Blue Like Jazz – See it this Friday or Saturday (April 13 or
14)
This Friday, the movie version of the book “Blue Like Jazz”
opens in limited movie theaters across the country. In order to expand the release of the film,
there needs to be a good public support for the film on Friday and Saturday
(April 13 and 14). The ticket sales are
reviewed late in the weekend, to determine if there will be any continuing of
the film or expanding distribution.
So, if you want to see this film succeed, get to a theater and buy a
ticket on Friday or Saturday. The
producers/directors very much need the support. Oh, and not to mention, my name turns up in
the scrolling list of over 4000 “Associate Producers” during the closing credits
– this has been one of the largest “Kickstarter funded” film projects ever. This movie was made by Christians and has a
story revolving around faith, but is also primarily set at liberal Reed
College. Due to capturing some of the
Reed College environment, the film ends up with a PG-13 rating (due to some language
and situations – no nudity). This is different
from the typical Christian film, and probably won’t get much support from the
general church community – the rest of us need to support this type of film
making.
For various info and movie trailers, check http://bluelikejazzthemovie.com/
Here’s a decent review of the movie:
The film will be showing in Grand Rapids and Grandville
Michigan, as well as other cities across the country.
I did get a chance to see a preview of this film last month
(March), and enjoyed it. I think the
film is fair with the treatment of college life, and isn’t too harsh for the
typical adult (we aren’t talking about any crude “R” rated humor or anything
like that). I think the story appeals
to any “thinking person” who is simply trying to live a better life, while not
relying solely on “safe” topics or situations. This movie should appeal to both Christians
and non-Christians, but I bet the non-Christians will enjoy it more.
Now, onto a bit more about Blue Like Jazz, and why I am an “Associate
Producer” on the film.
Donald Miller’s semi-autobiographical book “Blue Like Jazz”
was originally published in 2003.
Somewhere in my trolling of the internet, a favorite website posted some
samples from the book. I read them and
was curious about the rest of the book.
I didn’t buy a copy yet, but next saw a local church study group was
using the book for discussion, creating more curiosity on my part. I eventually got my hands on a copy, and
found the book quite refreshing in perspective.
In brief, the book is about Don Miller getting frustrated
with typical Christianity. Don ends
up taking work as an auditor of classes at Reed College, noted as one of most
liberal places in the USA. In his
efforts to escape frustration with the God he had been taught, Don ends up
connecting with other Christians who are more sincere with their struggles and
failures. Don ends up reevaluating his
faith, and finds a deeper connection with God with being more honest and open
with people.
For me, the book was a definite help with reflecting on the
issues many non-Christians have with the Christianity that is typically
marketed to the public. Had I not
already been aware of the failure of man in representing the God of the bible,
I would be reluctant to follow what is presented as the “good Christian”. Blue Like Jazz simply opens a discussion
that the God of the bible is so much better than any feeble attempts we make to
represent him to the world, and how to deal with some of the mistakes we make
as Christians in our self-absorbed culture.
Having connected with the writings of Don Miller, I was
encouraged when I first read about the book being turned into a movie. Around 2009, I found a website for the
film, and they offered an “Associate Producer” credit for those interested in
help sponsoring the film. One of my favorite
musicians/film directors Steve Taylor had signed on to help write and direct
the film. I signed up as a sponsor, and
occasionally got updates or mailings about the film. In the fall of 2009, Don wrote a book
called “A Million Miles in a Thousand Years” which somewhat chronicled the
process of turning his book into a story for film. There were changes to the story, like the
character of Don being presented in the movie as a student at the college,
rather than class auditor. However, just before production was to begin on the film,
their main investors pulled out of funding the film. Having no other choice, production was
cancelled. Don sent out a blog about
it, and a couple readers asked about starting a Kickstarter campaign to publicly
raise funds. Offering various rewards
and levels of sponsorship, they were able to raise over $345,000 for the
production. Having previously sponsored
the film, I was somewhat content having already done my part. But, I also was interested in doing more
to help raise money for the production, so I donated to again get the “Associate
Producer” credits. By the end of the
campaign, they had over 4000 “Associate Producers” to credit. In the film, the end credits have the “typical”
credits in center screen, while the “Associate Producers” are scrolling to the
right, alphabetically by first name (so I don’t come up until the T’s).
In the past few months, the film has gotten ramped up for
the push to release. The movie was
shown at the SXSW Festival, and received numerous good reviews. There was a tour throughout the country in
March, to preview the film to sponsors and ministry leaders. Now, with the general limited release
starting this weekend, the time has come to see if the public will come out and
support the film or not. With a limited
marketing budget, they have counted on the rest of us to get the word out.
My opinion is that this film has been a great representation
of Christian independent film. It isn’t
a movie that is sponsored by any church or denomination, but has been primarily
funded by individuals looking to get the story on the big screen. However, because it is an independent film,
it is very hard to convince movie theaters to expand showings – there needs to be
public support.
So, get out this weekend (Friday or Saturday) and buy a
ticket for the film “Blue Like Jazz” – even if you can’t go to the showing, buy
a ticket online – it will still count as a sale, whether you show up or not.
