Written by David Roark

The title of Swedish filmmaker Jan Troell’s latest work—Everlasting Moments—alludes to photographs taken by its protagonist. These images represent not only an independent woman’s treasured memories, but also the perpetual force that they, and art as a whole, encompass. Such a concept is made transparent in Troell’s film itself, as the subtle, emotional narrative carries enough tone and inspiration to create something more than a motion picture: a sacred story that will never be forgotten.

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Written by David Roark

This has been an awful year for American cinema. From hackneyed plots to rebooted classics, Hollywood won’t stop doing what’s already been done —with every intent to pin big numbers at the box office, but not to create something of worth. And if it’s not a remake, it’s probably adapted from a comic book, which regardless of being hip, isn’t always a supportive foundation for truth or art; the fanboy literature, especially more recently, has a tendency to be overly violent, pornographic and nihilistic.

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Written by David Roark

Four years ago, when I first saw the DVD cover for Millions—a boy with a smirk on his face, standing under a downpour of money falling from a starry sky—I was far from impressed. It looked like nothing more than a British version of Blank Check, where a cute little kid stumbles upon “millions” of dollars and blows it on fun stuff, like say a limousine service, go-kart track or waterslide. I wasn’t interested. But then below the title I read: “A New Film From The Imagination of Danny Boyle.” Knowing that this silly-looking movie was made by the same genius behind Trainspotting and 28 Days Later changed everything. Needless to say, I couldn’t resist renting it.

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Written by Katelynn Camp

While the credits rolled, I heard sniffles all over the dark auditorium. Letters to God, a faith-based film released on April 9, screened before a small preview audience at Biola University. In a Q&A session after the film, an old man piped up, “Well, there’s not a dry eye in the place, and that’s gotta say something.” I scrunched down in my seat. My dry eyes bored into the row in front of me. More elderly viewers called out their praises. More scratchy voices lauded the film’s message. Really? I thought.

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Written by David Roark

Paul Thomas Anderson’s Magnolia has quite a reputation. Critics and moviegoers alike call it long, slow, confusing, ambitious, peculiar, depressing—and rightfully so. The film has a 188-minute runtime, an unconventional plot, nine protagonists, a musical segment, a scene in which it rains frogs and very unhappy characters. Nevertheless, I would argue that the latter adjective used to describe it is, in the end, misrepresenting. While dark and heavy throughout its better half, this 1999 masterpiece turns out to be one of the most hopeful and spiritual works of cinema I’ve ever seen.

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Written by Carl Kozlowski

Superstar comedian Carlos Mencia has made a big, yet controversial, career out of speaking about whatever is on his mind, and that most often entails racial issues. Mercilessly mocking every race, including his own Latino heritage, the often-profane Mencia is truly one of America’s “love him or hate him” comics.

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Written by Blake Atwood

Truth be told, The Invention of Lying, the recently released-on-DVD film starring Ricky Gervais and Jennifer Garner, caught me off-guard. I knew the basic premise, that no one ever lies, or even knows how to, but one man, our protagonist Mark Bellison, learns to lie. I assumed the movie would be funny because of Gervais' leading role. Some parts were funny, in that cringe-inducing way that Gervais seems to have perfected. Some parts were more crass, or even mean, in a darkly comic way. I did not, however, expect an overtly spiritual bent to the last half of the film. If you have yet to see the movie, I recommend that you buy it, rent it, or stream it, watch it, then come back to this article.

 Especially since I'm going to spoil stuff.

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Written by Carl Kozlowski

In the new movie Cop Out, Bruce Willis and Tracy Morgan team up in an attempt to bring back the fun-filled vibe of such '80s cop comedies as “48 Hrs.”, “Beverly Hills Cop” and the vastly underrated “Running Scared.” They also teamed up with director Kevin Smith of Clerks and Dogma infamy, who after writing eight funny yet unbelievably raunchy films, decided to take a crack at directing someone else's writing and see if he could score a blockbuster after 15 years of mere cult success.

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Written by Seth "tower" Hurd

A school shooting, and a suicide in the first 15 minutes of the film. A sex scene, drinking games and a keg in the first 20. It doesn’t take long to figure out that To Save a Life (out January 22) is not your typical Christian film.

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Written by David Roark

With moviegoers sporting 3D glasses, watching billion dollar blockbusters, it's inevitable that many "small" films go completely unnoticed. The unfortunate fact is, however, that several of these unseen works are far more precious than any ridiculous budget can buy.

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