will ferrell is having a laugh. but i'm not.

when a movie's end credits are funnier than the film itself, and when the best scene was missed because you were asleep when it happened, then i guess the film must be 'talladega nights: the ballad of ricky bobby' - a very well shot comedy which forgets that script and plot are not incidental to humour. will ferrell's a smart guy - but not smart enough to realise when a joke has gone on too long: for frankly, this was one of the most boring films i've seen in a long time. to russty, michelle, jared and gina, all i can say is 'forgive me for asking you to see this with me'. hope we'll do better next time.

(and if you want to be reminded of ferrell's ability to really make you laugh, try and get hold of the comilation dvd of his saturday night live stuff. no one does lipton like ferrell)

doug pagitt is next to godliness

he is the michelangelo of the emerging church

there is no man so erudite, so thoughtful, so wise, so tall, and so able to make nanotechnology sound interesting as he.

i highly recommend that you all turn your prayer mats toward minnesota if you want your intercessions to work in future.

or at least you could check the man himself out at www.dougpagitt.com

human hospitality

at the soliton sessions in ventura this week several thoughts collided as i found myself sharing the presence of doug pagitt, shane claiborne, si johnston, ched myers, kester brewin, greg russinger and the bridge communities - all worth a bit of a google if you've time to read up on these marvellous people (and if you want an object lesson in hospitality you should go and stay with my amazing friends jared and regina williams):

bonhoeffer - if you're in love with your vision of community, your community will fail. if you're prepared instead to love people, then you might just succeed at building community.

hospitality is more than having friends over for dinner - it is an attitude of mind and heart - a demeanour of generosity toward everyone and everything. that's too important to miss, so i'll say it again: hospitality is more than having friends over for dinner - it is an attitude of mind and heart - a demeanour of generosity toward everyone and everything.

also - what would the world look like if we based politics on hospitality? if we saw foreign policy as an opportunity for nations to show each other generosity?

roy peterson is the film guy who will make you happy

check this out

www.roypetersen.co.uk

www.bubbleup.tv

cool director, cares about movies and art and spirituality and used to work for pat robertson...so he needs your emotional support...

lady in the water - is she waving or drowning?

ok - you can read my full review of shyamalan's lady in the water in the next issue of 'third way' magazine www.thirdway.org.uk

but for now...here's some thoughts

shyamalan believes in magic, and he wants us to as well

he makes films about magic

each of them has made me feel like i'm experiencing something bigger than myself - like the way i felt when i went to the movies as a kid

he's into the Big Themes...death/life, love/spirituality, god, forgiveness, healing...

i like him.

BUT...lady in the water felt to me like an attempt at saying everything he thinks in one place.

it does suggest wonderful things about community life, about vocational purpose, about fear, and about how we all need each other

but it's such a convoluted narrative, and the characters so arch and unrealistic that i spent too much time thinking about what was wrong with the film than about what it might teach me.

having said this, several people i know and respect have been alarmed by my response...they seem to love it, they seem to see themselves in it, they seem to see hope and life, and even god.

that's enough reason for me to at least see it again.

but for now, the lady is neither waving nor drowning, she's just treading water.