Inside this issue...
And the Oscar goes to...Hi <<First Name>>, Do you ever watch the Oscars® and wonder, "What were they thinking?" as the winners are announced? Or do your selections usually line up with the voters? I was thrilled that Slumdog Millionaire won eight of the 10 awards it was nominated for. Even though it was an audience favorite going in, it didn’t fit the usual mold of Best Picture winners.
It’s set in India, normally known for "Bollywood" films. All of the actors are Indian, and none were nominated for Academy® Awards. It’s the only film in Academy history that was intended to go direct-to-video rather than have a theatrical release. And its opening weekend grossed less than $2 million, even in wide release.
Another audience favorite that won was Wall-E, from Pixar. The combination love story/cautionary tale was a box office hit and a critical success. Of course, what Pixar film isn’t? They excel at telling wonderful entertaining stories with strong values.
If you voted with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, what films would you choose? What actors deserve recognition for outstanding accomplishment in their fields?
Your vote does count for the Dove Foundation's Annual Crystal Seal Awards. These are given to those movies selected as the best family-friendly films of the year. Studio heads are presented with the prizes in person, so be sure to take the opportunity to make your voice heard in Hollywood.
From the screening room,
Angela Walker
ChristianMovieNews.com
Industry Interview
"The Secret Life of Bees" Director Gina Prince-Bythewood
by Angela Walker  Gina Prince-Bythewood is a director, writer, wife, mother and athlete. Married to director, writer and producer Reggie Rock Bythewood (Biker Boyz), she alternates projects with her husband so one of them is always home with their two small boys. Gina recently directed The Secret Life of Bees from a screenplay she wrote based on the popular novel. Set during the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s, it's a story of love, sisterhood and redemption, and the daunting journeys we all face in our quest for belonging. You had an earlier opportunity to develop “The Secret Life of Bees,” but it didn’t happen at that time. What was it like to release the property and then have it come back to you again?
Gina: Seven years ago, I didn’t read the book, so I didn’t read the story. I actually passed it up without reading it. Later I read it, and realized what a huge opportunity I missed out on. When it came back, I think it came back at the right time in my life. I don’t think I was emotionally ready or mature enough really to tell this story five or six years ago, and Dakota certainly wasn’t ready to do the film.
Alicia Keys and Jennifer Hudson, even Queen Latifah, none of us were ready at that time. [ Read more... ]
Veggie Tales Creator Phil Vischer Introduces JellyTellyIntroducing JellyTelly, an innovative and interactive multimedia experience for kids, straight from the creator of VeggieTales! The online children's network reaches beyond the traditions of television and DVD entertainment, offering 24-hour access to high-quality Christian programming to children ages 5-11. [ Read more... ]
New Documentary Reveals New Facts in Terri Schiavo CaseThe story of Terri Schiavo caused a nationwide uproar that garnered the attention of the worldwide media, the U.S. Congress, and even the office of the President of the United States. The ethical and cultural implications of her case are still being felt throughout society and continue to spark debate. In the newly-released documentary, The Terri Schiavo Story from Franklin Springs Family Media, previously unexplored facts of the case are revealed through in-depth interviews with participants on both sides of the issue. Hosted by author and speaker Joni Eareckson Tada, who became personally involved in the case in 2005, The Terri Schiavo Story sheds new light on the controversial decision that led to the death of a 41-year-old disabled woman. [ Read more... ]
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Wall-E Best Animated, Best Family, and Best Spiritual Film of 2008by Josh Kimball - Christian Post Disney’s Wall-E has been recognized as last year’s best movie for families, the best spiritual movie, and now the best feature-length animation.
The robot romance blockbuster won the Academy Award for animated feature on Sunday, beating out doggy hero flick Bolt and martial arts tale Kung Fu Panda. It had also been nominated for five other Academy® Awards, including original screenplay, original score, original song, sound editing, and sound mixing. [ Read more... ]
A "Slumdog" Kind of Nightby Angela Walker The 81st Annual Academy® Awards show celebrated a different kind of film last night. Slumdog Millionaire, which won eight awards, was based on a novel by an Indian writer, filmed in Mumbai, India, and included an Indian cast. This film, originally destined for a straight-to-DVD release in the United States, took the country by storm when Fox Searchlight Pictures picked it up and took a chance on a theatrical release. [ Read more... ]
Crystal Seal and Dove Award Winners
"A Powerful Noise Live" in Theaters March 8
by Greg Wright - Contributing Writer
In support of International Women’s Day on March 8, Fathom Events presents a unique nation-wide town-hall event on Thursday, March 5, called A Powerful Noise Live. The event includes a screening of the 90-minute documentary A Powerful Noise, followed by a simulcast panel discussion including Madeleine Albright, Christie Turlington, Natalie Portman, and others.
Guys: impress the heck out of your wife, and do her a huge favor. Even though times are tough, hire a babysitter, buy a couple of tickets, and take her to participate in this event.
The premise behind A Powerful Noise is that women can be a dynamic, positive force in the world by constructively raising their voices in their communities. In many ways, they can be far more effective than men, because there’s nothing quite like the impassioned plea of a host of women. Witness, for instance, the social change wrought in America’s suffrage movement, or through the protests of both Christian and Muslim women that ended violence in Liberia (documented in the recent film Pray the Devil Back to Hell).
The Dynamic Force of Women
A Powerful Noise makes the general case not by argumentation but by highlighting three specific instances of such constructive activism. In the African nation of Mali, "Madame Urbain" founded and heads APAF, an organization that educates illiterate women who migrate from the countryside to the city of Bamako in search of employment. In Vietnam, Bui My Hanh founded and operates Immortal Flower, an AIDS-awareness support group that works to de-stigmatize the disease in an effort to stem its spread. In Bosnia-Herzegovina, Nada Markovic founded Maya Kravica to heal the wounds between Muslims and Serbs in the wake of the Serbian genocide.
The pace of the film struck me as fairly slack. Cappello eschews voiceovers in favor of interspersed titling; but I found the effect soporific. I think the material would have been better served by the voice of a strong woman such as Holly Hunter, Sigourney Weaver, or Alfre Woodard.
But I’m also sure that I’m not the film’s ideal audience—which is women, who will undoubtedly be profoundly moved by the communal experience of sharing this fine and worthy film with a host of others… and, hopefully, with their husbands, partners, and lovers.
I strongly advocate helping make this world a slightly better place by participating in this once-in-a-blue-moon event.
[ Read the entire review ... ]
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