Pop Goes the Musical
"Moulin Rouge stirs critics into several debates, plus reviews of The Animal, What's The Worst That Could Happen? and Startup.com."
Jeffrey Overstreet | posted 6/01/2001 12:00AM
5 of 5
Side Dishes
Peter T. Chattaway of The Vancouver Courier recommends an alternative to Pearl Harbor: the acclaimed documentary Startup.com, which tells the true story of an Internet venture from its genesis to its collapse. Like Pearl Harbor, Chattaway writes, "it too is a story about two men who share a childhood dream of glory, only they hope to achieve it by creating a Web site that will generate lots of revenue. And it too is about the strains that threaten to destroy their friendship, but instead of a girl, it is their very own company—the dream that used to keep them going—that comes between them. In an age when movie studios pummel their audiences with special effects, there's more conflict, more catharsis, and more layers of meaning in the emotionally painful confrontations between these two friends than there could ever be in any mere love triangle or pyrotechnic orgy."
Going Back for Seconds
I recently asked readers what films they revisit and find continually inspiring and challenging. I'm not talking about getting just a good feeling—a television commercial can give you that. E-mail me with the titles that come to mind; I'd like to share with others those titles that lead you to a deeper understanding of truth and a greater apprehension of beauty.
Several have responded in detail, and I'll share their words here from time to time. Clive Camm quickly responded, recommending the Three Colors trilogy— Blue, White, and Red—by Krzystof Kieslowski. "They highlight important themes," he writes. For example, "Freedom is not found in escape or hiding. Life is richest in community. And, watching Red in particular, there is no such thing as coincidence. I'm left with the sense that life is orchestrated; how we react is our choice."
Three Colors are among my favorite films of all time, and I heartily second Camm's endorsement. Kieslowski's films are energetic spiritual explorations. He follows his characters through strange traumas and watches what they learn. In Blue, Julie (Juliette Binoche) tries to run from her life after her husband and daughter are killed in a car accident; she finds, however, that starting over is difficult to do, and sometimes the only way to freedom is through responsibility. White tells the story of a Polish barber who leaves France and returns home after his wife leaves him. Along the way, a despondent stranger persuades him to carry out a rather shocking task that leads him to re-evaluate the value of life. And Red, as Camm says, tackles dilemmas of freewill and God's control of the world. It also explores the consequences of becoming jaded to the world's evil, and the benefits of living with a spirit of hope. The trilogy is best watched in this order, for the benefit of Red's conclusion, which ties all three together.
Next week:
Swordfish, Evolution, and more recommendations from Film Forum readers.
Jeffrey Overstreet is on the board of Promontory Artists Association, a non-profit organization based in Seattle, which provides community, resources, and encouragement for Christian artists.
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: Shrek, The Mummy Returns, A Knight's Tale, Bridget Jones's Diary, Angel Eyes, and Memento.
RSS Feeds
Audio
Twitter
share this page
E-mail
Print
Post
Subscribe to Christianity Today magazine today!
