Yesterday on the Kim Jeffries show, Kim and I discussed
- the Oscars,
- what the five contenders had in common,
- what was wrong (or right) with Ricky Bobby’s “Baby Jesus” prayer in Talladega Nights,
- whether or not I was offended by Brian Dannelly’s comedy Saved!,
- and what in the world is my favorite movie.
Somewhere along the way a troublemaking caller named Martin challenged me to explain the thinking behind Christianity Today’s top ten list for 2006 … or better, the three top ten lists posted there.
Fortunately, Kim gave me plenty of time to explain the differences between the lists, and why Children of Men is the CT critics’ #1 choice in their “Cream of the Crop” list.
You can hear the whole conversation here, starting at about the 14-minute mark.
Well done, Jeffrey.
That was a good listen, sounded great Jeff. I really appreciated how Kim gave you so much space to thoroughly answer the questions. Not a common practice I’ve heard on talk radio shows.
So how was Martin a troublemaker?
I was just kidding, Jonathan. It was just funny to be welcomed onto a radio program half a world away and have the one caller who gets through be a good friend from my neighborhood.
Not only that, but Martin’s question was quite deliberate. He knows that I was on another radio show last week where, when the same subject came up, the host decided ahead of time that he didn’t like my perspective, so he cut me short, refused to let me complete my thought, and used his control to frame my comments and make me look like some kind of subversive influence.
Kim Jeffries, on the other hand, actually delivered on her promise of “welcoming” me as a “guest” to “talk about my book.” This was a pleasant surprise after that other host claimed to “welcome” me as a “guest” and then proceeded to read a bunch of exaggerated accusations and turn me into some kind of target. You don’t feel very welcome when your host prefaces comments with things like, “Now, I don’t just want to beat you up but….” Ahh, the things people say on Christian radio in the name of Jesus….
Thanks to Kim Jeffries, and to Martin, I had the chance to share my views on the question properly. I don’t expect people to agree with me, but I do expect to be treated with respect if I’m to be a “guest.”
Yeah, that was the intent behind my question. Just thought Jeffrey deserved a chance to tell his side of certain controversies, to unpack his “philosophy” a bit. So I called up and pitched him a big fat softball. I realize that few if any people who heard Jeffrey interviewed by Radio Host A will connect the dots to the interview by Radio Host B, but even if they don’t, at least Jeffrey’s take on the subject is now on record. If I catch any future radio interviews and people aren’t exactly lighting up the switchboard, I might call in and pitch more softballs.
I’ve always enjoyed Cast Away. How many other actors could have succeeded in that role?
To take two very different films:
I thought Spielberg’s use of quiet during the chaos of the Normandy invasion in “Saving Private Ryan” was quite powerful.
And Karen Shakhnazarov makes beautifully poignant use of silence in his amazing film “Day of the Full Moon” — in fact, there’s very little dialogue in the film overall. The film is full to overflowing with silences that speak volumes. Jeff, you must see this movie sometime.
I suppose this isn’t a moment of complete silence, but I am thinking of a few moments in “Rabbit-Proof Fence” with no dialogue, where the young, untrained actresses communicated amazing stories in their faces.
I also think of the “Dear Frankie” scene, where Auerbach let there be a long, almost uncomfortable pause before the kiss.
Recently, I’ve really loved Ulrich Mehe as Wiessler in “The Lives of Others.” His character is silent for most of the film and you can really see the change in his character in his face and mannerisms. I love the scene where he is listeneing to Dreyman play the sonata and the camera dollies around his anguished face as he listens to the music and is changed.