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Reviews
The Forsaken (2001)
Such a GREAT modern B movie!
This movie is perhaps the most entertaining vampire film to hit in twenty years. Not because it's particularly scary, well-written, or convincing, but because it's perfectly entertaining and extremely high-paced! Have FUN when you watch this movie!
Stigmata (1999)
Great fun for the whole Church!
I watched this movie with my fiancee after she begged me. I expected to be offended. I was pleasantly surprised. I have to say that this film is the closest thing to a "Christian" movie (with the exception of "Left Behind") to hit the theaters in a long time. "Prince of Egypt" would be a close second, though it was more concerned with the Abrahamic traditions (including Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and others) than specifically Christianity. "Stigmata," however, made clever use of Christian concepts as well as popular folklore concerning the Roman Catholic Church, interwoven with excellent pop culture elements. More than that, even with its non-traditional theologies and theorizing, it still portrayed Christianity with a more liberating spirit than I expected. No, I did not agree with most of the ideas pervading the movie. However, the ending of the movie is very powerful, an interesting commentary on modern Christianity.
The quotes from the Gospel of Thomas, an early text not from the mainline Christian lineage (which has given us all our modern denominations) but from an Egyptian man named Didymus Judas Thomas (or Judas the Twin, as Didymus and Thomas are the Greek and Semitic words for twin, respectively) who belonged to a group outcast from the Church for their heretical beliefs, are among the most beautiful in the book and the least controversial. The Gospel of Thomas is filled with statements which are enigmatic and often in opposition to the traditions of the New Testament as has been handed down to us, but these quotes are well-chosen and confrontational (See Thomas 77, Scholars Version).
The entire film is centered around the character, Frankie Paige, who receives the Stigmata. It is definitely a thrilling movie! Do not, however, take it to be either devoid of value for religious faith or a statement of Christianity. This is neither. Clearly, the intent was to entertain people with a religious theme in mind. This is not theologically neutral, but it is not for or against Christianity either. I recommend this movie to anyone who enjoys thrillers. And fellow Christians, don't be intimidated by the possibility for blasphemy.
Peace!
Dogma (1999)
So close...
This movie is very, very close to being great. The social commentary is dead-on, and the comedy is, at points, so incisive that it may leave teeth marks. And yes, the entire team working on the film shows such wonderful talent.
But... (Possible SPOILERS ahead)
The violence in this film make it unwatchable to me. Yes, both physical and verbal violence. You can say that the underlying message is this or that all day long and you still have murderous angels taking out their frustrations on people and Jay and Silent Bob objectifying women. You still have the unbelievably disgusting humor. What's wrong with this? Two ways to look at it:
First of all, from a humanistic standpoint, we are all in the same boat at the movies: allowing ourselves to become engrossed in a fantasy is wonderful, but also very influential. No, it's not going to make Timmy go kill anyone, but it does cheapen the value of virtue while desensitizing us to that which is vulgar and violent. Why do some people abuse? Partially, because of their first education. Exposure to and trauma by abuse not only makes it a valid course in the minds of abusers, it does so below the conscious level. So I think we're all affected by what we experience (that includes the movies).
Second, from a Christian standpoint, whatever glorifies good glorifies God. Whatever glorifies what is not good is evil. This movie may glorify goodness (read: faith, God perhaps), but it also glorifies what is evil. If you must see this movie, remember that what is on the surface is also important.
Jésus de Montréal (1989)
An accurate depiction of the Jesus of academia, not faith
All of us knows who Jesus is, right?
This movie brings to light a concept of Jesus that most people do not know is a topic of serious academic scholarship. The question is, "What can we reasonably say about Jesus based solely on historical sources?" Of course, the Bible is the primary source, since Jesus is referred to only in passing by nonreligious sources of his time. And, because this is an historical pursuit, one goal is also to separate those things which are clearly matters of faith from those which do not require a religious faith in the man. Therefore, we are left with a Jesus who led an iconoclastic life and was killed for it. The historian cannot say in an historical journal that Jesus was divine, walked on water, or was raised from the dead. This portrait is called "The Historical Jesus".
The historian can, however, make a personal statement of faith-- "I believe Jesus is the Anointed of God, who saves us from our sins". This is not the statement made by "Jesus of Montreal". Masterfully, the cast and crew of the film weave a tale which demands several viewings to fully consume. Both explicitly and through the use of metaphor, Jesus is depicted as a revolutionary teacher of great charisma and whose life was one of tragedy. But this film is not about the traditional Christian concept of Jesus; rather, it illustrates only the human aspects of the man who is, to me, God incarnate. This is the story of Jesus, the man-- not Jesus, the Christ. Christians may be disappointed by it, or outraged, but I encourage us all to remember that where that where faith (trust in that which cannot be observed) begins, there the historian (or scientist) must stop. Believers go further. I highly recommend this movie to anyone who wants to think, be they a believer or not.
Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989)
A true classic
I don't think most people realize the importance of this film. First of all, it's a great movie and greatly entertaining. But it also established Keanu Reeves who went on to bigger, if not always better, movies. In my opinion, Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure encapsulates all of the wonderful light-heartedness that we all should have had in high school. I for one took myself too seriously... kind of like Ox in the History Report Presentation near the end of the movie ;-) Anyway, if you're looking for a laugh and a good time, this is the perfect 80s movie.
Citizen Kane (1941)
An incredible film
For those of you who didn't enjoy this movie: I'm sorry, but I don't understand. In my opinion, the entertainment factor is there. Watching it the first time was riveting. The second time, I started realizing the cinematography. The list goes on and on. Citizen Kane is truly a brilliant film, multi-faceted and a joy to watch. I loved it.
Titan A.E. (2000)
An excellent movie in almost every way
I'd like to say that this movie was perfect, and that there wasn't a single flaw. I'd like to say that, but I can't. It's ALMOST perfect-- the combination of media used was brilliant, the voice-acting was second-to-none, and the movie was gripping. But it was also predictable in many ways. That's it. Other than that, it was a wonderful movie. One of the best animated features I've seen, including Disney's productions.
Masters of the Universe (1987)
Hmmm...
This movie is definitely worth watching if you're a fan of He-Man, Dolph Lundgren, Frank Langella, Star Trek Voyager, or Courtney Cox-Arquette. This movie is, left to itself, destined to obscurity and mediocrity. Yes, it is mediocre. It is NOT better than Star Wars, but it is a fun movie. If you see it in your video store (by some miracle), grab it, watch it, and turn it in covertly so no one will see... You may be glad you saw it. You may be glad I convinced you not to.
Human Highway (1982)
How can any of you people give this movie a "10"????
This movie is bad. Not only is it bad, it was never meant to be good. Neil Young and Dennis Hopper wrote this movie during bouts of drug use... if you can call it writing-- they made up the script as they went along. Kind of like Blair Witch Project. Like that unintelligible waste of film, this movie is practically unwatchable. "Good" bad movies are supposed to be entertaining. This was not.