Free Republic

Film excels at metaphor — Show, don’t tell, is the rule of cinema. Christians, however, can’t seem to resist using film as a high-tech flannel board. The result is more akin to propaganda than art, and propaganda has a nasty habit of hardening hearts. Jesus began many of his parables with the phrase, “The kingdom of God is like …” He would respond to questions with parables — instead of stating the answer outright, he allowed his audience to make the connections themselves. The things of heaven are too large to be fully grasped by the human mind. They are...

As we enter the Sacred Triduum, Hollywood is celebrating Cecil B. DeMille’s The Ten Commandments (1956), if not always the underlying message contained on those two ancient stone tablets Moses received at Mount Sinai c. 1446 BC. The American biblical epic, starring Charleton Heston as Moses and Yul Brynner as Pharaoh Ramses II, was a filmmaking masterpiece three years in the making. Narrated by DeMille himself, it tells the story of Moses as an infant, as related in Exodus 2:5, rescued by Pharoah’s daughter, played by Nina Foch, who, discovering the crying babe lying in a papyrus basket in the...

A call came to my home one night in late June 2003: “Do you want to see The Passion?” Of course, I did. Everybody in Christendom did... Looking back now, it’s hard to believe how the political fuss pretty much overwhelmed any discussion of the artistic merits of the movie. No one could have fathomed in that moment that Gibson would be the first victim of the cancel impulse, as his stunning and very personal movie about Jesus arguably destroyed his career, even as it made him the wealthiest man in Hollywood. Few faith-based filmmakers have any idea what makes...

Reading David Mamet’s new book of essays, The Disenlightenment: Politics, Horror, and Entertainment, I was reminded of how loosely jointed and shape-shifting an essay can be... Mamet, whose political conversion to conservatism was announced in 2008, has turned full-on MAGA. He believes the United States is in decline but remains hopeful, saying, "Trump is a hero, and his heirs will, God willing, increase the longevity of the American Experiment." What’s behind our political sickness, according to Mamet, if I read him correctly, is a compound of human failings. First, there is the mendacity of politicians whom he compares to the...

‘I truly believe humor is a tool. It’s a tool that helps people release emotional tension, a tool that helps people feel safe. Very often, when someone tells me a joke or makes me laugh, even about something very small, it feels like a gesture – like they’ve seen me and said, ‘I want to make you feel a little better,’” said Zohar Shahar, one of the co-directors of Bella, a very funny and audacious new Israeli comedy, with a touch of drama, that dares to find laughs in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It opened in theaters around the country on...

Just in case you thought Hollywood was running out of stories to adapt for TV and movies, Fox is going back further than you might expect. The upcoming series, The Faithful, aims to adapt multiple stories from the Bible that focus on women for a limited series in 2026. The Faithful release date comes in time for Easter 2026, with Minnie Driver in one of the starring roles. The Faithful is a three-part limited series based on five Old Testament women – Sarah, Hagar, Rebekah, Leah, and Rachel. Their stories are intertwined and, more importantly, they are some of the...

In today’s culture, with the countless adaptations of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, some adaptations have been forgotten, or cast into the shadows for more modern interpretations. It is not difficult to see how and why this is, especially since there are so many adaptations going all the way back to the silent movie era. This particular version of A Christmas Carol, is one of the most historically significant because of a number of unique factors, of which I am going to address further in this piece....

Christmas has with it a special mood attached to it. Either that mood reflects a fantasy-based perspective, or it has a deeply profound and serious one. In the 1970’s an independent French Film Producer by the name of Alexander Salkind in partnership with his son, Ilya, decided to go way bigger in their movie-making ambitions, by financing big film projects in America by taking American staples and making them big budget films.

The nominations for the 2026 Golden Globes are out, and One Battle After Another led the pack for what’s widely considered the kickoff to Hollywood’s awards season. The Paul Thomas Anderson film got nine nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actor, followed by Sentimental Value with eight, Sinners with seven, Hamnet with six, and Frankenstein and Wicked: For Good with five each. On the television side, The White Lotus led with six nominations — including first-time nominees Carrie Coon, Aimee Lou Wood and Walton Goggins — followed by Adolescence with five, and Only Murders in the Building and...

The first lady is coming for Hollywood. Melania Trump has announced her own production company, Muse Films, on social media. In a short clip on X, Melania, 55, revealed the firm’s logo as well as the release date of her new movie. The title of Melania’s new company perhaps calls back to her code name used by the Secret Service in her husband’s first term as U.S. president. Brett Ratner is directing the documentary, which will give audiences an exclusive look behind the scenes at Melania’s life in the weeks before the 2025 presidential inauguration, TMZ reports. Donald Trump is...

Very few movies from the silent film continue to have notoriety in this day and age, however this film is one of those rare exceptions. Released 100 years ago, this movie underwent multiple transformations, was depicted from a very popular book, contained within it frighteningly disfiguring looks and designs of the main character that were top secret (so as to maximize the “horror” effect of the story), until the official premiere of the film. This film would also be the one film that actor Lon Chaney would be ultimately remembered for, for the rest of his life and career. The...

One of my favorite things to do here at JoBlo is to highlight obscure movies that deserve a lot more love. One of the best movies I’ve ever covered is Peter Hyams’ 1981 movie Outland. A kind of quasi sci-fi remake of High Noon set on Jupiter’s Moon, IO, it stars Sean Connery as a Marshal set to enforce law on a mining colony who finds himself marked for death by the company administering the moon when he discovers a conspiracy. They hire gunmen to take him out, and with no one on the moon willing to help him, he...

Daniel Day-Lewis rejected misconceptions about Method acting during a wide-ranging conversation at the BFI London Film Festival… The accomplished actor — a three-time best actor Oscar winner for “My Left Foot” (1989), “There Will Be Blood” (2007) and “Lincoln” (2012) — is known for his immersive process, devoting himself to staying in character throughout filming. Despite how it’s worked out for him, going Method has received a fair amount of pushback in recent years from those who believe it to be unhealthy — or just plain silly. However, Day-Lewis pushed back against these notions after an audience member asked about...

The Nuremberg trials have inspired filmmakers before… But for the latest take, “Nuremberg,” writer-director James Vanderbilt focuses on a lesser-known figure: The U.S. Army psychiatrist Douglas Kelley, who after the war was assigned to supervise and evaluate captured Nazi leaders to ensure they were fit for trial (and also keep them alive). But his is a name that had been largely forgotten: He wasn’t even a character in the miniseries. Kelley, portrayed in the film by Rami Malek, was an ambitious sort who saw in this assignment an opportunity to write a book (bestselling, he hoped) on his findings about...

Fresh off her national “Louisiana Purchase” outrage, Sen. Mary Landrieu has a full dance card back in New Orleans over the next few days. Her companions for the Crescent City one-night stands on the calendar are, shall we say, interesting. On Saturday, Landrieu is set to give the welcome speech at a rather out-of-the-mainstream event – this time, she’ll be addressing the New Orleans premiere of Inside Islam: What a Billion Muslims Really Think. So as we can see, Landrieu is largely supporting a propaganda film in making her appearance and speech at Saturday’s premiere. And her neighbors at the...

Filming has begun on Mel Gibson’s long-awaited sequel to “The Passion of the Christ,” titled “The Resurrection of the Christ,” with Finnish actor Jaakko Ohtonen taking over the role of Jesus from Jim Caviezel.According to Variety, production started last week at Rome’s Cinecittà Studios, where Gibson also shot the 2004 original, which grossed $610 million worldwide and became one of the highest-earning independent films in history. The new project, produced by Gibson and Bruce Davey under their Icon Productions banner with Lionsgate as studio partner, will be released in two parts in 2027.Cuban actress Mariela Garriga (“Mission: Impossible – Dead...

Across genres and generations, Diane Keaton has remained an original—never chasing trends, always shaping them. She brought intellectualism to romance, eccentricity to drama, and humour to heartbreak. Her characters—whether fragile, fierce, or fumbling—remind us that imperfection can be magnetic. In an age of reinvention, Keaton never needed to reinvent herself; she simply kept being Diane Keaton. And that, more than any award or outfit, is her greatest legacy. These eight films, spanning comedy, drama, and everything in between, capture the full spectrum of what makes Diane Keaton a true original: Annie Hall (1977) The Godfather (1972) & The Godfather Part...

US actor Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson has said he had a "burning desire" to make a different kind of film, after years of being "pigeon-holed" as a blockbuster star. The 53-year-old could be in line for the first Oscar nomination of his career for his role in The Smashing Machine, which has just launched at the Venice Film Festival. Johnson said playing UFC fighter Mark Kerr in the movie had "certainly changed my life", adding that the transformation was something he was "really hungry to do". He told journalists: "I've been scared to go deep and intense and raw until...

The American filmmaker took part in a Q&A session via a video link, with pro-Putin Russian director Fyodor Bondarchuk moderating the conversation. Allen’s presence has sparked outrage, with Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs calling it "a disgrace and an insult." Oscar-winning American filmmaker Woody Allen appeared at the Moscow International Film Week yesterday, headlining the “Legends of World Cinema” programme. The 89-year-old took part in the event via a video link - rather than in person – with pro-Putin Russian director Fyodor Bondarchuk moderating the conversation. The festival’s website described the slot as an “atmosphere of a confidential dialogue” to...

Making original films for young men isn’t that hard, but you have to quit pushing gay race communism and appeal to masculine virtue.Executives at Walt Disney Studios are reportedly pressing Hollywood creatives for movie ideas that will bring young men back to the theaters. According to Variety, Disney is hoping to get Gen Z men, which it defines as ages 13 to 28, interested in original films.“The sources say Disney has been seeking new IP and pitches such as splashy global adventures and treasure hunts, as well as seasonal fare like films for the Halloween corridor,” Variety reports. “The calls...