Two films about people who get dragged into another world against their will came out in the weeks before Christmas. Both films were sequels to movies with strong messianic overtones. And both films were somewhat disappointing, albeit to different degrees. For my money, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader is a […]
Deathly Hallows a grim prelude to Harry Potter’s final battle
By now, it has become routine for critics and audiences to greet a new Harry Potter movie by saying it is ‘darker’ than the ones that came before it. And yes, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 is certainly the darkest of the seven films released so far. Unlike the previous films, which […]
Duvall’s Get Low subtle and moving, but not big on faith
Another decade, another Robert Duvall movie with a religious connection. In the 1980s, Duvall won an Oscar for playing an alcoholic country singer who finds God — and a second chance at a family and a career — in Tender Mercies. In the 1990s, he was nominated for yet another Oscar for his portrayal of […]
Avatar more than just an awesome thrill ride
There is a lot that can – and will – be said about Avatar over the next few months. The latest sprawling epic from Titanic director James Cameron is a technical marvel and, at times, an awesome thrill ride. It also has the clunky dialogue and simplistic political and philosophical posturing that we have come […]
YWAM’s Rwanda film is a challenging work of art
If you are reading this paper while it’s still hot off the presses, then here’s a tip: get to the VanCity Theatre as fast as you can and catch Munyurangabo, a stirring independent film, made in Rwanda, that is playing at that theatre for a few days until November 30. If you miss the film’s […]
Creation: The human side of Darwn shown if flawed movie
Human side of Darwin shown in flawed Creation A good idea gets in the way of what could have been a good film in Creation, director Jon Amiel’s account of how Charles Darwin struggled with death and doubt while writing his revolutionary book on evolutionary theory, On the Origin of Species. The film is based […]
Half-Blood Prince a cliffhanger lacking in momentum
The end is near, for Harry Potter and his gang. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is the sixth movie to be based on J.K. Rowling’s phenomenally popular books, and like all the previous sequels, it is darker and more mature than the instalments that have preceded it. But there is only one book left […]
Inglorious Bastards
Seventeen years after he burst onto the scene with the talky, violent crime flick Reservoir Dogs, the films of Quentin Tarantino continue to generate intense debate, even in theological circles. Just the other day, I heard a prominent Christian professor assert that the hit men played by John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson in Pulp […]
The Day The Earth Stood Still remake a cryptic and gloomy mixed bag
One of the pitfalls of being a full-time movie critic is that you sometimes have to give less-than-positive reviews to films that you really, really wanted to like. It’s even more difficult when the director who made the film is someone you admire. But the new remake of The Day the Earth Stood Still marks […]
Dark Knight one of the best superhero films ever made
For years, the people who write the Batman comics and movies have been drawn to the theme of insanity. The Joker is wild, of course, and so are many of the other villains; and it is often suggested that a billionaire like Bruce Wayne must be crazy on some level too, if he feels compelled […]