War of the Worldviews: Why Avatar Lost
Avatar had audiences rooting for nature, against the destruction of marauding tanks—but the Oscar went to the film that offered a soldier’s-eye view.
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Na’vi and Goliath: Palestinian Protesters Dress as Avatar Underdogs
Many Israelis and Jews took to Avatar with aplomb, likening it to Kabbalah and turning out in record numbers in Israel. But it remains to be seen how Jews and Israelis will respond to Palestinian protesters who, dressed as the film’s besieged protagonists, aim to position themselves in the hearts of observers as the sympathetic underdogs.
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Something Borrowed, Something Blue: Avatar and the Myth of Originality
Avatar is now officially the top-grossing movie of all time, but that’s not because it shows us something entirely original (in 3D no less). Like all good myths, it is a mashup: a mix of well-tested stories, presented in an unfamiliar way.
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No Garden to Get Back to: Understanding Post-Avatar Ecological Depressive Disorder
It may be only a movie, but it is turning significant segments of its audience into eco-radicals. We can go ahead and dissect the film’s weaknesses, but as our planet dies, and politicians fail, is this really how we want to talk about the most influential ecological parable of our time?
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The Happening and the Gospel of Bruce Springsteen
M. Night Shyamalan’s much-maligned new movie sounds much more interesting if read as an extended argument for religious faith in general and intelligent design specifically.
Read MoreAvatar: A Subversive Reading of the Bible?
Many have recognized colonialist themes in Avatar but is there also room for an anti-imperial reading of the bible in its narrative?
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What Does the Muslim World Really Want?
Depends which of the 1.6 billion Muslims you ask. A new film seeks to give depth to Western perceptions of Islam. Too bad they didn’t make it to Asia.
Read MoreAvatar: ‘A Spectacular World Beyond Imagination’?
Hold the popcorn, we’re not quite there yet.
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Big Vampire Love: What’s So Mormon about Twilight?
Much ado has been made about the theme of chastity in the Twilight series (currently drawing hordes into movie theaters for its second installment), but few have noticed the other, less commonly understood, Mormon theological themes that course through the series’ fevered plotline.
Read MoreReligion Goes to the Movies
A brief tour through some forthcoming films.
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