Help needed for a talk tomorrow!
This week at Sheffield University it is Faith Awareness week and all of the faith based societies have been given freedom to put on events and generally be more overt in inviting people to find out more about their particular faith/religion (it’s usually quite restricted). Well linked with that, Synergy (a Christian society Mosaic Sheffield is linked with), is putting on several events throughout this week. The first was an acoustic and comedy night that happened last night and was a real success, and then tomorrow night we have an event called Life by Hollywood. Here it’s just going to be a one hour event with three short talks built round movie clips. The themes for the three talks are: Life, Choices, and Relationships.
Well here’s the deal: I found I last night that I’m doing the talk on choices! I’m excited by this and looking forward to it, but it’s not a lot of time to think through possible film clips that illustrate the importance of the choices we make in life. That’s where you come in! If you can think of any clips from movies that really illustrate the power of choice which I could either show or refer to, that would be great.
The audience will be a combination of both follower’s of Christ and non-followers and is going to have an evangelistic/discipleship slant.
Any thoughts anyone?
May 3rd, 2006 at 3:26 pm
A couple of obvious ones come to mind right away
- the Matrix Red Pill/Blue Pill scene, where Neo has to choose “how much he wants to know” and the path that he wants to take.
- Another is the Fellowship of the Rings scene where they are just departing the council meeting for the first time with the Fellowship. They are embarking on a dangerous journey, with Frodo “leading” in a sense, but doesn’t know whether to go right or left out of the meeting. Could parallel a walk with Christ where the big picture journey is clear, but the day to day choices aren’t always crystal clear.
Just a couple of quick basic ones that came off the top of my head…good luck, sounds like an awesome event!
May 3rd, 2006 at 3:49 pm
“Hero” depicts this in very colorful fashion
“Spiderman 2″ has a moment of choice
“Run Lola Run” is probably the quintessential movie about choices
“Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” is in this vein
May 3rd, 2006 at 3:49 pm
One clip that comes to mind off the top of my head is in The Shawshank Redemption - Andy the prisoner ends up with a whole case of old records and manages to get into the prison office. He puts on an opera and broadcasts it over the prison intercom system, knowing that he is going to get in serious trouble for it. But he does it anyway. Mozart blasts away inside a prison… and later Andy spends time in solitary confinement for it….
Hope your talk goes great!
May 3rd, 2006 at 5:22 pm
Thanks for these thoughts guys…really helpful.
I had thought of the Matrix clip but we’re using another clip from the Matrix already for one of the other talks, so I’m definitely thinking of something from another movie.
There’s a few Lord of the Rings clips that could work potentially too.
Feel free to keep the suggestions coming…
May 3rd, 2006 at 5:39 pm
Here are a couple more …
“It is our choices…that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities. …” Harry Potter & The Chamber of Secrets
“What makes a man a man, a friend of mine once asked. It’s the choices he makes. Not how he starts things, but how he finishes them.” HellBoy
“What we do in life echoes in eternity” Gladiator
“I wish the ring had never come to me. I wish none of this had ever happened.”
“So do all who live to see such times, but that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time we are given.”
“Stupid is as stupid does.” Forrest Gump
May 3rd, 2006 at 6:17 pm
Sam -
At Origins, can you show me how to put my vox on my xanga automatically?
Thanks
JVD
May 3rd, 2006 at 6:24 pm
Thanks Dean. They are some great quotes. Really helpful.
Joe, I’ll have a look into that and yeah, we can then take a look when I see you during IMN/Origins.
May 3rd, 2006 at 7:29 pm
“Do you know that the harder thing to do and the right thing to do are usually the same thing? Nothing that has meaning is easy. “Easy” doesn’t enter into grown-up life.” The Weather Man (Michael Caine’s quote)
May 4th, 2006 at 12:11 am
I fell asleep watching the movie, but my wife tells me ’sliding doors’ was big on choices.
others off the top,
malcolm x i thought had a good turning point scene when he puts his faith in the nation of islam.
transformers the movie - when hotrod takes the matrix believing he’s the one to open it.
cinderella man - when he decides to box the final match
robin hood - gathering the sherwood folks to fight
there’s lots!
May 4th, 2006 at 10:37 pm
Thanks everyone for all your help with this. I’m just back in from the talk and it was a real success. The evening went pretty well, though wasn’t as diverse a group as we were hoping for.
The clip I went with was the council scene in The Fellowship of the Ring where Frodo chooses to difficult path of taking the ring to Mordor rather than the safe life back home. And then I used lots of the other quotes too. So thanks so much…really, really appreciate your input. Can I keep you all on my research team for future talks?!
May 5th, 2006 at 10:06 am
Hey Sam! Are there any mosaics in Sussex, England?
May 5th, 2006 at 10:15 am
Hi Mark!
As far as I know, Sheffield is the first Mosaic in the UK, with others starting in London and Edinburgh soon. But no, no Mosaic in Sussex as far as I’m aware. How come you ask?