I loved the book and thoroughly enjoyed it, but I really just wanted to write something to move the dancing walrus post out of the number one slot on my blog… hence this post.
So, in a completely uninspired act of non-writing, I’m going to copy the book description word-for-word from Amazon.com:
“Mark Steele found himself trying to be a good Christian, but felt he wasn’t making any permanent difference. His life was turning into a flashBANG — something that makes a lot of noise but leaves no permanent indentation. In this hilarious memoir, Steele gives autobiographical accounts of enduring 40 days of facial paralysis, suffering public embarrassment at a Presidential Inauguration, receiving treatments of shock therapy from a first-timer and giving blood in a Mexican hospital. Each story brings Steele closer to the realization that being a Christian is more than just saying you are. In the end, he reveals his secret to living a more meaningful life—how he got over himself.”
I was anxious to see this film ever since I had first heard about it. On our honeymoon, Rachel & I visited the Mayan ruins at Chichen Itza. At the time, it was neat to see these old buildings and villages and temples and to imagine what life was like a few hundred years ago when they were being used and lived in.
Now that I’ve seen how these temples were built and then used, well… honestly, I’m a little freaked out. It’s flat-out terrifying to watch what actually took place on the exact spot I was standing.
Human sacrifices to Kukulkan aside, there were several lines and themes that reflected the state of our society during the movie. For example, the opening sequence starts with the quote:
A great civilization is not conquered from without until it is destroyed from within.
As I understand it, that’s a pretty good summation of the decline of the Mayan empire. And as Jaguar Paw, the lead character, is faced with each situation, you really start to see that it isn’t about the circumstances, but the fear inside of him that he has to overcome.
So, I guess you could summarize the movie as… An inspiring story of survival and sacrifice.
…hehe
I recommend checking it out. But keep in mind that there is plenty of violence to go around (think if Maximus met up with William Wallace and they were both Mayans and fought all of their battles in the jungle) and the images of Mayan women’s clothing (or lack thereof) could be considered “objectionable” to some.
Here’s the trailer to whet your movie-viewing appetite:
