Specials: Sophie Scholl. Casting news. X-Men ends.
Friday's specials:
Well, I saw The New World again last night. Went with Anne and my new friend Mark Shea. We all basked in the glory, even though the beauty of Malick's film was completely lost on the row of teenagers sitting behind us who talked through the entire film. They must have been disappointed by the lack of sex scenes, revenge plots, and things blowing up.
Anyway, this was my third viewing of The New World on the big screen, and it has officially passed my three-viewing test. It gets better every time. It's not just going to be at the top of my Best of 2006 list... it's going to be on my top ten all-time favorites list.
ANOTHER RAVE REVIEW FOR SOPHIE SCHOLL: THE FINAL DAYS
Cinematical's Martha Fischer loves Sophie Scholl: The Final Days. Want to see a leading performance by an actress that's better than any of the Oscar nominated performances? Check out Julia Jentsch in this film.
Aside from its truly awesome central performances, what’s most remarkable about Sophie Scholl is its immediacy. By cleverly limiting the presence of obvious period touches to scenes in which they have the greatest impact, Rothemund makes his film and Scholl herself instantly accessible to modern audiences. Rather than watching a movie about an untouchable hero who lived over sixty years ago, we feel we’re watching a flesh and blood person make extraordinary decisions - and, most importantly, we're left with the conviction that some of us might be capable of doing the same.
If you're still unsure whether or not to buy a ticket, look at these reviews!
CASTING NEWS APLENTY
Dennis Haysbert will play the imprisoned Nelson Mandela, and Joseph Fiennes will play his prison guard in Billie August's Another impressive cast lines up for We Own the Night. (via Cinematical)
Another impressive cast lines up for We Own the Night: Wahlberg, Walken, Phoenix!
Eva Green (The Dreamers, Kingdom of Heaven) is the next Bond girl.
X-MEN FRANCHISE ENDS WITH RATNER'S EPISODE
I guess when I visited the set of X-Men: The Last Stand, I was indeed visiting a scene from the last X-Men movie. At least, that's what director Brett Ratner says. (via Cinematical)
Andy Whitman on CCM ... 16 years ago.
Andy Whitman's music blog is one of my favorites, and today's entry is especially interesting. (Opus, I see, has noticed it as well.) It's a commentary on Contemporary Christian Music written 16 years ago. And it's still oh so relevant (if you'll permit me the use of that much-abused word.)
It's worth noting that 16 years ago, Leslie Phillips had recently changed her name to Sam Phillips, jumped off the CCM ship, and reinvented herself as Sam Phillips, with the album The Indescribable Wow introducing her to the open waters of "secular music." It was her courageous transition, along with the exemplary work done by U2 in that period, that convinced me once and for all that art was about freedom and revelation, not packaging messages and airbrushing personalities. I wish I'd known Andy back then. We could have ranted together.
But we've come a long way, baby. Along with Phillips and U2, we have Over the Rhine, The Innocence Mission, Sufjan Stevens, and so many more demonstrating honesty, innovation, and excellence that must make those bands bound by the expectations of the CCM industry feel rather jealous. Not to say that there aren't artists of integrity within the CCM corral, and no, I'm not making a blanket condemnation of all Christians recording on Christian labels (we've had that argument here enough). But it's interesting to see how so many of these problems persist, in spite of the fact that artists like those I listed above are having such a significant impact being "in, but not of the world."
McSweeny's on "Crash." Bad "Star Wars" Valentines.
McSweeny's writer Brendan Lloyd has just posted the shortest, and yet most memorable, commentary on Paul Haggis's Crash I've yet seen.
And speaking of funny... The Worst Valentines in the World.
Grand Theft Bono
Check out Jack Thompson's "open letter" to Bono, warning him to dodge an oncoming bus.
Specials: Ford's Firewall collapse. "Christian is the new gay." Gilliam's next.
Friday specials:
CAN THE DECLINE OF HARRISON FORD'S CAREER GET ANY MORE DEPRESSING?
Michael Atkinson on Firewall: "The post-Die Hard genre is on its last legs, and the movie is as tired in its bones as [Harrison] Ford, who at 63 has crossed the line from robust, no-nonsense manliness to doughy-creepy grumpster." (Thanks, GreenCine daily)
And here's Peter T. Chattaway's review:
It is significant that Ford's first movie in years is not one of those serious dramas or offbeat comedies that he used to make whenever he wanted to prove that there was more to him than stunts and action sequences. Instead, Firewall is a back-to-the-basics thriller that echoes several of Ford's better-known films, such as Patriot Games and Air Force One. Once again, bad guys threaten his wife and children, and he does all the growling and punching that it takes to keep his family safe. The climactic fight scenes, which feature imperiled children and take place in an isolated locale, are reminiscent of Witness; and there are even elements of The Fugitive. But by bringing those other films to mind, Firewall underscores its own weaknesses; it simply lacks the firepower, the iconic status, the cultural subtext and the engaging supporting actors that made Ford's other suspense flicks so much fun.
Personally, I find it hard to believe that Ford's choices have become so consistently lame that I actually flinch when I see his name attached to a project. The Firewall trailer is a painful example of inadvertent comedy. The guy used to be my big-screen hero, my favorite movie personality. Now, if he's headlining a film, you can almost guarantee it'll be formulaic, implausible, and full of lines like "You stay away from my family!" To further complicate matters, he keeps playing guys with young children while he increasingly resembles somebody's great granddaddy.
And apparently, as this recent interview shows, he's not interested in doing much else
It's time for an intervention. I nominate Dennis Quaid and Ed Harris to step in and try to talk some sense into him.
Until then, I continue to hope that that new Indiana Jones project will collapse. Better to rejuvenate the series with a qualified actor--I nominate Nathan Fillion (Serenity)--than to turn in an indulgent-but-disappointing nostalgia trip.
Who would you nominate to play the next Indiana Jones? Josh Holloway (Lost's Sawyer)? Matthew Fox (Lost's Jack)? Joaquin Phoenix (to follow in his brother's footsteps)?
SPEAKING OF FIREWALL...
Peter Chattway adds:
Christian audience members might take note, however, of the fact that one of the key minor characters, a young co-worker of Jack's named Bobby (Matthew Currie Holmes), is a born-again Christian who flirts amiably with Jack's secretary (Mary Lynn Rajskub), plays guitar in a worship band and has "What a Friend We Have in Jesus" as a ring-tone on his cell phone. He's a caricature, perhaps, but a friendly one; and between this and the "Jesus rocks!" neighbors from Mr. and Mrs. Smith, it would seem that evangelical Christians are on their way to becoming the quirky sidekicks that gay characters have been for years.
SPEAKING OF SLUMPS...
Can Terry "Quixote" Gilliam get back in the saddle?
2006 Faith and Film Critics Circle Nominations
Bookmark this blog entry!
The Faith and Film Critics Circle (FFCC) - more than a dozen Christian film critics taking films seriously as works of art - are already busy suggesting and considering films for next year's FFCC Awards. The cool thing about the FFCC awards ... YOU are welcome to suggest films for their consideration in these categories as well.
Post your entry in the COMMENTS below, and I will add your selections to the Master List. But you must enter them in this simple format:
Best Director
Danny Boyle - MillionsBest Narrative Film
Millions
Could anything be easier than that? (Please don't make me go looking up names... it becomes a hassle. If you want to recommend someone, take the time to write out their name. Thanks.)
You can also nominate films by emailing your choices to me at lookingcloserreview@msn.com.
I'll amend the list as the year goes on. At this stage, here are films that have been nominated.
So... what big-screen wonders do you want us to take the time to see this year?
***************************************************
MOST SIGNIFICANT EXPLORATION OF SPIRITUAL ISSUES
Three Times
The New World
Tsotsi
Sophie Scholl: The Final Days
The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada
Don't Come Knocking
L'Enfant
End of the Spear
The Notorious Bettie Page
Conversations with God
United 93
A Prairie Home Companion
Half Nelson
The Proposition
Manderlay
Old Joy
The Fountain
Children of Men
The Queen
Pan's Labyrinth
Apocalypto
Joyeux Noel
Deliver us From Evil
Forgiving Dr. Mengele
Requiem
Jezile (Son of Man)
Jonestown: The Life and Death of People's Temple
BEST NARRATIVE FILM
Three Times
The New World
Tsotsi
Sophie Scholl: The Final Days
The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada
Inside Man
L'Enfant
Little Miss Sunshine
All the King's Men
United 93
The Proposition
Half Nelson
Bubble
The Departed
Marie Antoinette
The Queen
Children of Men
Pan's Labyrinth
Climates
Requiem
BEST DOCUMENTARY
Wordplay
The Road to Guantanamo
This Film is Not Yet Rated
Goldwater on Goldwater (HBO)
When the Levees Broke (HBO)
Shut Up and Sing!
Forgiving Dr. Mengele
Lake of Fire
Manufactured Landscapes
The Pervert's Guide to Cinema
A Shot in the Dark
Deliver us from Evil
Jonestown: The Life and Death of People's Temple
49 Up
BEST ACTOR
Colin Farrell - The New World
Presley Chweneyagae - Tsotsi
Tommy Lee Jones - The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada
Denzel Washington - Inside Man
Jérémie Renier - L'Enfant
Johnny Depp - Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
Louie Leonard - End of the Spear
Toby Jones- Infamous
Jude Law - All the King's Men
Henry Czerny - Conversations with God
Ryan Gosling- Half Nelson
Guy Pearce- The Proposition
Joseph Gorden-Levitt- Brick
Leonardo DiCaprio- The Departed
Matt Damon - The Departed
Clive Owen - Children of Men
BEST ACTRESS
Julia Jentsch - Sophie Scholl: The Final Days
Q'orianka Kilcher - The New World
Shauna McDonald - The Descent
Kiera Knightly - Dead Man's Chest
Bryce Dallas Howard-- Manderlay
Meryl Streep- The Devil Wears Prada
Helen Mirren - The Queen
Kate Winslet - Little Children
Kirsten Dunst - Marie Antoinette
Shakeera Epps - Half Nelson
Judi Dench - Notes on a Scandal
Penelope Cruz- Volver
Sandra Huller
Requiem
BEST CHILD ACTOR (12 or under)
Abigail Breslin - Little Miss Sunshine
Keke Palmer - Akeelah and the Bee (13 now, but 12 or under when filmed)
Shareeka Epps (Half Nelson...I think she's under 12)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Christian Bale - The New World
Gerald Alexander Held - Sophie Scholl: The Final Days
Christopher Plummer - The New World
Christian Bale - The New World
John C. Reilly - A Prairie Home Companion
Paul Giamatti - The Illusionist
Peter Dinklage - Lassie
Peter O'Toole - Lassie
Bill Nighy - Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
Steve Carrel - Little Miss Sunshine
Michael Caine - Children of Men
Jack Davenport - Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
Stellan Skarsgard - Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
Stanley Tucci- The Devil Wears Prada
Mark Wahlberg - The Departed
Jason Schwartzmann - Marie Antoinette
Danny Huston - The Proposition
Michael Sheen - The Queen
Ray Winstone - The Departed
Ray Winstone - The Proposition
Danny Huston - The Proposition
John Hurt - The Proposition
Eddie Murphy - Dreamgirls
Michael Caine - Children of Men
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Jodie Foster - Inside Man
Déborah François - L'Enfant
Meryl Streep - A Prairie Home Companion
Elizabeth Banks - Invincible
Charlotte Gainsbourgh - The Science of Sleep
Sandra Bullock - Infamous
Adriana Barraza - Babel
Cate Blanchett - Notes on a Scandal
Sharon Stone - Bobby
BEST DIRECTOR
Terrence Malick - The New World
Marc Rothemund - Sophie Scholl: The Final Days
Gavin Hood - Tsotsi
Tommy Lee Jones - The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada
Spike Lee - Inside Man
Wim Wenders - Don't Come Knocking
Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne - L'Enfant
Hou Hsiao-hsien - Three Times
Alfonso Cuarón - Children of Men
Stephen Simon, Conversations with God
Steve Zaillian, All the King's Men
Ericson Core, Invincible
Jim Hanon, End of the Spear
Steven Soderbergh- Bubble
Paul Greengrass- United 93
Michael Mann- Miami Vice
Lars von Trier- Manderlay
Martin Scorsese - The Departed
Sofia Coppola - Marie Antoinette
Stephen Frears - The Queen
Mel Gibson- Apocalypto
Nuri Bilge Ceylan - Climates
BEST ENSEMBLE CAST
Don't Come Knocking
A Prairie Home Companion
Dead Man's Chest - Invincible
Manderlay
United 93
The Departed
Marie Antoinette
Infamous
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Terrence Malick - The New World
Guillermo Arriaga - The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada
Russell Gerwitz - Inside Man
Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne - L'Enfant
Michael Arndt - Little Miss Sunshine
Ted Elliot, Terry Rossio, Dead Man's Chest
Brad Gann, Invincible
Peter Morgan - The Queen
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Fred Breinersdorfer - Sophie Scholl: The Final Days
Bill Ewing, Bart Gavigan, Jim Hanon- End of the Spear
William Monahan - The Departed
? - Children of Men
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Chris Menges - The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada
Emmanuel Lubezki - The New World
Dick Pope - The Illusionist
Robert Driskell, End of the Spear
Pawel Edelman, All the King's Men
Ericson Core, Invincible
Andrij Parekh- Half Nelson
Peter Sillen - Old Joy
Lance Acord - Marie Antoinette
Rodrigo Prieto - Babel
Emanuel Lubezki - Children of Men
Matthew Libatique - The Fountain
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
James Horner - The New World
Phillip Glass - The Illusionist
Hans Zimmer - Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
Ron Owen, End of the Spear
Broken Social Scene--Half Nelson
Yo La Tengo - Old JoyHoward Shore - The Departed
Rachel Portman - Infamous
Clint Mansell - The Fountain
BEST FILM FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY
Curious George
Lassie
Glory Road
Akeelah and the Bee
The Da Vinci Challenge, the NY Times Coverage, and Wellborn's Perspective
[UPDATE: The Da Vinci Challenge site is suddenly out of service. Is it a glitch? Or was it shut down for some reason?]
The New York Times has already noticed a new Web site, just launched today, created by Sony Pictures and Grace Hill Media called The Da Vinci Challenge, where Christian writers will bring all kinds of extra attention to the movie of The Da Vinci Code by discrediting it right and left.
Amy Wellborn raises interesting questions about the whole endeavor here.
Me, I hope I can steer clear of The Da Vinci Code debate. The writing is nothing to shout about. Dan Brown treats a long-buried (albeit imaginative) heresy like hot stuff. And the movie's being directed by Ron Howard, who has yet to make a movie that I really enjoy. I can't wait for all of this to become ancient history, so we can look back and shrug and see how trivial all of the hoopla really was.
2006 has far, far more interesting films in store for us. Let's not waste time, folks. Let's direct people's attention to the feasts, not the carefully packaged, over-hyped Happy Meals.
For example...
Where are the networks of Christians organizing to encourage people to see Sophie Scholl: The Final Days, one of the most stirring portrayals of faith ever to reach the big screen?
The Da Vinci Challenge, the NY Times coverage, and Wellborn's perspective
[UPDATE: The Da Vinci Challenge site is suddenly out of service. Is it a glitch? Or was it shut down for some reason?]
The New York Times has already noticed a new Web site, just launched today, created by Sony Pictures and Grace Hill Media called The Da Vinci Challenge, where Christian writers will bring all kinds of extra attention to the movie of The Da Vinci Code by discrediting it right and left.
Amy Wellborn raises interesting questions about the whole endeavor here.
Me, I hope I can steer clear of The Da Vinci Code debate. The writing is nothing to shout about. Dan Brown treats a long-buried (albeit imaginative) heresy like hot stuff. And the movie's being directed by Ron Howard, who has yet to make a movie that I really enjoy. I can't wait for all of this to become ancient history, so we can look back and shrug and see how trivial all of the hoopla really was.
2006 has far, far more interesting films in store for us. Let's not waste time, folks. Let's direct people's attention to the feasts, not the carefully packaged, over-hyped Happy Meals.
For example...
Where are the networks of Christians organizing to encourage people to see Sophie Scholl: The Final Days, one of the most stirring portrayals of faith ever to reach the big screen?
Half-Shot Contest #8: Your hint might be "Nick" or "Alexander"
What film is this half-shot from?
Since Nick Alexander won our last contest, you'll find a hint in either his first or his last name... but not both.
(And Nick, as the most recent winner, you're disqualified from this round. Isn't winning a drag?)
2005 Faith and Film Critics Circle Awards!
The Faith and Film Critics Circle have chosen the winners of their 2005 film awards!Read more