Faith & Film
- Faith & Film meets about once a month to view a movie and follow it up with some discussion and fellowship. For most of our events, we meet at someone's home to view the film from 6-8 p.m. on Sunday and Monday evenings, with discussion, dessert and coffee at 8 p.m. In practice, Faith & Film is an e-mail list -- people choose to come to particular films depending on schedules and interest in that film. We try for films with spiritual themes or secular social issues that we will enjoy discussing from a spiritual perspective. Note: click on the event titles or "read more" to get details and film trailers.
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E-mail Amanda Helm to join the list, volunteer to host, or suggest a film.
Joining the list ensures you will get a personal e-invitation to future events with no obligation to attend. - Past events include: Amazing Grace, a live production of Spitfire Grill, Sicko, Son of Man, Into Great Silence, Dalai Lama Renaissance, Tim's Island, Taxi to the Dark Side, and What Would Jesus Buy?.
Contact: Amanda Helm, 608-223-1660
Oct. 19 Faith & Film: Capitalism: A Love Story
Join Faith & Film at Eastgate Cinema to watch Capitalism: A Love Story (new release, Michael Moore). What is the price that America pays for its love of capitalism? Years ago, that love seemed so innocent. Today, however, the American dream is looking more like a nightmare as families pay the price with their jobs, their homes and their savings. Filmmaker Michael Moore (Roger and Me, Sicko, Bowling for Columbine, Faranheit 9/11) takes us into the homes of ordinary people whose lives have been turned upside down; and he goes looking for explanations. Click to read Michael Moore's comments on his faith and capitalism.
May 17: Faith & Film: Angels and Demons
Join Faith & Film at Eastgate Cinema to watch Angels and Demons (new release, Ron Howard). Based on the novel by Dan Brown (author of The Da Vinci Code). When symbologist Robert Langdon discovers evidence of the resurgence of an ancient secret brotherhood known as the Illuminati - the most powerful underground organization in history - he also faces a deadly threat to the existence of the secret organization's most despised enemy: the Catholic Church. When Langdon learns that the clock is ticking on an unstoppable Illuminati time bomb, he jets to Rome, where he joins forces with Vittoria Vetra, a beautiful and enigmatic Italian scientist. Embarking on a nonstop, action-packed hunt through sealed crypts, dangerous catacombs, deserted cathedrals, and even to the heart of the most secretive vault on earth, Langdon and Vetra will follow a 400-year-old trail of ancient symbols that mark the Vatican's only hope for survival.
March 8: Faith & Film: "Munich"
Join Faith & Film at the home of Amanda Helm to view and discuss the suspense/drama Munich (2005, Spielberg). After Black September's assassination of Israeli athletes at the Munich Olympics in 1972, Prime Minister Golda Meir okays a black-box operation to hunt down and kill all involved. A team of five gathers in Switzerland led by Avner. As the body count mounts -- with retribution following retribution -- so do questions, doubts, and sleepless nights. Loyalties blur. Amidst the suspense and excitement, Munich deals with ordinary people caught in the shift from righteous anger to revenge. Nominated for 6 Oscars, won lots of other awards.
Feb. 16: Faith & Film: "Kissing Jessica Stein"
Join Faith & Film at church to view and discuss the indie romantic comedy Kissing Jessica Stein (2002). Two (formerly?) straight young New York career women muddle through an earnest, but hilarious courtship, making up the rules as they go along. A warm, light-hearted look at gender identity, nosy matchmakers, the frustrations of single life, and coming out of the closet.
Jan. 18: Faith & Film: "Crash"
Join Faith & Film at the home of Ann and Craig Aswegan to view and discuss the drama Crash (2005). A Brentwood housewife and her DA husband. A Persian store owner. Two police detectives who are also lovers. A black television director and his wife. A Mexican locksmith. Two car-jackers. A rookie cop. A middle-aged Korean couple… They all live in Los Angeles. And in the next 36 hours, they all collide… A provocative, unflinching look at the complexities of racial conflict in America, CRASH is that rare cinematic event - a film that challenges audiences to question their own prejudices. Diving headlong into the diverse melting pot of post-9/11 Los Angeles, this compelling urban drama tracks the volatile intersections of a multi-ethnic cast, examining fear and bigotry from multiple perspectives as characters careen in and out of one another's lives. Won the Oscar for Best Picture and Best Screenplay.
Dec. 8: Faith & Film: "Christmas with the Kranks"
Join Faith & Film at the home of Paul and Margaret Miller to view and discuss the comedy Christmas with the Kranks (2004), based on the John Grisham novel Skipping Christmas. For the first time, Luther Krank (Tim Allen) and his wife Nora (Jamie Lee Curtis) are about to celebrate the holidays without their daughter, who has left for the Peace Corps. Fed up with the commercialism of Christmas they decide to skip Christmas and take a cruise instead, encountering resistance at every turn from neighbors.
Nov. 10: Faith & Film: "About Schmidt"
Join Faith & Film at the home of Judy and Richard Fritz (222-8247) to view and discuss the dark comedy About Schmidt (2002). Warren Schmidt (Jack Nicholson) is forced to deal with an ambiguous future as he enters retirement. Soon after, his wife passes away and he must come to terms with his daughter's marriage to a man he does not care for and an eccentric batch of future in-laws as he struggles to find meaning in his life.
Faith & Film: "Flow" at Sundance Cinema
Join Faith & Film for an outing to Sundance Cinema to view and discuss the documentary Flow about the global water crisis. Sundance has not yet posted specific times. Once the schedule is announced, we will make arrangements to get tickets, meet at the theater, and head afterwards to a Hilldale restaurant to discuss. Irena Salina's award-winning documentary investigates what experts label the most important political and environmental issue of the 21st Century - The World Water Crisis.
