The newly released DVD of a 2006 film, Journey from the Fall, is historic for me personally. It is the first Vietnamese film I have ever seen. It is produced and entirely directed by immigrants, or the young adults who were the children of immigrants, and the actors are thus all Vietnamese as well. I warn you, this film is hard to watch, with all the violence and gruesome conditions portrayed powerfully, but is is realism at its best. (If you think political ideology does not matter then don’t bother watching.) In spite of some professional glitches (in terms of professionalism in cinematography) the film works very well in telling a powerful narrative and thus should be required viewing for all those who think we should rush from Iraq at our earliest possible convenience. (I do believe there are similarities between Iraq and Vietnam but in Iraq our present strategy seems to now be working but we seem to lack the national will to stay the course, as we did in Vietnam too, where our leaders would not change policy in mid-stream as was […]

Denzel Washington professes personal faith in Christ and gives us very good reason to believe that he understands what he professes. His work with Zondervan on “The Bible Experience” is sterling and his family and lifestyle stand in stark contrast to the common Hollywood experience. He plainly seeks to live his faith in a personal way. Washington, who turns 53 on Friday, says he lives what are sometimes called, by the modern media, “old-fashioned values.”

In an interview with the Associated Press (AP) released today, in conjunction with the release of his newest movie, he says, "You have to do what you gotta do in this life in order to do what you wanna do, or in order to get somewhere. Whatever your obstacles are. Pick one: Race, obesity, peer pressure … drugs. Whatever it is.”

In commenting on his film, The Great Debaters (see review above), in which he directs and plays a leading role both, he says, "I injected a line (into the movie) which my kids have grown up on, which is: `We do what we gotta do, […]

Michael Phillips of the Chicago Tribune calls the new film, The Great Debaters, a "Good story, well told." So it is. Featuring great stars like Denzel Washington and Forest Whitaker, this movie also introduces the audience to some new stars who should get recognition for playing great supporting roles as college students and debaters. Critic Michael Phillips also wonders, in his review in the Tribune, "if  people will go for it." I did. I loved it. It works and it inspires. I think most of you will go for it too. Let me try to tell you why.

The film is pure Hollywood, ending and all. It is full of cliches, simplistic and moving teaching moments and a great human story. But then what is wrong with all that, unless you are both a film critic and a cynic? This is the quintessential story of the underdog and it will likely sell to the public after it has what I think will be a brisk opening on Christmas day. (I saw it this afternoon and confess that I clapped, and shed a tear […]