Kris Rasmussen: July 2008 Archives

While I have been known to disparage shock doc director Michael Moore's films, I have also been quick to praise his efforts in creating a major film festival that has had a huge economic impact for my neck of the woods. Yet after watching a couple of the movies yesterday, I was reminded why I have an issue with the slogan Moore uses for the festival: "Just Good Movies."

The implication-- at least from the local interviews I have seen-- is that though he is a polarizing political figure outside of Hollywood, he really just wants to celebrate quality films at the festival regardless of agenda. Now let's see a show of hands on how many of you actually believe that? Nope, me neither.

It's that time of year again, when I travel down the road just a bit to attend Michael Moore's cinematic extravaganza, the Traverse City Film Festival. I will be attending numerous film screenings and panel discussions with celebs such as Larry Charles ("Borat"), Christine Lahti , Phil Donohue, and...wait for it.... Madonna.

Yep, it's a little known fact that Madonna's dad lives near Traverse City and runs a vineyard where you can buy Madonna wine. Anyway, due to the local connection and the power of Michael Moore, Madonna is premiering her documentary "I Am Because We Are" here this weekend and I was one of the lucky few to get a ticket. (People camped out for two days to get tickets but I won them in a lottery drawing.)

I fully expect to have a chance to ask one or two questions at these screenings and panel discussions--I am very persistent-- and I would love to have Idol Chatter readers be a part of this experience.

So what would you ask Michael Moore or Madonna if you could? Leave your questions in the comment box and I will see what I can do! And look for reports from the festival starting Thursday.

I hear there's some book about vampires coming out this week and just a few people are really excited about it. Me, I have never been able to understand the fuss over vampire lore, and the "Twilight" series is no exception (Please withhold the hate mail from the comment box!)

But at least I am trying to stay in the spirit of celebrating Donna Freitas' Vampire Week with a vampire movie trivia question this week.

Going to camp is a ritual almost everyone has experienced, but like every other cultural ritual, it sure has changed over time. At least that's the conclusion I came to watching the sweet documentary : "Summercamp!". Swift Nature Camp in Wisconsin is the setting for a leisurely look at three weeks in the lives of one group of campers. In between typical scenes of talent shows, crafts, and campfires, there is some subltle social commentary--like when one camper doesn't want to give up his Gameboy when he moves into his cabin--as these kids innocently reveal what survival skills they really need to cope with a chaotic modern culture.

Gary Oldham may be my favorite supporting actor of any comic book movie franchise.as Jim Gordon in the "Batman" movies. He has also enjoyed a long career playing a variety of interesting roles including the title role in "Bram Stoker's Dracula" and Sirius Black in the "Harry Potter" series.

He is also the answer to this week's trivia question- as some Idol Chatter readers quickly pointed out! The question was: " What star of "The Dark Knight" has played both a minster and Satan?" Oldham played Reverend DImmesdale to Demi Moore's Hester Prynne in "The Scarlet Letter" and played Satan in a project I have never heard of called "Beat the Devil."

The long awaited return of Scully and Mulder is here. First up, Dana Scully made Beliefnet's list of the Top 10 Spiritual Sci Fi Characters. Check out our list and let us know if you agree or disagree with the...

Yesterday fellow Idol Chatter blogger Esther posted about Sherri Shepherd's comments in a magazine interview about her painful past-- including having abortions. But, of course, what's making the rounds on the web today is not the part of the interview...

I decided that this week's trivia question should: (a) fit in with the buzz around the recent megahit "The Dark Knight" and (b) be a little bit easier than the last trivia questions. So, this weeks question is: Which star...

With the success of "The Dark Knight" and critical acclaim for Heath Ledger's performance as The Joker, much attention is being paid once again to his tragic death earlier this year. Co-star Aaron Eckhart shared an interesting story on "The...

One of the new summer series on TV is "The Cleaner" on A & E. If you like "The Closer" or "Saving Grace," you will like this series, which premiered last week, about a recovering addict, WIlliam Banks (Benjamin Bratt)....

Whether or not you'll enjoy watching the big screen version of the hit musical "Mamma Mia" will largely depend on your expectations. If you expect it to be as good as last year's adaptation of "Hairspray," you will likely be...

Once again Idol Chatters are about to get a glimpse into the scattered and dissonant nature of my soul as revealed through my movie choices. When thinking of recent DVD releases to pick, I felt obligated to recommend the sweet,...

While Miley Cyrus is on the cover of the latest issue of TV Guide Magazine promoting her new album and new movie--as well as virginity and the fact that God is one of the seven things she can't do without--I...

Earlier this week I posted the trivia question "How many Oscar winners have planned Satan in the movies?" Though Hollywood has featured the Devil in many movies--from the ridiculous Adam Sandler comedy "Little Nicky" to the thriller "End of Days"--...

If you are like me and you didn't get a chance to see Ben Stein's controversial documentary before it was pulled from theaters due to a lawsuit brought by John Lennon's widow, Yoko Ono, you may have another chance in...

For this weeks summer movie trivia question I thought I'd try the flip side of last week's movie question about angels, and started thinking about the famous actors who have played Satan, Lucifer, Beelzebub--you get the idea. So today I'm...

Writing about family secrets has always been a death sentence for celebrity family ties. Britney Spears is allegedly still outraged about Mama Spears's book coming out later this year. Jennifer Aniston is supposedly still distant from her mom because she...

I admit to knowing very little about the "Hellboy" franchise, but one of the more interesting tidbits I found surfing the web this past weekend was on Doug Jones, an actor featured in both "Hellboy" movies as well as other...

On Wednesday I posted the Idol Chatter movie trivia question for the week: How many Oscar winners have played angels on the big screen? The answer is a little tricky because several actors have played angels and also have received...

I've heard of taking life's lemons and making lemonade, but the award for making the best of a bad situation has to go to the women from the polygamous sect referred to as the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of...

Like fellow Beliefnet writer Joanne Brokaw over at Gospel Soundcheck I have noticed the comedy duo "God's Pottery" who have made it to the finals of "Last Comic Standing." At first, I was simply put off by their over-the-top mannerisms,...

We here at Idol Chatter been having so much fun with our top ten movie lists this summer, that we decided to go one step further and start a little trivia game. Actually, we borrowed the idea from our new...

I ran a preview of "The Secret Life of an American Teenager" last week because I was hopeful it could be an intelligent new summer series. It seems others were equally optimistic because the show debuted to the highest ratings...

Will Smith has a long history of "owning" the box office during the 4th of July holiday. He's had more movies open in the top slot during the holiday than any other movie star I can think of. So it...

From the creative forces behind "7th Heaven" comes 'Secret Life of the American Teenager,' a new drama series about teen angst and family ties. It features Molly RIngwald as - gasp - the mom, not the teenager. Specifically, she's the...

As we all set out to celebrate the 4th of July this weekend (and even though I have recommended several excellent Fourth of July films already), I decided it was time to dig back into my film archives and...