Robert Deeble and Dino Meeples: CT Entertainment

[Also: Recommendations from Christianity Today's critics] Also: Recommendations from Christianity Today 's critics | [View online]( [ChristianityToday.org]( [Christianity Today Entertainment Newsletter]( Friday, January 19, 2018 Robert Deeble and Dino Meeples Each week CT's critics offer suggestions for art and entertainment they found encouraging, valuable, or reflective of the good, the true, and the beautiful in God's world. Not every suggestion is suitable for everyone, and each reader is encouraged to investigate ratings and content warnings for each suggestion. Have suggestions of your own? [Let us know](mailto:tolsen@christianitytoday.com?subject=CT%20Entertainment%20suggestion). —Ted Olsen, Editorial Director Beloved | Music I first saw Robert Deeble play in Seattle, opening for Over the Rhine, almost 20 years ago. He made quite an impression: Imagine if a young Leonard Cohen had marinated in the music of Nirvana, R.E.M., and Wilco, and yet insisted on his famously soft-spoken vocals. Since then, Deeble's albums have been consistently compelling, poetic, and adventurous. But Beloved is something remarkable. Featuring contributions from members of The Postal Service, Pedro the Lion, and Earthside Down, this is Deeble's declaration of love for a foster daughter who became part of his family and then was taken back by her mother. True-life details enrich the poetry. (The girl's name has two meanings—"beloved" and "uncertain"—both of which become song titles.) In "Coal Miner" Deeble sings, "You were three days old / I was feeling so bold / I held your little heart next to mine / And when you would go / I'd hope that you'd know / the sound of that big drum of mine." How many rock albums focus on a father's love for a daughter? But wait, there's more: The album was completed in the blessing of answered prayers, a restored family, and ultimately an open adoption. — [Jeffrey Overstreet]( [Available at [robertdeeble.com](.] The Greatest Showman | Film / Album Hugh Jackman sings, dances, and romanticizes P. T. Barnum's creation of perhaps the first mass-media entertainment in this original musical. Vowing to follow his dreams, strike it rich, and all the other stage-musical tropes, Barnum creates a circus full of outcasts and oddities, then struggles to win even more acclaim—but at what cost? Critics in-universe and in reality disregard this spectacle; the story itself subtly engages with the risk of exploiting its diverse circus crew, before suggesting they should really be seen (redemptively) as a "celebration of humanity." To this end, director Michael Gracey lets the film revel in color and dance, and re-presents every musical theme without apology or self-awareness. To ward off the disease of idolizing fame and fortune, this circus offers new earworms from songwriters Benj Pasek and Justin Paul: the (illusory) all-fulfilling joy of "The Greatest Show" itself, creativity ("A Million Dreams"), adventure/rebirth ("Come Alive"), carefree living ("The Other Side"), forbidden love ("Rewrite the Stars"), and, of course, individual identity-casting (Golden Globe winner "This Is Me"). But ultimately, Jackman's Barnum finds redemption in one gift that's at least closer to most Christians' preference: the joys of his wife and children to whom he's pledged his life and dreams. With some apt cautions (beware some flimsy circus attire, plus the risk of idols-solving-idols), this "Show" is a joy. — [E. Stephen Burnett]( [Available in theaters] Sagrada | Board game With aesthetically pleasing pieces, simple-to-learn mechanics, quick pace, and an average 30-minute playing time, Sagrada is a great "[gateway](" game. Two to four players compete to fill in their player boards, shaped like stained-glass windows, with dice of five different colors. Players earn bonuses for creating patterns of colors or numbers (on the face of the dice) as well as for using dice of their assigned colors. Since each player takes turns selecting dice from a community pool, players also need to consider what their opponents will need when making a selection. Stuck? You may use a limited number of gems apportioned based on the degree of difficulty of your board to re-roll dice, change their face to a more desirable number or move previously placed dice from one spot on your board to another. Although not a part of the printed suggestions, Sagrada's rules can easily be tweaked to handicap older or more experienced players by tweaking turn order, bonus rewards, or the number of gems used to purchase favors. The only downside is that the game is still somewhat pricey on Amazon, but you may be able to find it at select Barnes & Noble stores that still have initial shipments in stock. For those of my generation, $35-50 can seem pricey for a board game, but a family of four would pay that or more for a trip to the movie theater. Games that get replayed are actually a decent long-term value. — [Kenneth R. Morefield]( [[Floodgate Games](] Dinosaur Island | Board game My son loves licensed games. Star Wars, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings—a card game or board game that will reimmerse him in the worlds he already loves always garners excitement and high ratings from him. Fortunately, there are some amazing licensed games out there (All of Fantasy Flight's Star Wars games are pretty great, but we love Star Wars: Risk and the small Empire vs. Rebellion, too. Harry Potter: Hogwarts Battle is a surprisingly wonderful cooperative deck builder, but we like the Lord of the Rings co-op deck builders too.) But Dinosaur Island benefits from not being a tie-in to the Jurassic Park / Jurassic World film series, but rather a tongue-in-cheek recreation of it, from its '90s neon colors to the puns like "Clever Grill." You're racing to build the best (that is, most income-generating) dinosaur theme park in the world, against other dinosaur theme parks. Building dinos is fun. That's how it always starts. But then later there's running and screaming. The dark side doesn't start to sink in until later: Letting people be eaten is just part of the cost of doing business. Upping the danger quotient is unavoidable if you want to attract crowds. Your decisions can spark some interesting post-game conversations. But honestly, my friends and I became so preoccupied with the fun of whether or not we could, we didn't stop to think if we should. — Ted Olsen [[Pandasaurus Games](] [Millennials Can Leave Evangelicalism. But Not Its Pop Culture.]( Does the cottage industry around Christian subculture nostalgia reveal the church's failures—or its successes? Morgan Lee [Charles Dickens Still Haunts Christmas]( How a 19th-century story informs the modern holiday spirit. Laura Kenna ['Wonder' Reveals the Face of True Human Strength]( What the box-office hit tells us about beauty, weakness, and the imago Dei. Micha Boyett ['Justice League' Unites Its Heroes to Save an Erratic, Uneven World]( DC's answer to the MCU wants to show that surrounding darkness can only strengthen heroic light. It only kind of succeeds. E. Stephen Burnett Follow Us [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Google+]( [RSS]( [Subscribe to this newsletter]( IN THE MAGAZINE [Current Issue]( [Cover Story: Blessed Are the Handouts]( [In Defense of Pro-Life 'Hypocrisy']( [Cheering China's Urbana: Churches Poised to Become Major Exporters]( [View Full Issue]( [Subscribe Now]( More from Christianity Today [Luis Palau Reveals Stage 4 Lung Cancer, Asks for Prayer]( 'It would literally take a miracle,' says renowned evangelist ready for heaven. [Why Ralph Winter's Missions Mobilizer Is Up for Sale]( Shift in global evangelism prompts downsizing of US Center for World Mission's famous Pasadena property—but not all alumni are ready to say goodbye. [These Trump Advisers Want a Dreamers Deal Enough to Meet with Nancy Pelosi]( Evangelicals join the push for protection for young immigrants. Related CT Newsletters [The Galli Report]( Weekly must-reads from the editor of CT. [Sign Up Now]( [CT Connection]( The official newsletter of the global media ministry. [Sign Up Now]( //lists.christianitytoday.com/t/561061602/23299274/584617/0/ [Christianity Today Entertainment]( Delivered free via email to subscribers weekly. [Subscribe]( | [Email Preferences]( | [Unsubscribe]( | [Privacy Policy]( | [Advertise]( | [Subscribe to CT]( You are currently subscribed as: {EMAIL} Copyright ©2018 [ChristianityToday.org]( Christianity Today, 465 Gundersen Drive, Carol Stream, IL 60188. All rights reserved.