Free Republic

Senator Edward Kennedy, one of the most famous members of America’s most famous family, understood that he belonged as much to popular culture as to political culture. Now, nine years after his death, comes a movie about the event that, almost as much as the circumstances of his birth, established him in the tabloid pantheon: Chappaquiddick.

ABC’s Roseanne revival settled in last night with a slice-of-life episode focused on parenting after last week’s headline-grabbing premiere tackled President Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton and the election. The ratings took the inevitable dip but remained impressive — 15.1 million viewers and a 3.9 rating among adults 18-49 in the fast nationals at 8 PM last night. Vs. the 8-8:30 PM part of the double premiere episode last week (17.7 million, 4.9/21), Roseanne retained 84% of the audience and 80% of the adults 18-49 rating. It was once again the top program of the night by a mile in both...

On April 6, a bombshell will hit America's theaters. That bombshell comes in the form of an understated, well-made, well-acted film called "Chappaquiddick." (Full disclosure: They advertise with my podcast.) The film tells the story of Ted Kennedy's 1969 killing of political aide Mary Jo Kopechne; the Massachusetts Democratic senator drove his car off a bridge and into the Poucha Pond, somehow escaped the overturned vehicle and left Kopechne to drown. She didn't drown, though. Instead, she reportedly suffocated while waiting for help inside an air bubble while Kennedy waited 10 hours to call for help. The Kennedy family and...

Authentic Christian films are proving to be huge moneymakers for Hollywood studios, despite still being dismissed by many in the entertainment business as “not part of mainstream Hollywood fare.”Not only are more Christian films being made, they are also connecting with audiences and drawing people out to the cinema again. Last weekend, two of the top ten movies at the domestic box office dealt with explicitly Christian themes. At number three, I Can Only Imagine, starring Dennis Quaid and J. Michael Finley, earned nearly $14 million last weekend, adding to $17.1 million the weekend before, when the film debuted. Paul,...

”PAUL, THE APOSTLE OF CHRIST” ABOUT THE FILM PAUL, APOSTLE OF CHRIST is the story of two men. Luke, as a friend and physician, risks his life when he ventures into the city of Rome to visit Paul, who is held captive in Nero’s darkest, bleakest prison cell. But Nero is determined to rid Rome of Christians, and does not flinch from executing them in the grisliest ways possible. Before Paul’s death sentence can be enacted, Luke resolves to write another book, one that details the beginnings of “The Way” and the birth of what will come to be known...

"I Can Only Imagine" was the biggest Christian hit single of all time. It's now a movie. And you might just take an unsaved friend to see it. Thousands of years ago, the Psalmist wrote, "The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them." Today, we can laugh along with Him. In the nation's theaters, a low-budget film with a strong Christian theme is handily outperforming a heavily promoted, big-budget, Academy Award-winning film celebrating a homoerotic relationship between an underage teenager and an adult. It did so even though the gay-themed film, "Love, Simon," is being shown in...

Faith-based films performed well at the box office for a second straight weekend, with "I Can Only Imagine" capturing the third spot once again. "Paul, Apostle of Christ" landed in the eighth spot in its debut weekend, earning $5 million for Sony's Affirm Films. "I Can Only Imagine" held strong in its second weekend in theaters, scoring a solid $13.8 million. That brings its total earnings to $38 million – an impressive performance for a film that only cost $7 million to create.

The faith-based film "I Can Only Imagine" brought in $17.1 million at the domestic box office during its opening weekend, going far beyond early expectations and ranking third, behind "Tomb Raider" and "Black Panther." Based on the true-story of Christian artist Bart Millard's life, the family drama opened at 1,629 locations in the United States and received an A+ CinemaScore with an audience that was 67 percent female and 80 percent over 35. This is the distributor Roadside Attractions' highest grossing opening ever. "We felt that the film's inspiring story of hope and forgiveness made for a very compelling collaboration,"...

In 2008, John Michael Finley – a student at the prestigious performing arts school at Roosevelt University – came home to Lebanon after his spring semester only to hear bad news. His father told him that Roosevelt University was simply too expensive, and he’d need to finish his college education elsewhere. This news didn’t necessarily bode well for his aspirations as an actor, yet Finley took it in stride. But only a few weeks later, he and his family were shaken by tragedy. On May 31, 2008, Finley’s 21-year-old brother, Army Specialist James M. Finley, was killed in Jalalabad City,...

Ava DuVernay, a black activist who directed a whole movie arguing that mass incarceration (a multi-racial problem) is a continuation of race-based slavery, suggested that racism explains why her latest movie, "A Wrinkle in Time," got bad reviews. DuVernay gave a back-handed compliment to Vulture's Kyle Buchanan, who wrote about the "subtle, resonant" theme of the black main character's insecurity about her hair. "You were the only Caucasian journalist of any gender to see it, understand it and seriously ask me about it. Appreciate the chat, the sensitivity and the writing," the director tweeted. snip) Hair is indeed a sensitive...

Disney’s megahit “Black Panther” has passed the $1 billion mark at the global box office. The studio said Saturday that the milestone is based on Disney’s estimate of ticket sales. The announcement comes on the 26th day of release for the blockbuster. The movie is directed by Ryan Coogler and stars Chadwick Boseman and Michael B. Jordan. Disney notes that “Black Panther” is the fifth film in its Marvel universe to reach the milestone. The others are “The Avengers,” ‘’Avengers: Age of Ultron,” ‘’Iron Man 3,” and “Captain America: Civil War.” The film has made $521 million domestically, becoming...

Disney's big-budget adaptation of the best-selling novel "A Wrinkle in Time" falters in many of the same ways the book does— but there was one major change made in the movie from the novel. The film's version of events strips away explicit mention of God or religion, instead trimming down the central conflict to one between "evil" and "light." Though the film adaptation has several critical flaws...the removal of L'Engle's religious overtones leads to a key issue. ....Author Madeleine L'Engle, who died in 2007 at age 88, spoke about the importance of her own Christian faith as it relates to...

What are you?” a stupefied child asks the apparition standing overhead in A Wrinkle in Time. And Oprah Winfrey answers back, “I am a part of the universe!” Oprah’s fame has cost her the transparency to be a believable actress (which she so movingly was in Jonathan Demme’s Beloved), yet she achieves godhead in A Wrinkle in Time, a Disney film devoted to pagan self- worship. It is the second phase of Disney’s black-enslavement program this year (following Black Panther), and black female Ava DuVernay joins Oprah as director of this big-screen secular parable.

Ava DuVernay's adaptation of A Wrinkle in Time is a colossal disappointment. The classic science fiction novel by Madeleine L'Engle has been turned into a sappy melodrama; utterly devoid of mystery or wonder. DuVernay's approach to the story is to emphasize its outcast element. The result is a fire hose of gushing positive reinforcement for the bullied, angst ridden protagonist. It reminded me of Al Franken's famous SNL skit, "Daily Affirmations with Stuart Smalley"; where he sits in front of a mirror saying, "You're good enough, you're smart enough, and doggone it, people like me". A Wrinkle in Time is...

Right to its bitter end, there is no escaping “Rosemary’s Baby.” On film Ira Levin’s best selling novel is as horribly frightening as it was on paper. Few people could put Levin’s book down. By the same token, viewers of the movie at the Criterion and Loew’s Tower East Theatres will find themselves compelled to see it through. It is that tantalizing a shocker. The subject matter is peculiarly repugnant. It is witchcraft, not as practiced in Salem or the like, but as taken seriously in our very own city. The setting is an apartment house modeled after those venerable...

When “Black Panther” made its record-smashing $201 million start last month, it was expected that it would easily keep the No. 1 spot at the box office until Disney released its next film, Ava DuVernay’s “A Wrinkle in Time.” But as the adaptation of Madeleine L’Engle’s famous science fantasy novel gets ready to enter theaters on 3,980 screens this weekend, that expectation may have been premature. When tracking for “A Wrinkle in Time” first came out three weeks ago, opening weekend estimates were set at approximately $35 million against a production budget of at least $103 million, according to California...

Leftists are slamming a new Bruce Willis movie as a “racist” “commercial for the NRA.” Opening this weekend, “Death Wish,” a remake of the 1974 film of the same name, stars Willis as Paul Kersey, a Chicago doctor who turns vigilante to exact his revenge on a group of men who murdered his wife and brutally attacked his daughter. Here’s a synopsis from RottenTomatoes: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures presents director Eli Roth’s reimagining of the 1974 revenge thriller Death Wish. Dr. Paul Kersey (Bruce Willis) is a surgeon who only sees the aftermath of his city’s violence when it is rushed into...

It appears that Hillary Clinton just doesn’t know when to leave well enough alone… or old habits do indeed die hard. The failed 2016 Democratic presidential nominee took in a movie on Saturday with dear husband Bill Clinton, and turned to social media afterwards to engage in some old fashioned pandering. (Someone should remind Hills that she’s no longer running for office.) “Saw Black Panther with Bill this afternoon & loved it. Beautiful film, lots of action, and a great message. Don’t miss it!” she tweeted. The film “Black Panther” is seen as a groundbreaking celebration of black culture and...

Have you seen more than one of the movies nominated for best picture this year at the Oscars? The answer is probably not. While two of the nominees actually found sizable audiences (Dunkirk and Get Out), the rest of the field consists of small movies the general public doesn’t care about. Coupled with what many Americans expect to be a 3-hour left-wing political seminar, the broadcast of the 90th annual Academy Awards this Sunday is shaping up to be a Spinal Tap concert-level disaster.If you look past Dunkirk’s $188 million box office and Get Out, with a $176 million take...

The Ryan Coogler-directed "Black Panther" has set a new box office record with an estimated $192 million for its three-day debut in North America. Disney and Marvel Studios' "Black Panther," starring Chadwick Boseman and Michael B. Jordan, earned the highest debut ever for a February film and the fifth biggest opening of all time among other box office records, according to CNN Money, which added that it's also the largest opening for an African-American director. The February opening record previously belonged to "Deadpool," which brought in $132 million in 2016. Media measurement and analytics company comScore called the film an...