"The Artist" Review

The world is abuzz with Michel Hazanavicius’s movie “The Artist.” It has won a wide array of accolade from critics and regular movie-goers everywhere. Specifically, it was prized with a surprising five Oscars and is the first silent film to capture the Best Picture award since “Wings” in the fist Academy Awards presentation in 1929. All of this praise is more than deserved.

Sometimes, despite its rave reviews “The Artist” is derided for its innocent nature. This scorn is thoroughly pretentious. Hazanavicius’s movie is innocent but that is just what makes it great. There is always a place for dark and intense movies like Coppola’s “Apocalypse Now” but there is just as much a place for light and funny ones. It dials in on the better angels of our nature and lets them loose. It makes you smile both with its humor but also with the reality that there is good in the world, untainted by the evil that surrounds.

But all of this would be thrown to waste were the movie not deftly executed. And this is why it earned its other Oscars. Jean Dujardin, whom I had previously seen in “OSS 117 Nest of Spies,” takes his art to a new level in his portrayal of George Valantin while Ludovic Bource’s score is sublime as it accompanies the mastery on screen. So, if you had not yet gathered from what I have said so far, this movie is worth seeing for your whole family, I guarantee it. 

Reflections on Tim Tebow

Tim Tebow. Either you love him or you hate him. It's pretty hard to be indifferent. After all, the guy has led his team (the Denver Broncos) from a 1-4 record to the play offs including 6 straight wins. And not only has he done that but he has done it in one of the most unconventional ways. Oh yeah, and did I mention he's a Christian?

I don't consider myself an expert when it comes to football matters but even the most casual observers can see that there is something different in how he plays. It is said that he is built not like a quarter back but like a full back leaving him able to run the football if not by then through people, which is good considering his mediocre throwing ability. To compensate for this, Denver runs an option offense meaning that there is always the possibility of a quarterback running play. 

All this football mumbo jumbo (especially my very superficial understanding of it) is fine and dandy. However, what I want to focus on, given the theme of this blog, is his impact on our American culture. This is not found in his football. Although his victories and gamestyle definitely accentuate his notoriety, what really impacts the country is his Christianity. He is unabashedly what so many people frequently bash: an Evangelical Christian.

For me as an evangelical, I see the benefit of what he has done for our faith. He has brought the gospel to places where no one would have dreamed of hearing it just weeks before from the annals of ESPN's SportsCenter to the now increasingly common "Tebowing" pose. However, this places him in a rather conspicuous position. He has, whether he wants to or not, become the spokesman for evangelicals all across America. Now, he is put in the spotlight; every one of his actions is meticulously scrutinized. By living as he has and maintaining the ideal of what a Christian should look like he has been placed on a precipice, should he make a mistake we will all dismiss him as if he had been disingenuous from the very start. But while this does not occur we build up this aura around him making it ever more catastrophic should he fail. This is not to say that he definitely will fail but that we are exalting him to the image of a quasi-deity which if we have learned anything from Mr. Tebow is the opposite of what he stands for.

In conclusion, let me just say, although next Saturday he will lose to the Patriots in the second round of the playoffs, what Tebow has done should not be overlooked. The impact he has had on us as Americans, should it be lasting or not, is significant to say the least. He has shown that a man can lead an authentically honest life and even if you hate him and what he stands for, you have to respect him for that.