True Grit

Another excellent film from the Coen Brothers.

The Coen Brothers & Jeff Bridges Talk True Grit

The iconic filmmakers and leading man talk their new film, morality and American Shakespeare.

The Fighter

Strong acting anchors one of the best films of the year.

Watch the The Tree of Life Trailer

The first trailer for Terrence Malick’s long-awaited The Tree of Lifehas hit those good old interwebs, and it’s a doozy.

Regardless of whether or not the film is well-acted (although with Brad Pitt and Sean Penn as the stars, that’s a pretty safe bet), it looks like The Tree of Life will be an epic, visually stunning tale. Check out the trailer below.

The Tree of Life hits theaters on May 27.

The Worldview of an ELF (via Will Ferrell)

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

Another disappointing entry in the Chronicles of Narnia film series.

Black Swan

The newest film from Darren Aronofsky is a remarkable vision almost undone by a bit of indulgence.

Watch Inception in Real-Time

This one makes our heads hurt a little bit.

YouTube user Weikang has put together a four and a half minute video that boasts all the action of Inception in real-time.

The split-screen sequence shows each level of the dream unfolding simultaneously, so confused fans can determine just what was happening at each point in the flick. That’s all well and good, but when willChristopher Nolan give us a straight answer about that spinning top at the end?

The Day God Killed Ron Santo

I spent the day helping @ the Santa Shop and having lunch w/the kids.  Nothing special.  Just a regular old friday.  We were going to be having our last DO class that night and I was going to have to brush up on my notes and prep work later, but now was for spending w/my babies.

I'm not even sure why she caught my eye, but she did.  A little girl in her brother's pee wee football jersey traversing the lunch room to dump her tray.  I read the name on the jersey back and retain it for some reason. It was Santo.

As the day matures, I'm found in front of this silver rectangle making my final notes for tonight when I see it.  Chicago Cubs icon Ron Santo dead at 70.  Odd coincidence I think to myself as I pause to take the moment in.

Couple this happening w/the basis for our yet to be discussed material for friday night and you start to realize why the moment hasn't left me and compels me to write this.  Our movie was not an exceptionally good one nor altogether bad either, but it explicitly illustrated our connectivity to a very near God tho He seem distant, through seemingly random events that neither appear to have purpose or connection w/much anything.  Thoughts are provoked of His glorious providence revealed through very common and mundane scenarios.  The example for us was a bad stucco job in the film...for me it was the death of Ron Santo.

Let us not lose sight of God's perfect justice as we long for His grace especially in regard to us, our families and friends.  Not one of us deserved the last breath that we just experienced or the next one coming, but by his common grace He grants it.  We all have stood and some continue to stand in cosmic rebellion of the Almighty and deserve nothing from Him save His judgement and our destruction.

Ron had 70 years.  Some have had more and some have had much less, but all deserve none.  Not one.

So the question I ask is did God kill Ron to help illustrate the inner workings of His will for me and my class or for some other reason?  After all, He is all-powerful as well as all-knowing, so He killed Him directly or allowed it to happen indirectly, but either way He is culpable in this act.  So which is it?

The only answer I can arrive at is yes.

God's perfect will continues to happen in a very imperfect world for a million and one reasons all @ the same time.  It not only allows for our decisions to matter, but for them to have been predestined as well.  We catch glimpses of these happenings all the time, but shoo them away labeled as coincidence or circumstance.

It's as if we cry out for God in the forest only to miss Him because of the trees.  Our lack of reverential discernment for our loving Father leaves us wallowing all the while He is ever present.  His creation screams His graciousness, while we cover our ears.

This should bring us comfort as His children.  We matter to God.  If we could only remain cognizant of that and live it.  Not because we have to, but because we get to.

For His glory...

our joy...

and others good.

Henry Poole Is Here

Henry Poole Is Here is a 2008 American drama film directed by Mark Pellington. The screenplay by Albert Torres focuses on a dying man whose religious neighbor insists the water stain on the side wall of his house is an image of Jesus Christ.

The film premiered at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival and was shown at the Berlin International Film Festival before going into limited release in the US on August 15.

In chapter 3, The Face of Christ, Henry is introduced to his new meddling neighbor Esperanza who claims to see the face of Jesus imbedded in the stucco wall of his home.  She wastes no time in calling her priest and calling Henry to recognize this all-too-obvious God-sign.  Henry claims that he won't ignore the 'sign' but his neighbor instead, but is too self-involved to pay much attention to either.

Psalm 119:25-32 (The Message)

^25-32 I'm feeling terrible—I couldn't feel worse!
      Get me on my feet again. You promised, remember?
   When I told my story, you responded;
      train me well in your deep wisdom.
   Help me understand these things inside and out
      so I can ponder your miracle-wonders.
   My sad life's dilapidated, a falling-down barn;
      build me up again by your Word.
   Barricade the road that goes Nowhere;
      grace me with your clear revelation.
   I choose the true road to Somewhere,
      I post your road signs at every curve and corner.
   I grasp and cling to whatever you tell me;
      God, don't let me down!
   I'll run the course you lay out for me
      if you'll just show me how.

In chapter 9, You can never go home again, Esperanza takes Henry to his childhood home in the hopes that he'll make some sort of peace with his past.  Instead, Henry finds that it truly means nothing to him now and that he's really left with nowhere left to hide.  The scene completes with images sky-ward, but without Henry's hope in much anything larger than himself we're left with Dylan's resonating words...'it's not dark yet, but it's getting there.

Psalm 40:11-12 (The Message)

 ^11-12 Now God, don't hold out on me,
      don't hold back your passion.
   Your love and truth
      are all that keeps me together.
   When troubles ganged up on me,
      a mob of sins past counting,
   I was so swamped by guilt
      I couldn't see my way clear.
   More guilt in my heart than hair on my head,
      so heavy the guilt that my heart gave out.

In chapter 19, Miraculous Gifts, Henry comes full circle in making peace with his past in realizing the ever important present and that he is blessed with a potential rich future.  We also see God's providence in very tangible ways and hopefully ways that we can relate to.  His gifts are ever present, it is our ability to witness them that isn't.

Jeremiah 29:11 (The Message)

I know what I'm doing. I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for.

Our Next Film...this friday!

Notes will be posted by wednesday nite...

127 Hours

The new film from Danny Boyle is mesmerizing and a powerful reflection on humanity's need for connection.

WALL-E

WALL-E, promoted with an interpunct as WALL·E, is a 2008 American computer-animated science fiction film produced by Pixar Animation Studios and directed by Andrew Stanton. The story follows a robot named WALL-E, who is designed to clean up a waste-covered Earth far in the future. He eventually falls in love with another robot named EVE, and follows her into outer space on an adventure that changes the destiny of both his kind and humanity.
In chapter 2, Walk Home, we're introduced to our main character WALL-E & the earth that we've left behind for him to clean.  It shows the end result to a planet that mankind has abused for his purposes and left for a life of total leisure.  The artificial life then created on the Axiom makes man a slave to technology and their own base appetites, having lost what makes us human.  

Genesis 1:24-28 (The Message)

 ^24-25 God spoke: "Earth, generate life! Every sort and kind:
      cattle and reptiles and wild animals—all kinds."
   And there it was:
      wild animals of every kind,
   Cattle of all kinds, every sort of reptile and bug.
      God saw that it was good.

 ^26-28 God spoke: "Let us make human beings in our image, make them
      reflecting our nature
   So they can be responsible for the fish in the sea,
      the birds in the air, the cattle,
   And, yes, Earth itself,
      and every animal that moves on the face of Earth."
   God created human beings;
      he created them godlike,
   Reflecting God's nature.
      He created them male and female.
   God blessed them:
      "Prosper! Reproduce! Fill Earth! Take charge!
   Be responsible for fish in the sea and birds in the air,
      for every living thing that moves on the face of Earth."

In chapter 14, Welcome to the Axiom, WALL-E encounters humans at the height of consumerism & disconnect from each other.  Their every want & whim is satisfied immediately leaving out the messy parts of real life where no one has to deal with the person next to them or be in any meaningful relationship.  BnL has become their god to them offering comfort & convenience at the cost of meaningful existence.

Matthew 6:27-33 (The Message)

 ^27-29"Has anyone by fussing in front of the mirror ever gotten taller by so much as an inch? All this time and money wasted on fashion—do you think it makes that much difference? Instead of looking at the fashions, walk out into the fields and look at the wildflowers. They never primp or shop, but have you ever seen color and design quite like it? The ten best-dressed men and women in the country look shabby alongside them.
 ^30-33"If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers—most of which are never even seen—don't you think he'll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? What I'm trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God's giving. People who don't know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don't worry about missing out. You'll find all your everyday human concerns will be met.

In chapter 31, Back Together, EVE rushes WALL-E back to his truck for repair.  When she finishes with his repair, WALL-E resumes his original purpose in cleaning the mess that was left on Earth.  Soon, after some prodding from EVE, WALL-E's true identity reappears showing us all that purpose is truly to be found in relationship not in doing, but in being.

Colossians 3:9-14 (The Message)

 ^9-11Don't lie to one another. You're done with that old life. It's like a filthy set of ill-fitting clothes you've stripped off and put in the fire. Now you're dressed in a new wardrobe. Every item of your new way of life is custom-made by the Creator, with his label on it. All the old fashions are now obsolete. Words like Jewish and non-Jewish, religious and irreligious, insider and outsider, uncivilized and uncouth, slave and free, mean nothing. From now on everyone is defined by Christ, everyone is included in Christ.
 ^12-14So, chosen by God for this new life of love, dress in the wardrobe God picked out for you: compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, discipline. Be even-tempered, content with second place, quick to forgive an offense. Forgive as quickly and completely as the Master forgave you. And regardless of what else you put on, wear love. It's your basic, all-purpose garment. Never be without it.

Conviction

A poor director can't totally sink this tale of redemption and truth.

Conviction opens with a 1980 crime scene in Ayer, Mass. In a little trailer home in the country, clothes and furniture are scattered across the floor; blood is smeared all over the walls and doors; and a female corpse rests peacefully beside her bed. This gritty progression, with slow shots, quiet music and a solemn atmosphere, marks an artistry that could have made Tony Goldwyn’s biographical drama a masterpiece given the story and cast. Unfortunately, this accomplished scene is the only one of its kind to show distinction or imagination, and because of this as well as some blunders in the script, the film, which was destined for greatness, has to settle for something just below that.

more...

http://www.relevantmagazine.com/culture/film/reviews/23158-conviction

The new movies premiering this week

Morning Glory

Rachel McAdams as a young producer hired to wrangle two grouchy TV morning show hosts (Harrison Ford and Diane Keaton). (Opened Wednesday.)

Monsters

Director-writer Gareth Edwards crafts a nifty low-budget thriller about a journalist and a young tourist who have to cross Mexico six years after an invasion of giant alien creatures. Insert your own metaphor about illegal aliens.

Skyline

Directing brothers Colin and Greg Strauss with a big-budget story of an extraterrestrial force that threatens to swallow all the Earth's people.

Unstoppable

Denzel Washington and Chris Pine as a couple of railroad workers who have to save Pennsylvania when an unmanned train speeds off with a deadly cargo.

Sunday's Coming

hoping this is never us...

The Off- Kilter World of Zach Galifianakis

Talking stand-up, authenticity and beards with the current king of comedy.


Don’t go into an interview with Zach Galfianakis expecting him to provide you with straight answers. Like when asked a throwaway question of what band he’d like to jam out with onstage, the actor and comedian pauses, strokes his famous beard and stares at the ceiling, as if deeply pondering the most important question he’s ever been asked. You’re unsure for a second: Is he really thinking about the question? Maybe mentally rifling through his record collection? Finally, with a hint of glee in his eyes, he leans forward.

“The Mormon Tabernacle Choir.”

more...

Welcome to the Rileys

should be 1 to keep an eye out for...

Watch the New Trailer for Jack Black's Gulliver's Travels

Were you one of those kids in high school who, when reading Jonathan Swift’s classic novel, Gulliver’s Travels, thought to yourself, “Self, I wish this had less biting social commentary and more tiny Kiss cover bands.”? Hey, us too!

Luckily, a second trailer for Gulliver’s Travels has been released, and it looks like the Jack Black flick takes a few liberties with the story.

In this modern-day retelling, we get Black as a hapless travel writer who stumbles upon the island of pint-sized people (including Jason Segel doing a British accent, for, you know, authenticity’s sake). Check out the trailer below.

A Beautiful Mind

A Beautiful Mind is a 2001 American film based on the life of John Forbes Nash, Jr., a Nobel Laureate in Economics.^[2] The film was directed by Ron Howard and written by Akiva Goldsman. It was inspired by a bestselling, Pulitzer Prize-nominated 1998 book of the same name by Sylvia Nasar. The film stars Russell Crowe, along with Jennifer Connelly, Ed Harris, Christopher Plummer and Paul Bettany.

The story begins in the early years of a young schizophrenic prodigy named John Nash. Early in the movie, Nash begins developing paranoid schizophrenia and endures delusional episodes while painfully watching the loss and burden his condition brings on his wife and friends. Later, he competes in an Egg Challenge which only worsens his symptoms.

In chapter 4, The Need to Focus, John continues to struggle with finding his original idea for his thesis.  Helinger challenges John to focus & warrant placement by sensing the subtle differences between accomplishment & recognition.  Instead of allowing the natural progression of his work flow to a just means, John's end goal focus doesn't allow him any traction at all.  

Romans 2:25-29 (The Message)

^25-29Circumcision, the surgical ritual that marks you as a Jew, is great if you live in accord with God's law. But if you don't, it's worse than not being circumcised. The reverse is also true: The uncircumcised who keep God's ways are as good as the circumcised—in fact, better. Better to keep God's law uncircumcised than break it circumcised. Don't you see: It's not the cut of a knife that makes a Jew. You become a Jew by who you are. It's the mark of God on your heart, not of a knife on your skin, that makes a Jew. And recognition comes from God, not legalistic critics.

In chapter 11, A Wedding, John asks for some verifiable empirical data that tells if Alicia is in love w/him or not.  She counters in a way that only he can understand and inevitably points him in the direction that his very analytical mind can comprehend.  She doesn't leave him with a proof of sorts that makes the next step safe, but leads to the leap from empirical data to that of faith.  

Colossians 2:6-7 (The Message)

 ^6-7My counsel for you is simple and straightforward: Just go ahead with what you've been given. You received Christ Jesus, the Master; now live him. You're deeply rooted in him. You're well constructed upon him. You know your way around the faith. Now do what you've been taught. School's out; quit studying the subject and start living it! And let your living spill over into thanksgiving.

In chapter 19, A Noble Prize, Professor Nash is interviewed to gauge if he were to win the Nobel prize the likelihood that he would embarrass the givers at the Noble Prize ceremony.  He confesses that he is crazy, but gives thanks to newer medicines & a diet of the mind that helps to keep him in check.  We would be as well served as believers to also submit our minds to regimented 'diets' that didn't indulge our own fleshly thoughts,  but instead made them captive to our Lord.  

Acts 15:6-9 (The Message)

 ^6-9The apostles and leaders called a special meeting to consider the matter. The arguments went on and on, back and forth, getting more and more heated. Then Peter took the floor: "Friends, you well know that from early on God made it quite plain that he wanted the pagans to hear the Message of this good news and embrace it—and not in any secondhand or roundabout way, but firsthand, straight from my mouth. And God, who can't be fooled by any pretense on our part but always knows a person's thoughts, gave them the Holy Spirit exactly as he gave him to us. He treated the outsiders exactly as he treated us, beginning at the very center of who they were and working from that center outward, cleaning up their lives as they trusted and believed him

  

A Beautiful Mind

This weeks film is...



notes will be posted no later than wednesday & please make note that this weeks class will be on thursday...

Saving Blue Like Jazz: The Movie

The story of a movie that almost died ... and then came back to life because of a sleeping giant.


On Sept. 16, 2010, Donald Miller announced on his blog that, after a year trying unsuccessfully to raise money for the movie adaptation of his bestselling book, Blue Like Jazz, he and the film’s co-creators, director Steve Taylor and cinematographer Ben Pearson, were putting the project on hold for the foreseeable future. “The book that swept the country will not sweep theaters,” Miller wrote. What happened next is a reminder that there is probably no such thing as a foreseeable future.

Why Are Christian Movies So Bad?

A call for Christians to get serious about being artists.


Christian culture is often the enemy of quality. Independent Christian film, in particular, has a history of being seriously and deeply flawed, routinely dismissed by secular critics and audiences as intellectually vacant and disconnected from reality.

The term Christian film has become synonymous with substandard production values, stilted dialogue and childish plots. Why is Christian film no more than a side note to modern culture? Why are Christians left behind?

Conviction

A poor director can't totally sink this tale of redemption and truth.

Conviction opens with a 1980 crime scene in Ayer, Mass. In a little trailer home in the country, clothes and furniture are scattered across the floor; blood is smeared all over the walls and doors; and a female corpse rests peacefully beside her bed. This gritty progression, with slow shots, quiet music and a solemn atmosphere, marks an artistry that could have made Tony Goldwyn’s biographical drama a masterpiece given the story and cast. Unfortunately, this accomplished scene is the only one of its kind to show distinction or imagination, and because of this as well as some blunders in the script, the film, which was destined for greatness, has to settle for something just below that.

Henry Poole Is Here

Was thinking of adding this 1 to the 10...

Thoughts...?

Blue Like Jazz Movie Saved By Kickstarter Campaign

For a while, it was looking like the movie adaptation of Donald Miller’s Blue Like Jazz, one of our 20 Best Books of the Decade, would never see the light of day.

However, the flick is now slated for a fall 2011 release, thanks to a hugeKickstarter campaign. Over 2,000 donors helped raise $155,000 to fund the project.

If the movie can surpass $200,641 in donations by the time the campaign closes on Oct. 25, it will become the largest crowdfunded film in history. To watch some “thank you” videos or to make a donation, check out the “Save Blue Like Jazz” website.

The Spiritual Legacy of Clint Eastwood

Shining a light on the filmmaker's obsession with life and death.

Early in his career, Clint Eastwood established himself as a tough guy with roles like the Man with No Name in Sergio Leone’s The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, and as Harry Callahan in Dirty Harry. But since the early '90s, Eastwood has focused less on acting and more on directing, crafting films that frequently make a big splash during awards season. More than that, though, he’s created a body of work deeply concerned with the the spiritual questions of the value of human life and the grief that follows in death’s wake.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is a 2004 American romantic fantasy film scripted by Charlie Kaufman and directed by Michel Gondry. The film uses elements of science fiction, nonlinear narration and neosurrealism to explore the nature of memory and romantic love.^[1] It opened in North America on March 19, 2004 and grossed over US$70 million worldwide.^[2]

Kaufman and Gondry worked on the story with Pierre Bismuth, a French performance artist. The film stars Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet and features Kirsten Dunst, Mark Ruffalo, Tom Wilkinson, Elijah Wood, Jane Adams, and David Cross.

The title is taken from the poem Eloisa to Abelard by Alexander Pope, the story of a tragic love affair, where forgetfulness became the heroine's only comfort.

The film was a critical and commercial success, developing a strong cult following and receiving myriad accolades, winning the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. The film was lauded by critics as one of the best and most thought-provoking^[3] films of 2004, and, in recent lists, has been acclaimed as one of the best films of the decade.

In chapter 3, Two Blue Ruins, Clementine & Joel discuss the fleeting nature that is life & the unintended dread that accompanies a life that seems wasted.  Joel attempts to measure his life, but can only muster meaningless dribble about going to work only to return to home later.  Thank God for Him & His very intentional purposes that bring ultimate meaning to our lives and being.

1 Peter 3:8-9 (The Message)

 ^8-12Summing up: Be agreeable, be sympathetic, be loving, be compassionate, be humble. That goes for all of you, no exceptions. No retaliation. No sharp-tongued sarcasm. Instead, bless—that's your job, to bless. You'll be a blessing and also get a blessing.

   Whoever wants to embrace life
      and see the day fill up with good,
   Here's what you do:
      Say nothing evil or hurtful;
   Snub evil and cultivate good;
      run after peace for all you're worth.
   God looks on all this with approval,
      listening and responding well to what he's asked;
   But he turns his back
      on those who do evil things.

In chapter 10, Blessed are the Forgetful, Mary quotes Nietzsche and speaks to how adults are, 'like, this mess of sadness...and phobias.'  She, like all those seeking the services of Lacuna, Inc. are longing for a sense of renewal...rebirth.  Only through Christ are we able to break the bondage that humanity can often present & allow us to share in Christ's victory of our own mess of sadness & fear.    

2 Corinthians 5:15-17 (The Message)

 ^14-15Our firm decision is to work from this focused center: One man died for everyone. That puts everyone in the same boat. He included everyone in his death so that everyone could also be included in his life, a resurrection life, a far better life than people ever lived on their own. ^16-20Because of this decision we don't evaluate people by what they have or how they look. We looked at the Messiah that way once and got it all wrong, as you know. We certainly don't look at him that way anymore. Now we look inside, and what we see is that anyone united with the Messiah gets a fresh start, is created new. The old life is gone; a new life burgeons! Look at it! All this comes from the God who settled the relationship between us and him, and then called us to settle our relationships with each other. God put the world square with himself through the Messiah, giving the world a fresh start by offering forgiveness of sins. God has given us the task of telling everyone what he is doing. We're Christ's representatives. God uses us to persuade men and women to drop their differences and enter into God's work of making things right between them. We're speaking for Christ himself now: Become friends with God; he's already a friend with you.

In chapter 15, The Blameless Vestal's Lot, Mary is left w/Howard as they continue to work to eradicate Clementine from Joel's memory.  Her dialogue continues to be peppered w/quotes unbeknown st to herself that share a common theme...the blessedness of forgetfulness when unable to seek, find or grant forgiveness.
How indescribably wonderful is our God that not only forgives, but 'forgets' our sin in how He deals w/us, showing just how unbelievably different He is from us in those attributes.

Isaiah 43:25 (The Message)

 ²⁵"But I, yes I, am the one
   who takes care of your sins—that's what I do.
   I don't keep a list of your sins.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Enjoy...

the notes are soon to follow...(by wednesday @ the latest)...

stay tuned...

Michael Caine Explains the Inception Ending

Spoiler alert: If you’re that one person in the world who hasn’t seen Inception yet, stop reading.

The teetering top spinning at the end of Christopher Nolan’s dream-within-a-dream saga left some fans speculating that Leonardo DiCaprio’s character was not actually at home reunited with his children and that the whole movie was meant to be a dream. However, Michael Caine recently said that’s not the case.

Caine told BBC Radio 1 that the ending is meant to be reality.

“[The spinning top] drops at the end, that’s when I come back on,” he said. “If I’m there it’s real, because I’m never in the dream. I’m the guy who invented the dream.”