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Filming Begins on Soul Surfer in Hawaii
True story of Christian surfer Bethany Hamilton, who lost an arm to a shark attack
Quaid and Hunt will play Bethany's parents, while Robb will play the young surfer in the film, slated for a 2011 release. Robb (Bridge to Terabithia, Because of Winn-Dixie, Race to Witch Mountain) is wearing a green sleeve on her left arm, which will be digitally removed for the film. The cast also includes star singer Carrie Underwood (as a church youth leader) in her film debut, plus Jack Nicholson's daughter Lorraine Nicholson (as one of Bethany's friends) and Kevin Sorbo (as Holt Blanchard). Sean McNamara will direct.
Press materials say the film will chronicle "the rise of a promising young athlete, a debilitating tragedy and one of the greatest sports comebacks ever," Hamilton first competed as a surfer at the age of 8, and was on her way to stardom when she was attacked by a 14-foot tiger shark in 2003 while surfing off Kauai's North Shore.
"Losing more than half her blood, yet miraculously surviving, Bethany was now living without a left arm. The determination to pursue her dream, however, had not been taken away. She was back in the water a month later, learning to paddle with one arm and to find her balance on the surfboard. . . . Two summers later Bethany took first place in the NSSA National Championships, [and in] 2008, Bethany began competing full-time in the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) World Qualifying Series." Here's some footage of her at a recent pro event.
February 8, 2010'Dorky' Billy Graham Film on DVD in March
Evangelist's son, Franklin, provided that assessment of the movie that bombed in theaters
Despite those shortcomings, filmmakers will look to recoup some of their losses through DVD sales when the movie hits the video shelves on March 16. "This film will make you thankful for the life of Billy Graham," the Dove Foundation said in a press release. Actually, Graham's preaching made me thankful for his life, but that's another story. The DVD can be purchased here.
February 5, 2010Should This Woman Abort? YOU Decide
That's the premise of a new -- but fictional -- reality show, where the audience makes the choice
BUMP+ is fictional in that the characters are really actresses, not real women in such a situation. But their predicaments are very real and common. One is a young mother of two who is pregnant with another while living with an abusive boyfriend. Another is a young wife whose military husband has been deployed to Iraq, and she got pregnant during a lonely one-night stand. Another is a young woman who has aborted before and says she has no guilt about the procedure.
Each brief webisode (three so far, and each is less than 8 minutes long) sheds new light on the women's situations and features plenty of feedback and comments from viewers. The show's writers say they're incorporating viewer feedback into their writing for subsequent episodes; i.e., even the creators don't know how this is going to end. They say they're not trying to craft the shows in such a way to bias the audience one way or another, and from what I've seen of the three episodes so far, that seems to be true. Of course, pro-life viewers will already be predisposed to vote only one way for all three women, no matter their situations. But it'll be interesting to see how pro-choice viewers vote -- to them, when is it OK to go ahead and have the baby?
Check out the trailer below, and check out the first three episodes at the site. Feel free to leave your comments here and/or at the show's site.
Finding Common Ground in Abortion Debate
Documentary 12th & Delaware, from makers of Jesus Camp, apparently shows both sides
The movie is about an intersection in a small Florida town, with an abortion clinic on one corner and a crisis pregnancy center -- which encourages expectant mothers to have their babies rather than abort them -- across the street. The film includes footage inside both establishments, and intimate interviews with the women who head to both places.
HBO has picked up the film, and plans to air it in July or August TBA. Cinematical calls 12th & Delaware "fantastic," noting that directors Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady (who are both pro-choice) did a fine job maintaining objectivity and really getting at the hearts of the women caught in the middle of the abortion issue: "Most impressive about 12th & Delaware are the numerous frank and touching moments with the potential mothers. I can only assume that Ms. Grady and Ms. Ewing are warm and trustworthy people, because their camera is privy to some powerfully personal moments. I don't know many women who'd open up to a documentary film crew on their way to an appointment at an abortion clinic, but it's a testament to the co-directors that their film is so damn ... real."
In this interview, Ewing and Grady describe the filmmaking process and say that their goal was ultimately to go "beyond being into their heads. We're inside their hearts."
I'm looking forward to seeing it.
February 4, 2010Has Gibson Moved on from Anti-Semitic Remarks?
An innocuous question prompts Gibson to get agitated and to curse at the interviewer
So when Dean Richards of Chicago's WGN-TV simply asked Gibson if he thought fans had "moved on" from those past incidents, Gibson -- who certainly should be prepared for such questions -- got visibly agitated and said, "Well, I certainly hope so. That was a while back, and I've done all the necessary mea culpas, so ... let's move on, dude." Richards thanked him for the interview, and, thinking he was off the air, Gibson said into a live microphone, "A--hole."
Gibson later said the remark was directed at his own publicist. Hmm.
Richards later blogged his impressions of the incident, noting, "The true measure of a person is how they act when they think no one is looking. More than the content of the interview, here we get a crystal clear view of a man who claims to be sorry for his actions and claims to be a changed man. Apparently, that's only if he thinks that no one can see the 'real' him."
February 3, 2010'I Want to See a Battle Between Good & Evil'
So says author Chris Seay in reaction to Tuesday night's Season 6 premiere of LOST
Chris Seay, author of The Gospel According to Lost, weighs in on Tuesday night's premiere:
February 3, 2010'When I Die, What Do You Think Will Happen to Me?'
The Lost premiere raises questions about the afterlife.
I hope you loved that episode as much as I did. Lost has always excelled at delivering mind-bending, game-changing premieres, and “LA X” proved no exception.
So much happened in this episode, I am not even going to attempt to recap it all. Instead, I'm going to focus on the theme that most intrigued me: the question of what happens to us when we die.
(WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD. Do not read if you are not completely caught up on last night’s episode.)
Continue reading 'When I Die, What Do You Think Will Happen to Me?'...
February 3, 2010LOST character study: Will Kate Believe?
Author Chris Seay explores the possible character arc for Kate Austen in Season 6
Chris Seay, author of The Gospel According to Lost, is video blogging for CT about Season 6 of Lost. In one of several brief character studies, Seay notes that Kate believes she'll never be good, that she can't be redeemed. But he says, "My prayer is that we'll see Kate believe that good things will come to her" during this final season. Chris's thoughts:
February 2, 2010LOST: The Place Where 'Nothing Is Irreversible'
The season premiere for Lost's last season was rich with spiritual imagery
(WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD)
I don't think we've solved the mystery of Locke/The Man in Black/The Smoke Monster yet, but hopefully those answers will continue to unfold in the weeks ahead. This much is certain, though: Nothing is certain. Not on this island, and not in this unpredictable universe. Reality isn't, unreality is, dead people are alive, and living people are dead, and I don't even think 1.21 jiggawatts could send me far enough into the future to figure it all out. At least not yet.
Three images/scenes near the end of this episode really caught my attention . . .
Continue reading LOST: The Place Where 'Nothing Is Irreversible'...
February 2, 2010Predictions for Season 6: Answers in the Bible
Chris Seay, author of The Gospel According to Lost, says that Scripture can provide some of the answers to Season 6 of Lost, which begins tonight. He believes the story is playing out like the Exodus story in the Bible: "They've been in captivity on this island. They've been forced to face their demons, their struggles, but ultimately to be redeemed by the journey." Check out more of his thoughts in the vlog below, and keep coming back here over the coming days and weeks for our frequent blogging on the final season.
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