Paul Schrader’s career has been an ongoing argument between his inherited faith and his evolving sensibilities. Born in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Schrader grew up in the Dutch Reformed branch of Protestantism, which exercised a dramatic influence on the region, his family, and, for a time, Schrader himself. He attended Calvin College, an intellectual center for […]
Archives
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First Reformed Among the Best Films of the Year
02 Jan 2019
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The American President Revisited
05 Dec 2018
***This is written under the assumption you have either seen The American President or don’t mind spoilers. If neither of these descriptions fit you, it may be best to move along.*** As part of my class, Politics & Film, we recently watched and discussed The American President, the 1995 hit helmed by Rob Reiner and […]
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The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) must have seemed an audacious undertaking by those who first heard the plan. Only the James Bond, Star Wars, and Star Trek franchises can rival the underlying method (besides the DC Universe, which may be dead already, and is a sloppy copy of the MCU using DC’s characters). But even […]
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It should not surprise us that a film called Black Panther (directed by Ryan Coogler, and written by Coogler and Joe Robert Cole), has more than a political bent. The comic book character was created in 1966, which was an audacious moment for his debut. Though Stan Lee, a co-creator, has denied any connection between the […]
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The Last Jedi: Mixed Bag of Missed Opportunities
16 Dec 2017
***This Review is full of Spoilers. If you want a pristine experience, you should come back after you’ve seen Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Consider yourself warned.*** Perhaps I am old. Maybe I have moved finally and fully out of the hulking middle at which Hollywood takes aim. It is also possible I am just […]
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Turning the battle of Dunkirk into a film presents obvious challenges, for it was less a battle and more a retreat. Filming a strategic withdrawal that occurs at the beginning of a protracted war harbors no obvious moments of glory and only a muted climax. Christopher Nolan, the director and obvious driving force behind the […]
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Arrival is the Best Film I’ve Seen This Year
26 Dec 2016
Director Dennis Villeneuve has crafted a masterpiece, a science fiction film that turns its gaze from the stars and into the corners of the human condition. Arrival deserves to stand alongside the best of the genre, like 2001: A Space Odyssey, Solaris, Interstellar, Contact, and Blade Runner. As I’ve written before, science fiction is at its […]
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Just Trying to Compete with the Movies
24 Jun 2016
As many of you know my Bereans colleague Mark Smith likes movies and likes to write movie reviews. I am not so cool so I like books. And on occasions I like to highlight some I like really well. This time I have three. And I apologize that you can’t go see the movie versions […]
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Captain America: Civil War is Superior
06 May 2016
Captain America: Civil War represents the best of the Marvel Universe and American action films. It is far from a message movie, but CA:CW is grounded in the questions that have dogged our world for the past two decades. What is justice? What is truth? Can power and responsibility be exercised together? What is a bearable cost […]
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Batman vs. Superman
19 Apr 2016
(File this under the “better late than never” category.) Hollywood is comic book movies. Comic book movies are Hollywood. The fit seems both natural and perverse. Every film is about the suspension of disbelief. Graphic novels are visual representations that transition simply to the screen now that computer and traditional effects are strong enough to […]
Bert Wheeler
Jeff Haymond
Marc Clauson
Mark Caleb Smith
Tom Mach