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The Irishman
Christmas movies are overrated. Why not spend the holidays with a film full of sociopaths instead? That was Netflix’s gamble when they released Martin Scorsese’s latest offering on their streaming platform in December. According to them, 26 million people have streamed the movie to date. Clearly, the gamble paid off. Scorsese has made a lot…
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Ad Astra
I entered the film Ad Astra (or “to the stars”) not really knowing what to expect other than it was another Brad Pitt vehicle. Almost coincident to his star turn with great reviews in Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time In Hollywood, Pitt is also featured in this film. Would it be a cheap knock-off science…
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Lean on Pete
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I Can Only Imagine
For the approximately six of you who have read my previous, somewhat (mostly?) pretentious, overly-hyperlinked reviews here, you’ll recall my contention that if Christians should prevail at any sort of filmmaking, it will be documentaries. That’s because we Christians have stories to tell, and documentaries are about story first. Cinematography is a nice to have,…
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The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected)
Holiday movies are often based around the importance of family and the simple truth that family is often more dysfunctional than we’d like. Consider A Christmas Story or It’s a Wonderful Life and the discontent drawn from family relationships therein. Or if you prefer, look no further than a more modern offering such as Christmas…
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The LEGO Ninjago Movie
In the past three years, the Lego-verse has given us construction workers who are the key to everything and a caped crusader with family issues. This time around, The Lego Ninjago Movie introduces us to a boy with father issues and his group of friends who might be the key to everything! Moving at Ninja…
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Oil, Blood, and Daniel Plainview’s Journey to Isolation
There’s a moment in Paul Thomas Anderson’s 2007 epic There Will Be Blood where Daniel Plainview abandons control. The moments are sparse throughout the film, and one could even argue there aren’t any. But among the posturing and work and struggle, only once does Daniel Plainview betray his intentions in life, in work, in oil.…
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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…
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The Boy and the Beast
American animated films tend to be formulaic slapstick. Of course this is Disney’s fault, but it’s also because we consider cartoons to be “for children,” therefore they must be easy to grasp and funny and sentimental. I would argue American animation labors under the same existential curse most adolescent entertainment does: sarcasm and narcissism disguised as a…
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Last Days in the Desert
On June 20th, Cinema Faith had the pleasure of hosting an exclusive showing of Last Days in the Desert. The film stars Ewan McGregor as both Jesus and Satan and features cinematography by three-time Oscar-winner Emmanuel Lubezki. Christian movies have a checkered past, but writer/director Rodrigo García breathes new life into the genre. This is…
