Roger Ebert :: The Tentative Apologist

Post tagged with Roger Ebert

A jerk before Jesus becomes a jerk for Jesus

October 03rd, 201112:04 PM ET

By Randal Rauser

The story behind "Machine Gun Preacher" is made for Hollywood. The film tells the (true) story of Sam Childers, a biker who becomes a Christian and then is deeply moved when he hears a missionary describe the plight of Sudanese orphans. So moved is he that he leaves his family, flies to Sudan, gets a gun, and begins defending those orphans. There ...
Drag me to cinematic hell: A Review of “Don’t be afraid of the Dark”

September 03rd, 201111:17 AM ET

By Randal Rauser

What was Gulliermo Del Toro thinking? The director who gave us "Devil's Backbone" and "Pan's Labyrinth" came up with this? (Del Toro is writer and producer while Troy Nixey directed.) The film has received some positive reviews from a few critics, most notably from Roger Ebert. Pay no attention to that. Pay attention to the C- grade from Cinemascor...
Pedophiles and rock stars: A reflection on “The Woodsman”

April 16th, 201111:08 AM ET

By Randal Rauser

"The Woodsman" opens with convicted pedophile Walter (Kevin Bacon) returning home after a twelve year stint in prison. Not surprisingly, he finds that his entire support network has evaporated. After all, who wants to be associated with a pedophile?But how blurred the criteria of social condemnation can be. In the late eighties the glam metal band ...
“Soul Surfer” and the idea of “faith-based films”

April 08th, 201102:17 PM ET

By Randal Rauser

Among the new crop of movies this weekend is "Soul Surfer". It tells the story of Bethany Hamilton, a surfer and a young woman of deep Christian faith who lost an arm surfing when she was thirteen due to a shark attack. Incredibly, she was back on her surfboard a month later and has since won several surfing championships. (I first came across her ...
"The Lovely Bones," and why Roger Ebert will not like a film version of "The Shack"

January 22nd, 201011:27 AM ET

By Randal Rauser

Film critic Roger Ebert clearly did not like the film adaptation of Alice Sebold's The Lovely Bones. While I haven't read the book or seen the movie, I certainly found Ebert's review revealing. Ebert is one of the most interesting film critics to read, especially in reviews like this where he dons his moralistic hat. (As you read the excerpts of th...