If push came to shove…how far would you go?  To what lengths would you travel to protect a loved one?  I realize that your initial thought may be, “I would go to whatever lengths necessary!”  And that would be a noble and worthy answer - BUT - would you?  In the 1993 Halloween movie Hocus Pocus the viewer is presented with this uncomfortable proposition - not once but twice!  The movie opens with a young boy trying to rescue his little sister from the clutches of three witches (Winifred, Sarah, and Mary) who are bent on taking the girl’s life force and making it their own.  The young boy, or should I say young man, is willing to jump into the middle of harms way in order to protect and rescue his little sister.  There is nothing he will not do - risking life and limb - in order to protect her.  And, alas, he fails.  His sister dies and the witches capture poor Thackery in a spell turning him into a black cat forever…and forever is a lo...

 I’m not one to question what motivates, inspires, or prods an artist to create art.  Every painting, sculpture, song, or movie has a story all its own.  But sometimes if you do a little digging and investigating, you can find the source of inspiration.  Maybe you don’t have all of the puzzle pieces, but at least you have the one piece that gives you a glimpse into the mind of the artist.   And what, exactly, is that puzzle piece?  According to Burton, “Anytime there was Christmas or Halloween, it was great.  It gave you some sort of texture all of a sudden that wasn’t there before” (Blaise Simpson, October 1993).  Seasons…Calendars…holidays.  Therein is the puzzle piece, the inspiration, the spark of the creative flame that flickered for this stop-action, painstakingly slow and meticulous creation of cinematic art.  109,440 individual frames created over 3 years by a crew of over 120 workers under the direction of Henry Selick (and of c...

 “Thor is done loving…but not done fighting.  He has given up his search for love” - Korg To say that my breath was taken away by the latest Marvel Cinematic Universe offering, Thor:  Love and Thunder is an understatement!  Oh sure, I expected the usual amount of off-beat Taika Waititi humor mixed with a heavy does of CGI (and the movie doesn’t disappoint on either count).  But this movie offers a deep, profound, and heart-warming dive into the topic of loss and love. From the moment the movie begins the viewer is confronted with love - love between a father and daughter…dying in the desert.  As his daughter closes his eyes in death this father, Gorr, is consumed with his loss.  Survival is no longer his driving force in life.  Gorr wants to vanquish those responsible for not hearing his pleas on his daughter’s behalf.  His drive isn’t vengeance.  His driving force is love - misguided, misdirected love to be sure.  But love nonethel...

Christ, Culture, and Cinema:   What does it look like when these three things converge at one point?  Following the urging of my son Jarod, my daughter Madelyn and I went to the movies (October 2019) to see the movie Joker, starring Joaquin Phoenix.  The Joker is rated “R.”  This movie received media criticism, stirred up the law enforcement, frightened theater owners,  and created an air of potential violence that might ensue by those embracing chaos and disorder.  I have to admit that when I sat down in the darkened theater I looked around at my fellow movie-goers - mostly younger people (younger than me), chomping on chips and popcorn waiting for the experience of this duly hyped movie. What unfolded before my eyes was not anything I had expected.  The movie was dark...and it kept getting darker...right up to the very end.  I wasn’t bombarded with violence, bloodshed, and gore (although there was some of that).  Rather, I was confronted wi...

 What lurked beyond the overdone makeup and emotional singing - beyond the plastic smile and over-flowing tears may have been a hidden message of compassion and care; a message of tolerance and understanding; a message of love.  Recently my wife and I sat down to watch the 2021 movie, The Eyes of Tammy Faye starring Jessica Chastain as Tammy Faye and Andrew Garfield as Jim Bakker.  Most of us are familiar with the story - after all, it was lived out on cable television and most major news networks. From humble beginnings, Tammy Faye makes her way to a conservative Bible college where she meets Jim Bakker.  The two fall in love, drop out of college, get married and start their ministry - Jim preaching and Tammy Faye singing and doing puppet ministry with the children.  This catches the attention of Pat Robertson and his Christian Broadcasting Network and just like that, the Bakker’s Bible thumping star is on the rise.  All of a sudden this humble couple is e...

 In 2011 Director Joe Johnston and Marvel Studios brought to the big screen the  movie:  Captain America - The First Avenger, featuring the comic book super hero Captain America (aka Steve Rogers), played by Chris Evans.  The setting of the movie  is March 1942 and the world is at war.  The Germans have a “secret” agency called Hydra lead by a villainous leader, Red Skull (with a name like Red Skull how could you not be evil!).  His evil and diabolical plans can throw the balance of the war towards the Nazis.  Meanwhile, in the United States the government is working on a “secret” plan to create a battalion of super soldiers.   Enter our would-be hero, Steve Rogers.  But he does not look the part.  He is a 98 pound weakling who suffers from:  Asthma, sinusitis, chronic colds, high blood pressure, heart palpitations, and fatigue; not to mention he has suffered from Scarlet fever, Rheumatic fever, has a nervous disorder, and a ...

 Hollywood has had a fascination (and dare I say, love affair) with the mentor/mentee relationship.  In the years 1937, 1954, 1976, and 2018 movie goers were treated to the cinematic spectacular “A Star is Born.”  Each production slightly different from the others, but the basic story line remains the same.  “A Star is Born” is part romance and part tragedy.  The story follows a rags-to-riches climb with a dynamic and talented young woman at its center.   In all four presentations of the movie the plot follows a similar trajectory:  An aging male celebrity who is riddled by addictions meets a talented and younger woman with whom he is instantly smitten.  He is attuned to her overwhelming talent and mentors her career.  Before you know it she is a star.  Meanwhile, his career sinks deeper and deeper into the doldrums.   The most recent rendition of “A Star is Born” was brought to the big screen in 2018 by director and actor Bradley...