[Beliefnet, May 13, 2004]
What's the difference between âTroyâ and a sword-and-sandal epic of forty-plus years ago? Stumped me, too. Superficially, there's a lot in common: swords, sandals, sand, buxom ladies, pompous declamation (âYour glory walks hand in hand with your doomâ), and faux-hearty earthiness (âMay the gods keep the wolves in the hills and the women in our beds!,â an invocation you hope you don't accidentally get backwards.) In terms of the grand feeling âTroyâ hopes to evoke, it could be âBen Hurâ or âSpartacus.â
[Beliefnet, May 7, 2004]
Hidden under the piles of obvious things to say about âVan Helsingâ âthat itâ s loud, busy, and overstuffed with CGIâis one more very surprising thing: it presents the Roman Catholic Church as a heroic force for good. You wouldnât think that possible these days, when suspicion of âinstitutional Christianityâ is at an all-time high, when best-sellers like âThe DaVinci Codeâ inflame bizarre suspicion, and headlines about sexual misbehavior erode what trust remains.
[Beliefnet, April 20, 2004]
Itâs a noble, inspiring thing when patriots fight for liberty. Itâs noble if they win, that is. Bostonians tossing tea in 1774 is one thing; Charlestonians defying Lincoln in 1861 is another. Turns out that rebellion, by itself, is not enough to gain historyâs nod. You also have to win. History is written by the victors.
And curiously, one of the things winners love most is remembering the time they lost.
[Our Sunday Visitor, March 21, 2004]
The term âhigh conceptâ refers to a movie with a striking plotline that can be described in one sentence (eg, Danny DeVito and Arnold Schwartznegger are long-lost âTwinsâ). In high-concept movies things explode. Screenwriter Charlie Kaufman specializes in another kind of high-concept movie, one in which a strange premise unfolds in surreal ways. Things don't explode; they melt, like Dali's watch.
His first film, âBeing John Malkovichâ (1999) sought to answer the perennial question, âWhat would it be like if a secret door in my office led to a ride inside John Malkovich's brain?â as well as the obvious followup, âCould I make money selling these rides?â (And you thought you were the only one wondering about that.)
[Unpublished, posted to mailing list March 8, 2004]
I haven't written a public review of âThe Passionâ because my feelings are so mixed. I am so glad for all the people who are having their faith strengthened and renewed, or even finding faith for the first time. I don't want to puncture that. A friend at my church saw it once, wanted to see it a second time, then read a negative review (âthe characters were flatâ, etc). She decided not to see it again. That's sad.
When people get disappointed with the film I think it has to do with what Coleridge called the âwilling suspension of disbelief.â
[Newsday, March 7, 2004]
âWere you there when they crucified my Lord?â asks the old Gospel hymn.
Mel Gibson's powerful film, âThe Passion of the Christ,â has brought many viewers âthere,â and I rejoice with those who say it deepened their faith. I can understand why this film moves them so much.
But I don't think they understand why a fellow-believer might prefer a different approach. It seems to them that any less-than-graphic portrayal is weak - âsanitized.â
But is that the only way to see it? Here, for example, are two paintings made early in the 17th century. The one with the golden background represents the Eastern Christian tradition, and is by the iconographer Emmanuel Lambardos of Crete. The other, emblematic of Mel Gibson's Western tradition, is by the Dutch painter Hendrick ter Brugghen.
[Books & Culture, March-April 2004]* Selected for Best Christian Writing 2006*
Most movies wait till after they're released to stir up controversy, but Mel Gibson's âThe Passion of the Christâ has been preceded by nearly a year of fisticuffs. It provided an unusually rich opportunity for people who don't know what they're talking about to do just that. I'll continue that tradition by admitting that, as I write this, I still have not seen the film. I expect it will be good movie-making, a powerful example of the artistic possibilities of film. I hope it will stir up old faith in Christians, and break forth new faith in unbelievers.
[Our Sunday Visitor, February 22, 2004]
No, your watch isnât slow, they really did move the Oscars up this year. Fed up with the high-pressure lobbying for votes that filled the first three months of every year, the Academy opted this time around to shorten it to two: instead of a late-March ceremony, this yearâs event will be February 29. This means that the high-pressure lobbying had to be compressed into a shorter time frame, so the folks who trudge the red carpet on Sadie Hawkinsâ Day may look more frazzled than usual.
[Our Sunday Visitor, Feb 1, 2004]
As usual, I made a big impression at the premiere of âBig Fish.â The director, Tim Burton, had been pestering me to come, and at last I agreed to pop in. What was tricky, of course, is that my husband is losing patience with the film's star, Ewan MacGregor, because he won't give up. âGive up, Ewan,â I keep telling him. âI've been married thirty years.â But still the roses arrive almost daily.
[Our Sunday Visitor, January 11, 2004]
P. J. Hogueâs new production of âPeter Panâ has a lot more sex in it, and thatâs why you should see it. Not sex, exactly, but sexuality, the first budding of a young girlâs confused romantic feelings, and how she must learn to navigate them wisely. The film itself is wise and treats the topic with appropriate delicacy. You can take even young children to this film, and all theyâll see is a beautifully produced classic of fantasy and adventure. Youâll see something more.
Peter (portrayed by Jeremy Sumpter) is not the focus of this story, but Wendy (Rachel Hurd-Wood).
