Tag: movies

The Oscars & Me

For the umpteenth year in a row, I didn’t watch the Oscar awards. Also for the umpteenth year in a row, none of the movies I saw last year won anything. I’m getting used to that. Apparently, my taste in films doesn’t coincide with the Hollywood set. And I’m fine with that. Just so you know, I’m not a film curmudgeon. I like movies. My first degree was in radio, television, and film production. Of course, that was in the… Read more »

Oscars Past

I do love movies. I just don’t like watching the Oscars program because of its rather consistent descent into the denigration of Biblical morality and its overall liberal-progressive political stance. So I didn’t watch the self-congratulatory extravaganza Sunday evening. Of course, I wasn’t alone. This year’s Oscars show got its smallest audience in history. Apparently, a lot of people feel the way I do. I saw only three of the films that were up for any type of award: Dunkirk,… Read more »

C. S. Lewis: Impact on Americans (Part 5)

This week, I’m sharing some of the comments respondents to my Wade Center survey gave regarding the movie versions of Narnia. For the sake of brevity here, I’m excluding comments on earlier productions, such as a 1979 animated Lion, Witch, and Wardrobe and BBC productions of four of the Narnia books back in 1988-1990. So here is the amended question I asked: Have You Viewed Any of the Narnia Hollywood Productions? If So, What Is Your Opinion of Them? Some… Read more »

C. S. Lewis: Impact on Americans (Part 4)

In my 2014 survey, conducted with the help of the Wade Center at Wheaton College, I asked respondents to comment on the Shadowlands films, one produced by the BBC, and the other, more prominent one, by Hollywood.  Here’s the question I asked, along with the responses. Have You Viewed Any of the Shadowlands Productions? If So, What Is Your Opinion of Them? In asking this question, I knew most people would be familiar with the big-budget Hollywood version starring Anthony… Read more »

Evaluating Faith-Themed Films

Biblical themes are emanating from Hollywood in near-record proportions lately. It’s almost reminiscent of all those Biblical epics of the 1950s. This can be a good trend, or it can be simply trendy, depending on the motivation. It also can be damaging to a true depiction of the Scriptures if the image presented is off-base. That concern has raged to the surface with the opening of Noah, with Russell Crowe in the title role. I haven’t seen the film. I… Read more »

What Movies Ought to Be

My first degree was in radio, tv, and film production, and I’ve remained fascinated with these forms of communication even as I’ve moved on to the field of history. Historical settings within movies are of particular interest to me; period pieces are a natural draw. I’ve seen two exceptional movies recently that effectively recreate historical periods while simultaneously communicating a worthwhile message. The Christmas Candle is one of the new genre of Christian-based films that has superior production values along… Read more »

Education's Inconvenient Truths

There’s a new movie out—a documentary—entitled Waiting for Superman. It’s an indictment of what some people call public education. The more accurate name for it is government-controlled education. I haven’t seen this documentary yet, but the director, Davis Guggenheim, is a liberal who directed Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth, which will never qualify as one of my favorite movies. This time, though, he has some genuine inconvenient truths regarding the educational establishment. Apparently, there are some liberals who are scared… Read more »