Category: <span>Film</span>

I’ve been wanting to return to the blog and have a number of posts in the queue — strange that this will be the first one published since back in March. It’s not a subject I felt compelled to write about in the past, but Denise and I just finished watching the Grateful Dead documentary, Long Strange Trip, on Netflix

We were real live Deadheads for a short time and this film pulled back the curtain to reveal why we never felt that compatible with the band’s following and eventually lost interest in the Grateful Dead, a band we enthusiastically embraced almost 50 years ago.… Read the rest

Art • Design • Culture Film Music

As I sat down to make resolutions for 2016, I remembered this sobering quote by John Goldingay from the book, I (Still) Believe: Leading Bible Scholars Share Their Stories of Faith and Scholarship. He reminds me that I’m seeking a “better country,” beyond 2016 and this life.

Here it is and it’s not for the squeamish:

Americans like to believe in legacies; I expect to be forgotten, in fulfillment of Ecclesiastes’ warning. I know that individual students gain from classes I teach and from books that I write… but in general my work makes no significant contribution to the life of the church or to the purposes of God in the world.

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Christianity • Religion Film

Star_Wars_The_Force_Awakens

I saw Star Wars: The Force Awakens, last night, in 3-D.

I am not a Star Wars, Sci-fi or fantasy geek. I have been an audio geek and a Bible nerd, but I don’t know if geek or nerd are appropriate labels, if you are enthusiastic about one of the most popular and lucrative entertainment franchises in the history of the world. I tend to associate geeks and nerds with outsider movements. Anyway, I’ve been pretty hard on hardcore Star Wars fans in the past (see my take at Star Wars: It Really Matters What You Believe). But, I’m no hater and have the greatest love and respect for the franchise. … Read the rest

Art • Design • Culture Film

la-le-me-mary-grace-canfield-jpg-20140217Our family lived in Maine from 1993 – 1997 and the area we lived in was ripe with chance meetings of fate, because so many celebs and power people vacation or retire there. Here’s just one example. More will follow and fans of the old TV comedy, Green Acres, will want to check out this post.

Most people who flew out of our area to the rest of the United States and the world would leave on the 6AM flight out of Bangor International Airport. It was a large plane, flying to Logan International in Boston, where connections were made with the rest of civilization.… Read the rest

Film Just Plain Fun Maine: The Vista From Away Wacky • Weird

Hugh Jackman to star as the apostle Paul in high-profile Christian film | Film | The Guardian

I suppose this is exciting news for fans of Marvel Comics… and, the Bible.

From The Guardian, Jackman had this to say about his father, who is a Christian:

“He takes his religion very seriously and would prefer I go to church,” Jackman revealed. “We’ve had discussions about our separate beliefs. I just find the evangelical church too, well, restrictive.

I think the actor may be surprised to learn that many Evangelicals would agree the faith is “too, well, restrictive” and are ditching long-held teachings and practices of both Jesus and His apostles, as well as the prophets.

I think Michael Bird has the right take on this casting decision, as well as the storyline for a future project:

Personally, I’d love to see Jackman do an Apostle Paul/Wolverine re-mix, and pull out the retractable bone claws to emasculate the judaizers in Galatia!

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Christianity • Religion Film

It’s been said that the Bible is a treasure-trove of stories that translate into great film. Last night, I watched On The Waterfront for the second or third time and finally got it: The film is chock full of Biblical themes and Christ is exalted throughout this wonderful love story!

First, On The Waterfront is a story of young love. That’s what captivated me the first time around. This ironic romance involves a disgraced boxer and union thug, Terry, and Edie, the sister of a man who was murdered for exposing corruption on the waterfront. Edie doesn’t know that Terry was the one who set up her brother, Joey.… Read the rest

Art • Design • Culture Film Leadership Planting

This post will take some twists and turns, but hopefully we’ll pass some points of interest for each reader along the way (all 3 of you).

We visited our friend, Joan, who was our next-door neighbor when we lived in the village of Sedgwick way back in ’93. She owns one of the oldest, if not the oldest, homes in town. She was getting her wheel all ready for a spinning demonstration at the Blue Hill Fair. It seemed very appropriate to watch her at work in the parlor of the home, near the great brick fireplace and original paneling.… Read the rest

Art • Design • Culture Family • Friends Film Travel

Well, we quit Netflix. I found that I was watching more movies than I normally would, because I wanted to get my money’s worth. My discontent surfaced when I read about the class-action lawsuit filed against them for dragging their feet on fulfilling customers requests, who were signed up for “unlimited” rental accounts. I noticed that my service degraded around that time and their “cycling” became obvious and inconvenient for us.

Anyway, we are spending much less time in front of the tube, which is a real bonus and, now that I know what I’m looking for at the local video store, I can get in and out for about a buck.… Read the rest

Film Uncategorized


Today, I received my copy of the new 77s DVD Collection, featuring seven official music videos by my favorite band, The Seventy Sevens, as well as another disk of “live bootleg” concert footage going back to 1982!

It was just like Christmas in July, as Sean and Emma watched me excitedly tearing the cellophane off the case. They were also very understanding and patient as I rushed to the DVD player and cued up the first video, Mercy Mercy, which I had seen years ago. It was just as I remembered it. I was at a number of the featured concerts and, though they were 20 years ago, it was as if I had seen them just yesterday.… Read the rest

Art • Design • Culture Film Just Plain Fun Music Uncategorized

I really enjoyed this television movie starring Don Rickles, Keke Palmer, Catherine O’Hara and one of my all-time favorites, William Macy. I believe he won a Golden Globe award for this film. It’s based on Jackie Gleason’s classic, Gigot, and it is a real upbeat PG-13 with some rough language and themes. On the other hand, we trudged through the Monkee’s highly-recommended psychedelic art film, Head. It was dreadful.… Read the rest

Film Uncategorized

Bo Surf – Version 2Okay, I’ve had a bunch of people ask me what I’d like to see under the Christmas tree this year… so, here’s the wishlist. This list is over at amazon.com and they have some cool stuff, but don’t feel like you have to shop there. You are welcome to locate the little treasures anywhere you like and if you’re feeling particularly generous, go ahead and upgrade the electronic items. I’m not picky either — these treasures may be pre-owned.

Update 2016: We have this Chanticleer CD now. Now, if you move down the list, you will see Chanticleer’s We Sing Christmas — another splendid choral collection.Read the rest

Books • Literature Film Music

From The Telegraph Online:
Two of John Wayne’s best films from the 1950s – “The High and the Mighty” and “Island in the Sky” – have been missing in action for decades… the films, directed by William Wellman (“Wings,” “A Star Is Born”) and produced through the Duke’s own company, had fallen into disrepair… Already, “High and the Mighty” ranks No. 4 on Amazon.com’s presale orders list… Originally released in 1954, “The High and the Mighty” was one of the top-grossing films of the year and was nominated for six Oscars, including best director for Wellman and supporting actress nods for Jan Sterling and Claire Trevor; it won for Dimitri Tiomkin’s memorable score.

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Art • Design • Culture Film

To those serious Star Wars fans out there, please believe me when I say I mean no disrespect and I admit up front that there are some days I just shouldn’t go see a film (like the ill fated, rainy evening I viewed The Thin Red Line: but, that’s another blistering post). Here’s the problem: I usually don’t recognize I’m in one of my “moods” until about ten minutes into the movie and by then, it’s too late.

I’m sure the Revenge of the Sith is a fine film, but there were so many elements of the movie that I just found distracting or annoying and I couldn’t get past them.… Read the rest

Art • Design • Culture Film

I’d like you to meet my new mates from Australia:  Adrian the sound man and Malcolm the cameraman. They were sent to our home by Beyond International to film a vignette for the television program Medical Incredible on the Discovery Health Channel. Since my miraculous healing and recovery from necrotizing fasciitis, the flesh eating bacteria, I’ve been contacted a number of times by producers of similar programs, but our plans always fell through. So, I didn’t want to broadcast this adventure until it actually materialized.

It was so much fun. They shot me running over the hill to our house about five times, up and down our street a few times, and the entire length of Gethsemane St.… Read the rest

Film Life After NF Media Coverage Necrotizing Fasciitis Our Story

If a movie won’t be playing at a theater, will its fans still line up outside that theater for days and days? If we’re talking about “Star Wars” fans, the answer is a resounding “of course!” It says so right here: Star Wars Fans At Wrong Theater

Former Black Sabbath frontman Ozzy Osbourne donned his Emperor Palpatine getup and joined other diehard Star Wars fans outside the wrong theaterGrauman’s Chinese, for the latest installment of the legendary franchise. There was just one small problem: 20th Century Fox plans to open the film at the ArcLight theater, just a few blocks away.

ozzyOkay, so it’s not really Ozzy, but you have to admit there’s a real resemblance.… Read the rest

Art • Design • Culture Christianity • Religion Film Humor Just Plain Fun