|
Really? Why was Dafoe a bad choice? He's the highlight of the film for me.
|
# ? May 8, 2014 01:51 |
|
|
# ? May 25, 2024 14:04 |
|
I like a lot of it. There's something manic and uncomfortable about his preaching that I like. He really sells the idea of Jesus as radical. But I don't think he seems as vulnerable and approachable as I'd like. Part of what I love about the novel is that Jesus increasingly gets bolder as a prophet, but he is still this very insecure and frustrated guy in private. He really feels like this normal young man dealing with an impossible burden, and Dafoe just never feels that approachable and vulnerable in the film. The scene where he defends Magdaline is a good example. It's a good scene in terms of Jesus having presence and commanding people, but it also lacks the urgency to help Mary and what he gives up to save her. In this take on Jesus, Mary is the love of his life. And he's just cold throughout the scene. More than that, this event is portrayed as the beginning of his ascent as a prophet. To protect her, he has to give up any chance of ever being with her by beginning his ascent beyond the material world. It's a scene that's really made for film, but I don't think Dafoe really carries any of it. There's no real sense of doubt or passion. But I'll admit, it's hard for me not to project how I imagine the book onto the film.
|
# ? May 8, 2014 02:11 |
|
I loved the movie, it's probably my favourite religious movie, and Defoe's portrayal of Jesus as this man tormented by a destiny too big for himself was one of the major things I liked about it. That, and David Bowie as Pontius Pilate and the amazing Peter Gabriel soundtrack.
|
# ? May 8, 2014 02:56 |
|
Frackie Robinson posted:Take Shelter is the best faith-based movie to come out in the past decade.
|
# ? May 8, 2014 07:46 |
|
Ben Hur is probably still my favorite Christian movie. It's explicitly about Christianity, but it's about the good aspects of it; using a catalyst to help get over the negative aspects of oneself. It's a huge character story and personal journey about one man getting over his own hate, and family and friends finally able to convince him to do so. It just so happens that the turning point is seeing this really cool guy (Jesus) who is able to do so himself. And, he just happens to be rewarded at the end for doing so, magically.
|
# ? May 8, 2014 15:03 |
|
Dopilsya posted:I see your point on that, but do Muslims in Muslim countries make movies like these? Like, I can imagine films based around being a conversion tool, but it's hard for me to imagine that they would make them based around plots that are so....so loving trite. Which is something else that astounds me about these films--we live in a world where there are places that Christians are actually persecuted, but I've never heard of an American Christian movie where the plot centers around churches getting shut down in China or something, instead its always crying about how a professor persecuted me and took away my rights by telling me that evolution is a fact when everyone knows it's only a theory! Hah. You think the people that make or watch these movies are concerned with people that are actually persecuted? They're made for first-worlders that need to feed their persecution complex.
|
# ? May 8, 2014 17:15 |
|
Timeless Appeal posted:I like a lot of it. There's something manic and uncomfortable about his preaching that I like. He really sells the idea of Jesus as radical. But I don't think he seems as vulnerable and approachable as I'd like. Part of what I love about the novel is that Jesus increasingly gets bolder as a prophet, but he is still this very insecure and frustrated guy in private. He really feels like this normal young man dealing with an impossible burden, and Dafoe just never feels that approachable and vulnerable in the film. The scene where he defends Magdaline is a good example. It's a good scene in terms of Jesus having presence and commanding people, but it also lacks the urgency to help Mary and what he gives up to save her. In this take on Jesus, Mary is the love of his life. And he's just cold throughout the scene. More than that, this event is portrayed as the beginning of his ascent as a prophet. To protect her, he has to give up any chance of ever being with her by beginning his ascent beyond the material world. It's a scene that's really made for film, but I don't think Dafoe really carries any of it. There's no real sense of doubt or passion. That's fair, it's impossible not to.
|
# ? May 8, 2014 17:49 |
|
MonsieurChoc posted:I loved the movie, it's probably my favourite religious movie, and Defoe's portrayal of Jesus as this man tormented by a destiny too big for himself was one of the major things I liked about it. I've never seen Last Temptation, but Jesus Christ Superstar has my favorite Pilate. Now I'm imagining David Bowie playing that part though.
|
# ? May 8, 2014 18:34 |
|
Last Temptation is incredibly good. I just rewatched it and now I have The Gospel According to St. Matthew checked out from the library, I'm excited to see how the two compare.
|
# ? May 8, 2014 20:47 |
|
How did the christian community respond to "Saved!"? I always thought that was a fairly decent movie but didn't really notice any outrage upon its release despite the film having what I would think to be some pretty blasphemous material.
|
# ? May 13, 2014 19:46 |
|
Esroc posted:How did the christian community respond to "Saved!"? I always thought that was a fairly decent movie but didn't really notice any outrage upon its release despite the film having what I would think to be some pretty blasphemous material. That wasn't really a big movie though, was it? I wouldn't be surprised if most people just never heard of it.
|
# ? May 13, 2014 22:05 |
|
Esroc posted:How did the christian community respond to "Saved!"? I always thought that was a fairly decent movie but didn't really notice any outrage upon its release despite the film having what I would think to be some pretty blasphemous material. I was raised in a christian environment around the time that movie came out. I recall most of the outrage came from the fact that Mandy Moore was in it, and she had actually done a few movies based on Christian books prior to that. I believe the reaction I recall was that a lot of Christians I knew weren't thrilled with the portrayal of Christian schools and such.
|
# ? May 17, 2014 08:20 |
|
Life of Brian. Can't belive I haven't seen this one here yet.
|
# ? May 17, 2014 10:42 |
|
Years and years ago I saw a trailer where a guy from the past comes to the present and is shocked by modern day people taking the lords name in vain. Any one know what this was? And is it a comedy or a christen film?
|
# ? Jun 17, 2014 07:13 |
|
Devil was pretty good.
|
# ? Jun 17, 2014 09:39 |
|
Dr_Amazing posted:Years and years ago I saw a trailer where a guy from the past comes to the present and is shocked by modern day people taking the lords name in vain. Any one know what this was? And is it a comedy or a christen film? "Past" is kind of vague. Do you mean recent past or like a medieval dude? There are two that could match that kind of vague description, one is Blast from the Past with Brendan Frasier and is a comedy. The other is a drama and I can't remember the name, but the premise is a dude is frozen in a government experiment and then forgotten about for several decades and eventually some kids accidentally wake him up. Either could have the protagonist offended by the overuse "god" and "Jesus", but neither are Christian films.
|
# ? Jun 17, 2014 12:00 |
|
I don't remember really well, but I'd say like mid 1800s or Victorian era. I'm thinking it was a christian film because I think he went time traveling to make a point about how lack of Jesus was going to lead to a decline in society.
|
# ? Jun 17, 2014 13:13 |
|
Was it Time Changer? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OzdeLDeU9w0
|
# ? Jun 17, 2014 15:38 |
|
|
# ? May 25, 2024 14:04 |
|
Atlas Hugged posted:"Past" is kind of vague. Do you mean recent past or like a medieval dude? There are two that could match that kind of vague description, one is Blast from the Past with Brendan Frasier and is a comedy. The other is a drama and I can't remember the name, but the premise is a dude is frozen in a government experiment and then forgotten about for several decades and eventually some kids accidentally wake him up. Either could have the protagonist offended by the overuse "god" and "Jesus", but neither are Christian films. The second movie you mention is Forever Young, with Mel Gibson.
|
# ? Jun 17, 2014 16:10 |