Entertainment Media Archives - Page 24 of 50 - Jonathan's Blog From The Source

Clips

Posted on: 08/18/11 12:04 PM | by Jonathan McKee

Okay, I’m a big proponent of anything that helps adults initiate discussions with kids. I’m an even bigger fan of something that is mobile.

Let me introduce you to “Clips.”

Sure, I usually plug stuff to you that’s free. But this is $2.99. That’s close enough to free!

For those of you who love apps, you’ll love this. “Clips” is an app that helps you use scenes from a popular movie to kick off discussion. I’ll give you an example. I just watched Battle Los Angelos with my own kid last week. I looked on “Clips” to see if they had it- they did (you can search by Title, Topic, or Favorites). “Clips” offers a brief description, then provides you some quick q’s along with a few scripture suggestions.

“Clips” is in the beginning stages, so their list of movies definitely needs to grow. But I already saw movies like Toy Story 3, Tangled, The Dilemma, and The Blind Side on their list, to name just a few.

Definitely worth the $3.

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Pre-Blessed Food

Posted on: 08/17/11 6:46 AM | by Jonathan McKee

It’s funny how this generation of young people actually will just sit around and watch You-Tube videos. My daughters will frequently just hang around the computer with their friends saying, “Oh wait, have you seen this one!” And then they click another video.

YouTube has created quite a few “celebrities” that are known… just for being funny YouTube video creators. One of these is a guy named Julian Smith. This guy, growing popular from his “Hot KoolAid” video, has become quite an internet sensation. My girls find him hilarious. And I gotta admit, he’s pretty funny (and has kept it clean as far as I have seen).

Here’s one of his videos that I’d actually show at youth group to kick off a talk on prayer. Funny stuff:

Side note: apparently he received a little negative feedback from some about this video. Here’s his personal response to that feedback– a little insight.

Posted in Entertainment Media, Faith, Humor, Prayer, TV | | Leave A Comment

First Person Shooter Video Games

Posted on: 08/15/11 4:51 PM | by Jonathan McKee

Should parents oppose or embrace video games?

In a world where over 90% of young people “game” in one way or another (with 91% of tween boys and 93% of tween girls playing games online), how can parents keep up with which games are appropriate and which games aren’t? And how do parents decide how much game time is too much? Parents vary in their opinions. While some parents see video games as competing with grades or social time, other parents see video games as an opportunity to bond with their gaming kids. This Fast Company Magazine article goes as far as to say, “PlayStation is the New Playing Catch.”

Parents consistently ask me questions about discernment with video games, especially those “first person shooter” games. That’s one reason we just launched a brand new VIDEO GAME REVIEWS page on our parenting web site (We now have almost 200 game reviews up already).

Even with resources like this available, parents still seem to be curious of my personal “stand” on video games. For example, last month someone was reading articles on our www.TheSource4Parents.com website and asked me the following question using our new ASK THE SOURCE page:

Jonathan,

I’d love to hear your thoughts on first person shooter video games.

My 14 year old son says everyone in his discipleship group plays them and even his d-group leaders talk positively about Black Ops and other M-rated games that they play… even during d-group sessions.

When I was 14 my parents took away my beer t-shirt and my Cheech and Chong album with pot stashed in the car door, and looking back, I’m glad they did.

But my son had a fit when I took away his Teen rated Goldeneye 007 first person shooter Wii game. I couldn’t believe it was rated T. Lots of research links violent video games to more aggressive behavior in teens. But more importantly than that, I look at verses like Psalm 11:5, Matt. 5:21, Gal. 5:22-23, and Phil. 4:8, and I can clearly see that playing a “game” for 12 hours a day during summer vacation where you are endlessly seeking to shoot people in the head is not what brings about a life of love, joy, and peace.

I’d love to hear your thoughts about this! Thanks so much for all the help you give to us as parents out here.

John

I thought this was a really good question. I get asked this question so often, I thought it would be good to post my answer. Here’s just a snippet:

John,

As for your question about video games–good question… and a common one.

We live in a “gaming” world now and parents are now faced with the responsibility of teaching our kids discernment about what games to play and what to avoid.

Let me first say, opinions on this subject will vary greatly. That’s why our new video game review page on www.TheSource4Parents.com will actually never say “let your kids play this” or “don’t let your kids play this one.” We’re just going to tell you the facts: a brief description, and then blurbs about “what parents should know about…” violence, language, sexual content, and spiritual content. Then the parent can make an informed decision.

We talk a little about the game industry in one of our recent Youth Culture Window articles, The Dominance of Video Games, giving parents specific advice on making informed decisions about purchasing video games and talking with our kids about making good media decisions.

As for me personally, it’s been a journey with my son. When he was younger, we stuck to Mario and Donkey Kong. But as he got into junior high, his desire for some of the shooting games like “Call of Duty” and “Halo” became more intense because all his friends played those games. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think we should give in to our kids every desire. If my son’s friends all watched the Hangover movies, it doesn’t mean that we should consider letting him watch it just because “everyone else is.” But there are certain times in our journey as a parent where we’ll need to address certain desires more than others. When my son was in junior high, he didn’t give a care about girls, but he longed to play first person shooter games!

To make matters more difficult, his junior high youth pastor played “Halo” with all the junior high boys at “Halo Night” events. I’m not saying that is a bad thing– but that did make my job as a parent more difficult because now, if I said, “Sorry Alec, you aren’t going to play this game.” …then I was really going to be the bad guy! After all, everyone, including his youth pastor, was playing this one!

So I did a little research on the subject. Here’s how I suggest parents research video games…

CLICK HERE FOR THE REST OF MY ANSWER ABOUT
TEACHING OUR KIDS VIDEO GAME DISCERNMENT

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iTunes Reading

Posted on: 08/13/11 12:31 PM | by Jonathan McKee

It’s funny how many requests I received in the last year for my books in e-format. More and more people are reading ebooks on their iPads, nooks, kindle, etc. (My mom and dad just bought a nook for their trip to Greece)

My parenting book, Candid Confessions of an Imperfect Parent, just (finally) hit iTunes in their iBookstore! I’m excited because a lot of people have requested it in that format.

Now I have 5 of my books in their bookstore!

For those of you who still like good old fashioned physical books (like me), just jump on our website’s RECOMMENDED BOOKS page, we have 8 of my books available there.

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Apes, WW2 Soldiers, Kids with Super 8 Cameras…

Posted on: 08/8/11 2:54 PM | by Jonathan McKee

This has been a pretty good summer for movies, with a large number of family-friendly-flicks available.

This is refreshing news for parents, because if we learned one thing on Fox’s Teen Choice Awards last night (here’s our recap of what you can learn about pop-youth-culture from the Teen Choice Awards), it’s that kids are watching more raunchy (and R-rated) movies than ever before.

It’s nice to know that we have a few decent picks in the smorgasbord of movie choices. Here’s a glimpse of some of the ones I think are worth it for families with links to my full reviews from our MOVIE REVIEWS & QUICK Q’s page:

1. Rise of the Planet of the Apes: For parents of teenagers, this film is a fun option. Those of you who follow me on Twitter received my tweets from the midnight premier of this film last Thursday night. I brought my own three teenagers to the opening and all of us enjoyed it immensely!

The film avoided any raunchy talk or sexual situations. Parents will just want to use discernment because of the PG-13 violence. I give my detailed thoughts about Rise of the Planet of the Apes as well as some discussion questions here.

2. Captain America: I’ve already blogged about how refreshing Captain America is compared to other films of late. Here’s a film with good ol’ fashion values, emphasizing the importance of internal character over external features. This film is probably one of my favorite films of the year for provoking discussion with kids. It’s an easy conversation piece because most kids love the film and it’s not preachy in any way.

We provide some good discussion questions you can use in our detailed review of the film.

3. Super 8: This film was probably my favorite film of the year. I would have no hesitation bringing teenagers to this film. The most objectionable thing is the swearing. Sadly, kids are so used to swearing these days that the PG-13 language in this film hardly will phase them.

J.J. Abrams (Star Trek, Mission Impossible 3 & 4, TV’s Lost and Fringe…) brings this wonderful story to the screen, a nostalgic tale of a group of kids in 1979 (yes, I was a kid then) who are shooting a super 8 film when they witness a catastrophic train crash. Soon, inexplicable events begin occurring and this small group of friends start to uncover the truth.

This film reminded me of what E.T. was to me in 1980 (a little language in that one too), a really fun and suspenseful film.

Todd wrote up a full review and discussion questions for this film here.

NODS:
I think we would be remiss to not give a nod to a few other films like Cowboys & Aliens (this film has a great scene that provokes discussion), Mr. Popper’s Penguins, Kung Fu Panda 2, and Thor.

VIDEO RELEASES:
I also have to mention some great family options for rent:

Soul Surfer (amazing film)
Rio
Arthur (yes, this film surprised me big time!)
True Grit

I’m sure I’ve missed some, but those are the films that I was compelled to tell you about… from one movie fan to another.

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During Shark Week!

Posted on: 08/2/11 4:26 PM | by Jonathan McKee

Has anyone else noticed the timely release of Soul Surfer this week… during Shark Week?

I don’t know about you, but Shark Week is always a fun time in my house each year. Maybe it’s because Alec and I both loved sharks as a kid, or maybe it’s because each of us has some deep dark fear of what’s beneath us in the ocean. Regardless, the TV in our house is tuned into The Discovery Channel this week to watch special after special about sharks, shark attacks, shark repellent… you name it. And what better week to release Soul Surfer, the incredible true story of shark attack survivor Bethany Hamilton.

Some of you might remember me blogging about my experience bringing my family to see Soul Surfer in the theatre. We’re a bunch of film nerds in my family (seriously- if you bring up a good film to my 13-year-old daughter Ashley, she’ll probably tell you who directed it), so we’re not easy to please. Soul Surfer did the trick.

If you haven’t seen this film yet, definitely rent it this week, have a bunch of kids over and watch it. We even provided some fun discussion questions in our official review of the film on our Movie Reviews and Quick Q’s page.

Posted in Entertainment Media, Family, Movies, TV | | Leave A Comment

No Consequences- A Glimpse at the Top 10

Posted on: 08/1/11 11:56 AM | by Jonathan McKee

Every week or so I like to take a little tour through iTunes’ top 10 songs just to familiarize myself with the content of the most popular songs that young people are saturating in day after day. This morning, I thought I’d take you on this tour with me. I won’t hit every song… but I’ll give you a birds’ eye view.

The first thing I notice is what songs are still hanging on the charts that have been riding the charts for weeks (or months) now.

The #1 song, Party Rock Anthem, by LMFAO (yes, that acronym means what you think it means), is still #1 and has been for weeks, actually months now. This song also claims the #1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart where it has sat for months (it’s been on that chart for 18 weeks now).

The video is also one of the most popular videos (currently #2 on iTunes, playing teeter totter with Katy’s Last Friday Night) and features some amazing dancing. The video isn’t very raunchy (other than the typical girls in revealing clothes gyrating), but the song offers some interesting lyrics that most our kids know pretty well after 18 weeks of hearing this song again, and again, and again…

In the club party rock, lookin’ for your girl? She on my jock
Nonstop when we in the spot, booty movin’ weight like she on the block
Where the drank? I gots to know, tight jeans, tattoo ’cause I’m rock ‘n’ roll
Half black, half white, domino, game the money, op-a-doe

Yo, I’m runnin’ through these ho’s like Drano…

Lyrics like these usually slip under the radar of parents. Phrases like “on my jock” (which usually means that she’s my girl, often implying sexual activity) and “running through these ho’s” (ho’s is kindly bleeped out of the video lyrics) are just subtle phrases typical of this genre. Kids would most likely call this song “clean,” after all, no cusswords. But the message of the song is clear: partying, drinking, and dancing is where it’s at! And if you think that sounds innocent, then keep reading the lyrics:

One more shot for us, another round
Please fill up my cup, don’t mess around
We just wanna see you shake it now
Now you wanna be, you’re naked now

Enough said.

The #3 song, Last Friday Night, by Katy Perry has also been on the top of the chart since mid June. The song has been on the Billboard Hot 100 for 9 weeks, currently sitting at #2 there. This song, another drink, party… and then do it all again next weekend song clearly pounds the message “our actions have no consequences.” No need to dissect this song, I already blogged about it and it’s still #1 video mid June when it first hit #1.

The #7 song, Super Bass, by Nicki Minaj is another song that has been in the top 10 for literally months. The song sits #4 on the Billboard Hot 100, a chart it has been on for 13 weeks now. The video is #4 on iTunes and shows Nicki and her girls half dressed giving what would best be described as lap dances to a bunch of guys. The lyrics are actually deemed “explicit,” no surprise with lines like this:

He just gotta give me that look, when he give me that look
Then the panties comin’ off, off, unh

Nicki rarely refrains from this type of talk.

The #9 song, Give me Everything, by Pitbull, has also been on the top of the chart for months. The song has been on the Billboard Hot 100 for 17 weeks now, currently riding at #3 (#2 last week).

The song simply says, “Give me Everything Tonight” over and over again, and I assure you, he’s not ordering condiments for his hot dog (no pun intended).

The #10 song, Rolling in the Deep, by Adele, is the king of this particular cluster of songs. The song has been in the top 10 for literally half a year, riding at #1 for much of that. The song is currently #5 on the Billboard Hot 100, having been on that chart for 29 weeks now.

This song is well-written, agonizing words from someone recovering from a breakup. It’s one of the few songs on the top of the charts that I actually like right now.

But the iTunes top 10 also features some newcomers, including the #2 song, Lighters from Eminem and Bruno Mars. The song officially is by a group “Bad meets Evil” which is Eminem and fellow Detroit rapper Royce.

I am really curious to see if they will produce a “clean” version of this song, because the song is so stuffed full of curse words that I don’t know how they could really pull it off. It’s typical Eminem: great beat, very poetic… and filthy.

Another newcomer to the top of the charts is Tonight Tonight, by Hot Chelle Rae. This #4 song was featured on the #1 show on television last week, America’s Got Talent as the group performed it live. I predict the song, now 15 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, rising even higher on the charts.

The lyrics are pretty synonymous with the others in the top 10:

We’re going at it tonight tonight
There’s a party on the rooftop top of the world
Tonight tonight and were dancing on the edge of the Hollywood sign
I don’t know if I’ll make it but watch how good I’ll fake it
Its all right, all right, tonight, tonight

I woke up with a strange tattoo
Not sure how I got it, not a dollar in my pocket

Sound familiar? Have fun tonight, party, dance… wake up the next morning not knowing what happened.

The rest of iTunes top 10 are easy to evaluate yourself. Britney Spears with her typical mindless “I’m gonna lose control” droll, and Lil Wayne with a surprisingly tame song. I encourage you to give these songs a preview and Google the lyrics.

The message seems clear to this younger generation: party, dance, have fun… no consequences. And seeing that these charts reflect the most purchased songs in circulation right now, I can’t help but wonder… do parents really know what their kids are listening to?

Hmmmmmm.

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Why Captain America is a Better Hero

Posted on: 07/25/11 9:46 PM | by Jonathan McKee

As I sit and type this, my 13-year-old is with her friends at the movie theaters. I don’t blame her– movies are a fun choice on 90+ degree summer days. Summer movies are almost a rite of passage for some teenagers. Sadly, there isn’t always a good selection of appropriate movies available.

If Transformers III is any indication of what kids are supposed to watch these days, then we’re all in trouble (my rant about that film here). Sex, eye-candy, bad-attitude and crude humor are commonplace for most films today.

Well, don’t be discouraged, a new hero has emerged in a film that is much more about internal character than muscles and moves! I’m talking about the newly released, Captain America, with Chris Evans, Tommy Lee Jones, Hugo Weaving and more.

The following email was in my inbox this morning:

I know it JUST came out, but have you had time to review “Captain America” yet? I’d planned to do a “guys night out to the movies” with my middle school and high school boys and their dads. I’d like to see Captain America. BUT not if it is not a “good” idea. Just wondering your take on the movie. -Jeff Smith, Wilson, NC

My answer to Jeff is an enthusiastic, “Yes, take them to see it!”

Lori and I took my 18-year-old son Alec and his girlfriend to see it on opening night and we were NOT disappointed one bit. The film was not only entertaining, it was wholesome and fun for the entire family (unlike Transformers III).

Many of you have seen the preview for Captain America (I won’t give anything away that the preview doesn’t), where we see a small, physically weak guy who really wants to serve his country, but keeps being rejected because of his size. The movie asks great questions: what kind of soldiers do we want? What is more important, brawn or bravery… internal or external?

In one scene, the professor in charge of the whole “Captain America” experiment was talking with Captain America and he told him, “Promise me that you will stay who you are. Not a perfect soldier but a perfect man.” It was really amazing to see these kind of values on the big screen. I was waiting for someone to quote I Samuel 16:7, “People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

The film providing some really touching moments in addition to all the action. We all were thoroughly entertained from the first minute.

I gotta admit. Most of these hero films in the “Avengers” series have been pretty good. I look forward to next summer when we’re going to see all the characters together (Hulk, Ironman, Thor and Captain America). NOTE: If you go see the film, make sure you wait through the credits for a little “Easter egg.”

We’ll post our official review of Captain America on our MOVIE REVIEWS & QUICK Q’s page today with some discussion questions you can ask, using I Samuel 16:7.

This is a great film to watch with your family or youth group and discuss afterwards over ice cream!

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My Prayer for Lil Wayne

Posted on: 07/7/11 1:51 PM | by Jonathan McKee

Last night I had the most vivid dream about rapper Lil Wayne.

Don’t worry… I’m not gonna get weird on you, but for some reason I had a dream that I met Lil Wayne and we engaged in an intriguing conversation.

I don’t know what triggered it. Maybe it was because yesterday on the plane all day I was writing the shooting script for a new YS/Zondervan curriculum based on my book on evangelism, Do They Run When They See You Coming? My theme of that whole curriculum is, “An authentic faith opens the door to authentic conversations.”

In my dream I saw the famous rapper Wayne in some sort of office building passing in the hallway. He didn’t have any bodyguards- just him. We got into an elevator together and I leaned over and told him, “You’re very talented. You have the ears of this young generation.”

He politely said, “Thank you.”

I paused and said, “You know… you have an awesome responsibility.”

He didn’t say anything; he just looked at me. In my dream I debated whether to keep going. I didn’t know if I was pushing too far for a first conversation, but then I figured, this is going to be my ONLY conversation with him! It’s not like he’s gonna wanna come over and hang out with me. That would be the ideal way to have a conversation- one that flows naturally out of a friendship. Nothing forced.

But in stranger-on-a-train fashion, I went ahead and spoke the truth. I said, “Like it or not, you’re a role model for young kids. They love your music. They listen to what you are saying. They imitate you. They look up to you.”

I don’t know how true this dream was to real life, but in my dream he just stood listening.

I finally asked him, “What would you like them to glean from you when they watch you and listen to you day in and day out? You have the power to make an impact in their lives. It’s your choice what that impact will be.”

The dream got weird and next thing I knew Lil Wayne and I were at my cousin’s ranch trying to walk through some mud. It was hard to step through, but we worked together to get through it. We eventually got through it and he smiled at me.

That’s all I remember.

I woke up and couldn’t get that dream out of my head. I’m no Joseph, so I probably won’t offer any good interpretation to this dream, but I found it interesting that my initial “one-sided” conversation with him didn’t yeild a response from him. But once we went through the muck together, something happened. Possibly because that’s how it often works in real life.

I pray that Wayne would move next door to someone with an authentic faith, someone that will invite him over for BBQ and become friends with him. Someone that will be there to help him carry that heavy hide-a-bed from the living room to the den, and maybe even share a cold drink with him after helping him plant a tree in his backyard. Someone who will live such an authentic life that Wayne can’t help but eventually just ask him, “What is it about you?”

And this person will be prepared to give an answer to anyone who asks about the hope that’s within (I Peter 3:15-18). An authentic life will have opened the door to an authentic conversation.

That is my prayer this morning—my prayer for Lil Wayne.

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Transformers Not for Kids

Posted on: 07/6/11 12:00 PM | by Jonathan McKee

Last week I went to see the new Transformers: Dark of the Moon film with two of my friends. We braved the theatres in the middle of the afternoon, a theatre full of young kids– literally toddlers and elementary school kids.

What a disappointment.

The film was upsetting on several levels.

First, it was just plain boring. The film was 2 and a half hours long, and had about 20 to 30 minutes of entertaining story. The rest was robots fighting. Yawn. (Seriously. I wish I brought a book!)

Second, it was just inappropriate for kids. Sure, I’d be the first to tell you that parents should probably not let their 7-year-old see a film rated “Rated PG-13 for intense prolonged sequences of sci-fi action violence, mayhem and destruction, and for language, some sexuality and innuendo.” But the film’s opening credits revealed that Hasbro (the toy company) was a producer. Who is this film being marketed to? The age of the audience in my theatre said it all.

Should little Billy be watching…

– a girl in her underwear walking up the stairs (camera following her butt) to get in bed with Sam

– two robots making jokes about Sam “getting lucky”

– the same two robots calling each other “d**khead”

– Sam’s mom suggesting that the only reason Sam got two beautiful girlfriends was because of a large… Sam cuts her off by saying, “What the f…” and never finishes the sentence.

– When Sam receives an award from the president, he mouths, “What the f**k!”

Should your 14-year-old watch that? The movie just wasn’t made for kids.

Todd and I are posting our detailed review as well as some discussion questions on our MOVIE REVIEWS & QUICK Q’s page later today on both www.TheSource4YM.com and www.TheSource4Parents.com

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