James Harleman's Blog, page 12
November 14, 2013
IRON MAN THREE – A Stark Christmas Carol
An anxiety-ridden Stark must deal with control issues in the third Iron Man film, the third installment in shell-head’s franchise spun into a pulpy throwback thriller.Following a showing of the film, I was able to present on the movie’s themes, captured here in this audio podcast. What’s fascinating to explore is what director Shane Black […]
November 12, 2013
Stuck in Neutral? CRACKED on movies
If you’ve never heard of CRACKED.com, you don’t know what you’re missing. If you frequent CRACKED.com, shame on you:) Seriously, I stumbled upon one of their “After Hours” videos and, while there may be potentially offensive language and crass jokes peppered throughout the following video, it’s well worth it to see how amazingly close these […]
November 5, 2013
STIR UP THE GIFT: Encouragement for Storytellers
“For this reason I remind you tofanintoflamethe gift of God…” – 2 Timothy 1:6 What is the gift YOU’VE been given, what does that mean, and what part do we play in stirring, fanning, or nurturing the gift God has given us? And what does this have to do with Cinemagogue? For the last several […]
October 10, 2013
GRAVITY from down under
It seems the new film by Alfonso Cuaron orbited into Australia’s view before I could feel the GRAVITY of the hit film starring Sandra Bullock and George Clooney. Guest reviewer Ben McEachen gets the first pass of this film, to be followed by my review next week. - James Harleman Ryan Stone is in quite […]
September 24, 2013
NOW YOU SEE ME, Now I Review
“First rule of magic: always be the smartest person in the room.” On my recent Australian whirlwind tour, I shared a pint with Ben McEachen, who has written for Empire magazine and works at a radio station in Sydney. I thought we’d add someflavourfrom down under to the Cinemagogue site, so here’s his take on […]
September 19, 2013
Stark Contrast in Seattle – IRON MAN 3 September 27
I may have been traveling abroad teaching on gospel and culture, God’s story and pop culture, and doing film and theology events for Elysium, Wreck-it Ralph, and Paranoia, but ultimately my heart belongs to the Pacific Northwest. For those who’ve been hoping for another Film and Theology event in my hometown, I haven’t forgotten you! [...]
September 5, 2013
Australian Whirlwind Tour
It’s been a crazy couple of weeks for the CinemaGuy. When Mark Glenn – pastor of The Fields Church in Bowral, Australia – and I started dreaming about a Cinemagogue trip down under, I don’t think I truly believed it would happen. Two weeks later I’ve had the chance to speak seven times in various [...]
August 28, 2013
Our Ticket to ELYSIUM
“Butour citizenship is in heaven, andfrom it weawait a Savior…” - Philippians 3:20 My first thought sitting in the glow of credits following Elysium’s gripping climax? Well, that’ll preach. Neill Blomkamp’s latest science fiction entry may not be as curious or fresh as 2009′s District 9, but it offers intriguing themes to explore that aren’t [...]
August 19, 2013
Sharp Claws & Harm… an ode to THE WOLVERINE
NOTE: Wolverine stabs a LOT of people. Just go back and watch X2, or read any number of Wolverine comics. However, as the new film opens, The Wolverine has given up his life of howling and claw-popping. “That’s not who I am anymore,” he insists. Of course, by Act 2 of the new flick he’s [...]
August 16, 2013
THE WOLVERINE – There Can Be Only One
“Nothing is without meaning.” – Mariko Hugh Jackman and James Mangold have finally given us The Wolverine solo movie we wanted four years ago. Although not a perfect film, it’s a far cry (or gutteral growl) from the Origins flick most fans merely endured, rolling their eyes and lamenting the muting of Deadpool. Working with [...]
