Category: Movies

Timothy McSweeney’s Internet Tendency: McSweeney’s Recommends

This is the cryptic and odd image that McSweeney's uses for its logo.

I went googling for something or other and one of the links was to this.

Timothy McSweeney’s Internet Tendency: McSweeney’s Recommends.

I regained my sense of time after several minutes, and had only scrolled about a third of the page. This is a huge list of podcasts, books, movies, foods, music, experiences, and ideas. You’ll recognize some of them, and think the list is smart, so you’ll keep scrolling to find more familiar items. In the meantime, you’ll find out about more things worth checking into. An honorable time sink.

Spiritual Cinema Circle

Spiritual Cinema Circle

For the Spirituality In Our Daily Lives class, we’re viewing and discussing short films from the Spiritual Cinema Circle, a subscription service that sends a DVD with four movies on it – shorts and features, comedies, dramas, documentaries. I haven’t yet watched more than a few of the shorts, looking for some that would work in the class.

The film for October 1 is Celamy (2005) by Julie Anne Meerschwam, a lovely 18-minute film about a five-year-old girl who, after her mother dies, finds her way with the help of her best friend. Some discussion at the Theology and Film blog, but caution, if you don’t want spoilers. Added Saturday, Sept 30.

So far, we’ve watched and discussed these films—

  • Sweetheart, (2003) by Australian filmmaker Matthew Saville. Its tagline: “A mother. A son. A phone call.” Read Matthew Saville’s Wikipedia entry, and an interview with Saville) at Sleepybrain, a Melbourne-based blog about modern culture.
  • In God We Trust (2000), by Jason Reitman, director of the justly praised 2005 satire Thank You for Smoking. A young actor, a quarter, a truck, and an all too brief chance to find out what matters in life.
  • Spin (2005), by Jamin Winans: “Two Turntables and a Time Machine,” leads us to consider the consequences of our choices, and the unlikely places where we might find grace.

    The group has really responded well to these films – especially Sweetheart. I don’t know if it’s available anywhere else. It’s worth seeking out.

    [Update: added information about Spin on Sunday Sept 24.]