In the wake of public accusations and murmuring about the director, is it possible to ignore an artist’s private life and appreciate the art?
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Ruben Guthrie - Film Review
Ruben Guthrie (Patrick Brammall) is a successful advertising executive engaged to a beautiful foreign model and living the high life in Sydney. That high life consists of alcohol fuelled days and nights where blackouts are common and leaping from the roof of your apartment into the pool seems like a good idea. It’s after one such leap goes badly that Ruben’s girlfriend (Abby Lee) leaves him with a broken arm and a challenge: if he can go without alcohol for a year, she will be willing to see him again.
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Gemma Bovery - a one minute film review
Gemma Bovery tells the tale of Martin Joubert, whose sea change to run a rural bakery is only enlivened by his love of literature.
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Partisan - film review
When film makers make a pitch to the studio executives, old clichés are often used to describe what the intended film will be like: “It’s a coming of age tale set in a utopian community where a young man begins to suspect the leader is not a paragon of virtue.” Partisan could have been pitched that way., but it takes this idea and spins it on its head...
Read MoreEx Machina - How human are you?
Alex Garland is an accomplished novelist, scriptwriter and with Ex Machina he turns his attention to direction. He did the script too, so let’s assume he’s a bit of a show off. Fortunately he’s done a terrific job with both roles in this film out now.
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Testament of Youth: film review
Vera Brittain’s 1933 600 page novel Testament of Youth is often regarded as one of the most well-known memoirs about the experience of World War One. Written from the perspective of a non-combatant, Brittain traces her journey towards adopting a philosophy of pacifism. But how does the film of this much-loved novel fare?
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Movies and Meaning
Movies are an important text these days for our theologising about our world. Resources to help us do that are essential.
So here's Movies and Meaning...
Recommended by Richard Rohr, the website says...
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A Little Chaos: Film review
Madame Sabine De Barra (Kate Winslet) is an established though unconventional landscape gardener to the upper set in 1685, Paris. Dismissed by others applying for a major project, an amphitheatre-like fountain to be built in Louis XIV’s gardens at Versailles, she is quietly confident. But once successful in the competitive evaluation process, the huge dimensions of the task become clear, just as her chances of success become more murky. For not only must she meet enormous physical challenges but also the intrigues of a Court in which her innocence is seen as nourishment for hungry wolves...
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Selma - Film review
Everyone loves a movie with a message, especially when that message is something uplifting or inspiring. Sometimes, though, the message can overpower the film, or more to the point, the message is something we could all agree with, but the film itself does not do that message justice. I'm not pointing any fingers (cough* Invictus), but does a movie like Selma live up to the message it carries?
Read MoreMoses on the big screen- Exodus: Gods and Kings
With Darren Aronofsky's Noah earlier in the year and now Ridley Scott releasing his version of the Moses story, Exodus – Gods and Kings, Hollywood has gone mad for biblical epics. Noah saw some significant creative additions to the plot: rock monsters assisting in the construction of the ark and Noah facing an Abraham/Isaac style test of faith to name a few. How does Moses fare?
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The Nativity Factor
From Stephen Harrison's wonderful a few smallish fish blog:
The Nativity Factor is a short film competition from ITN Productions and Jerusalem Productions, which asks entrants to tell the story of the Nativity in a new and creative way. The competition has run for the last four years and previously offered a prize of 5000 pounds.
This year "in an effort to reach a wider audience and bring The Nativity Factor community closer together during the Christmas season" they added a new twist to the competition.
"Instead of submitting individual short films, contestants submitted themselves to take part in a professionally produced short film. The winners joined professionals in the filmmaking field for a weekend in London, where they received the mentoring experience of a lifetime."
They have produced two great films this year focusing on the message given by the angels.
The first, called "The Audition" is clearly targeted for an older audience. It is kind of confronting in the starkness of the story telling but it has a powerful ending.
The second film #Nativity is quirky but still delivers a great message.
Check them out:
Film review: Love, Rosie
The romantic comedy is a tricky beast. There are certain tropes that people expect but stick too closely to those expectations and the result is dull as the last four Kate Hudson films. Is there another direction to head in?
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Wish I Was Here
Aidann Bloom (Zach Braff) and his wife Sarah are facing one of life’s great challenges: Aidann’s dad, Gabe (Mandy Patinkinn) is dying. If that wasn’t enough, Gabe’s health means that Aidann needs to start homeschooling their children. But what does he know? Not much as most of the kids’ questions, inspired by their grandfather’s plight, are about faith, belief and other big life questions.
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Calvary
Dir: John Michael McDonagh
Father James Lavelle (Brendan Gleeson) is hearing confession when a bombshell hits: He will be killed at the end of the week because of abuse committed by others. As the next seven days unfold James continues his care for his community; amongst domestic violence and family issues he is beset by the unbelief of his parishioners. His daughter from a pre-ordination relationship visits after a suicide attempt. All the while the spectre of Calvary looms.
As you might have discerned this is not a cheery film. It is, however, funny in a very black way. Throughout his travails, Fr. James keeps his sense of humour amidst a streak of world-weary exasperation. But make no mistake, this is a dark film that will be hard going for some. Moments of optimism arise and thankfully they are bright indeed, especially in contrast. Fortunately there is more to this than bleakness. McDonagh’s previous movie with Gleeson, The Guard was a fish-out-of-water tale and in a sense this is too: a priest with a realistic faith attacked on all sides by the abrasive doubt of others. A strong supporting cast features Chris O’Dowd (The Sapphires), Aiden Gillen (Game of Thrones), Domhnall Gleeson (It’s About Time), Dylan Moran (Black Books) and Kelly Reilly (Flight). Each contributes immensely to create more than the sum of their parts.
In the end this is all about self-sacrifice and vocation: to what extent does one equal the other? Whilst the final moment might be slightly over-egged, the parallels with Holy Week and the inexorable lurch towards Golgotha are clear. As such it is a film that stays with you. It might not be for everyone, but for those who choose to take the trek to Calvary, it will never be forgotten.
This film is in limited release. Watch for it soon on DVD or through on-line sources like i-tunes etc.
Film Review: Calvary
Films and your faith
Seeing Star Wars as a child blew my mind. Not just the space battles and derring do but the idea that faith ideas could co-exist with that other stuff right up there on the screen. Ever since I've been interested in noticing the themes and moments when faith and the arts connect, whether that be in film, music, painting and even reality TV!
Dr Carol Hebron is an expert in this field. In fact she's just finished a PhD on the ways in which Judas has been portrayed on the Silver Screen. Her extensive reading and experience in the area of the Arts and faith makes her more than qualified to teach a subject at St Francis college in the coming semester called, "Theology, The Arts and Film.
Students have signed up for this subject as a part of their tertiary study and you can too. But you might also consider doing what we call "auditing" the subject. This means you can come to each lecture, participate fully, receive the readings and so on but not have to do any of the assessment, unless you want to. It does cost, but only a fraction of what the full cost usually is.
This class meets over a series of 12 Tuesday evenings: beginning Tuesday, 15 July 2014.
Find out more about the subject and how to sign up for auditing it by clicking on the big orange button...