After watching a televised World War II movie with my father one evening (it may have been Patton or The Guns of Navarone) he turned down the volume during the film's closing credits. "People always give generals like Patton and MacArthur credit for winning World War II," he quietly commented from his recliner. "But that … Continue reading A Hobbit, a Wardrobe and a Great Film about the Great War
A gangly pre-teen, I was "too old" for Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood when the soft-spoken man in the red sweater and tennis shoes captured the hearts of American children, but still I watched him. Public television was a new thing back then and besides, there was only one TV in the house. Agitated and worn from … Continue reading Love Your Neighbor as Yourself: How America’s Fascination with Mr. Rogers Can Help Heal our Culture’s Vitriolic Division
Give me swords clashing and chail mail flashing. Bloody battles and medieval mystery have captivated my imagination ever since my grandmother refashioned Idylls of the King and Ivanhoe as bedtime stories for my brothers and me. Give me a just cause and an undying love and impossible odds. Give me legend. Give me history. Give me heroes … Continue reading Netflix’ Outlaw King: Battle, Betrayal and the Body’s True Beauty
"Come a little bit closer, hear what I have to say." I'll never hear Neil Young's "Harvest Moon" again without recalling the scene in John Krasinski's thriller A Quiet Place when Evelyn Abbot, heavily pregnant and beautifully draped in a blue summer dress, descends basement stairs in bare feet and draws her husband away from the work … Continue reading Emily Blunt’s Stunning Portrait of Womanhood in Krasinski’s A Quiet Place
Blatantly evangelistic movies aren't really my cup of tea. As much as I appreciate the effort to share the good news at the movies, I find that films designed to argue viewers into belief come off as pushy and strident. I'm on their side when it comes to loving Christ, but their style often falls … Continue reading The Case for Christ Film an Improvement over God’s Not Dead
Anyone who missed Martin Scorsese's big-screen interpretation of Shusaku Endo's novel Silence hasn't had much of a wait for its video release. Having read the haunting novel several years ago, I jumped at the chance to experience the screen version when SILENCE appeared on the marquee of my small-town theater during Lent. I knew its dark … Continue reading Scorsese’s Silence: A Four-Question Examination of Conscience
The late actor John Candy has given us some of the most endearing talkative characters in comedy. Candy had a wonderful way of rendering his subjects as so annoying tha we know we'd probably avoid them if we met them in real life. Yet Candy could gradually reveal a humble, heart-of-gold side of the men … Continue reading Have a Point: Steve Martin and John Candy Help Us See Ourselves
