Paul Rusesabagina, the real-life inspiration for Don Cheadle’s character in Hotel Rwanda (2004; my review), was in Vancouver this past weekend. I didn’t go to his public lecture, but Katherine Monk of CanWest News Service did, and in her interview, she mentions that Rusesabagina is a former theology student — which was something I had not heard before. Given that background, the article concludes on a sad note: As he surveys the quiet safety of the lobby, I ask Mr.... Read more

I had another thought about Brokeback Mountain a day or two ago, and although I’m not sure quite how far I can push it, I thought I’d toss it out there and see what happens. I was flipping through my copy of Scandalizing Jesus?, when a thought occurred to me. In a nutshell, I found myself wondering if the controversy over Brokeback Mountain was kind of like the controversy over the sex scene in The Last Temptation of Christ. On... Read more

Mark Goodacre notes that a collection of scholarly essays on The Passion of the Christ is being re-issued under a new title, and with a much more attractive cover. On The Passion of the Christ: Exploring the Issues Raised by the Controversial Movie seems to be a new, and slightly expanded, paperback version of a hardcover book that was once called Perspectives on The Passion of the Christ: Religious Thinkers and Writers Explore the Issues Raised by the Controversial Movie,... Read more

I haven’t said much about Brokeback Mountain here yet, partly because I didn’t have to review it and partly because I wanted to mull the film over some more. But a couple of comments made by Tara Ariano in yesterday’s National Post have spurred me to action: Some members of the crowd I watched it with at a Toronto theatre weren’t quite ready for Brokeback. The woman who walked out about four seconds into the first same-sex sex scene clearly... Read more

Those who were hoping to see yet another down-to-the-wire contest between King Kong and The Chronicles of Narnia for the top spot at this weekend’s box office may be in for a shock, based on Friday’s estimates. For one thing, Narnia (in its 5th week) grossed $3.9 million to come in 2nd, while King Kong (in its 4th week) grossed $3.4 million to come in 4th (leaving Fun with Dick and Jane, in its 3rd week, to come in 3rd,... Read more

Three days since my last blog post? Eep. It’s been a very lethargic week, but I’ll toss out two quick links before I head out the door. 1. The New York Times reports that typographers and graphic designers are miffed by the inaccuracies and anachronisms of certain recent movies: “Good Night, and Good Luck,” the movie about Edward R. Murrow’s battle to expose the demagoguery of Joseph R. McCarthy, has received both critical and popular acclaim. But the movie has... Read more

The first draft of my top ten list for 2005 is now up at Books & Culture. I had completely forgotten about Saraband and Broken Flowers when I wrote this — I’m not saying they’re shoo-ins, but I do wish I had at least considered them — and I only managed to see a few other contenders a few days before my deadline, so it’s very possible that this list might change as I mull it over some more. Read more

Time for another round-up of news quickies. 1. The notoriously reclusive Terrence Malick doesn’t do interviews. He didn’t even attend the press junket two-and-a-half weeks ago for his new film, The New World. (Neither did the film’s biggest star, Colin Farrell, who checked into rehab just the week before, which made the junket an unusually low-key affair; heck, the studio didn’t even serve us lunch, which is a first in my limited experience.) But apparently he does do Q&A;’s at... 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. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire — CDN $32,481,052 — N.AM $275,228,000 — 11.8%Memoirs of a Geisha — CDN $3,307,201 — N.AM $28,211,000 — 11.7%Fun with Dick and Jane — CDN $5,273,102 — N.AM $59,968,000 — 8.8%King Kong — CDN $14,773,961 — N.AM $167,324,000 — 8.8%Munich — CDN $1,252,713... Read more

The newest issue of BC Christian News is now online, and with it, my film column, which is mostly a revised version of my review of The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe but also includes a brief preview (but not a review) of Hoodwinked!. Read more