Why Are There So Many Heroes Among Us?
There’s nothing good about a national tragedy—other than the good that we see in the midst of one. When two shrapnel-laden bombs went off near the finish line of the Boston Marathon Monday, the nation grieved. Three people died. About 170 others were wounded, some seriously. We again were forced to ponder the safety of […]
Movie Monday: 42
Even though he’s been gone for more than 40 years, Jackie Robinson can still smash one out of the park. The baseball biopic 42 circled the bases this weekend, hitting for an estimated $27.3 million and finding a home at the top of the box office. While those might not be the sort of stats […]
Movie Monday: Evil Dead
We must open the book. It’s frightening, I know. Its pages likely hold profane secrets—secrets so terrible that we hesitate to mention them. And yet, because it’s Monday, we must. We must crack open the cover and peer deeply into this ominous tome, steeling ourselves for the horrific truths found therein. Yes, it’s time to […]
Roger Ebert: 1942-2013
Film critic Roger Ebert died yesterday, just a couple of days after he announced he was taking a step back from his job to battle cancer—a fight he had waged off and on since 2002. He was 70. Ebert was arguably the best known and most respected movie critic for decades. A longtime writer for […]
All-American Television (and What It Says About Us)
An alien dropped by the other day. His name was Fred. He was nice enough, this Fred. As soon as he set down his sparkly craft in my back yard, he slithered out and shook my hand with his tentacle, waving his antennae in the friendliest manner. His English was fine (though he spoke with […]
Movie Monday: G.I. Joe Retaliates
Oh, those Joes. The president may have disavowed this super-elite, sharp-dressed cadre of soldiers. But the American public didn’t desert the G.I. Joe franchise, proving once again that buying a movie ticket is half the battle. G.I. Joe: Retaliation muscled its way to an estimated $41.2 million opening to claim the weekend’s box office crown. […]
The Religion of Entertainment
It’s Good Friday as I post this, perhaps the most somber holy day on the Christian calendar. In two days, we’ll celebrate Easter—the day we commemorate the crux of our faith, Jesus’ resurrection. Even nominally Christian folks who hardly ever go to church find time to go on Easter. Or, at least, they used to. […]
Movie Monday: The Croods
If there’s one thing the Croods know, it’s how to bash things—their dinners, their surroundings and especially each other. Should it really surprise us that their namesake movie is such a … hit? DreamWorks’ The Croods smashed and crashed its way to the top of the box office this weekend, squeezing an estimated $44.7 million […]
Invasion of the Creepy Conspiracy Show
Ah, home. Most of us have one. Mine is located in westside Colorado Springs—a nice little house surrounded by other nice little houses. A park with a baseball diamond and swingset is a couple blocks away. Walgreens and the local pizza joint are just down the hill. My neighbors and I shovel snow in the […]
Movie Monday: Oz Still Greatly Powerful
Go ahead … pay attention to the man behind the curtain just this once. Oz may not be much of a wizard, but he sure can pull some serious cash out of his hat. Oz the Great and Powerful took the weekend box office crown for the second straight week, collecting an estimated $42.2 million […]