Spielberg and Kubrick—The Brothers Grimmer
"What Christian and mainstream critics are saying about A.I., crazy/beautiful, and Baby Boy, plus readers' video alternatives"
Jeffrey Overstreet | posted 7/01/2001 12:00AM
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Still Cooking
Books and Culture contributor Peter T. Chattaway published a review in The Vancouvuer Courier of the Jonathan Glazer film Sexy Beast, which we covered in last week's Film Forum. Chattaway joined the chorus of critics praising the slick, stylish crime thriller. He writes, "Glazer … allows his striking visual style to support the story without overwhelming it. Although the film does eventually take us through the bank robbery and its aftermath—all of which is overseen by a cold-blooded criminal mastermind—Sexy Beast is, in some ways, more of a love story than a gangster movie. Everything [the hero] does is motivated by his unwavering love for his wife and friends. With the help of a very skilled cast, Glazer has produced one of the more intelligent and riveting films of the year."
Going Back for Seconds
What movie has given you a further revelation of God's truth? Film Forum readers have been writing in with their testimonies. You can too. What should we rent on the next video night?
Carene Cooper writes in with a suggestion: "When I think of inspirational movies, The Spitfire Grill is one of the first to come to mind. There are many Christian principles in the movie that just jump out at me: consequences for sin, redemption, forgiveness, self-sacrifice. Even in the face of 'persecution' because of her past, the lead character learns to be forgiven and to give of herself. I think it's a movie in which we all can relate to some character in one form or another and learn from it."
Charles Collins recommends the classic The Third Man, which was directed by Carol Reed and written by Graham Greene. "Although not a beautiful picture, it is one that grapples with the truth of the human condition: Love, friendship, betrayal, the nature of evil, the search for justice."
Rich Kennedy, a critic at The Film Forum, offers films that have affected him profoundly. The Seventh Seal was a revelation to him about the reality of tribulation in human history. Pay It Forward reminded him that "We never really know how what we do affects others and the Lord's work." And he calls Ride the High Country "an extended meditation on the virtues of honor and honesty for their own sakes in the face of great temptation and grave danger."
Next week: A recent essay in Cornerstone raises a ruckus about The N Word: Nudity. The religious media usually cites nakedness as a reason to avoid a movie. Also: Is Cats and Dogs just another disposable talking animals movie? Is Kiss of the Dragon a bunch of hot air?
Copyright © 2001 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.
Related Elsewhere
See earlier Film Forum postings for these other movies in the box-office top ten: The Fast and the Furious, Dr. Dolittle 2, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, Atlantis: The Lost Empire, Shrek, Pearl Harbor, and Swordfish.
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