All posts from "May 2011"
« April 2011 | Main | June 2011 »
May 30, 2011New Documentary: 'Beware of Christians'
Four young Christian men take their big questions to the world, but there's nothing new here
The new documentary Beware of Christians is being marketed as a major revelation but plays as old hat.
The points made are good, but all too familiar. Christians fail to live out all of God’s Word on a daily basis? No way! Christians need to emphasize relationship over religion? Do tell! Most young adults plugged into Christian culture already know this stuff.
The movie fails to draw any new conclusions, though it comes close to a key point: The guys note how many non-Christians view Christians as hypocritical, yet how can believers live the Christian life publicly without coming across as pious or sheltered? If only the movie followed this thinking through to its logical conclusion: the need for Christians to walk the fine line of being holy and being cool—“in the world, not of it.”
There’s nothing special about their hipster style of filmmaking with out-of-focus shots, quick intercuts, etc.—think The Real World gone Christian. Nor is this a clever movie, or particularly funny, though not from want of trying. I felt like I was on a trip with four slightly irritating Christian frat boys. They share the usual anecdotes of losing their wallet and passport or getting lost in Switzerland on the way to Italy.
Two of the guys “help” their lovelorn friend by intercepting all his postcards to his girlfriend—which of course only makes him mad and doesn’t seem particularly Christ-like. For that matter, watching two of the guys smacking each other’s bare backs as some sort of fraternal prank is like watching an episode of Jackass. Or how about when two of them dress up like gladiators in Rome with cheap gift shop toys and proceed to smack each other in public like little boys? Way to represent America, guys.
Still, by the time the movie was over, it occurred to me that I had maybe fifteen years of spiritual maturity on these four. These “old” conclusions they draw might have been new to me when I was their age. As much as I want Beware of Christians to be an insightful and informative documentary for all ages, it may still be a worthwhile film for teens and young adults. Especially those who need to see a film that ultimately concludes that 1) Christians don’t have it all worked out, and 2) God loves us anyway.
The DVD is available for purchase here. See the trailer below:
'How to Die in Oregon'
HBO doc depicts how one state’s controversial law affects those faced with impossible choices.
Before the opening credits roll for How to Die in Oregon—airing on HBO tonight—we have watched one man, Roger Sagner, end his own life.
In the documentary’s closing minutes, Cody Curtis, a woman with terminal cancer and living with escalating and excruciating pain schedules her own “death with dignity.” Here, tellingly, the camera parks outside her window. Perhaps that was her choice and not the director’s, but it feels as though the time we’ve spent with her through the film has made her a real person rather than a cause, and it is hard to not wonder whether the camera’s rather sudden reserve implies any particular feelings about what is going on.
Whether one agrees or disagrees with the Oregon law, one must concede the earnestness with which director Peter Richardson approaches his topic. And who amongst us is brave enough to stand in judgment of Sagner and Curtis?
I would be careful not to mistake the documentary’s soberness for diffidence, however. Good cases often make bad law, and those who want to shape public policy tend to do so by looking for the cases that best frame the issue in the way they want it looked at. I don’t knock the film for having a point of view—I prefer honest advocacy to feigned neutrality—but I confess to wishing that it had a little more breadth in examining the issues surrounding the law. It is worth noting, for example, that the right to request a prescription for a terminal quantity of drugs (the law’s advocates insist on calling it “medication” even when it is not being used for treatment) is limited to those who have been diagnosed with an illness that will kill them within six months. One certainly hopes that the fact that at least two of the participants in the film live significantly longer than six months after receiving such a diagnosis wasn’t deliberately downplayed for fear that it might undercut the premise that the Death With Dignity Act is sufficiently narrow in scope.
Most telling, perhaps, of whether the film is depicting or advocating is the way it deals with the case of Randy Shoup. He is interviewed at the 52-minute mark, railing against Oregon Health Plan correspondence refusing to pay for stronger chemotherapy (because it can’t be shown to probably increase his life by five years) but telling him he is qualified to receive aid for comfort and “palliative care,” including physician aid in dying. “No man has the right to offer money to have somebody else killed,” Shoup says.
By going public with his letter, Shoup was able to get the Oregon Health Plan to reverse its decision and approve the chemotherapy recommended by his physician. The film states in printed text that he died four weeks later, leaving the impression that the questions he raises are easily dismissed technicalities. It is easy to miss on a first viewing that Shoup had already lived more than a year fighting prostate cancer after he was given “two to four months.” It is also worth pointing out that Shoup is given three minutes of screen time in the middle of a 107-minute film, so, by the end, the quite reasonable questions and concerns raised by his case have been pretty much pushed aside rather than answered.
In other words, people on both sides of the issue are allowed to speak in How to Die in Oregon, but we are encouraged to listen to some of them more than others.
Here's the trailer:
Jesus Rally Planned for Cornerstone
40 years after TIME's psychedelic Jesus cover, Christian rock's pioneers convene at fest
Forty years ago, on June 21, 1971, TIME magazine featured a psychedelic Jesus on its cover, with a story on the Jesus Revolution's impact on popular culture.
This summer, the Cornerstone Festival will celebrate the anniversary with a Jesus Rally, featuring some of the great Christian rockers of the 70s and 80s, including Daniel Amos (pictured here), Randy Stonehill, Servant, Barry McGuire, Phil Keaggy, Classic Petra, Rez Band, and more.
Festival organizers have also planned a number of seminars and discussions for conversation about the Jesus Revolution's impact on church history, and how it's still affecting culture today.
Owen Brock of Servant, which played its final concert 20 years ago, says he was excited for a band reunion when Cornerstone brought up the idea.
“We were both interested and challenged by what it might take to pull this off well," he said. "We are currently immersing ourselves in the music again and we are very excited about performing at Cornerstone 2011.”
McGuire, best known for his classic song "Eve of Destruction," has never played Cornerstone before, but says "I’m truly looking forward to being there, with so many artists who have made such an impact.”
Since its 1984 origins, Cornerstone has pushed boundaries and challenged the concept of what a Christian Festival “should” look like. It's an annual pilgrimage for people of faith of all ages, styles, and denominations, some 20,000 in all each year.
This year's event will take place June 30-July 3 at Cornerstone Farm outside of Bushnell, Illinois. Tickets are available through www.iTickets.com.
Our Film . . . Is an Awesome Film
Filmmakers raising funds to make a movie about the life of Rich Mullins
Last year, fans of Donald Miller's Blue Like Jazz responded in a huge way to filmmakers who wanted to turn the popular book into a movie, raising almost $350,000 to kickstart (pun intended) the production. The response was the year's biggest at Kickstarter.com, where people raise money to fund their projects.
Now some filmmakers and friends of Rich Mullins are hoping to do the same. Color Films and Kid Brothers of St. Frank are hoping to make a full-length film about the late Christian singer, who died in an auto accident in 1997. They're hoping to raise $90,000 at Kickstarter.com by June 24, in order to start shooting the film in early July. (As of this posting, they've raised a little over $23,000, approximately 26 percent of their goal.)
"Simply put," says director David Schultz, "we have been audience members to this ragamuffin's life, and it's changed us, and we want to give others the same opportunity. That's why we are making this movie, and we'd love for as many people as possible to be a part of it."
Click here to check out a video introduction from Rich's brother David Mullins.
The Muppets Are Coming!
They return to the big screen in November, and this new trailer makes me green with envy.
Uneasy Alliances in the Heart of the Bible Belt
Tennessee town's tolerance tested in "Welcome to Shelbyville," airing on PBS
"When a foreigner lives with you in your land, don't take advantage of him. Treat the foreigner the same as a native. Love him like one of your own. Remember that you were once foreigners in Egypt. I am God, your God" (Lev. 19:33-34, The Message).
"For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in" (Matt 25:35, NIV)
It's a fascinating look at how a small town grapples with a rapid influx of foreign refugees, including a growing Latino population and, in more recent years, many Muslims from Somalia. Most of the film was shot in the days prior to the 2008 Presidential election, when America was already facing many changes. But for this small Tennessee town, the changes seemed to come faster than many residents were prepared for.
There are some expected comments from local rednecks and old-timers, mostly borne out of misunderstanding or fear, but there are some encouraging scenes involving local churches who are putting feet to the gospel, trying to roll out the red carpet for their new neighbors. It's a challenge, but it's a challenge they are working hard to meet -- whether through large events, door-to-door visits, or ESL classes. There are some sensitive (and some not so sensitive) insights from pastors and religious leaders.
"The movement of people from one place to another, how we acclimate to other cultures, and the resulting fusion of humanity has always fascinated me," says director Kim Snyder. "During my Masters work in foreign relations at Johns Hopkins, I was most interested in social change as it played out in more personal rather than national or historic narratives. Welcome to Shelbyville evolved out of a deep desire over the past decade to tell stories that would not only raise awareness about complex social problems, but that could go one step beyond to highlight people and communities that were tackling these problems with innovative solutions that might ignite social change.
"Welcome to Shelbyville chronicles a year in the life of one town in the rural South grappling with the challenges of rapid demographic change. With focus on Shelbyville as a microcosm of current day trends in immigration that are landing an increasing number of newcomers in rural locales, my intent was to provide a snapshot of this phenomenon through the voices of ordinary citizens, both U.S. and foreign-born, who are often navigating these challenges without much precedent or guidance."
It's worth watching for any community or congregation that is serious about putting feet to the gospel, and reaching out to the strangers among us. Here's the trailer:
'Survivor' Contestant 'Lost Game but Won Souls'
Matt Elrod didn't win the $1 million, but says 'God was with me every step of the way'
Outspoken Christian Matt Elrod had hoped his faith would not only carry him, but affect his fellow competitors and viewers on the recently-finished Survivor: Redemption Island, and it seems his prayers were answered.
A few fellow contestants were emboldened by Elrod's faith and example, including one who said she was going to find a Christian church when she returned home.
"God was with me every step of the way," Elrod is quoted in a recent story in the Christian Post. "I praise His name for just letting me be a vessel for Him. That's been my reward for all the struggle and all the strife I've been through."
Brad Pitt: 'I've Got Issues' with Christianity
'Tree of Life' star says he grew up in the faith, and questioned it even at a young age
Terrence Malick's Tree of Life, one of the year's most anticipated movies, made its international debut at the Cannes Film Festival yesterday, and Brad Pitt, one of the stars of the film, said that he questioned his own Christian upbringing from a young age.
"I grew up with Christianity, and I remember questioning greatly some things that didn't work for me, [and] some things did," Pitt said at a press conference, as quoted by TheInsider.com. "I grew up being told that God's gonna take care of everything and it doesn't always work out that way, and when it doesn't work out that way, then it's God's will. I got my issues man, don't even get me started...I got my issues."
Pitt also said, "Many people find religion to be something inspiring. . . . I myself find it very stifling as an individual." (CT has requested an interview with Pitt; stay tuned.)
Meanwhile, the reviews are beginning to come in, with mixed results, and even boos!
Others:
IndieWire: 'A Universe-Spanning Search for God'
Variety: "Inescapably divisive picture could captivate the zeitgeist for a spell."
The Guardian: "An unashamedly epic reflection on love and loss."
MovieLine: "It's all about life, but does Malick care much for people?"
Hollywood Reporter: "A beauteous creation that ponders the imponderables."
NY Times: "A cosmic head movie of the most ambitious order."
Unsung Heroes of the Civil Rights Movement
PBS documentary 'Freedom Riders' spotlights the courage of a little known group
Martin Luther King Jr. might be the most well known face of the civil rights movement, but a small group of blacks and whites who boarded two buses—one Greyhound, one Trailways—in May 1961 may have been the most courageous.
Freedom Riders, an excellent American Experience documentary airing on PBS stations tonight, tells the story of those brave souls, who intended to ride the buses through the deep South, deliberately but non-violently violating prejudicial Jim Crow laws along the way—by sitting together in “whites only” establishments.
They were met with racism and mob violence, but continued their brave quest in a saga that ultimately pulled in the police, governors, the National Guard, the Kennedys, and a watching world—and, in the end, was a major victory for civil rights.
Here's the trailer.
Watch the full episode. See more American Experience.
Hey, Boo!
New documentary explores Harper Lee, 'To Kill a Mockingbird,' and the classic film
Mary Murphy’s Hey, Boo: Harper Lee and ‘To Kill a Mockingbird,’ which opens in limited theaters this week, is more celebration than investigation . . . and I’m perfectly fine with that.
Few works in the history of American literature are more universally beloved than Lee’s bildungsroman. Add to the novel’s immense popularity the fact Richard Mulligan’s film adaptation consistently tops lists of fan favorites and the task of a documentarian covering this material is simultaneously daunting and alluring. Finding people willing to talk about what the book means to them is seldom a problem. Harnessing that enthusiasm to deepen the appreciation of the work about which every reader thinks he is an expert can be a difficult task indeed.
The key to Hey Boo’s success lies in director Murphy’s ability to balance critique and appreciation, providing both historical and biographical context -- including insights into Lee's friendship with Truman Capote, and how that plays into the story and the film -- to explain the novel’s importance and testimonials to attest to its timeless qualities. Lee Smith, Scott Turow, Oprah Winfrey, Tom Brokaw, and James McBride read from and express admiration for Mockingbird, and, for the most part, eschew the temptation to use the forum to try to make themselves look smart, keeping the focus on Lee’s work.
That’s not to say that the film is superficial. It has plenty of insights for people who know the novel, not just for new fans. Two elements stood out upon reflection. Murphy chronicles how Lee worked with her publisher for approximately two years after the book manuscript was accepted, honing, polishing, and revising the text. Fifty years later, it’s a lot easier to get one’s work into print -- but has this relative freedom led to a decline in quality? It’s hard to imagine a book from an unknown artist getting that kind of detailed attention today, and by and large we tend to buy into the Romantic notion that masterpieces are fully-formed offsprings of the minds of creative geniuses rather than hard polished products of sweat equity.
The other element of the documentary that is truly enlightening is Murphy’s putting the novel in its historical context. The further we get from the civil rights movement of the 1960s, the more we tend to misremember To Kill a Mockingbird as a postscript rather than a preface to it. Written in the late ’50s and published in 1960 (the film adaptation was released in 1962), Mockingbird often doesn’t get the credit it deserves for speaking out against racism before doing so was fashionable in white America.
Several of the white interviewees speak out about the complicated, at times even subversive, cultural work performed by the novel. If, as Shelley said, the imagination is the moral instrument, then the book instructs us how to read it when Atticus tells Scout that we must walk in another man’s shoes to truly understand his point of view. For many of us, Tom Robinson’s shoes were the first we walked in that belonged to a man of a different color. Once we took Atticus’s advice, it was hard, if not impossible, to go back to the old ways of thinking.
Here's the trailer for Hey, Boo:
This review originally ran on Ken Morefield's 1More Film Blog.
Caviezel "Rejected in My Own Industry"
'Passion of the Christ' star says that offers have decreased since playing Jesus
In a recent speech at First Baptist Church of Orlando, actor Jim Caviezel said he's been "rejected in my own industry" since playing Jesus in 2004's The Passion of the Christ.
The Orlando Sentinel reported that Caviezel said that director Mel Gibson actually encouraged Caviezel not to play the role, because it could ruin his career. Caviezel: "He said, 'You'll never work in this town again.' I told him, 'We all have to embrace our crosses.' ''
Caviezel also talked about how Gibson's personal life has been in a very public tailspin in recent years; the director has been labeled an anti-Semite and has threatened and cursed at the mother of his youngest child.
"Mel Gibson, he's a horrible sinner, isn't he?" Caviezel said. "Mel Gibson doesn't need your judgment, he needs your prayers."
The Sentinel story also reported that Caviezel, a Roman Catholic, "has never shied from films with religious subtexts, sometimes controversial ones, from The Passion of the Christ (2004) and The Stoning of Soraya M. (2008) to I Am David (2003) and Bobby Jones: Stroke of Genius (2004).
Also:
Caviezel has said his faith is his guide, both personally and professionally. He speaks of being "called" to the acting profession and says it was no coincidence that "in my 33rd year, I was called to play Jesus." He even joked about his initials — J.C. — with Gibson at the time of his casting, which "freaked him out a little."Caviezel and his wife have adopted "special-needs" children from China, and one has cancer.
"Maybe God, through my son's death, is going to teach me something."
Norma McCorvey Appears in Pro-Life Film
The woman who was Roe in 'Roe v. Wade' has a small part in abortion-themed movie
Norma McCorvey, who was "Roe" in 1973's landmark Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion, plays a small role in Doonby, an upcoming film that addresses abortion and pro-life issues.
McCorvey, who switched positions and became a pro-lifer about 20 years ago, has appeared in documentaries before, but this is her first feature film. The estimated $2 million movie, which stars Jon Schneider in the lead role, is scheduled to release in September.
The Hollywood Reporter notes that writer/director Peter Mackenzie wanted McCorvey for the part, and the way he found her is a fascinating story -- if not divine intervention. According to THR:
Before researching her whereabouts, the director chose to shoot his film in Smithville -- population 3,902 -- where McCorvey lives. "I guess you could say the project chose me," she says. "God told me to move there two years before but didn't really tell me why. So I obeyed. I had no family there, no friends. I just obeyed." Says Mackenzie: "I tried to find Norma, and that's where it got a little spooky. Out of the blue, during some random conversation, I discovered that Norma actually lived there."
Here's the trailer:
Bruce Marchiano Plays Jesus . . . Again!
Straight-to-DVD film, 'The Encounter,' would've worked better as a Sunday morning skit
Many plays have been successfully adapted into movies (A Few Good Men, 12 Angry Men), though some are better suited for the stage (Doubt, Sleuth). The Encounter, a direct-to-DVD movie releasing today, feels like it would translate better as a Sunday morning skit or a production at some church-related event.
Part of the problem is the supremely clichéd premise—essentially a redemption story set in an old Twilight Zone episode. On a dark and stormy night (naturally), five travelers take refuge at the Last Chance Diner, where the food is free and the sole proprietor wears a nametag that says “Jesus.”
Is this guy for real? It’s hard to build any mystery considering this is the fifth (!) portrayal of Christ by Bruce Marchiano, best known as “the smiling Jesus” from The Visual Bible: Matthew. But The Encounter is less a supernatural thriller than a drama and modern parable, as Jesus confronts each traveler with their secrets and heartaches.
Teenage Kayla is running away from an abusive father and considering suicide. Melissa (Christian pop star Jaci Velasquez) is a young woman considering an “unequally yoked” marriage. Spineless Hank and spiteful Catherine comprise an annoyingly bickering couple headed for divorce. Smug businessman Nick (wrestler Steve ‘Sting’ Borden) is angry with God over his difficult childhood. Jesus takes turns with each character, politely listening to their anger and fear while challenging them to trust in God’s love.
Like many disappointing play-to-film adaptations, The Encounter feels stagey, set in a single room for most of the movie. The unimaginative story lacks creative direction from Christian producer/director David A. R. White (though there is a somewhat clever surprise toward the end). Still, aside from the amateur characterizations of Hank and Catherine, the acting isn’t half bad. Velasquez does all right with a role that any competent actress could pull off, and Borden actually shows some emotional range and timing. This is ultimately Marchiano’s vehicle, though. Say what you will, but the guy excels at portraying a wise and personable Jesus.
It’s the writing that sets The Encounter apart from lesser Christian movie fare. Sean Paul Murphy and Timothy Ratacjzak (Sarah’s Choice, featuring Rebecca St. James) have devised a thoughtful script that smartly plays both sides of arguments with timely insight, biblical wisdom, and sprinklings of humor. Why does God allow bad things happen to good people? If God loves us so much, why doesn’t he answer our prayers when we need him most? The movie’s answers may not completely satisfy everyone, but it handles the questions well enough to spark discussion.
This is a case where the right script is matched with the wrong production. The Encounter is corny and derivative, for sure, but not unwatchable. It carries the potential for stronger impact on stage, where actors work without a net, a thoughtful script shines, and audiences are more forgiving of a limited production.
Buy the movie here, and watch the trailer below:
recent posts
Archives
April 2012March 2012
February 2012
January 2012
December 2011
November 2011
October 2011
September 2011
August 2011
June 2011
May 2011
April 2011
March 2011
February 2011
January 2011
December 2010
November 2010
October 2010
September 2010
August 2010
July 2010
June 2010
May 2010
April 2010
March 2010
February 2010
January 2010
December 2009
November 2009
October 2009
September 2009
August 2009
July 2009
June 2009
May 2009
April 2009
March 2009
February 2009
| Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
| 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 |
| 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 |
| 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 |
| 29 | 30 |