Articles tagged with: religion
Cinema and Television, Nov/Dec 2009 »
Microbes in love.
For most of his career, Woody Allen has worked through comic or bittersweet variations of the same themes and scenarios, both as auterist artist and as a neurotic obsessive. For all intents and purposes, the consistency of his on-screen portrayals has created an unshakable perception that Woody Allen and “Woody Allen” are one and the same. In the last decade or so, instead of mellowing with age, Allen’s nervous energy, existential angst, and practical, down-to-earth joie de vivre has sharpened, erupting in outright hostility.1 Deconstructing Harry remade Ingmar …
Cinema and Television, June 2009 »
We’ve all heard stories of the die-hards who list “Jedi” as their official religion during the census. Theatrical premieres of the Star Wars films were accompanied by moviegoers decked out in the garb of their favorite characters, often engaging in spontaneous rehearsals of memorable scenes or battles in ritualistic fashion, not unlike Christmas pageants or passion plays. If fanboys can’t be said to have truly modeled their lives after or around the Star Wars franchise, Fanboys definitely illustrates the extent to which love of the Saga to End All Sagas has touched every aspect of their lives, from the clothes they wear to the parlance they employ in conversation. It’s safe to say that a person who has never seen a Star Wars film would not be able to follow a single dialogue exchange in this entire movie.
Cinema and Television, May 2009 »
What if the movie a person credits with turning him- or herself into an authentic film buff is the single most influential film on that person’s aesthetic taste? It may be that a person is unable to cite a specific motion picture — after all, one’s passionate love affair with cinema isn’t usually something that occurs overnight. Real, lasting love grows over time. So arbitrarily picking your current all-time favorite just won’t do for this thought experiment. No, if you can’t recall a specific film, I suggest that the pentecostal movie is the one that you loved most as a child. For me, Disney’s The Black Hole, for all intents and purposes, is my own personal Rosetta Stone of aesthetic taste.
April 2009, Cinema and Television »
To guide the Israelites, God gave them stone tablets with ten commandments. But to guide the congregation of Voice of the Pentecost Church in San Francisco, He provided something a little different: 47 movie pitches.
That’s the nutshell version of the vision that drives Pastor Richard Gazowsky, who over ten years guided his church through the shooting of many short films and two features. Although their productions were humble and notably lacking in distribution, Gazowsky knew his company was ready for the big time. In 2004 he began production on an …
Literature, March 2009 »
In one of this decade’s masterpieces, Craig Thompson weaves a delicate tale of first love, faith, family, and loss, all with a stirring and fresh honesty, humor, and hard-won acceptance.
