The Irishman, titled onscreen I Heard You Paint Houses from the title of the book it is based on, is a staggering portrayal of one man on the margins of twentieth century American history. The film follows Frank “The Irishman” Sheeran (Robert De Niro) in his journey Read More …
Filmmaker Terrence Malick is one of the most significant (and, of late, prolific) living Christian artists, of any medium. That alone makes any new Malick film worthy of a Christian’s attention. But his latest film, A Hidden Life—the true WWII story of Franz Jägerstätter’s stand against Read More …
When we close our eyes to suffering beyond self and are so insulated in our own world, we may fail to see the needs of others. Our self-centeredness blinds us to a world of hurt that exceeds our own sight line. When we ignore the Read More …
Amidst the wash of imagery and sound in Terrence Malick’s film is a portrayal of humanity’s search for meaning and grace. The parallels between the journey of Christian Bale’s Rick through the bacchanalia of contemporary America and John Bunyan’s The Pilgrim’s Progress are stated quite clearly, but Read More …
A quote attributed to Chesterton, although heavily paraphrased from his original words, reads: “Fairytales do not tell children that dragons exist; children already know dragons exist. Fairytales tell children that dragons can be killed.” Pan’s Labyrinth, Guillermo del Toro’s fairytale for adults, reminds us of the Read More …
If the key image of spiritual awakening in the Christian tradition is the Apostle Paul’s encounter with Christ on the road to Damascus, I would suggest that Roy Neary’s encounter on a dark country road with a UFO is cinema’s “Road to Damascus.” Close Encounters of Read More …
Barry Egan (Adam Sandler) is a timid, lonely man that suffers from fits of rage, stemming from being the only son in a family that had seven other daughters. One strange day brings a broken harmonium, a caring woman, and a nefarious band of phone-sex Read More …
Max Klein (Jeff Bridges) survives a devastating plane crash virtually unscathed, leads many others to safety, and then disappears – not only from the wreckage site, but from himself and his family. Max, having been brought to the threshold of life and death, doesn’t seem Read More …
Learning your entire reality is a carefully constructed lie would be a moment of crisis and potential awakening for anyone, but learning that lie has been constructed for the entertainment of an entire country makes it all the more overwhelming. That is precisely what happens Read More …
Picnic at Hanging Rock is one of those rare films which becomes more inexplicable when seen repeatedly. Weir directed this adaptation of the Joan Lindsay novel prior to The Last Wave, a film equally interested in Australia as a land remaining wholly other and inaccessible to its Read More …