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A new documentary ponders the nature of God
The new documentary Oh My God, due out next month, interviews men and women from all walks of life, from atheists to devout believers of a myriad of faiths, in an attempt to get to the bottom of the age old question, "What is God?" Director Peter Rodgers, frustrated over how God is increasingly politicized in our culture, spent more than two years making the film in a journey that crisscrossed 23 different countries.
Creation gets an American distributor after all.
Now, the Hollywood Reporter says an American distributor has been found for the film after all -- and it is Newmarket Films, the same distributor that handled Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ nearly six years ago. If anyone in this business would know how to handle a "really hot potato", it would seem to be them.
Newmarket is reportedly thinking of releasing the film in December. (If they really want to stir up some controversy, they could try releasing it Christmas Day.)
Meanwhile, the film opens in its native Britain tomorrow, and in conjunction with that release, the Christian outreach organization Damaris has posted some movie-related resources at their website "to help churches, schools and community groups make the most of this film."
Blue Like Effing Jazz?
The filmmakers behind 'Blue Like Jazz' ask: How much cussing is too much?
Writes Taylor on the BLJ website: "While the CussCount for Blue Like Jazz is lower than Al Pacino's shootout scene in Scarface, it is considerably higher than all the Pixar movies combined.
"For most of you reading this – No Big Deal. . . . [You] expect, in a movie like ours, to hear a certain number of ****s, ****s, ***es, and possibly even the judicious use of ******* when spoken solely as an adjective."
Taylor went on to write that his posting was an "olive branch" to fans who want the language "scrubbed," adding, "We're open to your suggestions. Really. Please post a reply with your favorite non-curse word or phrase, use it in a sentence, and we'll try out the best ones as alternate takes."
Can a New Breed of Indie Romcoms Save this Summer?
In an upcoming review of the movie Adam, I write, "This has been a surprising summer for a number of reasons, one of which is how dreadfully dull most of the big popcorn films have been. The other is the extraordinary ability of a handful of tiny, independent films to redeem the season utterly. These films, from Away We Go to (500) Days of Summer and now Adam, are the antidote to the summer blight, delivering smart, hilarious, moving and cosmically life-affirming stories."
According to my latest copy of "Entertainment Weekly," they would seem to agree.
Continue reading "Can a New Breed of Indie Romcoms Save this Summer?" »
Stephen McEveety -- the "deleted quotes"
The article focuses pretty narrowly on that one film, but I also asked McEveety about a couple other films that his company, Mpower Pictures, is working on -- so here are a few "deleted quotes" from the interview.
First, I asked about Left to Tell, a movie currently in development about the Rwandan genocide that is based on a book by a woman who survived the genocide and attributes her survival to her Catholic faith. I asked if Mpower was especially interested in films with religious content, and McEveety replied:
Continue reading "Stephen McEveety -- the "deleted quotes"" »
Music and Moviemaking
Calvin College recently hosted its biennial Festival of Faith and Music in Grand Rapids. It was a weekend full of rich conversation and wonderful music with participants including Cornel West, Lupe Fiasco, David Bazan, Over the Rhine, David Dark, Charlie Peacock, Andy Crouch, and so many more.
Nathan Johnson, who used wine glasses and household junk to compose the score for the neo-noir film Brick and also scored the upcoming The Brothers Bloom (both directed by his cousin Rian Johnson), gave an excellent behind-the-scenes look at composing music for independent film. He explored specific creative challenges regarding structure, technology and the constraints of small-scale music production.You can listen to his workshop here.
'Blue Like Jazz' moving forward
Movie based on Donald Miller's book to film soon in Portland, Nashville
Donald Miller, author of the book on which the movie is based, blogged recently that director Steve Taylor (The Second Chance) is moving forward on shooting Blue Like Jazz the movie. He’s set to shoot in Mid May through June. We will be shooting in Portland and Nashville through the end of June. I couldn’t be more excited."
Miller and Taylor had hoped to get the movie rolling last year, but had to put the project on hold due to a lack of funding.
They've apparently got enough money to move forward now, though they're still seeking "associate producers" (at $99.95 a pop) to help defray costs.
Back to Miller's blog entry: "I’m skyping today with the actor who will likely play me. Unfortunately I can’t tell you who it is until we sign contracts, but we are both stoked on the choice." Miller and Taylor joke on the "from the director" video that Brad Pitt was the No. 1 choice.
Or was it a joke? If Pitt can age backwards in a movie, certainly he's got the acting chops to play a curious case like Mr. Miller. ;-)
Another Church Movie
'The One Lamb,' opening in 100 theaters, was produced by a small NC church
Other churches are following suit, making films of their own, including University City United Methodist Church of Charlotte, NC. The One Lamb, in production for three years, opens in 100 theaters and in 34 states on March 30. (Yes, that's a Monday, and not the typical Friday theatrical release. Perhaps they didn't want to compete with big budget blockbusters that open on the weekend.)
For what it's worth, the press release promises a film that depicts "an inspirational story of hope and redemption . . . [capturing] the elements of life transforming films such as Chariots of Fire and the recent Fireproof, telling the poignant story of the rise and fall of a promising campaign manager/lawyer . . . who is battling cancer and competes in the New York City Marathon as part of a personal spiritual rebirth. Although [he] is facing an enormous battle against the cancer rapidly destroying his life, his biggest struggle is the fight against the mistakes of his past. He is befriended by a cranky, retired pastor who helps find redemption for his past failures and hope for his future."
To see if it's playing near you, click here.
Gomorrah--A Necessary Antidote?
The guys at the Filmspotting podcast have a great review of the new gangster movie Gomorrah suggesting it may offer a cure for our culture's obsession with characters like Tony Montana and Michael Corleone. Definitely worth a listen--they go pretty deep.
I've Loved You For So Long
I saw a trailer for the French film I've Loved You For So Long (Il y a longtemps que je t'aime) some time ago and it had mostly dropped off my radar. So I was pleasantly surprised to see it open in my cinematic backwater this weekend. As the trailer suggested, Kristen Scott Thomas pulls off a wonderfully tense and complex performance as an older sister just back from a 15-year stint in prison. As her younger sister, Elsa Zylberstein puts in a performance no less moving. This portrait of hope and grace breaking through bitter stoicism is worth seeking out.
Munyurangabo finally gets a theatrical release
I mentioned Shake Hands with the Devil, a dramatic film based on the memoirs of UN peacekeeping commander Roméo Dallaire, last Friday; Regent Releasing plans to release it in the summer.
And now, today, Film Movement has announced plans to release the critically-acclaimed independent film Munyurangabo in May. (CT Movies critic Jeffrey Overstreet has the full press release at his blog.)
The latter film may be especially interesting to Christian filmgoers as it was produced by people who were visiting Rwanda on a Youth with a Mission (YWAM) trip at the time the film was made.
Continue reading "Munyurangabo finally gets a theatrical release" »
Tom Joad's Ghost in New England?
Upcoming film to address economic collapse
"Focusing on the struggles of people who find themselves suddenly unemployed or even homeless, it reflects in dramatic and cinematic terms on the possibilities of personal and communal rebirth in the aftermath of economic collapse."
An image promoting a reading of the script includes this quote from a Bruce Springsteen song: "I'm sittin' down here in the campfire light, searching for the ghost of Tom Joad."
CT Movies critic Frederica Mathewes-Green recently interviewed Buzz McLaughlin, co-founder of Either/Or Films, which was named for a book by Soren Kierkegaard. The company's mission statement says they exist "for the purpose of developing and creating films of beauty and artistic excellence that provoke the public to engage with the providential mystery of grace."
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