Justice is Served

If you know me at all, you know I’m not the kind of girl who sits down to watch a chick flick 99% of the time.  It’s not that I don’t like romantic comedies, they’re simply not my first choice.  The majority of my favorite films are rooted somewhere in the areas of science fiction/fantasy/superhero or some combination of all of the above–The Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, Harry Potter, Batman, etc.  The common thread all of these possess–action.  I love action movies.  Watching the hero/heroine kick butt and take names really pumps me up.  It thrills me to no end to watch the villain get his just desserts.    I love it when justice is finally served.

Over the weekend, I watched Die Hard for the very first time.  (I know, I know, I’m almost 25 years behind.  Hush).  I loved it.  It has all the classic tropes of a quality action film.  Strong, fearless hero, super evil villain, and even better, a non-traditional, refused-to-be-intimidated leading lady.  As much as I love Alan Rickman and his ability to totally encompass any role, the best part for me was his defeat.  It was so vindicating to see justice done.

I’ve been thinking–why do I love seeing the bad guy get it in the end?  Why is that so satisfying?  For me, it’s seeing a wrong righted.  It’s not a matter of vengeance per say, but that some one who had done something to harm another was stopped.  The pain was stopped.  The wrong doing was stopped.  They got what was coming to them.  God wants that too.

The prophet Amos wrote the Words the Lord spoke to him in his book, “But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream” (5:24).  (You may also recognize these words from a speech by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.).  Job, even in his suffering said that God would not “pervert justice” (Job 34:12).  (If I had boils all over me, lost all my possessions, wealth, health, and family, I don’t think I’d say that).  Jesus Christ is the embodiment of God’s justice.  Matthew hearkens to the the prophet Isaiah saying that the Christ has come to “proclaim justice to the Gentiles.”  Jesus crossed boundaries no others would, healing the sick, hanging out with those who were “unclean,” sinful, and undesirable, setting them above those who would have isolated them.  As Todd Agnew put it, Jesus hung out with “thieves, sluts, and liars.”  His love spoke justice to them.  He vindicated them of their sin and exacted his justice on “those who need no repentance” (Luke 15:7).

It seems clear to me the Lord delights in seeing justice served.  In His Name, all wrongs shall be righted, those hurt will be lifted up, and justice will indeed be served.

I’m on The Hog’s Head Pubcast TONIGHT!

Hello Nerdy Bloggers–

Just a brief update to inform you that yours truly will be coming to you live tonight on The Hog’s Head pubcast.  Myself and Hayley and Michael from UNC-Charlotte’s Potter Watch group will be discussing Potter Watch and Pottermore.  You can tune in and participate in the chat at the following link: http://radio.mymiddle-earth.net/.

Hope to see you there!

Conference Preparations: Hutchmoot 2011

Hello Nerdy Bloggers!

This is my first post as a newly wed, as well as my first post in many months!  As I write, my husband and I are preparing for the Hutchmoot 2011 conference in Nashville, TN.  Hutchmoot is a small gathering of around 100 participants to discuss art, music, literature, film, storytelling, and how these intersect with Christian faith.  It’s coordinated one of my favorite singer/songwriter/authors, Andrew Peterson, his brother and fellow author, A. S. “Pete” Peterson along with the staff of The Rabbit Room.  Last year was the first time the conference was held and after reading reviews of it, I must say that I was quite dismayed that I was unable to attend.  It seems like all the participants got something different out of the conference, so it is difficult to explain what exactly the conference will be like or what to expect.  Based on what I’ve been told, I am expecting the following:

• To hear from God
• To learn a great deal about writing (all the breakout sessions I’ve selected are on writing, literature and storytelling)
• To enjoy fellowship with fellow believers who take their faith seriously and love God with their minds
• To discover that I am not the nerdiest person on the block, or at least not the only one in the crowd.  :)

I’m also very excited to finally meet my friend and fellow Harry Potter blogger, Travis Prinzi.  After reading his blog and listening to his podcast for the past 5 years or so, it’ll be fantastic to finally shake hands and say, “Hello!” face to face.

I plan on keeping a journal of the conference and will write up a summary of my experience there once I return.  Next week, I’ll also be blogging about the Harry Potter Conference I mentioned in my last entry.  We had to postpone the conference until Oct. 1st, but it was well worth it.  We have seen increased participation and will be hosting keynote speaker and Potter Pundit, Amy Sturgis.  I’ll write more about this, as well as give a sneak peak of my part of the religious studies discussion panel.  Really looking forward to it!

I would ask prayers for us as we prepare for the conference and for all those who are coordinating and participating.  I am looking forward to what is in store!

Blessings,

Nerdy Blogger

Harry Potter Conference at UNC-Charlotte – LAST CALL FOR PAPERS!

Harry Potter and Crossover Audiences

the 2011 PotterWatch Conference at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte

April 9, 2011

Charlotte, NC

Call for Papers

The Harry Potter series has been translated into more than 60 languages, inspired a multi-million dollar theme park, and prompted the creation of an “International Quidditch Association” comprised of hundreds of teams.  What began as a British children’s book became an international best-selling series.  Much of the success of the novels can be attributed to crossover appeal—how Harry is loved by audiences of a variety of ages, genders, and religions.  How do the books speak to so many different, sometimes opposing, audiences? Why do we love Harry so much?

PotterWatch, the official Harry Potter club of UNC Charlotte, will be hosting an academic conference focusing on the theme of audiences within the Harry Potter series and fandom.  We invite submissions of paper and panel proposals that address the theme of audience and crossover appeal in relation to the Harry Potter series, looking at reader response from a variety of academic perspectives.

Suggested topics include:

• Harry Potter from an international perspective
• Religious responses to the series
• Generational appeal (the “crossover” novel)
• group response to Harry Potter (fan clubs, quidditch, book/movie premieres, etc.)
• is Harry Potter a “boy’s book?”

To be considered for presentation, please submit a 250-word abstract for individual papers or panel proposals to unccpotterconference@gmail.com by March 26, 2011.  Please include the paper title, your name (and names of all panel presenters if applicable), your institution, and your affiliation (faculty, student, other). Individual presentations should be 10-15 minutes in length, while panel presentations should last for 45 minutes. Graduate and undergraduate students are encouraged to submit proposals.

Who Should Play Katniss Everdeen?

That’s the question on the lips of fans of The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins.  According to a recent article on The Movie Pool, Lionsgate films has A-listed 3 girls to play the part of Katniss Everdeen in the upcoming The Hunger Games film, although who will actually play her has not been determined.  The three young women who have been favored for the role are Hailee Steinfeld, Jennifer Lawrence, and Abigail Breslin.

Hailee Steinfeld stands out as the tough as nails, Mattie Ross from the Coen Brothers’ recent reboot of True Grit.  She looks the part, and certainly has proven herself to be much more than just a teen actor.  In True Grit (which is a FANTASTIC film), she is sharp, witty, and knows how to get what she wants.  Hailee has proven that she can handle cutting dialog and knows how to really make what she says “stick,” like Katniss does.  I could definitely see her kicking butt and taking names as Katniss.  She’s my top choice.

Next up is Jennifer Lawrence, Academy Award nominee for Winter’s Bone.  I’ve not seen any of her films, however, according to her page at IMDB.com, she’s playing Mystique/Raven Darkholme in the upcoming X-Men: First Class film, of which I am ELATED to see.  If she’s got the role of Mystique, that tells me she is no pushover.  Being a long-time X-Men aficionado, I can’t imagine anyone wimpy playing Mystique, who by the way, has a kid with a demon (No, seriously.  Nightcrawler’s dad is an emissary of Satan).  It looks like Jennifer could prove to be a tough contender for the part as well.  Hailee is still my favorite, but I’m not going to count Ms. Lawrence out yet.

Last on the list is Abigail Breslin.  You may remember her as a very young girl as Bo in M. Night Shyamalan’s Signs, my personal favorite of his films, or as Little Rock in the comedic, yet gruesome Zombieland.  Looking at her resumé on IMDB.com, Breslin has played a variety of roles anywhere from the cutesy, Kit Kittredge: An American Girl to bigger roles and leads in My Sister’s Keeper and Little Miss Sunshine.  Of the three ladies at the front to play Katniss, Breslin has the most diverse resumé.  However, she may look a bit too young for the part, and gosh, she’s so darn cute, it’s a bit too difficult for me to imagine her as Katniss.  Still, with her ability to play across a variety of roles, I won’t be too surprised if she lands the role either.  After all, if she can slash up the undead in Zombieland, she could probably do the same in the arena of Panem.

So friends, what do you think?  Who should play the role of one of the toughest, darkest, and most tragic heroines of all modern literature?  I’m going to vote for Steinfeld, but I will not be too disappointed if these other ladies are cast.  They seem to have proven that they have what it takes to play the role of Katniss.  Vote in the poll and explain your choice in the comments.

You’re My Tiny Ball of Light

Just for fun, friends.  This makes me almost like auto tune.  Almost.

Opinions?

Book Review: Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card

Last Sunday I finally finished Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card, a book that has too long been on my “to read” list.  I’d never read any of Card’s work before (aside from an essay he wrote on Snape in The Great Snape Debate prior to the release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows).  I found the book to be a great science fiction read and could really understand why the novel has been so popular for so long.  Card is a master of the genre, really working the scenery and descriptions of space to his advantage.  His words paint such vivid pictures, I could easily imagine myself floating, jumping, and bouncing across the battle room with Ender and his army.

One thing I thought was interesting about the book was how Card took the typical school boy story and put it in a place totally out of it’s typical element (aka British boarding school).  My friend, Travis Prinzi, described it to me as “sci-fi Mormon Harry Potter.”  I thought that was an incredibly odd description, but after reading the book I feel it is apt.  Card’s Mormon beliefs are definitely present through the story, particularly through the process of deification in Ender’s maturation.  (For some good analysis of other LDS fiction look at John Granger‘s analysis of the Twilight series).  The comparison with Harry Potter comes through in the school setting, but also in the demands and expectations placed on Ender.  Everyone is expecting him to save the world.  Very similar in that respect.

Over all, I liked the story a lot.  I’d be interested to read the rest of the series.  I’m a bit under-read in the science fiction department, aside from a multiplicity of short stories and the novels I read in my college classes, so it certainly wouldn’t hurt.

I’d recommend Ender’s Game to anyone looking for a classic of science fiction, solid action, or for those who enjoy LDS fiction.