My Top 5 Contemporary Christian Songs

Below are my (current) top five contemporary christian songs.... Enjoy

#5)



Click Here to see the original studio version


#4) The Vow

This is only viewable from YouTube website

Click Here To See Original

#3) Grace Like Rain



#2) Here With Me



#1) Revelation Song


Revelation song...Indiana Bible college

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Linkin Park Rocks - Lookin Forward to Transformers Movie

This looks pretty cool and I now have another reason besides Megan Fox to look forward to the Transformers movie. I know, kinda creepy that an ole guy like me still appreciates the looks of a young girl, hey what can I say? I may be 56, but I ain't dead!

Such a Sucker for American Idol

For those of you who are wondering, yes I am getting back to my top 20 movies that influenced my life. But for today, I am taking a little stutter step before getting back to the Top 20.

I confess, I am a American Idol sucker. So here is the answer to today's question, Whatever Happened to Jordin Sparks? Yes, I did like her and Yes, I did vote for her. So here is her latest video and I like it. Let me know what you think.

Top 20 Movies That Influenced My Life #18

Silverado
Peter Swanson (IMDB) states in his commentary about Silverado that it is “….the western for 12-year-old boys of all ages." And so it is for me. I grew up in the era of the TV Western so it was with some sense of melancholy that I watched this venerable movie and TV genre slowly die out.

I often reflect on what is different about today’s culture vs the culture of earlier generations. I think that much of what we deal with today is a sort of moral ambiguity nothing is “black and white” everything is “shades of grey”. This is why, when I recently had a discussion about the movie “Watchmen”, my daughter pointed out to me that she loved the movie because the characters seemed like “real” people with "real emotions" and "real personal issues". Not some "fake goody two shoes whitewash like you have with some comic book characters". Well try as I might to enjoy "Watchmen", I found myself focusing too much on the technical aspects of the film in a way that ultimately led to boredom. However, I acknowledge that much of the world we live in now is a post-irony, cynical world where all potential heroes are relentlessly scrutinized until their flaw is found. Today the possibility of someone being a completely virtuous hero simply does not exists. This is why, I suppose, that Batman and Spider Man triumph over Superman with today’s movie going youth.

Now, before you get all “grow up gramps” on me, let me say for the record, I do find Batman and Spiderman good entertainment and I do like that the characters have flaws. This is precisely why (in the Western genre) I enjoyed Clint Eastwood’s Unforgiven so very much. It was nothing but shades of grey with no completely right character.

However, let me go back to what I said at the beginning Silverado is “….the western for 12-year-old boys of all ages." As a young boy, I believe it is important to have heroes. Our heroes ought to be clear pillars of the ideals we hope to live up to. So, having Gary Cooper, in High Noon, stand up for the town, when no one else in the town will stand up with him, is a noble selfless act and it is worth us trying to live up to because it is simply the right thing to do.

The Westerns of my youth did that for the most part. I was able to look up to many of these characters like The Lone Ranger, Matt Dillon and the Cartwrights as heroes before having cynicism and sarcasm that marked my late teens and early 20’s kick in.

Silverado came along at just the perfect time in my life. It was 1985 and Westerns in general, especially ones that were done in the style of the “old fashioned” movie and TV Western had fallen out of favor big time. I was 32 and finally able to enjoy something for its simplicity of joy and celebration of more traditional values without feeling compelled to put down those values for fear of looking unhip or uncool.

Silverado plays for me like the Western’s Greatest Hits. It did nothing particularly new. It had all been done before in other movies. Each of the characters reminded me of Western Heroes from the past. Scott Glenn as Emmet channels Gary Cooper, Kevin Kline as Padin channels characters like Paladin, from “Have Gun Will Travel”, and Kevin Costner is simply over the top as Jake, the cocky kid that is like a younger, looser version of Roy Rogers. You round this out with Linda Hunt, Danny Glover, and Brian Dennehy and this is one rip-roaring cast that is just flat out fun to be with.

The dialogue is often brilliant. Consider the following exchange between Padin and Stella at two critical junctures of the movie:

Stella: The world is what you make of it, friend. If it doesn't fit, you make alterations. Paden: I'll drink to that.
Paden: [lifts his drink] To my midnight star. Stella: Cobb's using me to stop you. So good people are being hurt because of me. That makes me mad. Some people think because they're stronger, or meaner, that they can push you around. I've seen a lot of that. But it's only true if you let it be. The world is what you make of it. Paden: I like your attitude. But it can be risky. Stella: I'm ready for that. How about you? Paden: [heavy sigh] I don't want you to get hurt. Stella: He can't hurt me... if he's dead.

Every Western cliché is there. But the way this is performed takes everything up to the highest level. I once had the privilege of hearing Peter Vidmar, the 1984 Olympic Gold Medalist give a talk on how you a achieve a “10” in gymnastics. He spoke that if an athlete did everything technically correct, he or she could only get a 9.4. So it begged the question, how did you get a “10”? He talked about three elements necessary to achieve the “10”. They were Risk, Originality and Virtuosity (ROV) 1) Risk is simply doing something that puts yourself at risk of failure, 2) Originality (demonstrating something that had never been done before), and 3) Virtuosity, the Brilliance of the Performance itself.

It is in the third category that Silverado shines. It takes (and includes) every Western cliché and performs them in a way that has never been done before (or since). So, when I see Silverado, I am instantly transformed into the 12 year old boy, when life was less cynical and people could be heroes.

Top 20 Movies That Influenced My Life #19

Forbidden Planet

I consider Forbidden Planet to be the Father of Star Trek. This 1956 gem had all that a young boy's imagination needed to fuel a sense of wonderment and adventure. It had a dashing young captain, played by a pre-Airplane very straight leading man, Leslie Nielson. It had a beautiful nymph of a young woman, played by a gorgeous, young Anne Francis that had me dreaming of what it would be like to be older for many nights. It had a very intelligent but mysterious scientist, played by Walter Pidgeon who introduced me to the idea that science was needed to understand the questions of the universe and that brute force would lead to disaster. It had the mysterious Krell who were never seen, but play a major role like ghosts in the machine. Finally it had Robbie the Robot, who was both savior and comedian. What was there not to like by an 11 year old boy?

One of the themes I will return to throughout this series of movies that influenced my life is the theme that what makes a movie stand out is that it speaks to me (and perhaps to us) differently as we grow up. So it is with Forbidden Planet. What I saw and understood as a young boy, though engaging and full of wonder, did not come to full fruition until many years later when I understood some of the more thought provoking aspects of this film.

I first saw this on an afternoon on a black and white television. I remember being mesmerized by the dashing and chivalrous captain as he both sought to understand the mysteries of Altair IV, protect his crew, and protect the girl. I was too young to notice the over-acting being displayed. (It set me up perfectly for Captain Kirk when he showed up a few years later.)

Robbie the Robot was both cool and at the same time funny. The "monster" created by the Disney folks for this was both frightening and mysterious.

When I finally got to see this a few years later in a theatre on a summer afternoon, I was truly in popcorn heaven. I loved it it even more. Seeing it on the big screen and in Technicolor was way too cool. When Star Trek came around a few years later, I was primed and ready to go.

Watching it again years later as an adult, I was still able to evoke that innocent childlike sense of adventure but became impressed by the messages and deeper (though not too deep) meaning. Of course, basing anything on Shakespeare is nearly a guarantee that what is presented will be thought provoking. I may not have "gotten it" the first time I saw it, but one of the main themes of the movie is that "thoughts are powerful and can be destructive". The machines of the Krell literally make this true.

So here's to powerful thoughts, beautiful young women, dashing young captains and Robbie the Robot. May we always have adventures of the mind that are thought provoking and never lose a sense of fun!

Top 20 Movies That Influenced My Life

Today I begin a series entitled Movies that influenced my life.

I will write about various movies that I have seen in my lifetime and how and why they impacted my life. Some impacted my life because they were thought provoking, some influenced my life because they were stunning in their originality, others because of where I was and who I was with when I saw them. All of them had an impact and continue to evoke strong feelings in me even today. This is not necessarily about the "greatest movies" from a critical perspective, rather it is about thoughts on movies that shaped me in terms of who I am, what I learned about myself or others and how I view this artistic form.

I start with number 20:

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Most people know that this "spaghetti western" was one of the best character study tales ever done. Why did this movie have such an impact on me? The main reason was that this was one of a handful of movies that I saw with my Dad where we both walked out with one of those "Wow" moments. My Dad would often say to me, let's go to the movies. It was his way of spending time with me doing something that he knew my Mom would not probably enjoy. One of the earliest movies we ever saw together that I remember was the first James Bond movie, Dr. No. I couldn't believe it, I was maybe 10 or 11 years old and my Dad, I mean MY DAD, was taking me to a "grown up" picture.

I don't remember how many Bond flicks we saw together, but we saw a lot and we shared that great sense of adventure and just a wee bit of naughtiness, kind of like we were two men and girls were just not allowed into our clubhouse.

What makes TGTB&TU stand out in these primal male outings was the sheer scope of what Leone did. By the time we got to the infamous "Mexican" standoff at the end, you could feel every muscle movement of each of the characters, no matter how slight. When my Dad and I walked out at the end we were nearly exhausted from the tension. I remember clearly that the ride home we were both silent. We knew we had just witnessed something special and in our way, so much was said between us in the silence of the drive home.

Years later we would talk about that experience and express our opinions about what made the film such a technical triumph as I began to better understand film making and what went into a great film. Still, I can not think of or watch this film without being taken back to that time when I sat silent in the theatre next to the person who, in the way he reacted to what we saw on the screen would convey to me much of what it is to be a man.

Werner Erhard on est

Empty and Meaningless

Finding a Great Videographer

When you are planning your event, you want to ensure that everything is perfect - that includes the pictures and the video. So, you go through countless hours of searching out the perfect components. If it is a wedding, that would cake, dress, rings, invitations, and so on, until you come to the videographer. How are you to find a great videographer that won’t break your budget? Well, here are some tips and ideas to help you find a great videographer cheap!

1. Talk to your photographer. If you have already hired a professional photographer, talk to them about videoing your wedding as well. Most photographers these days will also provide a video service if you only ask.

2. Talk to other friends who have recently gotten married or used a video service. If you have friends or family members who have recently gotten married, ask them who video taped their wedding. Chances are that you will find the names of a couple of great videographers in town that will provide great video of your wedding and reception that won’t be too expensive.

3. Search the yellow pages. While you might have to make several phone calls around town to find the right one, searching out the best one for the best money will be to your advantage.

4. Ask the people at the shop that supports your event in a wedding the bridal shop where you are purchasing your dress or tuxedos. Since these people deal with everyone in the bridal and wedding industry on a regular basis, they can steer you in the right direction for a videographer. You can usually find that the viedographer will have a special deal with the bridal shop and you will get a discount for mentioning that the bridal shop referred you.

Check out the URL on the left for help in finding a Videographer in your area.

Adapted from "Wedding Strategies" website.

Grandfather to the Modern Music Video?

I am including as one of the greatest music videos ever is the "Ticket to Ride" sequence from the movie Help, featuring the Beatles. Technically this is not a "music video" but it is perhaps the first that put together most of the elements of the modern color music video. Now some would argue that the sequence from "A Hard Days Night" that features the songs "I Should Have Known Better" and "Can't Buy Me Love" were music videos in the making, but the difference here was the additon of several elements of them singing the song intercut with comedic sequences. The addition of color was also a terrific bonus.

In any case, these two early Beatles films set in motion standards that were dramatically different than the typical musical up to this point. As MTV and music videos began to be displayed in the early '80s, you can see many of the whimsical elements first demonstrated here echoed in the works of others. One example of a video that may owe some heritage to "Ticket to Ride" was the "If This is It" from Huey Lewis and the News from the '80s.

Mike Relm - Everytime

For my first video review, I am choosing Mike Relm's Everytime. What if you woke up to find everything normal but then you realize it isn't. What I like about this is it makes a point that without context nothing is what it seems. How many times have you stepped into a situation and you think you know what is going on, only to find out that everything you assumed to be true was not.



So Watch the video and see what I mean. Let me know when you first realize that there is more to this story than watching a beautiful woman rise in the morning.

JWS

The Party

Another Sweet Charity treat is the Party sequence. Here notice the extreme hand gestures used by the dancers. A Fosse trademark.

Big Spender

Big Spend is one of my posts on You Tube. I love this sequence. Sweet Charity is a film that as a whole is dumb and contains all of the things we hate about old fashioned musicals ie bursting into song for no reason in public settings. However, this has some of the most intriguing choreography ever. It is when Fosse truly became Fosse on the screen.



The brilliance of this sequence is that Fosse has taken all of the seductive expressions of women, the things that drive us guys crazy and exaggerates them together into a set of visuals that both reveals the pathetic mechanics of the sexual come on and the mind numbing routine for these women. To them, Its a job. They can't wait to get it over and go back to their lives. While they are here, their minds have checked out. There is no involvement with their mark. It is a transaction. For all intents and purposes, they may as well be robots.

It both shows extreme sadness, both for the girls, for whom this is a "job" and the losers who waste their time with these leeches.

This reminds of a sequence from "The Grifters" in which Annette Benning when confronted with coming up for the rent money in her apartment, takes the property manager in for a "ride". As they are engaged in the act, the guy asks her, "What are you thinking?" As she stares at the ceiling while he does his thing, she says "The menu at" some restaurant.

Next time you see a Victoria's Secrets ad, think of Big Spender and know all are being manipulated.

JWS

Snowden Video Productions

Welcome to Snowden Video Productions. In this blog I will do my best to provide commentary on the world of videos along with some comments on the greatest films every made.

For my first, I am going to share George Michael's "Father Figure". I chose this one because it is a classis amalgam of sexy stunning images. Something that I love about it is that both George and the model are treated with equal sexiness. Too many videos, especially from that time frame have women who are THE object of the video. This one speaks to longing desire and makes both the man and the woman intrguing. Let me know your thoughts.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4WK2WfZj1q8