We’re coming up on three years running now of movie reviews from a Christian perspective here at Let There Be Movies. I know I don’t speak for myself when I say it’s been a little frantic and a lot of fun. We’ve all done our best to provide quality reviews and flesh out some spiritual, scriptural, or moral themes and applications in some of the most popular films of the last three years. Well, as the title suggests, we’re coming up on some BIG changes…
I simply HAVE to share Michael Keaton’s speech at the Golden Globe Awards upon winning Best Actor in a motion picture, comedy or musical for his role in Birdman. You don’t have to have seen the film to love this speech. Very moving speech, and in particular a very touching mention of his best friend, his son, Sean.
The bond between father and son can be one of the strongest imaginable. Please, if you watch anything today, watch this! Particularly starting around the 2:13 mark.
The writers here at LTBM are kicking around a few ideas for some new features. Within the next few weeks you may notice an additional menu option titled “More than Movies” on our menu bar. We plan to introduce a couple of new features that will be different than our typical movie reviews, lists and rants. The great part is, we could use your help and/or feedback on these features!
By Tres
Sadly, we pause from movies to say goodbye again to an actor who dedicated his life to entertaining the world through his characters.
Richard Attenborough passed at the age of 90 on Aug 24.
When I mentioned him in conversation this week, I have gotten many different replies: Who?
The Jurassic Park guy?
Review by Amber
First off, I have to confess that I’m a little biased. I love Woody Allen. If a movie is written and/or directed by Woody Allen, I will go see it, and probably love it. Combine that with my love of Paris, and this film could almost do no wrong. Midnight in Paris is the story of a wide-eyed optimist, Gil Pender (played by Owen Wilson), who has settled for what is easy and convenient, but dreams of something more. With a quirky touch of magical realism, as only Woody Allen can achieve, Gil is transported from present-day Paris to different romantic eras that were high points in art and culture. Continue Reading
Review by Gene
Tom Hanks is known for a lot of different roles in his career. An army sergeant, a police detective, a world traveling simpleton and even an astronaut. But a gangster? Road to Perdition won’t top many charts of all-time best gangster films, but it may be one of the most beautifully made. It won the Oscar for Best Cinematography in 2003, and was nominated for Best Original Score, Best Art Direction, and also earned Paul Newman a nomination for Best Supporting Actor, being the final screenplay Mr. Newman ever appeared in before his death in 2008, according to IMDb. Road to Perdition tells the story of a hitman and his son, and how the choices they make for themselves have dire consequences for each other. (minimal spoilers ahead)
By Tres
We here at LTBM said our farewells to comedian and actor Robin Williams this last week. However, I wanted to be sure to also recognize one of Hollywood’s intriguing ladies from the silver screen, Lauren Bacall. Being the eldest of our blog group I find that I have a different advantage over the other writers: age. Growing up I had a mother, grandparents, and great-grandparents that all enjoyed the classic movies. Our TV was often found on the channels that played the movies that were known before color was introduced to films.
They say a high turnover rate is a sign of a poor business model. Well, good thing we don’t make any money off this blog 🙂 We’ve had a handful of changes recently here at LTBM which are probably best described as “bittersweet”. I like to save the best for last so here is the “bitter” portion of that news…
This past Monday evening the country was stunned with news of the passing of Academy Award winning actor Robin Williams at the age of 63. As reported by many news outlets, Williams’ death is the result of an apparent suicide after battling years of depression and substance abuse. Widely considered the funniest man alive in the mid-90’s, and also capable of tackling deep dramatic roles, Robin Williams leaves behind a wife and two children.
I am incredibly excited to make this announcement. Beginning tomorrow (Wednesday) and continuing for the follow two Wednesdays, Nate will be reviewing each of the Matrix films in a comprehensive set of reviews, examining each of them not just individually, but as part of a larger whole. Why so excited you ask? Oh, I dunno, maybe it’s because The Matrix is my favorite movie of all time!
Aside from my personal bias and love for these films, or at least the first one for sure, The Matrix is also one of the most widely used films when it comes to savior analogies. There have been entire books written analyzing the philosophy and theology represented in The Matrix, often drawing comparison to people or stories in The Bible. Since we examine movies from a Christian perspective, it seems only fitting that we throw in our two cents as well. The Wachowski brothers broke some real ground both visually and figuratively with the release of the first film in 1999, and we’re excited to put the trilogy under the microscope. So come back tomorrow and check out the first in this set of reviews!
