Two major releases this weekend have Arkansas ties. Ready Player One stars Tye Sheridan whose second film was starring in Little Rock native Jeff Nichols’ Mud which was filmed in various locations near Stuttgart and Dumas. God’s Not Dead: A Light in Darkness was filmed in Central Arkansas. Both films used featured local actors and extras as well as productions crew members.
Ready Player One is everything fun about geek/gamer/nerd culture rolled into one film. Steven Spielberg takes us on another incredible journey. In the year 2045 people escape their harsh reality in the Oasis, an immersive virtual world in which you can be anyone, do anything, and go anywhere. Before his death, Oasis creator James Halliday (Mark Rylance) left behind an Easter Egg in the game that is designed to be found by someone who would make a worthy heir to his immense fortune and control of the Oasis. When Wade Watson (Tye Sheridan) unlocks the first key to the puzzle, he and his friends are thrust a dangerous game that takes place in the virtual world and the real world.
Want to see Doc Brown’s DeLorean in a race with Bigfoot, the Bandit’s 1979 Trans Am, the Tron light cycle, and Mad Max’s Interceptor? Want to see a virtual world with characters like Batman, Batgirl, Robocop, the Iron Giant, the Master Chief from Halo, and Goro from Mortal Kombat walking around everywhere? Ready Player One is your film but beyond that, it’s an adventure with lots of cool stuff in it.
Steven Spielberg is the master of the cinematic experience but beyond that, each one of his films has a tremendously well-told story behind it. As with most of his films, you start off enthralled by the spectacle of Ready Player One but you’re quickly grabbed by the story.
In the third installment of the God’s Not Dead series, God’s Not Dead: A Light in Darkness, Pastor Dave (David A.R. White) is released from jail following his contempt of court charges from the previous film and finds himself and his church under attack more than ever. When a tragedy strikes the church, the fire becomes more intense than ever requiring Pastor Dave to turn to his estranged brother (John Corbett) for help and opening old wounds to find the faith to move forward.
The coolest thing about the movie is seeing all the locations around Little Rock where they filmed the movie and trying to figure out where certain locations are. You can recognize Robinson Center standing in for a courthouse, the Broadway Bridge, Doe’s Eat Place is referenced by name (and seems to be the only restaurant in the fictional city of Hope Springs, AR), Two Rivers Park, the UCA campus, and certain other part of the downtown Little Rock area. I counted at least 6 people I know or recognized as background actors and a few names in the credits that were on the production crew. All the locals who were a part of this film should be proud of their contributions to it.
God’s Not Dead: A Light in Darkness had me until Pastor Dave made an appearance on a YouTube show hosted by Dana Loesch. Dana Loesch is the national spokesperson for the NRA. I chalk that up to the filmmakers knowing who their audience is but it struck me as the wrong message to send. Here’s why: The messaging of the NRA and Dana Loesch seem to be in opposition to the message of God’s Not Dead: A Light in Darkness which is a message of love, forgiveness, mercy, and grace not “they’re coming for your guns and you won’t be able to protect your family anymore”. The film was wrapped before the shooting of Parkland and the widespread vilification of the NRA and I’m willing to concede that the makers of this film aren’t endorsing a platform or taking a side but I do have to wonder why Loesch was in this film as herself.
Despite that misstep and that occasionally it loses itself in the naivete’ of some of its characters (which I can discuss with anyone who has seen the film because of spoilers), the messaging of the film is still clear and positive. The filmmakers ask why God lets bad things happen and the answer they provide isn’t clear but I’m pretty sure it’s so we can learn more about love, forgiveness, mercy, and grace. The phrase “God is good all the time and all the time God is good” is used throughout the film and I think the message of that is that even when we are at our worst moments, when everything is against us, there’s still an opportunity to show love, to forgive, to grant mercy, and to show grace and that’s where God shows up. That’s where you find him and where he’s truly good. God doesn’t always show up as a burning bush or a pillar of fire but in the small moments, that’s where God can be found.
I will now hand over the podium for some announcements that can also be found in your bulletin…
Last week, I interviewed David A.R. White and John Corbett about making faith-based films, the legacy of God’s Not Dead, and their favorite things about Little Rock. You can watch that full interview below:
