Movie Monday: Think Like a Man
Katniss had a good run. After four weeks as box office champ, The Hunger Games was finally toppled by a couple of films about—well, couples. Think Like a Man featured four of ’em, in fact (plus a tag-along divorced guy)—perhaps figuring the only way to knock off the longtime champ was through sheer numbers. The […]
Sorting Out the Good, the Bad and the Excellent
Whenever Christians start arguing about entertainment—why they see or don’t see certain things, Philippians 4:8 is sure to pop up before the conversation gets too old. It goes like this: “Finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think […]
Dick Clark: 1929-2012
“Dick Clark died today” I said last night as my family put dinner together. “Who?” my daughter-in-law asked. Who? Who’s Dick Clark?! That was what I wanted to say, a little taken aback at the idea that anyone, anywhere would not know who Dick Clark is. Why, he’s— he’s— famous! His career spanned 50 years! […]
Movie Monday: Nyuh-nyuh-nyuh! Hunger Games Wins Again
From the very beginning, we knew The Hunger Games would be tough to take down in the box office arena. It scored the equivalent of an 11 in the hype-centric prelims, scoring magazine cover after cover and inflaming fans with a Twilight level of anticipation. And sure enough, every comer has looked like an overmatched […]
Don’t Watch. But If You Do …
The Bible never comes right out and says what to do with movies. Moses didn’t bring back a commandment that said, “Thou shalt not watch any R-rated film (unless thine film be titled Passion of the Christ).” Jesus never explicitly spoke about Hollywood. We know the Bible has as much to say to modern-day believers […]
If You Tweet, They Will Come
Play catch with a major league starting pitcher? Most of us will never get the chance. But thanks to Twitter, it might be a good idea for us to cart around a glove. Earlier this week Jeremy Guthrie, the opening day starter for the Colorado Rockies, sent out this tweet: “Anybody on lunch break & […]
Age Before Beauty
Jennifer Aniston is old. Not old old, mind you—but at 43, she’s older than Shaquille O’Neal, and he’s been retired for years. She’s older than the Internet. She’s old enough to be Justin Bieber’s mom. She’s older than me, for goodness sake—by like three whole months. Had we dated in high school, my friends would’ve […]
Movie Monday: Forget the Wrath. It’s All Games
Spring is traditionally a fallow season for the box office. The blockbusters of summer are still months away. Oscar hopefuls are still being gussied up for their November/December debut. March and April are supposed to be times for the “other guys”—quirky action flicks, cute kids stories … films that might do pretty well if given […]
Words and Pictures
So I’ve been following the robust conversations y’all have been having regarding The Hunger Games. And while much of the discussion has focused on the premise of Games—can anything worthwhile be gleaned from a story that focuses on kids killing each other?—it sparked another thought in me. What has the power to be more influential—the […]
A Voice From ‘The Voice’
We have a tendency to bemoan reality television, and sometimes with good reason. But, just like most everything in life, it’s a mixed bag: For every Jersey Shore there’s an Undercover Boss. For every duplicitous act on Big Brother there’s a feel-good story on American Idol. And let’s face it: If it weren’t for reality […]