Film Friday

In the online movie Testament (you can find it here at angel.com) Luke is going around collecting stories about Jesus. I have often thought of Luke as journalist, gathering reports and …

Fame is bad for you. Sorry to be so unequivocal about it, perhaps it’s fairer to say, too much fame is bad for you. It’s certainly the thought I was …

Watching the latest Avatar movie – The Way of Water – it seems to me that in this age where many see no great overarching truth in life, we still long for …

The film Imagine That is about high-flying executive Evan Danielson and his young daughter Olivia. Evan’s career is not in a good way, but when he starts to spend time with Olivia …

The Swimmers is based on the true story of Syrian sisters Yusra and Sara Mardini who escaped their war-torn country on a journey that included a plane, trucks, buses, cars, …

The film Living is set in the 1950s and is about Mr Williams, a dedicated office worker who discovers he does not have long left on this earth. This makes him examine himself and …

The title of this film comes from the Bible, from one of the Psalms – 22 verse 20, ‘Save my precious life from the sword and from the power of …

Back in 1976 Maurice Flitcroft entered The British Open Golf Championship. He’d never played a round of golf in his life and became famous for making the highest score in …

‘I am you and you are me.’ So says Kempton Bunton when he finds himself in court accused of stealing the painting of the Duke of Wellington. Kempton wanted to …

This film features one of the most intense and gripping fight scenes I’ve seen in a good long while, as the two leads, Jean de Carrouges and Jacques Le Gris …

This film is famous for two lines – ‘Show me the money!’ and ‘You had me at… hello.’ Jerry is a sports agent who one night sees things so clearly …

I recently read in the news that gleaning is making a comeback – groups of folks are collecting leftover veg from fields that have been harvested, and they are then …

One of my favourite films – Will Smith, aka Robert Dean, goes on the run when he gets caught up in some unpleasant shenanigans with some nasty villainous-types. It’s a …

I love the moment in this film when Jamal, having jumped into a latrine pit filled with… well, you can guess… then pushes his way through a horrified crowd to …

In this 1980s screwball comedy four patients with personality disorders are taken out by their understanding doctor for a trip to a ball game. What could possibly go wrong? Well, …

In this riveting tale of a Belfast family, set in 1969 as the troubles were escalating, we see life in its fullness. Celebration, fear, hope and heartache are all writ …

In this film the character of Louis struggles to connect with the world and others, it is only when he falls in love with his sisters’ governess Emily, that he …

There is a moment I love in Grease, when Danny is posing with his mates, trying to be cool for them and to impress the girls. And then he makes …

In Nevil Shute’s classic tale an Australian soldier is crucified for helping a group of refugee women and children wandering across Malaya during World War Two. Some of the group …

In this tale of Mr Dickens writing his bestseller A Christmas Carol, Charlie has a kind of writer’s block. He cannot finish his festive masterpiece. For one simple reason. He …

‘There’s a place for us, somewhere, a place for us… peace and quiet and open air, wait for us there… we’ll find a new way of living… a way of …

When Callie and her kids, Trevor and Phoebe, are ousted from their home they move to their late grandfather’s old dirt farm in small-town Oklahoma. They find a crooked house …

Musical producer Jonathan Larson is struggling to get his new show off the ground, but that doesn’t stop him from celebrating life with his friends in his small apartment. In …

No this is not a film about the accident-prone Frank, but rather ‘a fable of a true tragedy’ about Princess Diana. Her story is one that keeps on being retold, …

Having just completed a few days of speaking and using films to open up the theme of darkness and light, I’m struck again by the way these stories make great …

As Tom makes his final trip back to Land’s End from John o’ Groats there are many moments of courage and kindness. In fact, Tom goes viral as the unlikely …

I remember years ago coming across the phrase, ‘It costs to be honest.’ Subverting the saying, ‘It pays to be honest.’ Well, reformed bank robber Tom certainly discovers that when …

This biopic of Aretha Franklin charts her rise to fame, from the days when, as a child, she was already an extraordinary singer, to her 1972 gospel concert. But her …

‘Don’t have a good day – have a great day!’ So says Guy to those he meets each morning. Guy is living the perfect life – or so he thinks. …

London 1960. With the cold war humming away and the threat of it escalating into a nuclear event, the CIA need a little help. They are thin on the ground …

So, Mr Bond is back, and let’s face it, we’d been expecting him. For quite a while. And he’s up against Spectre once more, the evil organisation with another plot …

Rory O’Hara has his heart set on wealth and success, so much so that he often cannot see the wood for the trees, or reality for his delusions. He buys …

In a waterlogged and dystopian city, Nick and Emily offer the chance to revisit and replay past memories. However there is always the danger that clients will revisit too often …

In this romantic comedy there is a moment when young Sam tries to say farewell to the love of his life but is stopped in his tracks at airport security. …

I’ll be the first to admit that this film is strange in places, an unusual retelling of the life of Jesus. However, it also has some fantastic moments. Like the …

In this understated tale a quiet yet determined elderly gent, Tom, embarks on a mission, which takes him on the country’s longest bus ride, from John o’ Groats to Land’s …

There is a great light-hearted moment in this movie when Black Widow’s sister, Yelena, challenges her about why she adopts her dramatic fighting poses all the time. Yelena drops awkwardly …

John Grisham’s compelling tale of dastardly doings in a Memphis law firm is nearly 30 years old now, but it still looks as good as ever. Mitch McDeere is a …

When caveman Grug and his Crood family find a walled paradise, the home of the Bettermans, they think they have discovered the tomorrow they have been looking for, life will …

There is a telling moment early on in this film when Mia, working in a coffee shop, serves coffee to a famous movie star. We don’t know who it is …

On her way to becoming Cruella de Vil, the reckless and gifted Estella gets a job working at the Baroness’s elite dressmaking company. She quickly impresses the Baroness with her …

When Elliot Ness decides to take on Al Capone he discovers something – there is a shortage of trustworthy cops in Chicago. Corruption has seeped into all walks of life. …

Jan is bored and weary. Her life lacks spark. Then she notices a copy of Horse and Hounds and an idea is born. She is going to breed a racehorse. …

Bea’s tales of Peter and his friends are taking off, the books are selling like, well – hot cross bunnies. But when a big company comes knocking, wanting to take …

It is sometimes said that life in this modern world (or is it post-modern, or post-post-modern, or post-post-post-modern, I’m unsure) favours the young. So much is angled towards them. Well, …

The powerful thing about this film is the way it plunges the viewer into a confusing world of disorientation. Characters from one scene look different in another, conversations you thought …

We are what we eat. Didn’t somebody once say that? This week I managed to watch a couple of movies, both about that great place of worship – McDonald’s! We …

Do you have a favourite movie? It’s a question I sometimes ask when doing talks about film and faith. It’s a question I find hard to answer these days, I’ve …

When I first saw this in 1989 I thought it was interesting and okay. It was only years later, when life was collapsing around us, that I revisited the film …