The Dark Knight is the most ambitious and satisfying comic book movie ever, an instant classic.   It thrills and chills, combining massive spectacle with timeless questions regarding our humanity.  In exploring our disturbing depths, director Christopher Nolan attains unparalleled cinematic heights.   It is a feast for the eyes and a challenge to the brain.   While Batman battles the Joker for the soul of Gotham City, Nolan pulls audiences into the rarest of responses to a Hollywood blockbuster:  genuine introspection.  It is a soulful adventure.   The Dark Knight explores the cost of combating evil.   How many rules are we willing to break to maintain order?   How many freedoms will we sacrifice to reign in chaos?   The Dark Knight calls us to give an account.

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From the backdrop of Eugene Delacroix’s famous painting of Lady Liberty leading the people to their Les Miserables-style, “Storm the Bastille” clothes, Coldplay’s tour shouts “Vive le Revolucion!”  But on the opening night of their tour at the Forum in Inglewood, it was not clear what freedom was being celebrated beyond the sheer joy of musical release.   Occasionally, the songs approximated a European soccer match—boisterous sing alongs where all were temporarily united as one.    It was nice in an era of concert calculation to feel the arrangements being tested in front of us.  

Earnestness remains key to the Coldplay oeuvre.   They are a post-ironic band (which naturally begets a critical backlash).   Singer Chris Martin expressed genuine appreciation throughout the concert, concluding, “This is gonna be a good one” after thefirst song.   It is easy to imagine these four lads sipping coffee, reading the newspaper and playing withtheir kids.   No drug overdoses for such studied musical pros.

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A major event in my life came full circle last month. I had coffee with Jay Floyd, director of Forgiving the Franklins. This bawdy, subversive satire premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2006. The premise of this homemade, low-budget film intrigued me. This religious sex comedy has just been released on DVD (rated R for “strong sexual content including a scene of abherrant intimacy, graphic nudity, frank dialogue, and some language”–you’ve been forewarned!)

A devout Christian family has a car accident enroute to a church potluck. They are whisked away to a heavenly place where Jesus is chopping down a cross. He has grown tired of seeing the worst moment of his life paraded around people’s necks. Jesus greets the Franklin family and reaches into the back of their heads. He removes a bloody apple and sends them back to earth to continue their lives. The Franklins have been given a new lease on life, free of guilt and shame. Jesus removed their original sin.

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It is rare to get a book published. So it is an exceptionally rare privilege to have two books published on the same day. But on ‘new release Tuesday,’ I have two new volumes hitting the marketplace. They are not twins, but their definitely related: more fraternal than identical in their concerns.  

A Purple State of Mind is a companion piece to the comedic documentary, Purple State of Mind. It begins with the questions prompted by my onscreen conversation with John Marks. For those who wanted to see a more aggressive Christianity, it explains why my responses were often open-ended. Each chapter contains snippets of dialogue from the film as a starting point. It allows me to expand on my answers to John’s queries, putting things into a historical context. For example, how do we move past the political rut we’ve been in, caught between those who thought the prosperous 1950s were America’s greatest moment and those who relish the creativity unleashed during the 1960s? Many have grown tired of the rhetoric rooted in old grudges and earlier battle. This election may be the first to be decided by generations born after the advent of the culture wars. A new wave of voters have their feet firmly rooted in the 21st century rather than the past.

What kinds of skeletons may be lurking in your family’s closet? As a descendent of a distinguished founding family in Rhode Island, Katrina Browne decided to investigate her roots. The De Wolf family tree includes senators, architects, writers and ministers. As faithful Episcopalians, the De Wolfs donated most of the stained glass windows in Katrina’s home church in Bristol, Rhode Island. So how did they get so rich and powerful? When Katrina would talk to her relatives, she got vague responses about an “import/export business.” What were the De Wolf’s buying and selling? Katrina discovered she is a descendent of the largest slave trading family in New England.

Traces of the Trade follows Katrina’s efforts to respond to her lamentable roots. What do we do with family secrets? How do we process shame, guilt and responsibility? Nine De Wolf descendents accepted Katrina’s invitation to retrace the De Wolf’s family business, from Rhode Island to Ghana to plantations in Cuba. Traces of the Trade kicks off PBS’s essential documentary series, P.O.V. on Tuesday night at 10 pm. It demonstrates that slavery was not just a southern problem, but an ongoing shame even in “the Deep North.” You can see the trailer here.

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I was recently interviewed by Collide Magazine about my upcoming book, Into the Dark: Seeing the Sacred in the Top Films of the 21st Century. Collide covers the intersection of church and media.  They're interesed in how congregations are incorporating technology into worship settings.  How does the Internet change our notions of community?   What kinds of electronic expressions of faith will be forged via web 2.0?  Collide is committed to creating more media-savvy ministers that understand how and why technology matters.   We don't need a bigger, faster, and louder church, but a more thoughtful engagement with electronic media. 

So I am a regular reader and blogger at Beliefnet.com. It is one of the largest gatherings of people across the religious spectrum (more eclectic and inclusive than our community at Conversantlife).   Steven Waldman and staff are to be congratulated (hopefully) on their recent sale to Fox. Beliefnet built a brand by offering substantive and entertaining takes on a variety of spiritual subjects, with especially strong insights on entertainment and politics. But Beliefnet also brings a certain gravitas to the proceedings, definitely not made for or by Generation Y. Given their authority amongst those who take religion seriously, I suppose it was only a matter of time before they became a satirical target. (Is that still a form of flattery?)

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The National Basketball Association’s marquee match up starts tonight. The two most celebrated teams in NBA history, the Celtics and the Lakers, battle for yet another championship. While the Celtics dominate their head to head competition (winning 8 of 10 championship series), their overall titles are rather tight. Boston has claimed sixteen crowns, to the Lakers’ fourteen titles. Echoes of Bob Cousy, Bill Russell, and Larry Bird may haunt the Lakers when the series starts in the Boston Garden. Surely, legendary Lakers like Elgin Baylor, Jerry West and Magic Johnson will be cheering on the Lakers when the series arrives in the Staples Center for games 3, 4, and 5.

Who are you cheering for? My partner on Purple State of Mind, John Marks, resides in Massachusetts.  He is surrounded by a sense of history, a connection to the origins of America, from the Boston Tea Party to Paul Revere.   Where do I sit? In the City of the Angels, pulling for the Lakers' purple power.

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My friend, Martin Hynes, has a smart, sexy and spiritual film opening in select theaters this weekend. I caught the captivating premiere of THE GO-GETTER at the Sundance Film Festival. It is equal parts road trip and romantic comedy with echoes of Garden State. Following his triumphant turn in Thumbsucker, Lou Taylor Pucci stars as Mercer, a young man dislocated by the death of his mother. Mercer hits the road to inform his wayward brother, Arlen. Mercer has only one thing holding him back—a lack of transportation. He “borrows” a car that contains the owner’s cell phone. Mercer begins a soulful conversation with Kate that guides his misadventures. As Kate, Zooey Deschanel portrays a genuinely original muse.