I have a confession to make. I have never seen any of the Star Wars movies. I know very little to nothing about them. I am officially an outsider when it comes to all things Star Wars. With all the…
This generation can lay claim to latest ‘Star Wars’
By Michael Parnell Being old has its advantages. When Star Wars (Because it was not chapter four then) came out, I was 19 years old. I remember the experience of going to the movie at Cross Creek Mall in Fayetteville,…
‘Spotlight’ tells important story about the church and journalism
By Michael Parnell One of the backbones of Baptist doctrine is the concept of the separation of church and state. Historically Baptists have held that there needed to be a clear wall between the interests of the church and the…
Will the new ‘Star Wars’ tap into spiritual longing or merely entertain?
By Joe LaGuardia There is a tidal wave of excitement over the seventh installment of the Star Wars franchise, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, to be released this week. Tickets for opening day are nearly sold out, people will camp…
‘Creed’ follows its mythic roots well
By Michael Parnell Because we now have movie franchises and every studio wants, not a hit movie, but a string of movies based on one hit, there is developing a mythology within the universes that these movies create. Some of…
‘Our Brand Is Crisis’ offers good acting, bad story
By Michael Parnell Movies are supposed to be about something. They should have a guiding focus, an idea about themselves. Good movies can be described in a sentence. An example: The Godfather is a movie about family. Bad movies forget…
No character transformation in ‘Steve Jobs,’ just a really unlikeable guy
By Michael Parnell The Bible makes it clear. We are all sinners. We all have come short of the glory of God. In the new bio-pic, Steve Jobs, the tagline for the movie reads, “Can a great man be a…
‘99 Homes’ asks us, What would one do to achieve the American dream?
It has been said that the American dream has to do with home ownership. Being a home owner is the goal of many of our citizens. Yet the housing crisis of 2008 changed the landscape of the dream. Set in…
‘The Martian’ is an ode to science and the will to live
The Martian, based on the novel by Andy Weir, spins a tale of how an astronaut is left for dead on the hostile red planet we know as Mars. Mark Watney (Matt Damon) must find a way to survive for…