Christian Movies Go Mainstream (Sorta)

Last updated on: September 28, 2014 at 9:50 pm By Paul Asay

I was reading an interesting article from the New York Post regarding the surge of reasonably successful Christian movies, the newspaper’s eye fixed firmly on the release of the Left Behind remake. “After years of releasing shoddy products featuring has-beens like Kirk Cameron, the Christian film industry is upping its game in an attempt to win a crossover audience,” the Post’s Reed Tucker writes. “Is faith-based cinema about to go truly mainstream?” The answer is no, not yet. Or no,... Read more

Mercy, Justice and The Equalizer

Last updated on: September 26, 2014 at 7:22 am By Paul Asay

The Equalizer isn’t exactly a family friendly, faith-centric movie. Denzel Washington, who plays protagonist Robert McCall, kills more people than die in the first three Jaws movies—and more horribly at that. But Washington’s also one of the film industry’s most prominent Christians who, despite often playing violent characters, tries to weave his faith into the projects he does and the characters he plays. The Book of Eli, which was, quite literally, a Bible story, is just the most obvious. Here’s... Read more

The Maze Runner: Just Like Faith, Only With Cyborg Spiders

Last updated on: September 24, 2014 at 6:12 am By Paul Asay

Life just doesn’t make sense sometimes. Just ask Thomas (Dylan O’Brien) from The Maze Runner. One moment he’s … well, he doesn’t quite know what he was doing, come to think of it. But whatever. The next, he’s zipping up, up, up in a super-fast, industrial elevator with some sort of pig. And when he gets to the top, he finds himself in the midst of a green glade surrounded by a bunch of teen boys. And none of them... Read more

Gotham and the Quest for Justice

Last updated on: September 21, 2014 at 9:16 pm By Paul Asay

This piece, on Fox’s new show Gotham, was initially published on Christian Toto’s excellent entertainment site, Hollywood in Toto. But just for fun (and with Mr. Toto’s permission), I’m reprinting the piece here. Detective Harvey Bullock doesn’t like what he sees in his shiny new partner, a young James Gordon. He may be a war hero. His pops may have been a dynamite district attorney back in the day. Sure, James may have the courage to walk Gotham City’s dirtiest... Read more

Braveheart: A Different Sort of Freedom

Last updated on: September 19, 2014 at 7:37 am By Paul Asay

In a historic moment yesterday, Scotland narrowly voted against full independence and to stick with ye olde United Kingdom. The Union Jack, one of the coolest flags ever, will stay cool. Hadrian’s Wall will not be rebuilt. Since I live in Colorado Springs, I didn’t exactly have a dog in the fight, Scotty or otherwise. Still, I was happy to see Scotland vote the way it did—in spite of the fact that those in favor of independence used one of... Read more

The Batmobile Should Not Have Gun Turrets

Last updated on: September 15, 2014 at 8:51 pm By Paul Asay

I do like me some Batman. Or, more fairly, I like me some Batmans. I like the Christopher Nolan/Christian Bale dark, growly version of the guy. I like the subtle, Gothic, Michael Keaton Batman. I like the campy, clever, Adam West Batman from the 1960s—especially when he’s fending off sharks with his special bat shark repellent. But in all these incarnations, Batman’s still supposed Batman is supposed to adhere to a certain set of rules. Rule No. 1: No killing.... Read more

No Good Deed and Dolphin Tale 2: Who You Gonna Trust?

Last updated on: September 14, 2014 at 8:49 pm By Paul Asay

Dolphin Tale 2 and No Good Deed, the weekend’s two big movie newcomers, don’t have a lot in common. The former is, of course, a cute, kid-centric story about dolphins and kids, about growing up and letting go. No Good Deed is about why you should never, ever let a stranger use your phone. But in a way, they’re both an examination of one basic theme: trust. In Dolphin Tale 2, Clearwater Marine Aquarium faces a crisis: Winter—the bottlenose dolphin with a... Read more

Of Jesus and Jaws

Last updated on: September 11, 2014 at 8:16 pm By Paul Asay

Richard Kiel , the man who played one of the most endearing James Bond villains ever, died yesterday in Fresno, Calif., at the age of 74. Cause of death for the 7-foot-2 genial giant was not given. I’m a huge James Bond fan. One month for a newspaper story I was working on, I watched every Bond movie ever made until that time. And the thing you notice right away about Bond villains is that they don’t come back. Oh,... Read more

Dolphin Tale 2: Finding a Little Hope

Last updated on: September 9, 2014 at 10:03 pm By Paul Asay

It would’ve been nice to talk with Winter. But she wasn’t doing interviews. The other stars of Dolphin Tale 2 were more accommodating when I went down to Clearwater Marine Aquarium for a set visit last year. Some select Christian media outlets had the opportunity to talk with Harry Connick Jr., Nathan Gamble, Cozi Zuehlsdorff, Bethany Hamilton and several other performers. Winter, the famous aquatic mammal and the breakout star from the original Dolphin Tale, apparently wasn’t available. But that’s... Read more

Drax, Autism and a Different Sort of Hero

Last updated on: September 5, 2014 at 6:20 pm By Paul Asay

Have you ever gone to a movie, seen a character on screen and said, “Hey! That person’s just like me”? It can be pretty special when that happens, especially when you don’t see a lot of people like you anywhere else. So it was great to hear (from Legends of the Knight director Brett Culp) about Tumblr’s merryweatherblue, who posted the following to his account: “I took my little brother (who falls on the autism spectrum) to see Guardians of... Read more

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