Sanctuary Cinema: A Review

The contemporary state of affairs between Hollywood and the Christian church betrays a complex history that entails cooperation, appropriation, and rejection.  Speaking broadly, the church today, and for quite some time, has leaned towards the latter, taking a highly critical approach to the perceived encroaching secularism of Hollywood.  However, with the advent of cinema, nearly every Christian denomination recognized the (potential) value of motion pictures and even invested in their own projection system to exhibit films.  Some churches and religious organizations, frustrated by the lack of suitable pictures coming from Hollywood, even began creating their own films.  Anyone remotely interested in the history of film or Christianity’s response to modernity/popular culture will thoroughly enjoy Terry Lindvall’s Sanctuary Cinema:  Origins of the Christian Film Industry, which explores the earliest stages of the film/religion relationship. [Read more]

To Serve and Protect…

I wish that more Oscar-nominated films released to DVD before the program airs.  It can be difficult, and not a little expensive, to see them all in the theaters.  I am glad that Changeling released on DVD this week so that I could catch Angelina Jolie’s Oscar-nominated performance for best lead actress.  While this category seems like a tight race and Jolie is a worthy nominee, I found myself totally engrossed in one of the most haunting films of last year, rather than being particularly enthralled by her performance. [Read more]

New On DVD Today

Two films that deal with religion in different ways release today.  You can laugh, cry, or scream at Bill Maher’s documentary, Religulous, one of my top spiritual films of 2008. You can also catch Angelina Jolie’s Oscar-nominated performance in Changeling.  Also of note in the latter is John Malcovich’s performance as a minister, The Rev. Gustav Briegleb, who assists in helping Jolie’s character, Christine Collins, find her son and expose corruption in the Los Angeles Police Department.

Equus: A Review

Richard Lindsay gives us another great review, but this time, he takes us to Broadway with the revival of Equus.  Sounds like anyone living in/near New York City or planning a vacation should definitely see this. [Read more]

Mary, Mother of Christ!

Last week, more reports started to circle around about the upcoming film Mary, Mother of Christ.  Most recently, the filmmakers announced that they had cast Camilla Belle (Push and 10,000 BC) to play Mary.  Word is that Peter O’Toole and Jonathan Rhys Meyers have already been cast and that the filmmakers hope to add both Al Pacino and Jessica Lange to the cast with Pacino as Herod (he’s got a long way to go to top Frank Thring)…but something tells me that he won’t be convinced to play it effeminate.  I doubt that this film will make the splash that The Passion did, for two main reasons…there won’t be as much violence to which fanboys will flock, and Protestants don’t hold Mary in as high esteem as they do Jesus, and Protestants made up a HUGE portion of The Passion’s fans.