And the winner is…

Posted on February 22, 2008 at 7:44 pm

Better than the Oscars! Beliefnet announces its picks for the best spiritual movies and performances of last year. I like these awards because they honor what is inspiring and moving, because they let both professionals and movie fans vote, and because they provide pro and con arguments for each of the nominees that are thought-provoking and insightful.

Cheers to the winners and all the nominees!
Judges
Best feature film: “Amazing Grace,” the story of William Wilberforce, pioneering abolitionist
Best performance: Emile Hirsch in “Into the Wild” (my argument for is here)
Best documentary: “Into Great Silence,” which brings audiences into the world of the Grande Chartreuse, one of the worldâ€™s most ascetic monasteries.

Beliefnet readers:
Best feature film: “Amazing Grace”
Best performance: Will Smith as the last man on earth in “I am Legend”
Best documentary: “For the Bible Tells Me So,” an exploration of tolerance for and acceptance of homosexuality within the religious traditions

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Oscar Quiz: Great movie lines

Posted on February 19, 2008 at 10:25 pm

USA Today has a terrific movie quiz. If you can recognize phrases like “La de dah,” “Show me the money,” “I see dead people,” and “If anyone orders merlot, I’m leaving,” you should be able to rack up an impressive score. The best thing about the quiz is that a right answer gets you the movie clip! annie%20hall.jpg

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Great Movie Moments Quiz

VOTE: Beliefnet Spiritual Movie Awards

Posted on February 15, 2008 at 10:37 am

What were the best spiritual movies and performances of last year? See this year’s nominees for Best Spiritual Film, Best Spiritual Performance, and Best Spiritual Documentary. Then watch clips, join the debate, and vote on your favorites.
Nominees:
Best Spiritual Film: Amazing Grace, Away From Her, Atonement, Juno, The Kite Runner
Best Spiritual Performance: Emile Hirsch (Into the Wild), Angelina Jolie (A Mighty Heart), Ellen Page (Juno), Julie Christie (Away From Her), Will Smith (I Am Legend)
Best Spiritual Documentary: Into Great Silence, For the Bible Tells Me So, War/Dance, Nanking, What Would Jesus Buy?

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Interview: “Jane and the Dragon’s” Martin Baynton and Richard Taylor

Posted on February 13, 2008 at 8:00 am

jane%20and%20dragon.jpg One of the highlights of NBC’s “Qubo” children’s educational program schedule is Jane and the Dragon, created by author Martin Baynton and Oscar-winning animator Richard Taylor, visual effects designer for the The Lord of the Rings series. Jane and the Dragon is a CGI series about a medieval girl and her friend, a vegetarian dragon. Jane does not want to be a lady-in-waiting. She wants to be a knight. I spoke to Martin and Richard about the show as they visited Los Angeles to attend the Annie Awards; the show has been nominated for the most prestigious honor in animation.

How did the show come about?

MB: I wrote the books over twenty years ago when my children were both very young, and they’ve been in print ever since. It’s always a book I’ve been extremely fond of and you get so attached to them you want to see them grow and flourish. In the literary field you hear horror stories about having books made into film. But meeting Richard it was clear he wanted to honor what the book was trying to do.

RT: Martin sat with us for an hour and a half at a picnic table in our back courtyard, and thatâ€™s all it took. We shook hands and had a deal.

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Interview

Beliefnet salutes 2008 movies and the all-time top Westerns

Posted on January 31, 2008 at 8:34 am

This is my third year as one of the nominators for Beliefnet’s annual awards that pay tribute to the most spiritually nourishing and inspiring films of the year. Each of the candidates is presented with pro and con statements (mine is the pro for Emile Hirsch’s performance in “Into the Wild”), with the awards to be decided by Beliefnet voters. Please visit the site and let us know what you thought about the nominated films and performances.
And I enjoyed Idol Chatter’s list of the 10 Most Inspiring Westerns. Westerns are epic and mythic. They present stark contrasts — cowboys and Indians, outlaws and sheriffs, ranchers and herders, railroads and farmers, gamblers and solid citizens, dancehall girls and prim schoolteachers. I do not agree with all of the choices (especially “Maverick” and “Tombstone”), but endorse with enthusiasm the selection of Silverado as the top choice. This year’s 3:10 to Yuma is worth including. But why limit the list to recent films? Classics like The Searchers, High Noon, My Darling Clementine, How the West Was Won, How the West Was Won, and Red River should be seen by everyone.

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For Your Netflix Queue