The Lovely Bones

Dir. Peter Jackson (Paramount Pictures, 2010)
This article was first published on Culturewatch, © Tony Watkins.

Warning: this article contains plot spoilers

When Susie was small, she was worried for the penguin trapped inside a snow globe. ‘Don’t worry, kiddo,’ her father Jack (Mark Wahlberg) reassured her. ‘He has a nice life; he’s trapped in a [...]

A statue in Oviedo

In Woody Allen’s film Vicky Cristina Barcelona, Juan Antonia (Javier Bardem) invites Vicky (Rebecca Hall) and Cristina (Scarlett Johansson) to accompany him to Oviedo to view a particular sculpture which he finds inspiring. Cristina jumps at the opportunity, but Vicky goes reluctantly. The statue we later see is of a crucifix, which allows Woody Allen [...]

The Ten Most Redeeming Films of 2009

Every year, the film critics at Christianity Today compile a list of the ten films that they consider to be the most redeeming of the year. What do they mean by that?

We mean movies that include stories of redemption—sometimes blatantly, sometimes less so. Several of our films have characters who are redeemers themselves; all of [...]

Invictus

This article was first published on Culturewatch.org. © Tony Watkins, 2010

The 1995 Rugby World Cup final was an unexpectedly significant world event. It had a resonance far beyond the excitement of rugby fans because of its particular historical context. Rarely, if ever, has a sporting event been such a powerful cohesive force within a society. [...]

The Boys Are Back

This article was first published on Culturewatch.org. © Tony Watkins, 2010

The beginning of a new year is a time to pause and reflect on things in our lives that need to change. We long to jettison old habits and replace them with new, healthier ones. Most of us, though, [...]

UK cinema admissions reach highest level for seven years | News | Screen

19 January, 2010 | By Sarah Cooper

UK cinema admissions are at their highest level since 2002, according to figures released by the UK Film Council today (January 19).

Admissions in 2009 rose to 173.5m from 164.2m for the previous year and just behind the 2002 record of 175.9m. The increase was driven by the success of [...]

Nativity!

Image courtesy E1 Entertainment © 2007

As we gear up for another round of seasonal warmth and good cheer, it’s time once again to embrace what our culture calls ‘the true spirit of Christmas’. Most people define this as some anodyne wish for peace and goodwill, a result of the pressure to keep any religious content [...]

Cold Souls

Cold Souls is one of the most interesting films of the year. Written and directed by Sophie Barthes, and starring Paul Giamatti as a fictionalised version of himself, it’s the story of an actor who decides to put his soul into storage for a while.

Posted via web from [...]

Nativity! Free Advent and Christmas resources for schools, churches and community groups

Nativity!

Nativity! with Martin Freeman and Marc Wootton. Image courtesy E1 Enterntainment

Damaris has been asked by E1 Entertainment to create official resources to help churches, schools and community groups make the most of Nativity! (UK release: 27th November, certificate U), a wonderful family film containing a clear presentation of an important part [...]

An Education

This article was first published on Culturewatch.org. © Tony Watkins, 2010

What is life really all about? That’s the question which troubles Jenny – played brilliantly by Carey Mulligan – when she finds her life being pulled in two different directions. She is a very bright 16-year-old schoolgirl who is destined for Oxford University, but who [...]