November 7, 2007 Archives

You’ve probably seen the trailers for the upcoming “Hitman,” due for release in theatres on November 21. Timothy Olyphant stars as Agent 47, a genetically engineered assassin, direct from the successful “Hitman” video game series.

What caught my attention was the trailer’s primary themes of “sinner” and “saint.” The intent is to drive home the drama of the movie, as the main character undergoes a transformation of conscience from his “sinner” past of assassinations (and his clarity about his life’s purpose) to his “saint” tendencies of conscience amidst political change and his exposure to a girl whose life story gets his attention.

A month before its theatrical release, "The Golden Compass"--the movie from the first book in Philip Pullman's "His Dark Materials" trilogy--is sparking controversy because of what many Christians see as its message of atheism. Here on Idol Chatter, blogger Donna Freitas--co-author, with Jason King, of "Killing the Imposter God: Philip Pullman's Spiritual Imagination in His Dark Materials"--has been relentlessly defending Pullman, arguing that critics of "The Golden Compass" and its sequels are missing what she calls a "stunning retelling of salvation" that is at the trilogy's deeply spiritual core. Last week, Donna was invited by New Line Cinema, producer of the movie (opening Dec. 6), to interview Pullman about God, his agenda in writing the books, and the criticism he's faced. Watch exclusive excerpts from their discussion, courtesy of New Line Cinema:

Pullman on His "Agenda:"
To Tell a Good Story, and Promote Kindness, Love, and Curiosity

More Videos:

Saving God, Not Killing God

Modern documentaries usually rely on politics or social issues for cinematic inspiration, which is why “Into Great Silence” is such a surprising accomplishment. The movie has little dialogue and no significant action – unless you consider singing Gregorian chants significant action. “Into Great Silence” is the result of filmmaker Philip Groning’s six-month stay with a group of monks in a remote monastery in the French Alps. He turned it into one of the most spiritually challenging films I can think of in recent years and that is why “Into Great Silence” is my DVD pick for this week.

Fellow blogger Donna wrote up a nice review of the movie for Idol Chatter earlier this year, and I agree with her that it will take patience, concentration, and a little discipline to sit for most people to sit through the almost three hours of the footage in which the audience is given rare access to the religious practices of this particular sect of monks. Without the usual interview or archival footage most documentaries depend on to tell a story, “Into Great Silence” relies instead on attention to miniscule details as it traces a deeply reflective, minimalist lifestyle that is completely foreign to many of us.

In writing up a comment to a previous challenge by my colleague Michael Kress that IC readers tell us about our favorite on-screen angels, I started thinking about Clarence, from "It's a Wonderful Life," and ended up with my favorite tortured vampire-in-a-trenchcoat, Angel. And that's when it occurred to me that I had a different take on angels, using a more liberal, less literal definition toward a list that's a bit more on the unusual side.

“Gotraskhalana, is a term in Sanskrit poetics for calling a loved one by a wrong name, and means literally, ‘stumbling on the name.’ It’s a familiar occurrence in the Restoration-like fables of marital life and love affairs collected by the scholar Wendy Doniger. What these verbal accidents do is aim a flashlight into the brain, reveal its vast museum of facts and desires.”

Writer Michael Ondaatje (The English Patient) is not compared to Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Faulkner for nothing. He has been called a thinker, an explorer and a seeker of truth. What sets him apart for me is his fabulous use of language and ability to concoct intricate plots yet narrate them simply and effortlessly like a beautifully woven tapestry, these are his strengths.

While some accuse Ondaatje’s work of being too poetic, that’s what brings music and melody to his newest work, Divisadero.