mom with a gifted child who is in trouble with the Las Vegas mob for owing money. So to make money, she does what any typical blonde, beautiful American would do: she strips. In her home. On the net. For money.
Ooooo-kay. The creators take a great concept, but apparently think that it cannot fly on its own. So! Let’s introduce a character whose main purpose is to take her clothes off and titillate the audience. And she does. Not 10 minutes into the show she is down to thong underwear with her back to the camera. You may ask if the extended view of her skin adds to character development or further the plot…
I am frustrated. I don’t want to be a stereotypical “family-values” person who rants and raves about Hollywood. But come on! I would really like to challenge Tinsletown: are you even capable of creating something that is interesting without resorting to the lowest common denominator of sex? As I watch TV (which is rarely anymore), even the commercials show nearly naked women – typically as victims of brutal crimes for forensics shows to focus on (let’s add brutality to our sex, yeaaaah).
Yes, there is free speech and freedom of expression. But is there any such thing as “the greater good”? Just because we can push the envelope, should we? We know that sex sells. The only reason I started watching Star Trek: Voyager was, to my chagrin, the character Seven of Nine – a tall, leggy blonde in a tight catsuit. The show later caught my interest, but the only reason I stayed around was due to Seven. But I refuse to do that with Heroes. I’ve had it. I don’t care if I’m the only one to take a stand, but I will not have pornography beamed into my house by my volition.
What does this have to do with Infuze? I hope that as a great resource site for Christians, they can spur a discussion of where people of faith and creativity go from here. I agree with them that Heroes seems like a great concept for sci-fi/comic book fans. But I can only go so far. I plan on seeing it one more time, to see where it goes next week. But I won’t be drawn in by blatant images like that. I don’t need it, my family doesn’t need it. If it continues, goodbye Heroes.
One of my favorite internet places to hang out is Infuze Magazine. You can find it at the intersection of art and faith. Or by clicking on the link.
They do a great job of discussing movies, television, music, novels, comic books, and video games. They promote creativity from Christians, and being a portal to the entertainment world. I enjoy going there, and I have a habit of checking a few times throughout the day to get the latest updates.
One show that they have been excited about was NBC’s new show Heroes. The premise is that random people around the world begin to develop “abilities” that are special. One could say…super. The tagline is “Fate chose them – Destiny will unite them”. There is the Japanese corporate drone/comic book geek who seems to be able to control time, the cute Texas cheerleader who burns and falls and gets her hand caught in things like a sink disposal, but doesn’t get hurt, and the tortured artist who paints the future.
Overall it looks like a very intriguing show. Since I was the type who daydreamed of flying, saving the people around, and being extraordinary, it seems like a TV show I could finally get interested in.
Except…for one thing. Another character is Niki Sanders, a single mom with a gifted child who is in trouble with the Las Vegas mob for owing money. So to make money, she does what any typical blonde, beautiful American would do: she strips. In her home. On the net. For money.
Ooooo-kay. The creators take a great concept, but apparently think that it cannot fly on its own. So! Let’s introduce a character whose main purpose is to take her clothes off and titillate the audience. And she does. Not 10 minutes into the show she is down to thong underwear with her back to the camera. You may ask if the extended view of her skin adds to character development or further the plot…
I am frustrated. I don’t want to be a stereotypical “family-values” person who rants and raves about Hollywood. But come on! I would really like to challenge Tinsletown: are you even capable of creating something that is interesting without resorting to the lowest common denominator of sex? As I watch TV (which is rarely anymore), even the commercials show nearly naked women – typically as victims of brutal crimes for forensics shows to focus on (let’s add brutality to our sex, yeaaaah).
Yes, there is free speech and freedom of expression. But is there any such thing as “the greater good”? Just because we can push the envelope, should we? We know that sex sells. The only reason I started watching Star Trek: Voyager was, to my chagrin, the character Seven of Nine – a tall, leggy blonde in a tight catsuit. The show later caught my interest, but the only reason I stayed around was due to Seven. But I refuse to do that with Heroes. I’ve had it. I don’t care if I’m the only one to take a stand, but I will not have pornography beamed into my house by my volition.
What does this have to do with Infuze? I hope that as a great resource site for Christians, they can spur a discussion of where people of faith and creativity go from here. I agree with them that Heroes seems like a great concept for sci-fi/comic book fans. But I can only go so far. I plan on seeing it one more time, to see where it goes next week. But I won’t be drawn in by blatant images like that. I don’t need it, my family doesn’t need it. If it continues, goodbye Heroes.
I would really like to give props to the author of this week’s blog tour, James David Jordan. On one hand, this blog tour is great internet publicity. On the other, he’s opening his book up to a bunch of wannabe authors and reviewers, AND published authors as well. Not necessarily the easiest thing to do.
His book, Something That Lasts, spans the 70’s through the 90’s, following one family’s travails through three generations. One single event that happens to Rev. David Parst changes the trajectory of his whole family, and the rest of the book draws out the consequences of his actions. I don’t really want to give more synopsis, as the book has a simple premise that is followed throughout the story.
Even though the book stays true to this central core, it is an engaging read. He keeps the pace moving briskly, making one always interested in turning the next page. There is the potential to dwell and slow things down, but he does a good job of staying on target. He makes use of some recurring themes to speak into the lives of the characters. Baseball in particular is a lynch-pin, and it helps the theme resonate greater than if he had simply told the story without it.
His characters are believable, and he shows honest progression through their lives for the most part. The ending turns are a little forced, but not so much that it throws off the finale.
I think for a first time author Jordan has written a good novel. His description and characterizations sometimes suffer from the pace of the plot. He has a habit of returning to familiar images too often – I counted three separate characters who “shoved their hands into their back pockets”. Some events were foreshadowed so that the outcome was easily predictable. However, it was an easy and enjoyable read in just a couple of days.
Overall the writing is pretty well done, but I appreciate mostly what the author is trying to accomplish. I read elsewhere that he was tired of Hollywood and other entertainment showing certain mistakes without consequences. Jordan doesn’t shy back from showing the problems of his book’s premise, and it is a promising direction for a Christian fiction book to pursue.