IT Still a Hit
After a second-straight week at the top of the box office, one thing should be abundantly clear: IT ain’t clowning around. The high-grossing (and kind of gross) horror flick scared the willickers out of its competition and officially became the largest September release ever. IT dragged an estimated $60 million into the sewers. That pushes […]
The Great Television Content Rush Gets a Bit … Purer
Way back yonder, folks came out West to find a new life, raise families and … well, who am I kidding, get stinkin’ rich. They’d travel to the gold fields of California or Colorado or the Yukon, visions of shiny yellow metal flashing in their nugget-hungry noggins. Some of them indeed struck it rich. Many […]
Culture Clips: Hey, Siri! Can You Tell Me How to Pay for You?
Apple unveiled its nifty new iPhone yesterday—one that weighs in at a delicate 6.14 ounces and costs a hefty $999. What do you get for that kind of moola? A phone with a wall-to-wall screen (sans home button), better cameras, a wireless charging system, and … well, some other cool stuff, apparently. And while some […]
IT Floats to the Top
Pennywise is dollar rich. IT pulled a truly staggering estimated $123.1 million into its dark sewers and, ironically, breathed a little life into a moribund the box office. The R-rated horror flick (based on the bestselling novel by Stephen King) also notched a few records on its bloody board: It (IT?) scared up the highest […]
Why Do Christians Struggle to Make Good Movies?
Christians can make good movies. No doubt about it. Most of us have seen one. But I think that most of us, even most Christian moviemakers, would say that overall, Christian movies aren’t all they could or should be. We Christians believe we have the greatest story in the world to tell, but sometimes we […]
Culture Clips: Clowns Taking It On the Red, Squeaky Nose
It’s not even October yet, but already our Culture Clips blog is taking on a rather frightening hue. First up: clowns. The World Clown Association is bracing for the release of IT, a horror flick featuring a diabolical clown. The association, still reeling from last year’s spate of scary clown sightings, has put together a […]
Hitman’s Bodyguard Threepeats During Drowsy Labor Day Weekend
It’s a bit fitting that the weekend’s only major “new” release was the 40-year-old Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Given the woefully slim box-office receipts, this was a distinctly retro weekend. The top 12 movies collectively cashed a paltry $51.5 million, making it the worst extended Labor Day weekend in 17 years. That’s right: […]
A Lesson From the Game of Thrones. (No, Really.)
HBO’s Game of Thrones wrapped up its seventh season last Sunday, gearing up for a frenetic, likely salacious sprint to the finish next year. But for all its many weaknesses, the show sometimes offers—albeit unintentionally—a kernel of truth. And I found one this week. Despite all the criticism for its penchant for titillation and its […]
Culture Clips: The Dragon and the Swift edition
On Sunday night, two television titans squared off against each other in a clash of old and new, awards-show glitz against prestige-TV glam. It wasn’t even close. Despite going head-to-head against MTV’s once-vaunted Video Music Awards show, HBO’s salacious sensation Game of Thrones set yet another high-water ratings mark, drawing 12.1 million viewers for its […]
Hitman’s Bodyguard … Wins?
In 2015, Alabama Bibb County and Brookwood high schools decided to treat their fans to arguably the most boring basketball game of the 21st century. The final score was 2-0. Seven shots were taken during the whole match. One team held the ball for the entire first quarter, taking one unsuccessful shot at the buzzer. Who […]