As the semester draws to a close, I look back on the events that have happened with joy, yet a bit of sadness that yet another year has flown by so quickly. It has been a great honor to be on the editorial staff of The Beggar Blade working with a group of wonderfully talented student writers. I want to thank everyone who has taken the time to write articles in the past. Your contributions make The Beggar Blade what it is.

Even though the future of Providence, and therefore The Beggar Blade, is uncertain, it is my belief that a student run newspaper is an important tool for students to gain writing experience, express their voice, and interact with the school and surrounding community. I hope to see some form of a news outlet for students continue next year even as changes develop.

As always, student feedback is extremely valuable in shaping future years of our school newspaper. Notes and Asides Editor, Marissa Branson, has put together a short survey so that students can directly give feedback regarding the content of the website. Please take a few minutes out of your hectic finals week to let us know what you like, dislike, and would like to see differently on the website. All comments will be taken into consideration as we seek to expand the newspaper and deliver information to the Providence community.

As this is the last edition of The Beggar Blade this semester, I want to leave you with a bit of encouragement from Scripture to help with finals week and the uncertainty that lies ahead for many of us.

Hebrews 12: 1-2:

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

Providence and Covenant are in the process of forming a partnership, which is common knowledge for most readers. However, you may not know that as part of the process, during the last month the two institutions exchanged students for a few days. The purpose of this exchange was for these student representatives to live the life of a Covenant or Providence student in order to form closer bonds between the two student bodies. Freshman Dane Beveridge and junior Evelyn Vane visited Covenant from April 11-14, and Susanna Griffith and Jake Groenendyk visited Providence from April 19-21. Prior to Susanna and Jake’s departure back to Look-out Mountain, Georgia, I was able to interview them as we ate breakfast on Santa Monica beach.

Before I share the interview with you, here is some general information about our visitors and what they did during their visit.

Susanna is a senior at Covenant studying biology. She is also the president of the Covenant student body. Her hometown? Colorado Springs, Colorado. Susanna was born in the LA area, so this was not her first time visiting.

Jake is also a biology major finishing up his sophomore year at Covenant. He is a resident assistant for one of the resident halls. He comes from Williamsport, Maryland. This was Jake’s first time visiting LA.

The students arrived at Providence on Thursday night, April 19^th. They hung out with students and walked to Yoguroo, a local frozen yogurt joint. The next morning the students attended Dr. Mac’s Western Civilization and Culture class (HUM 112), and then they joined the student body for chapel. After eating lunch in the cafeteria, they went with a few Providence students to the Huntington Library and browsed through the art, gardens, and libraries. That night, Susanna and Jake drove to the Griffith Observatory with a large group of Providence students, where they looked at Saturn from a telescope, looked at LA from above, and sang hymns on the grass.

On Saturday morning, a few students, myself included, drove Susanna and Jake to LAX, but before their departure, we stopped at Santa Monica beach and ate bagels, bananas, and strawberries together on the foggy coastal morning. This is where our interview began.

What do you think of LA so far?

Jake: I came out here expecting a west coast New York City. I didn’t find that. LA is much more spread out than New York City. I loved visiting the Huntington Library. That has reinforced the importance of the location of Providence for me. Also, hearing about students going to the opening night of an art museum (MOCA) the first night we arrived; that is something Covenant students can’t do.

Susanna: I loved watching the way students interact with LA. Watching the students sit in a public place and sing worship songs at the Griffth Observatory was great.

What characteristics do you most love about Covenant?

Jake: What I appreciate the most is what ordinary life is like there: coming back to my hall at the end of my day, living with committed Christian guys. I appreciate the interest the faculty shows in students and the relationships  between students and faculty. It seems like Providence has the same kind of thing.

Susanna: I love that there are so many unique people who are grounded to our motto,  “In all things Christ preeminent.” This is very important to us; we take it seriously. It plays out in specific ways and we talk about it a lot. I like the faculty and staff that are super supportive of what students want to do.

What are some ways in which Covenant has changed your life? (For example, your way of thinking, your Christian walk, etc.)

Jake: One chapel that changed my life was, well the point of the chapel was, you can’t change the world. He [the speaker] talked about Thessalonians [4:11] where is talks about aspiring to live a quiet life and work with your hands. He [the speaker] talked about how we live out the gospel in small ordinary things. This was a great change for my life. At Covenant, it’s great to have peers that I can learn from and learn with. There’s the opportunity to see godly men and how they live out the gospel and have a wider picture of what that looks like, especially in our professors.

Susanna: Being at Covenant opened my eyes more to the beauty in every aspect of creation. I see more beauty in natural things and in people. Living with broken, vulnerable, yet redeemed people is life changing. It’s so encouraging. I can say the same thing about godly women living out the gospel. The professors are not there because it’s a high paying glamorous life. I see things as more beautiful now.

What are some similarities and/or differences that you see between Providence and Covenant?

Susanna: Similarities would be the tight faculty-staff student relationships, Providence is a residential college; there is a strong emphasis on community. I see a lot of similarities in our chapel programs. Also, the focus of having chapel and times of worship. The focus on engaging culture is there. Some obvious differences are size and location.

Jake: I would agree with those similarities. A difference at Covenant is that there are a lot of micro-communities because of the bigger size. I didn’t see this very much at Providence. Everyone kind of talks to everyone here.

Susanna: Yeah, everyone kind of has a “my Covenant” story because of the different clubs, sports, classes they are in. But that is because of the bigger size of Covenant.

How much does the Providence-Covenant partnership affect a Covenant student’s everyday life? What was the average Covenant student’s reaction to the announcement?

Susanna: I don’t know if it will affect the everyday life. We don’t really know a lot, just like people at Providence don’t know a lot. We can’t know yet how this will affect us. The general Covenant reaction was questions, not so much concerns. Covenant students are adventurous, we are open-minded.

Jake: I talked to multiple students who are pretty excited to spend a semester or May Term in LA.

Why do you think your visit to Providence is important? Why are you here?

Susanna:  I completely believe in Covenant College. I love the place and its particulars and I love the idea of reformed higher education. I see Providence as being in the early stages. I see the pioneering spirit of Providence students and I admire that. I love the excitement here. The partnership with Covenant is great because the institutions are so similar, but so different, especially in the location and the age. I love the environment and location of Covenant, the small little city on a mountain, but it’s important to have this education in LA too.

Jake: I’d say that was a good answer.

Was Providence like you expected it to be? What is different and what is the same?

Susanna: When I stepped on the campus I had already heard a lot about it, and read a lot about it. I definitely was encouraged to see how much the students love it and the faculty loves it; how much unity there is here and how committed people are.

Jake: (nods in agreement)

Do you foresee yourself ever coming to Providence for a semester to take some classes that are not offered at Covenant?

Susanna: (pauses) Maybe if I was still young. (laughs) I am going to be a senior, so I don’t really have time anymore.

Jake: For me as a biology major, there are a lot of classes I have to take like physics, micro biology, etc, so I wouldn’t come for a semester. But I would like to come out for LA May Term with Dr. Mac.

As our current Student Senate President completes her last year and prepares to move on, it seemed appropriate to hold one last interview to commemorate all of the memories and lessons she has learned while at Providence Christian College. Without further ado, a senior interview of Jana Crum.

What is the most dangerous thing you have done at Providence?

Jana: Probably living with Emily Belz.

What is one of the lessons you learned during your time here that you most value?

Jana: A lesson by Dr. Belz that truth comes at different levels; the surface of a truth may be valid, but the spirit of it may still be wrong. That may seem small, but it has been so applicable.

What color would you say best describes you?

Jana: Green. I’m not morose like black or gray, but I’m also not a red or yellow. I wear green a lot, and I suppose I get sick a lot so yeah, it seems fitting.

What are your plans for next year?

Jana: I plan to do some nannying for a family of missionaries out of country and help them with the work they are doing there. Just a few more details need to be set up but it seems good to go.

If you could go to one Professor’s house in the middle of the night and shout something at their window, which Professor would it be and what would you say?

Jana: Dr. Swanson, “Revelations, revelations, revelations!”

What was your favorite class?

Jana: Comedy and Modernism

If you were to describe your experience here as a theme park ride, which would it be and why?

Jana: Tatsu at 6 Flags, since on that ride you’re hanging and see how high you are and it is terrifying, but you take the risk anyway. And I didn’t fall.

What restaurant here would you not visit again?

Jana: Del Taco

What was the best thing you found to do on a rainy day?

Jana: A group of us drove up into the mountains and saw rain change to snow, and we went to a town and found this restaurant/ diner, it was paneled with beautiful dark wood, and there were all these old people dancing… but I also remember the huge puddles on the Ontario campus!

What would you like to leave behind as you leave Providence?

Jana: The vision of living by faith, looking forward to our inheritance. With the girls specifically, I want to encourage them to have the freedom to feel comfortable with accountability and be willing to share their struggles with others. I had the opportunity to do this with several individuals and it was rewarding for both of us in each case. Don’t let sin enslave you.

Blue Like Jazz is a film for rebels. The director, Steve Taylor, seeks to break from the stereotypical Christian sub-culture that produces poorly filmed and unconvincing stories where everything turns out okay in the end. Blue Like Jazz is based on a book with the same title written by Donald Miller as a semi-autobiographical account of his crisis of faith during college.

Donald Miller would rather critics not categorize the film into a specific genre. He describes the film as, “Just a movie about learning to be yourself so you can connect with people who aren’t like you and no longer live in antagonism with the world.” (To read Miller’s blog, click here) The movie is essentially a quirky, funny, and heartfelt indie film with a Christian message about forgiveness.

Donald Miller, the protagonist, has grown up in a conservative Southern Baptist church in Texas, but when he finds out that his divorced mother is having an affair with his youth pastor, Miller leaves in a rage to Reed College. In just a few days, his life takes a 180 spin as he goes from spending his nights with his youth group to drinking with his new lesbian best friend. He goes from a life revolved around church to a life at Reed College where he pretends not to be a Christian. The film recounts Miller’s story as he seeks to find himself, forgive his mother, and learn how to live out Christianity in a godless community.

The film is definitely entertaining and it kept my interest, but I had a hard time sympathizing with the protagonist. There are a lot of funny moments, like when Miller’s bike is stolen by a guy in a bear costume, or when Miller, Penny, and their friends dress up like robots and invade a Barnes and Noble book store to challenge corporate thought control. However, as a viewer, the rapid transition from Miller’s religious life to his rebel life comes so fast that I had no time to sympathize with him or understand why he put aside his faith so rashly. The only reason we are given for why he runs away to the liberal Reed College is because of his mother’s affair. However the audience is not given enough time to understand what an integral part church was for Miller, or what kind of relationship he had with his mother and youth pastor. We cannot sympathize with his sudden denouncement of Christianity and his major life change when he gets to Reed.

It seems like when Donald Miller wrote Blue Like Jazz, he was not really concerned about bringing a Christian message to his readers, but whether intentionally or not, he does. The main character’s love interest, Penny, is supposed to be one of the few Christians at Reed. Her Christian expression is played out by her interest in humanitarian work in India. This implies a work-based salvation; wait, let me explain. This theme is reiterated at the end of the movie when Miller has a serious talk with his atheist friend, apologizing for his and the church’s hypocrisy. He speaks a lot about wanting to live unashamedly as a Christian and loving people. He admits that he has failed at it, but his solution is a very I’ll-do-better-next-time. In his very blatantly Christian monologue, Miller doesn’t mention the grace he has received from God. The theology behind the film portrays a work-based gospel while living a Christian life.

The film is supposed to be a challenge to Christian media, and it is. Although the story is about a Christian and carries a Christian message, the film attempts to be honest about life at Reed College and about the struggles of faith that many college students face. The film contains cursing, crude humor, and drug and alcohol use, but it still is a movie about Christians. I appreciated the director’s honesty in portraying the world like it really is. Taylor admitted at the film screening that he even downplayed the craziness of Reed College, but when I saw it I was shocked by how free-spirited and chaotic the school was. Taylor is honest, and that is something that Christian media often lacks. He doesn’t offer a strong resolution and the characters don’t get all their problems nicely fixed, but this is life. Taylor rebels against the typical Christian film by attempting to show life as it is, even if it is offensive to some people.

As much as Taylor tried to rebel against the “Christian movie” genre, he still created a movie that is aimed primarily at Christians and that is still quite preachy. Miller’s last monologue with his atheist friend is basically an informal sermon. The content of the movie is amusing, and the characters are likeable, but the struggle of the protagonist is something that mainly Christians will relate to. I appreciate what Taylor and Miller are trying to do with this movie, but I still found it to be just another Christian movie with some controversial material included. Art is sometimes more impacting in subtlety, and an artists worldview will always shine through into his work. I would like to see a good director, like Taylor, just make a good film as a Christian with a Christian message that isn’t so in-your-face. I would like to see him make a movie that Christians and non-Christians can relate to and be impacted by.

This movie is a good rebel’s attempt at breaking out of the norm, so I recommend the movie to Christians. After you watch it, instigate a thought provoking discussion with your friends about a Christian’s role in redeeming culture and how to make art that will impact culture without being preachy.

For more information about the film, and to watch the trailer, go here. Also, please leave comments if you have seen the movie!

With their big concert coming up this Saturday, the Providence Christian College Chorale is back in full swing, having already sung at a donor banquet and joined Escondido URC in worship this past weekend. Many choir members drove South early and worshipped in Temecula last Sunday, whereas others arrived later in the day for practice. After warming up and going over songs, the Chorale enjoyed some pizza prior to dressing up for service.

For the service, the Chorale sang in preparation for worship with a rousing spiritual “Nothin’ Gonna Stumble” and “Bless the Lord.” During the offertory they sang “It is Well,” a piece they had sung at a banquet once before. At the end, they echoed the benediction with “The Lord Bless you and Keep You” by John Rutter, a fitting and beautiful end to the service.

Afterwards, the Chorale members reconnected with the congregation in Escondido. Driving back, students were given the added blessing of connecting with their professor outside of the classroom. Chorale Director Professor Canty invited the chorale members to her home to enjoy cake and ice cream in celebration of the successful performance. Now, the Chorale is looking forward to their longer concert this Saturday at Ontario URC at 7:30. The wider Providence community is invited to attend a wonderful night of singing, praise, and music, continuing the traditions of the Providence Christian College Chorale.

Warm and brilliant, the sun radiated downward, saturating the San Gabriel Valley with cosmic energy. Students from Providence Christian College stood scattered across an expanse of grass, playing frisbee. Under the leadership of Justin Bleeker, Director of Student Activities, they were about to visit the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, CA. This excursion, part of the Avodah program at Providence, took place on Monday, April 16.

After obtaining lunch from a local shop called Berge’s Sandwiches, students visited a park where they were able to meet an engineer from this distinguished science center.The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) began in the 1930s when a group of students from the California Institute of Technology needed more space to perform experiments. In order to avoid ridicule, they included the word “jet” in the name of their organization instead of “rockets.” Until the first successful satellite was launched by JPL in 1958 (Explorer 1), the public remained skeptical of such innovations.

Inside the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, students were shown a preliminary film presenting information about the universe. Various robotic spacecraft have been launched by JPL in the 20th century, including Voyagers 1 and 2, which surveyed Jupiter, Saturn, and all the outer planets; and Magellan, which orbited Venus from 1990 to 1994. Launched in 1977, Voyagers 1 and 2 are not expected to return to Earth, and have now passed outside our solar system.

Full-scale and half-size models of several spacecraft are exhibited in the JPL visitor theatre and adjoining museum. One spacecraft is adorned with a metallic disc engraved with caricatures of life on Earth, providing information for possible encounters with intelligent life.

Undoubtedly, the most fascinating part of this Avodah was being able to see the experimental model of a Mars rover projected to land in August 2012. NASA produces two identical spacecraft for every mission: one for the launchpad and one for the laboratory. Tests are performed on the experimental model so scientists can observe how the space-borne craft will react. The Mars Science Laboratory, a mission for exploring the surface and composition of Mars, began when this rover was launched in Nov. 2011.

Providence students benefited from their visit to JPL. Robby Stephenson, the engineer who talked with them, attends Grace Pasadena, a local church in the PCA (Presbyterian Church in America). According to Sterling Vander Ploeg, “It was nice to have the guy who actually worked there come and talk to us.” Some students were expecting it to be a tour of his actual workplace, but the general tour of the JPL facilities was still compelling. Providence students enjoyed visiting this NASA center and learning about its recent contributions to space exploration.

The Flowers of War (2011)

One of the cliché traps that Hollywood is often criticized for is the “white savior” movie. This type of film is quite easy to spot: Depict a group of helpless non-westerners in desperate need of aid. Take lone white outsider who is somehow thrust into their midst, and then this person proceeds to be a miraculous blessing on these people, showing them the way of escape. It is quite unusual for a film to depict the people in the desperate situation finding their own route of escape. While The Flowers of War does have a westerner who is thrown into the midst of those seeking aid, the focus of this Chinese-produced film is not the courage or wonderful nature of this one person. Instead, it is the determination of the people themselves to escape war-torn Nanjing that drives the film along.

John Miller (Christian Bale) is an American coroner hired to bury a priest in a western-owned cathedral in 1937 Nanjing during the second Sino-Japanese war. Miller arrives at the Cathedral and is greeted by a young boy, George. When Miller finds that there is no body to bury because the priest had been hit by a bomb, or “flew away,” as George put it, Miller demands payment since he had to endure getting through a war zone to reach the cathedral. George informs Miller that there is no money and then asks him to fix their truck so they can escape. The “they” that George is referring to are 20-some convent girls trapped in the cathedral without a way to escape Nanjing. Miller refuses to help without receiving some sort of pay and he makes no plans to help the girls escape despite the fact that without some sort of assistance, there will certainly be no way for them to survive.

Miller is certainly not a white savior for these girls. He is a drunk and, when prostitutes from the red light district seek refuge at the cathedral, is additionally depicted as a womanizer. Yet these women operate shrewdly and refuse to offer any of their “services” if Miller won’t help them to escape. Yet Miller is still not persuaded to help them and it is not until a regiment of Japanese soldiers invade the church that any shred of human decency is shown by this westerner. After a series of startling events shakes Miller out of apathy, he is made aware of his own selfish attitude towards those simply asking for help to stay alive. Whether or not he is primarily motivated by guilt does not matter to those asking for his help; the important thing for them is they have finally found a path where escape is possible.

While Miller is a crucial catalyst for survival, the film does not hold him up as the savior of some poor, helpless people. Rather, it most importantly shows the determination of this strange mix of refugees who fight for their own survival. The fact that this is a fully Chinese-funded movie is probably a huge factor for this rather un-Hollywoodized take on this time in history. There are certainly elements outside of the angle of the story that convey that this is a Chinese-made film. There may be one too many slow motion action scenes for my taste, but they are not enough for me to discount the unique elements to be found in this story. More than anything, it is refreshing to see an account of a horrible tragedy in history addressed in film by the culture who was most affected by it, rather than told from an outside perspective.

Click here to view the embedded video.

On a perfect sunny Southern California day, students, faculty, fans, and donors alike picked up their golf clubs and gathered in San Dimas for a day of unforgettable golf known as the annual Sea Beggar Scramble – an 18 hole golf game to support the athletics program at Providence. Also in attendance for the early part of the day was the cross country team, representing the student body’s athletics program, as they are currently the only intercollegiate sport at Providence. With support, future years will see the development of the men’s soccer team on the college sports scene.

A number of fund-raising competitions were held throughout the day, such as putting, 50-50 and best game.  At the end of the day, there was a raffle giving away prizes like Angels Tickets, a backyard fire pit, and play passes to different venues in Pasadena. Providence’s own Matt Gabrielse, former admissions councilor, won two tickets to the Palm Springs tramway in the “High and Happy” basket, and junior Shelli Cammenga received passes to the Pasadena Playhouse.  Even those attendees who didn’t win a prize, a tasteful banquet was a great ending to a full day, including hors de oeuvres  and a main course of gourmet hotdogs and chicken.

President Halvorson and Coach Belden spoke briefly about the promise of a sports program and its affect on the spiritual, social, physical and academic development of students at a Christian liberal arts college. To see such a wide crowd of people from different backgrounds and hometowns eager to support the athletic program and gather together for fellowship and golf was a great blessing and a testament to the widespread importance and passion behind Providence Christian College. The Sea Beggar Scramble continues to be a memorable annual event in the life of the college and another example of God’s great providence.

Article by Laura Fobar

From the great Province of British Columbia, Canada to the sunny Southland of California, Providence senior, Marie Bosma, finds herself at the end of her college years. In the beginning, Marie knew nothing about the Providence community other than its size. She had never visited the school and came to college in California “for the adventure of it!”

Marie’s first year of college was challenging. She explained her difficulty in academics and said it was awkward to talk about spiritual things because she had been brought up in a not-so-talkative church community. Marie was delightfully surprised by the professors who, she explained, were “completely philosophical, high profile people at the same time as being totally Christian.” Still homesick, however, Marie was convinced she was not going to return to Providence for her sophomore year because she was homesick and endured a few situations which seemed to be pushing her in another direction. Eventually, though, Marie felt God calling her back to PCC by way of an “overwhelming peace.”

During her sophomore year, Marie felt more connected to the Providence community academically, socially, and spiritually. Unfortunately, she still felt homesick and wasn’t sure if she was going to return the following year. When she was offered the position as R.A. for her junior year, she returned to Providence for a third year and decided there was no point in transferring later and would stay for the remainder of her undergraduate years.

In comparing her freshman year with her senior year, Marie had a long list of things she loves about Providence. At the top of her list: “…A sense of ownership for the school. The community is great and each person finds their own sub community to be a part of. [It is a] community united for building the college; being part of something greater attracts me because I am part of something that will create history.”

Marie, like many other Providence students, expounded on her love for the college’s staff and faculty: “I LOVE the staff and faculty here. My last semester has been a kind of a drag because of student teaching and not seeing everyone. Mrs. Hoekstra has encouraged me, supported me, and challenged me in ways she isn’t aware of and I have gone to her for a lot of things including life, academics…basically everything at some point. It has shaped my senior year—Mrs. H has been the most influential part of my senior year—I love student teaching; it has been great. I’m almost done!”

As an education major, Marie has been student teaching at Judson International School this semester. She began in a fifth grade classroom and is ending her semester in a sixth grade classroom. One of her favorite classroom moments happened during a class discussion when one sixth grade student remarked, “Ms. Bosma, why do we have so many life questions?” To which Marie replied, “Because I like them!”

Marie also explained how she was “struck with the changing role of teachers and how vivid that is. [Students ask] ‘Can we just Google this?’ The process of [Internet searching] is more educational now…How do you search? How do you think? How is [the information] not made up?…I was really struck with the need to have reasons behind everything I do; as Christians we have an advantage in that it glorifies God…everything we study or something random that will not apply to life, you can point that back to God and how it reflects him. It sparked so many good conversations!”

Marie’s plans for the future are currently undetermined. She has a heart for children and is considering a career in social work or psychological studies. Marie concluded by saying, as most seniors might, “I like Pasadena and I’m going to miss California…I’m really excited to graduate. I’ve really liked my years at Providence; they have blessed me in more ways than I can describe in a few words, but I am also ready to be done with dorm life and colleges in general.”

The Fall – 2006

Storytelling is a talent valued through the ages, ever developing and expanding. Though the different mediums of storytelling have changed, the heart of what makes a story stand out has minimally changed. The Fall is itself not only a well told story, but revolves around a man who creates an epic story in the movie itself, and then uses his ability to manipulate an innocent listener for his own, dismal ends.

In 1920s Los Angeles, Alexandria (Catinca Untaru), a Romanian hospital patient befriends an injured movie stuntman, Roy Walker (Lee Pace) who tells her an epic story of five heroes seeking revenge against their common enemy, Governor Odious. He creates his characters from people he encounters around the hospital, an example being that one of the heroes from the story is the ice delivery man for the hospital.

As Alexandria becomes more engrossed in the story, and cannot bear to have it stop at a cliffhanger point, Walker persuades her to steal a bottle of morphine from the hospital’s supply room. Although she initially resists this request, she eventually agrees since she will not get anymore of the story unless she complies. But, to Walker’s disappointment, she only gets three pills for him. Being Romanian and having a limited knowledge of the English alphabet, she mistook the “e” in morphine for the number 3.

Created initially for him as a tool of manipulation, as the story further develops it causes Walker to realize he must fight and resist the dark thoughts which are tormenting him. Alexandria also helps Walker work through some of his issues since, because of his manipulation, she ends up being badly injured in a fall, connecting her experience to what landed Walker in the hospital in the first place.

Few film creators can integrate stunning visuals, action, characterizations, and storytelling into one film. However, every once in a while, a movie can put all of these elements to use in what becomes a fantastic movie experience. This movie is a testament of the creativity and skill not only of a relatively new director, Tarsem Singh, who has since directed Immortals (2011) and Mirror Mirror (2012), but the team of crew and actors he put together. This is a verifiably unique story, enhanced by a captivating story within the story.

Click here to view the embedded video.