American Theater

IMDB (Internet Movie Database) is a massive online tool for researching anything to do with movies, TV, actors, etc. On their website, they have a list of the all-time USA box office movies. Tell me if you noticed the same thing I did about the following list of the top 35 grossing movies of all-time in the USA.

Rank. Movie (Released) $Ticket Sales

1. Titanic (1997) $600,779,824
2. The Dark Knight (2008) $533,316,061
3. Star Wars (1977) $460,935,665
4. Shrek 2 (2004) $436,471,036
5. E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (1982) $434,949,459
6. Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999) $431,065,444
7. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006) $423,032,628
8. Spider-Man (2002) $403,706,375
9. Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005) $380,262,555
10. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) $377,019,252
11. Spider-Man 2 (2004) $373,377,893
12. The Passion of the Christ (2004)$370,270,943
13. Jurassic Park (1993) $356,784,000
14. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002) $340,478,898
15. Finding Nemo (2003) $339,714,367
16. Spider-Man 3 (2007) $336,530,303
17. Forrest Gump (1994) $329,691,196
18. The Lion King (1994) $328,423,001
19. Shrek the Third (2007) $320,706,665
20. Transformers (2007) $318,759,914
21. Iron Man (2008) $318,298,180
22. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001) $317,557,891
23. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008) $317,011,114
24. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) $313,837,577
25. Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002) $310,675,583
26. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007) $309,404,152
27. Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983) $309,125,409
28. Independence Day (1996) $306,124,059
29. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003) $305,388,685
30. The Sixth Sense (1999) $293,501,675
31. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007) $292,000,866
32. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005) $291,709,845
33. Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980) $290,158,751
34. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005) $289,994,397
35. Home Alone (1990) $285,761,243

(Taken directly from this IMDB web page)

Even after a cursory reading of this list, it's hard to not notice the prevailing theme. All but five of these movies (Titanic, Passion of the Christ, Forrest Gump, The Sixth Sense, and Home Alone) have strong plot elements of fantasy. (Some would argue that "Passion of the Christ" and "Sixth Sense" also have elements of fantasy, I disagree). Whether it's animation (Finding Nemo), magic (Harry Potter), supernatural curses (Pirates of the Caribbean), Sci-Fi (Star Wars), aliens (Independence Day), superheroes (The Dark Knight), or people and places from a whole new world (Lord of the Rings) 81% of the top 35 all-time grossing movies in America have strong non-natural elements. Fascinating, isn't it?

It could be that these movies do so well, because, broadly speaking, they are more "family" oriented. In other words, movies that are rated 'R' can't do as well in the theater because you can't bring the whole family along and, consequently, the movie doesn't earn as much money. These Top 35 movies may have simply had the better chance of grossing high, not because of their genre, but because of their PG-PG13 content.

It could also be, and I think this is closer to the truth, that these movies fill a whole in our lives much more than a "realistic" genre, such as Drama, ever could. We want to escape from the hum drum of everyday. We want to exercise our imaginations again like we did when we were kids. We want a safe world where black is black and white is white. We want a hero we can emulate, and a villain we can conquer. We want the satisfaction of withholding impending doom from an alien attack. We want a place where our creativity can maneuver unhindered by the harsh realities of life.

Whatever your interpretation of the Top 35 list, it certainly provokes thought, and, perhaps, helps us understand each other just a little bit better.

Public Opinion

I know I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed, but I've always gotten the impression that Darwinian Evolution is the "origin theory" chosen by the vast majority of Americans (I would have guessed 65-70 percent). I was surprised to learn that this isn't the case.

According to a CNN article, "the most recent Gallup poll on the issue, conducted in May, found that only 14 percent of Americans believe that humans developed over millions of years from less advanced forms of life. Forty-four percent believe that God created human beings almost overnight within the past 10,000 years, and another 36 percent believe that God guided humans' evolution from animals over a much longer period of time."

These statistics (and, of course, that's all they are) really shocked me. I just always assumed that those who believed God was involved in the Creation process (a form of Young Earth Creationism; or some type of Theistic Evolution), were just a small group of people on the fringe of societal thought. Rather, 80% of those polled thought God was involved in the Creation process.

Obviously, this isn't an argument for Creation. The number of people who believe something has absolutely NOTHING to do with whether or not it is true. Truth can't be snuffed out by even the biggest and angriest of mobs. If an argument for Creation is to be strong, it will have to come from different means than a popular opinion poll.

Why You Should Care about Nadya Suleman

Nadya Suleman, 33, had octuplets through fertility treatments, despite already having six children ages seven and under, with no clear source of income. This has caused an outburst of controversy, you can read more about her story here.

If you desire to keep your finger on the pulse of culture, you should care about Nadya Suleman. Here are two reasons why…

Two Words: Case Study
Catch phrase of the day? Selective Reduction. Question of the day? Why didn’t Suleman choose to abort one or more of her babies during the pregnancy, in order to give the others a better chance at survival and\or a better life? If you’re pro-choice, this case should interest you because it is a classic opportunity to further your women's-rights agenda. If you’re pro-life, this case should interest you because it offers you the chance to sharpen your views, and determine if there are ever any exceptions to a no-abortions stance. Many people have taken a keen interest in this case, and it would be foolish to miss this opportunity to strengthen and defend your convictions.

Big Brother and Reproduction
Suleman had six embryos implanted, two of which split, resulting in 8 babies (all 14 of her children were the result of in-vitro fertilization.) This relatively high number of embryos has sparked controversy, prompting some to call for limiting the number of embryos that can be implanted. It doesn't take too much imagination to envision the federal government stepping in and beginning to regulate the number of embryos which can be implanted (there may be regulation already in place - not sure). Either way, this could be the spark needed to propel us down the slippery slope of limiting the number of children per household (or limiting children based on income). Obviously, we are several steps removed from this type of drastic action, but this case at least reminds us of the possibility.

Christians must capitalize on this opportunity for constructive dialogue. We must reinforce our commitment to the sacredness of life inside the womb. We must reinforce our commitment to exercise the rights God has entrusted to us. We must keep the conversation going, and endeavor to build bridges to those who disagree.

Chris Jericho

I'm curious as to how exactly one comes to regard himself with such high esteem.

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