As we wrap up a fantastic week of nostalgic movie geekdom, I think we’re ready for the…
My Movie Challenge.*
* The credit for the concept behind this challenge goes to My good friend Mary DeMuth, an author and speaker I admire a whole lot.
Don’t worry, you can handle it. The challenge is based on the premise that what captures our imagination tells us a whole lot about who we are. So let’s begin.
What are your three favourite movies?
While you think of yours, here are mine:
1. The Matrix (the first in the trilogy)
2. Gladiator
Got yours? Take your time, it may be painful to narrow down to just three, so if you’ve got four, give yourself a break. Five, you’re fired. Kidding. Next question.
What is the thematic thread running through these stories?
This will take some brain power. A friend of mine took a few days parking on this before his “aha” came. And there may be more than one commonality. Again, I’ll go first.
All three movies feature a noble hero. All three movies spin heroic, sacrificial love stories. All three sagas unfold against the backdrop of a world that’s gone to hell in a hand basket. All three ignite heroes that stick to their guns regardless of the personal cost. All three movies’ heroes find unshakeable nobility in their personal identity. All three movies’ causes are worth dying for.
Now you. And when you’re done…
What does this say about you?
As in, your secret identity, the way your own heart has been wired to function? I believe God can use this exercise to show you a bit more about who you are and what you’re here for. So I dare you to give it a shot.
Me? I don’t often shrink from doing the right thing in the heat of battle, because I know who I am and believe in my life’s mission. Plus, I love romancing my wife. She’s absolutely incredible.
Your turn.
To begin with, why not share your top three movies in the comments section. I’d also love to hear what you find out about yourself.
Don’t forget to pin, like, share, or tweet this post. Or put it on a t-shirt.
-Lord of the Rings
-Princess Mononoke
-Hero
– All three movies centre heavily around landscape. They all have deeply affecting soundtracks. And all revolve around our place in the mythic stories around us. I suppose that says I am hardwired for a mythic place, I think of the stone cities of Lord of the Rings, or the mystic forest pools of Princess Mononoke and the spiritual desert of Hero. What’s interesting about this exercise is that I like lots of similar movies, but when I narrowed it down to three, I realized it also came down to my top three soundtracks. The music deeply affects me in all three films, I can conjure the major themes in my head and each fill me with longing. Bring on the new creation Jesus, I am ready.
Beautiful, Steve. The last of the Mohicans soundtrack wrecks me, calls to me, and something in my heart answers in return.
Ok here goes…
The Painted Veil
The Four Feathers
The Count of Monte Cristo
Besides all starting with “the”, they have the kind of forgiveness that leaves your heart wrung out, never to return to the same shape again. These stories also push the characters so far past what they could’ve ever imagined themselves being capable of. In the end you find out what they are really made of. Not who they think other people want them to be, or false projections of their own, but their truest selves emerging from the struggle. Without the struggle and the mind blowing forgiveness they couldn’t have offered themselves completely. Anyone who knows me will see why this resonates so deeply. Thanks Brad for making me dig deeper into my fav’s.
I just found this and I am thinking about what my favorite movies say about me. I need to ponder some more, but what I have come up with so far is that my favorite thing about all of the movies is the music and how it speaks to me and complements the story being told. My favorite movies include Cinema Paradiso, Much Ado About Nothing, Star Wars (all of them) and Lord of the Rings (all of them). I believe in communication that does not occur through words. God speaks to us through nature and music and relationships in addition to literally through the Bible. I also strongly believe in backing up what I say through actions and showing genuine emotions. I even share my faith through music in the choir. Thanks for posting this excecise for thought!