Category Archives: reviews

Apocalypse 2012: The World After Time Ends (DVD Review)

Jan 4

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This review also appears at Earthpages.org

Title: Apocalypse 2012: The World After Time Ends
Genre: Conspiracy, Prophecy, End Times
Production Company: Reality Films

Apocalypse 2012: The World After Time Ends is a bit of a mind-bender. Just when you think you can forget about the world’s problems, sit down and have a nice cup of tea, along comes Reality Films with this engaging, sometimes disturbing film.

The premise of Apocalypse 2012 is that the Earth is alive, a living organism. Hippies from the 70s or students from the 80s might remember James Lovelock’s Gaia Hypothesis. Or maybe Lewis Thomas’ The Lives of a Cell. These two scientists have their differences, but both agree that the Earth looks like it’s some kind of self-regulating, living system.

That’s a nifty idea, but Apocalypse 2012 takes it to a whole new level. A panoply of elders, sages and unorthodox thinkers all seem to be saying that the Earth doesn’t just look alive. It is alive—and not just as a simple organism or self-adjusting system.

Many of the film’s speakers believe that Mother Earth is a conscious entity, one that demands payback for terrestrial abuses. So 911, for instance, wasn’t caused by a single group of extremists but, rather, by our collective exploitation of the planet. We’ve been treating the Earth as a money making resource instead of seeing it as a source of life. And this, according to the film, is an unforgivable no-no just asking for planetary retribution where countless people get hurt and die.

Pretty heavy stuff. I started to feel a bit glum after the first hour. So I paused the DVD and went out to do some shopping. (Food shopping that is, and thank God I didn’t drive a SUV or the roads might have cracked before me..!).

Reality Films

Okay, honestly, I struggled a bit with this film. Part of me felt it was naive but another part sensed that it was important. At least, important for me to see at the time.

On the plus side, 2012′s archival footage and editing are amazing. It’s worth watching for that alone. And the soundtrack is effective. Also, its eclectic mix of speakers aren’t identified until after the show is done, which is a great idea. This sort of levels the playing field so we hear what’s being said without prejudging on the basis of credentials or honorary titles. (I hope that’s vague enough to avoid a spoiler!).

On the not so great side, the DVD offers a simplistic view of history that seems to glorify a distant, golden age that most likely never was (unless one takes Adam and Eve and other creation stories literally). The industrial revolution is portrayed as the Big Bogey Man that’s chasing us toward our collective downfall. But what about the Black Death of the Middle Ages, and various other lethal diseases spread by contaminated water in ancient and medieval society? All this happened well before the industrial revolution.

Having said that, can we really deny that the 21st century is dangerously imbalanced, globally speaking? The news media tells us that so-called mental illnesses are on the rise, as are the environmentally polluting drugs manufactured to treat them (most people forget that man-made medications, now matter how nicely they’re presented by pharmaceutical marketing agencies, are constantly being urinated back into the water supply). And as 2012 rightly says, the oil supply will eventually run out. Not even the Canadian oil sands are limitless.

Reality Films

But as to what happens next, I disagree with some of the film’s more gloomy pundits. I’m no gambler but would be willing to bet that God allows us to continue only so far on our haphazard course until we come up with better solutions. Technology isn’t necessarily the problem. We just need to develop better technologies, as many green companies already are (ask Neil Young if you don’t believe me).

I mean, where would we be without electricity? Just think of music. No Chuck Berry and “Johnny B. Goode.” No synthesizers or digital keyboards. No Close to the Edge or Fragile by Yes. Come on. Obviously this blending of art and technology was meant to be. True, those classic 70s albums warn us, as does 2012, to take stock of our situation and make a better world. But I believe God knows what’s going on, and won’t let us slide too far without giving us the necessary light and practical conditions to make that change happen. In the worst case scenario, a lot of people might go insane, murder, die or commit suicide. But the whole human race won’t.

Apocalypse 2012 was probably also meant to be, a DVD that uses all sorts of high tech gadgets and natural resources to get its message across. But just because something is meant to be doesn’t mean that I agree with everything it says. To be fair, though, the second hour affected me more positively than the first. I could feel it working away on my opinions, shaking my proverbial cage, and compelling me to reflect.

And that’s exactly what this film sets out to do.

—MC

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Review – Secret Societies and Sacred Stones: from Mecca to Megaliths (DVD)

Dec 20

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This review also appears at Earthpages.org

Title: Secret Societies and Sacred Stones: from Mecca to Megaliths
Genre: Conspiracy, History, Occult
Production Company: Reality Films

We tend to make a distinction between organic and inorganic substances. Not too many question this. On the chemical level, the differences between organic and inorganic materials gets pretty complicated. Some inorganic materials, for instance, transform and become organic after entering an organism.

In the everyday world of things that we can see without the help of high-powered microscopes, anything that eats, passes waste and reproduces is called organic. Inorganic materials aren’t as dynamic as organic compounds. So conventional wisdom tells us that organisms are alive, while inorganic things merely exist without any kind of consciousness.

With these kind of cultural assumptions under our belt, we merrily blast out rock obstacles to build roads and bridges without feeling the slightest bit guilty. We’re not really hurting anything. Rocks just are. They don’t have pain receptors and don’t cry out when blasted sky high.

At least, that’s what we think. Another Reality Film, Apocalypse 2012: The World After Time Ends, puts forth the opposing idea that the entire Earth is alive (read my review).

Secret Societies and Sacred Stones is the perfect follow up to Apocalypse 2012. It outlines some of the unconventional beliefs informing the idea that the inorganic realm is truly alive.

But before I get into the specifics of this DVD, I should mention two things that those up on subatomic physics will already know about.

First, the centuries old distinction between matter and energy is hopelessly outdated. Second, inorganic substances, like rocks and stones, don’t just sit there. Inorganic material vibrates. We can’t normally see, hear or feel the vibration because it’s subatomic, and must be measured with a high-tech device.

And maybe I’ll mention a third thing. I’m going to tell a little story about myself. A story that happens to be true.

When I was a teen my parents owned a place in Georgian Bay. It was an old summer cottage built on the Precambrian rocks that are known as the Canadian Shield. These rocks are more than ancient. They’re literally billions of years old.

The Precambrian rock floor at Georgian Bay

One day at the cottage – and I can’t remember why or how, but I do know that I was completely sober – I suddenly had an intuitive flash. Sort of like a minor epiphany. But this wasn’t about God. It was about the island on which the cottage stood.

I saw it all in a completely new light. The rocks underneath me, extending out several hundred feet to the waterfront, were vibrating and alive with an incredible, vital energy. I believed that I saw those rocks as they really were. Not how we see through the eyes but, rather, through the soul.

It was awesome. Afterward, I went outside and stood barefoot on the rocks. I was overjoyed. Looking at the small black ants busying themselves on the rock, I realized that they were the same stuff as the rocks, just more organized—today I’d say that I believed instead of realized they were the same stuff, but that’s only because I’ve had many more years to think about these kinds of things.

If I hadn’t had this experience, I probably would have thought that the ideas in Secret Societies and Sacred Stones were flaky. But I don’t take such a simplistic approach to life any more.

So that experience, combined with the findings of subatomic physics, has given me an open mind to appreciate what this DVD has to offer.

Secret Societies and Sacred Stones is a useful compendium of all things mineral and immaterial. It compels us to question the age-old distinction between animate and inanimate reality. It does this by delving into a broad array of topics which, so it suggests, are intimately related.

Underlying the film is the notion that stones have power. And this power was known to ancient cultures, including the Egyptians. Sometimes the power was good. Other times bad.

To ward off evil, stones like lapis lazuli, emeralds, and turquoise were used, sometimes as amulets and other times as ceremonial objects. Stones also had the power to sing. This idea is not only biblical (Luke 19:40) but is also found in Gnostic secret societies.

Stones could also be used for darker purposes. The film tells of failed Kabbalists whose intention isn’t pure and, like Darth Vader, are eventually consumed by the dark side. These Faustian reprobates use stones to try to control people, nature, spirits and wandering souls. It seems the stone acts as a kind of amplifier for their own darkened minds.

Again, I might have found this hard to believe. But, and to add to my own story, I brought a palm sized stone home with me before our Georgian Bay cottage was sold.

I first went to Georgian Bay as a baby. Born in May, my parents took me to the cottage for the May 24th weekend, which is a big deal in Canada. So I was just a few days old when first exposed to the rocks, pines and clear blue waters of the Precambrian Shield. And I walked barefoot on those rocks every summer during my childhood and teenage years. So the connection is deep.

And now, when the time is right, if I pick up that Precambrian stone in the city, I can inwardly see and feel the whole summer scene at Georgian Bay. It all comes back, almost as if I’m holding some kind of magical audiovisual recorder.

So yes, I do believe that stones can open doors to the unknown. But mind you, my only experience with them has been positive.

Whether or not God gives me certain memories when I hold the stone, or whether the memories are facilitated by the stone itself, I cannot know. But the memories do come. And in 3D.

Along these lines, Secret Societies and Sacred Stones tries to link up the inner technology of Kabbala, the pseudoscience of alchemy, and the modern science of chemistry. As one of the experts in the film puts it, chemistry is merely further down a “stream of ideas.”

The DVD also suggests that stones mirror what’s inside ourselves. So, on the one hand, stones have power. And, on the other hand, this power ultimately resides within. Additional areas covered are divination, runes, and Grail legends. Apparently Grail legends can be traced back to emerald cups of power and, possibly, to simple sacred stones.

To top it off, the film touches on the idea that our planet was seeded by life forms that fell to Earth from meteors.

All very far out stuff.

Or is it?

On the production side, director Philip Gardiner makes ample use of dark vignetting, old film effects and cgi. Whether or not one finds these techniques effective would probably depend on where one’s at, artistically and spiritually.

What this film occasionally leaves out in factual detail is compensated for by its unusual breadth. To fully enjoy this DVD, I had to lay back, forget the small stuff, and just absorb all that it has to offer.

Secret Societies and Sacred Stones is the perfect solution for anyone wanting to learn more about esoterica, alternative histories, spiritual warfare, and the quest for the eternal self.

Special features include unseen footage and comments from the cast of The Stone Movie, also by Gardiner, along with several haunting music videos and trailers.

—MC

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Super 8… Stupor 8?

Jul 8

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Super 8mm film cartridge film. Kodak Eastman E...

Super 8mm film cartridge film. Kodak Eastman via Wikipedia

Yes, I saw it. And although I’m glad I did, Super 8 turned out to be a bit boring and disappointing.

The young actors were good, sometimes great (except for one who really didn’t cut it). And come to think of it, most of the adult lead actors were above average too. But oh, what cinematic cliches and obvious lead-ins to the many impending disasters.

(I’m keeping it general to avoid a spoiler).

I loved the TV show Alias. And the new Star Trek film wasn’t that bad either. But super-producer J. J. Abrams, IMHO, didn’t really come up with anything too memorable here.

The 70s scenes were unbelievable. Not good unbelievable. Just unbelievable. Sure they got the cars, clothes and hairstyles right. And that old electronic football game — I had one — looked and sounded just like the real thing. But the lingo was almost all 2011. (Also, Willow Tree figures were in the film, which weren’t around back then).

If you think I’m just being picky, well maybe I am. Or maybe this film is for the younger gen. To its credit, Super 8‘s special effects were impressive. And its treatment of young love was, well, adequate. But I found a complete lack of credibility in the plot line. I wasn’t expecting a comic book story. Had I known beforehand that all reasonable attempts to make this a convincing movie would be lacking, I might have enjoyed it more.

2½ stars outta 5.

—MC

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Review – Finding God: The Enlightenment (DVD 3 of 3)

May 24

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Title: Finding God: The Enlightenment – Disc 3
Genre: Body Mind Spirit, Religion, Meta-Physics
Production Company: Reality Films

(Review for Disc 1 is here; Disc 2 is here)

Philip Gardiner’s Finding God: The Enlightenment is a three DVD set including Quantum Mind of God, Science of Soul, and Ancient Code.

Disc 3, Ancient Code: The Movie is a welcome departure from other films using the word “code” in their title–e.g The Bible Code and The Da Vinci Code.

Skeptics who haven’t seen this film might hastily dismiss it as a jump on the bandwagon, the concept of the “code” having a good pretty track record in New Age marketing.

This movie, however, speaks to a code far deeper than mere opportunism. And the writers, artists and thinkers involved in its production are clearly passionate about their beliefs.

The film revolves around several themes found in other Reality Films, such as the divinity of nature and the interconnection of all lifeforms by virtue of the idea that, at bottom, we’re nothing more than nested patterns of light and dark energy.

It’s a compelling position, one prefigured by Baruch Spinoza‘s naturalistic pantheism (and later nuanced by the likes of C. G. Jung and Carl Sagan) to portray spirituality as the human response to a numinous power that isn’t necessarily out there but, instead, exists inside oneself.

Not everyone agrees with this view. But the curious and those genuinely open to learning will find several innovative ideas that some traditional religious and scientific frameworks may overlook or, at least, underemphasize.

By way of example, Ancient Code questions the entire notion of progress. The film doesn’t deny that humanity has made great technological strides, but it asks just how much we’ve developed as a sentient species located within the greater cosmos.

Excessive Western greed, individualism and cultural fragmentation are also addressed, in contrast to more holistic Eastern paradigms sharing a deep appreciation for the old adage–for every action there’s a reaction.

Observations on the roots of crime, a live pagan Horn Dance and a psychological interpretation of the Grail Quest make this DVD a veritable smorgasbord of alternative perspectives about the essential connection and need for balance among body, mind and spirit.

—MC

(Review for Disc 1 is here; Disc 2 is here)

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Review – Finding God: The Enlightenment (DVD 2 of 3)

Mar 21

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Title: Finding God: The Enlightenment – Disc 2
Genre: Body Mind Spirit, Religion, Meta-Physics
Production Company: Reality Films

(Review for Disc 1 is here; Disc 3 is here)

Philip Gardiner’s Finding God: The Enlightenment is a three DVD set including Quantum Mind of God, Science of Soul, and Ancient Code.

Disc 2, Science of Soul: The End-Time Solar Cycle of Chaos in 2012 A.D., asks whether the year 2012 will bring about a quantum leap of consciousness or possibly a global nightmare.

Closely following Dr. John Jay Harper’s book Tranceformers: Shamans of the 21st Century, Science of Soul explores these and other compelling questions.

The film’s innovative graphics and haunting soundtrack set the mood for a detailed examination of the mythic symbol of the axis mundi (world axis). Also, possible links among DNA, psi and global transformation are investigated.

Those sympathetic to the philosophy of natural pantheism, where the universe is taken to be God and therefore conscious, will find much in this DVD to support their beliefs. Meanwhile, believers in theism (where God is conceptualized as ‘wholly other’ from Creation) might bristle a bit at its unabashed syncretism.

Regardless of our guiding beliefs, Science of Soul carries an ethical message that few sane people would find fault in: To love and live peacefully among ourselves. And when you think about it, no one fully knows just what God is and how the divine interacts with organic life and the supposedly inorganic universe.

It’s probably just a matter of time before Science of Soul’s integral approach is embraced by the gatekeepers of both contemporary scientific and religious thought. But a comprehensive gelling of Big Science and Big Religion might take a little longer than most of us would hope for, given the deeply entrenched historical biases that inform our 21st century worldview.

We shouldn’t be discouraged, however. As a catalyst for this much needed dialogue, Science of Soul is a definite step in the right direction.

–MC

(Review for Disc 1 is here; Disc 3 is here)

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Review – Finding God: The Enlightenment (DVD 1 of 3)

Feb 5

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Title: Finding God: The Enlightenment – Disc 1
Genre: Body Mind Spirit, Religion, Meta-Physics
Production Company: Reality Films

(Review for Disc 2 is here; Disc 3 is here)

It’s critical, the situation is pitiful
Bear in mind, you gotta find somethin’ spiritual
We never gain, ’cause we blame it on the system
You oughta listen whether Muslim or Christian
Or any other type religion or creed

–Guru, “Living in this World,” Jazzmatazz, Vol. 2: The New Reality

Philip Gardiner’s Finding God: The Enlightenment is a three DVD set including Quantum Mind of God, Science of Soul, and Ancient Code.

Disc 1, Quantum Mind of God, is a sweeping journey of exploration, encompassing ideas from the North African theologian St. Augustine, the French philosopher René Descartes, to the German quantum physicist Max Planck and beyond.

The soundtrack blends Gregorian chants, Hindi pop and contemporary New Age music. And the narration presents a unique 21st century theological synthesis, with a seamless array of graphics and images garnered from many sciences, religions and wisdom traditions like alchemical gnosticism and Shamanism.

Topics covered include the apparent importance of quartz, granite, vibrational patterns, magnetic movement and the pineal gland, all of which are said to link the micro and macrocosmic structures of nature and the larger universe.

Basically, this film is about life. And while mathematical equations try to provide the “how” of life, Quantum Mind of God rightly points out that equations, alone, cannot explain the “why” of our existence. Statistics might indicate how most of us are likely to behave on a given day or month with respect to certain predefined variables. But numbers can’t predict how specific individuals choose to exercise their free will.

There are always exceptions to the rule.

Some folks seem to forget that fact and end up looking like hypocrites. Just as we chop up nature into tiny pieces for analysis and dissection, some people’s minds seem to be arranged in almost discrete compartments. These persons often judge this or that moral action while turning a blind eye to their own questionable tendencies.

In short, not everyone is psychologically mature and integrated. And this psychological epidemic extends not just to the dull-witted or so-called “uneducated,” but arguably to all levels of society.

The antidote to this social malady, according to Gardiner, is holism. We must recognize the whole and not just the parts. This seems especially so when it comes to ESP (extrasensory perception).

Findings have repeatedly shown that ESP works better when emotion is involved. Be it the emotion of mature interpersonal attachment or even the basic arousal induced by erotic images, ESP is more pronounced when human beings are emotionally and physiologically activated, instead of just relying on abstract thought (disinfo.com¹ and disinfo.com²).

Quantum Mind of God’s message of individual freedom and, yet, basic interconnectedness is a timely reminder that we’ve got to get it together–within and among ourselves, and with the One who created all our selves.

–MC

(Review for Disc 2 is here; Disc 3 is here)

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Review – Secrets (DVD)

Dec 11

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Image courtesty kemalyildirim.com

Title: Secrets
Genre: Drama
Language: English
Production Company: Knight Productions

Secrets is all about relationships, ambiguity and the loss of innocence.

Something like Lawrence Kasdan’s The Big Chill (1983), the film kicks off with a tight-knit group of buddies getting together to celebrate the passing of a close friend.

Except for the subplot of substance abuse, however, any similarity to that film pretty much ends here.

After confessing their innermost secrets to one another while camping at the waters edge and carousing in various indoor locations, the group’s unrestrained boozing and, especially, drug habits lead to an unfortunate unraveling.

The turning point occurs over a bad drug deal. Suddenly the innocent, soul searching found earlier in the film moves to something darker.

From the DVD liner notes we learn that Secrets was shot in 7 days with an improvised script. This gives the film freshness and spontaneity. And for me, anyhow, its laissez-faire production style confronted some of the cultural tropes that – God forbid – have burned deep neural pathways in my brain by virtue of my proximity to North American culture.

True, Canadians get a fair amount of European, Asian and other international TV and film. But the American Dream still lights up our CRT and Flat Screen TVs, working its way into our subconscious desires more than, perhaps, we wish to admit.

Like something out of a George Orwell novel, I see that elusive, ephemeral Dream flickering away every night as I take my evening walk. You don’t have to be a peeping Tom to see it. TVs just keep getting bigger and bigger, making it all so much easier to see the 21st-century Screen through so many Toronto living room windows.

Tron..?

So I had to pull back and readjust my expectations while watching this film. Not that I’m a stranger to international cinema. I’m not. I can handle subtitles just as well as anyone else. And I like taking imaginal trips without having to worry about the inherent dangers of flying.

By the same token, the overseas films that make it big here usually follow, to some degree, a commercially proven formula. And why not? After all, most people want to hit the jackpot–even if they claim otherwise with a false humility ironically mingled with an air of artistic superiority. In Western movie halls and DVD sales, making it big often means drawing on, to some extent, the Hollywood legacy (I know next to nothing about Chinese films, except for Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan…).

Sure, artistic styles have always been evolving, interpenetrating and expanding, and no doubt will continue to. As Heraclitus once put it, you can’t stand in the same river twice. But, having said that, there’s still a river to think about.

Ha. Okay. Now you get it.

Well, actually, maybe you don’t. Because the most powerful and surprising secret about Secrets is that it subtly undermines quite a few contemporary conventions.

Secrets is almost like a watercolor in motion. It’s got focus; but different approaches and ideas flow into one another, offering complexity and a touch of chaos without sacrificing overall coherence.

At first, I didn’t really connect with the characters in this film (although many of the same actors were quite absorbing in other Yildirim films). But after letting Secrets percolate for a while, the film simply wouldn’t let me go. Like other Yildirim productions, this one, too, got under my skin.

The phrase “thought-provoking” comes to mind. Along with “challenging.” Both are good things, as has been the lingering influence of Secrets.

–MC

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Review – Rose (DVD)

Dec 7

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Knight Productions

This review also appears at Earthpages.org

Title: Rose
Genre: Crime, Drama
Production Company: Knight Productions

There’s something about a Kemal Yildirim film. Just what it is isn’t easy to put your finger on. But it’s certainly there. In spades.

His short film Rose is based on a true story and shot, in his own words, on a “miraculous” budget. This might contribute to the film feeling something like an early performance of Shakespeare, where the key actors apparently pulled together to get the most out of their modest resources.

Over the years, Shakespeare’s troupe got bigger budgets and more elaborate staging. And from watching Rose, one would expect a similar evolution with Yildirim’s work.

Also like a Shakespearean play, Rose’s direction gazes from an almost mystical, mind’s eye. That is, Yildirim’s films can deal with the harshest of topics with unruffled focus and calm compassion. This rare perspective arguably takes Rose to a spiritual plane, even though the film deals with some of the rough and disturbing aspects of contemporary society.

The film features Helen Clifford, a pretty 20-something actor who convincingly portrays the distressed character of Rose. Rose could be your little sister, daughter or niece. She’s a “nice girl” who’s made some very bad choices, finding herself tragically hooked on junk.

To make matters worse, Rose doesn’t have a lot of money to fuel her addiction. Her struggle for inner and outer peace is brought out by Clifford’s promising performance and by a solid supporting cast. Add to that the director’s unique way of getting to the point without lapsing into sheer vulgarity, and Rose comes out a winner.

Without giving away the details, suffice it to say that the opening and closing scenes involve light–first in darkness and last, shining through a cross.

Rose is a pleasant surprise, to be sure. And for a film that deals with such difficult subject matter, that’s quite an achievement.

Extras include some extensive behind the scenes footage, a five minute promo, a photo gallery, along with trailers for additional Knight Productions.

–MC

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Review – Shades of a Killer (DVD)

Dec 6

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Knight Productions: kemalyildirim.com

This review also appears at Earthpages.org

Title: Shades of a Killer
Production: Knight Productions
Genre: Drama, Action, Neo-noir

Some say that if the German poet Goethe had written in English he’d be a serious contender for the crown of “Greatest Writer Ever,” which many believe Shakespeare wears in literary heaven.

Goethe’s lasting masterpiece, still talked about by scholars and art lovers today, is the tragic play Faust.

What does Faust have to do with British film maker Kemal Yildirim’s Shades of a Killer? Well, for starters, I was exploring Goethe’s imaginary world for the first time when Shades of a Killer appeared next on my list of pending reviews.

The two seemed to fall together nicely, helping to make sense of both Faust (who sells his soul to the devil but ultimately is redeemed) and Jaan, the reflective assassin played by Yildirim in the film that he also writes and directs.

Like Faust, Jaan realizes that life is largely about ethical choices. Some folks nurture love, others hate. Others try to straddle these disparate worlds by respecting their enemies. And others, represented in both the characters of Faust and Jaan, find themselves enmeshed in darkness but are always hoping to find their way back into the light.

Theologians describe this as a developmental approach to redemption (i.e. “don’t give up, you’ll get there in the end”), a dynamic portrayed in Goethe’s interplay between Mephistopheles and Faust.

Mephistopheles is the devilish character who tempts Faust and, theologically speaking, represents the idea of necessary evil. Thinkers like John Hicke (and St. Irenaeus before him) contend that, without the likes of Mephistopheles, mankind would never be compelled to choose, overcome the bad, and nurture the good. Accordingly, Mephistopheles calls himself:

Part of that force which would
Do evil evermore, and yet creates the good.†

As a sort of composite of Mephistopheles and Faust, Jaan sinks deeper and deeper into the grim complexities of violence and turf warfare, but he and his wife are forever hoping to make a clean break and start again.

This is the most encouraging aspect of the film. Another interesting aspect is that Jaan is not just a top gun but also an accomplished martial artist. In several scenes, leather clad combatants drop their weapons in favor of a good, old fashioned Kung Fu kickout–scenes which, on the whole, are well choreographed.

A very intense film, to be sure. It does, however, contain moments of sincere human tenderness. While some of the secondary characters are a bit one dimensional (perhaps because the film was inspired by comic books), the main players are fully human. Indeed, the gentle and loving “we can work it out” scenes with Jaan and his wife give the story some necessary breathing space, balance and hope.

And this brings us back to the comparison with Faust, a play that runs the whole gamut from heaven to hell. Like Faust, Shades of a Killer is paradoxically realistic and hypnotic, hard hitting and dreamlike. The film’s uneasy tension – both moral and stylistic – grips our attention right up to the final scene. Without giving out a spoiler, the story ends on an ironically humorous note, revealing a directorial style reminiscent of Alfred Hitchcock, Quentin Tarantino and other masters of film noir.

–MC

† Quoted from Walter Kaufman, Discovering the Mind: Goethe, Kant and Hegel, New York: McGraw-Hill, 1980, p. 30.

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Review – The Seekers Guide to Harry Potter (DVD)

Nov 2

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This review also appears at Earthpages.org

Title: The Seekers Guide to Harry Potter
Genre: Harry Potter, Fantasy, Adventure
Production Company: Reality Films

Harry Potter has stirred up much controversy. The bestselling children’s fantasy books have delighted literary critics, won countless awards, raised eyebrows from Christian groups, and made their author, J. K. Rowland, a billionaire.

Academics in Cultural Studies, Religion and Mythology have also found within the books a veritable treasure chest of ideas for scholarly analysis.

Contributing to this development, The Seekers Guide to Harry Potter features Dr. Geo Athena Trevarthen of the University of Edinburgh, who brings to her investigation of the Harry Potter series a practical and academic expertise in Celtic Shamanism.

Dr. Trevarthen’s breakdown of the novels draws from a variety of perspectives, from Jungian and transpersonal psychology to the, perhaps, deeper disciplines of ritual magic, alchemy, wizardry and cross-cultural shamanism.

Her exposition is sprinkled with quotes from the Harry Potter novels, along with pithy sayings from leading figures like Joseph Campbell and Mahatma Gandhi.

The Seekers Guide to Harry Potter suggests that the runaway success of the Harry Potter series is, in part, due to its filling a void in contemporary Western culture. This Occidental void has to do with the sense of mystery, magic and, as Rudolf Otto (and later Carl Jung) put it, an encounter with the numinous.

Dr. Trevarthen shows how the protagonist, Harry, aptly fits the bill for the archetypal image of the hero, as expressed in countless fairy tales, folklore, myths and world religions that, despite their differences, also exhibit key similarities.

Filmed in and around Edinburgh, where Dr. Trevarthen lives and works, this film is not only smart but also visually pleasing. Punctuating the commentary are scenes of Dr. Trevarthen reading under a tree in the lush, Scottish countryside, or perhaps brandishing a sword in the ritual manner of a legendary European knight or, to evoke another cultural framework, a medieval Samurai. The film also includes indoor scenes of Dr. Trevarthen in full ritual attire, speaking, singing and positioning a wand in ways keeping with her magico-religious beliefs and practices.

On the topic of magic, some Christians cherry pick the Old Testament to argue that the Bible offers no saving distinction between white and black magic, and that all magic is evil. In actual fact, however, divination (as one form of magic) is alternately prohibited and condoned in different parts of the Old Testament. Meanwhile, other Christian thinkers say there’s a general move away from divination to revelation and a sheer trust in God, this being most apparent in the New Testament.

To those who say that magic is altogether sinful, Dr. Trevarthen clearly disagrees, proposing that magical power, itself, is morally neutral. Drawing on the analogy of electrical power, she says that magical power can be used for good or ill. Accordingly, she believes that white magic and its apparent corollary of profound self knowledge (i.e. gnosis) are useful tools for personal and collective development.

What distinguishes Dr. Trevarthen from some of the more gnarly gnostics, however, is her willingness to engage with Christians in intelligent discourse, as made obvious by her active participation in interdisciplinary conferences and colloquia. And her emphasis on the importance of love, especially in the early childhood years, brings her into close contact with contemporary psychology and, we could say, the underlying thread of all world religions–along with those individuals who simply have their heart in the right place.

But to return to Harry, it seems his incredible journey speaks to anyone finding him- or herself dealing with an initial transition from, and subsequent balancing act between, secular and sacred realities. As Dr. Trevarthen observes, Harry is both regular and special. He suffers and loses much but is repaid more than he could have ever imagined. As such, Harry represents those who truly live rather than just talk about the spiritual life.

Overall, The Seekers Guide to Harry Potter challenges the worldly wise (humorously called “Muggles” in the novels) by not reducing the imagination to biochemistry and neurology but seeing it as evidence for the indwelling of the spirit. Seekers interested in the meeting of fantasy literature and contemporary religious movements should find this DVD an extremely worthwhile part of their collection.

Extras include Dr. Trevarthen discussing beliefs about the four traditional elements of earth, air, fire and water and their correspondence to magical implements.

–MC

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