When filmmakers journey to the American South, they enter dangerous territory. Far too often, they aren’t prepared to encounter such a rich, unusual culture, and they end up painting cruel caricatures. So it is a bit unnerving when director Phil Morrison takes us on a road trip from Chicago art studios to North Carolina baby showers in Junebug. Is this going to be just another movie exploiting Southern eccentricity for our entertainment? Not at all. Junebug is, at times, hilarious,... Read more
A full hour of forgettable, underwhelming set-up introduces us to the key human characters of Peter Jackson’s King Kong. That long, humdrum approach to the Main Event – the revelation of the ape – confirms what some have long suspected: that Peter Jackson, who served up those sensational adaptations of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, isn’t much of a storyteller on his own. As his earlier track record proves, he’s a bespectacled spectacle man. When you give him... Read more
Ed Solomon’s directorial debut-Levity-offers little of just that. This might surprise moviegoers eager for the latest from the writer of Men in Black. Fittingly, the title refers to what’s missing from the lives of its burdened characters. Solomon is a moviemaker with a lot on his mind, including forgiveness, faith, friendship, and the way we run from self-realization and dodge the consequences for our sins. These themes needed richer soil than his previous scripts for Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure... Read more
At the movies, transformations are the norm. Men become monsters and beasts are transformed by beauties on a regular basis. The formula is so familiar that storytellers and artists face a tremendous challenge if they hope to capture audiences with a sense of something new. Remember Schindler’s List? In Steven Spielberg’s beloved Holocaust film, we watched Oskar Schindler begin to question himself and his superiors. He gradually mustered the courage to take a small step in the right direction. And yet, I still feel... Read more
This commentary is a follow-up to my review of The Passion of the Christ. – Most Christian press publications will lavish praise upon Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ. They will celebrate the arrival of a film rich with spiritual power, rendered with riveting and even excruciating detail. Some will go so far as to declare that in this film, the Church has a fantastic “evangelical opportunity.” But the fact that many Christians — many churches — are responding to... Read more
“There is nothing less real than realism. Details are confusing. It is only be selection, by elimination, by emphasis that we get at the real meaning of things.” – Georgia O’Keeffe – The words “excruciating” and “crucifixion” are related. It’s easy to see why when you read the reviews of Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ. Violence is not a new subject for this actor-turned-storyteller, and here he zooms in on a singular theme: how Christ persevered, in love,... Read more
I’ll admit it. I did not keep up with the world of music the way I have in the past. On average, I listened to a new album every week, but the time I’d planned to spend writing about them was swallowed by film-writing assignments and fiction deadlines. It’s been a demanding year in so many ways. Thanks to the vigilance of friends and colleagues like Josh Hurst, Andy Whitman, Thom Jurek, the folks at All-Music Guide and Paste Magazine,... Read more
About this list: Once again, I find myself looking forward to hearing a long list of albums that have come highly recommended… but I haven’t had the time to give them proper attention. (That’s what a full-time job, weekly review-and-column deadlines, and three book deadlines will do to you.) (more…) Read more
This is a guest review by Greg Wright • Has anyone but me noticed that only one letter prevents Superman Returns from being an anagram for Superman Reruns? Dan Brown is to blame for doing this to my mind. Before you think I’ve gone entirely off the deep end, though, consider this: The Da Vinci Code postulated that Jesus Christ was not the chaste, virginal young man we read about in The Children’s Bible. Yes, and Ron Howard’s film ratcheted... Read more
Stephen Frears’ new film The Queen begins just before that catastrophic car crash, seemingly provoked by pursuing paparazzi, took the lives of Diana, Princess of Wales, and her boyfriend, the rich playboy Dodi Fayed. With an efficient and effective montage of news clips, Frears reminds us (as if we could forget) just how popular Diana had become, and why. Unlike Queen Elizabeth, who stuck to the typical rituals of her tradition, Diana was an adventurous do-gooder. She was as big... Read more
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