Is It "Ark Week"?
What is going on? I just posted a story about a guy who built an ark, and now I'm reading that Darren Aronofsky (Requiem for a Dream, The Fountain) is building one too!
Aronofsky and Noah go way back. When the writer-director was 13, he won a United Nations competition at his school in Manhattan Beach, Brooklyn; it was for his first poem, a little effort about the end of the world as seen through Noah's eyes. "That story has interested me ever since," he says, squinting through his yellow-tinted shades and pulling a striped woolly hat on to his head. We are on the decking in front of his hotel, with the snow-dusted mountains spread out before us. Henry, Aronofsky and Weisz's 10-month-old son has just been whisked off on a sightseeing trip with his nanny, and all is tranquil.
The script, Aronofsky tells me, is no conventional biblical epic. "Noah was the first person to plant vineyards and drink wine and get drunk," he says admiringly. "It's there in the Bible - it was one of the first things he did when he reached land. There was some real survivor's guilt going on there. He's a dark, complicated character."
Over the Rhine's "Failed Christian" and Great Songs of Doubt
I've heard a few grumblings and some speculation about a song called "Failed Christian" on the new Over the Rhine collection Live from Nowhere, Vol. 2.
Seems to me that whenever an artist sings about struggle or doubt, many Christian listeners get nervous that this means the singer has "lost his/her salvation" or something like that.
Frankly, I admire songwriters who are willing to share their moments of stumble, of trouble, of question, of failure as well as their moments of transcendence and gratitude and glory and faith. Many of the songs that mean the most to me are songs about those struggles. Sam Phillips's "Answers Don't Come Easy" and "Reflecting Light," U2's "Wake Up Dead Man" and "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For," R.E.M.'s "New Test Leper."Read more
Many Thanks to the Chesterton Society
I had a marvelous time discussing the power of cinema with those who attended the Chesterton Society's Seattle gathering last night in the Falcon Lounge at Seattle Pacific.
Thanks to Kirk Kanzelberger for the invitation and the warm welcome, to Mark Shea for the generous introduction, and to the directors (Peter D. Beaulieu, Ph.D.; James R. Felak, Ph.D.; Tomás A. Gahan, J.D.; Brian R. Glenney; Timothy J. Simunds, Treasurer; and Andrew A. Tadie, Ph.D.) for making these gatherings possible. And for taking me out to a memorable dinner at my favorite Thai restaurant.Read more
Christians as a "Niche Market"? (Or... What I Learned at the Biola Media Conference)
My overview of the volatile conversations and debates at the Biola Conference is now published at Christianity Today Movies.
As Hollywood continues to catch the "faith wave" by making and marketing more movies to Christians, some of the industry's major players gathered at a conference in Los Angeles last weekend to discuss the pros and cons of the relatively new trend.
While some are excited about the potential of these efforts, some are also frustrated about the "bad art" that has already spun out of these initiatives—including Dean Batali, a writer who served as executive producer on That 70s Show for six years."I'm quite angry at God, actually," Batali told CT Movies. "I'm angry that he has blessed bad art—even certain Christian films that have been seen by a lot of people. It makes me angry as an artist, because they're bad. Just because people go see it, that doesn't make it good."
When asked if it's inappropriate to complain about the quality of films that present the gospel, Batali answered, "This is my frustration: The gospel written on toilet paper still saves lives. There's power in the gospel."
But he wants Christians to strive for excellence, rather than settling for sentimental entertainment: "I want to see movies about people who don't get pregnant and don't win the state championship … and who go ahead and praise God anyway"—an apparent reference to Facing the Giants, where everything goes right for the protagonist (wife gets pregnant, team wins it all) once he gets right with God.
We interviewed Batali and others at the 12th annual Biola Media Conference, which features Christian leaders in the entertainment industry, forward-thinking and creative folks who give seminars and put their heads together to ask questions like, "What's working? What isn't? What next?"
That's just the beginning.
Terry Gilliam Today
Terry Gilliam considers the state of his career, the critical rejection of Tideland, his continuing hopes to bring Don Quixote to the screen, and his next project.
Chesterton on Thursday, Harvest Logos Books on Saturday
This week, I have two more Seattle appearances to talk about Through a Screen Darkly.
I'll be at the Seattle gathering of the Chesterton Society on Thursday to give a presentation and sign books. You'll find a description of my presentation, and the location of the Society, on their website.
Then, on Saturday, I'll be speaking and signing books at Harvest Logos Bookstore at 5 p.m.
I hope to see some of you there.
Ten Highlights of My Visit to the Biola Media Conference
This weekend at the Biola Media Conference, I had a great deal of fun, and a lot of challenging conversations. I will be writing quite a few thank-you notes.
Let me tell you just a few of the highlights:
- Waking up in the hotel room, watching the world slowly come into focus, and seeing a black widow spider hanging almost within reach. It moved under a table, where it had a web already built. I called the hotel front desk and said, "I have a lot of experience killing big poisonous spiders, thanks to the infestation of hobo spiders in my basement at home. But still... you might want to come see this." Let me tell you... if you want a more powerful wakeup than caffeine, try a black widow spider in the morning.
Remember when I blogged about a snake in my room at the last conference I attended? If the assassin who is trying to kill me is reading this... just take the easy way, pal. No more of this sneaky predator-in-the-room stuff.
- Meeting a few folks from Regal Books, especially Alex Field and Amy Sprigg, who have worked so hard with me on spreading the news about the book. It's great to put faces with names, and they have great faces. And names. And personalities.
- Meeting Brett McCracken, one of my favorite film critics. The guy's just seen The Double Life of Veronique for the first time, and I do hope he writes about it.
- Another good chat with producer Ralph Winter about recent developments in "faith-based" filmmaking, and his upcoming project... which is quite an intriguing project.
- Presenting the main ideas in Through a Screen Darkly to a captive, attentive, but small audience. (I was unfortunately scheduled at the same time as Ralph Winter, who was one of the main attractions of the weekend. I mean really, if you were trying to work your way into the filmmaking industry, who would you go learn from... a critic, or the producer of the X-Men series?) Still, I was blessed by how many came up to talk with me afterward.
- Making new friends in Mark Joseph, Dean Batali, Ken Wales, Lisa Swain, Phil Cooke, Dan Rupple, and others.
- Spending the evening with the legendary Ken Wales, and listening to him tell story after story about his amazing experiences in the film industry, from the time he was a young boy (he spent a week with Walt Disney) to his recent work producing Amazing Grace.
- Watching Steve McEveety, producer of Braveheart, We Were Soldiers, and The Passion of the Christ, accept his Briner Award, and tell a behind-the-scenes story about the making of The Passion that is absolutely astonishing. Some day I'll take the time to pass along that story here.
- Breakfast with Nate Bell, Josh Sikora, and Clint Cullum, at Red Robin, on Sunday morning... just like we did three years ago on the morning after the Conference. Three great guys with a passion for good movies, good movie reviews, and good filmmaking. Congratulations to Clint and Josh on their new feature film, The Deserted, and to Nate on his progress as a published film reviewer.
- Lunch with Nate and HollywoodJesus.com film critic Darrel Manson. Darrel was kind enough to drive me to LAX, and it was good to finally meet him and have a long talk.
- Oh, and here's the weekend's biggest disappointment: My plans to have dinner with a certain film director fell through due to schedule and transportation complications. Maybe next time.
Salon on "The Children of Hurin"
Salon.com reviews Tolkien's The Children of Hurin.
While debating whether to break up the chair for winter firewood, Sador talks to Túrin, the young son of Húrin who will soon be sent into exile and become the wandering, accursed hero of this gloomy, gory and highly compelling tale. "I wasted my time," Sador says of his long labors, "though the hours seemed pleasant. But all such things are short-lived; and the joy in the making is their only true end, I guess."
It's impossible not to hear John Ronald Reuel Tolkien reproaching or consoling himself with these words. On his death in 1973, Tolkien left behind the unpublishable ruins of a vast body of legendary literature, encompassing an entire imaginary history of the world from its creation nearly until modern times. That history's grand heroic episodes -- the elements he believed were most important -- he wrote only in summary or in fragments, despite numerous attempts to craft them into prose narrative or epic poetry. He had significant academic success as an Oxford linguist and philologist, but most of his literary career was spent frittering away his energies on projects he never completed. He was plagued by writer's block, black moods and numerous changes of direction. He thrust many chairs unfinished into the corner.
Tolkien might still be remembered that way, by some tiny cadre of admirers, if it weren't for the one piece of his history -- in his mind a relatively inconsequential one, drawn from the latter stages of his "legendarium," but one that had a uniquely intimate and personal focus -- that he did expand into a full-scale narrative. He was 62 when he published the first volume of his genre-defining fantasy masterpiece Lord of the Rings,
A Singing Sun
Mark Shea, in a moment of genius, quoted Tolkien's The Silmarillion when he learned about this fantastic discovery.
Wow. Now I can't wait for the album. And the tour. Who should open for the sun?
Are You Biblically Illiterate? (Research Says You Are.)
Name the ten commandments.
No, really... pause for a moment, turn away from the computer, and jot down all ten.
Got 'em? Good. Okay, now name the twelve disciples.
How about the Beatitudes?Read more