Bob Muzikowski with Gregg Lewis: Safe at Home (Zondervan, 2001) Hardball (in theatres now) Earlier this year, Chicago-based Little League coach Bob Muzikowski took Paramount Pictures to court in a futile effort to block the release of Hardball, a movie about a baseball team for boys set in the Windy City’s housing projects — and […]
The Believer
“The Beleiver” is a powerful, shocking film about one man’s struggle with faith and ideology. Henry Bean’s directorial debut won the grand jury prize at the Sundance independent film festival in January 2001, but it couldn’t find a regular distributor until earlier this summer, apparently because its subject matter — it’s about a Jewish skinhead […]
A.I.: a human wanna-be in a robophobic society
For years, Christians have argued that God gave us free will, with all the potential for sin and pain which that entails, because he wanted children who would love him, and not mere robots who would do whatever they were programmed to do. But these days, many people ask whether that is a false dichotomy. […]
Baran
Baran is the latest in a long line of Iranian films that have graced North American screens in recent years, and although director Majid Majidi’s tale of unrequited love may lack the artistic boldness and political daring of Kiarostami and Makhmalbaf, it does embody many of the virtues associated with Iranian cinema, including a fairly […]
From Russia with choral poetry
Chorovaya Akademia, a much-acclaimed 16-voice a cappella male choir from Moscow, will make its first Vancouver appearance this coming week. The ensemble has made several recordings, including the 1995 best-seller, Ancient Echoes. The concert, presented by the Friends of Chamber Music, will take place at Holy Rosary Cathedral February 20, at 8 pm. The first […]
Bless the Child is just plain bad
In the Bible, the devil waited until Jesus was in his thirties before tempting him and trying to lure him away from his divine mission in life. But these are more impatient times, so in Bless the Child, when it looks as if a six-year-old girl with special powers may be the Second Coming her […]
After Life
Bringing the past back to life Despite its title, After Life is ultimately not about heaven or hell or any of the usual life-after-death matters. Japanese director Kore-eda Hirokazu’s film is really about the essence of memory. The film is set in a drab office building which serves as a way station between this life […]
Chicken Run: Claymation chickens rule the roost
Chicken Run, the first feature-length film from the claymation wizards who brought us the Wallace and Gromit films, is quite simply the most delightful film released so far this year. It is also one of the cleverest. Inspired by classic prisoner-of-war movies such as The Great Escape and The Bridge on the River Kwai, the […]
The Big Kahuna: closing deals for Christ?
Ten years ago, I was a university student spending my summers working in the marketing department of a downtown engineering company. I had attended Christian schools all my life and I was not used to being in such a thoroughly secular environment. But I got along with my co-workers, including one woman who gave me […]
Gladiator
For all their piety, the Bible epics of the past are best remembered for their violent set-pieces. God smote evildoers with earthquakes and lightning, armies clashed on land and at sea, and villainous charioteers were trampled to death by their opponents’ horses. Death and destruction were what kept the crowds coming; but audiences wanted more […]