Chris Curtis

Defy the stars: photos

Defy the stars

"Is it even so? then I defy you, stars!"

So tomorrow it's the start of our 2007 summer camp.

'Defy the stars' is a theme taken from Romeo's speech in Romeo and Juliet. It's a challenge that what 'is' doesn't have to be what will 'be'. We won't be talking much about Shakespeare, but it captures the idea of wanting to stand up against the circumstances that seem to have already decided the lives of some of the young people we're working with. Over the next five days we'll be talking and thinking about that in lots of ways. Should be fun.

Evan Almighty (Tom Shadyac)

This is going to come as something of a shock. 'Evan Almighty', due for release at cinemas in the UK this August, is actually quite good. This is especially surprising since the biography in the production notes remind us that the director, Tom Shadyac, is the man who brought us (I quote) "the uproarious laughs he provided in films from Patch Adams to The Nutty Professor." Not exactly the kind of pedigree you would want to shout about.

And so it was that I sunk into my chair at a preview screening tonight, bracing myself for something as far from the tortuous and satisfying world of world cinema as you can get. In that sense I wasn't disappointed: 'Evan Almighty' is a straight Hollywood comedy: no surprises, no twists, happy ending. On the other hand, it is actually quite funny. Maybe it was the effect of having eaten chocolate just before the film started, but the whole thing seemed, well, amusing.

The story gets off to a good start by not simply taking Jim Carey's character on from 'Bruce Almighty'. Instead it follows the life of preening newscaster Evan Baxter, played by Steve Carell. Carell is the second thing that the film gets right before it's even started. Anyone who's earned their keep on the brilliant 'Daily Show', as well as the US 'Office' has some currency in a comedy film. Carell is excellent and it's almost impossible to imagine anyone else who could have pulled off this film so well.

Anyway, the story, well, it's really about what can be forsaken in the pursuit of happiness, wrapped up in a retelling of Noah's Ark. It's a moral tale...whether or not it's spiritual is more open to question. God certainly turns up, in the form of Morgan Freeman, and he manages to come off as a very reasonable guy. It's theology 'lite' but there's nothing wrong with that every now and again.

The truth is the film will make you laugh, even if you know how it's going to end. It's exactly the kind of thing you could take a youth group to see and the challenge to commit 'acts of random kindness' (A.R.K. gettit?) is well presented. YS have launched a site in the US to buold on this theme which is worth checking out.

So there you have it. I liked it, which is no mean feat for any comedy these days. However, reading that this is 'the next instalment in the Almighty series' does make me feel nervous that there may be more on the way. One is enough for now.

iPhone launch in UK

A new uk site following news on the uk launch on the iPhone just up and running here.

'The carnage, the blown-up bodies I saw ... Why? What was this for?'

Articles about Iraq are everywhere these days, and it's generally accepted that things are looking pretty bleak. However this piece in today's Guardian is especially powerful and well worth reading. Not an easy read, but important.

Slate

Like a lot of people I use the BBC website for news but increasingly I enjoying Slate, an online news magazine with a slight hint of humour. The articles are constantly being updated and ask some good questions. I never thought I'd like an online magazine, but this one is worth visiting daily.

LCET team

We're experimented with various t-shirts and other branded clothing for LCET, but as summer approaches, I'm wondering if this might be a good way to show allegiance:)

Movie Famine

Yes, July is looking like being a lean month for film. Only 19 released in the UK (apart from premieres at the Cambridge Film Festival) and it's not much of a list. This week it's especially bad, although Die Hard 4.0 (as in web 2.0?) has the kind of trailer than makes you want to see it... which I will.

Last week I saw 'Shut up and Sing', a documentary about the Dixie Chicks. yes, I know going to the cinema to see a film about country music doesn't seem like the kind of thing you'd want to do, but wow, what a turn up for the books. The film chronicles their fall from grace after one of the band happened to mention ata gig that they didn't support the US war in Iraq. I'll have to write about it later, but it's an inspiring film and my respect for the Dixie Chicks is truly great. When it comes to TV (and it looks like a BBC 4 kind of thing), it'll be a must see.

Golden Door (Emanuele Crialese)

The Golden Door is weird, but in a very good sort of way. If you ever wondered what arthouse Italian cinema was up to whilst Hollywood was getting stuck into Spiderman, this is the answer. A metaphorical exploration of the human journey, set to the story of a Sicilian family's emigration to America in the early 20th century. It's well shot with such an intense approach, always focusing on the people and their immediate surroundings, never giving a wider view. I haven't had time to add it to my top 10 yet but, for the first time in a good few weeks, I think I'll have to mix things up.