By Michael Parnell HBO pioneered the adult television series, shows that usually appear on Sunday nights. Game of Thrones, The Sopranos, Boardwalk Empire and the recent True Detective are examples of these series, but I like to think of them…
In ‘Edge of Tomorrow,’ repetition offers a form of grace
By Michael Parnell Tom Cruise is not the box office draw he once was. His last seven movies have not made it past the $100 million mark that declares a hit. Cruise has a problem. He keeps playing the same…
Latest ‘X-Men’ film sparks discussion of sin and human nature
By Michael Parnell The X-Men are unique in the superhero genre. They are hated and hunted, yet they do acts of heroism to save humanity. X-Men have powers because of genetic mutation. Some powers are concealed and the hero looks…
‘Godzilla’ remains true to tradition but offers new details
By Michael Parnell Back in the 1960s, I loved to stay up on Saturday nights to watch Shock Theater, the late night airings of classic monster/horror movies. There were the Hammer Films productions, which usually centered on Dracula. But my…
‘Spider-Man 2’ is just setup for sequel
By Michael Parnell The Amazing Spider-Man 2 falls prey to its makers’ desires. They hoped to create a movie that makes us want to go to see its sequel. To do that there has to be much in the story…
No narrative movement makes ‘Heaven Is for Real’ a tough go
By Michael Parnell I went into Heaven Is for Real wanting to like it. The trailer ran on a video loop for several months and I fell for the little boy. But in the final analysis it’s just not that…
For all its flaws, ‘Noah’ raises important questions
By Michael Parnell Darren Aronofsky joins the line of directors that have taken on bringing biblical stories to the screen. His Noah is not a literal rendering of the story of great flood, but it contains both interesting and poor…
‘Son of God’ fails as movie
By Michael Parnell Movie-going is a subjective experience. A movie plays on different levels with different people. Each viewer has an experience unlike others who also see it. My church took a group to see Son of God this past…