Articles
Everybody chill out about the Noah movie
So what’s the deal with the Noah movie? Does it replace the message of the Bible story with a message created by Hollywood? Is Russell Crowe’s Noah an environmentalist wacko? Is God a monster out to eradicate humanity entirely? Get a grip, people.
So, how Christian is Disney’s Frozen?
I’ve been surprised at the popularity of efforts to interpret major story elements in Frozen as a Christian parable … rivaling or even surpassing C. S. Lewis’s The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.
2013: The year in reviews
2013 was a year of cinematic trauma and stress, full of harrowing, at times also exhilarating, survival stories, many on the abyss of the sea or even the void of space.
Exorcism in the Movies
In a way, The Exorcist is a pivotal film — the indispensable link between the Catholic-inflected piety of Golden Age Hollywood and the demonic world of latter-day horror.
The Virgin Mary at the Movies
Mary of Nazareth, now touring North America in isolated screenings hosted by Ignatius Press, is the latest in a number of Gospel films over the last couple of decades focusing in a special way on the role of the Blessed Virgin in the Gospel story.
The Untold Story of Slavery? Why 12 Years a Slave is Essential
I can’t believe I never realized it until now, but I can’t think of another fact-based motion picture about the slave experience in America — that is, a movie about slavery in the United States told from the point of view of actual, historical slaves, many of whose stories were published by abotionists prior to the Civil War and by civil rights activists after it.
Over the Rainbow: The Wizard of Oz Turns 75
So many songs about rainbows and what’s on the other side? What was Kermit talking about? There’s only one song like that … and one movie that embodies the childhood magic Jim Henson wanted to evoke.
The Summer’s Best-Kept Secret: From Up on Poppy Hill
Co-written by Ghibli co-founder Hayao Miyzaki and directed by his son Goro Miyazaki (Tales From Earthsea), From Up on Poppy Hill is a gently naturalistic departure from the high-flying fantasy for which the studio is best known.
So Long! Farewell!
I enjoyed reviewing movies this summer far more than I enjoyed the movies themselves — and perhaps my readers enjoyed the reviews more than the movies as well.
Big Brother on the Big Screen
Have Hollywood movies been softening us up for NSA-style surveillance?
SDG’s Very, Very Little Movie Glossary
This little essay is barely a footnote to Ebert’s book. Still, in the dozen or so years that I’ve been writing movie reviews, I’d like to think I’ve come up with a few witty, possibly even useful terms — Everything Movie, Medieval Grunge and Mythology-Bound among them — that might contribute to movie discussion.
Top 10 Movie Dads
Picking the top 10 movie dads was both easier and harder than picking the top 10 movie moms. Easier, because there were more candidates to choose from — and harder for the same reason!
Top 10 Movie Moms
When I set out to make a list of great movie moms in honor of Mother’s Day, I knew it wouldn’t be easy — but I soon found it even harder than I thought. Let’s face it: Great mothers are in short supply in the movies.
How I Believe in Roger Ebert
Just over a month before his death on Easter Thursday, Roger Ebert wrote a blog post titled “How I Am a Roman Catholic” — a follow-up of sorts to a 2009 post called “How I Believe in God.”
Overlooked Family Fare
It’s spring break, or summer vacation, and the grandkids are visiting. Or you’re looking for a DVD for a birthday present. You want three things: a) something worthwhile (not junk); b) something they’ll enjoy (not just high-minded or educational fare); and, crucially, c) something they haven’t already seen to death.
Religious Vision: Les Misérables and Anna Karenina
Have today’s movies lost religion? Not necessarily — but sometimes it helps to know where to look. For instance, mainstream films are more likely to include sympathetic depictions of religious faith in period pieces than in stories set in the present day.
2012: The year in reviews
A masterpiece on the importance of fatherhood, from filmmakers honored by the Vatican, is among the year’s best films.
Against Capra’s Critics: In Defense of It’s a Wonderful Life
Perhaps the most beloved of Christmas movies, Frank Capra’s sleeper classic It’s a Wonderful Life has inevitably become a target of seasonal, iconoclastic culture-warmongering.
In Praise of Pixar Short Films
One of the more striking marks of Pixar’s innovative stature and impact on the world of Hollywood animation has been their pioneering revival of the long-neglected animated short film prior to the feature (at least prior to animated features) as an industry staple.
Ghosts of the Abyss: The Other James Cameron Titanic Film
If you see only one James Cameron-directed movie about the Titanic — and you should — see the one that doesn’t star Kate and Leo.
Recent
- Aliens, humanity, and God: In Disclosure Day, Spielberg still wants to believe
- Babe meets Knives Out in delightful, well-made The Sheep Detectives
- Hungering for a sense of grace: Interview with Wake Up Dead Man writer-director Rian Johnson
- Benoit Blanc goes to church: Mysteries and faith in Wake Up Dead Man
- Are there too many Jesus movies?
Home Video
Copyright © 2000– Steven D. Greydanus. All rights reserved.