Archive

Belle

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June 6, 2014 Third Way

Amid the superhero movies and raunchy comedies, the Cineplex occasionally sneaks in a quiet, “inspired by a true story” film. Such is Belle, which is based on the story of Dido Elizabeth Belle (Gugu Mabatha-Raw), the illegitimate mixed-race daughter of a Royal Navy admiral.Belle deals with the racism that existed then, and we view it with a self-righteous disdain for their backward ways. But it doesn’t confront us with our own racist structures today.

Looking at Your Mate with Fresh Eyes

June 5, 2014 Melodie Davis

When I asked him why he was looking at me so weird, he said, “I was just wondering, if I were a stranger, whether I’d want to go out with you.”

A Troubling Lack of Accountability within U.S. Border Patrol

May 30, 2014 Third Way

On April 12 th of this year, approximately 40 people gathered around a white metal cross in Nogales, Mexico, close to the U.S. border fence. Eighteen months earlier, a 16-year-old boy named José Antonio Elena Rodriguez was killed by U.S. Border Patrol in that spot, the cross erected in his honor. Rodriquez was walking to meet his brother late one night in October 2013. He was shot multiple times through the fence by the U.S. Border Patrol, mostly in the back. Border Patrol claims he was throwing rocks, though witnesses on the Mexican side of the fence say he was […]

The Immigrant

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May 30, 2014 Third Way

Director John Gray channels Russian novelist Dostoevsky’s ghost in his film The Immigrant. While the plot is relatively simple, the film is a portrayal of spiritual and psychological struggle.The story plays with clichés, like that of the innocent prostitute, but Cotillard’s performance and the screenplay mostly avoid this, so that the characters feel real.

Call Me Forgetful and Newly Grateful

May 29, 2014 Melodie Davis

Since having a baby last November, I have had many little pity parties because of the cramped conditions in our townhouse.;;

Competing for a house

May 29, 2014 Celeste Kennel-Shank

Nurturing those communities, with our time and energy as much as physical spaces, is the point of all the resources with which we are entrusted.

Bears

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May 23, 2014 Third Way

My bother and I once asked my dad if we could watch a show on TV, and when we named the show, Dad thought it seemed like a reasonable request. I was probably six and my brother 10, and we couldn’t believe our luck, we could finally switch the channel from PBS. We retreated excitedly to the basement, turned on our 13-inch black-and-white TV and watched in awe as a green giant (or so we had heard he was green) busted up walls and wreaked havoc.Narration can certainly enhance a documentary, but Disney insists on obvious jokes and gags that […]

How Do You Solve the Heated Dilemmas of Family Life?

May 22, 2014 Melodie Davis

How you handle these issues in terms of discussion and resolution may depend on how anger and conflict was handled in your own family growing up.;;

The Railway Man

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May 16, 2014 Third Way

Many of us take forgiveness for granted, accepting and offering it without much thought. But what if we faced a truly horrifying wound? Could we then forgive?The film ends up confronting our own lust for vengeance as we identify with this character.

Two Steps Back on Food Aid Reform

May 16, 2014 Third Way

Jesus’ teachings about helping those in need are constant throughout Scripture.