Film

Triple 9

Well that was rather rubbish!

Was there a good story hiding somewhere amidst this mess of a film? Perhaps. To me though it was more a clear indication of why America needs to get guns under control: every character was armed, and coupled with the sloppy and inconsistently-paced editing this firearms free-for-all resulted in a confusing and surprisingly boring two hours.

Even an against-type Kate Winslet as a smouldering Russian Mafia boss couldn't save the day.

Books , Film

The Big Short / Spiritual Activism

In the closing chapter of their book Spiritual Activism: Leadership as Service, Alastair Macintosh and Matt Carmichael expose the reality of "little white lies": "they distort the very fabric of reality and subtly erode community".

The Big Short is a dramatisation of events surrounding the recent bursting of the housing market bubble and the impact of lying isn't the only connection with Spiritual Activism. There are startling moral questions throughout the film, perhaps most obviously whether it is appropriate to profit from others' misfortune.

It wouldn't be too much of a stretch to describe the film a dramatisation of the consequences of ignoring the book's themes.

I'm convinced that we need change. A book and a film both point in the same direction: change in all areas of society, led by honesty, integrity and spiritual wisdom.

Film

Spotlight

This is compelling storytelling. Sadly it's based on true events.

As a film, Spotlight is well-named: its subject matter is investigative journalism (and specifically the Boston Globe's Spotlight team) rather than the news story that's being uncovered over the course of the production. There's plenty to show: the role of media in shining a light on things that would otherwise remain hidden in the shadows, the question of how such work is funded in a zero-cost Internet-driven world, the impact of an intense job on daily life.

What's not shown so much is the news story itself, and there's even more to cover there. The reporters uncover sexual abuse by priests, and a church and society that would rather cover up these uncomfortable truths. I came away feeling there was more to be told here.

Rather pleasingly, the film manages to avoid coming across as anti-Christian. At one point one of the journalists yearns for the church that he remembered from his upbringing, in what could almost be a secular prayer for its return.

As the world progresses, big institutions need to change too.