Gadzooks, my blogging has really slowed down the last few days. Between work and visiting the kids in the hospital (where they will probably be for another week or so), I guess I’ve been busy. At any rate, I wanted to post a thought or two on the “director’s cut” of THX 1138 (1971), before I return the DVD to the library. I watched it with my wife a few nights ago, and I checked out almost all the extras... Read more

Here are the figures for the past weekend, arranged from those that owe the highest percentage of their take to the Canadian box office to those that owe the lowest. Brokeback Mountain — CDN $8,168,143 — N.AM $66,460,791 — 12.3%Underworld: Evolution — CDN $5,715,118 — N.AM $57,354,686 — 9.9%Nanny McPhee — CDN $3,149,164 — N.AM $32,956,035 — 9.6%Walk the Line — CDN $10,250,556 — N.AM $113,633,384 — 9.0%The Pink Panther — CDN $1,714,951 — N.AM $20,220,412 — 8.5%Firewall — CDN... Read more

Does anyone talk about post-modernism any more? I remember discussing that subject with quite a few people back in the ’90s — when movies were full of references to other movies, and when CGI threatened to replace actual reality with virtual reality, etc. — but I haven’t heard it come up much in conversation lately. At any rate, one of the things I love about old movies is seeing how the gags and themes and techniques that seem so newfangled... Read more

My review of Firewall is now up at CT Movies. And yes, this is that movie I alluded to a couple days ago. Read more

Looking for more information on Color of the Cross, I found this story from last Monday’s Variety magazine: The success Mel Gibson had in transforming churchgoers into moviegoers with “The Passion of the Christ” has inspired another indie production on the story of the last hours in the life of Jesus Christ. But “Color of the Cross,” produced on a tiny $2.5 million budget, will feature a black actor portraying Christ. Nu-Lite Entertainment production hopes to capitalize on the controversy... Read more

I could be wrong, but I think it was Solomon or Woody Allen who said, “Of the making of many awards, there is no end…” Anyway, following hot on the heels of the CT Movies “critics’ choice awards“, the Faith and Film Critics Circle — a group of 13 Christian film critics including yours truly and three other CT Movies regulars — has just posted its own awards for the past year, and the clear favorites are Millions (winner in... Read more

Cinematical.com reports that New Line Cinema, the studio behind everything from the Freddy Krueger movies to The Lord of the Rings, is now developing The Nativity, an account of the birth of Jesus (as well as the birth of John the Baptist, apparently) written by Mike Rich (Finding Forrester, 2000; The Rookie, 2002; Radio, 2003; the upcoming Manhunt, 2007) and directed by Catherine Hardwicke (Thirteen, 2003; Lords of Dogtown, 2005). The choice of director is certainly daring, given her filmography... Read more

I have seen at least four movies on the big screen since my son and daughter were born on Saturday — including three preview screenings and, on Monday, a restored print of Jean Renoir’s The River (1951) — and tonight, for the first time, I found myself getting bored and thinking, “Gosh, I would really like to be holding Elizabeth or Thomas in my arms and watching them sleep right now, instead of watching this movie.” I won’t say what... Read more

Click here for the details. As with the “redeeming films” list, this is a collective statement and not a personal or individual one, and so there are some films here that I would have been happy to leave off altogether, and I would have written up some of the other entries differently, too. It is particularly miffing that Crash, easily the worst of Oscar’s Best Picture nominees, ended up at #2 on this list. On the other hand, I am... Read more

Here are the figures for the past weekend, arranged from those that owe the highest percentage of their take to the Canadian box office to those that owe the lowest. The Matador — CDN $1,185,289 — N.AM $8,575,836 — 13.8%Brokeback Mountain — CDN $7,073,899 — N.AM $60,102,890 — 11.8%Underworld: Evolution — CDN $5,182,540 — N.AM $52,950,739 — 9.8%The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe — CDN $25,869,853 — N.AM $281,934,379 — 9.2%Nanny McPhee — CDN $2,427,062... Read more