No movie company has ever had a run of success like Pixar.
Starting with “Toy Story” in 1995 all the way up to their latest production “Inside Out” (which is on track to be possibly their biggest film ever), their success rate has been unprecedented. Even their worst movies (like oh, I don’t know, “Cars” maybe) are still pretty great.
As someone who’s been on the Pixar bandwagon since seeing “Toy Story” in theaters 20 years ago, I’ve seen 3 clear reasons why this movie company has been so incredibly successful connecting with kids from age 5 to 105.
I think if churches put these 3 Pixar practices into place we could be more successful in connecting with our audience as well: Continue reading →
That’s the question at the center of the film “Unbroken”, a powerful true story about Japanese POW survivor Louis Zamperini. If you haven’t seen it yet, go out of your way to make it the next movie you watch – it’s that good.
Louis is a man who, without hope of rescue, decides instead to prove a point that his captors will not break his spirit. He would keep defying and keep fighting until his body could go on no more, inspired by the words of his brother who trained him to be an Olympic-level runner: “If you can take it, you can make it.”
Louis Zamperini decided if he could not defeat his captors then he would die proving something to them.Continue reading →
This Sunday night hundreds of nominees will sit inside a Hollywood theater anxiously awaiting to hear their name read. For if a presenter opens an envelope and does shout out their name it means they’ll be taking home the most important prize in the movie business – an Oscar.
For weeks and weeks the actors and writers and producers and directors nominated have been endlessly campaigning to win the golden statue.
Ads have been taken out in magazines and papers. Billboards have been plastered across Hollywood. Talk shows have been littered with performers on their best behavior trying to impress the voting audience.
But when the Academy Awards begin this Sunday there will be nothing anyone can do to alter their fate.Continue reading →
Imagine a Hollywood director obtaining the raw footage of your childhood. Pretend everything you did between age 6 and 18 was caught on film and someone wanted to piece together a 3 hour movie of your story.
What do you think the director would find? What do you think would be the story of your youth?
That’s the question director Richard Linklater tries to answer in his fascinating film experiment “Boyhood”, the front-runner in this year’s Academy Awards race.
You’ve probably heard by now the way Linklater gathered the same cast together for a week every year for 12 years to shoot the story about an ordinary boy growing up. It’s a well-deserving Best Picture candidate, and not just for the incredibly creative gimmick.
What’s truly beautiful about “Boyhood” is the way it captures just how important the ordinary moments in our life are.Continue reading →
Welcome to Episode 26 of the POP GOD POPcast – a podcast interview series exploring the presence of God in the present tense.
Left Behind: It’s one of the most bizarre movies of the year. Nicolas Cage starring in a remake of a Kirk Cameron movie based on a Christian book series based on the Rapture? My wife Kate Doriot and I watched all 105 minutes of it and had to talk about on this very special edition of the Popcast. We cover everything from the crazy casting of Jordin Sparks and Chad Michael Murray to the importance of “investigative journalism” to no one in the movie understanding how the Rapture works. Plus we break down how Nicolas Cage might be the best part of this movie and what we think would really happen if 2/3 of the world got Left Behind. Whether you’ve seen the movie or not, listen to find out what really goes down in this controversial “Christian” film.
Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes, rate it, leave a comment, listen to all the other episodes, share it on Twitter and Facebook and anywhere else. I’d really appreciate it. Thanks.
I love sharing stories of people seeking God in the present tense. Let me hear your feedback. Leave me a comment and let me know how to improve things, what you’d like to hear discussed, and give me your ideas as to who you’d like to see on the next episode of the POPcast.
“Love is the one thing that transcends time and space.” – Interstellar
In the end we’re all just trying to communicate with something outside of ourselves.
It’s the theme of Interstellar, the good (not great) but certainly worth seeing new film from Christopher Nolan.
On the surface the plot is fairly basic for a sci-fi space drama. In a not-too-distant future where our pursuit of technology has actually driven the world back in time to a Dust Bowl-like era, an undercover space exploration team is pursuing alternative planets for mankind to inhabit. Continue reading →
Look – I know my team The Braves aren’t lighting up the world right now. And this year’s Boston team is stinking up the joint. But nothing compares to The Red Sox epic streak of futility.
For 86 years losing was their identity. The Curse Of The Bambino kept them out of the World Series year after year after year.
Yet, despite their pitiful postseason record, the Red Sox developed a legendary fanbase, possibly the best in all of baseball. In fact, the Boston fan culture was so legendary Hollywood made a movie about it. Continue reading →
The new movie Lucy starring Scarlett Johansson hit number 1 in the country this weekend.
The sci-fi thriller asks the question, “What would happen if someone were able to use 100% of their brain’s power?”
The premise is that most people only ever use 10% of their brain. It’s an interesting concept – if not a completely scientifically accurate one. And clearly by it’s box office haul it’s a question that’s intrigued a large audience.
Which makes me wonder – what if they made a movie about someone who was able to use 100% of their spiritual power?Continue reading →
I always take my glasses off during 3D movies. Just for a second, you know?
I’m not sure why or when I started doing this. For a few seconds though I like to see the unfocused version of the movie. Am I the only one who does this?
Maybe it helps me appreciate how incredible the actual technology and picture is.
The whole 3D process is kind of amazing. The images projected on the screen combined with the special glasses trick your eyes into seeing something that isn’t quite there. (Here’s a scientific look at the process from How Stuff Works)
What fascinates me is that the content of a 3D movie doesn’t change whether you wear glasses or not – just your outlook on it.Continue reading →
Did you hear the one about the actors who ignited an international incident with their movie trailer?
No kidding – the teaser for the new Seth Rogen/James Franco comedy “The Interview” sparked a firestorm of controversy after it premiered last week. The movie is about a pair of talk show hosts hired by the CIA to go undercover and kill North Korean leader kill Kim Jong-un.
Needless to see, the Korean leader didn’t see the movie as a laughing matter, labeling it an “act of terror and an act of war”.
It’s hard to say how serious Kim Jong-un’s threats are. But there’s no question “The Interview” trailer got people talking.
I wonder why Rogen and Franco decided to make such a controversial movie. Certainly a comedy doesn’t need to invoke terroristic actions to be funny. Why bother? Continue reading →
No movie company has ever had a run of success like Pixar.
POP GOD 