Tag Netflix Review

Mr. Dahmer and I

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In the month of September of 2022, the Netflix series Dahmer came out. According to many critics, this series was the closest production of the actual story that had ever been created. Many people talked about how uncomfortable the series made them feel and that it was very dark and frankly just plain gross. I really battled with watching it because as a child of the 90’s, I had an inkling of an idea of what the series was going to portray. I wasn’t sure how graphic the necrophilia, cannibalism and sex would be.

This next part contains spoilers.

After much thought, I went ahead and watched the series. I really don’t have that much time to binge, but I was able to finish it probably in a week. The series starts off slow and intense. There is a lot of awkward silences and scenes, and the lighting feels dirty and grimy. The movie did live up to what people had said. It was vile. It was depraved and there were plenty of scenes that I did skip or close my eyes to. I don’t remember there actually being gay or corpse sex or much nudity, but there was a lot of male/male dancing and kissing. The series also does show Dahmer eating human flesh and there are gory scenes.

I write all this just to point out that Dahmer was an immoral man. He was totally depraved and acted out things that many of us have probably never even though of. He was a predator, a murderer and an awful human being. But in prison, Dahmer sought out Jesus, repented and was saved. He was also baptized and according to his pastor, spent his last days reading and learning about his Bible. The last episode of the series, to me, almost brought tears to my eyes.

I wasn’t going to write anything about this series until I saw several Facebook posts warning Christians not to watch the series, not because of its vulgarity, but because it was demonic. According to the post, there was a demon entity in the movie that brought about fear. The woman said that she felt it’s evil presence and warned people not to watch it. But that was the opposite of what I felt at the end of the series.

The series left me uncomfortable because but for the grace of God, there go I. Dahmer’s utter and total depravity, was also my own. His past, was my past. I may have never eaten human flesh, but I have eviscerated the soul’s of image bearers with my judgmental words. I may have never had homosexual sex, but I have lusted and committed adultery in my heart. I may have never murdered, but oh boy is my anger murderous sometimes. Jesus raised the moral standard, and all have fallen short of it. Both Mr. Dahmer and I needed a Savior, and both Mr. Dahmer and I called out to Him for salvation. (Romans 10:13) But these truths left me uneasy, because comparatively speaking, he’s worse than me right? Maybe, but the Gospel is the great equalizer. Here is what Romans 3:10-18 says about all of us:

There is no one righteous, not even one;
 there is no one who understands;
    there is no one who seeks God.
All have turned away,
    they have together become worthless;
there is no one who does good,
    not even one.”

and it continues

Their throats are open graves;
    their tongues practice deceit.”
“The poison of vipers is on their lips.”
     “Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.”
 “Their feet are swift to shed blood;
ruin and misery mark their ways,
and the way of peace they do not know.”
“There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

All of us are like Dahmer, and if you turn your nose up to that thought, you may not have a true grasp of just how awful your sin is. May I gently warn you not to be that Pharisee. (Luke 18:9-14)

The series is a harsh physical manifestation of what all of us were spiritually (1 Corinthians 6:11). I would argue with the Facebook lady that it’s not a demon in the movie, but us. The series holds a mirror showing our natural state – our default condition. And that in the end, the movie isn’t demonic, but redemptive.

I never felt fear watching the movie, but I did feel grossed out. Grossed out at Dahmer’s sins, then of my own sins, knowing full well that Jesus drank the wrath that was meant for us so we may now rest in our salvation – rest in the finished work of Jesus. Somehow it doesn’t seem fair, that maybe the men Dahmer killed are in hell, and that he is in Heaven. What a mind blowing thing grace is. (Matthew 20:1-16). It goes against our sense of justice. But then I am reminded that if justice had its way, I would be guilty too.

The series isn’t for all Christians. It is very violent and offensive, but demonic it isn’t. Sometimes we think it is the devil, when in reality it is just us.

I encourage you to watch this YouTube interview of Dahmer’s prison pastor. After listening to this, I do believe Dahmer was legitimately saved.

Blessings

American Gospel

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American Gospel – Christ Alone is a documentary almost 3 hours long. It is free on Netflix. It is mainly an explanation what of what the true Gospel is, what it isn’t and a warning against the prosperity gospel. The movie calls out several popular pastors and explains what it truly means to take up our cross and follow Jesus.

I loved this documentary and it was a breath of fresh air to hear the Gospel just spoken over and over again. It reminded me of the freedom in God that I have and the grace that I couldn’t earn. It brought back the memories of the first times I started to understand just how special I was to have my eyes opened to the Truth of His Word. My heart leaped hearing the Gospel preached by so many and hearing their testimonies on how they came to salvation.

The movie does call out many beloved preachers and pastors, but I believe they (the producers of the documentary) are being obedient in calling out false teachers. John Piper has an excellent response to this very thing and you can read or listen to it by clicking on this link.

This movie was needed. I needed it because lately I have been complacent in my faith. I have become stagnant and mediocre and I can’t stand myself sometimes. My prayer life stinks, my Bible reading has just picked up and listening to person after person explaining their testimony and proclaiming the Good News, livened my slumbering soul. Praise the Lord, for His salvation. Praise the Lord for His Sovereignty! I am saved not because of my works, because of the work of another!

I highly recommend this documentary.

There is a second documentary by the same director called American Gospel – Christ Crucified that I started watching today and so far, it has been a blessing.

The Theory of Everything

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the theory of

The Theory of Everything is the story of Stephen and Jane Hawking. It is a drama that resonates with the thinker and encourages the curious to keep seeking out the mysterious deep of the unknown. The movie is a bit romantic, which I wasn’t expecting, but not so much that it causes nausea. It was also surprisingly funny and full of wit. If you liked a Beautiful Mind or Cinderella Man, you will love The Theory of Everything. It has the same feel. There is the man, the struggle, defeat, the resurgence of hope and the triumph.

Eddie Redmayne did a phenomenal job as Stephen Hawking. I recently read that he won an Academy Award for his performance. The music, the picture and the quality of the movie was simply beautiful.

theory

As a Christian, I believe we shouldn’t check our brain at the door. My faith doesn’t require science to prove itself, but that doesn’t mean that science cannot bring glory to God in its own way. I will confess, that many times I struggled with my faith because Christians were so cruel to me. I battled with belief because the Church was cold and un-engaging in a very dark time of my life. I remember one day thinking, that if this is Jesus, then I want nothing to do with Him. But what kept me from storming off into atheism was atheism itself. Evolution is ridiculous. The belief that everything came from nothing or that non-life gave birth to life – that premise is almost silly and frankly, an impossibility. The Spirit used the reasoning of science to nudge me to understand that there is a Creator, and that He made everything, and that He expects to be obeyed, and that I better listen. I couldn’t embrace evolution, so I embraced Christ and His Word – it just made sense. I soon slowly crept out of my single cell thinking and evolved in my faith. Pun intended. 

This movie was not very clear if Mr. Hawking in the end admitted to the possibility of God, it really feels like he couldn’t come to a conclusion. I am not too worried about his beliefs anyway. I know he had a brilliant mind and the mathematics behind his theories made my head hurt, but God’s Word says that a fool says there is no God (Psalm 53:1). Having such a mind amounts to nothing to God if that mind fails to see the sin within itself. Mr. Hawking’s life is inspiring though, and this movie motivated me to think more. To be more aware of what I do and how I perceive things. A book that came to mind for me to read was Don’t Waste Your Life by John Piper. I am also interested to read his books on time.

I highly recommend this movie to all. It is a beautiful and stirring drama. There is no sex or nudity. There are some insinuations of adultery. There is a scene were Hawking’s nurse helps him open up his Penthouse magazine, but there is no visible nudity in the magazine. There is no cussing. The movie is rated PG-13 for some thematic elements and suggestive material. You can watch this movie for free on Netflix.

I have included the trailer here at the bottom of the page, if you are interested in watching it.

 

Retribution – Netflix Movie Review

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Retribution is a 4 part movie series about two families who happen to also be neighbors in rural Scotland. They are joined forever by the marriage of their child to the other child. The young couple weds and two weeks later they are killed. And that is just the beginning of this convoluted story.

At the beginning, the movie drags on a bit and it is hard to figure out who is who to whom. Slowly the kinship to each person is figured out, but even in the end, I was left a bit confused. Either way, it is hard to develop sentiment towards the characters when you can’t figure out who is related to what person.

Also, I just can’t stand it when a great plot is destroyed by propaganda. The story line was great, but it was shattered by these inserts of left leaning ideals. The passionate defender husband, in the end is really a boyfriend and she leaves him for his protectiveness. The unforgiving mother forgives no one else, especially the men, but does forgive the woman who did most harm. The compassionate character shows compassionate to all others except towards the religious patriarch.  It was absurd!

The acting was great, the plot was interesting, even the crazy climax was insane – in a good way! But when the killer was revealed, it was such a huge let down!

I recommend this movie only to those who don’t care about some anti patriarchy. anti-religious, feminist leanings. All this was made evident in the last episode.

There are cuss words, one very short love scene with no nudity, and violence. On Netflix it is rated TV-MA.

Longmire – Netflix Movie Revie

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This blog contains some spoilers, but no spoilers on episodes 1-3.

I didn’t think I would like Longmire because frankly, I am not into Westerns. But I wanted to expand my usual comforts in movie choices and gave Longmire a shot. I loved the first season, the second season and the shocking third season. Loved them all! The 4th season I noticed things started to get a little less interesting and by the 5th and 6th season, it was lagging so much in material that I struggled finishing the last couple of episodes. Even the actors seemed like they wanted this series to end already. I really liked the evil Nighthorse better and I think Longmire’s integrity and being an old school gentleman was thrown out the window in the last season. I hate that Longmire decided to sleep with Vic, but respected Dr. Donna Monaghan. He tenderly told her that he was old-fashioned and had never slept with his wife until he married her. I loved that about him. I loved that he didn’t mind picking up litter from his county. I loved that he didn’t use a cell phone! He was original! And they ruined him towards the end.

Netflix did buy the series I believe after season 4 and I was excited because that meant longer episodes and Netflix has come out with great series, but they really destroyed the character I had grown to love. Even Vic lost her luster. Henry (Lou Diamond Phillips) still did a great job in acting, but he became boring. And then they threw in the Irish mob into a Western detective thriller. Ugh! It was just everywhere and nowhere at the same time. They tried to build off a wonderful storyline and failed.

The last couple of episodes I just wanted it to end. I didn’t care and the love scene between Longmire and Vic was more than just awkward. There was no chemistry and I really thought that Dr. Monaghan and him were a better pair.

I will say that the landscapes of Wyoming are just breath-taking. It really made me want to live in a cabin just like Longmire’s. I have never been to Wyoming, but I might just make a trip over there to get some good eyefuls of their panorama.

I do recommend the first 3 seasons, I wont spoil those for you. They are awesome! But the last 3 really get worse by the season.

 

Alias Grace – Netflix Review

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The movies produced by Netflix are getting better and better visually. I remember the days when a mini movie series would come out and it was nothing compared to what we would see on the big screen. Times are changing.

“Alias Grace” has beautiful cinematography. It is a story about a young woman and the hardships she faces as an Irish immigrant. She is charged with murder and the movie goes back and forth from the past to the present as she re-tells her story.

This series is rated mature for its adult themes and gore. Thankfully, there wasn’t any blatant nudity. There are several times Grace is molested and one sex scene involving fully clothes people.

Sarah Gadon did a great job in portraying the very complicated character of Grace Marks. I did find the acting of Dr. Simon Jordan a bit sub-par. I am not sure if they were trying to portray him as a bore, but he was rather dull and his voice was monotonous.

There have been many who say this movie shines a light at the horrible plight of women in a man’s world and how we still have to suffer these prejudices today. As a woman, I really don’t see it today. I am not naïve to the misogyny against women in the past, but today? I just haven’t experienced it. I can not think of one person or institution that has oppressed me solely based on my sex.

To me, this series wasn’t advocating for women’s rights today, it was speaking of the horrors done to a woman in a time when women had to endure so much because of the lack of resources given to them.

“Alias Grace” is a somber movie. The colors are dark and grey. It is not a thriller but a true mystery. The end is what I had guessed about half way through the series, but it was still a great story.

I recommend this movie to those who like gothic period movies or historical fiction.