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Newsweek magazine decided to greet the start of 2015 with a massive cover story on the Bible. For decades now, major newsmagazines have tended to feature cover articles timed for Christmas and Easter, taking an opportunity to consider some major question about Christianity and the modern world. Leading the journalistic pack for years, both TIME and Newsweek dedicated cover article after article, following a rather predictable format. In the main, scholars or leaders from very liberal quarters commented side-by-side those committed to historic Christianity on questions ranging from the virgin birth to the resurrection of Christ. When written by journalists...

Angelina Jolie Wins Christmas Day Box Office With Unbroken, Bests Into the Woods Celebrity News Dec. 26, 2014 AT 5:30PM By Madeline Boardman Merry Christmas, indeed! Angelina Jolie unwrapped a $15 million present on Thursday, Dec. 25, when her new movie Unbroken won the Christmas Day box office. The drama, which is Jolie's sophomore directorial effort, debuted in 3,131 theaters. An adaptation of Laura Hillenbrand's non-fiction book of the same name, Unbroken brought in $15.59 million to take the No. 1 spot at the domestic box office.

Let’s imagine, for a moment, that “Unbroken” had been directed by somebody who wasn’t Angelina Jolie. It easily could have been. This tale of wartime adventure and survival, adapted from Laura Hillenbrand’s nonfiction bestseller, definitely called for a big-name Hollywood director, but it would have been highly plausible – maybe more plausible – as a project for Ron Howard or Ridley Scott or Steven Spielberg or Clint Eastwood than as the second film for the star-turned-director best known as the female half of the world’s most famous celebrity couple. Would it be getting less attention if one of those guys...

Hollywood (also known as, Hollywood: A Celebration of the American Silent Film) is a 1980 documentary series produced by Thames Television which explored the establishment and development of the Hollywood studios and its impact on 1920s culture. The series consists of thirteen fifty-minute episodes, with each episode dealing with a specific aspect of Hollywood history. The actor James Mason, an enthusiast of the period, supplied the narration; a lilting score was contributed by Carl Davis. Technical quality was an important aspect of the production. Silent films had often been screened on television from poor-quality copies running at an inaccurate speed,...

<p>1. John Wayne on Clark Gable: “Gable’s an idiot. You know why he’s an actor? It’s the only thing he’s smart enough to do.”</p> <p>2. Tallulah Bankhead on Bette Davis: “Don’t think I don’t know who’s been spreading gossip about me. After all the nice things I’ve said about that hag. When I get hold of her, I’ll tear out every hair of her mustache!”</p>

I really like this movie. Strange that two other Russell movies are high on my list as well. Used Cars (pretty high) and Escape from New York (on the list). While everyone likes to say Kilmer took over this movie - everyone was great. Everyone.

These ten films are not remotely the worst films of 2014, but their respective artistic failures were the most disappointing. This is arguably the most subjective list of my year-end wrap up, with the caveat that of course all of my "best/worst" lists are as subjective as any critical analysis. None of the films on this list belong anywhere near a "worst-of" rundown, but in some ways they were more explicitly dissatisfying than the actual films I chose as the "worst" or "least favorite" films of 2014. Some were genuinely bad, some were mostly good save for a few key...

Yes, bravo to Hollywood’s comedy about North Korea.After the epic furor of the past six months, including the early pre-release denunciation of the movie and threats voiced against it in June by North Korea’s ambassador to the United Nations, the hack attack in November on Sony Pictures Entertainment, the hackers’ threats in December against American movie-goers, the cancellation by Sony last week of the movie’s scheduled Christmas Day release, the scolding of Sony by President Obama in between his embrace of Cuba and his departure last Friday for a Hawaii vacation — OK, take a deep breath — Sony...

Clint Eastwood returns to form with “American Sniper,” his best directorial effort since his one-two shot hits “Mystic River” (2003) and “Million Dollar Baby.” (2004) Based on Navy SEAL Chris Kyle’s autobiography, “American Sniper” is an introspective – yet incredibly intense – look at Kyle (Bradley Cooper), the SEAL’s most lethal sniper, throughout his four tours of duty in Iraq. Kyle quickly became famous as America’s most deadly sniper, becoming a legend among fellow American soldiers as well as an infamous target by the Iraqi insurgents. Eastwood’s film shifts between the mutual manhunt between Kyle and a savage insurgent leader...

Joseph Sargent, who directed The Taking of Pelham One Two Three and MacArthur for the big screen and captured three Emmys for his telefilm work, died Monday at his home in Malibu from the lung disease COPD, publicist Dick Guttman announced. He was 89 ...  In addition to the taut New York City subway hostage drama The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974) starring Walter Matthau and the 1977 biopic MacArthur toplined by Gregory Peck, Sargent directed the features The Hell With Heroes (1968) starring Rod Taylor; White Lightning (1973) with Burt Reynolds; and Jaws: The Revenge (1987) ... He gained...

On Dec. 25, the unforgettable story about Louis Zamperini, an Olympian turned World War II prisoner of war hero, opens in theaters nationwide. As astoundingly resilient as Zamperini was, however, his real power was found in a fact underplayed in the movie; namely, he whose birth we celebrate Dec. 25 is the one responsible for restoring and transforming Zamperini's heart and life. First, let me say, few lives can compare with Zamperini's. He lived hard from a young age. He smoked cigarettes by the time he was 5, and his favorite pastime as a youth was stealing beer from bootleggers.Cops...

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (BP) -- What's the best movie ever made? A subjective question, if ever there was one. That's the magic of movies: some folks will enjoy a film that may seem an endurance test for others. While "Casablanca," "Citizen Kane" or "Lawrence of Arabia" may be prime examples of technical and artistic innovators, I challenge you to suggest a more important message than that found in "It's A Wonderful Life." In this film about an angel sent to Earth to rescue a man on the brink of suicide, James Stewart's George Bailey is given the opportunity to see...

Ladies and Gentlemen, as the new CEO of SONY Corporation, I am hereby announcing our strategy for the challenges presented by the North Korean hacking incident. I have: 1) Contacted via our representatives all our participating theaters, urging them to show "The Interview" at a special late night showing as the only film offered in that time slot. We don't want any innocent byestanders hurt and therefore all who attend will understand the risk they are taking. 2) Assembled our legal team to indemnify all said theater owners who screen the movie, both against physical/property loss and against lawsuits, should...

As millions of moviegoers sit down in front of the same few studio films playing at their local theater over the holidays, the handful of Hollywood creators behind those projects will have that still-rare power: the undivided attention of much of the country. In communities of all kinds, audiences young and old, of various backgrounds, will gather to consume the artistic vision of a select few people. In this way, a single film, whether it’s transporting millions to different worlds, pushing them to explore the depths of their own feelings, or imagining the assassination of a world leader, can still...

When known unbeliever Ridley Scott was announced as the director, faithful film buffs feared the worst. Not only were many unsure whether he would treat the Biblical story with respect, but his film record since the smash hit Gladiator has been rather uneven (Robin Hood, Kingdom of Heaven, and Prometheus all failed to connect with wide audiences). As it turns out, Exodus is thankfully respectful of believers, if not a little ambiguous about the goodness of God. But sadly, a number of Scott’s artistic decisions effectively rob the story of its potential to entertain and to uplift. Here are five...

When I walk into any movie, I hope it will be good. After all, this is how I spend the majority of my time. This is what I write about and speak about and think about more than anything else, and when I see critics who seem to dislike the majority of what they cover, I am baffled. Why would you do this work if you genuinely dislike more than you like?

The late Philip K. Dick, born 86 years ago today in Chicago, is something of a cautionary figure in American literature: brilliant, prolific, often sloppy, and woefully underappreciated during his lifetime. It was only with the 1982 release of the film "Blade Runner" (loosely based on his 1968 novel "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?") that Dick's work truly began to saturate the mainstream; by that point, he had been dead for four months. In the ensuing three decades, Dick's novels and stories have served as fodder for dozens of Hollywood movies; they have been reissued again and again. In...

Come back, John Huston, all is forgiven. When the grizzled Hollywood veteran was attached to direct the 1982 film version of Broadway's mammoth hit Annie, which had fetched a record sum for screen rights, much collective head-scratching ensued. Nothing in Huston's output indicated an affinity for family-friendly movie musicals. Pundits were no less mystified once they saw the film, which suggested an agonized disconnect between director and material. Yet audiences who were kids back then regard it as a classic, playing fast and loose with that term. Maybe today's tweens will feel similar affection for this misconceived contemporary update, but...

New York, NY -- You may have heard of World War Two hero Louie Zamperini, whose story is told beautifully in Laura Hillenbrand’s 2010 New York Times bestseller, “Unbroken.” But, this Christmas, audiences will be able to watch his miraculous life unfold on screen. Director Angelina Jolie broke what some have called the ‘movie curse.’ After Zamperini’s life story was tossed around in Hollywood for years, Jolie finally committed to the project and what resulted is the two-hour heart wrenching epic, “Unbroken.” Zamperini’s daughter, Cynthia Garris, spoke with Townhall at a press junket in New York on Friday, sharing how her...

Thursday’s big announcement for the 24th James Bond movie — Spectre, to be directed by Skyfall’s Sam Mendes, and once again featuring Daniel Craig as the British super spy — sadly lacked details of the most important element of any Bond movie. No, not the Bond girl. The Bond theme. From Dr. No on, each Bond movie has had a distinctive theme that attempts to set the stage for what’s to come. At their best, the songs are as dramatic and exciting as the movies themselves, but… well, let’s just say that not every song is at its best and leave...