Risen

This film is a testament...to the power of a great story. Of course, it’s easy to succeed in creating an engrossing film when you begin with the Crucifixion; that gets the viewer's attention right off the bat. The movie was clearly made with a believer’s perspective in mind; it’s not crude religious propaganda like the Left Behind series, but there’s no mistaking that the movie was made as a statement of faith. That’s what makes the result so interesting: the story begins with the premise of an alternative explanation for the events at the end of the Gospels: Jesus’ followers simply stole his corpse and proclaimed him risen from the dead. And while the plot clearly hews to the dogmatic narrative, that bit of doubt still hangs in the mind of the not-completely convinced viewer. You could see how things might have played out, with similar results, without much in the way of a miracle happening. It should be noted, however, that the film succeeds in moviemaking terms as well as within the parameters of evangelism. Mostly, this is Joseph Fiennes’ show, and he performs admirable work as a Roman tribune who comes to believe, if not understand, what he sees. You don’t have to be a heavy-duty--or even a casual--Christian to find both the appeal and the entertainment with this film; even an honest skeptic would agree that it’s well worth a look.

Spotlight

A lot of "important" movies move at a measured pace, as in the sort of slow, subtle, and deliberate pace that often comes across as ponderous and perhaps even boring. There's a lot of danger of that with this movie. However, as the film unfolds, it becomes clear that the movie's measured pace--its careful unfolding of its plot and narrative components--is actually good storytelling, in that it helps the impact of the story's revelations hit the viewers in the audience with the magnitude of the subject matter with the same ever-expanding and developing horror that the characters in the story experience themselves. The ultimate impact is an emotional gut-punch that only the most stoic viewer can shrug off without feeling a sense of tragedy, anger, and grief. I don't know if this film truly merited a Best Picture award--the presentation is professional but never achieves transcendent art--but it merits a lot of respect and admiration, and it certainly deserves your time and attention.

Philomena

Wow, and I thought I hated nuns before seeing this movie. You might feel the same way after watching this tragic tale, which is disheartening but not so heavy that it can't walk the thin line between too much truth and entertainment. Steve Coogan holds his own against an acting mainstay like Judy Dench (who both give excellent performances), and gets major kudos for also co-producing the film and co-writing the sharp, insightful screenplay. When it's all put together, you get a film worthy of its Oscar nominations (including Best Picture) and well worth your time.

Noah

If it had been all theology, this movie would have been a dud. With the human dimensions added to the story--which is already at its core a pretty good story--the equation changes in this flick's favor. It still suffers somewhat from its bible story origins--pieces of the narrative feel like those children's books based on the scriptures that your weird aunt or uncle gives you for a birthday present--but the overall effect of good performances, interesting direction, and universal themes make the movie worth the effort.

The Third Miracle

Somewhat timely, given the recent (2005) events in Rome. This is not about a Pope dying, but it's the story of a doubtful priest--expertly played by Ed Harris--and his investigation into the case for a possible new saint. There's some shaky romance--of all things--between Harris's priest and the daughter of the saint-to-be (Anne Heche), and that part of the story rings false. But, as a sincere and thoughtful exploration of faith, faith lost, faith regained, and just plain living, the movie has depth and real appeal. A word of warning for the denominationally rigid: this one is very Catholic in its outlook.