Directed by: Jennifer Yuh
Written by: Jonathan Aibel, Glenn Berger
US Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Starring: Jack Black, Angelina Jolie
Rated: PG
About the film:
Po, the giant panda, seeks answers about his origins even as the evil Lord Shen seeks to gain control over all those within the country which he rules with an iron fist.
Movie Quote:
“The cup you choose to fill has no bottom.”
Soothsayer (Michelle Yeoh) Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011)
Bible Quote:
“For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.”
Jeremiah 2:13 (KJV)
Commentary:
Whether it is a bottomless cup or a broken cistern that can hold no water, the result is the same. Whatever goes into either is lost forever. It cannot be retrieved. And this is exactly the lesson that God wants us to know.
Both the biblical and movie quotes refer to what we choose to believe in or trust. We can choose to trust in something that is strong, secure, and dependable and receive the positive results of our believing in something that is true. Or we can choose to trust in something that is weak, filled with holes, and unreliable and receive the negative results of believing in something that cannot provide what we desire. God be praised, the choice is ours. But the consequences of making the wrong choice are enormous and life-changing.
God gives us this analogy to exhort us to believe in His Word which is unshakeable, undeniable, and unwavering in its representation of His truth. His Word is the solid cup or cistern in which He wants us to put our trust. When we do we will never be disappointed.
Questions to consider while watching the film:
1. Po suffers from distractions that hinder him during the course of the film. How debilitating are distractions and what can we do to keep our focus despite them?
2. Adoption is also a subject that is considered during the course of the film. What does God have to say about adoption and how does that relate to the film?
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
YOU AGAIN (2010)
Directed by: Andy Fickman
Written by: Moe Jelline
US Distributor: Touchstone Pictures
Starring: Kristen Bell, Odette Annable
Rated: PG
About the film:
A young PR executive learns that the “mean girl” from high school, who made her teenaged life a living hell, is engaged to her brother. What’s a girl to do? Don’t ask mom. She’s got problems of her own when she meets the new bride-to-be’s aunt and recognizes her as her own high school nemesis.
Movie Quote:
“You can’t control the things that happen to you but you can control how you react to them.”
Marni (Kristen Bell) in You Again (2010)
Bible Quote:
“See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men.”
1 Thessalonians 5:15 (KJV)
Commentary:
For many people, “turning the other cheek” is easier said than done. However, we see from the Bible that it is possible. And more than possible, it is encouraged. The benefits that come to us when we follow God’s exhortations so greatly outweigh the alternatives that there is really no choice at all.
Granted, life is difficult at times. Few, if any, get through it completely unscathed. We will have bad times; we will experience unpleasant events; we will find ourselves in unjust situations – and most through no fault of our own. But nothing we face need dictate to us how we are to respond. We can operate on a higher plane.
God has given us, through the incredible design of the human body, the ability to control our minds. By controlling our minds, we have control over our thoughts, our actions, and even the responses we choose to have to negative situations.
God certainly does not want us to be life-long victims; subject to the abuse of everyone else. But neither does he want us to use unjust abuse as an excuse to act in opposition to all He teaches us. It remains our choice, of course. But He is clearly pointing us in the direction He would have us go.
Questions to consider while watching the film:
1. How does forgiveness figure into the film’s story? Who shows the most forgiveness?
2. What is the best answer to a bullying situation? What would be the Christian response?
Written by: Moe Jelline
US Distributor: Touchstone Pictures
Starring: Kristen Bell, Odette Annable
Rated: PG
About the film:
A young PR executive learns that the “mean girl” from high school, who made her teenaged life a living hell, is engaged to her brother. What’s a girl to do? Don’t ask mom. She’s got problems of her own when she meets the new bride-to-be’s aunt and recognizes her as her own high school nemesis.
Movie Quote:
“You can’t control the things that happen to you but you can control how you react to them.”
Marni (Kristen Bell) in You Again (2010)
Bible Quote:
“See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men.”
1 Thessalonians 5:15 (KJV)
Commentary:
For many people, “turning the other cheek” is easier said than done. However, we see from the Bible that it is possible. And more than possible, it is encouraged. The benefits that come to us when we follow God’s exhortations so greatly outweigh the alternatives that there is really no choice at all.
Granted, life is difficult at times. Few, if any, get through it completely unscathed. We will have bad times; we will experience unpleasant events; we will find ourselves in unjust situations – and most through no fault of our own. But nothing we face need dictate to us how we are to respond. We can operate on a higher plane.
God has given us, through the incredible design of the human body, the ability to control our minds. By controlling our minds, we have control over our thoughts, our actions, and even the responses we choose to have to negative situations.
God certainly does not want us to be life-long victims; subject to the abuse of everyone else. But neither does he want us to use unjust abuse as an excuse to act in opposition to all He teaches us. It remains our choice, of course. But He is clearly pointing us in the direction He would have us go.
Questions to consider while watching the film:
1. How does forgiveness figure into the film’s story? Who shows the most forgiveness?
2. What is the best answer to a bullying situation? What would be the Christian response?
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