Film/TV

For the sake of his damsel, every guy worth his salt must endure the “chick flick” (not to be confused with Chick tracts!) every once in a while. My most recent test of endurance involved the Nicholas Sparks tear jerker, The Notebook. Although my tears remained in their ducts, I found the film surprisingly enjoyable, … Read more

It’s always a treat to watch films that are far from the Hollywood norm of formula films where the protagonist is: (1) faced with a problem, (2) sets out to solve it, (3) along the way falls in love with a girl who helps him with the problem, (4) in the case of a comedy–lies … Read more

My wife and I watched Martin Doblmeier’s documentary Bonhoeffer over the weekend, and we were both duly impressed. The film chronicles the life of the German theologian alongside the German church’s downward spiral and eventual capitulation to the Nazis in the pre-WWII era. Once a committed pacifist, Dietrich Bonhoeffer ultimately rejected his pacifism and joined … Read more

The new Nicole Kidman film, Birth, has audiences astir with ickiness. The film’s plot revolves around a 10 year-old boy who claims to be Kidman’s reincarnated dead husband. Naturally, Kidman’s character falls in love with the TEN YEAR-OLD BOY, and kisses him, has a bath with him, etc. Somehow this is supposed to be “high … Read more

What are the skills need to play God? Ellen DeGeneres, who has George Burns’ former role in a remake of Oh God! seems to have prepared well: “Ellen is a strong comedian and she has always done material about God and questions about God,” said Jerry Weintraub, who produced the original movie and also will … Read more

No spoilers here, so it’s safe to read on. I saw The Village this week and was duly impressed. While many do not share my opinion, I think that there are generally two camps that viewers of M. Night Shyamalan’s films fall into: those who think his films are silly, and those who think his … Read more

Here’s a recap of some DVDs I’ve viewed recently and some quick takes on them: The Last Samurai is as good a depiction of culture clash as I’ve seen. Director Edward Zwick pulls this off on so many levels—culture wars occur on two levels: the American adapting to Japan, and the old Japan’s conflict with … Read more

I must admit that I’m a fan of movie trailers. After all, my undergraduate major was advertising—and movie trailers represent some of the best advertising in the market. The typical trailer gives the advertiser 2.5 minutes to introduce a film to a viewer, fall in love with its characters, be wowed by its action, bowled … Read more

Saw the DVD To End All Wars this weekend. It’s based on the book Through the Valley of the Kwai by Ernest Gordon, and this film follows the book more closely than the classic The Bridge on the River Kwai of 1957. It’s a pretty heavy film, and if you’re averse realistic violence (think Mel … Read more