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Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales
I’ve never been a big fan of the term, “guilty pleasure,” especially because of its use in popular culture. Obviously, it implies the presence of guilt when enjoying something — movies, music, food etc. But aside from legal and moral codes, should anyone have to feel guilty about liking something? Most examples include your one…
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Colossal
I recently had a discussion with the bearded genius, Tim Nelson, about Terrence Malick’s Song to Song. We circled around for an hour trying to get to the heart of the movie’s failures, and the thread we returned to again and again was story. We both felt Malick had abandoned narrative to his own peril,…
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Kong: Skull Island
A common complaint about cinema for the past few decades has been a lack of originality. “It’s always remakes! Why can’t anyone come up with a new idea,” says the hypothetical person in my head. I’m sure you’ve heard something similar frequently. And while this is an unfair claim for the most part — there…
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Is the Theology of ‘The Shack’ Heretical?
Heresy. Is there any word more feared among Christians? No one who takes their faith seriously wants to be accused of teaching false doctrine and leading others astray. Scripture takes false teaching seriously. Second Timothy 4:3 says, “For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead to suit their…
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Passengers
One of the dangers of writing about film is the ever-present danger of groupthink. We cinephiles love to consume movie culture which includes films themselves as well as criticism. In fact, criticism can be just as beloved as the art it criticizes. A Roger Ebert review is just as much a work of art as…
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La La Land
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Life, Animated
Almost everyone has a history with Disney animated movies, especially those of us who profess to be film junkies. We weren’t taking the likes of Stanley Kubrick and Martin Scorcese as children. Instead, we were covering our faces with blankets as Bambi and his mother ran from hunters or when Scar pushed Mufasa into a…
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Poll: Should an Artist’s Sins Affect the Reception of Their Art?
Art is sacred, but artists are human. The rich poetry of the Psalms has inspired readers for thousands of years, while being written by an adulterer and a murderer. Filmmakers Woody Allen and Roman Polanski have made masterpieces, while being accused of heinous acts in their personal lives. Bill Cosby made one of the most…
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Do The Right Thing
July was a difficult month for America. The shootings of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile raised national debates about racism, police violence, and Black Lives Matter. The retaliatory shootings of police officers in Dallas and Baton Rouge ushered in new layers of fear and chaos. Our nation bled from open wounds, and we are still…
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Raiders!: The Story of the Greatest Fan Film Ever Made
This website wouldn’t exist without Steven Spielberg. His films were the bedrock of my youth. I remember pretending my stuffed animals were alive like E.T. I was terrified of sharks, though I’d never stepped foot in an ocean, thanks to Jaws. And when my friends and I got together, we acted out scenes from Indiana…
