Although still a young filmmaker, M. Night Shyamalan has already received both widespread praise and derision for his work. After receiving praise early on for writing and directing movies like “The Sixth Sense” and “Signs,” Shyamalan’s faced a critical backlash over some of his most recent pictures, including “The Happening” and this year’s “The Last Airbender.” His latest movie is the thriller “Devil,” which he produced and wrote the story for. Although it doesn’t recapture the greatness of some of his earlier films, “Devil”  is still worth seeing.

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The story opens with a man committing suicide by jumping out of an office building. A pair of detectives arrive to investigate the scene. However, it is not the man who went “down” who merits an investigation. It is the five people who are going up — on an elevator, that is.

Shortly after the suicide, five strangers enter an elevator in a nearby building, when it suddenly breaks down. The three men and two women are now stuck and immediately dislike each other and begin arguing. One awkwardly sings a tune to liven up the mood which only annoys the other four.

Unfortunately, the elevator passengers aren’t just annoying to one another. These mean and unlikable five are also annoying to the viewer stuck watching them. Thankfully, after these lame characters are introduced, momentum is quickly regained.  (more…)

What is the difference between art and entertainment?

There is, obviously, some overlap: Not all art entertains (though some does); not all entertainment is art (though some is).  At bottom, it seems, the difference is one of intent – the artist seeks to connect us with larger meanings, larger truths about the world, about ourselves.  The primary focus of art is therefore to illuminate, with any entertainment had in the process merely a bonus.

The goal of the entertainer, on the other hand, is perhaps less sublime, though no less worthy – to distract, to tickle, to stimulate the fancy.  Entertainment is at bottom diversion, and I say this without a trace of disdain – often it is the quality and quantity of our diversions which makes the difference between a joyful life and a merely bearable one.

One year ago this weekend, a beating black heart pulsed in summer’s midst: The Dark Knight.  It was big-budget, comic book based franchise movie, made for popcorn eaters seeking suitable summer diversion.  And It delivered beyond the filmmakers wildest expectations – the masses were so entertained that they lifted it up into the box office stratosphere in grateful recompense. (more…)

At the very heart of the Christian way of life is the belief that we individual Christians, no matter what our faith, can best effect society with gentle nudges towards God by living a Christ-like life the best we possibly can, while recognizing at the same time that there has in fact only ever been one real Christian to walk the Earth – Jesus.  We’re not capable of that kind of perfection. We know this. We are merely asked to try.

Secularists don’t know that simple fact about faith and feel threatened by their own ignorance, which quickly spirals into enmity as a defense against what they deeply fear is the truth. After all, Pride is what made the Devil. And the Devil’s main goal is your total separation from any kind of relationship with God, which can easily be described as anxiety, loneliness, fear, panic attacks, suicide…anything to get you away from sincerely trying to follow God. In other words, people of faith go to church while secularists go to therapy.   (more…)