Tag Archives: Biblical films

38 – Jesus, Witches, and Jesse Owens

We review Risen, The VVitch, Race, and make some predictions and suggestions for The Academy Awards coming next week. Make sure to follow @sithbot_ and @boredashellcast for Oscar live-tweeting from Adam.

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Risen – the story of the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ told through the eyes of a Roman soldier. Wasn’t that the same plot as the fake movie within a movie in Hail, Caesar! ? Yes, yes it was. And the Coens get Jesus and the source material of The Bible far better than the makers of Risen did, especially when it turns into CSI: Jerusalem and the boring parts of The Hobbit. If you’re going to make a Jesus movie, have a point and make it clear. But it’s competently made and well-acted, so 5/10.

The VVitch – Atmospheric does not equal scary. Lame jump scares are not scary. Your actors need to not mumble their lines. But the film’s biggest problem is it is incredibly boring and has a really stupid ending. Really? That’s your ultimate bad guy? Still, it was atmospheric– the score and use of only ambient light was cool, but The Revenant did it far better.  Adam gives it 3/10, Andy gives it 3.5/10.

Race – Clever title, there, movie. Still, a fun movie. Great performances by main cast, and weaves in the historical context incredibly well. We understand how bad it was in Hitler’s Germany and also for African-Americans in The United States. Joseph Goebbels and Leni Riefenstahl were played like they came from a Rocky and Bullwinkle cartoon, but Riefenstahl’s attempts to film the Olympics become almost more interesting themselves, threatening to derail the main narrative. But at its core, this is an inspirational sports movie. Andy gives it 7.5/10.

Oscar predictions and who we would vote for. Follow us on Twitter as we live-tweet the awards show.