Here is what they misunderstand about culture (and more specifically, the arts): it is precisely because we do not have a Secretary of Culture, that our music dominates the world scene. The arts are not a top-down endeavor. American political imperialism is fading, yet American culture still thrives. Now I would agree that this is unfortunately often to the detriment of native arts. Somehow, the arts are one of the few facets of life we have managed to keep relatively pure. (I obviously don’t have cookie-cutter, ex-Disney types in mind. I’m actually talking about culture and art) And when the government (and our neighbors) shackle real culture, those fully invested find a way to free it. When meddlesome cooperates kill a medium, artist create a new one. When it no longer works this way, culture dies.

Tom views his art as a form of social action. Ethical issues aside, Tom’s work does bring up the question, “What role does art play in effectual social action?” Maybe more specifically, “What is the place of art in current Christianity?” It seems anecdotally that through most of history [at least Western history] artist have been on the cusp of societal change, especially in the church. What about today?

Let’s dispense with the bad news first. The dialogue was cheesy, the plot was thin, and most of the characters were forgettable. No one should be surprised by this; I know I wasn’t. The same criticisms could be launched against the original show, (along with 99% of shows form the 80’s for that matter). Face it. Options were limited. Americans were bored. The car was cool. We still watched. Today, however, this is a much graver crime.

I also thought some of the effects were thin in this new Knight Rider. KITT jumps?? Not well. And the napalm-like bomb…what was that all about?

And I’m not sold on the new storyline either. Michael Knight’s “estranged” son, Mike Traceur, played by former soap star Justin Bruening, lost part of his memory in Iraq. (Apparently not the how to kick butt part.) His past comes back to haunt him in the middle of a mission and his FBI watchdog fakes his death. Of course, he now takes on his dad’s name (that seems like a good cover) and returns to the covert business of international hardcore-ness.

Now, I’m not a prude, but the sexuality of this episode seemed a little forced and unnecessary. Okay, a lot forced and not at all necessary to move the story along. I guess they thought that would attract a few more views.

With all of that out of the way, the good stuff. KITT looked good. The Cobra was tough. The transformations were great (even the truck…it was all very slick). I’m looking into getting an attack-mode kit for the Volvo.

I haven’t given up hope; you can’t judge a series by its premiere (we can collectively agree to ignore the two-hour “special,” can’t we? and pretend this was the very first we had seen of this new Knight Rider). Honestly though, NBC needs to kick Knight Rider up a notch. Today’s audience won’t tolerate shallow characters, cheesy dialogue, and meandering plots…at least not for long. Just ask disenchanted Lost fans. Let’s be open-minded and give it a few episodes and see where Knight Rider takes us.

I wonder how Germans feel about Justin?

While the message of Christianity should be one of life and resurrection, I wonder if we aren’t running the same risk sometimes.

It concerns me that so many American Christians seem to want our government to function as an arm of their church. A Secular government is obviously not the answer. I’m not sure is a neutral government is even possible, although it seems to me to be preferable. For now, I am challenged by the words of Romans 12:18, “If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.” Oh to have a government that sought the same.

So, back to National Treasure 2.

If I were to say I was disappointed, that would imply I had high expectations. I should probably lead with the fact that I don’t like Nicholas Cage. Somehow, he seems to land great roles in great films, but I’m not a fan. The writing was flat. The plot was predictable. The story was weird.

That being said. If you liked National Treasure, you probably like National Treasure 2. It was a fun way to waste 124 minutes.

For more technical details on the PS3’s improvements, check out Ben Kuchera’s article “They Say It Got Smart”on arstechnica.com.

I was in San Diego for the National Outreach Convention in November and got a chance to hear Rick McKinley from the Imago Dei Community speak. One thing he mentioned was the Advent Conspiracy. The basic idea is people spend less on Christmas, give relational gifts, and give their money to a good cause (in this case, making clean water available to those in need around the world).

Maybe instead of giving useless junk, no one needs as gifts this year; we can be a little more thoughtful and come up with meaningful ways to give.

For those of you not familiar with the Transformers franchise, I will give a brief history. In 1984, a line of toys was launched. To promote these new toys, they also started TV Cartoon and Comic Book series. I was four when this happened, and it was a significant childhood cultural phenomenon. The basic idea thought behind the toys and accompanying series involved alien robots who disguising themselves as earth machines, some bent on destroying humanity (the Decepticons), others on protecting it (the Autobots). Transformers had so much commercial success, other companies began importing similar toys into the US.

The Cartoon series ended in here 1987.

Needless to say, I was excited to hear Transformers would be on film.

The visual effects lived up to the hype. The bots looked amazing! The interplay between CGI and live actors was great. This film brought the cartoon to life. There were even a few tidbits of consistency with the original series thrown in for the geeks watching the film. For instance, Bumblebee (originally a VW Bug, who got a much needed overhaul and is a Camaro in the recent film) was still the first Autobot to encounter humans. The film also did a decent job filling in some of the blanks. Why do these alien robots look like common vehicles on earth? They have the ability to analyze and replicate machines they encounter, of course. The only drawback to the film was the goofy dialogue and predictable plot, minor inconveniences. The film was shot with a extremely dramatic feel, which the storyline just did not deliver.

The film came out the week of the Forth of July and scored nearly $153 million that week alone. But should you see it? There is a lot of violence (albeit digital robot violence), some strong language, and sexual tension between the leading actor and actress. It is rated PG-13 for a reason. I do not recommend you take your young children to see Transformers. But, any respectable child of the 80’s or Comic/Si-Fi/Action fan should check it out before it leaves the theaters.