New Blog - Jonathan Paper

I have started a new blog called Jonathan Paper.
There are already 5 posts at Jonathan Paper on Home, The Chronicles of Narnia, a DreamWorks Animation movie, The new comedy The Big Sick , Les Miserables.

All those titles are links, so take a look at my new blog at JonathanPaper.com!

If you use Wordpress, please subscribe and visit often - new content is on it's way!

Disney Pixar's Cars 3: Movie Review by Jonathan K

I would like to say a few words about Disney Pixar’s Cars 3.

Pixar knows how to make the feels. They draw you in with a simple story about relatable characters who you grow to care about in a short amount of time.

There I was in the theatre today, caring about an annoying yellow car, caring about her hopes and failures, hoping for her dreams and disappointments.

There I was in the theatre feeling all sorts of things about aging, relevance, belonging, priorities and friendship, while listening to a captivating score by Randy Newman. (At several times, his score reminded me of all the good parts of the Toy Story soundtracks.)

Yes, the animation is gorgeous because they pile tens of millions of dollars into it. Yes, in the back of my minds, I know Disney just wants to make me feel good so they can make more money from me (and like they need any more!).  But this is such high quality storytelling, it almost makes me forgive them for their blatant lack of respect for their fans in many a dodgy direct-to-DVD sequel and slap-dash licensed merchandise (and for ditching the Chronicles of Narnia franchise, but that’s another blog…).

This film is the best of the Cars trilogy. After the Best Picture Oscar-nominated Toy Story 3 and now this wonderful Cars 3, I am in high hopes for any future movie Pixar makes as a third instalment in a series. As a cute child said to me when I worked in a school, “I’ve seen Finding Dory, and Finding Nemo, but I haven’t seen Finding Marlin!”

If you’re reading this, John Lasseter, I will definitely pay to see Finding Marlin, should you ever discover the future classic story that you will tell about Marlin and his family.

I am aware this is a glowing review. But I could not find fault with Cars 3.

And don’t even get me started on the accompanying short, “Lou”, which I enjoyed the most out of any Pixar short since Partysaurus Rex and Day & Night. I hope you enjoy it like I do. Seriously good. Just see it.

The Iron Giant: Movie Review by Jonathan K

I watched The Iron Giant today and I enjoyed it greatly! This was a 1999 Warner Bros. animated film which was recommended by Josh Lindsay and Skye Jethani on The Movie Proposal Podcast on YouTube. I had never seen it before. I had hardly heard of this film until recent years. 

The animation is bold, crisp and well-acted. Most of the visuals are traditional animation and I believe the Giant is CGI. The film looks very expensive because the animation is such good quality. Events like snow and sunset are used to good effect.

The score is practical, purposeful and carried me along the journey. I gladly went for the ride.

It was a pleasant surprise to see that Jennifer Aniston acted as the voice of Hogarth's mother. She did a good job of the worried mother without being cliched. The Friends sitcom was airing at this time, and was also produced by Warner Bros.. This makes me wonder if Aniston had a role in animated film as part of her contract with Warner Bros.. The actor voicing the boy called Hogarth did well too. The execution of his character would have been a stereotype of a young boy, except for the innocence and depth that the actor brings to the part.

The story of The Iron Giant is a strong, simple, meaningful story which is strongly and confidently told by Brad Bird. I know he also directed a couple of Pixar Films, and the panned Tomorrowland. I can see how he was given large projects, given how he handled this modest one with such superior storytelling skill.

The Bishop and the Robin: A lesson from Narnia and Les Miserables

What do a French priest and a Narnian robin have in common?

Without the priest in Les Miserables, our hero Jean Valjean would never become mayor of a town, where he grew in respect and influence.

Colm Wilkinson as The Bishop
Photo Credit: wingclips.com

Were it not for the gift of the valuable silverware, Valjean would never have met the fragile prostitute Fantine and wouldn’t have had the opportunity to help her in her dying days.



Without the devout man of God, Jean Valjean would never meet Cosette, his adopted daughter.

Without the French bishop, our hero Valjean would never grow to love Marius like a son.

A robin
Photo Credit: https://au.pinterest.com/pin/83598136802899504/

Without the robin in The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, the four children would never have met Mr and Mrs Beaver.

Without the silent bright red bird’s courage to be seen in the wood (even some of the trees are on her side!), the kids would not have met Aslan, the mighty lion.

Without the brave bird, the Pevensies would not have come to their place as the king and queens (and high king) of Narnia and the Lone Islands.

Edmund would remain a bully, Tumnus trapped in stone, and Narnia a dangerous, scary place.

The robin appears on three pages of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Three pages out of two hundred.

The Bishop of Digne appears in only 1 song out of 30 in Les Mis.

The Kindness of a Stranger
Picture Credit: theodysseyonline.com

Who are you a bishop for? It does not matter that you are only in one scene. You have made a difference.

For whom can you be a Narnian robin? A guide in the right direction. A bearer of truth and provider of help.

Don’t underestimate your encouraging word, your small kind gesture and the opportunity to do so.

Reading Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis - Some Highlights

I am a big fan of the Narnia Chronicles by C.S. Lewis (as you can tell with what I wrote at this link). I read them all at least twice as a child, and I also enjoy the radio drama adaptations by Focus on the Family and the films to some extent. I have previously had the chance to read some of Lewis’ essays about faith and the church. But it wasn’t until this week that I ordered Mere Christianity and began to read it.

Something that surprised me is that Lewis’ writing is still easy to read, 64 years after it was published (and 74 years since the original radio broadcasts were aired). As I read, I can easily follow his train of thought – and his arguments flow naturally onto the page. If someone had asked me last month of books to introduce to a seeker of Christianity, I wold have recommended Strobel’s The Case for Faith and The Case for Christ, or something like the Alpha Course. However, having read seven chapters of Mere Christianity, I would now recommend it to someone wanting to know what the Christian believes.

What I find personally convenient, is that each chapter was originally one episode of Lewis’ broadcasts on the BBC in the 1940s. This means that they are each a similar length. In the edition I am reading, each chapter is about six pages long. This is handy for me, because I can read one chapter in one sitting, then go and get a drink or do some random housework, and then come back to read the next chapter. This is my preferable reading style. It is similar to TV with ad breaks!

Another thing that surprised me is the number of apparent typos within the text I am studying. I am planning on contacting the publisher when I have finished the book to inform them of the location of each typo, which hopefully can be edited out for the next edition.

I enjoy C.S. Lewis’ writing style in both the Narnia books and also in his Christian work for adults. I am enjoying reading Mere Christianity, and would happily recommend it to anyone. I enjoy reading easily digestable chapters, and I am looking forward to read the rest, and maybe move on to Lewis’ other writings for grown ups.

Top 5 VeggieTales Silly Songs since you grew up

VeggieTales, the outrageously popular animated Video series created by Phil Vischer, was at it's peak of success between 1999 and 2002, when Larry-Boy and the Rumour Weed and Jonah: A VeggieTales Movie were released.

You might remember the famous "Silly Songs With Larry" segment which was where this classic song came from:

But they've still  been making VeggieTales since you finished 5th Grade. What gloriously clever Silly Songs have been released while you grew up?? Here is my Top 5. As one of my friends said, when I showed him this list said, "This will be a feast for my eyes and ears!"

Top 5 VeggieTales Silly Songs since you grew up!

5. "Sneeze If You Need To" was the only good thing about the worst VeggieTales DVD ever called "Abe and the Amazing Promise" (That's what you get when you ask an editor to direct!) But I'm glad this song is here because it's delightful! I love the movement of Bob rolling around the set - but why would he roll? You'll see in the video below:





4. "Astonishing Wigs" is the most underrated Silly Song ever! It is a simple little video but it's very well executed:





3. "Donuts For Benny" was a satire of overly sentimental Christmas songs (and it's lit really nicely, in my opinion!):




2. "Pizza Angel" is Classic VeggieTales! Inspired by 1950s Rock Ballads a la Grease - I love it!





1. There's one line from "Monkey" that will get stuck in your head - in a good way! "If it doesn't have a tail..." - wait, I don't wanna spoil it for you!





I trust you have enjoyed my presentation of these links. Leave a comment below to give me your opinion. Or are you like me, and never grew out of VeggieTales? Leave me your Top 5 Silly Songs since 2002 in the comments!

Have a great day - go on a walk! You might see a monkey (or some astonishing wigs!)

 

Henry - A Narnia Story

Fiction relating to The Chronicles of Narnia. Written by a lifelong Narnian.

Maria looked up at the large house. She thought that it looked very interesting. Her mum hurried her in, as the tour was already inside.

Maria lagged behind at the end of the tour. There were about 15 other people, all trying to seem interested in a painting of a horse. When they went upstairs, Maria saw a sign pointing to the library. She liked books, so she went in.



It was a large room with books on shelves lining the room. She went over to a shelf and noticed a book that interested her. It was blue with no title, and rather thick. It was stuck in the shelf, so Maria pulled harder.

Maria landed on the floor with a loud noise. She looked towards the doorway. Had anyone heard? But then the bookcase started to move out from the wall. Startled, Maria jumped up. When the case stopped, Maria stepped through the gap.

Inside the doorway was a room with a four-poster bed in it. “Oh no,” thought Maria. “I've stumbled into the Professor's bedroom!” But she then saw that there was a thick layer of dust on the floor, with no footprints in it.

She turned around to leave, but on the way she saw a plaque on the bookshelf. It read:

TO FIND OUT ABOUT A WONDERFUL CREATURE CALLED HENRY, 

LOOK UNDER THE PILLOW.

Maria was curious about this creature, whatever it was. So she carefully walked over to the bed and looked under the pillow. Under it was a plain notebook with the simple title “Henry”.

In it was a story about a dog with arthritis. He had belonged to the Professor when he was a boy. He chased cats that were trying to eat birds, but he in turn did not hurt the birds. Henry was in great pain at nights because of his arthritis.

Maria started crying in the middle of reading the story because it was so sad. But at the end, she felt heartbroken.

Henry died by falling down a sewer. He was chasing a big cat who was about to kill 5 sparrows. The boy was not watching Henry because he was thinking about his mother who was extremely sick.

Maria put the book back and walked out of the room. She was able to push back the bookcase and leave the room for the next lucky visitor to Henry's memorial.

VertiGo - A Wall-Climbing Robot Including Ground-Wall Transition

Who knew that Disney did all this cool technological research? (See Video Below):

I can see it now, coming to theatres:

Big Hero 7: Baymax and VertiGo Team Up!



AntMan Vs Vertigo

VertiGo Go Gadget!


And will VertiGo be a new toy for photography at an angle, like a Selfie Stick??





And I've been watching Arrow Series One. Is the name a D.C. reference? If it is, it's unintentional!

How To Get Married Without Saying "I Do"

It's pretty easy.

Just have your celebrant frame the questions so you say "I Will" instead.

I learned this by experience LOL. 

Two Piano Pieces Composed in September 2015

Disney and Faith: The Hunchback of Notre Dame

There is a scene in Disney's The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996) set inside the titular French cathedral, in which the gypsy woman Esmerelda (voiced by Heidi Mollenhauer) sings:

“I don't know if You would listen

To a gypsie's prayer....

God help the outcasts

Hungry from birth

Show them the mercy

They don't find on earth

God help my people

We look to You still

God help the outcasts

Or nobody will.”

These are very Christian words, from the Hollywood studio which at the time was being boycotted by some large Christian groups in America, including the Southern Baptist Association, for the supposedly negative values the company espoused. Was this song part of a plan to bring back large sub-demographics of the American nation back to Disney movies?

Whatever the motive behind these lyrics in Hunchback, on the surface they seem quite authentically Christian.

Photo Credit: Pinterest.com

The pious parishioners pray in the same scene:

“I ask for wealth

I ask for fame

I ask for glory to shine on my name

I ask for love I can possess

I ask for God and His angels to bless me”

The writers of this song paint an accurate picture of wrong motives in prayer and worship. These characters are self-interested, and greedy for wealth and fame. What a truth that we still need to experience now, 20 years after the movie was released. There is a reason that Christians have had the label of “hypocrite” - some of us have been hypocrites! But every time a follower of Christ is genuinely kind, helpful and loving, this can change someone's perception of Christians – and Christ.

Pixar Theory - Is Riley's Mom in Monsters University?

This would be my first addition to the growing Pixar Theory. You can check out Jon Negroni's original Pixar Theory here.

I was watching Monsters University for the first time yesterday and I noticed this character in one of the final scenes (spoiler alert!):

And I recognised this woman – it's Riley's mom from Inside Out!

Picture Source: DailyMail.co.uk

Really? You might say.

Let's see how this appearance in Monsters University fits into what we know about Riley's mom in Inside Out.

We know that Riley's family lived in Minnesota before they moved to San Fransisco during the plot of Inside Out.

We know there are some woods in Minnesota.

"We need assistance on the north side,” Riley's mom is heard as saying during this action scene during the climax of Monsters University. It turns out that there is a place in the States which includes part of Minnesota, called the Laurentian Mixed Forest Province, also known as the North Woods.

Da Da Dum!!!!

This is a little clue.

It would seem that the door Sulley and Mike have gone through leads to an orphanage in the Minnesotan woods some time before Riley's family moved to San Fransisco. This makes sense because Riley's mom looks a little younger in this scene than in Inside Out.

What do you think? Is Riley's mom really this cop in Monsters University? She could have worked there sometime before the events of Inside Out. I would love to read your comments below.

Picture Source: TheDisneyBlog.com

Movie Review - Fantastic Four (2015) - Jonathan On Paper

Photo Source: hdwallpaper.in

 This week I saw the new Fantastic Four movie. I was intrigued as I went it to find out what had made this movie less successful in it’s opening weekend than the first two Fantastic Four movies (2005, 2007). It made $25.7 million on the first weekend, as opposed to the first movie’s equivalent takings which were $56 million (more than double). 

Photo Source: Xmovies8.tv

This week I saw the new Fantastic Four movie. I was intrigued as I went it to find out what had made this movie less successful in it’s opening weekend than the first two Fantastic Four movies (2005, 2007). It made $25.7 million on the first weekend, as opposed to the first movie’s equivalent takings which were $56 million (more than double). 

The problem with Fantastic Four (2015) is that it never feels like a superhero movie. It has a negatively mysterious mood, which is aided by the gloomy colour tuning and depressing feel at times. The heroes’ super powers are painted as curses, not benefits. It takes a long time to get into any action and takes too much time setting up the story and the characters.

Fantastic Four has the Marvel logo at the start, but it is co-produced by 20^th Century Fox, not Disney like the other Marvel cinematic universe movies. It seems like Fox was trying to buy into the current success of Disney’s Marvel series (while already owning the rights to this property). 

But this never feels like a Marvel movie. It has some humour, but it is not the wise-cracking happy sense of humour as in the Avengers and Ant Man. The action was never really fun. Fantastic Four’s main issue is that it doesn’t know when to be silly and when to be serious. It was is too serious.

Photo Source: hdwallpaper.in

|

Somebody was trying to make some dough out of Fantastic Four, but they missed. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it! If you want to make money out of a Marvel movie, make it like Disney does – hilarious and heart-warming with epic cartoony action.

@Steve_sipple

Is It True That Disney Never Makes Original Films?

I recently heard a comment that made sense, at first. The comment was along the lines of, “Walt Disney never made an original story.” I thought, “Yes, that’s right, he made movies from existing stories such as the fairy tales of Snow White, Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty, and from books like Pinocchio and The Jungle Book.” Fast forward to our lifetime, and the films were very similar to this – think the tales of Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin and ancient legends of Hercules and Mulan.




On the surface, this comment sounded true. But I now realize, it wasn’t!

The same person said once that Walt Disney’s films were controversial at the time of release, because he had made his own unique version of the traditional stories. Prior to his films, there were multiple versions that circulated around. Snow White might have had a different ending, or Cinderella might have had an extra subplot or an additional detail. People were quite comfortable with these varying versions of the tales.

And here came along Walt Disney saying, “Here’s my version, and that’s what the story is now!”

So now I see, this person who said both these things contradicted himself somewhat.

My argument is that, in creating unique, standout stories - loosely based on existing stories, Walt Disney was indeed being original and creative. Aren’t all artists inspired by something in the first place?


I will leave you with this quote:

Even in literature and art, no man who bothers about originality will ever be original: whereas if you simply try to tell the truth (without caring twopence how often it has been told before) you will, nine times out of ten, become original without ever having noticed it.

~C. S. Lewis

3 Essential Words to Include in Your Life

Words that are important to me, and swirling around in my head this week:

I think these are essential for building good character. If we are humble, we can learn better. Wisdom helps us make better decisions. If we can learn, we are more understanding and loving to people around us.

Let us know in the comments below, which themes are iconic and central to your life?

New Music: Levi McGrath "Don't Lose Your Heart"

I am a big fan of Aussie social justice musician Levi Mcgrath. I have followed his music since his first release “Move” in 2007. I have seen him perform live a number of times, including his recent supporting gig for Third Day and needtobreathe on their Australian tour earlier in 2015.

Levi often travels overseas to parts of Africa to bring music and hope to some people there. You can check out his stories at his youtube Channel: Levi Mcgrath on YouTube


Here is Levi’s latest single, which reached the Top 10 on Australia’s Hot 25 Countdown nationally, “Don’t Lose Your Heart”:

levimcgrath.com.au

Galaxy Buck Teaser Trailer

Movie Review: Big Hero 6.

When Disney Enterprises purchased Marvel a few years ago, there was plenty of new creative material to add to Disney's production schedule. Some examples are The Avengers 2: The Age of Ultron (2015) and it's associated superhero stories. But they also now owned the rights to a whole library of comic books and graphic novels.John Lasseter saw some pitches from Disney creatives  and decided to make Big Hero 6 - an action comedy with a big heart.

Baymax and Hiro.

The creative aspects of this movie are splendidly excellent.The visual design is delightfully colorful but also classy and appealing. It has an aptly dramatic and emotionally moving score created by Henry Jackman (X-Men, First Class & Wreck-It Ralph.

This movie is well-crafted in it's writing - it is very funny. Many of the jokes are to do with the robot Baymax's unique way of thinking and saying things. Technical aspects like Baymax running out of battery power also give the audience lots of laughter.

There are grand, almost spiritual themes explored such as self-sacrifice and serving others. 

There is a theme of "the darkness within" as a character wrestles with the desire to seek vengeance on another character.  covers deep and personal themes of loss, family, friendship. 

I really enjoyed it. As a Disney movie, I found this was better than Frozen and way, way better than Wreck-It Ralph. There was fun and exciting action that adds to the story-line The movie also appeals to a slightly more mature audience than the other recent Disney films. This is due to the sophisticated story-line and more relate-able characters.

One thing I would say at this point is that it is refreshing  to see a young teenager depicted as the main character instead of a older teenager or young adult. This gives a different perspective to the story. It is also nice to see an animated Disney movie set in a modern city world, rather than a fairy-tale kingdom (Tangled, Frozen) or a fantasy Video Game world (Wreck-It Ralph. There was nothing wrong with those settings for those stories - but this dynamic is something I enjoyed with Big Hero 6.

I'm looking forward to finding out which other new stories Disney brings us - whether they be from Marvel's story bank or elsewhere. And I boldly declare it - we are definitely in a new golden age for Disney animation!

And one last thing - if you like extra scenes in the credits, then stay in the theater through the credits, and I don't think you'll be disappointed!

The Top Ten Christian Genre Films: My Response

In this article I will be giving my thoughts on this list of the top-grossing Christian genre films of all time:

"Christian Movies at the Box Office"

Let me introduce you to the most popular Christian themed movies of all time: The top four on this list are 

1. The Passion of the Christ

2. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

3. The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian

4. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

These movies' place on this list are no surprise. Aside from The Passion, which was funded by Mel Gibson as I understand, the other three are multi-million-dollar-budget movies funded by Disney, Walden Media, Fox and Dune Entertainment. So with marketing budgets 10 times as large as most independent film budgets in their entirety, it is no surprise they can take in over $1.6 billion as a series, worldwide. The Narnia movies are also based on a successful book series known worldwide - and not only known in church circles, but to most people.

Next :

5. Heaven is For Real

6. God's Not Dead

7. Son of God

These three films were all released in 2014. Together they brought in $210 million for their studios - including Fox and Sony. These movies represent the maturity in the current Christian independent film industry. PureFlix, producers of God's Not Dead, has already released dozens of small budget movies for the Christian market. And this year they were somehow able to draw the crowds (and $60 million).

The marketers of Heaven is For Real initially thought the ceiling for a film like this could be $50 million, after the release of Courageous in 2011 only brought in $34 million. I am sure they are pleased that their expectation was exceeded by almost double.

Number 8 - Soul Surfer - is in the same category as these 3 mentioned above, and released by the same company as Heaven is for Real (number 5) and Courageous (number 10). This made a healthy $43 million.

The odd one out here is the Christmas-themed The Nativity Story, produced by New Line Cinema in the wake of The Passion of the Christ to cash in on this new-found Christian audience. Perhaps missing the mark in a few places (the films mood and pace are two issues), this film was most likely a loss for the studio, despite it's place in the Top 10.

A few notes - it's not usually all about the money for me, however in the entertainment industry, if a product doesn't sell, there will not be further opportunities for similar products to be produced. And a well told story deserves to be seen by many (hence why many Christian produced films should not be popular).

I am encouraged to see where this movement will go. Here's hoping we see lives and hearts changed by the stories that are told.

Christmas in the Summertime: #Thoughts

I grew up in the northern hemisphere, so summer holidays for me were from early June to early September: 3 months of holidays, water fights and watermelon.

Now I'm Down Under, which means that summer holidays are now a bit shorter, but with an added bonus - Christmas!

Chrismastime in the winter is magical - it literally lights up winter. I remember ice on the roads on Christmas Eve, and snow on my birthday a few weeks later. Christmas in Australia still has the lights, the trees and the gifts, but in my heart of hearts, I would prefer a white Christmas:

Watch Michael Buble: White Christmas.

It's funny though - although Christmas Day itself is in late December, many of the recent Christmas days recently have been cooler than expected- or had more dastardly weather like a hailstorm in 2010.

Christmas in Australia has it's own quirky songs:

Watch Colin Buchanan: Aussie Jingle Bells

The food in Australia at Christmas falls into 3 categories: Traditional, Cold or BBQ.

Traditional: The usual ham and turkey:

Cold: Seafood or salads and cold ham"

Or a good old Aussie Barbecue!

I loved my childhood wintry Christamases, and though I would prefer those today, I still value and enjoy the family time in the sun, with the flies, sunscreen, backyard cricket and the occasional hailstorm, making an Aussie "White Christmas".