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The release of Cinderella Man in mid-2005 was a box office disappointment despite featuring big-name stars Russell Crowe and Renee Zellweger. The true story about Depression era boxer Jim Braddock's fight to keep his family together through difficult times failed to capture the public's imagination and received mixed reviews.
A few months later, Brokeback Mountain, starring Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal as cowboys involved in a homosexual affair, earned three Golden Globe awards, including best drama, and eight Oscar nominations amid much critical acclaim.
The cinematography of Brokeback Mountain features beautiful scenes of the American West while Cinderella Man captures the mean city streets of the 1930s. Both films deal with deeply felt emotions and the human need for love. Yet comparing the subject matter of these films encapsulates the difficulties Christians face as moviegoers.
An alternative reality
Movies create an alternative reality in the minds of the viewers. Most of us have been emotionally stirred by a movie that made us angry, sad or happy. You can probably name a film hero or heroine that inspires you. Research shows that exposure to cinema's graphic violence and sex can have a profound effect on a person's thoughts, emotions and actions.
What is a movie? It is a collection of images reflecting scripted actors pretending to be someone else.
Sigourney Weaver hasn't really killed alien monsters, although she has pretended to do it in several movies. Anakin really didn't become Darth Vader. There really isn't someone named Napoleon Dynamite, and when a person wears a Vote for Pedro T-shirt, most of us know that there really isn't a Pedro to get elected.
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