REJOINDER: ELEMENTS OF A CHRISTIAN ENTERTAINMENT Last week, I made a list of some values that one would expect to find in entertainment stories created by a follower of Jesus. My next project will be to discuss further elements that might come through a specifically Catholic worldview, as opposed to a merely Christian worldview. Finally, I want to consider the ethics of filmmaking method for believers. That is, are there ways to tell a good story, which might in themselves... Read more

WHAT WE MEAN BY “HE’S JUST AN ACTOR” Academy Award Nominee Adrien Brody (The Pianist) is featured in the premiere issue of the new magazine V Life from the people who give us Variety. In the article, Brodie waxes profound at one point, noting that he is very choosy about the kind of roles he accepts. “I’ve been offered roles in big movies, and I’ve been offered a lot of money, which I haven’t taken – not yet anyway…I’ve been... Read more

MORE GANGS: WHAT HE SAID If there are only two of us in the critics’ community who dare to label Gangs of New York as 2003’s Emporer’s New Movie, I am glad the other one is the great Eric Metaxas. Check out his column over at Christianity Today. I particularly second this: …Scorsese was powerfully conflicted in making this film, torn between making a mainstream historical Hollywood epic that could be big box-office and making another “personal artistic statement,” one... Read more

“THAT’S NOT FAIR.” I really wish this article wasn’t so true, because the tone feels so inflammatory. But I have experienced the same kind of insane fire-breathing hatred of conservatives, and particularly George Bush that Jan describes in this article for The Front Page. Particularly this section rang true: Hollywood is a society of liberal bigots. ‘Stupid’ is their N-word, like ‘coon’ or ‘jungle bunny.’… Conservatives are people of a lesser mind who don’t count–flag-wavers, heartlanders, patriots, rednecks–stupid people who... Read more

A GOOD WAY TO SPEND A MONTH I got this message from my friend Mike Wallacavage at the International Institute for Culture. I can’t go, [grumble, grumble] but hopefully some of you can. Study Faith and Culture in Europe! “Communitas: The Restoration of Christian Community in an Age of Alienation” Summer Seminar held June 14-July 5, 2003 in Bavaria! Immerse yourself in the rich intellectual and cultural tradition of Catholicism with this three week seminar on faith and culture in... Read more

A SIX FOOT TALL WHITE SCIENTOLOGIST The Hollywood Reporter reports today that John Travolta is in negotiations to play Jimmy Stewart’s character in the update of the 1950 classic, Harvey. The story revolves around an otherwise normal man who claims to have befriended a six-foot tall, white rabbit. His friends and family put him in a mental hospital. I don’t know…Will audiences buy a man being locked up, just for seeing invisible rabbits? Hey! How about a movie in which... Read more

PROPOSED: “ENVY IS BAD FOR DIPLOMACY.” For the week of March 11, 2003, U.S. made movies…. …held six of the top seven spots at the box-office in France. …held all top ten spots in Germany. …held nine of the top ten spots in Italy. …held eight of the top ten spots in Sweden. …held all of the top ten spots in South Africa. …held seven of the top ten spots in Brazil. What is there to say in this tense... Read more

ELEMENTS OF A CHRISTIAN CINEMA I promised to discuss elements predicable of a Catholic cinema. Before we do that, we need to set out themes that would distinguish a Christian cinema. I am indebted for some of what follows to a book called After Image, by Fr. Richard Blake, SJ. Clearly, we are looking at just the narrative level of cinema. The next critique we will have to do will be to isolate cinematic methods that would be compatible with... Read more

GROAN “The word family has taken on a wonderful and extended meaning…and can include people like coworkers or roommates.” Angela Shapiro, president of the ABC Family Cable network, explaining the channel’s racier fare. Read more

“WHEN I’M WIDE AWAKE, I SEE SIGNS OF AN UNBREAKABLE CATHOLIC SIXTH SENSE.” Tim Drake has posted an extensive critique over on CatholicPundit called “The ‘Catholic’ Imagination of M. Night Shyamalan.” There is lots of info about the director’s personal history and filmography. It’s interesting and well-written, although I don’t agree with the central thesis of the piece, namely: “Although a Hindu, Shyamalan’s artistic imagination is decidedly Catholic.” Exactly what are the elements of a Catholic Imagination as discerned in... Read more