comedy
Bottle Rocket ain’t no trip to Cleveland
November 29th, 2008
review of BOTTLE ROCKET
by Zach Malm
starring Owen Wilson and Luke Wilson
directed by Wes Anderson
Rated R
Bottle Rocket, the first film from Wes Anderson, of Rushmore and The Royal Tenenbaums fame, is my favorite film of all-time. I’ve seen it close to 100 times, but still have a hard time putting my finger on exactly what it [...]
Cooking up Hope with Chef Ratatouille
September 26th, 2008
A rat named Remy dreams of becoming a great French chef despite his family’s wishes and the obvious problem of being a rat in a decidedly rodent-phobic profession. When fate places Remy in the sewers of Paris, he finds himself ideally situated beneath a restaurant made famous by his culinary hero, Auguste Gusteau. As Remy enters, [...]
Rent The Apartment
August 8th, 2008
A Review of The Apartment
by Zach Malm
Directed by Billy Wilder
Starring Jack Lemmon, Shirley MacLaine, and Fred MacMurray
A writer-director before that hyphen became commonplace, Billy Wilder is responsible for some of the best and most well-loved American films in history, including Some Like it Hot, Double Indemnity, Sabrina, and my personal favorite, 1960’s The Apartment, [...]
The Dude Abides: Cult Classic for Our Times
July 22nd, 2008
A review of THE BIG LEBOWSKI
by Elliot Strong
starring Jeff Bridges and John Goodman
directed by Joel Coen
Rated R
His words are quoted, books have been written about him, gatherings are arranged in his honor, and the image of his long hair and flowing robes are legendary. Welcome to the modern cult of The Big Lebowski.
For those uninitiated, [...]
Juno What You Want to Hear…
July 11th, 2008
Audio Review of JUNO
by Pastor James Harleman
“I need to know that it’s possible that two people can stay happy together forever…”
Jason Reitman, the brilliant Director that gave us Thank You for Smoking, shot Juno in just 31 days. It was the highest-grossing film of all five Best Picture Oscar nominees (2008). Writer Diablo Cody [...]
We ALL want Happily Ever After…
April 16th, 2008
Fairy Tales: Folly or Faith?
An audio exploration of Enchanted
by Pastor James Harleman
Enchanted intrigued me as it hit squarely on one of my favorite narrative dichotomies in Hollywood storytelling… what I affectionately call “Life Under the Sun” and “Life Beyond the Sun” films. These worlds collide in Enchanted in what I think is one of [...]
Redundancy, Rebellion, and Staplers…
April 9th, 2008
Whether you cross decades or cross the pond, you can find shared shenanigans, duplicated drudgery, synchronized self-absorption, and facsimilied foolishness. Office politics and the cubicle life play themselves out in some amazing comedies which don’t try to hide that they’re dipping in the same office pool. From Peter to Tim to Jim, we feel a [...]
Fatboy runs from Abdication to Dedication
March 28th, 2008
A review of RUN, FATBOY, RUN
by James Harleman
(Rated PG-13)
“… let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us…” – Hebrews 12:1b
Marathon becomes metaphor in this story of the everyman’s desperate flight from role and responsibility. Although the story [...]
There’s No Place Like D’OH!!!
August 14th, 2007
The Simpsons Movie by James Harleman
The funniest part of The Simpsons movie may be the opening, when frustrated father Homer Simpson groans over watching a movie that is essentially a big screen version of what you can see at home on TV. This self-awareness sets up the movie nicely, also setting the level of expectation [...]
Sometimes Truth…
June 21st, 2007
Is your life a comedy or a tragedy? When Harold Crick (Will Ferrell) hears the narrator of his life while brushing his teeth, he panics with the realization that his fate may not be his own. What ensues is a fascinating character study of a tax collector looking at his life – his time, his [...]