Film/TV

The DVD market seems to be flooded right now with movies you’ve never heard of. I was in Target and saw four dozen copies of the movie Honey for sale. I’ll bet those will go just as quickly as it took for the movie to from film to DVD. I did see one film recently … Read more

Maybe I’m wrong, but it seems like movies that contain graphic violence get much more scrutiny in the press than films with graphic sexuality. The Passion of the Christ has received its fair share of criticism, as did films like Saving Private Ryan, Black Hawk Down, Lord of the Rings, and a host of other … Read more

A friend lent us the DVD set of the HBO miniseries, Band of Brothers, based on the Stephen Ambrose book by the same name. We just finished with the 10th and final episode this weekend. Excellent stuff—if you liked Saving Private Ryan, you’ll love it. It makes one really appreciate what our soldiers go through. … Read more

I saw The Passion of the Christ this weekend, and rather than adding to the plethora of existing reviews, I thought I’d just give a few thoughts: (1) This is hands down the best of any of the many films made about Christ. It is, as many have said, exhausting to watch—an effect that is … Read more

The recent row at the Vatican regarding Mel Gibson’s The Passion is nothing short of strange. The “final word” given by Archbishop Stanislaw Dziwisz was that, “I told the producers the Holy Father did not make any judgment, because he does not make judgments of that kind.” If, therefore, the Pope does not make judgments … Read more

I finally made it to see Return of the King over the weekend. It is an amazing film which makes one question paying the same price to see a lesser movie. The acting was superb, and the battle scenes were breathtaking. All in all, I had only a few qualms. First, [SPOILER WARNING] I think … Read more

We caught just a little of NBC’s new National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation 2: Cousin Eddie’s Island Adventure, which aired tonight. I had tried to tape the show, but I’m glad my VCR skills have waned as of late. The movie was terrible—at least the last half hour was. Randy Quaid’s “Cousin Eddie” was the most … Read more

Nope, I haven’t seen it yet—still anticipating. I thought, however, that I would point you to a couple of noteworthy reviews. Jonah Goldberg‘s is favorable, while Jonathan V. Last is a bit disappointed. It’s interesting to see what has been left out or changed from the books, which usually leaves something to be desired—as I’ve … Read more

I forgot to mention that we did go see Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World last weekend. Superb film. Great battle scenes, but an even better depiction of the perils of leadership. Not everything always goes one’s way, but one must still be prepared to take the difficult as well as the … Read more

My wife and I saw The Quiet American, with Michael Caine, last night on DVD. As far as plot and acting go, the movie was excellent–Michael Caine was nominated for an Academy Award. As far as anti-Americanism goes, the film was brimming with it. The film is based on Graham Greene’s novel by the same … Read more