Jesus Camp. Dir. Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady. Loki Films, 2006. Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady of Loki Films are known for making controversial films, such as their collaborative project “Boys of Baraka” and Ewing’s critically acclaimed film about Cuban Nobel Peace Prize nominee Oswaldo Paya. The pair has teamed up again to create Jesus
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V for Vendetta. Dir. James McTeigue. Screenplay by Andy Wachowski and Larry Wachowski. Warner Brothers, 2005. Open a newsmagazine and see the terrified faces of Sudanese refugees and grisly scenes from Iraq. Open a history book and read about the violent crimes committed in the 20th century alone. Then listen to the language of our
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As a child, I was fascinated with monsters. And not just any monster would do—it had to be big, ferocious, and savage, capable of drawing fearful gasps from its beholders. It had to have sharp fangs and talons, and if it could spit acid or breathe flame, that was even better. Shape-shifting ability and bulletproof
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Brokeback Mountain . Dir. Ang Lee. Focus Features, 2005. A few Saturday mornings ago at a local coffee shop, I overheard a group of middle aged men discussing Brokeback Mountain. One particular remark seemed to sum up the group consensus: “There is absolutely nothing my wife could do,” one of the men said, with a
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Garden State. Dir. Zach Braff. Big-Time Theater Company, 2004. And when you stare persistently into an abyss, the abyss also stares into you. – Friedrich Nietzsche, Beyond Good and Evil Plot: An actor in his mid-20s returns home after years away from his family for his mother’s funeral; confronts past. So runs Zach Braff’s (Scrubs,
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The Passion of the Christ. Dir. Mel Gibson. Icon Productions, 2004. Roger Ebert called the film the “most violent I have ever seen. It will probably be the most violent you have ever seen.” Yet past the bloodshed and gore and excruciating scenes of torment and torture, there is a subtle beauty in Mel Gibson’s
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