|
|||
|
This article was first published in Idea magazine (March/April 2010) and on Culturewatch.org. © Tony Watkins, 2010. Yet another film foray into Wonderland demonstrates the abiding charm of Lewis Carroll’s Alice stories. But Tim Burton’s surreal fantasy isn’t just a retread of the much-loved children’s story, however; it picks up Alice’s story several [...] Dir. Peter Jackson (Paramount Pictures, 2010) 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 [...] 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 [...] 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 [...] 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. [...]
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, [...] 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 [...] 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 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!
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 [...] 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 [...] I often lead film discussions, and equally often I’m asked to recommend films that are good for talking about. So here’s a list. It’s nowhere near exhaustive, merely a bunch of films that I’ve either used or that I’m confident would be great. I”ll add to this list as other things occur to me and as new films come out. The Culturewatch website, for which I am Managing Editor, is a great place to find discussion guides – around 500 of them, though they’re not all on films. I’ll try to link some of the title below to their discussion guides when I get a [...] |
Tony Watkins is a writer and speaker on Christian faith and contemporary culture, with a particular interest in film. He is the Managing Editor of Culturewatch. |
||
|
Copyright © Tony Watkins 1994-2010 - All Rights Reserved |
|||
