The Addiction (1995 Abel Ferrera) The director described this black and white vampire movie as an exploration of redemption and 'a way to express the relentless search for truth and light in a world that paralyses us with its anger and darkness.' (see also The Bad Lieutenant (1992) and The Funeral (1996) from the same director and writer.
Alien, Aliens, Alien 3, Alien Resurrection.... (1979 Ridley Scott.......) The original was groundbreaking in its design, the second has a wonderful full on battle between Ridley in a Waldo suit and the great alien mother, the third lacked any mise-en-scene and I found Resurrection really rather moving. I just love to see that you don't need Arnie's muscles to take on the toughest alien.
American Beauty (1999 Sam Mendes). Here's film to divide opinion! I have heard it described as a classic of redemption and as a male wet dream. Pauline Kael (may she rest in peace watching heavenly movies through all eternity) said it 'is a con. Can't educated liberals see that it sucks up to them at every plot turn?' and I can see what she means- while still enjoying being suckered buy the crisp direction, witty script (by Alan Ball who went on to write HBO's Six Feet Under) and terrific acting by the whole cast. Does Lester find the answer to life in the dying moments of his life, or is this an adolescent moral and sexual fantasy? See Further thoughts about American Beauty elsewhere.
Apocalypse Now! (1979 Francis Ford Coppola) This ultimate 'stoned war' movie raises the 'ends and means' question as it explores Conrad's Heart of Darkness and transplants it to Vietnam. The final scenes speak of a moral madness that aspires to the certainty of the gods, an absolute conviction that whatever we need to do to defeat evil is worth doing. Listen to Col. Kurtz and find an answer to his argument.. Do go for the longer Director's Redux cut if you can. Living in Hong Kong in 1972 I heard so many stories from GI's on R & R from Vietnam that persuaded me that this is the most accurate film of that war, not in fact, but in tenor.
The Apostle (1998) Robert Duvall. Written directed, paid for and starring Duvall, as a southern preacher who falls (spectacularly) from grace, but never loses his faith or stops talking to God. Billy Bob Thornton lends a hand in this powerful film.
Avatar (James Cameron 2010) see Blessing the Prey and praying for the planet
The Bad Lieutenant (1992 Abel Ferrera) maybe the hardest of Ferrara's movies to stomach, with drug taking, rape, masturbation and redemption stirred together in the darkest brew. Harvey Keitel's performance as the cop who goes from bad to worse to redemption is truly remarkable. (see also The Addiction (1995) and The Funeral (1996).
Batman (1989 Tim Burton) The Joker (Jack Nicholson) finds that 'dying is great therapy. 'It kinda liberates you', but he puts his liberation to dark intent in this gothic comedy. By aiming for the lucrative 12+ market the producers lost the chance to really explore Batman's implicit pathology, but the design, lighting and photography are (almost) in the Blade Runner league, and Michael Keaton hints at the dark depths of his character. Eventually the franchise took off again with Chris Nolan's help. See A ray of light in The Dark Knight elsewhere on this blog.
Batman Begins. (UK/USA, director Christopher Nolan) Nolan made Memento, so I was not surprised that this was the best Batman since Tim Burton started the franchise with Michael Keaton, and sharing its intelligence, visual richness and moral ambiguity. See A Ray of Light in the Dark Knight.
Beowulf See ' Beowulf, a two dimensional hero?'
Big. (1988 Penny Marshall) The first and best of the genre as Tom Hanks convinces us that he really is a 13 year old in the body of an adult. The Kingdom of God is made of such as these.
Blade Runner; The Director's Cut. (1982 - 2008) . Ridley Scott. I fell for this film the first time I saw it and bought my first VCR player so that I could own a copy of it. Twenty years later my affection for it has only been deepened by time and the release of the Director's Cut. It still rings deep bells. Kazuo Ishiguro's 2005 novel 'Never Let Me Go' explores the sentimental education of children born as clones. They have been given life in order to donate their organs. They will not live out their full span. The protagonist, Kath, searches for the original model of herself, but also wants to protect her life-long friend Tommy, another clone, from the possibility that they were copies from 'junkies, prostitutes, winos, tramps'. Tommy wants to protect her from other things, and the novel celebrates that loving impulse. Ruth Scurr, reviewing the novel in the TLS (25/2/05) wrote 'The clones have been created because of the human desire to postpone death indefinitely by finding protection in everlasting biological health. Far from deconstructing this desire, the lives of the clones further affirm it; they too want passionately to go on living and protect the things they love dearly'. The androids in Blade Runner were also created to protect humankind by doing the most dangerous jobs. Like Ishiguro's clones, they have a limited life-span, but 'they too want passionately to go on living and protect the things they love dearly'. 'In a fanzine review, written when Blade Runner was first released, I said that the film asks 'What is life?'and answers 'Life is precious'. Ford Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauger, Darryl Hannah, Sean Young, and film's direction and design and photography are magnificent.
Bram Stoker's Dracula. (1992 Francis Ford Coppola) Very much Francis Ford's Coppola's movie, this story of love and redemption is light years away from the Hammer Horrors using Coppola's maverick genius to produce an astounding visual treat while holding close to Bram Stoker's original. Gary Oldfield is mesmeric, Anthony Hopkins is miles over the top and Keanu Reeves is English?! It is easy to forget that this story is about love being stronger than death.
Broken Flowers (USA/France) Director Jim Jarmusch is a true independent spirit, distrusted by the Studios and beloved by his actors and collaborators, in this case Bill Murray, Sharon Stone, Jessica Lange, Tilda Swinton and Jeffrey Wright Bill Murray plays this tragedy so deadpan you could almost miss it in a film that could also have been called The Consequences of Love This is the nearest US cinema gets to European, and it took European money to get it made.
Bruce Almighty. Great fun and a great group discussion starter. What would you do, given the powers of the almighty? Jim Carey and Jennifer Anniston are fine, and any film that has Morgan Freeman as God has got to be a winner with me.
Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid. (1969 GeorgeRoy Hill) A cult movie if ever there was one, and shown time after time on TV at Easter. Could that be because it deals with death and resurrection - especially in the 'cliff jump' scene and in the frozen frame ending where the Great Director in the Sky leaves our two heroes eternally victorious?
The Butcher Boy. (1997 Neil Jordan) A film about abused, poverty, wretchedness, religion and murder, and each with an Irish twist. Eamonn Oewns is brilliant, and Patrick McCabe's original novel is a wonderful source book well adapted in Neil Jordan's script. Who wrote 'To understand is to forgive, even oneself'? (actually it was Peter Chase in Perspectives 1966), but I prefer Shelley's' line that 'to be greatly good (we) must imagine intensely and comprehensively, put ourselves in the place of another and of many others; the pains ands pleasures of our species must become our own.' Shelley was writing in defence of poetry, but only because he had never been to the movies.
Carla's Song. (1996 Ken Loach) Robert Carlyle stars in two love stories - one between a Glaswegian bus driver and Nicaraguan refugee, the other between Ken Loach and the Sandinistas of the 1980's . The Sandinistas have gone, but the issues still remain.
Changeling. (Clint Eastwood 2009) See Films of the year 2009.
The China Syndrome. (1979 George Jenkins) Jane Fonda, Jack Lemmon and Michael Douglas show us dangerous nuclear power can be in the hands of human beings who dare not admit that they have made a mistake. An exciting and prophetic film.
Chocolat (2000 Lasse Hallstrom) From Joanne Harris's novel. With Juliette Binoche and Johnny Depp as eye candy, this fairy tale/morality tale has enough filling to run a Lent course on; but do we really want it covered with so much milk (rather than dark) chocolate? Probably.
Close Encounters of the Third Kind. (1977 Steven Spielberg) Bernard Levin, who usually reviewed Wagner and Mozart, came of seeing this film in a state of exultation believing that not only Mr Spielberg, but the universe had got things right. The idea that advanced aliens might be profoundly peaceful was rare in mainstream sf movies. Although the majesty of the images really needs a cinemascope screen it can still work on DVD.
The Commitments. (1991 Alan Parker ) As well as the great ensemble playing, soundtrack and direction this can be used to see how groups, not just bands, form and storm and sometimes don't manage to norm; a great tutorial in group dynamics for leaders.
The Constant Gardener. (USA/UK/Canada/Germany. Fernando Meirelles) The best film adaptation of le Carré since The Spy Who Came In From the Cold. A furious exploration of the corporate evil that lurks just beyond our ken; but only because we cannot be bothered to raise our eyes or our moral vision. Terrific cast, great photography and soundtrack.
The Consequences of Love. (Italy, Director Paolo Sorrentini) This remarkable European film is about courage; not the kind found on the battle field or in the face of disaster, but the long, slow burning enduring courage demanded by love and loyalty. Toni Servillo plays one of the most unlikely and worthy heroes of the cinematic year, and Luca Bigazzi photographs it with grace and the audacity to hold the shot.
Crazy Heart (2010) See Movies of 2010
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. (2000 Ang Lee) 'Ang Lee's beautiful, intimate epic is - one would have thought self evidently - a luminous work of art' said Salman Rushdie. I love the whole thing, especially its take on women and the challenge that its protagonists should live as courageously as they fight, taking responsibility for their actions. The final shot, of Jen's leap of faith(?), is well worth thinking and talking about.
Cry Freedom. (1987 Richard Attenborough) This is not about Steven Biko, but about the effect he had on Donald Woods, the white newspaper editor who thought he was a liberal until introduced to the reality of Black South African life, and decided what price that knowledge demanded of him. Kevin Kline and Denzel Washington are superb, and this story should not be forgotten just because Apartheid was dismantled.
Cyrano De Bergarac (1990) Jean-Paul Rappaneau. Gerard Depardui does the fighting, Anthony Burgess does the rhyming couplets for the subtitles and we are swept along by the emotions so lavishly portrayed. There are plenty of diamonds in the ashes, and panache aplenty.
The Da Vinci Code (see Breaking the Da Vinci Code article)
Dark City (1998) Alex Proyas. An original take on the 'sealed world' sf theme, with deep psycho-analytical influences and questions about identity.
The Dark Knight. see the article A ray of light in the Dark Knight below.
Dark Star (1974. John Carpenter) Somewhat like 2001: a Space Odyssey made for $20 and with much more wit and much less obscure symbolism - while still including a philosophical discussion with an atomic bomb.
The da Vinci Code. (Ron Howard). See ‘Breaking the da Vinci Code' below.
Dead Poets Society (1989 Peter Weir) This film really annoys me! I think it carefully manipulates us to approve of a naive and irresponsible character (Robin Williams's teacher) but one senior manager in the Church suggested that it is a fine parable about Anglicanism. What do you think? It is certainly watchable.
Dirty Dancing. (1987 Emile Ardolino) First dance, first love, the time of your life...This tasty and erotic teen movie still works and challenges assumptions while reinforcing some good ol' family values.
District 9 (2010) See Movies of 2010
Doubt (John Patrick Shanley, 2009) John Patrick Shanley’s drama opens with the Roman Catholic priest Father Flynn asking his congregation “What do you do when you’re not sure?” We are in America in the year after the assassination of J K Kennedy, the first Roman Catholic President of the United States, and some of his parishioners may be asking themselves ‘if such a thing as this can happen to such a man as this is there a God in heaven?’ But to live with doubt is not to live alone, Father Flynn assures them.
This is an unashamedly didactic drama. It explores the tension between the comforting assurance of a man’s innocence and the driving conviction of his guilt. Sister Aloysius, Principal of the parish school, has encountered a child-abusing priest before and her suspicions that Father Flynn is grooming, if not abusing, one of her boy pupils soon hardens into certainty. Young Sister James on the other hand is eager to accept his explanations as proof of innocence. At every point in the film the evidence is questionable, the responses ambiguous. We should all be left in doubt. There is no answer. This is expertly constructed drama, adapted and directed by Shanley from his original play. It is well acted with Oscar nominated performances by Meryl Streep as the School Principal, Philip Seymour Hoffman as the priest and Amy Adams as the young nun, and – for just one scene – by Viola Davis as the boy’s mother. As a Child Protection trainer I would use it as a case study. (see Caught between Doubt and Conviction’ below.)
Edward Scissorhands. (1990 Tim Burton) A surreal parable/ fairy story/ fable that is unique, weird, gothic, satirical, funny and touching. Johnny Depp is wonderful, and well supported by a great cast. You decide what it means to you!
ET. (1982 Steven Spielberg) I think this still works on the small screen, thanks to Spielberg's knack of making us wait for what we want - and then giving it to us in an unexpected way, not to mention the discovery of what 'loving the alien' really means, and that love is stronger than death. Indulge yourselves.
Event Horizon (1997) Paul Andersen. 'Behind the civilised surface of life there's an extra dimension of hell, damnation and chaos just waiting to rip us apart' A very bloody film, but one that does offer a modern view of hell that has deep resonance. With Laurence Fishburn and Sam Neill.
Fearless. (1993 Peter Weir) Jeff Bridges, Isabella Rossellini and Rosie Perez. Two people survive an airplane crash, one of them, Carla (Rosie Perez) loses her child and cannot stop blaming herself. The other, Max Klein (Jeff Bridges,) loses his fear of dying and cannot stop pushing the limits. Is he a Christ like hero, bringing healing to others, or a broken man who cannot be healed until he faces his own needs? Gareth Higgins raises that question and goes to write ' Max Klein thinks that he has been transformed by the plane crash - he says "I walked away from that crash with my life - the taste ands touch and beauty of life'" but he is only really in limbo until he acknowledges his need for salvation. In acknowledging his need for his partner - the one who loves and knows him best - he can learn to live with his extraordinary experience in a way that allows it to make sense without destroying him ore those around him' (How Movies Saved My Soul p 73f). The slow final reconstruction of the plane crash -accompanied by Gorecki's 3rd Symphony - is amazing and moving, and so, for me, is the film. Compare it with American Beauty?
A Fish Called Wanda. (1988 Charles Crichton) Cleese's most humane creation, and Jamie Lee Curtis and Kevin Kline playing hilariously together. Well worth watching again simply for its own sake.
The Fisher King. (1991 Terry Gilliam) Jeff Bridges and Robin Williams, Mercedes Reuhl and Amanda Plummer explore the Christ-like legend of the Fisher King in New York, or the Jeff Bridges character learns to grow up the hard way in the company of a holy fool, while a wise woman waits patiently in the wings. This is a Terry Gilliam movie, so extravagance, visual and dramatic flair and a touch of madness are to be expected.
First Blood. (1982 Ted Kotcheff) Yes this is the first of the Rambo movies, and yes the rest of them were truly dreadful, but here John Rambo is a traumatised ands tragic figure desocialised by the violence he trained for, executed and suffered in Vietnam. How they got to the sequels from here beats me. A good way to unsettle teenage boys (or men) who want to glorify violence.
Flaming Star. (1960) Don Siegel. Elvis Presley starred in this Civil War Western melodrama about divided loyalties, but it could just as easily have been Marlon Brando. A solemn and unusual western with a down beat ending, and sadly unique in the Presley oeuvre.
Flight of the Navigator. (1986 Randolf Kleiser) David is 12 years old, but is 8 years late for dinner and everyone wants to know why. the answer lies in one of the most beautiful space ships you have ever seen. I play this for 10- 12 year olds ,and the adults are enraptured. simple things are not to be despised.
Fly Away Home (1996). Carrol Ballard, a parable, a meditation on lost and love, an adventure in which a young girl adopts and mothers a flock of goslings, - and then has to lead their flight across America to the breeding site. It is also, it seems, a true story. Jeff Daniels and Anna Paquin do well.
The Full Monty. (1997) Peter Cattaneo. Simon Beaufoy, the scriptwriter said the film's 'politics centre on the disenfranchisement of working class men. I get particularly pleased when people comment on the sadness at the heart of the film.'
The Funeral (1996 Abel Ferrera) A gangland movie with Christopher Walken, Isabella Rossellini and Benicio del Toro, as overblown and intellectually facile, or as morally challenging and dramatic as the rest of Ferrera's output. Discus. Whichever you decide, Ferrera is a very serious movie maker with deep spiritual questions to ask.
Gorillas in the Midst. (1988 Michael Apted) Sigourney Weaver plays Dian Fosse in the true story of her crusade to protect the Rwandan mountain gorillas with a devotion that eventually cost her life. This is a fine, honest and moving film about a determined and courageous woman - and there are still not enough of them about.
Gremlins. (1984 Joe Dante) A simple and urgently relevant morality tale about stewardship and ecology - if that's how you see it. Gizmo is a delightful creature and the ultimate pet, as long you keep three simple rules Break these, and all hell breaks loose.
Grosse Point Blank (1997) George Armitage. Hilarious thriller and love story. John Cusack is the very professional assassin returning to his High School re-union to find his lost love (Minnie Driver) and maybe himself. Alan Arkin plays his terrified shrink- before Analyse That!build a whole film round the same idea.
Groundhog Day (1993. Harold Ramis) If today was the last day of my life what would I want to do with it? Bill Murray runs through most of the options, as his last day is repeated over and over again until he finds a way to be a better, happier human being. He has only one day; We have only one life. Thank goodness the film is so funny!
Hannah (2011) See Go, go, read your Perrault!
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. (UK/USA, Director Mike Newell) Best of the series, darker and more complex. 'The times is coming, Harry. when you will have to chose between the easy and the good' says a worried Prof Dumbledore, but Lord Voldemorte admits that there is only one force more powerful than evil; love.
Hero (2000 Zhang Yimou) The most subversive Chinese director takes the whole martial arts movie genre apart at the seams, and uses its prime exponents to do so. Amidst the grace, beauty and excitement each of the differently coloured versions of the same story gives us a different perspective on what it is to be human. A revelation. (See Questioning the Hero elsewhere.)
Hidden. (2004 France/Germany/Austria/ Italy, Michael Haneke.) Daniel Auteuile and Juliette Binoche display unglamorous talent in this deeply subversive film as it slowly reveals the long term effects of the racism and violence the State - and public- would rather forget. It is also raises philosophical questions about the role - and responsibility - of the observer.
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. (USA/ UK, director Garth Jennings) How good it is to see a real ( = American) budget used to bring high class British comedy to the screen without having to compromise too much for the US market (see also Wallace & Grommet). Marvin the paranoid android is wonderfully created. Sermon point: The good Christian, like the wise hitchhiker, always carries a towel; if only metaphorically, because we ought to be ready to wash feet at any opportunity.
Hook. (1991 Spielberg) Let's forget about appropriate models of leadership and parental anxiety and just let it pick us up and sweep us along, enjoying Robin Williams, Dustin Hoffman and Bob Hoskins having the time of their lives. If you want to switch on your brain, or your Youth Leaders, think about the 'is he really Peter?' sequence and the imaginary feast.
The House of Flying Daggers. (Hong Kong/China, Director Zhang Yimou). Asia is currently producing the most visually beautiful movies in the world, and this is high among them. Ask yourself, when did you see such gorgeous images in a European or American movie? This is very different to Zhang's previous film Hero, being a love story, or rather two love stories, but once more he exploits his native Chinese cinema's narrative traditions and then subverts them brilliantly.
The Hurt Locker (Katherine Bigelow 2009) See films of the year 2009.
I Am Love (2009) see films of 2009
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (Terry Gilliam 2009) See films of the year 2009
Inception (Chrir Nolan 2011) See Toy Story 3 and Inception.
The Incredibles (US 2004 Brad Bird) A terrific witty exciting knowing flash bang wallop of a movie with animation and characterisation so good that we stop thinking of it as animation. The super-gifted family have to hide their abilities from a blaming society until they are really needed again. Meanwhile their superkid is told that everyone is special - and retorts 'so that means no-one is special'. And if everyone is loved by God?
Indian Jones and the Last Crusade (1989 Steven Spielberg) For me this is the best of the Indiana movies, as his father, Sean Connery guides him to find the Holy Grail of enlightenment. The Harrison/Connery combination and competition is deliciously funny, and it certainly opens up questions of faith (crossing the void) and the meaning of the search and Grail.
Invasion of the Body Snatchers. (1955 Don Siegel) This original could be as pertinent to today's America as to its original target, the Senator McCarthy' drive to purge everything UnAmerican and impose conformism. It might be fun to compare with the 1978 remake starring Donald Sutherland, and Abel Ferrera's 1993 version, Body Snatchers.
Irma Vep. (1996 Olivier Assayas) . A low budget French art house film about the making of a low budget French art house homage to the classic silent movie Les Vampires, with Maggie Cheung. Hilarious and nostalgic and becoming a French art house classic itself. "Desire. It's what we make films with." (Maggie Cheung as herself in Irma Vep. 'But it is also what makes us watch films, This circuit of desire unites those who cast life-like shadows on a wall with an audience that re-animates them in their heads' (Sight & Sound. March 1997 p 52)
I've Loved You So Long. (2009) see Films of the year 2009
Jesus of Montreal (1989 Denys Arcand). French Canadian, subtitles, starring no-one most people had ever heard of, this film is about the devising and performance of a Passion play by a group of impro-actors; a play that proves too hard for the church to swallow, or for the actors to stop feeding into their own lives. Well worth seeing if you don't know it.
The Jewel of the Nile. (1985 Lewis Teague) I prefer this sequel to 'Romancing the Stone' with Kathleen Turner, Michael Douglas and Danny de Vito in a helter skelter rom-com romp set in North Africa and concerning a vary different messianic figure.
Jude. (1996 Michael Winterbottom) From Thomas Hardy's novel, with Kate Winslet and Christopher Ecclestone. 'The films intellectual, emotional and spiritual aspirations are daunting' said Sight & Sound, and some critics didn't think it fulfilled them; but there is still plenty to grapple with and performances to appreciate.
Kingdom of Heaven. (USA/UK/Spain/ Germany. director Ridley Scott). The Church Times Editorial for Epiphany says that "Christians are ....seekers after truth, and take their place alongside Muslims, Hindus, Jews and all others who ask for spiritual strength to participate more fully in the enterprise that Christians call the Kingdom" This film has been seen by some Christians and Muslims as a helpful part of the current debate, with its condemnation of Crusade and its willingness to find wisdom and good will on either side of the so called holy war, even if the misuse of religion turns people against their faith. A very well intentioned film. There is a ‘Director’s cut’ with much added footage, wekk worth the extra time.
Kundun (1998) Martin Scorcese. A NY Catholic boy with a taste for the Grande guignol films the early life of the Dalai Lama? Yes, sumptuously, but profoundly aware of the tragedy.
Ladyhawke (1985 Richard Donner) A medieval magical mishmash for a younger audience, with Michelle Pfeiffer and Rutger Hauer as star-crossed -or rather Bishop becursed lovers saved by Matthew Broderick and Rumpole (sorry- Leo McKern) The running commentary is the Broderick's ongoing conversation with God, which makes most prayers sound like legalistic gobbledegook, and can be used in excerpts.
The Last Starfighter. (1984 Nick Castle) The future of the civilised universe (which does not yet include us) depends on the extraordinary gift possessed by an otherwise ordinary teenager living in a mid-American trailer park. Dare he trust his talent? Sharp, witty, so much less portentous than Star Wars and with a better female lead role.
The Last Temptation of Christ. (1988 Martin Scorsese) The pre-release furore by pre-outraged Christians obscured the serious intent of this attempt to film Kazantzakis's novel. Scorsese had spent decades trying to get it made, and it is well shot and acted, but maybe too long and wordy to do justice to the idea. Worth using as part of an images of Jesus season, however, along with Jesus of Montreal, The Life of Brian, the Gospel according to Matthew and One flew over the cuckoo's nest.
Let the Right One In (Tomas Alfreson 2009) See Films of the year 2009.
Life is Sweet. (1990 Mike Leigh) An hilarious and humane slice of life with Alison Steadman (of course) Jim Broadbent, Jane Horrocks, Claire Skinner, Stephen Rea and Timothy Spall, as one family suffers the slings and arrows of outrageous adolescence and life, but manages to do more than survive.
A Life Less Ordinary. (1997 Danny Boyle.) Ewan MacGregor, Cameron Diaz and Holly Hunter in a surreal comedy romance about kidnapping and angels.
The Life of Brian. (1979 Terry Jones) Python's infamous, hilarious and accurate attack on religiosity and half a dozen other worthy targets - in fact just about everything apart form Jesus Christ. There are so many good points to pick up on if you enjoy Python's essentially prep school humour, and I think the crucifixion scene could only be filmed by those who see death as a penultimate reality (See Bonhoefffer and discuss)
The Lives of Others. (von Donnersmark . 2006) See my articles The Lives of Others; a STASI fable or a human truth?)
Mad Max Beyond ThunderDome (1985 George Miller) I love the design and the witty use of Tina Turner, but most of all the liturgy the colony of children use to keep alive their story and hope of salvation. Try producing something like that for all age worship telling of our gospel!
Magnolia (1999 Paul Thomas Anderson) the dying Jason Robarts played a dying man, Tom Cruise played a deeply unattractive human being, William H Macy played an everyman loser (again?) and Julianne Moore, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Philip Baker Hall, John C Reilly add to an amazing cast in this complex and challenging movie. It will either inspire you or hugely irritate you, but hang on for with its plague of frogs ending, and ask what kind of liberation (if any) have these characters experienced. And where, if anywhere, is God?
A Man for All Seasons. (1966) Fred Zinnerman from Robert Bolt's play. David Lean. Thomas More told Henry VIII 'I am the King's good servant, but God's first.' And being obedient led inevitably to his martyrdom. Complex, literate and gorgeous to look. Paul Scofield, Robert Shaw, Wendy Hiller, John Hurt.
Mask (1985 Peter Bogdanovich) The true story of Rocky Dennis, a 16 year old suffering from the rare disfiguring disease Lionitis that was expected to kill him before he reached his teens. Cher deservedly won Best Actress Oscar playing his mother, and Erick Stolz played Rocky in a film that is emotionally hard but ultimately rewarding.
Michael (1996) Nora Ephron. John Travolta as an overweight, womanising, charming slob, who is also, as it happens, the Archangel Michael.
Milk (2009) See Films of 2009
The Mission. (1986 Roland Joffe) This is a big film both visually and theologically, as the gospel of love and the power of the Church militant collide in the Latin American jungle. There is a wonderful early sequence about repentance and forgiveness. The Jeremy Irons and Robert de Niro characters offer extreme solution, but the papal nuncio (Ralph McNally) has to choose the path of painful responsibility rather than attractive purity. At least that is what the closing shot means to me, as McNally stares out at us and silently challenges us to judge him.
Mona Lisa. (1986 Neil Jordan) Bob Hoskins is the ex-con who takes the job of driving prostitute Cathy Tyson, and eventually falls for her. But on his journey he sees her through many eyes, from tramp through lady to slut, always seeing what he most wants to see - well, isn't that how it always is?) but this is also a taut thriller with an engaging lead part for Hoskins.
Monty Python's Life of Brian. see Life of Brian.
Moon. (Jones 2009) See films of the Year 2009
Moulin Rouge. (2002 Baz Luhrmann) 'I will love you till the end of time'. Outrageously brilliant, extravagantly romantic, unique and successful reinvention of the musical. Just enjoy it.
Mystic Pizza (1988 Donald Petrie) A coming of age movie about three young women (including Julia Roberts) rather than the usual male protagonists, which reverses some stereotypes (one of the girls loves having sex with her boyfriend, but doesn't want to be tied down by marriage. An obvious issue opener for a girls group - but why shouldn't young men face up to these issues as well?
Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. This faithful version of C. S. Lewis's confused and medieval version of Christianity left me depressed and concerned that those who enjoy the movie (and it is enjoyable) might think it had spiritual lessons for today. (See my special rant Jesus, the Lion King? below)
Near Dark. (1987 Katherine Bigelow) Brings the vampire movie and the Western together, with shocking impact. This modern take on vampirism is worth looking at, and comparing with Abel Ferrera's 1995 The Addiction.
Nightmare on Elm Street (1984 Wes Craven) Watch out for the classic mythological and psychological themes ands symbols; observe how it taps into typical adolescent anxieties, consider its very conservative morality; enjoy Johnny Depp in a very early role - and let it scare the living theories out of you. The first and best of the bunch.
Nil By Mouth. (Gary Oldman). Ray Winstone and Kathy Burke tell it how it is, horrifically, to be trapped by alcohol and abuse in this searing film.
One Flew over the Cuckoos Nest. (1975 Milos Forman.) A man comes into the world of the asylum, filled with people imprisoned internally and externally, dumb, crippled, damaged, frightened, dependant, depressed and controlled by the 'carers' in charge. He gives them respect, hope, stimulus, autonomy - he even gets the dumb to speak. He leads patients out into the real world, where they are taken to be doctors and psychiatrists; takes them fishing; allows them to be free, if only for a while, from their dominators and definers. The powers that-be turn on him. Billy betrays him, and then - when the Pharisees exert pressure, kills himself. Mc Murphy is destroyed (his body remains but his spirit is gone) but the big man moves the stone and breaks out into new life. The spirit of McMurphy lives in him. Jesus was persecuted for blasphemy. McMurphy is guilty of statutory rape - sex with an under-age girl. Today we call that child sexual abuse. Blasphemy carries little shock value today, but was the crime of Jesus as shocking to his peers as McMurphy's is to us? Is Child Sexual Abuse the closest we have to 1st century blasphemy? We certainly respond to it with murderous rage. Watch and see if you agree that story parallels the passion. I am certain that Ken Kesey did not write his book, nor Milos Forman make the film thinking of Frank McMurphy Christ, the Nurses as Pharisees, Billy as Judas or Chief Broom as Peter, but for me (using my post-modernist licence) they provide a powerful and challenging way to see the passion of Christ.
Pale Rider. (1985) Clint Eastwood directed and starred as a kind of 'supernatural Shane'.
Pretentious? OK, but there are some good bits, including mature advise about what to do when a minor falls for the youth leader/pastor/curate.
Parenthood (1989 Ron Howard) I first saw this in Norway with English dialogue but Norwegian subtitles. Unfortunately, the audience read the punch line laughs before the actors had finished saying them and their laughter drowned them out for me. So I saw it again back in England. This multi-stranded comedy has an All American Happy Ending (it was directed by Ron Howard, after all) but contains plenty of funny and usable episodes about our most difficult relationships and the sticky reality of adolescence. With Steve Martin, Keanu Reeves and River Phoenix, Mary Steenburgen, Martha Plimpton and Dianne Wiest.
Pleasantville. (1998 Gary Ross) Two teenagers of the 90's find themselves in a version of the 1950's that resembles Eden before the fall. ' A provocative, complex and surprisingly un-nostalgic parable wrapped in the beguiling guise of a high concept comedy' wrote Joe Leydon in Variety. Right on. Toby Maguire, Joan Allen, Jeff Daniels, Reese Witherspoon and William H Macy add to the joys. See Pleasantville: let me out of the Garden (films of 2010)
The Pledge (2001 Sean Penn) Jack Nicholson stops playing Jack the lad in this truthful and moving story of a cop, Jerry Black) who swears, 'by his soul's' salvation', to find the killer of a murdered child. and is doomed by this pledge. This is a brave, rare, depressing film, taking loss and grief and failure head on and the rich cast, including Helen Mirren, Micky Rourke, Robin Wright Penn, Vanessa Redgrave and Sam Shephard, do not detract from the purity of line and performance achieved by Penn and Nicholson.
The Proposition (2004, GB/Australia, Lesli Glinka Glatter) Written by Nick Cave, with Guy Pearce, Ray Winstone, Danny Huston, Emily Watson, this is as hard, driving and deep as many of Cave’s songs, an unlovely film about an unlovely subject - colonial violence and corruption. Despite the violence and melodrama, however, it contains some finely nuanced writing and performances.
Pulp Fiction (1994 Quentin Tarantino) Never mind the brilliant interweaving of four stories and time frames, the wit and knowingness, courage and sheer technical brilliance of the script, photography, direction and acting; this films centres on a miracle and how recognising it redeems one hood while failing to recognise it condemns another.
Priest. (1994) Antonia Bird Written by Jimmy McGovern this maybe throws to many issues into the pot (liberation theology, priestly celibacy, homosexuality, child abuse and the Roman Catholic hierarchy's response to all of the above) but it certainly keeps them bubbling. Linus Roache is the Curate, Tom Wilkinson is his Parish Priest. and Robert Carlyle is his lover. Adam Mars-Jones recommended it to anyone who had never heard the words 'piss off' and 'out of my diocese' in the same sentence. The US Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights condemned it as 'designed to stick it to the Catholic Church' and attempted to prevent its distribution. That might be recommendation enough for some.
The Reader. (2010) The Reader is about many things, but I wonder if one of them is abuse? A 15 year old boy is seduced by a woman in her thirties. The relationship lasts for months, and then, without a word, she leaves. We may think that such a seduction is every 15 year old boy's fantasy, but this boy turns into a man who is emotionally crippled. In a film, and original novel, that address deep issues of guilt and shame I wonder why this aspect has been so overlooked. Is it simply hidden in the darkness of the shadows cast by the Holocaust, a darkness so deep that we cannot distinquish other shadows within it?
The Right Stuff. (1983 Philip Kaufman) John Glen ran for the office of President, and Ronald Reagan accused Glen of being a 'celluloid hero', forgetting that Glen was one of the real life heroes of this film, a revisionist history of the early NASA exploits written by Tom Wolfe and done full justice on the screen by Kaufman. This is a big, beautiful, heroic and surprisingly funny film, illuminated by Ed Harris as John Glen, Dennis Quaid, Scot Glen and Sam Shepard - as Chuck Yeager, the finest pilot in the USA and the man with the 'right stuff' but the wrong background for NASA. And why did the two Brians, Close and Clough never manage our national cricket and soccer teams?
The Road. (John Hilcoat 2010) See On the Road and a Serious Man.
Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves. Ok, so Costner's Robin is as charismatic as a carrot, but Alan Rickman's Sheriff plays the villain as if he were a lover (just as he plays lovers as villains, a trick he must have learnt from James Mason) and Morgan Freeman (the Magnificent) provides the real spiritual centre as the Moorish warrior and healer.
Roxanne. (1987) Fred Schepisi. Steve Martin wrote and updated Cyrano de Bergerac and takes the Cyrano role, carrying it off with flair and wit. Not as moving as Rappaneau's 1990 film, but funnier and very enjoyable.
Secret's and Lies. (1995 Mike Leigh). Award winning portrait of a family finding redemption through sharing its pain ands secrets, with Timothy Spall, Brenda Blythin and Marianne Jean-Baptiste. (see also Life is Sweet, 1990).
A Serious Man (Coen Brothers 2009) See On the Road and a Serious Man.
The Shawshank Redemption. (1992 Frank Darabont) Tim Robins is the banker wrongly imprisoned for 20 years. Morgan Freeman is the lifer who shows him how to survive. There are some wonderful moments and the getting of wisdom is not all clichéd.
Shine. (1996 Scott Hicks) David Helfgott's true story in which an eccentric individual acts 'as a lightning rod for the values and prejudices of everyone he meets - and is brought back into the community through love'. (Sight & Sound)
Shutter Island (Martin Scorcese (2010) see Movies of 2010
A Simple Plan (1998 Sam Raimi) One greedy, and oh so tempting decision leads to the relentless unfolding of a tragedy, as morality and people fall. With Bill Paxton, Billie Bob Thornton (showing that Slingblade was not his only card) and Bridget Fonda. This is beautifully acted and deeply moving, and the question remains; what would you have done in treh same situation?
Sin City. (USA Director Robert Rodriguez/Frank Miller.) If Narnia had not celebrated Christmas for a hundred years, Sin City may never have had one. This world of true spiritual darkness leaves men ( and I do mean men) with no guiding lights save their own corruptible perceptions of honour, vengeance, loyalty, sentimental love and the pursuit of loveless sex and pleasure without moral boundaries. This and The Kingdom of Heaven make a contrasting pair; and the difference being the redeeming hope that faith in humanity and/or the Kingdom brings.
Sling Blade. (1990) Billy Bob Thornton's calling card; he wrote directed and starred in this challenging and moving movie with a six sided Oedipal triangle.
Slumdog Millionaire (UK 2008 Tony Boyle) See Slumdog Millionaire; the Fairytale.
Spiderman/Spiderman 2. and 3 Tobey Maguire as Peter Parker, learning that 'with great power comes great responsibility' (in fact with any degree of power comes the same degree of responsibility). Spiderman's Christ like nature is shown in the personal cost of his public powers, and vividly in his crucifixion in S2. Our understanding and forgiveness is sought for the 'villain' in the same film, played by Alfred Mollina (why is it that most American film-stars feel that they can't afford to play villains, and studios have to import British or European actors to take the money? Do find exceptions and discuss.) I didn't think the 'darkside'theme in S3 worked as well.
Star Wars; & The Empire Strikes Back, (1977 George Lucas, 1980, Irvin Kershner) I lost faith after the first two episodes of cowboys and Indians in space playing out the eternal battle between good and evil, with good always triumphing in the ends through spiritual dedication and vulnerability. Even stripling youths, mystic Muppets and teddy bears can defeat the mighty war machines of evil if the Force is with them.
The Straight Story. (1999 David Lynch) Richard Farnsworth recreates the real life 300 mile journey an elderly man undertook riding his only available transport, a lawn mower (ok so it is an American style lawn mower) to make peace with his brother before either of them died.. David Lynch amazed the film world with this perfectly straight retelling of an simple act of reconciliation. The 300 mile gulf between the two brothers, and the determination and courage tit took to bridge it is a perfect parable. This is a visually as well as morally beautiful film.
Superman Returns ( US 2006) Superman returns with style - and grace - in this return to form for the Superman franchise. Overtly religious in its symbolism, it is family fun with a powerful and attractive message.
Taken.... See 'Taken for a ride?'
Thelma and Louise (1991 Ridley Scott) Is this Scott's finest film? It is much more than a feminist road movie- while still being the best feminist road movie ever - and Susan Sarandon, Geena Davis, Brad Pitt and Harvey Keitel bring the pathos and humour, courage and love and gritty realism of Callie Khouri's Oscar winning script to the screen. (This is a Percy Main Production; and that is a Geordie Joke.)
Thirst. (Park Chan-Wook 2009) See films of the Year 2009
Three burials of Melquiades Estrada (US/France, Tommy Lee Jones, 2005) This is a stark powerful morality tale of loyalty, integrity and redemption, played out of the Tex-Mex border. Tommy Lee Jones was a room-mate of Al Gore at Harvard, and his intelligence shines through his direction and acting, as he plays the simple ranch foreman who keeps his promises.
Tootsie. (1982 Sydney Pollack) Dustin is superb as the actor so desperate for job that he becomes a female star in a dreadful soap. Jessica Lange is the woman he loves, but who thinks he is a woman. Teri Garr is the woman who loves him, but doesn't know what to think. He thinks he is a better person when he is a woman than when he is a man.
The Tree of Life. (Terrence Malick 2011) see longer article, Sitting under the Tree of Life.
Truly, Madly, Deeply. (1990 Anthony Minghella) Hailed as the RSC ' 'Ghost' is really does provide a master-class in acting from Juliet Stevenson, Alan Rickman, Bill Paterson and Michael Maloney but also, and much more importantly, traces the stages of grief with accuracy and wisdom. A wonderful film to use with pastors and other bereavement supporters, but do have plenty of tissues!
The Truman Show. (1998) Peter Weir. Jim Carey (thank God) sets aside his gurning in this parable, playing the Tru(e)man and discovering that his whole life is a carefully and expensively maintained lie. He has to give up his life in order to find it. in this cheerfully subversive (near) masterpiece. I resist that fact that his 'creator' and controller is called Christos.
United 93. (2006, USA Paul Greengrass.) ‘Sober, unconditional film that is at once dramatically involving and morally challenging’ (Phillip French. The Observer) Maybe it took a British director to stand back and record non-judgementally and unsentimentally the events on the hijacked Flight 93 on 9/11 as it headed towards destruction, and the flight control and military command centre powerless to intervene. I noticed that the hijackers and the passenger pray - but for different outcomes.
Wallace & Grommet: The Curse of the Were-rabbit (UK/USA, Directors Nick Park/Steve Box.) . US budget + British comic genius triumphs for the second time in a year. Nothing remotely religious (despite the Vicar) but good wholesome and therefore holy laughter rule. And how good to see real models, on real sets, lit by real lights instead of computer graphics! (So maybe there is something incarnational about it after all?)
Wall -E see article 'an Axiom for our Times' below.
The War Zone. (1998) Tim Roth. This is a bleak brave film about child sexual abuse made by those who claim to know it from the inside. As hard to watch as it ought to be. Ray Winstone, Tilda Swanson, Lara Belmont.
When We Were Kings. (1996 Leon Gast) The 1974 Ali/Foreman fight mined for all its symbolic, iconic, literary and pugilistic riches. 'A genuinely inspiring film about a real 20th century hero.'
Where the Wild Things Are (Spike Jones 2010) See longer article.
