Customer Reviews

Reel Power: Spiritual Growth Through Film

5 star:		(2)
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1 star:		(1)

 

 

Steve Martin once said, " all of life's questions are answered on Star Trek". He was not far from the truth. All the answers you seek are placed in front of you, in a child's smile, in problems at work, a blocked intersection, in the millions of situations life presents before you. All you have to do is to be open to see them.

We know that movies do not come from fairyland. They are not magically made, but they do bring magic. Marsha Sinetar simply points out in "Reel Movies" that movies (which are larger than life) can make you see and feel your life differently. When George Bailey was called the richest man in the town in "It's a Wonderful Life" the audience felt the same feeling (both physically and emotionally) as when your child speaks his first word or when at your daughter wedding she says, "I do".

Movies are the mythology of the 20th (and now 21st) century. Their stories are ours. They are our reflections, our shadows, our losses, and perhaps our ultimate truth. If this wonderful book can make you see that, it is well worth the price of admission.

A five star book that leads film audiences out of entertainment darkness and into the Zen of cinematic pleasures.

Are you a person who ponders the magic of movies? Do you feel a rush when the lights go down and the film begins to roll? Are you someone who muses over a movie long after the credits have stop rolling?

If yes, then your cinematic sensibilities will at long last be satisfied with Marsha Sinetar's provocative treatise on the spiritual value of film. My reaction after reading Reel Power was .. "Finally, a prophet of Zen and the art of film viewing".

Most impressive is Sinetar's insightful use of psychology, philosophy, theology, and physiology to support the mystical power of viewing films through the spectrum of an open mind and heart. Her message is simple yet, profound. She instructs readers to "mine a movie for its (spiritual) gold".

Sinetar's book has left little doubt in my mind that, "films can be used to foster personal growth (since).. like poetry, film is one of the heart's most subtle agents". With virtually millions of people flocking to the movies every week why not order up some Zen with our popcorn at no extra charge?

In my opinion, whether you consider yourself a cinephile or an ordinary moviegoer Reel Power packs a wallop of enlightenment to enhance cinematic pleasures. The downside to the book? No index!

I have read all of Ms. Sinetar's books, including this one, and do not recommend them, or this, because, in my opinion, they are exploitative, and because she has set herself up as a spokesperson for the spiritual life, while actually making a fortune. Can a corporate view purport to speak for spirituality? Or a high-tech, watch tapes of others mentality? We live in an age where the information elite feels NO compunction about how they gather information or what they do with it. Spirituality, if it is real, does not and cannot include this. Real spirituality (a) respects others (b) asks permission to use source material and acknowledges it (c) does not seek to profit at others' expense. Am I saying this is the case with this book? You can form your own opinion. Choose your spiritual writers carefully (as Thomas Keating or Romano Guardini) and don't waste your time reading this.