Tis the Season

Well it is that time of the year again. When Hollywood rolls out the hype machine for all the summber blockbuster movies. Unfortunately, the last couple of years have been overwrought with either sequels or remakes of a) movies that don't need to be redone/reinterpreted or b) crappy tv shows. It is getting harder and harder to find fresh new material on the silver screen. Factor in the cost of tickets and refreshments, it is likely you can spend upwards of $30 to sit there for two+ hours and see a complete work of trash. Instead of this happening to you, I encourage all my readers to use their money to support independent films. Chances are you'll get an original and entertaining story.

A couple weeks back, the OFOMOL and I decided to take a risk on a small, low-budget film, Michelagelo's Message. Chances are if you blinked, you missed it. It wasn't in theaters long and didn't do much. Of course that is not surprising since it was based on a book by the same name that sold very little. The author, David Black, was able to option his novel into a screenplay. This was a strategic move by him because the movie challenges the basis of Christianity and the Catholic Church.

The plot focuses on the paintings and works of the artist (not the mutant ninja turtle) Michelangelo, particularly the Sistine Chapel. The movie contends that this work (and others that he did) are more then merely objects of art. There is a system of messages encoded into these works. Whoever is able to "decode" these works will discover the secret of Christianity. The movie also talks about how Michelangelo was part of a Brotherhood of Secrecy. This brotherhood knew the true origins of Christianity and used this to gain leverage and money within the church.

So that is the basic premise of the movie. There is more but I won't bore you with the minutie, after all I'd like you to see the movie also. Now before seeing this movie, I had never heard of any of these things. It is amazing that we are first finding out about it. I'm not the best Catholic in the world (who is, but that's what confession is for) but I do go to church every week (mostly) and try to live by their teachings. I'm shocked that I've never heard any of this before. I knew the church is powerful, but to keep all this underwraps for 2000 years, kudos to you! Yes I know that this is a work of fiction, but the whole story is extremely believable. Some may argue that the connections are convoluted and that there are assumptions made everywhere that shouldn't be. But you know what? I'm convinced. I know that the author [David Black] has no historical religious educational background, but he's watched numerous specials on the History Channel and the Discovery Channel, so I'm willing to accept what he's given us as fact. He's done his homework. It is a shame, however, that he hasn't been able to exploit his book/movie to fill his own coffers.

So I encourage you to read this book or see this movie. The more people that do, the more will be convinced, and we can start to put pressure on the church to reveal the truth behind their teachings. I never knew a movie could affect me so much, but this one has. I hope it has the same impact on you.