Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Kayfabe and the desire to believe

Kayfabe…the reality of professional wrestling.  It’s wrestlers staying in character to put on a show.  It’s the reality of their gimmicks, their feuds, etc.  It’s their portrayal that everything they do in the ring is real.
To truly enjoy professional wrestling, you need to suspend your disbelief in what you are seeing.  You need to believe that one man wants to fight another for a specific reason, and this reason can only be settled in the ring.  You need to believe that these men are pushing themselves to their human limits for a real purpose, not to put on a fake, choreographed fight.  It’s the story of the match that sucks you in and makes you suspend that disbelief.  It’s the performance that keeps you at the edge of your seat, waiting to see what will happen next. 
It’s not often fans get taken to that place anymore.  As a kid, I wanted to believe.  Each and every match was real.  As an adult, it’s rare when I watch wrestling with the same feelings I had as a child.  With the internet, news feeds, twitter, etc., it’s hard to suspend your disbelief and “enjoy” wrestling when kayfabe is broken over and over again.  With Wrestlemania coming around the corner, I have been watching more wrestling with the hope that I will once again be able to believe (even for a moment) that what I am seeing is for real.
In the world of Kayfabe, the Undertaker is 19-0 in matches at Wrestlemania.  This incredible record is affectionately called “the streak.”  For the last two decades, this man has been unbeatable on the greatest stage of the wrestling world, Wrestlemania.  Three years ago, Shawn Michaels, largely considered to be the greatest modern day in-ring performer, challenged the Undertaker at Wrestlemania but came up short.  The next year, he demanded a rematch and put his career on the line versus the streak.  Again, he fought valiantly but lost and retired from professional wrestling.  Last year, Shawn’s best friend, multiple time world champion HHH challenged the Undertaker at Wrestlemania.  HHH used chairs and sledgehammers to destroy the Undertaker in a brutal match, but like his friend, came up short and lost.  HHH walked out of the ring the loser, but the Undertaker was unable to walk at all after the match. 
As we build towards Wrestlemania, it has come time for the Undertaker to defend his streak once again.  He wants to prove to himself that he is the better man and can beat HHH.  HHH wants one more chance to be the man who ends the streak.  Shawn Michaels has been made the special referee for the match.  Even though he is known as “Mr. Wrestlemania,” Shawn wasn’t able to end the streak.  In his quest to beat the Undertaker, he had his greatest failure and lost his career.  Is he jealous that his best friend may accomplish the one thing he couldn’t do in his career?  Does he want to be the one to help end the streak by any means necessary?  Or, will Shawn call it down the line?  Will the Undertaker keep the streak alive?  Will HHH finally put an end to the Undertaker's reign over Wrestlemania?
Is all of this real?  No, of course not, but these men are doing what they do best.  They have made me want to believe, if only for a short while, that this match means everything to all three of them.  They are fighting over something beyond a championship.  They are fighting over their legacy as professional wrestlers. 
Only a few more weeks, then I’ll know if the streak ends.  Then I can come back to reality…


Monday, March 5, 2012

Thoughts on the movie Courageous

Normally I watch movies for escapism, not realism.  However, on occasion, I do stray away from your run of the mill zombie apocalypse or alien invasion for more wholesome, family cinema.
A few days ago my wife and I watched the Christian drama “Courageous.”  Like other movies from Sherwood Pictures, the majority of the cast are not professional actors but members of Sherwood Baptist Church in Albany, Georgia.  Don’t let that deter you from watching this or any of their other movies.  You watch their movies for the message, not because you are looking for a cinematic masterpiece.
***Relatively Spoiler Free***
The story centers around four sheriff’s deputies who begin a journey in examining fatherhood and the need for the father to be the spiritual head of the home.  We have the father of two kids who is too busy for his oldest son, the father who feels the need to protect his family, the father who doesn’t have custody of his son, and a young man who seems to be distant when discussing issues of family.  Each has their own story and viewpoint on the meaning of fatherhood.  Eventually we meet another character named Javier who joins our deputies in their spiritual journey.  Javier is a good man, who is down on his luck, but has faith that the Lord will provide for him and his family.
An unfortunate tragedy bring these five men closer to one another and to God, and they all eventually take on a resolution to be the father that God wants them to be.
There are plenty of subplots in the movie with drugs, gangs, stolen evidence, etc.  They all really serve as backdrop for the movie to get its points across (and they will; you will get constantly reminded if somehow you missed the message).  God wants you be an involved father and to honor Him in everything you do.  Your children need that positive influence in their life.  Not having that positive, spiritual influence potentially sets them up to fail in life.      
At times, the film suffers from plot holes and a lack of coherent plot structure.  There is a whole lot that one can criticize about this movie, but if you are doing that, then you are missing the point. 
I think every father can somehow relate to at least one of the main characters in the movie.  That’s what makes the movie work.  You want to see these men stand up for God and succeed as fathers.  You are rooting for them to set the bar high and achieve it.  Hopefully, you will want that for yourself as well.
For me, I don’t want to be a “good enough father” as the movie mentions.  When I am dead and gone, I want my children to have nothing but positive memories of me.  I want them to remember a father who protected them, loved them, and demonstrated for them how to honor their heavenly Father in all that they do.  Courageous reminds me why it is so important to achieve this kind of parental legacy. 
Courageous fills a need that can’t be found in so many modern movies.  If you are in need of a positive, uplifting spiritual movie, check this one out.   You won’t be disappointed.