Can’t wait for this to release!

Ragamuffin -based on the life of Rich Mullins.

Set to release this year by Color Green Films in association with Kid Brothers of St. Frank Co.

It stars Mike Koch, David Schultz, Wolfgang Bodison, James Kyson and Mitch Mcvicker.

In addition, the producers are working on a second documentary film that contains footage they shot during the research phase of the movie. I’m looking forward to it as well – especially with interviews from Brennan Manning and other close friends and family members of Rich Mullins.

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Ragamuffin

Beautiful!

A revised version of David Bowie’s Space Oddity, recorded by Commander Chris Hadfield on board the International Space Station.

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Ground control to Major Tom…

This looks beautiful.

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This looks beautiful – Antarctica: A Year on Ice

Oregon-Portland-August 2009-13 anime theatre sepia | Photo by eprater

I love me some movies… especially those that tell a great story, make me think, teach me something new or challenge my way of thinking.

Perhaps that’s why I really appreciate the art of documentary.

With the holidays coming up, a lot of us will have more downtime than normal. So rather than popping the same ole’ comedy into the DVD player, try some of these thought-provoking documentaries on for size.

If you have a Netflix account, most of these can be viewed instantly on your computer (Wii, mobile phone or any other Netflix enabled device.)

Food, Inc. – Probably one of the most thought provoking documentaries I’ve seen recently and one that’s caused me to do the most re-thinking of things on a daily basis. If you’ve read Michael Pollan’s Omnivore’s Dilemma, I hear it’s very similar.

Super Size Me – Ever wonder about the food your buying from under the golden arches? For one month, Morgan Spurlock travels the US and eats nothing but McDonald’s, ordering everything on the menu and “super-sizing” his order whenever asked. While it doesn’t get into the specifics of the food culture like Food, Inc. does, Super Size Me gives the viewer an interesting/if not scary look at the harm our fast food lifestyles can bring.

Lord, Save Us From Your Followers – A candid look at the conversations we’re not having about our faith in the US. Filmmaker, Dan Merchant, takes to the street as “bumper sticker man” and gets some real and honest opinions from folks about US Christianity today.

Dear America: Letters from Vietnam – I watched this documentary in my sophomore history class and it’s always left an impression on me. The documentary features letters from US soldiers sent home during the Vietnam war – set to music from the 1960s and backed up with news footage and photos from the war.

Babies – A very visual look (not much dialog) at how babies are born and raised in four different cultures around the world. I was really amazed at how personal and intimate the filmmakers were able to get with the babies and their families through the lens of their camera.

Confessions of a Superhero – There’s nothing too thought provoking about this film, other than it’s an interesting look at a niche of people who pose as superheroes on Hollywood Blvd. It’s a light-hearted look at four individuals just waiting for their big break in L.A.

Ken Burns: The National Parks: America’s Best Idea – Not as thought-provoking as some of the others – but an absolutely beautiful series of films. The visuals make this documentary amazing. You could play this movie with the sound off and still be moved.

BONUS: Friends of God: A Road Trip with Alexandra Pelosi – This film gives an interesting look at Christianity in the US today through the eyes of Nancy Pelosi’s daughter. It was filmed shortly before Ted Haggard’s fall from grace and includes footage from the Christian Wrestling Federation. They came out and filmed a workout as well as one of our shows for the documentary.

A few documentaries I hope to watch over the holiday season…

Fall From Grace
Food Matters
Capitalism: A Love Story
Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price
Jesus Camp
Earth

And a few movies I hope Netflix adds soon (especially for instant viewing)…

Fields of Mudan
Call + Response
Ordinary Radicals
Return to El Salvador

What others would you suggest?

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Seven films to watch over the holiday season

Click here to view the embedded video.

The Candy Shop is a film initiative to help fight against child sex trafficking.

The Candy Shop is a thirty minute film that Whitestone is now in post-production for and will release in November. This film is being made for the Doorpost Film Project, and with support from 12Stone® Church and Street Grace.

The film is a Fairytale/Parable about the child sex trafficking epidemic that has overrun our city of Atlanta. We are using the film to not only raise awareness but provoke meaningful action towards this issue taking place in our own backyard.

Up to 500 underaged girls a month are trafficked for sex here in our city of Atlanta.
It’s the number one city in the country for child sex trafficking..
The 10th in the world.

This looks amazing and scary all at the same time.

Hopefully it will get many of us (myself included) to reconsider the girl(s) behind the candy shop.

And hopefully it will offend us.

Offend us enough to do something.

Find out more: http://www.whitestonemotionpictures.com/Films/the-candy-shop/

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The Candy Shop

Obama and Bono discuss development policy in the Oval Office, April 30, 2010. | Official White House photo.

I found myself watching Dave, with Kevin Kline and Sigourney Weaver last night.

As a quick recap (or spoiler)…

• The President has a stroke and falls into a coma.
• Kline plays a presidential impersonator and is brought in to “fill in” for the president.
• Eventually, the first lady (Weaver) figures out there’s a cover-up involving Kline (she doesn’t know her husband, The President is still in a coma) and both Kline and Weaver decide to jettison the White House in hopes for an easier life.

But before the leave town they both reflect what they love about the office — helping those in need.

Weaver then asks Kline, “What would you do if you were still there?”

He responds, “A lot of things.”

It’s then that they decide to return to the White House in hopes of creating a better future.

So I’m curious…

What would you do if you were sitting in the Oval Office today?

Given our current situations around the world — oil spill in the gulf, war in Iraq and Afghanistan, Iran, financial insecurity, health care, homelessness, extreme poverty around the world, immigration, etc. etc…

What priorities would your administration have?

And let’s keep in mind, you really only have 18 months to accomplish it.

From West Wing Season 7 – The Ticket:
(You know I can’t talk about the presidency without bringing in the West Wing — right?)

Matt Santos (Presidential Candidate): I don’t want to wait until transition. I want a plan in place. I want to spend transition hiring a staff that can execute it and on day one I want to get to work, not dickering around for the first three months. You want something to worry about, worry about that.

Leo McGarry (Vice-Presidential Candidate): Okay. Well, let’s start by reframing the question. Forget about a four-year term. The Presidency is 18 months. That’s your window. After that, there’s midterms. No one on the Hill’s got time to do business with you. They’re too busy getting reelected. Then, suddenly, you’re running again.

Santos: So, I’m basically throwing out everything but my first five pages?

McGarry: In the garbage. Realistically, one page, but we can do this in phases.

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What priorities would your administration have?

300,000 women and children exploited for sex in our country each year.

The stats are astounding.

“You may choose to look the other way but you can never again say you did not know.” – William Willberforce

This demands attention!

Libby Spears, has devoted almost 10 years uncovering the sex traffic industry in lesser developed countries like the Philippines, South Korea, and Thailand. What she found out while filming there is that the United States is actually “influencing the global demand and growth of the sex trafficking industry.” That not only is human trafficking for sex apparent in less developed countries, but it is also “every bit as real in North America.”

After Spears’ discovery, she started filming “Playground,” which follows the story of victims in America and examines the United States’ influence by interviewing activists and experts in this field.

“The only way not to find this problem in any community is to simply not look for it.”

A special screening of this film will be presented by Dallas Women in Film and the Dallas Women’s Foundation on November 5th, 2009.

Click here to view the embedded video.

The event will be held at Studio Movie Grill – Royal Location, and begins at 6:30pm, 7pm screening followed by Q&A with director Libby Spears.

Studio Movie Grill
studiomoviegrill.com

11170 N. Central Expressway
Dallas, TX 75243
214 361 2966
Get Directions

The first 80 people to RSVP will be admitted for free. RSVP to Sherri Galbraith at sgalbraith@dallaswomensfoundation.org or 214-525-5301.

Thereafter, tickets are $5 for members and SMU students and $8 for nonmembers.

Nonprofits are invited to purchase blocks of tickets at the discounted member price. For more information, please email chickflicks@wifdallas.org or publicity@wifdallas.org.

The screening is also brought to you in part by the SMU Department of Cinema.

HT to I Live in Dallas for the heads up! Read more about the film.

Becoming a slave is easier than you think
Becoming a slave is easier than you think
Becoming a slave is easier than you think
Becoming a slave

There’s always a price to pay
It’s gotta hit somebody’s back
Trust me, new worlds don’t just build themselves

Progress has more than one face
Even though it’s always itself
There’s nothing you can change that doesn’t change everything else

So it’s simple
It’s so simple
If they’re not like us

(Derek Webb – becoming a slave)

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Special screening of “Playground”

Some Monday morning fun.

A new stop-motion film from Wes Anderson is coming in November — Fantastic Mr. Fox.

Featuring the voices of George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Bill Murray and Owen Wilson.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Wired magazine has a short writeup about the film in this month’s magazine.

According to the article, Anderson micro-managed the filming of the entire project (which took a year to film) via stellar data-delivery systems. While he wasn’t able to be on the set constantly, Anderson received QuickTime files on his iPhone all hours of the night to see how filming was going.

According to Wired, if a prop or character didn’t suit his fastidious eye, he would as for an immediate fix. If a character’s mannerisms were off, Anderson would whip out his Flip video camera and record himself acting out the part.

Pretty cool use of technology if you ask me. And from the trailers, it looks like another fun movie from Wes Anderson.

Find out more at http://www.fantasticmrfoxmovie.com/

UPDATE: The making of Fantastic Mr Fox:

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Fantastic Mr. Fox

The greater the struggle – the greater the triumph…

and God is all about making beauty from ashes.

HT @JustinMSnyder

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The Butterfly Circus

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The Simpsons Movie