National Film Retreat 2006         We hosted the 7th annual National Film Retreat this past weekend at our Pauline Center for Media Studies in Culver City June 30 – July 2. The theme of the retreat was “Who is My Neighbor?” and we screened Crash, The End of the Spear, Beyond the Gates of Splendor, The Station Agent, and The Mighty. After each film we had refreshments (coffee and cake during the day; wine and cheese at night) and then a very... Read more

Check out the web site www.thenativitystory.com and The Nativity Story   New Line Cinema has launched the official website for director Catherine Hardwicke’s The Nativity Story, opening worldwide in theaters on December 1. At the site, you can watch the new teaser trailer and a featurette on the drama. You can also view a photo gallery and read the synopsis. Written by Mike Rich, the film stars Keisha Castle-Hughes, Oscar Isaac, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Ciaran Hinds and Shaun Toub.   http://www.thenativitystory.com/... Read more

32nd HUMANITAS Prize ™ WINNERS ANNOUNCED Los Angeles, CA – June 28, 2006. Eleven writers took home a share of $145,000 in prize money for films and television shows that “entertain, engage and enrich the viewing public.” Over 350 writers, directors, producers and entertainment executives gathered today at the Hilton Universal Hotel to celebrate great writing at the 32nd HUMANITAS Prize. Frank Desiderio, President of the HUMANITAS Prize, began the luncheon by reminding theaudience of the significant role that film... Read more

         “You know there are only three things that sell newspapers,” Perry White (Frank Langella) practically shouts at reporter Lois Lane (Kate Bosworth) in director Bryan Singer’s new film about the Man of Steel: “Sex, tragedy, and Superman!”      Superman Returns, while showing no sex (but implies a one night encounter between Superman and Lois before he left five years earlier), delivers intense action and impending human and environmental tragedy, and brings audiences a new iconic image of... Read more

  HUMANITAS Prize Special Award to AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH Los Angeles, CA – June 21, 2006. The documentary feature film “An Inconvenient Truth,” will receive a Special Award from the HUMANITAS Prize at its annual awards luncheon on June 28th. This is the first time in over 10 years that the organization has voted to grant a Special Award. “When evaluating films and television shows we ask, ‘does it make a significant contribution to the human family by communicating values,... Read more

First-timers, director Patrick Creadon and writer Christine O’Malley, have created an endearing film about crossword puzzles and the people who love them. Some are even obsessed by them. Everyone in the film plays him or herself.   At the center of the film is Will Shortz, editor and puzzler extraordinaire, of the New York Times’ Crossword Puzzles and the annual Crossword tournament held annually at the Marriott Hotel in Stamford, Ct.     Throughout the 90-minute documentary we meet former... Read more

You may have noticed that a film named NATIVITY is beginning to appear in magazines such as Entertainment Weekly, Christianity Today, and this week’s Time. It stars Whale Rider’s Kiesha Castle-Hughes as Mary and Oscar Issacs as Joseph, with Catherine Hardwicke (Thirteen; Lords of Dogtown) directing. Shohreh Aghdashloo (House of Sand and Fog) is Elizabeth and Ciaran Hinds is King Herod. Mike Rich, who wrote Finding Forrester and The Rookie, penned the screenplay.   Whale Rider is one of my... Read more

Coming on the heels of President George W. Bush’s May 8th remarks that he would like to close the prison at Guantanamo, Cuba, pending the outcome of a Supreme Court ruling on how prisoners there would be tried (www. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12675642/), and the recent suicides of three Guantanamo detainees on June 11th comes Michael Winterbottom’s award-winning film, The Road to Guantanamo. It opens in theaters nation-wide on June 23.   The gritty drama/documentary tells the story of the “Tipton Three”, Ruhal... Read more

  I like Jack Black. Ever since I saw him in a darkly comedic sequence in Alison Maclean’s 1999 film Jesus’ Son, I’ve liked Jack Black.   And I like Jared (and Jerusha) Hess’ 2004 film Napoleon Dynamite, about a geek with a big heart and hidden talents. They directed and co-wrote Nacho Libre.   I even liked the trailers for Nacho Libre. So despite all the other films opening this weekend, I went to see Nacho Libre today.  ... Read more

[somewhat of a spoiler]   In X-Men (2000) Stan Lee’s classic Marvel comic is brought to the screen. It tells the story of children who are mutants, that is, they are born with an X-Factor in their genes. This factor gives them special powers. Professor Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart) runs a school for these mutants and wants them to learn to control their powers so as to live peacefully with other humans.   In X-2 (2003) an attempt is made... Read more