While ego-surfing my name on Google Blog Search, I found notes that someone took at a recent talk I gave in Austin, Texas. They are here. I don’t know who took and posted these notes, but they are pretty accurate as to what I said. Here’s a snip: Why do movies matter? They matter as: 1. Stories 2. Entertainment 3. Art Stories – movies have become the preferred medium for the masses for story. Stories matter. Make a list of... Read more

It always amazes me how actors can sometimes miss the real depth and meaning of the shows they are in, and even the very characters they play. The thing to remember is that for most actors, acting isn’t about understanding human life, it is about imitating what human life looks like. Sometimes I forget this. Like for example, just when I had concluded that actress Katee Sackhoff – Starbuck on BSG was pretty intelligent and reflective (for, well, an actor…yes,... Read more

With lamentable consistency, Walden Media has managed to turn out a steady stream of movies that look good but fall flat on the script stage. I hope somebody over there will learn how to give notes on a script before they go through the entire canon of beloved children’s books making unmemorable movies, or run out of money, or just get tired of the whole idea of having a Christian owned production entity. It might even be notable as some... Read more

[Uh, SPOILER ALERT. Stop now if you don’t want to know what happens in BSG Episode “Six of One…” You can also forego this post if you think I have completely lost my mind about this show, and aren’t watching it. It will make no sense to those languishing in double ignorance of the greatness of BSG]] Well, boys and girls, we’re back in business. The second episode of the season was just wonderful. Super writing. Stellar performances. Several surprises.... Read more

Which Battlestar Galactica Character Are You? More on Battlestar Galactica. Created by BuddyTV Read more

So, the worst thing about my life is how often I find myself slithering out of mostly greasy, cramped window seats on airplanes. If Emerson thought that 19th Century horse-drawn traveling was a fool’s paradise, imagine what he would make of the congested horror and security indignities of LAX’s Terminal 4 at 5:30am. I am so over the trips thing, but I figure until I master the perfectly kind and charitable thing, giving speeches is a fitting kind of atonement.... Read more

I’m opening a thread here for anybody who wants to talk about Battlestar Galactica‘s first episode of Season 4. Spoilers follow, so don’t read if you are someone who is prone to post in the comments that I shouldn’t be posting spoilers. I thought the episode was just okay, which seemed to me inexcusable in that they kept us waiting a year for it. (And for me it has really only been four months as I just found this show... Read more

[Hi from Austin, TX, where I am attending the “Transforming Culture Symposium”. At one of the workshops, somebody asked for a copy of something I had written a few years ago following my attendance at the Encounter with Media Professionals in the Vatican during the Jubilee Year. I found it on-line and told them I would post it here.] Christians and Media: A Prayer for ForgivenessBy Barbara R. Nicolosi Setting the tone for the Jubilee Year, Pope John Paul II... Read more

Okay, Baby Boomers, this is the moment when you should reach for a barf bag. Or just skip this review and the movie it’s about. I seem to recall predicting about five years ago, that as soon as Gen Xers came of age, they were going to start telling one basic story. Their story: Dysfunctional parent-child relationships. And they will be filled with confusion about everything that matters except for a scathing indictment of Baby Boomer materialism and narcissism. The... Read more

(Okay, Nancy, this one’s for you…) I’m always pretty sharp in my critique of the Boomer Generation. I think they inherited a pretty good world and then selfishly screwed up so much that it will take a hundred years to even figure out where they left us. But, just to keep things balanced, it’s time to set the penetrating gaze on Gen X. (Of course, Gen X’s problems can mostly be laid at the feet of the Boomers, but whatever…)... Read more