'Hollywood picking on us Christians'
So says one blogger about 2012; another says the director lacks, er, gumption (sort of).
What you don't see getting smashed to smithereens are any Islamic holy places -- and that has at least a couple of bloggers mad.
Calling director Emmerich a "coward," a blogger for The American Catholic writes, "This is just another example of Hollywood picking on us Christians. 'Us' Christians call this behavior bigotry in the form of Christophobia. More commonly known as anti-Christian or more specifically anti-Catholicism in the case of this film." The blogger goes on to note that Emmerich was concerned about having a fatwa (essentially a Muslim death threat) on his head.
Meanwhile, at Big Hollywood, Greg Gutfield writes, "Where are Roland Emmerich’s balls?" He notes that Emmerich had said "he hoped to destroy the Kaaba, an Islamic holy site, but his fellow screenwriter Harald Kloser persuaded him not to" -- again, out of the fear of fatwa. Gutfield writes: "Hollywood screws with Christians because Christians don’t behead people. But tweak Islam, and you could end up like director Theo van Gogh – dead on a street with a flag impaled on your chest. Roland picks the safe target because he’d rather live . . . [This] proves that Roland has the gonads of a shrimp."
As for Emmerich, here's his explanation, in his words, for not destroying anything Islamic: "We have to all, in the western world, think about this. You can actually let Christian symbols fall apart, but if you would do this with [an] Arab symbol, you would have ... a fatwa. So it's just something which I kind of didn't [think] was [an] important element, anyway, in the film, so I kind of left it out."
Here's the latest trailer:
November 5, 2009Megachurches Get a Movie!
Also: 'Friends for Life' lauded; 'Love Comes' in a boxed set; and capitalism saves the planet
That's exactly what Morgan Mead, a young Christian filmmaker from Indiana, wanted to know. Why are there so many megachurches, what's the phenomena all about, and just what is their role in American Christendom? Mead pursues answers to these questions, and more, in The Alpha and the Mega, now available on DVD.
In a recent interview, Mead explained why he decided to look into the megachurch mythos . . .
Continue reading Megachurches Get a Movie!...
November 4, 2009LOTR Producer to Make Biopic on Muhammad
Barry Osborne, who produced The Lord of the Rings films, wants to 'bridge cultures'
The producer who brought us messiah types in The Matrix and The Lord of the Rings films now plans to make a major film about the prophet Muhammad, London's Guardian reports.
Osborne says the $150 million biopic will be "an international epic production aimed at bridging cultures. The film will educate people about the true meaning of Islam."
Qatar-based Alnoor Holdings is footing the bill for the film, to begin shooting in the first quarter of 2011, said Raja Sharif, Alnoor's vice-president for international affairs. Sharif also said the movie will respect Islamic traditions forbidding images of the prophet, so Muhammad himself "will not appear," Sharif said.
According to Islam Online, Ahmed Abdullah Al-Mustafa, chairman of Alnoor Holdings, told the Doha-based Al-Jazeera television that the film "will highlight the humanity of Prophet Muhammad.”
Big Hollywood blogger John Nolte isn't all too thrilled with the news, saying this about the film's respect for Islam by not picturing Muhammad: "If only such respect was extended to every major religion. Which isn’t to say religion, including Christianity, is above satire, but what we have here is another example of the mindset of those who control the most powerful propaganda machine ever created. Think about it: The Passion remains one of the most profitable films ever and yet an industry frequently ridiculed for reproducing ad nauseum anything resembling a hit will have none of it."
Nolte's post prompted this retort from LA Times blogger Patrick Goldstein: "The news has aroused a storm of derision from conservative bloggers, who always find a way to be offended by any high-minded Hollywood project."
Stay tuned.
November 3, 2009
Looking for Laughs? Look No Further
'Thou Shalt Laugh 4' brings plenty of yuks into your living room
Though billed as "Christian comedy," don't roll your eyes. (I know what you're thinking!) Yes, it's clean, but it's also really funny -- proving that the terms "Christian" and "funny" don't have to be mutually exclusive. (Even an oxymoron could figure that one out.)
There are a lot of funny moments on the disc, but the funniest come from Michael Jr., whose schticks on "creepy Christians," the "oversaved" and the pressure of being Jesus's little brother are all worth the price of admission. I like what the comedian says on his own website: “If I’m in a club, my material has to be clean enough to work in a church. If I’m in a pulpit, it has to be funny enough to work in a club.” Amen to that.
Watch the trailer here:
'Wings of Desire' Hits Criterion Collection
Wim Wenders' artful masterpiece gets Criterion's royal treatment in a new release
Anybody who knows Jeffrey, who had to step away from CT Movies a few months ago, knows that he can gush for hours about Wings and its brilliant director, Wim Wenders. You can read some of Jeffrey's thoughts in a Filmmakers of Faith piece he wrote about Wenders here, and his more recent thoughts on the new version here. (Re: that last link to Filmwell -- some fabulous stuff at that site, very thoughtful commentaries and reviews on film. I encourage you to check it out.)
Criterion has posted a few interesting pieces about the film too, including a commentary by Wenders himself, and musings by Michael Atkinson. They've also posted the original trailer from the film (caution: brief nudity).
The special edition of the movie includes a new, restored high-definition digital transfer, supervised and approved by Wenders; audio commentary featuring Wenders and actor Peter Falk; The Angels Among Us (2003), a documentary featuring interviews with Wenders, Falk, actors Bruno Ganz and Otto Sander, writer Peter Handke, and composer Jürgen Knieper; deleted scenes and outtakes; and much more.
October 30, 2009
Things that caught my eye this week…
A new 'Avatar' trailer, remakes of 'Footloose' and 'Mad Max,' a 'Pi' director, and more
After several wholly unimpressive weeks, the movie news has come roaring back these past few days (warning: the word of the week is “remake.” Can you say that with me boys and girls? "Remake!" Good, I knew you could).
The first full-length theatrical trailer for Avatar, the first film from James Cameron since Titanic, is finally out. (The film opens Dec. 18.) I've always said I love animation because it is hindered only by the filmmakers' own imagination. More than any film I can think of--even ones such as Lord of the Rings and Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow--this feels like that very movie brought to life through a computer rather than ink. Please be good … please be good … (Meanwhile, the Avatar trailer will be broadcast on the world's largest video display on Sunday, Nov. 1, at the new Cowboys Stadium just before their game with the Seahawks -- while millions also watch it from their TV sets at home.)
And now for those remakes . . .
Continue reading Things that caught my eye this week…...
October 30, 2009One for the iPod
In this podcast, Dick Staub speaks with Jeffrey Overstreet, film critic and author of Through a Screen Darkly, Jennie Spohr, producer of The Kindlings Muse, and Gregory Wright, managing editor of Hollywood Jesus.com about the three best movies about God they suspect many people have never seen: Wings of Desire, The Decalogue and Babette’s Feast.
October 29, 2009Law & Order Takes On TV's "Most Persistent Taboo"
Surprisingly sensitive portrayals of pro-life views . . . on network TV?
You may be surprised at what many prominent women’s groups are protesting as “anti-choice propaganda.” It’s not a new book, or a graphic display; it’s a recent episode of NBC’s Friday night staple, Law & Order.
The show, which often rips its story straight from the headlines, recently aired an episode clearly based on the murder of late-term abortion provider George Tiller. The episode, titled “Dignity,” offered sensitive portrayals of pro-life views that result in two characters who originally take the pro-choice side to reconsider their views.
For one character, a police detective, it is the revelation that his partner was born two months prematurely after his mother tried to end the pregnancy that forces him to think differently about the subject. For another, ADA Connie Rubarosa, it is the testimony of a nurse who witnessed and assisted in late-term abortions and ultimately left the practice. After hearing the nurse’s graphic description of a botched abortion that resulted in a post-delivery murder of the newborn child, she says, “I grew up thinking Roe v. Wade was gospel and that a woman’s privacy was inviolate. But after hearing that woman on the stand, talking about her baby dying in her arms, I don’t know. I don’t know where my privacy ends and another being’s dignity begins. On one side they’re talking about abortion never, and on the other side it’s abortion whenever, meanwhile the rest of us are just stuck in the middle trying to figure it out.”
After her partner asks her to “do her job” and “put the bad guys in jail,” Rubarosa's response is quite stunning, considering her point-of-view just hours before:
Continue reading Law & Order Takes On TV's "Most Persistent Taboo"...
October 28, 2009Lessons from the Cinema: How NOT to Preach
Blogger spotlights 'Three Amigos,' 'Ferris Bueller,' and 'Princess Bride' among examples
He starts with some Steve Martin silliness from Three Amigos, then Ben Stein's droning ways in Ferris Bueller's Day Off, followed by (bad) examples from The Karate Kid, Star Wars, and The Princess Bride.
Funny stuff -- and instructional. Pastors, take note!
October 27, 2009Forgive Someone Who Murdered Your Family?
Yes, it's possible. And it's happening all over Rwanda, as shown in upcoming documentary.
When I met Marc & Felicita, they shared beers and laughter over lunch while telling me their amazing story of how hatred and murder had transformed into forgiveness and reconciliation -- and how they're now sharing their story with others throughout Rwanda, riding a bike together (see picture) from village to village with their incredible true tale.
You'll be able to see their story soon on a new documentary, Wounded Healers, which premieres Dec. 3 at the Seattle International Film Festival. It's a production of Rwanda Partners, which was very helpful in assisting me in my reporting in Rwanda, and introducing me to Marc and Felicita and their incredible story.
I can't wait to see this documentary. Watch the trailer here. And while you're waiting for this film to arrive, be sure to check out another great documentary about reconciliation in Rwanda, As We Forgive.
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