No Ewoks. A fair number of endings instead of LOTR. No Emo Peter Parker. Could it be… the perfect ending? “It is a far, far better thing that I do than I have ever done;…

Taking the familiar backdrop of the ALIEN universe he helped create in 1979 and the themes of creature confronting creator in Blade Runner, director Ridley Scott stylishly revisits these basic human questions in the gripping film Prometheus. In our last post,…

“KNEEL!” “Is not this simpler? Is this not your natural state? It’s the unspoken truth of humanity that you crave subjugation… You were made to be ruled. In the end, you will always kneel.” While…

Here’s a thankfully brief look at Wrath of the Titans, considering the real wrath you’ll feel is the almost unbearable price of watching this movie. If push comes to shove and you really want fantasy/action, watch the “Clash” again instead, with comparably better direction and actors. Still, if you find yourself really bored or at the cheap theater in your neighborhood, however, there are a few points to chew on as Sam Worthington limps and flits across the ancient Greek CGI landscape.

The film isn’t sure what to do with the concepts of prayer, hanging the film’s major problem on our lack of it yet depicting “gods” that aren’t worthy of it either. Better yet, we find a the god of the underworld in a scene lamenting that there isn’t any life after death. Yes, I’m serious.

Less Iliad and Odyssey than idiots and audacity, Wrath of the Titans still winds up revealing some of our own culture’s confusion with prayer, and our collective fear that the material existence is all there is.

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“Hope, it is the only thing stronger than fear.”

They didn’t get everything right. I know, I know, we were ALL disappointed with what Katniss was wearing at the opening ceremonies in the film adaptation of Suzanne Collins’ New York Times Bestseller, The Hunger Games. The CGI fire just didn’t do it justice, and Jennifer Lawrence looked like she was wearing a leftover stillsuit from Dune. Still, since my wife Kat and I read the trilogy just a month before the film came out, I still stand by the fact that it’s one of the faithful adaptations of a book done, period. From the great casting (most notably Donald Sutherland and Woody Harrelson) to the deft line of bloody-yet-PG-13 violence, everything save for the costumes was superb.

Since Cinemagogue’s focus isn’t really playing fashion police, however, we’ll move on. Like peasants of Pan Em clued to the arena telecast, this film is dominating the box office and the hearts and minds of viewers and critics, and likely will win out over Good Friday and Easter weekend. I think this is appropriate, since the pivotal ideas of identity and substitution – proxy, tribute, sacrifice – play such key roles in the film, a little glimmer of what this holiday weekend is all about as Jesus offered himself in our place.

Whether you’ve seen the film or read the book, you can check out this Spoiler-free video review. We’ll follow up with a written review addressing other elements that can only be addressed by revealing key plot points.

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