James Harleman's Blog, page 15

D is the only thing silent in DJANGO

Albeit controversial, I didn't find overall that Django Unchained glorified the wrong things.
In fact, its rather honest portrayal of man's inhumanity to man may be a provocative way to fuel conversations about whether or not we are any "better" today.

Furthermore, although the climax of the film might not be something we should hope to see achieved by the hands of man, does it reveal a longing in our heart that someone truly righteous might finally dole out vengeance and deal with man's inhu...

LAW Miserables

And must I now begin to doubt,
Who never doubted all those years?
My heart is stone, and still it trembles.
The world I have known is lost in shadow.
It's been years since I revisited the story of Jean Valjean and Les Miserables, so whether you liked this particular version of the musical and adaptation of Victor Hugo's classic novel, the story still contains a power and potency that can't be ignored. While I'm not sure I enjoyed every aspect of the "live capture" singing (I thought some o...

Anticipation 2013: Thinking Forward

Most days Cinemagogue is reviewing films that have already come out. Today we wanted to look forward and get the gears turning for 2013. There are a host of films set to come out already boasting incredible themes about our view of savior, pride, and more. In fact, if you look from winter to spring and summer, the theme shifts from a dark moral muddle to the promise of the world being saved.

Here's a foretaste of some lessons that may be emphasized in storytelling this year, and a one-stop tr...

Top 10 movies of 2012

Nobody's perfect, art involves subjectivity, and everybody has bias. That being said, Cinemagogue's primary reviewer has seen over 60 new releases in 2012 and we thought we'd end the year with James Harleman's top 10, as well as a few other notable mentions. Many of them have reviews attached. First we'll look at 10 that didn't make it, but rise above the rest:
Guilty Pleasures:
Underworld: Awakening: these movies aren't Academy winners, but a refreshing alternative to banal Twilight entries a...

Soiling Yourself, part two

Last week, our book on engaging story and movies, on image-bearing and our Creator, published! It's availablehereand onAmazon.cominprintandKindleeditions. We'll be posting an excerpt from each chapter to give a little taste of what you can expect (to start with the chapter one excerpt,click here).
Act VII: A Word on Soiling Yourself, part two:in flagrante on Friday the 13th
or “sex, sorcery, and the strigoi shuffle”
Scene 1: No Fig Leaves
“We seem okay with violence, but nudity we race to cri...

Soiling Yourself, part one

Last week, our book on engaging story, movies, image-bearing and our Creator published and is availablehereand onAmazon.cominprintandKindleeditions. We'll be posting an excerpt from each chapter to give a little taste of what you can expect (to start with the chapter one excerpt,click here).
Act VI: A Word on Soiling Yourself, Part One - getting your boat out of the harbor
or "punchy and saucy to the glory of God"
Scene 1: Into the Garbage Chute, Flyboy
“Get in there, you furry oaf. I don’t c...

Networking, Socially

Chapter 5 of our recently published book is titled The Proof is in the Praxis (or "a little less conversation, a little more action please").

This middle chapter features over a dozen examples of examining film from the Cinemagogue perspective, and this is one of them. The book is availablehereand onAmazon.cominprintandKindleeditions. We're posting an excerpt from each chapter as a little taste of what to expect (click here for chapter one).
THE SOCIAL NETWORK
(2010, rated PG-13)

“You are pro...

How I learned to stop worrying and love the redundancy…

Last week, our book on engaging story, movies, image-bearing and our Creator published and is availablehereand onAmazon.cominprintandKindleeditions. We'll be posting an excerpt from each chapter to give a little taste of what you can expect (to start with the chapter one excerpt,click here).
Act 2: A Tale of Two Stories
or“how I stopped learned to stop worrying and love the redundancy”
Scene 1: One plot, two plot, red plot, blue plot
A geocentric model of the universe served as the predominan...

WRECKreation or REcreation?

Last week, our book on engaging story, movies, image-bearing and our Creator published and is availablehereand onAmazon.cominprintandKindleeditions. We'll be posting an excerpt from each chapter to give a little taste of what you can expect (to start with the chapter one excerpt, click here).

Act 3: WRECKreation… or REcreation?
or “cracked clown mirrors reflecting His story in a mirror, darkly”
Scene 5: Hollywood isn't out of ideas... because it never had any
Strolling the streets of Paris,...

Redefining Entertainment

Last week, our book on engaging story, movies, image-bearing and our Creator published and is availablehereand onAmazon.cominprintandKindleeditions. We'll be posting an excerpt from each chapter to give a little taste of what you can expect (to start with the chapter one excerpt,click here).
Act 2: Redefining Entertainment
or “how ‘mindless’ is just code for not minding God”
Scene 2: Maximus Returns Home
I had that new believer zeal (the spiritual equivalent of new car smell) and found myself...