In the new issue of Image, editor Greg Wolfe writes about the problem of Christian veneration of J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis. …it has often been noted that the two Oxford dons at the center of the famous literary group known as the Inklings — C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien — would be appalled by the virtual canonization that has been conferred on them by adoring fans. What concerns me, however, is not so much the tendency of many Christians... Read more
Today, for the first time in our… golly, ten-year friendship? … I received an email from someone asking if Peter Chattaway was one of my pseudonyms. Wow. We do show up in a lot of the same places online and in print. But we frequently disagree on films, and sometimes clash mightily. This time, though, we’re both recommending that you rush out and see The New World. My review was posted earlier today. In 2006, it’s going to be a... Read more
F.X. Feeney answers the nagging questions about the theatrical version of The New World … and teases us with news about the upcoming DVD… news that has made me stand up and rejoice. (Thanks to GreenCine Daily, of course, for the link…) Read more
My friend Sean Gaffney has a window on screenwriting in Hollywood that gives him unique insights on the industry, so I’m thrilled to see him blogging. Too bad he started out by defending King Kong. Oh well, anyway… THIS week he’s highlighting something that happened on “Scrubs,” and it makes me very sorry I missed the show. Read more
I worked on this review until 1 a.m., got up at 5 a.m. and kept working on it. Then, realizing I had 2,500 words, I had to cut it back to the word-limit: 1,500. I didn’t quite make it. So it’s likely that, in the haze of my sleep deprivation, I may have missed a thing or two. But anyway, here is it is… my review of the I love the most from the past year, maybe two… Read more
Brian Flemming continues his campaign to explain to the world why he’s positive that Jesus never existed. And The Catholic Report is there to document his progress. It’s funny, the timing of this project. It seems like we’re seeing every possible attack on Christ’s credibility (or existence) at once, as if audiences will be happy to accept any alternatives to the truth, even if those alternatives contradict each other entirely. (via Mark Shea, of course) Read more
Walter rants. So anyway, yes, I finally got out and saw Narnia. What a waste of time. It’s one of the few really boring films of 2005. It’s hard to say all of what went wrong–I don’t have the time or enthusiasm to compile such a list, frankly. For some reason, the filmmakers felt a need to deviate from Lewis’ story on a multitude of details regarding plot, dialogue, setting, character & motivation. Nearly every scene loses its way in... Read more
Okay… I’m stuck. Most critics groups, and the Oscars, will consider Terrence Malick’s “The New World” a 2005 release, because it screened for some critics a few weeks ago. But the final cut, which is much shorter, includes footage that wasn’t in the longer cut, and is apparently quite a different film altogether, was just finished a few days ago… in 2006. So what do I do? Is this my favorite film of 2005… which it is, if it must... Read more
If you can get to Seattle this weekend, you should be sure to catch the Image Film Festival. Click the picture to see a larger version of the poster. Click here for information about the event, which should feature some challenging discussions. Read more
Thanks to Peter Chattaway for alerting me to this review of Brokeback Mountain by Mark Steyn, which sums up why this big screen emperor has no clothes. Caution: One obscenity included. I like Ms Proulx’s books not because of the characters or the plots but because she’s spent much of her life roaming the same turf I have — Vermont, Quebec, Newfoundland — and she’s got a tremendous ability to capture the essence of the land, and in particular the... Read more
Looking Closer
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