Matt Chandler - Defining Masculinity

I was looking for a sermon today, something to focus my time with God, and I found this on YouTube. It really challenged me as a guy as well as a newly married husband, I hope it has an impact on you too. The next section should be linked at the end of the video.

My summer cinema selections

This summer has been a very good one for movies. There's generally quite a lot of turd on at the cinemas during the (supposedly) sunny months, but I've managed to see the big three I had down on my list, and enjoyed all of them thoroughly.

Inception was the first of trio which I viewed, and found that it lived up to the hype one hundred per cent. It was hard to see much going wrong when you've got Christopher Nolan directing and actors such as Leonardo DiCaprio and Cillian Murphy starring. The mind invasion driven plot was complex enough to keep you interested but pitched just at the right level so that the viewer doesn't get lost. The film works on so many levels, excuse the pun, that I'm sure I'll be watching it multiple times on dvd to pick up on all its hidden facets. My favourite scene would have to be the multi-leveled dream climax, which was paced to perfection, keeping the tension up right to the end. And speaking of endings, Inception's was just what I like: unresolved...

Next on the list was Toy Story 3. I remember going to see the first of the trilogy for my friend's birthday when I was at primary school, and it was amazing to feel the same giddy child-like excitement when watching the final installment as an adult. Although it is primarily a kids movie, Disney/Pixar haven't forgotten the big kids like me who feel like the film is really for them, and have made Woody and Buzz Lightyear's last escapade reflect this very well. The overriding response I had to the movie was laughter. Toy Story 3 is belly-achingly hilarious; the moment with 'Mister Tortilla-Head' had me it stitches. I don't know whether I would go as far as the film critic Mark Kermode and say that the Toy Story trilogy is the best movie trilogy ever made, but the third episode definitely doesn't let the side down. I'm still waiting for a bad Disney/Pixar movie, but I think it could be a long wait!

This last film was on my list of 'must-see' summer movies, but I wasn't sure if I would enjoy it. The film in question is Scott Pilgrim vs the World. Pros: directed by visionary genius Edgar Wright, responsible for Shaun of the Dead and Channel 4's Spaced. Cons: stars Michael Cera, high-pitched and highly annoying. However, Mister Cera totally makes up for everything previous with this film. Scott Pilgrim is one massive geek-fest; a turn-off for some, but the film rang true for me and my inner-nerd. The movie is very humorous, with snappy dialogue and brilliant gaming and movie references, and the fight scenes are full of high-octane action and amazing visuals. I loved the music too, and I think Sex Bob-omb may now be my new favourite band. I will add a disclaimer here: Scott Pilgrim is not for everyone. I think this film will generate a massive cult following, but also be hated and reviled by many. Definitely a Marmite thing. I say Marmite because it's a good 'love/hate' metaphor, but Bovril is a highly superior product. Anyway...

Not sure whether or not to trust my opinions? Check out the ratings for these films on Rotten Tomatoes, a website that compiles critic's reviews, and awards them a percentage rating based on the amount of positive and negative feedback. Post your favourite summer movies in the comments section!

The prodigal son returns

Humblest apologies for my couple of months radio silence. I know it's not a good excuse, and it's the one I always give, but I have been very busy. But then again, I think getting married, going on honeymoon and moving into a new flat are all things that can quite justifiably take up a person's focus. Also having no access to the internet has hampered my ability to update.

That's enough with the excuses, let's get on with things! So, I got married on the 24th of July, which was pretty awesome. The week before the wedding was hectic, what with the culmination of all the planning (my mum had written two notebooks of 'things to do' before the day) and also having my graduation two days before the 'big day'. On the morning of the wedding, I have to admit I was very stressed. But about ten minutes before the ceremony was set to begin, I thought, oh well, if anything goes wrong now, it's out of my hands. And apart from the bumper falling of our wedding car and the T-Rex song 'Get It On' being played loudly outside the church during the vows (Lauren was nearly wetting herself), the day was perfect. The ceremony went smoothly, the reception at Grittleton was great, especially the food, and everyone enjoyed themselves. Couldn't have asked for a better day. Oh yeah, and Lauren looked beautiful.

Then we were off to Rome for our honeymoon, which was also a fantastic experience. The weather was sweltering, but not too hot to enjoy the sights, and the food was amazing. It was really cool to see all the historic attractions, such as the Colosseum and the Pantheon, but I would definitely recommend getting out of the city to places like Ostia, where you can see amazing ruins without the crowds pressing in around you. And I have to repeat, the food was AMAZING! Pasta, pizza, gelato, tiramisu - all authentic and all mouthwateringly good. There were only a couple of negative points, such as our moody driver at the airport and the high prices for refreshments and entrance to attractions, but overall it was a brilliant holiday and a very memorable honeymoon.

Once back from the holiday, Lauren and I got on with moving into our new flat, sorting out our television, internet and phone, and generally settling into normal life. Now we've been in the flat for a month or so, it's starting to really feel like home. I'll be updating you soon on my progress with the novel writing, and also on the films I've seen over the summer.

My Current Preoccupation

So I realised the other day, I haven't updated y'all on my latest creative project. No, it's not the rebirth of Helvetica Outbreak, Britain's premier d'n'b/metal act, sorry to disappoint.

I had planned for quite a while that when I finished uni I would use my spare time (before I get a proper job) to get a head-start on writing a novel. I was going to adapt my science fiction/noir screenplay for this purpose, but I figured that I've spend almost a year working on that narrative and it needs some time to ferment.

Whilst I was pondering what to use as my subject matter, an article in Christian Marketplace, an industry magazine for booksellers and buyers, was brought to my attention. The article was about the lack of fantasy fiction aimed at Christian teenagers, and how there's no viable Christian alternative to the popular specular fantasy sagas like Harry Potter, Twilight and the His Dark Materials books.

As soon as I read this I had the 'lightbulb flicking on above head' moment of realisation; this is what I could write. I started working on my idea and began writing a couple of weeks ago when I got home from uni. So far I have written 17,500 words, with my target being roughly 80,000 words, depending on how the narrative evolves.

I won't give away too much of the story, as I want to plug the gap in the market before anyone else does, and don't want any idea thieving going on! But I will say that the novel is about a Christian teenager who discovers he has the ability to cross over into the spiritual realm, where he is given the task of defeating the demons which manipulate people to sin the physical world. It's pretty dark stuff, but I figure that's what kids like these days. The protagonist also has to deal with the everyday pressures of being a Christian teenager, but I'm trying to avoid being 'preachy' and just sticking to basic helpful life-lessons, as well as encouraging the reader to develop their relationship with God.

There you have it. Like I said earlier, I hope to be approaching publishers by the end of the summer. We'll have to wait and see if I have any success, but I do really feel that this is something God has placed on my heart and that it is a way I can use my gifts to serve Him and bless others.

On another completely unrelated note, I can't wait to see Inception! It looks like it's going to be amazing. When you consider Christopher Nolan's track record, you can't really expect him to go wrong now. I've watched The Dark Knight over and over and every time I find some new aspect of it I didn't see before. Anyway, I think it's safe to say that Inception is gonna be my film of the summer, if not the year.

Also, on the topic of films, I started watching Princess Mononoke again the other day, and had forgotten what an incredible anime it is. If you like Studio Ghibli movies and haven't seen it yet, go and get a copy now, it is a breathtaking classic. Don't know if it's my favourite Miyazaki film, cos Spirited Away and Howl's Moving Castle are also brilliant; and then there's My Neighbour Totoro, who could forgot that. Any movie that contains a cat that is also a bus gets a thumbs-up in my book!

Something strange is happening...

I have found myself bizarrely interested in the World Cup as of late, the strangeness of this concept being that for most of my life I have been decidedly anti-football. The reasons for this stance were two-fold. Firstly, I've never been that good at the beautiful game myself, generally relegated to a defensive position where my usual tactic was to rush screaming at the attacking players (it did work sometimes), and secondly, I just couldn't generate the same level of passion for the sport as my friends. While they were obsessing over league tables and their latest season on Championship Manager (vintage 97/98), and would much rather have read a book or immersed myself in Final Fantasy.

I think the turning point came when I started doing the home delivery job at a certain frozen foods specialist (hint: it's not Greenland). Whilst out in the van I would listen to the radio, and quickly became bored by the monotony and repetition of Radio 1. I don't really know why, but I decided to switch over to Radio 5 Live. I've never switched back. I was initially attracted by the book and film reviews during the weekday afternoons, but gradually I began to take an active interest in the sport commentary broadcasted on Saturdays. It was so funny to see my friends faces when I chipped into their conversations with an actual viable comments about Rooney's performance over the weekend, or something of that nature.

When the World Cup came along, I said the same thing to myself as I do every time England play in an international football tournament; I'm not getting sucked in. This time however, the same as all the other times, I did get sucked in, but not in the way I expected. Rather than just following the my national side's ulcer-inducing scramble into the second round, I actually found myself absorbed in the entire tournament, to the point where I've been filling in a little World Cup planner in a magazine my Dad left in the living room. When the inevitable happened and England were knocked out, I didn't lose interest and pin all my hopes on a certain British tennis player, who in my opinion was never going to beat Nadal this year anyway (see, I also have opinions about tennis too!).

I think this World Cup has been particularly intriguing for me, mainly because of the big upsets during the tournament. When former winners such as Germany lose matches to underdogs like Serbia, it makes you sit up and think, who is actually gonna win this thing? All predictions go out of the window, along with shock early-exiting favourites such as France and Italy, leaving the field very much open to anyone. I guess it feels a little bit like the equivalent of me, a fairly unfit and unskilled player, managing to somehow wrong-foot one of my football-fanatic mates and send the ball sailing into the top corner. So maybe I'm enjoying it because I feel I can relate to the underdog spirit of the lower ranked teams that rewrote the record books by beating their bigger national neighbours into the second round and quarter finals. I was gutted when Ghana lost last night, but at least I was actually enjoying watching the game even though I had no national stake in it.

So there you have it. I'm actually enjoying the World Cup! I feel like the universe might implode from the very nature of that concept. I mean, it doesn't even involve lightsabers! My predictions for the remaining matches are as follows:

Germany will beat Argentina, and Spain will beat Paraguay, meaning it will be Germany Vs Spain in the remaining semi-final. The Netherlands will beat Uruguay and Germany will beat Spain, leading to a final between Germany and the Netherlands, in which Germany will win. Basically I want England to have been beaten by the best side! We'll have to wait and see if my predictions are correct. Post yours below and we'll see who gets it right!