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VeggieTales fan alert! Regardless of whether you liked the big-screen debut of Bob the Tomato and Larry the Cucumber in Jonah: A VeggieTales Movie, you must agree that the two main characters of the popular video series were reduced to supporting characters. For better or worse, an asparagus and a caterpillar stepped into the movie's spotlight. Next time, though, that won't be the case.

Reuters reports that VeggieTales are on their way back to the big screen with The Bob and Larry Movie. But fans of these nutritious cartoons will have to wait until 2005. Big Idea estimates that the new film will cost in the range of $20 million to $25 million to produce, about the same amount that the first film has grossed to date. The higher production cost is partly due to the introduction of some "human characters." And there will be other differences: The Bob and Larry Movie "won't feature an overtly religious yarn."

Watch this column for updates—over the next two years.

In other movie news, Peter T. Chattaway (Canadian Christianity), reports that a few Christian rock bands have turned down the invitation to have their work appear in a new movie called Saved. Their reason? The film seems designed to ridicule Christians as evangelical zombies hunting down saveable prey. The movie, produced by rock star Michael Stipe, stars Jena Malone (The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys) and Mandy Moore (A Walk to Remember.) Chattaway offers a plot summary and comments from the cast.

Last week, Film Forum ran early discussion of Steven Soderbergh's Solaris. Some found it a challenging, award-worthy spectacle. Some argued that the film was worth seeing, but inferior to Russian filmmaker Andrei Tarkovsky's much more challenging 1972 Solaris (I'm with them). Then there were those who found it challenging to stay for the entire 95 minutes, and they came out distressed and dissatisfied. This week, opinions are similarly divided, but the majority sum up Soderbergh's first sci-fi venture as a voyage to nowhere.

Simon Remark (Hollywood Jesus) is pleased with the result. "Solaris is an intelligent, thought-provoking, beautifully shot exploration of philosophical and spiritual ideas and issues, such as personhood, the afterlife, memory, existentialism, and the nature of reality. It brings up so many spiritual and philosophical ideas and questions. And what I love about it is, it leaves so many questions unanswered. … Not a lot is explained about the planet Solaris, and I'm not sure the planet itself is incredibly important, perhaps it is a metaphor for something else, or maybe it's just a catalyst for the more important themes in the film."

J. Robert Parks (Phantom Tollbooth) sees pros and cons. "Soderbergh is a master craftsman, whose command of camera movement, lighting, and sound is brilliant. Having said that, though, this version still left me cold. Clooney doesn't quite have the depth to pull it off, and the film's conclusion is bizarre, New Age wish fulfillment. Like many adventurous science fiction films of the last two years (think A.I. and Minority Report), this is an ambitious movie that comes up short."

Dick Staub praises Solaris as beautifully filmed and well acted but adds, "Only those with a heavy tolerance for freshman philosophy will find the posing of [the movie's] questions and deliberations over their answers satisfying. Go along for the cinematic ride, but don't be taken by the philosophical, theological drivel."

Blaine Butcher (Preview) argues, "The story has positive themes of forgiveness, loyalty and personal responsibility, and some conversations about God, the metaphysical and the afterlife. These positives, however, are overshadowed by graphic images of sexual intercourse, some nudity, and bloody scenes."

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December (Web-only) 2002, Vol. 46