The basic premise of Holy Rollers is interesting enough: an Orthodox Jew gets involved in an international ecstasy smuggling ring. Directors could have taken it in a variety of directions from the hilarity of a Coen Brothers‘ film to the fast-cut action of a Guy Ritchie film. In this case, director Kevin Asch takes it between the lines in a rather dry approach that offers up surprising opportunities for reflection on themes of sin and forgiveness, community and tradition, and... Read more

After some technical difficulties and a “tree of life” experience of my own, I can finally post my and Richard’s conversation about/review of Terrence Malick‘s The Tree of Life, one that will certainly qualify for 2011’s most spiritually significant film of the year and, perhaps, of this next decade. (more…) Read more

It’s hard to pinpoint exactly what kind of film The Handmaid is. It’s definitely a good one, but is it a drama, a thriller, a revenge film, a black comedy? That the film keeps the viewer questioning is certainly one of its strengths. In the end, it’s just the type of film our economically stratified times demand. (more…) Read more

This review of X-Men: First Class is somewhat delayed…but then again, a week on the beaches in Kauai tends to derail much creative energy. Check out my conversation with Tony about one of the best superhero films of all time and one of the more entertaining films of the year after the jump. (more…) Read more

With all the talk surrounding Harold Camping, the failure of his March 21st rapture prediction, and his new sure-to-fail October 21st prediction, now is the perfect time to watch Transcendent Man, a documentary about futurist, inventor, and prophet, Raymond Kurzweil. (more…) Read more

Tony Mills reviews Morgan Spurlock’s latest documentary and considers the ways in which product placement and the companies behind them have begun to make our choices for us. Check it out after the jump. (more…) Read more

Ordinarily, when observing portraits, most of us might not think about the potentially transformative relationship that could take place between the artist and her subject. Unless instructed otherwise, we most likely dwell on aesthetic concerns, or, if the work is explicitly religious, then we might expand our approach to it accordingly. However, the potential for a transformative relationship between artist and subject is the foundation of both artist Vik Muniz’s “Pictures of Garbage” and Wasteland, the documentary about the creation... Read more