Author: Jonathan Butrin

  • The Summer Movie Season

    The Summer Movie Season

    As a Midwest native, I know a thing or two about seasons. Every year I witness the beauty of leaves changing in the fall, the plunge into winter with snow topped trees, the thaw of spring, and the hot, sandy beaches of summer. Seasons have become a part of my DNA. They’re a yearly display…

  • Calvary and the Christian Cinema Crisis

    Calvary and the Christian Cinema Crisis

    Last week, after a Good Friday service, I watched a Christian movie. Every good movie contains truth, but some go even further and explicitly proclaim the way of Jesus. I call these “Christian” movies. Unfortunately, most of them are terrible. This one wasn’t. This one was Calvary.  Calvary tells the story of a village priest…

  • While We’re Young

    While We’re Young

    Noah Baumbach is old school. His films aren’t playing at a theater near you, because they’re not for you. He writes and directs his way, on his terms. Quirky characters abound. Offbeat plots are the standard. Members of a younger generation might call him pretentious. They may even have an opinion on where to stick…

  • Christian Pacifism and Big Hero 6

    Christian Pacifism and Big Hero 6

    What are we going to do about ISIS?  That’s the question on everyone’s mind.  We’ve seen the pictures.  We’ve read the articles.  They must be stopped.  But how?  Perhaps the the answer can be found in a children’s film called Big Hero 6. I may seem callous comparing a work of fiction to a problem…

  • Whiplash

    Whiplash

    What does it take to be great at something?  Not just talented.  Not just good.  Great.  That’s the question at the heart of the gripping film Whiplash. Terrence Fletcher thinks he knows the answer.  Fletcher, played to Oscar winning perfection, by J.K. Simmons, believes greatness can only be achieved by pushing people past their breaking…

  • Oscars 2015 – Who Should Win?

    Oscars 2015 – Who Should Win?

    What a great year for movies.  Will the creative well ever run dry?  Somehow, great films continue to come out every year, and 2014 had even more than usual.  Now comes the time to honor them. I’ve always been a fan of the Oscars.  I’ve loved the ceremony since I was a kid.  This is…

  • Best Movies of 2014

    Best Movies of 2014

      Birdman Whiplash Interstellar Selma Guardians of the Galaxy A Most Wanted Man Calvary The Imitation Game Foxcatcher Nightcrawler

  • Best Movies of 2013

    Best Movies of 2013

      The Place Beyond the Pines Inside Llewyn Davis 12 Years a Slave Dallas Buyers Club Blue Jasmine Before Midnight Her About Time The Spectacular Now Gravity

  • Black Sea

    Black Sea

    “I’m claustrophobic,” declares a character early on in Black Sea.  We grin because we know that phobia will be tested to the limits for both the character and us. Claustrophobia is the main draw of submarine movies.  Few things send shivers down the spine faster than the thought of floating through blackness in a tin…

  • The Boondock Saints

    The Boondock Saints

    Cult films are a distinguished breed. The label, typically granted to features that pass through theaters unnoticed only to gain a ripe following on DVD, is characterized by a rabid fan base with a religious devotion to converting the uninitiated. Unfortunately, as those who study cults can attest, the worshiped is not always worthy of…