Movie Group – Page 6

4/28/19 ~ Movie Watchers Discussion Group: Gandhi

April 28, 2019

Rev. Jay McCormick led this group discussion with this month’s movie, Gandhi, starring Ben Kingsley, the beloved Indian leader who stood against British rule over his country. Gandhi was dedicated to the concept of nonviolent resistance. Mahatma Gandhi remains a dimly understood historical figure. A lot of us know he was a great Indian leader without quite knowing why and such is our ignorance of Eastern history and culture we may not fully realize that his movement did indeed liberate India, in one of the greatest political and economic victories of all time, achieved through nonviolent principles. This film reminds us that we are capable of the most extraordinary and wonderful achievements, simply through the use of our imagination, our will, and our sense of right.

Here is a link to the play sheet that Jay McCormick created for the movie. Read play sheet for Gandhi.

3/24/19 ~ Movie Watchers Discussion Group: The Sea of Trees

March 24, 2019

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Rev. Jacquelyn Eckert led this group discussion with this month’s movie, The Sea of Trees, starring Arthur Brennan (Matthew McConaughey), an American professor, who travels to Japan in the midst of a personal crisis. As he wanders through a mysterious forest with a dark past, he experiences flashbacks of his fraught but loving relationship with his wife, Joan (Naomi Watts), and meets an enigmatic stranger, Takumi (Ken Watanabe), who is lost and injured. Arthur devotes himself to saving Takumi and returning him home to safety, and the two embark on a spiritual, life-changing journey of friendship, discovery, and healing.

2/24/19 ~ Movie Watchers Discussion Group ‘Joe Vs The Volcano.’

February 24, 2019

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Rev. Jacquelyn Eckert leads this group discussion.

This month’s movie, Joe vs. The Volcano, stars Tom Hanks, as Joe, a squashed bug of a guy under the heel of a hideous corporation, working in a dehumanizing job. Then everything changes in this romantic comedy about courage and a man’s soul … of a man coming back to life on a journey that takes him halfway around the world. At its heart, this movie is a fairy tale filled with travels and travails, obstacles and the overcoming of them, adventure and romance, symbols and archetypes. It’s a deeply searching and existential film that doubles as both a satire and a romantic comedy. It is a deeply moving, almost transcendent film.

1/27/19 ~ Movie Watchers Discussion Group ‘Revolver’

January 27, 2019

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Rev. Jacquelyn Eckert leads this group discussion.

This month’s movie was a favorite, Revolver, directed by Guy Ritchie. To the casual observer, it seems to be a crime-thriller involving gangs, gambling, cocaine trafficking, a high-stakes heist, murder and revenge. However, to the discerning spiritual student, it is one of the best films ever made about letting go of ego and awakening to pure, undisturbed peace. One spiritual commentator nicknamed Revolver as “The Formula to Enlightenment.” Even if you’ve seen this movie before, we recommend watching it with subtitles on so you don’t miss a thing.

12/23/18 ~ Movie Watchers Discussion Group ‘Stranger than Fiction.’

December 23, 2018

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Rev. Jacquelyn Eckert leads this group discussion.

This month’s movie was “Stranger Than Fiction,” starring Will Ferrell, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Emma Thompson and Dustin Hoffman.

The movie is an endearing comedy about the spiritual transformation of a rigid, shy, and lonely I.R.S. agent whose life is upended when he begins to hear a narrator speaking inside his head.

11/25/18 ~ Movie Watchers Discussion Group ‘Little Buddha’

November 25, 2018

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Rev. Jacquelyn Eckert leads this group discussion.

This month we revisited the movie “Little Buddha”, starring Keanu Reeves, Bridget Fonda and Chris Isaak. Regina requested that we watch this movie again this month as it offers an opportunity to explore topics we are examining as we read NTI Revelation for Gentle Healing.

This movie tells the story of Siddhartha, later known as the Buddha. It traces his spiritual journey from ignorance to true enlightenment. Interspersed with this story is the story of Lama Norbu who comes to Seattle in search of the reincarnation of his dead teacher, Lama Dorje. His search leads him to young Jesse Conrad, Raju, a waif from Kathmandu, and an upper class Indian girl. Together, they journey to Bhutan where the three children must undergo a test to prove which is the true reincarnation.

9/30/18 ~ Movie Watchers Discussion Group ‘Brother Sun Sister Moon

October 1, 2018

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Rev. Jacquelyn Eckert leads this group discussion.

This month, we revisited a movie we have seen before, “Brother Sun Sister Moon.” This is a dramatization of events in the life of St. Francis of Assisi from before his conversion experience through his audience with the pope, including his friendship with St. Clare

8/26/18 ~ Movie Watchers Discussion Group ‘Peaceful Warrior’

August 26, 2018

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Rev. Jacquelyn Eckert leads this group discussion.

month, we revisited a movie we have seen before, “Peaceful Warrior.” Dan Millman is a gifted young athlete bound for Olympic gold who will do anything to be the best. Driven by success, Dan has got it all: trophies, fast motorcycles, fast girls, and wild parties. But Dan’s world is turned upside down when he meets a mysterious stranger in a gas station who holds the power to tap into new worlds of strength and understanding. The young man discovers that he has much to learn and even more to leave behind in order to master this new vision of greatness.

6/24/18 ~ Movie Watchers Discussion Group ‘Mr. Nobody’

June 24, 2018

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Rev. Jacquelyn Eckert leads this group discussion.

Mr. Nobody is a film that explores deep concepts of time, the universe, mortality, memory, and humanity. Mr. Nobody is a tale about choice. Nemo, a nine year old boy, has been thrust into a position where he must make an impossible decision – to choose between his mother and father. In the seconds preceding the rest of his life he wonders where each choice will take him. The dilemma that causes the film’s main problem (not knowing the future) once solved makes it all the more difficult – “I don’t know the future, therefore I cannot make a decision. Now that I know the future I still cannot make one”. The movie takes a four-dimensionalists view of the nature and existence of life in the universe. Each decision thus branching off creating an entirely separate alternative universe. The film also makes good use of chaos theory, string theory and the butterfly effect to accentuate the lack of control we as individuals possess. The film portrays a life where we are all subject to chance, to the dimensions by which we construct our reality (height, length, width and time), and to the imagination of our former selves. Please note, one critic describes this movie as one “that constantly engages the mind and rewards repeated viewings.”

Next Month’s Movie

Next month’s movie is “The Invention of Lying.” Our next movie discussion group is the 4th Sunday in July, which is July 24

5/27/18 ~ Movie Watchers Discussion Group ‘Faith Like Potatoes’

May 27, 2018

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Rev. Jacquelyn Eckert leads this group discussion.

”Faith Like Potatoes” is an inspiring true story of a rugged South African farmer, Angus Buchan, is set in the turbulent hills of the KZN Midlands. Angus’ manic quest for material success is slowly transformed into a wild love for God and people, as he wrestles with faith, hope, natural disasters and tragic personal loss.

Next Month’s Movie

Next month’s movie is Mr. Nobody. Our next movie discussion group is the 4th Sunday in June, which is June 24

Link to Regina’s notes