Movies - Revision history

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	:: Ideally, a movie made by Christians should be a marriage of beauty plus one of our defining themes as a subtext. That is, first and foremost a movie made by believers ought to have all its parts present and executed with excellence, and then its meaning should reflect something that only we Christians can say with unique authority. So, some of our defining themes are, “Good and evil are not equal,” and “Joy and sorrow have a necessary and ironic juxtaposition,” and “Death is not the worst thing that can happen to a person,” and “Everything we see is a sign of something we cannot see.” A sign that a movie is really, profoundly Christian, is that it will carry tremendous meaning for non-Christians. Of course, we never see this kind of project from Christian filmmakers today. Not yet any way.		:: Ideally, a movie made by Christians should be a marriage of beauty plus one of our defining themes as a subtext. That is, first and foremost a movie made by believers ought to have all its parts present and executed with excellence, and then its meaning should reflect something that only we Christians can say with unique authority. So, some of our defining themes are, “Good and evil are not equal,” and “Joy and sorrow have a necessary and ironic juxtaposition,” and “Death is not the worst thing that can happen to a person,” and “Everything we see is a sign of something we cannot see.” A sign that a movie is really, profoundly Christian, is that it will carry tremendous meaning for non-Christians. Of course, we never see this kind of project from Christian filmmakers today. Not yet any way.

	:: In so far as talented pagan film makers are pursuing wholeness, harmony and radiance in their work ~~â€“~~ which are the elements of the beautiful ~~â€“~~ they will be producing stories that far outshine the efforts of Christians who are basically making propaganda and cheap resistance literature for the faithful. Secondly, pagans respect things like artistic principles. They tend to invest seriously in cultural endeavors, and they honor talent and training. In the Church, all that is necessary to get a job as a singer is to own a guitar and have a good heart. It is really very perverse. I think of the loss of the sense of the beautiful as one of the great heresies in the Church in the modern age. It has been devastating particularly because it undermines all of our efforts at evangelization. What good does it do to tell people that the Holy Spirit is Wisdom and Power in a hymn or movie that is lame and pedestrian?		:: In so far as talented pagan film makers are pursuing wholeness, harmony and radiance in their work - which are the elements of the beautiful - they will be producing stories that far outshine the efforts of Christians who are basically making propaganda and cheap resistance literature for the faithful. Secondly, pagans respect things like artistic principles. They tend to invest seriously in cultural endeavors, and they honor talent and training. In the Church, all that is necessary to get a job as a singer is to own a guitar and have a good heart. It is really very perverse. I think of the loss of the sense of the beautiful as one of the great heresies in the Church in the modern age. It has been devastating particularly because it undermines all of our efforts at evangelization. What good does it do to tell people that the Holy Spirit is Wisdom and Power in a hymn or movie that is lame and pedestrian?

	:: Cinema is perceived by most of the thought leaders in the Church as unserious or as a means of catechesis. We don’t have one Catholic university in the top twenty film programs in the world. Too many of our religious leaders never have a good word for any movie or television and would seem to prefer if we Christians all just lived in caves when they aren’t at church. We need to work with people who have artistic talent, regardless of where they are spiritually, because our working with them might be the way in which God will introduce Himself to the artist, and as a plus, the people of God will get beautiful work done. Too often, I have seen Christians hire bad actors or writers or directors just because they are believers. It always mean ugly movies.		:: Cinema is perceived by most of the thought leaders in the Church as unserious or as a means of catechesis. We don’t have one Catholic university in the top twenty film programs in the world. Too many of our religious leaders never have a good word for any movie or television and would seem to prefer if we Christians all just lived in caves when they aren’t at church. We need to work with people who have artistic talent, regardless of where they are spiritually, because our working with them might be the way in which God will introduce Himself to the artist, and as a plus, the people of God will get beautiful work done. Too often, I have seen Christians hire bad actors or writers or directors just because they are believers. It always mean ugly movies.
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	:: As Aristotle said it, human society needs stories to lead people to cathartic experiences of compassion and the fear of evil.		:: As Aristotle said it, human society needs stories to lead people to cathartic experiences of compassion and the fear of evil.

	:: You can’t have a good story without what we call “high stakes.” High stakes means that, in a story, death is always on the table. Stories are better than real life in that way. The most profound kinds of death that human beings experience come through sin ~~â€“~~ the death of the ability to love, the death of the instinct to care for others, the death of the ability to see and penetrate reality, for example. Hence, you can’t take sin out of storytelling. What Christians could demonstrate to the secular storytellers is how to talk about sin without it becoming an occasion of sin for the audience. The Bible shows us this. It has always high stakes stories of adultery, murder, deceit and betrayal, but never told in a ways that violate the reader.		:: You can’t have a good story without what we call “high stakes.” High stakes means that, in a story, death is always on the table. Stories are better than real life in that way. The most profound kinds of death that human beings experience come through sin - the death of the ability to love, the death of the instinct to care for others, the death of the ability to see and penetrate reality, for example. Hence, you can’t take sin out of storytelling. What Christians could demonstrate to the secular storytellers is how to talk about sin without it becoming an occasion of sin for the audience. The Bible shows us this. It has always high stakes stories of adultery, murder, deceit and betrayal, but never told in a ways that violate the reader.

	:: Some fabulous, powerful movies made by pagans that carry Gospel themes include, ''The Visitor'', ''Lars and the Real Girl'', ''The Lives of Others'', ''Juno'', and ''Of Gods and Men''. I would include nearly everything made by Pixar as something that Christians could look to as a marriage of excellence and deep universal themes.		:: Some fabulous, powerful movies made by pagans that carry Gospel themes include, ''The Visitor'', ''Lars and the Real Girl'', ''The Lives of Others'', ''Juno'', and ''Of Gods and Men''. I would include nearly everything made by Pixar as something that Christians could look to as a marriage of excellence and deep universal themes.

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	:; [http://www.patheos.com/blogs/churchofthemasses/ Blog: ''Church of the Masses.'']		:; [http://www.patheos.com/blogs/churchofthemasses/ Blog: ''Church of the Masses.'']

	:: "Theaters are the new Church of he Masses--where people sit huddled in the dark listenin to people in the light tell them what it is to be human" (1930s theater critic).		:: "Theaters are the new Church of he Masses — where people sit huddled in the dark listenin to people in the light tell them what it is to be human" (1930s theater critic).

	:: Script writer, script consultant		:: Script writer, script consultant
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	:: The cinematic action movie is based upon the biblical characters of King David and his elite warriors known as the Mighty Men. This is a live action, in your face, gritty, major motion picture. David and Goliath, one of the most well-known stories in all of history will be presented to the big screen like never before, according to those behind the film.		:: The cinematic action movie is based upon the biblical characters of King David and his elite warriors known as the Mighty Men. This is a live action, in your face, gritty, major motion picture. David and Goliath, one of the most well-known stories in all of history will be presented to the big screen like never before, according to those behind the film.

	:: "Day of War, author Cliff Graham's first novel, has earned him a film option for the entire book series---Lion of War---from director David L. Cunningham (Path to 9/11) and producer Grant Curtis (Spider-Man films). In ancient Israel, at the crossroads of the great trading routes, a man named Benaiah is searching for a fresh start in life. He has joined a band of soldiers led by a warlord named David, seeking to bury the past that refuses to leave him. Their ragged army is disgruntled and full of reckless men. Some are loyal to David, but others are only with him for the promise of captured wealth. While the ruthless and increasingly mad King Saul marches hopelessly against the powerful Philistines, loyal son Jonathan in tow, the land of the Hebrew tribes has never been more despondent---and more in need of rescue. Over the course of ten days, from snowy mountain passes to sword-wracked battlefields, Benaiah and his fellow mercenaries must call upon every skill they have to survive and establish the throne for David---if they don't kill each other first."<ref>[http://www.amazon.com/Day-War-Lion-Series/dp/0310331838 Amazon: Lion of War series.]</ref>		:: "Day of War, author Cliff Graham's first novel, has earned him a film option for the entire book series — -Lion of War — -from director David L. Cunningham (Path to 9/11) and producer Grant Curtis (Spider-Man films). In ancient Israel, at the crossroads of the great trading routes, a man named Benaiah is searching for a fresh start in life. He has joined a band of soldiers led by a warlord named David, seeking to bury the past that refuses to leave him. Their ragged army is disgruntled and full of reckless men. Some are loyal to David, but others are only with him for the promise of captured wealth. While the ruthless and increasingly mad King Saul marches hopelessly against the powerful Philistines, loyal son Jonathan in tow, the land of the Hebrew tribes has never been more despondent — -and more in need of rescue. Over the course of ten days, from snowy mountain passes to sword-wracked battlefields, Benaiah and his fellow mercenaries must call upon every skill they have to survive and establish the throne for David — -if they don't kill each other first."<ref>[http://www.amazon.com/Day-War-Lion-Series/dp/0310331838 Amazon: Lion of War series.]</ref>

	=== Dogma ===		=== Dogma ===
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	: The farmer becomes a non-denominational preacher.		: The farmer becomes a non-denominational preacher.

	=== Falstaff--Chimes at Midnight ===		=== Falstaff — Chimes at Midnight ===

	: [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0059012/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1 ''Falstaff--Chimes at Midnight'' (1965)]		: [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0059012/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1 ''Falstaff — Chimes at Midnight'' (1965)]

	: Orson Welles plays Falstaff. A synthesis of all the Falstaff stories in seven or eight history plays by Shakespeare.		: Orson Welles plays Falstaff. A synthesis of all the Falstaff stories in seven or eight history plays by Shakespeare.
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	* [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1129423/ IMDB.]		* [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1129423/ IMDB.]
	:: In Albany, the marriage of Caleb end Catherine Holt is in crisis and they decide to divorce. However, Caleb's father, John, proposes that his son delays their separation process for forty days and follow a procedure called "The Love Dare" to make them love each other again.		:: In Albany, the marriage of Caleb end Catherine Holt is in crisis and they decide to divorce. However, Caleb's father, John, proposes that his son delays their separation process for forty days and follow a procedure called "The Love Dare" to make them love each other again.
	:: Though Sherwood Pictures produces movies, they are primarily a ministry. For Fireproof, almost everybody involved was a volunteer--over 1,000 people. Every day they began with devotions and a time of prayer.		:: Though Sherwood Pictures produces movies, they are primarily a ministry. For Fireproof, almost everybody involved was a volunteer — over 1,000 people. Every day they began with devotions and a time of prayer.

	=== Frozen ===		=== Frozen ===
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	:: Judah treated as more important than Reuben.		:: Judah treated as more important than Reuben.

	:: "Half-brother." -- Four wives.		:: "Half-brother." — Four wives.

	:: "I am a Miracle Child": "I am special, I am smart, any rules don't apply, for I am set apart."		:: "I am a Miracle Child": "I am special, I am smart, any rules don't apply, for I am set apart."
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	:: [http://www.decentfilms.com/reviews/princeofegypt Greydanus: A+]		:: [http://www.decentfilms.com/reviews/princeofegypt Greydanus: A+]

	:: Irreverrent followup--The Road to El Dorado.		:: Irreverrent followup — The Road to El Dorado.

	:: Zipporah replaces Aaron as Moses' sidekick before the Pharaoh.		:: Zipporah replaces Aaron as Moses' sidekick before the Pharaoh.
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	\|align="right"\|2011		\|align="right"\|2011
	\|''30 for 30: The Real Rocky''		\|''30 for 30: The Real Rocky''
	\|Chuck Wepner--inspired the franchise. Sued, got a settlement.		\|Chuck Wepner — inspired the franchise. Sued, got a settlement.
	\|-		\|-
	! colspan="3"\|A		! colspan="3"\|A
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	\|align="right"\|2010		\|align="right"\|2010
	\|''Tabloid''		\|''Tabloid''
	\|"Director Errol Morris profiles another intriguingly dysfunctional personality in this complex documentary about Joyce McKinney, a former beauty queen whose lovely exterior hides a genius IQ -- and a criminal disposition."		\|"Director Errol Morris profiles another intriguingly dysfunctional personality in this complex documentary about Joyce McKinney, a former beauty queen whose lovely exterior hides a genius IQ — and a criminal disposition."
	\|- valign="top"		\|- valign="top"
	\|align="right"\|2009		\|align="right"\|2009
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	\|align="right"\|2005		\|align="right"\|2005
	\|[http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/ice_harvest/ ''The Ice Harvest'']		\|[http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/ice_harvest/ ''The Ice Harvest'']
	\|"Unethical dim-bulb attorney Charlie Arglist embezzles $2 million from a mobster. Not content with the cash, the sleazy lawyer plans to skip town with pretty club owner Renata Crest -- until the cops and townsfolk grow increasingly suspicious." (R rated--nudity and violence.)		\|"Unethical dim-bulb attorney Charlie Arglist embezzles $2 million from a mobster. Not content with the cash, the sleazy lawyer plans to skip town with pretty club owner Renata Crest — until the cops and townsfolk grow increasingly suspicious." (R rated — nudity and violence.)
	\|- valign="top"		\|- valign="top"
	\|align="right"\|2007		\|align="right"\|2007
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	\|align="right"\|1988		\|align="right"\|1988
	\|''The Thin Blue Line''		\|''The Thin Blue Line''
	\|"Filmmaker Errol Morris's gripping investigation into the murder of a Dallas police officer was responsible for freeing the man who was originally -- and erroneously -- charged with and convicted of the crime."		\|"Filmmaker Errol Morris's gripping investigation into the murder of a Dallas police officer was responsible for freeing the man who was originally — and erroneously — charged with and convicted of the crime."
	\|- valign="top"		\|- valign="top"
	\|align="right"\|		\|align="right"\|
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	::- Creative Thinking		::- Creative Thinking

	* Watch the clock. Assign a time limit for the segment--10 minutes? 15 minutes? Keep calls on the segment during the segment; anything goes afterward.		* Watch the clock. Assign a time limit for the segment — 10 minutes? 15 minutes? Keep calls on the segment during the segment; anything goes afterward.

	== References ==		== References ==
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	::- [[Movies#Gods_of_Egypt\|Gods of Egypt (2016).]]		::- [[Movies#Gods_of_Egypt\|Gods of Egypt (2016).]]
	:; Secular		:; Secular
	::- Guardians of the Galaxy -- August 1, 2014.		::- Guardians of the Galaxy — August 1, 2014.

	== Theaters ==		== Theaters ==

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	=== Passion of the Christ ===		=== Passion of the Christ ===
	:; [http://www.jamesbowman.net/reviewDetail.asp?pubID=1489 "The Passion of the Christ."]		:; [http://www.jamesbowman.net/reviewDetail.asp?pubID=1489 "The Passion of the Christ."]
	::Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ is the ultimate example of the style which Giotto began. It is also the ultimate in our great contemporary tradition of victim chic. Gibson’s Jesus (James Caviezel) is presented not as godhead but as victimhood incarnate. Nobody ~~â€”~~ not Marlon Brando in The Chase, not Sylvester Stallone in Rocky, not Denzel Washington in Glory, not even Mel himself in Braveheart is going to take a more impressive beating than Jim’s Jesus does. But without any more of a context than they are given here, his sufferings are merely bewildering, sickening. Surely, whatever other heterodoxy he may be guilty of, Mel cannot believe that pity is the same thing as piety? ...		::Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ is the ultimate example of the style which Giotto began. It is also the ultimate in our great contemporary tradition of victim chic. Gibson’s Jesus (James Caviezel) is presented not as godhead but as victimhood incarnate. Nobody — not Marlon Brando in The Chase, not Sylvester Stallone in Rocky, not Denzel Washington in Glory, not even Mel himself in Braveheart is going to take a more impressive beating than Jim’s Jesus does. But without any more of a context than they are given here, his sufferings are merely bewildering, sickening. Surely, whatever other heterodoxy he may be guilty of, Mel cannot believe that pity is the same thing as piety? ...
	::Mel Gibson must have known that, in taking torture and brutality as his subject in preference to more traditionally spiritual considerations, he ensured that not only those who were implicated in such a crime but also those with a history of being unfairly implicated in it would feel themselves aggrieved. My guess is that he’s not sorry to have stirred up this hornet’s nest. ...		::Mel Gibson must have known that, in taking torture and brutality as his subject in preference to more traditionally spiritual considerations, he ensured that not only those who were implicated in such a crime but also those with a history of being unfairly implicated in it would feel themselves aggrieved. My guess is that he’s not sorry to have stirred up this hornet’s nest. ...
	:: All of which is simply to say that The Passion of the Christ is like every other Mel Gibson picture in being ridiculously overproduced. As the British would say, he has once again over-egged the pudding. The new age music with pan pipes and wordless choruses, the swelling orchestral sounds at moments of significance, the flashbacks cross cut with the main action so as to produce heavy-handed ironies ~~â€”~~ all these things take us annoyingly out of the period and plonk us down jarringly in the entertainment culture of the present day.		:: All of which is simply to say that The Passion of the Christ is like every other Mel Gibson picture in being ridiculously overproduced. As the British would say, he has once again over-egged the pudding. The new age music with pan pipes and wordless choruses, the swelling orchestral sounds at moments of significance, the flashbacks cross cut with the main action so as to produce heavy-handed ironies — all these things take us annoyingly out of the period and plonk us down jarringly in the entertainment culture of the present day.

	=== The Perfect Stranger ===		=== The Perfect Stranger ===

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Mxmsj: /* Links */

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Links

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	== Links ==		== Links ==
	* [[Seven inspiring movies for Lent]]		* [[Seven inspiring movies for Lent]]
			* [http://cccrusade.blogspot.com/ Catholic Cinema Crusade.]

Mxmsj: /* God's Not Dead */

2014-06-27T16:51:53Z

God's Not Dead

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	The unbelievers similarly set up patsies to represent Christianity (blind girl in ''Paul'' converted from creationism to saganism).		The unbelievers similarly set up patsies to represent Christianity (blind girl in ''Paul'' converted from creationism to saganism).

			:; [http://blog.reginamag.com/orwellian-fable-anti-christian-society/ "An Orwellian Fable (?) About an Anti-Christian Society."]

	=== Gods of Egypt ===		=== Gods of Egypt ===

Mxmsj: /* Faith Like Potatoes */

2014-05-27T15:10:44Z

Faith Like Potatoes

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	: The farmer becomes a non-denominational preacher.		: The farmer becomes a non-denominational preacher.

			=== Falstaff--Chimes at Midnight ===

			: [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0059012/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1 ''Falstaff--Chimes at Midnight'' (1965)]

			: Orson Welles plays Falstaff. A synthesis of all the Falstaff stories in seven or eight history plays by Shakespeare.

	=== Fireproof ===		=== Fireproof ===

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Stalker

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	:: A guide leads two men through an area known as the Zone to find a room that grants wishes.		:: A guide leads two men through an area known as the Zone to find a room that grants wishes.

	:: A man writes because he is tormented, because he doubts. He needs to constantly prove to himself and the others that he's worth something. And if I know for sure that I'm a genius? Why write then? What the hell for?		:: "A man writes because he is tormented, because he doubts. He needs to constantly prove to himself and the others that he's worth something. And if I know for sure that I'm a genius? Why write then? What the hell for?"

	* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stalker_%281979_film%29 "''Stalker'' (1979 film)."]		* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stalker_%281979_film%29 "''Stalker'' (1979 film)."]

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	:; [http://www.patheos.com/blogs/churchofthemasses/2014/01/a-christian-cinema-an-interview-with-av-venire/ Barbara Nicolosi, "A 'Christian' Cinema? An interview with ''Av Venire.''"]		:; [http://www.patheos.com/blogs/churchofthemasses/2014/01/a-christian-cinema-an-interview-with-av-venire/ Barbara Nicolosi, "A 'Christian' Cinema? An interview with ''Av Venire.''"]

	:: Movies will rarely fall in the “sacred ~~artâ€~~ category as they are consitutionally unsuited to liturgical and ecclesial purposes. The notable exception is The Passion of Christ which was an experiment by Mel Gibson to do the Stations of the Cross through cinema.		:: Movies will rarely fall in the “sacred art” category as they are consitutionally unsuited to liturgical and ecclesial purposes. The notable exception is The Passion of Christ which was an experiment by Mel Gibson to do the Stations of the Cross through cinema.

	:: A movie made by a Christian should work with Catholics on a theological level, and should work with non-believers on an artistic and/or narrative level. It will satisfy their story instincts and their desire for the beautiful, and maybe do something more for them spiritually through the project’s theme. As an example of this kind of cultural success, I would point to the stories of Flannery O’Connor, or the movies A Man for All Seasons or The Passion of Joan of Arc.		:: A movie made by a Christian should work with Catholics on a theological level, and should work with non-believers on an artistic and/or narrative level. It will satisfy their story instincts and their desire for the beautiful, and maybe do something more for them spiritually through the project’s theme. As an example of this kind of cultural success, I would point to the stories of Flannery O’Connor, or the movies A Man for All Seasons or The Passion of Joan of Arc.
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	:: Our movies and television are not flowing out of the mysterious impulse to create and connect, which is the hallmark of art, but rather out of the desire to preach and distract.		:: Our movies and television are not flowing out of the mysterious impulse to create and connect, which is the hallmark of art, but rather out of the desire to preach and distract.

	:: Ideally, a movie made by Christians should be a marriage of beauty plus one of our defining themes as a subtext. That is, first and foremost a movie made by believers ought to have all its parts present and executed with excellence, and then its meaning should reflect something that only we Christians can say with unique authority. So, some of our defining themes are, “Good and evil are not equal,~~â€~~ and “Joy and sorrow have a necessary and ironic juxtaposition,~~â€~~ and “Death is not the worst thing that can happen to a person,~~â€~~ and “Everything we see is a sign of something we cannot see.~~â€~~ A sign that a movie is really, profoundly Christian, is that it will carry tremendous meaning for non-Christians. Of course, we never see this kind of project from Christian filmmakers today. Not yet any way.		:: Ideally, a movie made by Christians should be a marriage of beauty plus one of our defining themes as a subtext. That is, first and foremost a movie made by believers ought to have all its parts present and executed with excellence, and then its meaning should reflect something that only we Christians can say with unique authority. So, some of our defining themes are, “Good and evil are not equal,” and “Joy and sorrow have a necessary and ironic juxtaposition,” and “Death is not the worst thing that can happen to a person,” and “Everything we see is a sign of something we cannot see.” A sign that a movie is really, profoundly Christian, is that it will carry tremendous meaning for non-Christians. Of course, we never see this kind of project from Christian filmmakers today. Not yet any way.

	:: In so far as talented pagan film makers are pursuing wholeness, harmony and radiance in their work â€“ which are the elements of the beautiful â€“ they will be producing stories that far outshine the efforts of Christians who are basically making propaganda and cheap resistance literature for the faithful. Secondly, pagans respect things like artistic principles. They tend to invest seriously in cultural endeavors, and they honor talent and training. In the Church, all that is necessary to get a job as a singer is to own a guitar and have a good heart. It is really very perverse. I think of the loss of the sense of the beautiful as one of the great heresies in the Church in the modern age. It has been devastating particularly because it undermines all of our efforts at evangelization. What good does it do to tell people that the Holy Spirit is Wisdom and Power in a hymn or movie that is lame and pedestrian?		:: In so far as talented pagan film makers are pursuing wholeness, harmony and radiance in their work â€“ which are the elements of the beautiful â€“ they will be producing stories that far outshine the efforts of Christians who are basically making propaganda and cheap resistance literature for the faithful. Secondly, pagans respect things like artistic principles. They tend to invest seriously in cultural endeavors, and they honor talent and training. In the Church, all that is necessary to get a job as a singer is to own a guitar and have a good heart. It is really very perverse. I think of the loss of the sense of the beautiful as one of the great heresies in the Church in the modern age. It has been devastating particularly because it undermines all of our efforts at evangelization. What good does it do to tell people that the Holy Spirit is Wisdom and Power in a hymn or movie that is lame and pedestrian?
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	:: Cinema is perceived by most of the thought leaders in the Church as unserious or as a means of catechesis. We don’t have one Catholic university in the top twenty film programs in the world. Too many of our religious leaders never have a good word for any movie or television and would seem to prefer if we Christians all just lived in caves when they aren’t at church. We need to work with people who have artistic talent, regardless of where they are spiritually, because our working with them might be the way in which God will introduce Himself to the artist, and as a plus, the people of God will get beautiful work done. Too often, I have seen Christians hire bad actors or writers or directors just because they are believers. It always mean ugly movies.		:: Cinema is perceived by most of the thought leaders in the Church as unserious or as a means of catechesis. We don’t have one Catholic university in the top twenty film programs in the world. Too many of our religious leaders never have a good word for any movie or television and would seem to prefer if we Christians all just lived in caves when they aren’t at church. We need to work with people who have artistic talent, regardless of where they are spiritually, because our working with them might be the way in which God will introduce Himself to the artist, and as a plus, the people of God will get beautiful work done. Too often, I have seen Christians hire bad actors or writers or directors just because they are believers. It always mean ugly movies.

	:: What we really need today are many wonderful parables for the people of our time, that do all the things that Aristotle notes a story should do in his seminal work “The Poetics.~~â€~~ Good parables don’t need to mention God. Jesus told many parables and none of them mention God. I say to my students all the time, “The story is enough.~~â€~~ That is, you shouldn’t need to deliver it with a copy of a homily attached.		:: What we really need today are many wonderful parables for the people of our time, that do all the things that Aristotle notes a story should do in his seminal work “The Poetics.” Good parables don’t need to mention God. Jesus told many parables and none of them mention God. I say to my students all the time, “The story is enough.” That is, you shouldn’t need to deliver it with a copy of a homily attached.

	:: As Aristotle said it, human society needs stories to lead people to cathartic experiences of compassion and the fear of evil.		:: As Aristotle said it, human society needs stories to lead people to cathartic experiences of compassion and the fear of evil.

	:: You can’t have a good story without what we call “high stakes.~~â€~~ High stakes means that, in a story, death is always on the table. Stories are better than real life in that way. The most profound kinds of death that human beings experience come through sin â€“ the death of the ability to love, the death of the instinct to care for others, the death of the ability to see and penetrate reality, for example. Hence, you can’t take sin out of storytelling. What Christians could demonstrate to the secular storytellers is how to talk about sin without it becoming an occasion of sin for the audience. The Bible shows us this. It has always high stakes stories of adultery, murder, deceit and betrayal, but never told in a ways that violate the reader.		:: You can’t have a good story without what we call “high stakes.” High stakes means that, in a story, death is always on the table. Stories are better than real life in that way. The most profound kinds of death that human beings experience come through sin â€“ the death of the ability to love, the death of the instinct to care for others, the death of the ability to see and penetrate reality, for example. Hence, you can’t take sin out of storytelling. What Christians could demonstrate to the secular storytellers is how to talk about sin without it becoming an occasion of sin for the audience. The Bible shows us this. It has always high stakes stories of adultery, murder, deceit and betrayal, but never told in a ways that violate the reader.

	:: Some fabulous, powerful movies made by pagans that carry Gospel themes include, ''The Visitor'', ''Lars and the Real Girl'', ''The Lives of Others'', ''Juno'', and ''Of Gods and Men''. I would include nearly everything made by Pixar as something that Christians could look to as a marriage of excellence and deep universal themes.		:: Some fabulous, powerful movies made by pagans that carry Gospel themes include, ''The Visitor'', ''Lars and the Real Girl'', ''The Lives of Others'', ''Juno'', and ''Of Gods and Men''. I would include nearly everything made by Pixar as something that Christians could look to as a marriage of excellence and deep universal themes.
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	:; [http://www.movienewz.com/left-behind/ Left Behind (remake, 2014)]		:; [http://www.movienewz.com/left-behind/ Left Behind (remake, 2014)]

	:: Lea Thompson has joined her Switched at Birth co-star Cassi Thompson in Left Behind, Samuel Goldwyn Films’ reboot of the apocalyptic film franchise. Thompson (Back to the Future trilogy) will also star opposite Nicolas Cage, Chad Michael Murray, and Jordin Sparks. Based on the popular series of books, the story centers on pilot Rayford Steele (Cage) and journalist Buck Williams (Murray) that lead a group of survivors after thousands of people mysteriously disappear worldwide in an event called “The Rapture.~~â€~~ For those who have been left behind, the apocalypse has just begun.		:: Lea Thompson has joined her Switched at Birth co-star Cassi Thompson in Left Behind, Samuel Goldwyn Films’ reboot of the apocalyptic film franchise. Thompson (Back to the Future trilogy) will also star opposite Nicolas Cage, Chad Michael Murray, and Jordin Sparks. Based on the popular series of books, the story centers on pilot Rayford Steele (Cage) and journalist Buck Williams (Murray) that lead a group of survivors after thousands of people mysteriously disappear worldwide in an event called “The Rapture.” For those who have been left behind, the apocalypse has just begun.

	== M ==		== M ==
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	== Links ==		== Links ==
	* [http://www.patheos.com/blogs/churchofthemasses/2014/01/a-christian-cinema-an-interview-with-av-venire/ Barbara Nicolosi, "A ~~“Christianâ€~~ Cinema? An interview with ''Av Venire.''"]		* [http://www.patheos.com/blogs/churchofthemasses/2014/01/a-christian-cinema-an-interview-with-av-venire/ Barbara Nicolosi, "A “Christian” Cinema? An interview with ''Av Venire.''"]
	* [http://decentfilms.com/ Steven D. Greydanus, "Decent Films Guide."]		* [http://decentfilms.com/ Steven D. Greydanus, "Decent Films Guide."]

← Older revision		Revision as of 11:20, 10 December 2022
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	:: Movies will rarely fall in the “sacred artâ€ category as they are consitutionally unsuited to liturgical and ecclesial purposes. The notable exception is The Passion of Christ which was an experiment by Mel Gibson to do the Stations of the Cross through cinema.		:: Movies will rarely fall in the “sacred artâ€ category as they are consitutionally unsuited to liturgical and ecclesial purposes. The notable exception is The Passion of Christ which was an experiment by Mel Gibson to do the Stations of the Cross through cinema.

	:: A movie made by a Christian should work with Catholics on a theological level, and should work with non-believers on an artistic and/or narrative level. It will satisfy their story instincts and their desire for the beautiful, and maybe do something more for them spiritually through the ~~projectâ€™s~~ theme. As an example of this kind of cultural success, I would point to the stories of Flannery ~~Oâ€™Connor~~, or the movies A Man for All Seasons or The Passion of Joan of Arc.		:: A movie made by a Christian should work with Catholics on a theological level, and should work with non-believers on an artistic and/or narrative level. It will satisfy their story instincts and their desire for the beautiful, and maybe do something more for them spiritually through the project’s theme. As an example of this kind of cultural success, I would point to the stories of Flannery O’Connor, or the movies A Man for All Seasons or The Passion of Joan of Arc.

	:: Our movies and television are not flowing out of the mysterious impulse to create and connect, which is the hallmark of art, but rather out of the desire to preach and distract.		:: Our movies and television are not flowing out of the mysterious impulse to create and connect, which is the hallmark of art, but rather out of the desire to preach and distract.
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	:: In so far as talented pagan film makers are pursuing wholeness, harmony and radiance in their work â€“ which are the elements of the beautiful â€“ they will be producing stories that far outshine the efforts of Christians who are basically making propaganda and cheap resistance literature for the faithful. Secondly, pagans respect things like artistic principles. They tend to invest seriously in cultural endeavors, and they honor talent and training. In the Church, all that is necessary to get a job as a singer is to own a guitar and have a good heart. It is really very perverse. I think of the loss of the sense of the beautiful as one of the great heresies in the Church in the modern age. It has been devastating particularly because it undermines all of our efforts at evangelization. What good does it do to tell people that the Holy Spirit is Wisdom and Power in a hymn or movie that is lame and pedestrian?		:: In so far as talented pagan film makers are pursuing wholeness, harmony and radiance in their work â€“ which are the elements of the beautiful â€“ they will be producing stories that far outshine the efforts of Christians who are basically making propaganda and cheap resistance literature for the faithful. Secondly, pagans respect things like artistic principles. They tend to invest seriously in cultural endeavors, and they honor talent and training. In the Church, all that is necessary to get a job as a singer is to own a guitar and have a good heart. It is really very perverse. I think of the loss of the sense of the beautiful as one of the great heresies in the Church in the modern age. It has been devastating particularly because it undermines all of our efforts at evangelization. What good does it do to tell people that the Holy Spirit is Wisdom and Power in a hymn or movie that is lame and pedestrian?

	:: Cinema is perceived by most of the thought leaders in the Church as unserious or as a means of catechesis. We ~~donâ€™t~~ have one Catholic university in the top twenty film programs in the world. Too many of our religious leaders never have a good word for any movie or television and would seem to prefer if we Christians all just lived in caves when they ~~arenâ€™t~~ at church. We need to work with people who have artistic talent, regardless of where they are spiritually, because our working with them might be the way in which God will introduce Himself to the artist, and as a plus, the people of God will get beautiful work done. Too often, I have seen Christians hire bad actors or writers or directors just because they are believers. It always mean ugly movies.		:: Cinema is perceived by most of the thought leaders in the Church as unserious or as a means of catechesis. We don’t have one Catholic university in the top twenty film programs in the world. Too many of our religious leaders never have a good word for any movie or television and would seem to prefer if we Christians all just lived in caves when they aren’t at church. We need to work with people who have artistic talent, regardless of where they are spiritually, because our working with them might be the way in which God will introduce Himself to the artist, and as a plus, the people of God will get beautiful work done. Too often, I have seen Christians hire bad actors or writers or directors just because they are believers. It always mean ugly movies.

	:: What we really need today are many wonderful parables for the people of our time, that do all the things that Aristotle notes a story should do in his seminal work “The Poetics.â€ Good parables ~~donâ€™t~~ need to mention God. Jesus told many parables and none of them mention God. I say to my students all the time, “The story is enough.â€ That is, you ~~shouldnâ€™t~~ need to deliver it with a copy of a homily attached.		:: What we really need today are many wonderful parables for the people of our time, that do all the things that Aristotle notes a story should do in his seminal work “The Poetics.â€ Good parables don’t need to mention God. Jesus told many parables and none of them mention God. I say to my students all the time, “The story is enough.â€ That is, you shouldn’t need to deliver it with a copy of a homily attached.

	:: As Aristotle said it, human society needs stories to lead people to cathartic experiences of compassion and the fear of evil.		:: As Aristotle said it, human society needs stories to lead people to cathartic experiences of compassion and the fear of evil.

	:: You ~~canâ€™t~~ have a good story without what we call “high stakes.â€ High stakes means that, in a story, death is always on the table. Stories are better than real life in that way. The most profound kinds of death that human beings experience come through sin â€“ the death of the ability to love, the death of the instinct to care for others, the death of the ability to see and penetrate reality, for example. Hence, you ~~canâ€™t~~ take sin out of storytelling. What Christians could demonstrate to the secular storytellers is how to talk about sin without it becoming an occasion of sin for the audience. The Bible shows us this. It has always high stakes stories of adultery, murder, deceit and betrayal, but never told in a ways that violate the reader.		:: You can’t have a good story without what we call “high stakes.â€ High stakes means that, in a story, death is always on the table. Stories are better than real life in that way. The most profound kinds of death that human beings experience come through sin â€“ the death of the ability to love, the death of the instinct to care for others, the death of the ability to see and penetrate reality, for example. Hence, you can’t take sin out of storytelling. What Christians could demonstrate to the secular storytellers is how to talk about sin without it becoming an occasion of sin for the audience. The Bible shows us this. It has always high stakes stories of adultery, murder, deceit and betrayal, but never told in a ways that violate the reader.

	:: Some fabulous, powerful movies made by pagans that carry Gospel themes include, ''The Visitor'', ''Lars and the Real Girl'', ''The Lives of Others'', ''Juno'', and ''Of Gods and Men''. I would include nearly everything made by Pixar as something that Christians could look to as a marriage of excellence and deep universal themes.		:: Some fabulous, powerful movies made by pagans that carry Gospel themes include, ''The Visitor'', ''Lars and the Real Girl'', ''The Lives of Others'', ''Juno'', and ''Of Gods and Men''. I would include nearly everything made by Pixar as something that Christians could look to as a marriage of excellence and deep universal themes.

	:: Again, a beautiful story works because it is '''beauty married to profound truth'''. You ~~donâ€™t~~ have to be Christian to do this. ''Gran Torino'' was a solid film, and yes, Clint was clearly drawing a parallel to his main character as a Christ-figure. The Christ-figure archetype is well-established in Hollywood lore.		:: Again, a beautiful story works because it is '''beauty married to profound truth'''. You don’t have to be Christian to do this. ''Gran Torino'' was a solid film, and yes, Clint was clearly drawing a parallel to his main character as a Christ-figure. The Christ-figure archetype is well-established in Hollywood lore.

	=== Steve Greydanus ===		=== Steve Greydanus ===
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	:; [http://www.movienewz.com/gods-of-egypt/ Gods of Eqypt (2016)]		:; [http://www.movienewz.com/gods-of-egypt/ Gods of Eqypt (2016)]

	:: Gerard Butler, Brenton Thwaites and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau star in the epic fantasy Gods of Egypt, inspired by the classic mythology of Egypt. Australian actress Courtney Eaton (Mad Max: Fury Road) has landed the female lead. Eaton will play a slave girl who Brenton ~~Thwaitesâ€™~~ character falls for. In Gods of Egypt, Bek (Thwaites), a mortal thief, enlists the aid of the powerful god Horus (Coster-Waldau) in an unlikely alliance against Set (Butler), the merciless god of darkness.		:: Gerard Butler, Brenton Thwaites and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau star in the epic fantasy Gods of Egypt, inspired by the classic mythology of Egypt. Australian actress Courtney Eaton (Mad Max: Fury Road) has landed the female lead. Eaton will play a slave girl who Brenton Thwaites’ character falls for. In Gods of Egypt, Bek (Thwaites), a mortal thief, enlists the aid of the powerful god Horus (Coster-Waldau) in an unlikely alliance against Set (Butler), the merciless god of darkness.

	=== Gran Torino ===		=== Gran Torino ===
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	:; [http://www.movienewz.com/left-behind/ Left Behind (remake, 2014)]		:; [http://www.movienewz.com/left-behind/ Left Behind (remake, 2014)]

	:: Lea Thompson has joined her Switched at Birth co-star Cassi Thompson in Left Behind, Samuel Goldwyn ~~Filmsâ€™~~ reboot of the apocalyptic film franchise. Thompson (Back to the Future trilogy) will also star opposite Nicolas Cage, Chad Michael Murray, and Jordin Sparks. Based on the popular series of books, the story centers on pilot Rayford Steele (Cage) and journalist Buck Williams (Murray) that lead a group of survivors after thousands of people mysteriously disappear worldwide in an event called “The Rapture.â€ For those who have been left behind, the apocalypse has just begun.		:: Lea Thompson has joined her Switched at Birth co-star Cassi Thompson in Left Behind, Samuel Goldwyn Films’ reboot of the apocalyptic film franchise. Thompson (Back to the Future trilogy) will also star opposite Nicolas Cage, Chad Michael Murray, and Jordin Sparks. Based on the popular series of books, the story centers on pilot Rayford Steele (Cage) and journalist Buck Williams (Murray) that lead a group of survivors after thousands of people mysteriously disappear worldwide in an event called “The Rapture.â€ For those who have been left behind, the apocalypse has just begun.

	== M ==		== M ==
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	=== Passion of the Christ ===		=== Passion of the Christ ===
	:; [http://www.jamesbowman.net/reviewDetail.asp?pubID=1489 "The Passion of the Christ."]		:; [http://www.jamesbowman.net/reviewDetail.asp?pubID=1489 "The Passion of the Christ."]
	::~~Gibsonâ€™s~~ The Passion of the Christ is the ultimate example of the style which Giotto began. It is also the ultimate in our great contemporary tradition of victim chic. ~~Gibsonâ€™s~~ Jesus (James Caviezel) is presented not as godhead but as victimhood incarnate. Nobody â€” not Marlon Brando in The Chase, not Sylvester Stallone in Rocky, not Denzel Washington in Glory, not even Mel himself in Braveheart is going to take a more impressive beating than ~~Jimâ€™s~~ Jesus does. But without any more of a context than they are given here, his sufferings are merely bewildering, sickening. Surely, whatever other heterodoxy he may be guilty of, Mel cannot believe that pity is the same thing as piety? ...		::Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ is the ultimate example of the style which Giotto began. It is also the ultimate in our great contemporary tradition of victim chic. Gibson’s Jesus (James Caviezel) is presented not as godhead but as victimhood incarnate. Nobody â€” not Marlon Brando in The Chase, not Sylvester Stallone in Rocky, not Denzel Washington in Glory, not even Mel himself in Braveheart is going to take a more impressive beating than Jim’s Jesus does. But without any more of a context than they are given here, his sufferings are merely bewildering, sickening. Surely, whatever other heterodoxy he may be guilty of, Mel cannot believe that pity is the same thing as piety? ...
	::Mel Gibson must have known that, in taking torture and brutality as his subject in preference to more traditionally spiritual considerations, he ensured that not only those who were implicated in such a crime but also those with a history of being unfairly implicated in it would feel themselves aggrieved. My guess is that ~~heâ€™s~~ not sorry to have stirred up this ~~hornetâ€™s~~ nest. ...		::Mel Gibson must have known that, in taking torture and brutality as his subject in preference to more traditionally spiritual considerations, he ensured that not only those who were implicated in such a crime but also those with a history of being unfairly implicated in it would feel themselves aggrieved. My guess is that he’s not sorry to have stirred up this hornet’s nest. ...
	:: All of which is simply to say that The Passion of the Christ is like every other Mel Gibson picture in being ridiculously overproduced. As the British would say, he has once again over-egged the pudding. The new age music with pan pipes and wordless choruses, the swelling orchestral sounds at moments of significance, the flashbacks cross cut with the main action so as to produce heavy-handed ironies â€” all these things take us annoyingly out of the period and plonk us down jarringly in the entertainment culture of the present day.		:: All of which is simply to say that The Passion of the Christ is like every other Mel Gibson picture in being ridiculously overproduced. As the British would say, he has once again over-egged the pudding. The new age music with pan pipes and wordless choruses, the swelling orchestral sounds at moments of significance, the flashbacks cross cut with the main action so as to produce heavy-handed ironies â€” all these things take us annoyingly out of the period and plonk us down jarringly in the entertainment culture of the present day.

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	:: Prologue: "While artistic and historical license has been taken, we believe that this film is true to the essence, values and integrity of a story that is a cornerstone of faith for millions of people worldwide."		:: Prologue: "While artistic and historical license has been taken, we believe that this film is true to the essence, values and integrity of a story that is a cornerstone of faith for millions of people worldwide."

	:: The murder is accidental. Softens the Biblical account: "Ex 2:12 He looked all around, and when he ~~didnâ€™t~~ see anyone, he beat the Egyptian to death and hid the body in the sand."		:: The murder is accidental. Softens the Biblical account: "Ex 2:12 He looked all around, and when he didn’t see anyone, he beat the Egyptian to death and hid the body in the sand."

	:: Moses doesn't stutter.		:: Moses doesn't stutter.
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	:: Writer: "A man writes because he is suffering, has doubts. He needs to prove all the time for himself and for the people surrounding him that he is worth something."		:: Writer: "A man writes because he is suffering, has doubts. He needs to prove all the time for himself and for the people surrounding him that he is worth something."

	:: Wife: "I knew also that a lot of grief there will be, but sorrowful happiness is better than ... grey and sad life. And perhaps I invented that afterwards. And then he simply came up to me and said: 'Come with me,' and I went. And I never ever regretted after that. Never. And there had been a lot of grief, and it was frightening, and it was shameful. But I have never regretted and I have never envied anybody. ~~Itâ€™s~~ just such a fate, such a life, such us. And if there was no grief in our life, it would not be better, it would be worse. Because then there would be ... neither happiness, nor hope. ~~Thatâ€™s~~ it."		:: Wife: "I knew also that a lot of grief there will be, but sorrowful happiness is better than ... grey and sad life. And perhaps I invented that afterwards. And then he simply came up to me and said: 'Come with me,' and I went. And I never ever regretted after that. Never. And there had been a lot of grief, and it was frightening, and it was shameful. But I have never regretted and I have never envied anybody. It’s just such a fate, such a life, such us. And if there was no grief in our life, it would not be better, it would be worse. Because then there would be ... neither happiness, nor hope. That’s it."

	== R ==		== R ==