Posts tagged "MATM"
Mockingbird at the Movies: A Quick 2013 Summer Blockbuster Preview
Film / Humor

Mockingbird at the Movies: A Quick 2013 Summer Blockbuster Preview

by Bryan J. on Apr 8, 2013 • 1 Comment

It’s April, and you know what that means? A mere four weeks away till the start of the summer blockbuster season! By no means complete, here’s a list of “big” movies to look out for this summer, based upon trailers, the likelihood they’ll merit a fuller Mbird review after they premiere, and my personal taste in movies. But if I run afoul of the almighty Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer, perhaps my recommendations will change? As has been noted elsewhere, it looks like we’re in for a quite a bit of post-apocalyptic mayhem:

4/5 Jurassic Park 3D: This is the first…

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The Dark Knight Dies and Rises: Sacrifice and Freedom in Gotham
Film / Reviews

The Dark Knight Dies and Rises: Sacrifice and Freedom in Gotham

by WB on Jul 23, 2012 • 21 Comments

[Spoiler Alert - those who haven't seen it, run don't walk...it's fantastic!]

“All their days are full of pain, and their work is a vexation; even at night their minds do not rest.”   -Ecclesiastes 2:23

“Put your sword back in its place, for all who take the sword will perish by the sword.”   -Matthew 26.52

Nolan has now traced the Dark Knight’s journey from streetfighter to hero, from hero to villain, and from villain to…recluse. Wayne has died to the world and only holds on to the shadow-life of mourning for Rachel, and Alfred drops more than a few hints that…

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Alien Righteousness: Reflections on Prometheus and its “Sequels”
Film / Religion / Reviews / Theology

Alien Righteousness: Reflections on Prometheus and its “Sequels”

by David Zahl on Jun 14, 2012 • 9 Comments

It’s time to talk about Prometheus. If you haven’t seen it, probably best to stop reading now [rhymes with 'boiler inert']. But before we do, a few reflections on the franchise out of whose chest it sprang.

For all of its flaws, the Alien quadrilogy has aged remarkably well. In fact, the flaws are a big part of what makes the series so fascinating. The first installment notwithstanding, that is – it is essentially flawless. Alien might be that rare film that creates its own genre while spinning a narrative so engrossing and visually astounding that its filmic “importance” becomes secondary…

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The Dark Side of the Force: Teenagers, Superpowers and Chronicle
Film / Identity

The Dark Side of the Force: Teenagers, Superpowers and Chronicle

by Bryan J. on Jun 5, 2012 • 2 Comments

With the glut of prequels and sequels hitting the theaters these days, it’s always refreshing to find a few originals that become successful at the box office for their creativity and storytelling. I found that to be the case with March’s Chronicle, now out on DVD, which blends the found footage style of The Blair Witch Project and the bleak comic book realism of M. Night Shyamalan’s Unbreakable. What sets Chronicle apart, though, is its surprisingly thoughtful premise, taking the question “what if teenagers had Jedi Force powers?” to a powerful and logical conclusion.

The film revolves around a high school outcast who, with his too-cool cousin and the senior…

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Mockingbird (Conference) at the Movies: Hollywood’s Love Affair with Love
Conferences / Film / Theology / TV

Mockingbird (Conference) at the Movies: Hollywood’s Love Affair with Love

by Nick Lannon on Apr 3, 2012 • 11 Comments

C.S. Lewis described four kinds of love (based on the four Greek words): affection, friendship, romance, and charity (unconditional love). Since I’m about half as smart as him, I’ll say that, at the root, there are two kinds of love: love that requires something, and love that requires nothing. In this break-out session at the upcoming Mockingbird Conference (Friday, April 20th at 2:30pm), we’ll look at these two loves through the celluloid eyes of Hollywood.

In their effort to get us to put cash on the barrelhead at theaters across the country, the movies often tempt us with stories of love.…

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May I Interject One Notion at This Juncture? Betrayal and Grace in Broadway Danny Rose
Film / Forgiveness / Grace in Practice / Humor

May I Interject One Notion at This Juncture? Betrayal and Grace in Broadway Danny Rose

by David Zahl on Mar 9, 2012 • 5 Comments

Broadway Danny Rose is something of an anomaly in Woody Allen’s filmography. Released 1984, it came smack dab in the middle of his golden period (1977-1992), right after Zelig and just before The Purple Rose of Cairo, when Woody could do no wrong. His increased confidence as an actor and filmmaker showed itself in his decision to vary his character more than he ever had before, or since. Instead of a conflicted-yet-talented college-educated neurotic, Woody plays a long-suffering, working-class hustler, a guy who just can’t catch a break (and you can see why) working as an agent for end-of-the-line nightclub…

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Mockingbird at the Movies: The Descendants
Film / Reviews

Mockingbird at the Movies: The Descendants

by Nick Lannon on Jan 3, 2012 • No Comments

It’s been a while since Alexander Payne made a movie.  He’s one of my favorite directors, and I’ve loved all his films. Sideways (2004) was probably his most successful work, and in the 7 years since it came out, I’ve been anxiously awaiting his next offering.

I loved The Descendants. It’s not an overwhelming film, in the sense that you don’t walk out of the theater thinking, “WOW!  What a movie!” In fact, as I left the theater, I wouldn’t have put it among Payne’s best work. Let the story percolate for a few days, though, and it…

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Steve Bartman: Sacrificial Lamb
Film / Sports / TV

Steve Bartman: Sacrificial Lamb

by Nick Lannon on Sep 28, 2011 • 3 Comments

ESPN recently aired a piece of original programming, a documentary called Catching Hell. It was directed by Alex Gibney (Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room, Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson, and Client 9: The Rise and Fall of Eliot Spitzer) who, apparently, loves colons. I wish I could say it was a “great” documentary because it’s about a story that I find absolutely fascinating, but my fascination is, I think, the thing that saved the doc from being pretty sub-par.

The story of Catching Hell is the story of Steve Bartman, the Cubs fan who…

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Mockingbird at the Movies: Days of Thunder and “You’re Out of Control!”
Film / Identity / Theology

Mockingbird at the Movies: Days of Thunder and “You’re Out of Control!”

by Nick Lannon on Sep 14, 2011 • 1 Comment

Days of Thunder is such a fun movie. For any who haven’t seen it, it’s Top Gun in race cars. Literally. Despite its therefore necessary fluff and Tom Cruise preening, Days of Thunder has at least one moment of true profundity. Here it is:

I would argue with Claire (Nicole Kidman) on one point: I don’t think that most people “automatically know” that they are basically unable to control anything about their lives. In fact, I think that the human impulse is to control every aspect of life, and we react very badly when control either slips away or is wrested…

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Looking Tobey Maguire Dead in the Eye: Heroes and Villains and Brothers
Film / Law / Relationships / Suffering / Theology

Looking Tobey Maguire Dead in the Eye: Heroes and Villains and Brothers

by Addie on Aug 30, 2011 • 1 Comment

The latest installment of our “Mockingbird at the Movies” column comes to us from Addie Jenkins:

“Grace knows I would do anything to get back to her.”

These are the first words spoken by Captain Sam Cahill, played by Tobey Maguire in the 2009 wartime psychological drama, Brothers. Though referring to his wife, the line might also strike a chord in grace-parched hearts, or with those held captive by law for God knows how long, be it martial or spiritual. Based on a 2005 Danish film by the same name, Jim Sheridan’s adaptation drops its viewers into the pit of the painfully…

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The Law and The Reaction: A Stan Daniels Turn
Film / Law / Theology / TV

The Law and The Reaction: A Stan Daniels Turn

by Nick Lannon on Jul 11, 2011 • 1 Comment

A “Stan Daniels turn” is a joke. A convention of comedy film and TV, the Stan Daniels turn is named after the acclaimed televison writer and producer, best known for his work (and his eight Emmys) on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Taxi. He was apparently so good at crafting a certain kind of joke that “they” eventually named the joke after him. Here is a classic Stan Daniels turn from an episode of Frasier:

That’s the verbal version:  a character makes some claim about himself and then immediately acts in a way that…

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A Descending Savior: The Gospel and The Time Machine
Death / Film / Law / Theology

A Descending Savior: The Gospel and The Time Machine

by Nick Lannon on Jun 22, 2011 • 1 Comment

In George Pal’s 1960 classic The Time Machine, H.G. Wells (Rod Taylor) invents the titular contraption and travels thousands of years into the future. There, he does not find the Utopian society that he wished for, but a sharply divided “human race,” which has evolved into, on the one hand, vicious, subterranean Morlocks, and, on the other, peaceful, laissez-faire Eloi. Before Wells (known as “George” in the film…that’s, apparently, what the “G” stands for…) knows about the Morlocks, though, he interacts only with the Eloi. He finds their life idyllic, if dull. On occasion, though, a great horn sounds, and…

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You Can Do Anything You Set Your Mind To – C’mon, REALLY?
Film / Sports / Theology

You Can Do Anything You Set Your Mind To – C’mon, REALLY?

by Nick Lannon on Jun 15, 2011 • 2 Comments

I watched The Astronaut Farmer the other night. I got it for $1.99 in a bargain bin at a local record store. It was cute. Worth $1.99, but maybe not $6.00. Billy Bob Thornton plays Farmer, an ex-NASA astronaut who builds a rocket in his barn. He intends to use it to go into space, fulfilling a never-realized dream. His plan is going swimmingly (in that no one except his family and small town neighbors know what he’s doing) until he tries to buy 50,000 gallons of high-test rocket fuel over the internet. …

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Mockingbird at the Movies: Welcome to the Rileys
Death / Film / Grace in Practice / Relationships

Mockingbird at the Movies: Welcome to the Rileys

by David Zahl on Jun 9, 2011 • 3 Comments

Amidst all the well-deserved hubbub surrounding Blue Valentine last year, another long-gestating, emotionally excoriating indie drama got lost. Namely, Welcome to the Rileys. The two films almost work as companion pieces. Instead of chronicling the collapse of a marriage, as Blue Valentine does, Welcome to the Rileys depicts the rebirth of one – arguably the more difficult task to pull off. Directed by Jake Scott from Ken Hixon’s script, James Gandolfini and Melissa Leo play a couple whose marriage has dissolved in all but legal terms following the death of their daughter. Lois, the wife, has completely shut down, becoming…

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Another Year Ends: Mockingbird at the Oscars
Film / Religion / Year In Review

Another Year Ends: Mockingbird at the Oscars

by David Zahl on Feb 25, 2011 • 9 Comments

Insert idolatry-related caption here.

As you all know, this Sunday brings us the Academy Awards. I was too far behind to comment on the best films of 2010 in December, but a few months grace-period(!) has allowed me to catch up and compile some Mockingbird Oscar picks: films that succeed on their own terms artistically, without turning a blind eye to our favorite themes (judgment and love, guilt and absolution/forgiveness, the quagmire of identity formation, redemption in suffering, the level-playing field of original sin, the bondage of the will, addiction, Jesus, resurrection, grace, grace, grace, etc). Fortunately, the two are seldom…

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