Recently Reviewed DVD: SFC Editor's Verdict On... Enchanted (2007) A classic Disney animated fairy tale meets with the modern, live-action romantic comedy in Walt Disney Pictures' Enchanted. Featuring an all-star cast, Enchanted follows the beautiful princess Giselle (Amy Adams) as she is banished by an evil queen (Susan Sarandon) from her magical, musical animated land and finds herself in the gritty reality of the streets of modern-day Manhattan. Shocked by this strange new environment that doesn't operate on a "happily ever after" basis, Giselle is now adrift in a chaotic world badly in need of enchantment. But when Giselle begins to fall in love with a charmingly flawed divorce lawyer (Patrick Dempsey) who has come to her aid, even though she is already promised to a perfect fairy tale prince (James Marsden) back home, she has to wonder: can a storybook view of romance survive in the real world? Comments and opinions are now open to all for this film.
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Because of Winn-Dixie (2005) Discover what happens when you go looking for a miracle and a miracle comes looking for you... A 10-year-old girl (Robb), abandoned by her mother when she was three, moves to a small town in Florida with her father (Daniels), a preacher. While there, she adopts a stray dog whom she names after the local supermarket where he was found. With her goofy pooch by her side, she meets an eclectic group of townspeople and rekindles an almost lost relationship with her father.Comments and opinions are now open to all for this film.
Recently Reviewed DVD: SFC Editor's Verdict On... Cars (2006) Lightning McQueen (voiced by Owen Wilson) is a cocky, rookie race car. Speeding on his way to a big race, he crashes into Radiator Springs, destroying lots of the inhabitants' belongings! In order to make up for what he did, the raucous roadster is sentenced to community service. Though he will do anything to get away from the work, McQueen must learn to respect and bond with the Radiator Springs inhabitants in order to get out of the town and back on the racetrack... Comments and opinions are now open to all for this film.
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Martian Child (2007) Based on an award-winning short story by sci-fi luminary David Gerrold, Martian Child sees John Cusack as a recently widowed science-fiction writer who forms an unlikely family with a close friend (Amanda Peet) and a young boy he adopts who claims to be from Mars. The new couple ignore some sage parenting advice from the widower's sister (Joan Cusack) and get more than they bargained for when a series of strange occurrences lead them to believe that the child's claim may be true!Comments and opinions are now open to all for this film.
Recently Reviewed DVD: SFC Editor's Verdict On... I Am Legend (2007) The last man on earth is not alone. Will Smith portrays that lone survivor in I Am Legend, the action epic fusing heart pounding excitement with a mind blowing vision of a desolated Manhattan. Some how immune to an unstoppable, incurable virus, military virologist Robert Neville (Smith) is now the last human survivor in New York City and maybe the world. But he is not alone. Mutant plague victims lurk in the shadows... watching Neville's every move... waiting for him to make a fatal mistake. Perhaps mankind's last hope, Neville is driven by only one remaining mission: to find an antidote using his own immune blood. But he knows he is outnumbered... and quickly running out of time.Comments and opinions are now open to all for this film.
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Lars and the Real Girl (2007) Lars and the Real Girl stars Ryan Gosling as Lars Lindstrom, a loveable introvert whose emotional baggage has kept him from fully embracing life. After years of lonely solityude, Lars invites Bianca, a friend he met on the internet, to visit him in his home town. His family and friends are not only relieved but also excited to meet the girl who has brought Lars out of his shell! When Lars introduces Bianca to his brother Gus (paul Schneider) and his wife Karen (Emily Mortimer) they are stunned as Bianca turns out to be a life-size doll whom Lars is treating as a real person! After consulting with the family doctor, Lars' family and friends are instructed to along with his delusion - resulting in an emotional journey for Lars and the poeple around him! Comments and opinions are now open to all for this film.
Recently Reviewed DVD: SFC Editor's Verdict On... Half Nelson (2006) Dan Dunne (Ryan Gosling) is a young inner-city junior high school teacher whose ideals wither and die in the face of reality. Day after day in his shabby Brooklyn classroom, he somehow finds the energy to inspire his 13 and 14-year-olds to examine everything from civil rights to the Civil War with a new enthusiasm. Rejecting the standard curriculum in favour of an edgier approach, Dan teaches his students how change works - on both a historical and personal scale - and how to think for themselves. Though Dan is brilliant, dynamic, and in control in the classroom, he spends his time outside school on the edge of consciousness. His disappointments and disillusionment have led to a serious drug habit. He juggles his hangovers and his homework, keeping his lives separated, until one of his troubled students, Drey (Shareeka Epps), catches him getting high after school. Comments and opinions are now open to all for this film.
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Rescue Dawn (2006) Christian Bale and Steve Zahn star in Rescue Dawn, an action drama by Werner Herzog, based on the director's acclaimed 1997 documentary, Little Dieter Needs to Fly. The film recounts the true story of German-born Dieter Dengler, who dreams of being a pilot and eventually makes his way to the United States, where he joins the military during the Vietnam War era. Shot down and captured in Vietnam, Dieter, along with a handfull of other captives, decide to hatch an escape plan before it's too late. Comments and opinions are now open to all for this film.
Recently Reviewed DVD: SFC Editor's Verdict On... The Greatest game Ever Played (2005) The story is based on a real-life event, the 1913 U.S. Open golf championship, at which two equally sympathetic young men, both of whom grew up economically and socially disadvantaged, go club to club in one of the most exciting and dramatic athletic events of the early 20th century. Though British star Harry Vardon (Stephen Dillane) and the young American prodigy Francis Ouimet (Shia LaBoeuf) hail from opposite sides of the Atlantic, the struggles that the two young golfers have had to overcome are markedly similar; both grew up in hard-scrabble, working-class homes that happened to be adjacent to golf courses, and both were preternaturally disposed to the game. In addition, both must defy the disdain of the golfing gentry.Comments and opinions are now open to all for this film.
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The Upside of Anger (2005) Sometimes what tears us apart helps us put it back together. Starring Joan Allen and Kevin Costner, The Upside of Anger, spans three years of a woman's life following her husband's sudden disappearance. Terry Wolfmeyer (Allen), an affluent suburban Detroit wife and mother, goes from a paragon of sweetness to a volcano of rage in the wake of her husband's desertion; she thinks he has jetted off to Sweden with his Swedish secretary. Barely holding it together for her four daughters (distinctively played by Alicia Witt, Keri Russell, Erika Christensen, and Evan Rachel Wood), Terry fitfully adjusts while befriending Denny Davies (Costner), a retired baseball player and radio personality up the street who shares her love of the all-day cocktail hour. Comments and opinions are now open to all for this film.
Recently Reviewed DVD: SFC Editor's Verdict On... The Counterfeiters (2007) The Counterfeiters is the incredible true story of the largest counterfeiters operation in history, set up by the Nazis in 1936. Salomon "Sally" Sorowitsch is the king of counterfeiters. He lives a bourgeios life of cards, booze and women. Suddenly his luck runs out when he's arrested and thrown into a Nazi concentration camp. His exceptional skills are spotted and he is forced to help the nazis in an organized counterfeit operation set up to help finance the war effort and flood the British and American economies with fake currency. Faced with a moral dilemma, Salomon must decide whether his actions, which could prolong the war and risk the lives of fellow prisoners, are ultimately the right ones. Comments and opinions are now open to all for this film.
Interview with:
Jewish-Catholic Author Roy Schoeman Midway through a career of teaching on the faculty of the Harvard Business School Roy Schoeman experienced an unexpected and instantaneous conversion to Christianity which led to a dramatic refocus of his activities. Since then he has pursued theological studies at several seminaries, helped produce and host a Catholic Television talk show, and written two acclaimed books: Salvation is from the Jews: The Role of Judaism in Salvation History and Honey from the Rock: Sixteen Jews find the Sweetness of Christ. Soul Food Cinema Editor Mark Banks caught up with Roy at a recent conference in Berkshire, England, to get Roy's thoughts on the movies, including The Passion of The Christ, The Song of Bernadette and Babette's Feast.
Recently Reviewed DVD: SFC Editor's Verdict On... Ha-Ushpizin (2004) Winner of the 2004 Best Actor award at the 2004 Israeli Film Academy for writer-star Shuli Rand, Ushpizin is a heart warming and light hearted look at the daily lives of ultra-Orthodox Jews learning, living and loving in modern-day Israel. Following the story of a family facing hardships, they must rely on their faith for miracles to happen during the holiday season. Inspiring, heartwarming and uplifting, Ushpizin is a critically acclaimed film that regardless of faith or religion, everybody can enjoy. Comments and opinions are now open to all for this film.
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Once (2006) Once is the inspirational tale of two kindred spirits who find each other on the bustling streets of Dublin. One is a street musician who lacks the confidence to perform his own songs, and thus works part-time helping his father, who runs a small, vacuum cleaner repair business, whilst he dreams of landing a record deal. The other is a young mother trying to find her way in a strange new town. She works as a house cleaner in an upper-class residence and is struggling financially, yearning for a piano she cannot afford. As their lives intertwine, they discover each other's talents and push one another to realise what each had only dreamt about before. Once is the inspiring story of their budding love for one another. Comments and opinions are now open to all for this film.
Recently Reviewed DVD: SFC Editor's Verdict On... The March of the Penguins (DOC) (2005) Coming from a French director, Luc Jacquet, the Oscar-winning family documentary March of The Penguins would have to be a love story. And it is, in that it follows the mating rituals of the emperor penguin, one of the most resilient animals on earth. Each summer, after a nourishing period of deep-sea feeding, the penguins pop up onto the ice and begin their procession across the frozen tundra of Antarctica. Walking in single file, they are a sight to behold. Hundreds converge from every direction, moving instinctively toward their mating ground. Once there, they mingle and chatter until they find the perfect mate - a monogamous match that will last a year, through the brutal winter and into the spring. Comments and opinions are now open to all for this film.
New Article Added: A Comparison of Opinions on the Most Famous Wizard in the World: The Double Face of Harry Potter Earlier this year (January 15th 2008), The Vatican's Official Newspaper L'Osservatore Romano published an article on Harry Potter entitled 'A Comparison of Opinions on the Most Famous Wizard in the World: The Double Face of Harry Potter'. The article was widely reported on both in the Catholic as well as Secular press. However, as is so often the case, only one side of the story was reported on in most of these publications. The following pages provide an English translation of this article (made up of two essays) so that you may judge for yourself whether the attention the essay speaking out against Harry Potter received, was deserved or not. Comments and verdicts on the Harry Potter films can be left on the Harry Potter Saga (2001 to 2007) film page.
New Cinema Release: Your Verdict Wanted On... Dark Knight (2008) Following on from Batman Begins, director Christopher Nolan and Christian Bale reunite for The Dark Knight. With the help of Lieutenant Jim Gordon and newly appointed District Attorney Harvey Dent, Batman sets out to dismantle the remaining criminal organizations that plague the city streets. The partnership proves to be effective, but they soon find themselves prey to a reign of chaos unleashed by a rising criminal mastermind known to the terrified citizens of Gotham as The Joker (as played by Heath Ledger). Comments and opinions are now open to all for this film.
Interview with: Catholic Film-studies Student and Blogger Rebecca Christian. Soul Food Cinema now has its first team member on board: Rebecca Christian - a Catholic and third-year film-studies student, majoring in screenwriting - will report from Los Angeles once every quarter, discussing the latest developments in the world of faith and film. Rebecca writes her blog (catholicinfilmschool.stblogs.com) that she manages to update on an almost daily basis. Soul Food Cinema Editor Mark Banks caught up with Rebecca via a London to San Diego Skype webcam call.
Recently Reviewed DVD: SFC Editor's Verdict On... Maria Full of Grace (2004) Maria Alvarez (Catalina Sandino), a bright, spirited 17-year old, lives with three generations of her family in a cramped house in rural Colombia. Desperate to leave her job stripping thorns from flowers in a rose plantation, Maria accepts a lucrative offer to transport packets of heroin-which she must swallow-to the United States. The ruthless world of international drug trafficking proves to be more than Maria bargained for as she becomes ultimately entangled with both drug cartels and immigration officials. The dramatic thriller builds toward a conclusion so powerful and revealing it could only be based on a thousand true stories. Comments and opinions are now open to all for this film.
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North Country (2005) 'North Country' features on the USCCB's Top-10 films of 2005 list and now on the SFC Top 100 Films list. A fictionalised account of the first successful sexual harassment case in the United States. When Josey Aimes (Academy Award winner Charlize Theron) returns to her hometown in Northern Minnesota after a failed marriage, she needs a good job. A single mother with two children to support, she turns to the predominant source of employment in the region - the iron mines. It's an industry long dominated by men, in a place unaccustomed to change. She is prepared for the back-breaking and often dangerous work, but coping with the harassment she and the other female miners encounter from their male co-workers proves far more challenging. Comments and opinions are now open to all for this film.
Recently Reviewed DVD: SFC Editor's Verdict On... The Kite Runner (2007)
'The Kite Runner' features in the USCCB Top 10 list for 2007, the Christianity Today Top 10 list for 2007, and now the SFC Top 100.The Kite Runner is based on Khaled Hosseini's best-selling novel about Amir, a well-to-do Pashtun boy from Afghanistan, who is still haunted by the guilt of betraying his childhood friend Hassan, son of a family servant. Having lived in California for a number of years, Amir returns home to a Taliban-controlled Afghanistan to help Hassan, when his son gets into trouble. Comments and opinions are now open to all for this film.
New Cinema Release: Your Verdict Wanted On... WALL·E (2008)
'WALL·E' is a new release and does not feature on any list quoted on Soul Food Cinema. The year is 2700 and the Earth is polluted, baron and exhausted. Wall-E is the last of a group of clean-up robots, sent to restore the Earth by lifting and compressing the endless quantities of rubbish left behind by a human race that has withdrawn to the safety of space. Wall-E spends every day doing what he was made for on the lonely, silent Earth. His only companion is his trusty pet cockroach, Spot. But soon, he will discover what he was meant for as he chases his dream across the galaxy.Comments and opinions are now open to all for this film.
New Cinema Release: Your Verdict Wanted On... The Visitor (2007)
'The Visitor' is a new release and does not feature on any list quoted on this site. Sixty-two-year old Walter Vale (Jenkins) is sleepwalking through his life. Having lost his passion for teaching and writing, he fills the void by unsuccessfully trying to learn to play classical piano. When his college sends him to manhattan to attend a conference, Walter is surprised to find a young couple has taken up residence in his apartment. Victims of a real estate scam, Tarek (Haaz Sleiman) and Zainab (Danai Gurira) have nowhere else to go. In the first of a series of tests of the heart, Walter reluctantly allows the couple to stay with him, a decision which completely changes his life... Forever.Comments and opinions are now open to all for this film.
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Recently Reviewed DVD: SFC Editor's Verdict On... August Rush (2007)
'August Rush' now feautres in the Soul Food Cinema Top 100 films list. August Rush tells the story of a charismatic young Irish guitarist (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) and a sheltered young cellist (Keri Russell) who have a chance encounter one magical night above New York's Washington Square, but are soon torn apart, leaving in their wake an infant, August Rush, orphaned by circumstance. Now performing on the streets of New York and cared for by a mysterious stranger (Robin Williams), August (Freddie Highmore) uses his remarkable musical talent to seek the parents from whom he was separated at birth. Comments and opinions are now open to all for this film.
New Cinema Release: Your Verdict Wanted On... Kung Fu Pander (2008)
'Kung Fu Pander' is a new release and does not feature on any list quoted on Soul Food Cinema. Po's an apprentice noodle maker who daydreams of fighting alongside the stars of the Kung Fu world. Through a twist of fate, Po is unexpectedly picked to do just that and save the valley from the viciou Tai Lung in the process. Even though Po is just a beginner, he isn't about to give up, and he sets about to prove the naysayers wrong... In the process, he finds that his greatest weaknesses may just be his greatest strengths. Comments and opinions are now open to all for this film.
Recently Reviewed DVD: SFC Editor's Verdict On... Flags of Our Fathers & Letters from Iwo Jima (2006)
'Flags of Our Fathers & Letters from Iwo Jima' feature on the USCCB's Top 10 list of 2006. February 1945. Even as victory in Europe was finally within reach, the war in the Pacific raged on. One of the most crucial and bloodiest battles of the war was the struggle for the island of Iwo Jima, which culminated with what would become one of the most iconic images in history: five Marines and a Navy corpsman raising the American flag on Mount Suribachi. The inspiring photo capturing that moment became a symbol of victory to a nation that had grown weary of war and made instant heroes of the six American soldiers at the base of the flag, some of whom would die soon after, never knowing that they had been immortalized. Comments and opinions are now open to all for this film.
New Cinema Release: Your Verdict Wanted On... The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (2008)
'... Prince Caspian' is a new release and does not feature on any list quoted on this site. The characters of C.S. Lewis’s timeless fantasy comes to life once again in this newest instalment of the ‘Chronicles of Narnia’ series, in which the Pevensie siblings are magically transported back from England to the world of Narnia, where a thrilling, perilous new adventure and an even greater test of their faith and courage awaits them. The three siblings, Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy, are pulled back into the land of Narnia, where a thousand years has passed since they left. The children are once again enlisted to join the colorful creatures of Narnia in combating an evil villain who prevents the rightful Prince from ruling the land. Comments and opinions are now open to all for this film.
Recently Reviewed DVD: SFC Editor's Verdict On... Bella (2006)
'Bella' features on Christianity Today's Top 10 list of 2007, the USCCB's Top 10 list of 2007 and now the Top 100 Films list on SFC. An international soccer star is on his way to sign a multi-million dollar contract when a series of events unfold that bring his career to an abrupt end. A beautiful waitress, struggling to make it in new York city, discovers something about herself that she's unprepared for. In one irreversible moment their lives are turned upside down, until a simple gesture of kindness brings them both together, turning an ordinary day into an unforgettable experience. Bella is a heartwarming tale of friendship, family and our capacity for love in the face of the unexpected. Comments and opinions are now open to all for this film.
New Cinema Release: Your Verdict Wanted On... Horton Hears a Who! (2008)
'Horton Hears a Who!' is a new release and does not feature on any list quoted on this site. This adaption of Dr. Seuss' 1954 children's book Horton Hears A Who features Jim Carrey and Steve Carrel in this timeless classic tale! One day, Horton the elephant hears a cry from help coming from a speck of dust. Even though he can't see anyone on the speck, he decides to help it. As it turns out, the speck of dust is home to the Whos, who live in their city of Whoville. Horton agrees to help protect the Whos and their home, but this gives him nothing but torment from his neighbors, who refuse to believe that anything could survive on the speck. Still, Horton stands by the motto that, "After all, a person is a person, no matter how small". Comments and opinions are now open to all for this film.
