27Jun

13 Movies—Christ and the Christian #7: World Trade Center

Posted by: mark Categories: 13 Movies: Christ and the Christian Moviemakers Movies

Oliver Stone is a filmmaker who pours a lot of himself into his movies. Platoon described his experience as an infantry soldier in Vietnam. His persistent dance with drug addiction ended up on display in The Doors and his script for Midnight Express. His obsession with the paranoia and conspiracies is writ large in Snowden, […]

3Jun

The Journeymen—13 Directors #6: Peter Hyams

Posted by: mark Categories: Moviemakers Movies The Journeymen

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One of the reasons serious cinema lovers dismiss “journeyman” filmmakers is they often make fun, widely-seen crowd-pleasers. Rob Reiner, Robert Wise, and Penny Marshall made hits that will never be confused with Cries and Whispers or The Human Condition. To be sure, a popular movie can be a work of art. But summer tentpoles are […]

21May

The Journeymen—13 Directors #5: Penny Marshall

Posted by: mark Categories: Moviemakers Movies The Journeymen

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Gen X nostalgia is at its peak now, and as an Xer myself, let me apologize to all of you Millennials and Zoomers right now. The callbacks, parodies, and reminiscings out there are insufferable. Yes, we all want $2 gas and $7 large pan pizzas and kids on bicycles breathing fresh air. We don’t want […]

10Apr

13 Movies—Christ and the Christian #5: Ida

Posted by: mark Categories: 13 Movies: Christ and the Christian Moviemakers Movies

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Anna is a puzzle, her emotions held close to her chest. And there must be a lot of emotion boiling under her simple novice’s habit. On the eve of taking her vows and entering the life of a Catholic nun, her prioress tells her she must visit the only family she has—an aunt she’s never […]

4Apr

The Journeymen—13 Directors #4: Robert Wise

Posted by: mark Categories: Moviemakers Movies The Journeymen Uncategorized

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I met Robert Wise at Syracuse University, when he spoke to our small film production class and ran an editing workshop. What did this award-winning director have to teach us about editing? A lot—he edited a little film called Citizen Kane. He also edited The Magnificent Ambersons, both Welles’ original vision and the studio-mandated recut. […]

25Mar

13 Movies—Christ and the Christian #4: Spider-Man 2

Posted by: mark Categories: 13 Movies: Christ and the Christian Moviemakers Movies

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(This essay contains spoilers) Spider-Man 2 is the best superhero film ever made. I’m willing to entertain other challengers, but if I were on Jeopardy! and the Movies for $800 answer was “The Best Superhero Film Ever Made,” I would blurt out “What is Spider-Man 2?” and feel good about it. You can fight me […]

26Feb

The Journeymen—13 Directors #3: Curtis Hanson

Posted by: mark Categories: Moviemakers Movies The Journeymen

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What makes a great director? Is it someone with a singular aesthetic vision, like Ridley Scott’s early emphasis on backlighting or, to hit the other end of the spectrum, Yasijuro Ozu’s static camera placement? In my intro to this series, I wanted to explore directors who make great films but have no singular vision, aesthetic, […]

27Jan

The Journeymen—13 Directors #2: Patrice Leconte

Posted by: mark Categories: Moviemakers Movies The Journeymen

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This month’s “The Journeymen” article is only #2 in the series, and it appears I’ve already strayed off the path. That’s because Patrice Leconte in no way fits my definition of a “journeyman” filmmaker. I included him in my list because he’s one of my favorites. He also works in a variety of genres: comedy, […]

1Jan

13 Movies—Christ and the Christian #3: Wake Up, Dead Man

Posted by: mark Categories: 13 Movies: Christ and the Christian Moviemakers Movies

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In my intro to this series, I posited that the Christian movie industry exists in part to give American Christians something they don’t often get from Hollywood: the dignity of being taken seriously. Movies like Shape of Water and Citizen Ruth paint churchgoing Christians as brainwashed hypocrites. They have ulterior motives for attending church, reading […]

20Dec

The Journeymen—13 Directors #1: Rob Reiner

Posted by: mark Categories: Moviemakers Movies The Journeymen

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I have a lot of “13 Films” list ideas. One is a tribute to 13 directors I admire but who don’t get a lot of scholarly love. This is because their body of work doesn’t fit neatly into an analytical box. Sergei Eisenstein made movies about revolution. Alfred Hitchcock is a master of suspense. Jane […]

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Moviemakers

13 Movies—Christ and the Christian #7: World Trade Center

The Journeymen—13 Directors #6: Peter Hyams

The Journeymen—13 Directors #5: Penny Marshall

13 Movies—Christ and the Christian #5: Ida

The Journeymen—13 Directors #4: Robert Wise

13 Movies—Christ and the Christian #4: Spider-Man 2

The Journeymen—13 Directors #3: Curtis Hanson

The Journeymen—13 Directors #2: Patrice Leconte

13 Movies—Christ and the Christian #3: Wake Up, Dead Man

The Journeymen—13 Directors #1: Rob Reiner

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