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The Shack (2017)
The Shack is a Devine Metaphor
My review on IMDB 1/29/21
First, here are my credentials for writing this review:
I became a Christian on February 6, 1977 at age 27. I was a high school English teacher for 19 years. I've taught Bible classes, published several magazine and newspaper articles, and shared the personal story of my faith in God to so many people that I lost count years ago.
I attempted to read the novel The Shack, but failed to complete it several times because it just seemed to meander a bit too much for my literary taste. Nevertheless, I offer a sincere thank you to author William P. Young for his invaluable creative attempt to explain the immense doctrinal problem concerning the forgiveness of a perfect and loving God juxtaposed against mankind's sinful acts.
It is incredibly difficult for many folks to understand who God is, much less to sort out the interwoven concepts of sin, judgement and salvation.
That said, the movie version of The Shack is the most compelling dramatic attempt I've come across to explain the unexplainable aspects of God's Devine Nature.
I'm not naïve enough to believe that everyone who watches this movie will be convinced of the spiritual consequences of sin, righteousness, and judgement (John 16:18). But I do believe this movie will help some folks see that no man is capable of doing what only the Creator can do.
The tenderness, good nature, and gentle humor of Sarayu, Jesus, and Papa are outstanding pictures of what we would desire in an ever-loving triune Good Father.
Their representation of Divinity incarnate is beautifully heart-warming. The protagonist, Mackenzie, is a perfect stand-in for everyone of us who has ever doubted the wisdom and purposes of the Creator of Everything That Is (aka God).
Technically, the storyline is a neatly stitched-together patchwork of compelling dramatic scenes, humorous and tender scenes, flashbacks, and prophetic glimpses of the future.
All in all, The Shack is a metaphorical showcase of who God is and what God is all about. I recommend it to the curious, and the thoughtful, as well as the scornful.
I give it 10 Points, 5 Stars, A+ and every other superlative score on whatever scale is available. IMHO 🤗
Cranberry Christmas (2020)
Cranboring descriptive already used by another reviewer. But I promise I thought of it before I read any of these reviews!
I regret that somebody already coined the word Cranboring. I must have fallen asleep five or six times. My wife kept waking me up. How sad. Beautiful people. Beautiful scenery. How lovely everything was! But BORING. No punch! No real grit. No real substance. I felt like I was swimming around inside a bowl of oatmeal. Boring, boring, boring!
Lonestar Christmas (2020)
The title is a Pig in a Poke, as a real oldtimer Texan might say.
My mama always said. "Ronnie, if you can't say something good about something, don't say anything at all."
I'm sorry Mama, but the setting for Lonestar Christmas is so ignorantly chosen that I was appalled from the get-go.
This movie was filmed in Vancouver! That is roughly 1,700 miles north of our far north Texas city of Amarillo! Check it out.
I have lived for 71 years in Texas, born in West Texas, educated in Houston and Austin. Nothing about the setting in this Lifetime movie looked or felt like Texas to me. Too wet. Too green. Heck, even the tamale restaurant was named Verdosa, "really green."
Even though the male love interest was Mexican ("half Filipino") and called the Tamale King, that character did not make this British Columbia filming location remotely resemble any part of the Texas I know.
I just can't believe that anybody with common sense would try to pawn this movie off as having anything to do with Texas just by tagging it with Lonestar in the title.
The title is fraudulent.
That said, I give kudos to the script elements in the last two scenes.