THE MASTER in CONTEXT: PTA’S CITY OF THE ANGELS

September 25, 2012 By Craig Detweiler

For dedicated cinephiles, wrestling with a movie and its meaning is a profound pleasure. To casual moviegoers, The Master may feel too arduous, a long slog, not worth the effort. Hollywood makes so many effects-driven, popcorn movies that it is tough to adjust to a film rooted in characters and their struggles. Especially when it doesn’t offer an easy resolution. The Master requires considerable reflection to unearth what it is saying, doing, and communicating. Such complexity will garner plenty of... Read more

The Innocence of Muslims: Blasphemy, Pornography, and Christianity

September 20, 2012 By Craig Detweiler

What do Christian films and porno movies have in common? Bad acting, lousy production values, and you always know how it will end. This is a joke, told by many of my filmmaking friends in Hollywood that rings remarkably true in The Innocence of Muslims. The script, the sets, the lighting, the hair, the makeup, the clothes are all horribly cheesy. Noticeably awful sound is always the mark of the amateur. A true editor would have cut out the film... Read more

REMEMBERING 9/11–“What’s Not to Like?”

September 11, 2012 By Craig Detweiler

I visited the 9/11 Memorial in New York City over the summer. It is a peaceful place amidst the hubbub of Manhattan. Cascading water silences some of the din. The diversity in the names inscribed in the marble are a stirring tribute to the many peoples and tribes that constitute America. Two squares flowing with water mark the site of each of the twin towers. (Check out these 360 degree panorama views here). I was struck by... Read more

DNC: Back to School Special

September 4, 2012 By Craig Detweiler

Few things concern parents more than their children’s education. We want to make sure our kids are challenged and encouraged, stretched and supported all at the same time. And so the job of teachers—to raise test scores amidst the competing demands from parents and school districts can be maddening. God bless the educators who dare to care, who resolve to equip the next generation in reading, writing, and arithmetic (not to mention arts and science!). Perhaps that is one reason... Read more

CLINT EASTWOOD AND THE INVISIBLE MAN

August 31, 2012 By Craig Detweiler

When I have been asked to name my favorite novel, I always answer Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man. Not because it is has the most riveting plot or the most pleasant story, but because it burrowed into my soul and built empathy into my being. Never before had I felt so immersed in the mind of a protagonist, particularly one whose life experience was so different from my own. While I can never know what it feels like to be an... Read more

BERNIE: BEST FILM OF THE SUMMER?

August 26, 2012 By Craig Detweiler

My favorite film of the summer just arrived on DVD. Bernie is a kick; an eccentric, captivating, and thoroughly original comedy. Jack Black gives his most complete and sympathetic performance yet as Bernie Tiede, an officious mortician who gets a little too close to a rich Texas widow. Bernie is “an artist in the embalming room,” but his taste for the high life of Marjorie Nugent becomes quite costly. Based on a 1996 true crime and trial, Bernie gets inside... Read more

The Hunger Games in China

August 17, 2012 By Craig Detweiler

As the father of two tweens, The Hunger Games movie was a hot topic in our house for months before its premiere. My kids found Suzanne Collins’ trilogy exciting, smart, and intuitive (especially compared to the monotony of Twilight). Katniss Everdeen struck them as a strong, intelligent young woman who sees that there’s more to life than sparkly boys. Director Gary Ross makes movies with mass appeal that are timely and intelligent (like Big, Dave, Pleasantville, and Seabiscuit). The Hunger... Read more

Chad Johnson and HBO’s School of Hard Knocks

August 15, 2012 By Craig Detweiler

The gap between news headlines and reality TV continues to shrink. Just days after Miami Dolphins’ wide receiver Chad Johnson was arrested for domestic battery, HBO’s series Hard Knocks had inside footage of Johnson being released by Coach Joe Philbin. While a high profile performer like Johnson is always bound to attract attention, never before have cameras caught the likely end of a Pro Bowl career. A private moment of great sensitivity, awkwardness, and importance is broadcast just days after... Read more

BOURNE AGAIN? RESISTING THE REBOOT

August 10, 2012 By Craig Detweiler

Are you planning to see The Bourne Legacy this weekend? As much as I’d like to muster some enthusiasm to see the series Bourne Again, I find the trend to reboot movie franchises so dispiriting. As a screenwriter, I recognize how rarely Hollywood now dares to shoot an original story idea. The economics of the industry (and audiences’ viewing habits) mostly reward sequels. I discussed this ongoing reality with the Vice-Chairman of Paramount Pictures, Rob Moore. Here is a quick... Read more

London Olympics 2012: Women Rule

August 9, 2012 By Craig Detweiler

What has been your favorite Olympic moment? How cool to see double amputee Oscar Pistorius compete in the 400 meters as South Africa’s ‘blade runner’. Jamaicans celebrated the remarkable speed of Usain Bolt and the Brits rejoiced in the tennis grit of Andy Murray. Americans can be so proud of our swimmers, our gymnasts, and our track and field athletes. My favorite victory came from a woman who finished last in her event. Why does Sarah Attar’s Olympic moment... Read more