POST PUBLISHED INJuly, 2009
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  • Cinema in Focus: THE UGLY TRUTH - 1 Star

    July 27th, 200901:12 PM ET
    By Denny Wayman
    Denny Wayman and Hal Conklin There is no doubt that men and women struggle with their relationships. But to take only the cynical side of that struggle and present it as the whole truth creates something so ugly that it is offensive. That is what happens to Mike (Gerard Butler) in Robert Luketic's "The Ugly Truth." Written by Nicole Eastman...

  • Harry Potter and the Terrifying Order to Obey

    July 23rd, 200903:14 PM ET
    By Marc Newman
    Critics of the Harry Potter films have noted that Harry and his friends are often rewarded for lying and breaking the rules. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince should put such fears to rest. The Harry Potter books and films are not sequels - a new story coming along just because the first one sold well. They are, all together, a single story. C...

  • Cinema in Focus: MOON - 2 Stars

    July 22nd, 200912:00 PM ET
    By Denny Wayman
    Denny Wayman and Hal Conklin What is most disappointing about Duncan Jones' film "Moon" is the lack of depth and surprise in the story. Exploring the nature of humanity and our need for relationship, the premise was promising: How would a single human being living alone on a moon station with only a computer as a companion cope with loneliness...

  • Cinema in Focus: HARRY POTTER and the HALF-BLOOD PRINCE - 3 Stars

    July 22nd, 200911:58 AM ET
    By Denny Wayman
    Denny Wayman and Hal Conklin Harry Potter is getting older. His friends are as well. Fully immersed in the insecurities of high school and the perils of young love, Harry (Daniel Radcliffe), Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint) and Hermione Granger (Emma Watson) are like so many high school students. The difference is that these three are in a school fo...

  • Cinema in Focus: THE HURT LOCKER - 3 Stars

    July 15th, 200911:59 AM ET
    By Denny Wayman
    Denny Wayman and Hal Conklin Taking his cue from fellow war correspondent Chris Hedges, journalist Mark Boal writes a screenplay which embodies Hedges' observation that "the rush of battle is a potent and often lethal addiction, for war is a drug." Having been an imbedded journalist in 2004 with a U.S. Army EOD (Explosive Ordinance Disposal) T...

  • Cinema in Focus: PUBLIC ENEMIES - 1 Star

    July 08th, 200902:24 PM ET
    By Denny Wayman
    Denny Wayman and Hal Conklin Sometimes even the best cinema is about the worst in human nature. So goes the story of the life and death of John Dillinger (Johnny Depp), an infamous bank robber of the 1930's, who after only a few months became an American legend. The media have given us images of the American Gangster of the Roaring 20's and...

  • Cinema in Focus: FOREVER STRONG - 4 Stars

    July 08th, 200902:21 PM ET
    By Denny Wayman
    Denny Wayman and Hal Conklin "Forever Strong" isn't just another story about how a sports team builds character and makes men out of boys, but it does follow the same life-affirming pattern. This true story gives a strong pitch for fathers to step up to the plate and love their sons into adulthood. Rick Penning (Sean Faris) is the star high...

  • Cinema in Focus: AWAY WE GO - 2 Stars

    July 08th, 200902:19 PM ET
    By Denny Wayman
    Denny Wayman and Hal Conklin With a quirky style that is reminiscent of his Oscar-winning film "American Beauty," director Sam Mendes creates a textured tale that stereotypically and yet genuinely explores a variety of American lives. Written by Dave Eggers and Vendela Vida, the story focuses on a young couple in their early thirties whose pre...

  • Cinema in Focus: MY SISTER'S KEEPER - 3 Stars

    July 02nd, 200910:36 AM ET
    By Denny Wayman
    Denny Wayman and Hal Conklin Nick Cassavete's latest drama, "My Sister's Keeper," pulls out all the emotional stops in its exploration of a family's pain in having to face the loss of a beautiful daughter to cancer. On the surface, the story is about an apparently selfish younger sister, Anna (Abigail Breslin), who seems to be indifferent to t...
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About this blog
Reviews, discussions, articles, and opinions on films and faith.
Contributors
  • Cinema In Focus is a social and spiritual movie commentary. Hal Conklin is former mayor of Santa Barbara and Denny Wayman leads the Santa Barbara Free Methodist Church.
  • Dr. Marc T. Newman, president of MovieMinistry.com, helps Christians use film to reach others with the Gospel. He also teaches in the School of Communication and the Arts at Regent University.