Whatever you think of the physical and psychological realities of transgenderism, there’s a concerted push in the media to make it not only socially acceptable but a cause for celebration and admiration. We’ve seen this play out over and over again in Hollywood, whether on behalf of ethnic or racial minorities or for any number of sexual identities and proclivities. When the media takes up a cause, it has many ways to slip supportive messages into TV shows, movies, music,... Read more
Thanks, nearly naked female celebrities at Monday’s Met Gala in New York City, for reminding us why men are considered people, while women are often thought of as just decorative objects. The annual event, which marks the opening of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s yearly Costume Institute exhibit, is a night for taking fashion to the edge — and sometimes right over it. From Defamer: Last night’s Met Gala was a real yawn. The theme—China: Through the Looking Glass—threatened to be a... Read more
In a quest to be taken seriously, comic-book superheroes — and the movies made about them — have become steadily darker, grittier and more dystopian. “Marvel’s Daredevil,” which just posted its first season on Netflix, is a example of that, all angst and crime and violence, shot in dark, rainswept alleyways, with a hefty dose of Catholic guilt thrown in for good measure. But over on The CW, season one of “The Flash,” — which concludes on Tuesday, May 19,... Read more
When doing a New Testament epic — as in adapting a script from any beloved and well-known narrative — there are things that can’t be avoided. Jesus and the Apostles, along with selected Romans, Jewish officials, etc., have to say a certain number of lines and have interactions that everyone knows from Scripture. That does place limitations on the screenwriter. But every now and then, there’s some wiggle room where the writer can exercise his or her imagination and even... Read more
On Sunday night, May 3, at 5 p.m. PT, at the Laemmle’s Town Center in Encino, California, the Los Angeles Jewish Film Festival — click here for ticket and schedule information — presents a screening of the 2014 feature-length documentary “TouchDown Israel,” by American writer/director Paul Hirschberger. It explores the fast-growing sport of American football in Israel. Started in 1988, American Football in Israel (AFI), now has over 90 contact and non-contact teams. In 2005, the AFI established the Israel... Read more
Since its launch in 2006, the social network Twitter has become a nearly indispensable part of the modern media landscape. Its simple notion of sharing 140-character messages has remained constant, but the influence of those little missives couldn’t have been predicted. It’s become far more than a communication tool for ordinary users. It’s made and toppled careers; become a primary news source; set off firestorms of controversy; and chronicled events of all kinds, from births and deaths to the Oscars... Read more
As this season of “American Idol” has gone on, I’ve been checking in with Clark Beckham, whom I met in late March at a Fox network party celebrating the Top 12 finalists. We talked about music, but also about the Tennessee native’s deep Christian faith, which we discussed again for a post at the end of the month. Today — Wednesday, April 29 — we caught some time on the phone just before he went on, taking the chance to dive deeper into his walk with Christ. Beckham opened... Read more
This week, I’ve been holed up in the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Marina del Rey, California — granted, if you’re going to be holed up, that’s a good place to do it — for the Spring edition of the Digital Hollywood conference, which explores the confluence of entertainment and technology. I’ve been hearing a lot about virtual-reality gear, new ways to get TV programming, marketing, financing, technical innovation — there was even a Digital Israel session, with some impressive tech (did... Read more
Sometime in 2016, director Zack Snyder’s “Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice” hits theaters, with Ben Affleck as Batman (boy, that bit of casting news seriously dented my will to live, after his “Daredevil” fiasco), and Henry Cavill reprising the role of the Man of Steel. I will always prefer Marvel to DC, for a whole host of reasons — click here to see what I thought of “Marvel’s Daredevil,” NOT with Ben Affleck, on Netflix — but there are... Read more
In the course of a week, I powered through all 13 episodes of the Netflix Original series “Marvel’s Daredevil,” based on the Marvel Comics character. I seriously enjoyed it, but I do have a few bones to pick about the Catholic content. But first, some background. After seeing the five hours made available for press preview, I wrote a post called “How Catholic IS ‘Marvel’s Daredevil’ on Netflix?” At that point, the answer was, “ only slightly more overtly Catholic than anything... Read more
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