At the beginning of the trailer for The Golden Compass, New Line boasts about its wildly successful Lord of the Rings franchise. (Interesting, since their president has nothing good to say about Peter Jackson, and won’t let him make The Hobbit.) As the trailer opens, we see the Ring of Power. And then, to promise us something of equal importance, New Line displays the One Ring transforming into the “aletheometer,” an instrument in The Golden Compass that supposedly “tells the... Read more
Oh, but I do hate to say “I told you so.” Jeffrey Wells is reeling, raving, overwhelmed by the new Coen Brothers’ movie. This is going to be a difficult test of my patience. I’m going nuts here. I’ve got to see this thing. And check out this review by Charles Ealy: … nothing short of brilliant. … Javier Bardem ably captures the pathological menace of Chigurh … And Tommy Lee Jones, in one of his finest performances, stars as Sheriff... Read more
Here’s the latest online interview I’ve done about Through a Screen Darkly. Tim Willson of Crown Video asked me some questions. Read more
You may have already heard Arcade Fire saying some of these things in other interviews, but this is worth reading anyway. I would post some excerpts, but if I start clipping my favorite parts, I’ll end up clipping most of the interview. Read more
Did you hear my conversation with the wild and crazy guys on the Steve Brown, Etc. show? That’s okay. It’s right here. Just try and believe your ears. There’s no radio show quite like this on Christian radio in my town. Read more
The new issue of Commonweal includes one columnist’s thoughts on Philip Gröning’s Into Great Silence and the Viriginia Tech massacre. The writer (I can’t find his name on the page) says, The film has been a huge hit, not only in New York but also in allegedly secular Europe. Its success reminds me of the rave reviews given to Marilynne Robinson’s wonderful, quiet, and unabashedly Christian novel Gilead. There is a spiritual hunger that goes deep. Some of its expressions... Read more
One of my favorite children’s books… no, scratch that. One of my favorite books is being adapted into an animated feature. And I’m very nervous. Can the filmmakers do the story justice? The Tale of Despereaux is such a delicate, exquisite story. It’ll be as tough to capture as the tone of Winnie the Pooh. And… like the best children’s books… it holds just as much treasure, or more, for grownups as it does for kids. (more…) Read more
Today, Seattle Pacific University instructor Christine Chaney is sitting down to discuss Krzysztof Kieslowski’s The Decalogue with her English class. Bravo. I love it when literature professors expand the territory of their classroom exploration, encouraging students to apply interpretive skills to film. All too often, movies are treated as something we just do “for fun,” on the weekends, with popcorn and soda… as amusement rather than art. (And let’s face it, because we treat cinema that way, we get the... Read more
I’m eager to see Sarah Polley‘s directorial debut, Away from Her, because it is reported to include a brilliant performance by Julie Christie. But most of all, I want to see it for its subject. How often do filmmakers give moviegoers the privilege of deeply and carefully considering the lives and challenges of characters older than 40? Pshaw!! say the moviegoers, rushing out to keep Disturbia and Delta Farce in the top five at the box office. Oh well… Sarah Polley... Read more
Is 28 Weeks Later just another sequel designed to cash in on the success of its predecessor, 28 Days Later? Is is just a bunch of bloody action, or is there something meaningful going on here? As a big fan of the first film — an extremely violent film by Danny Boyle (director of Millions) that was thought-provoking and haunting — I’m eager to see if this sets the bar even higher for zombie movies, or if it’s just recklessly... Read more
Looking Closer
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