I went to A Mighty Heart yesterday afternoon, and somewhere around the mid-point I fell asleep. I jolted awake, ashamed of myself for not feeling more at the story of an American murdered by terrorists, and momentarily distressed that I had missed something important. But the film was still plodding on unaware of me, as it meticulously reconstructed all the different Ahmeds and Mohammeds and Sarifs and Aris who had played a part in the kidnapping and beheading of journalist,... Read more

This post started out as me following up on the challenge by a commenter to post the news that Michael Moore is denying charges in the upcoming documentary about him which asserts that he fabricated all the essential details in his first film “Roger and Me.” So, I started looking for the news story of Moore’s denial to link to. But on the way I found this: A veteran who lost both arms in the war in Iraq is suing... Read more

I am not sure I am going to have time to write full reviews, but briefly, I want to recommend Evan Almighty as pure, broad, over the top, comedy fun with some nice theology alongside. I also want to warn you off Ocean’s Whatever NUmber We Are Up To Now as it is a complete waste of time. Beautiful actors preening themselves and winking to themselves, “All those people out there really want to be as rich and cool as... Read more

The only really good thing about La Vie En Rose, the biopic of Edith Piaf now in theaters, is the music. Piaf’s voice echoes off the screen and mesmerizes so effectively that you understand the momentum that carried this production forward. The last number in the movie “Je Non Regrette Rien” is still playing in my head, despite the fact that the film never convinced me that Piaf could possibly not have had numerous regrets for her sad mess of... Read more

My friend (is that the right word for someone you hold in reverential awe?) Frederica Matthews Greene has recently started podcasting on a site called Ancient Radio. Frederica, an Orthodox believer, has the charm and serenity that is the mark of wisdom. In my moments of doubt, it is knowing that people like Frederica believe it all that allows me to keep on walking. You’ll thank me for the link to her reflections. Frederica was out here last week for... Read more

Hey! I finally saw a good movie this year! And it’s sad that I’m kind of in shock because it is such an odd feeling these days to see a really good movie. But the sadder thing is that most of you who read this blog won’t get the chance to see this rare good movie, because it has a teeny weeny little distribution, meaning it will play in NYC and L.A. and that’s probably it. So, keep an eye... Read more

In case you are one of the four people who didn’t go to see Pirates of the Caribbean this past weekend, don’t. I went despite fair warning by several critics whose opinions I generally respect, like Jeffrey Overstreet. This movie is not worth me trying to come up with a better chapter of faults than Jeffrey has already done: Not even a dozen Captain Jack Sparrows can save this overstuffed ship from sinking. If less really is more, Verbinski must... Read more

When I was in grad school, the first question I had to answer for the film program was whether I wanted to be in the documentary track or in the narrative track. Even at mostly Marxist Northwestern University film school, my agenda -riddled professors understood the difference between making up a story and reporting one. Sadly, this is a question that no one ever asked Michael Moore, apparently. This following piece is from a longer story about the new documentary... Read more

You Are 80% American You’re as American as red meat and shooting ranges.Tough and independent, you think big.You love everything about the US, wrong or right.And anyone who criticizes your home better not do it in front of you! How American Are You? Read more

…any day you turn in a screenplay. Which I do today when I turn in the first (actually third…I never turn in a first draft) draft of the Jane Austen adaptation (more of a resetting)/ Santa Barbara polo movie that I have been working on since last Fall. Screenwriting is such a weird activity, in that you go from complete ignorance on a subject to the level of unbelievably abstruse intelligence. Screenplay research requires a minuteness for detail so that... Read more