dominic's diary

Contemplative Cinema?

2011-05-17T19:39:00.000-07:00

We use the phrase "contemplative cinema" in Mud Puddle Films' mission statement. I've been surprised to hear the word "contemplative" used by a few film critics recently. And not in a religious context. In fact, Mud Puddle Films' use of the word isn't necessarily religious.

Breath

So what is contemplative cinema? My favorite examples of this kind of cinema have a lot less dialogue than most films: The Sweet Hereafter, Talk to Her, Red, Blue, Lost in Translation, 35 Shots of Rum. Less dialogue, more opportunity to chew over what's going on. Certainly contemplative prayer is about letting go of words and just being with God. Mud Puddle Films' new feature project, Zola Jumped In, may not have any words at all except for occasional sung, ritual words. Lots of breathing room.

Similarly, contemplative cinema gives us breathing room with a slower pace: less incident, less cutting from shot to shot. The video Catechism project I'm working on has been a real challenge because we're trying to balance conceptual information with visual and musical delight. And we're trying to balance the stereotypical assumption that we all like fast-paced videos with the desire to invite people into a contemplative space.

Immersion

A favorite film of mine from this year is Meek's Cutoff, about a small group of lost Oregon pioneers. It may not have reached theaters in your area, though I hope it does. Contemplative cinema is often designed for the big screen, even if Meek's Cutoff noticeably eschews the popular wide shape of the big screen and uses a 4:3 aspect ratio -- i.e., the nearly square shape of very old movies and not-so-old TVs.

Contemplative films use the big screen to immerse us into an experience. This can be with wide shots that have several things going on at once, left and right, top and bottom, foreground and background. Or it can be with close-ups that give us communion with characters (the terrific actress Michelle Williams is the central character of Meek's Cutoff).

Meek's Cutoff uses the big screen to immerse us in the journey of Oregon pioneers, but unlike the typical (widescreen) western, it cuts off the periphery, just like those pioneer women's bonnets, inciting our hearts to wonder about the mystery of what else is out there.

Mystery

Mystery is an important aspect of contemplative cinema. Whether we watch contemplative cinema on the big screen or large screen, it draws us in. It seduces rather than assaults. It asks question more than gives answers. It allows us to participate. Mud Puddle Films' mission statement also expresses the desire to "open minds to mystery." Meek's Cutoff has plenty of quiet mystery, including an ambiguous ending that will leave you frustrated, tantalized, or both.

Jump In With Us!

2011-05-02T12:46:00.000-07:00

Just went live with Zola Jumped In on Indiegogo. Check it out:

Election Time, Election Thriller

2010-10-03T05:25:00.000-07:00

Have you heard the term echo chamber used for our tendency to use mostly news media that reflect our biases? Have you seen recent statistics about how many voters don't want their favorite politicians to work toward compromise?

The Genesis

I first conceived the idea for my political thriller Inside Darkness after a Presidential election. I wondered how good and smart people could think so differently about things.

But then I realized the deeper question isn't why we have differences but how we can respect and even use those differences. Can we listen to and learn from people with different beliefs, political or otherwise?

The Concept

So why not trap three presidential candidates and see whether the threat of death (or worse) is enough to lead the to something new? Can they cooperate with each other and see their own hypocrisies?

2010

The film first came out just before the 2008 election and remains as timely as ever. My hope is that experiencing, discussing, and debating Inside Darkness with your friends (and enemies) will lead to something new for you in all your relationships.

Your Turn

Watch the trailer for Inside Darkness and purchase your own copy.

What are your favorite political movies? Give your answers and other comments below.

God in Films -- Religious and Nonreligious Alike

2010-08-03T13:45:00.000-07:00

BACKYARD MOVIE THEATER

Dominic was asked to share one of his films and lead a discussion about religion in film at St. Martin de Porres Catholic Church in Yorba Linda, California. Actually, the screening was in the spacious backyard of one of the parishioners. The evening was the second of four Friday gatherings celebrating religion and the arts.

CLOSER TO GOD?

Dominic asked people to name a favorite non-Christian religious film and to describe how it brought them closer to God. Then he asked them how a favorite Christian film has brought them closer to God. Finally, he asked how a nonreligious film has brought them closer to God.

THE BEAUTIFUL FILM

The favorite topic was the presentation of moral values, but Dominic invited those present to also consider how beauty can be an experience of God. God is present not only in Goodness, but in Beauty and Truth as well. Similarly, the Vatican's list of great films presents three categories: religious, value-laden, and artistic.

What movie, religious or nonreligious, has brought you closer to God? How? Post your answers and other comments below.

Korean Adventure

2010-06-20T08:57:00.000-07:00

ALONG THE WAY. Tapaei airport all day to connect to Korea, where nephew teaches English. Started on van in LA with wife of Ripper, former Judas Priest singer. She was at funeral of Dio of Black Sabbath. Platoons of female flight attendants march by. Ate red bean paste bun. But Godiva chocolates look good. Stores staffed by dutiful young women sell these int'l treasures.

SHABU SHABU SHAZAM. My first Korean meal was pb&j and @ mass Wed with my Dominican bros I heard How Great Thou Art in Korean. Wed:nephew Kurt arrived from Busan where he teaches Eng. Dinner:shabu shabu, pots of boiling broth on table for cooking crab, squid, ultra-thin beef, & exquisite veggies. It produced a non-alcoholic euphoria. Then a sudden crash. I tumbled into bed for a welcome good night's sleep.

MY KOREAN BROTHERS. Kurt&I leave my Dominican bros' warmth in Seoul to go to Kurt's in Busan. 17 Korean brothers (5 postulants, 1 novice, 4 students, 2 deacons, 5 priests), half elsewhere in Asia, 1 in Rome, the rest in 2 small houses in Seoul, which include 2 Spanish priests, 1 Vietnamese. Established only 20 years ago. They often pray in something between speaking and chant, with non-specific pitches.

SUNDAY MASS. I’m only non-Korean? Most women in veils. Congregation sang strong. Long (angry?) preaching. All processed to collection baskets. No kneelers (or kneeling). Bowing instead of shaking hands or genuflecting. Altar girl rang rich-sounding metal bowl at showing of bread & wine & to signal subsequent bowing. Generally, people prayed w/ our trad’l hands flattened gesture. More preaching after communion?

KOREAN KIDS. Spent Sun w/ family of 1 of K's Eng students. Whole family speaks very good English, incl 6-year-old boy, a real character. The moment we met he called me uncle & offered to carry my water. But wait-he takes a few gulps then hands it back to me. He stroked my beard & says mochu (fantastic). Visited K's school. When I told them I'm K's uncle, they flocked around me. One admired the fur on my arms.

NEPHEW KURT. A privilege spending time w/ K-thoughtful x 2 (kind & reflective). Teaching in Taiwan then Korea part of quest to live examined life. He & boyhood friends (also here) plan rural retreat in Latin America:simplicity, veg gardens, commty dev & ed. M.A. 1st? Hopes to teach here another year, spending time w/ his wonderful Korean girlfriend & paying off those student loans.

Sundance 2010

2010-01-27T08:27:00.000-08:00

DAY 1 -- COMIC TERRORISTS AND A HORRIFIC FATHER

My 8th year in a row at Sundance got started a bit late -- I missed the first 4 days. But I'm going to make the most of my 6 days here. I got lucky this time in the online ticket lottery with 10 movies I'm especially interested in (I rank all ?150 movies the best I can after reading their Sundance-inflated description, often neglecting the films I think are most certain to show up in theaters back in L.A.). And I don't hesitate to participate in the waitlist lines for 2-3 hours, although they've maintained last year's welcome innovation of giving the waitlist numbers out two hours before the screening so you can go relax somewhere for awhile before returning for another half hour of waiting to see if there's room. (Today, I got a nap in during that little interval! The new Temple Theater, a synagogue in real life, is right across the dangerous, dark, icy highway from the Catholic rectory where I stay. Bob, the pastor, is his usual hospitable self. There's another filmmaking priest staying here, Willie Raymond from Family Theater Productions, as well as two of his co-workers.)

Okay, but what did I actually see yesterday? First, a hilarious comedy about four terrorists called FOUR LIONS. They are jihadists (three Pakistani Brits and one Anglo), but they don't seem especially religious. And I was on the edge of my seat wondering if violence was really going to happen. If it does, can it still be funny? If it doesn't, will it ridiculously make light of the problem? Also unnerving are the scenes of the less buffoonish leader with his adoring boy and charming, liberated wife, who is blithely supportive of his suicide mission. Apparently director and co-write Chris Morris is a big hit in the U.K.

I'm glad the waitlist volunteer wasn't successful in talking me out of seeing DADDY LONGLEGS, which really wasn't far up on my list to begin with. From yet another pair of brothers, Benny and Josh Safdie (I recently saw the Dardenne brothers' last film Lorna's Silence, as well as Daybreakers and Book of Eli, by a couple other pairs of brothers), this movie's bumbling father was a simultaneously sympathetic and maddening character. This divorced father tries so hard to make the most of his limited time with his two young boys but unintentionally puts them in danger. The father is brilliantly, so convincingly played by Ronald Bronstein, a nonactor who made the film Frownland, a dark comedy so downbeat I just couldn't finish it. I don't know if I can say I enjoyed Daddy Longlegs, but it really got under my skin. Now that I think about it, one of the brothers introduced the movie by saying he hopes we "have a reaction." Oh, and the movie is semi-autobiographical. What was their father's reaction? He was pleased. And their mother somehow felt vindicated at the same time. Daddy Longlegs is also part of a new Sundance project that tours eight films and (simultaneously?) offers them video-on-demand.

For filmmakers: I also went to a panel discussion of filmmakers creating live events for their films. I thought it was going to be all filmmakers who are simply distributing their traditional, feature-length films by going on the road with them, making their screenings into events in some way and having extended Q&A sessions. But most of the panelists are actually performance artists of one kind or another. I don't see myself going that direction, but I am drawn to the idea of touring with my films. The director of For the Bible Tells Me So, a film about Christian parents finding out their son or daughter is gay, has personally screened his film at 80 colleges. And it's been shown at 5,000 churches! It turns out that if your film is a big hit at a church convention or college conference of some sort, word gets out.

DAY 2 -- TWO CASES OF DNA GONE AWRY

I saw one of the "Midnight" movies at noon and enjoyed it quite a lot. SPLICE is about a couple who's experiment with DNA goes awry. Lots of great twists and reversals. The clunky dialogue was a bit distracting, especially before the fun (and sometimes ?intentionally funny) craziness kicked in. A couple reversals were just too abrupt to be plausible, which keeps this morally probing horror flick from greatness. My hero Sarah Polley and the solid Adrian Brody give the film some heft. Vincenzo Natali is the writer/director. He was at Sundance over ten years ago with his very cool mindbender Cube.

ME TOO comes much closer to greatness. Speaking of DNA, it's about a Down's Syndrome university grad (played very naturally, intelligently, and often humorously by the world's only Down's Syndrome university grad) who falls for his co-worker, played by the glowing Lola Dueñas. This Spanish film has a touch that reminds me of Almodovar's Talk To Her, one of my all-time favorites: both films incorporate dancing performances beautifully. Me Too uses performances from a real live company that includes dancers with Down's Syndrome. The film is by yet another duo: Alvaro Pastor and Antonio Naharro share both writing and directing credits. One of them cast his sister with Down's Syndome in a supporting role, and she was quite good. I didn't get to sit with my dear acting and directing teacher Deborah Lemen because her combo bus and running trek got her to the theater a little late, but she loved the film as well. She told me about an 8-year-old student of hers who never speaks publicly was able to get up and perform a scene in class the other day.

I was going to wait for the 8:30 p.m. movie in the same theater, but was able to get in the next (5:30) show instead. Wrong choice. OBSELIDIA is a talky, preachy film with self-congratulatory cleverness. It wasn't an unpleasant experience: a fairly charming couple in beautiful Death Valley. But I was bored with its need to convince me that we need to save the planet, that we also need to live each moment fully in case we don't save the planet, and that when something is loved it doesn't go obsolete. Great ideas. Not much of a movie. (Post script: Obselidia won the prize for science screenplay. Science lecture, maybe. Why not Splice, the DNA thriller?)

After that preachy film, I waited for that 8:30 film, the much lauded Winter's Bone, about an Ozark teenager's quest to save her family. The couple with waitlist numbers 77&78 were really upset they lost their place in line because they didn't return a half hour before the film started, but they were finally able to walk away peacefully when they realized their numbers weren't good enough anyway. I hope I didn't get your hopes up, but I didn't even have a number, so I also didn't get in. But in line I enjoyed chatting up an Irish couple. His brother is the producer of HIS & HERS, a series of interviews with 70 females of all ages from the Irish Midlands about their relationships with males. Sounds delightful. (Postscript: His & Hers won the world doc cinematography award.)

DAY 3 -- HEADACHES, HATE, AND HURT -- WITH HUMOR

In FIX ME, Palestinian documentarian Raed Andoni follows his philosophical quest to free himself of his "tension headache" through art therapy and conversations with family, friends, and fellow political prisoners from his youth. The moments of offbeat humor (especially from his mother) bring great insight but came too infrequently to keep me awake during this fascinating, meditative piece. A great look at a Palestinian's attempts at defining himself beyond the war with Israel.

LOVERS OF HATE has fun moments, especially when the lead character sneaks around the house where his estranged wife is having a dalliance with his brother. But I didn't like any of the characters, who were all so self-interested. Note to filmmakers: Before the screening, one of the actors was handing out cool little booklets of interviews and sketches that he'd put together himself.

3 BACKYARDS is Eric Mendelsohn's pretty successful experiment in using atmosphere and mood to get inside the experience of one day in the lives of a little girl, an estranged husband, and a bored woman. Edie Falco is terrific in her highly awkward scenes with her town's visiting movie star. Mendelsohn said in his highly articulate Q&A that he was trying to do a kind of nature documentary about people (it's not a documentary). But the filmmaker's hand was a bit heavy with a couple too many nature montages with the otherwise satisfyingly assertive and evocative score. (Postscript: Mendelsohn won the U.S. dramatic directing award.)

BLUE VALENTINE rides on the gut-wrenching performances of two of my favorites, Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams. (I believe I wrote in my Sundance journal a couple years ago, after seeing Half Nelson, that Ryan Gosling is a god.) The film takes us through a couple days in the life of a struggling couple. Filmmaker Derek Cianfrance successfully uses an old device (which I don't want to give away) in an extensive way to deepen our understanding and experience of these people. But in a way the film was the beginning and end, without the middle -- just what is the couple's main challenge? But that's sort of what the movie is about -- their lack of clarity about their challenges and their inability to communicate about it. It was during Sundance last year that Heath Ledger died. I'm assuming this film was shot before that, because I can't imagine Michelle Williams being able to immerse herself in this role right after the father of her child died so suddenly and tragically.

DAY 4 -- ABORTION AND ABORIGINES

I had eagerly anticipated 12TH AND DELAWARE, about an abortion clinic and anti-abortion center directly across the street from each other. The counselors at both places were inadequately trained. The Catholic anti-abortion counselor takes advantage of the appearance of pregnant girls and young women who mistakenly think they're at the abortion clinic. She keeps them in her office for hours, trying to get them to reconsider and giving them an ultrasound that ends with the screen message "Hi, Mommy and Daddy." While this counselor manipulates these girls and women to save the child, the counselor on the other side of the street, while perhaps less ideological and faithfully asking her clients if they're sure they want the abortion and aren't being pushed into it, seems a bit too eager to relieve their anxiety with an abortion.

An L.A. Times interview seemed to indicate that filmmakers Rachel Grady and Heidi Ewing were heavily biased against the anti-abortion center, with its manipulation of the clients. Indeed, they set out to document only the anti-abortion center but decided that some coverage of the abortion clinic was needed. But I believed they were sincere when they said that they have even more questions than they started with. At any rate, they somehow achieved amazing access to the counseling sessions.

Not a lot of art here, and a bit of melodrama, especially with the constant appearance of the inexplicably noisy, bright yellow Mustang to "inconspicuously" transport the abortion doctor, covered by a white sheet. There is also coverage of the protestors outside the abortion clinic, who are sometimes joined by the anti-abortion counselor. The lost soul, tough-guy protestor and stalker of the doctor disappears as suddenly as he showed up. The filmmakers suspect he fell off the wagon.

On the thankfully much lighter side, BRAN NUE DAE is a wacky musical comedy following teenage Australian Aborigine Willie's escape from a German-run seminary and his attempt to get back to his true home and true love. Mostly quite fun and has some decent music and dancing, but it's a bit episodic. Director and co-writer Rachel Perkins is apparently known for her political documentaries about Aborigines. She deftly includes a bit of political in the midst of the wacky. We went out singing: "There's nothing I would rather be than to be an Aborigine."

DAY 5 -- PRAYER AND PARANOIA

I scored a ticket to Jessica Hausner's LOURDES, the film I most wanted to see because the catalogue promised a sophisticated and sometimes humorous look at this fictional young woman's brief stay at the famous Catholic healing site. And it delivered. The young woman, a quadriplegic, says she goes on these pilgrimages mostly to get out and that she prefers the more cultural destination like Rome. The thorough questioning by the characters about the nature of miracles and healing would have been a good model for the writers of the preachy Obselidia. The ending of Lourdes is frustratingly, marvelously ambiguous, inviting the audience to continue discovering the truth of these people and miracles. A terrific lead performance by Sylvie Testud. This is my favorite film so far. (By the way, there is a presumably agreed-to cameo by Los Angeles' Cardinal Mahony leading benediction.) (Postscript: SYMPATHY FOR DELICIOUS, which won actor Mark Ruffalo a special directing jury prize, is also about healing: recently paralyzed DJ "Delicious" Dean turns to faith healing and gets more than he bargained for.)

Johan Grimonprez' DOUBLE TAKE is a kind of art, documentary, fiction piece all in one. It juxtaposes footage from the Cold War and Hitchcock films. But it doesn't stop there. The film makes Hitchcock himself a character. Accompanied by a very clever voiceover that sounds quite a bit like the man himself, he comes face to face with his double and can't remember if you're supposed to kill your double or if your double is destined to kill you. Is it the same dilemma when Nixon meets Khrushchev, when the U.S. meets the U.S.S.R.? Although I dozed a bit (probably partly because it was the middle of the afternoon), Double Take is fascinating.

I preached at the evening mass 1 Sundancians 13, about the struggle to love that I've seen in the movies this year.

DAY 6 -- FOUR!!! AWARD-WINNING FILMS

The last day's screening of the award-winning films is always my favorite day of the festival. I had tickets to all four screenings at the big Eccles theater. None of the filmmakers were still in town for Q&A, but it was still a very rewarding day, bringing my two favorite films of the festival.

David Michod's ANIMAL KINGDOM from Australia became my new favorite. It won the jury prize for best world dramatic film. It's a slow-burn suspense story about an orphaned, aimless teen taken in by his drug-dealing uncles. Will he find his spine and stand up to them? The last twenty minutes are hugely compressed and jumble chronology in order to dole out the information in an even more suspenseful way (and it is very suspenseful), so I had to talk it through with a few folks after to make full sense out of it. The performance by Jacki Weaver as the boy's grandmother is extraordinarily rich.

RESTREPO won the jury prize for best U.S. documentary. It accompanies a small troop of U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan and follows up with the survivors. While the interviews of the traumatized soldiers back at home are important and moving, especially the montage of their sad, lost faces accompanied by guitar music (played by their dead soldier Restrepo?), and while the interviews of the soldiers while they're in Afghanistan are also interesting, the most enlightening scenes are of the soldiers interacting with each other during rest, work, and battle. The doc doesn't have as strong a narrative thread as I would have liked, and it isn't particularly artful (the main reasons I prefer fiction films in general), so I suspect the jury was trying to make a political statement with this award. But what's the statement? I suspect the film will be liked by anti-war and pro-war viewers both. It might have helped that one of the filmmakers is pretty high profile, Sebastian Unger, who wrote The Perfect Storm.

I was so glad to have the chance to see Debra Granik's WINTER'S BONE since I'd been hearing so much praise for it. And I wasn't disappointed. It became my second favorite. It won the U.S. dramatic jury prize. An Ozark teen who has to raise her little brother and sister and take care of her emotionally unstable mother fiercely marches through the woods from one scary relative's shack to another to find her crank-cooking father and make sure he shows up for court because he put their house up against his bail bond. I suppose I made that sound almost silly and cliché, but young Jennifer Lawrence's strong performance and the gradual escalation of the stakes had me on the edge of my seat. The supporting actors look awfully convincing as rugged woods people. (The military actually comes off pretty good in the balance when a recruiting officer gives the girl -- only 17, but eligible with parent permission -- the straight scoop on the $40,000 signing bonus and encourages her to carry on with her difficult task of taking care of her family.)

The audience favorite in the U.S. dramatic category: happythankyoumoreplease -- but since I've been putting the names of the films in all caps, HAPPYTHANKYOUMOREPLEASE. It's a delightful and often quite clever romantic comedy about three friends looking for love, but a central implausibility and a few lesser ones, as well as the less interesting and less connected third story, make it far from an award-winning film for my taste. It was nice to see the very appealing actress Malin Ackerman go beyond her typical cutesy. And writer/director Josh Radnor is also enjoyable as the lead.

My ranking of the films I saw, beginning with my favorite (I liked all but the last two):
1. Animal Kingdom
2. Winter's Bone
3. Lourdes
4. Me Too
5. Four Lions
6. Blue Valentine
7. 3 Backyards
8. Splice
9. Fix Me
10. Daddy Longlegs
11. 12th and Delaware
12. Restrepo
13. happythankyoumoreplease
14. Bran Nue Dae
15. Double Take
16. Lovers of Hate
17. Obselidia

Films I'd still like to see:
Armless
Bilal's Stand
Boy
Buried
Catfish
Contracorriente (Undertow)
The Dry Land
The Extra Man
Family Affair
Freedom Riders
Frozen
Grown Up Movie Star
Hesher
His & Hers
Holy Rollers
Howl
The Imperialists Are Still Alive
The Killer Inside Me
The Man Next Door
The Oath
The Perfect Host
Please Give
A Prophet
Son of Babylon
Tucker & Dale vs. Evil
Welcome to the Rileys
Women Without Men

Others I might like to see:
All My Friends Are Funeral Singers
The Company Men
Douchebag
Enter the Void
The Freebie
Get Low
I Am Love
Jack Goes Boating
The Last Train Home
Lucky
New Low
Nowhere Boy
Nuummioq
The Red Chapel
The Runaways
The Shock Doctrine
Southern District
Sympathy for Delicious

Movies: The Light Art

2009-12-21T11:52:00.000-08:00

The Light Art

If with Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanza, and the Winter Solstice, this is a season of light, movies are the art form of light. We filmmakers use light and shadow to focus our attention and to evoke feeling. We use the visible spectrum of light -- color -- to create meaning and emotion. Movie lovers like nothing better than to sit in a darkened theater in front of a screen that is brought to life by the projection of light. These are the stained glass windows of our times.

Holiday Movies

What movie are you planning on watching during the holidays? In addition to It's A Wonderful Life and Miracle on 34th Street, there's the more recent Home Alone and A Christmas Story ("Oh my god, I shot my eye out!"). And the even more recent Love Actually. Die-hard fans of Die Hard even count Bruce Willis' suspenseful holiday trip to visit his family as a Christmas movie. (Or is it more a warning against Christmas office parties?)

A New Classic?

I haven't seen 2005's Joyeux Noel yet, but it comes highly recommended. It's based on the true story of World War I enemies calling a Christmas truce to sing, eat, and play soccer together. Sounds like this movie is a great prayer for our times. (Watch the trailer.)

Post your favorite holiday movie as a comment.

Thanksgiving and Food Films

2009-11-19T16:23:00.000-08:00

from Mud Puddle Films' Thanksgiving film The Sisters O'Malley

Share your favorite Thanksgiving or food films by making a comment below.

Do You Like Scary Movies?

2009-10-24T08:40:00.000-07:00

For me, Halloween is a time for scary movies. Do you love scary movies, too? Do you hate them? Or do you love and hate them?

Why Do We Love Them?

Some say we're not truly afraid when we watch scary movies but instead having fun. Others say we really are afraid but willing to go through the fear because of the pleasure when it's over. Another theory sort of combines the other two: it's fun to be afraid, as long as we know we're really safe. Is it possible that scary movies are a safe way for people to manage their fears?

Why Do We Hate Them?

Most of us have images in our minds from scary movies we saw long ago, and for some this can be quite troubling. Scary movies, especially of the horror (or torture) variety, come with a generous dose of violence, which raises another red flag for many. Still, it seems like the jury is out on whether scary (or violent) movies are bad for everyone, children and adults alike.

Why Do I Love and Hate Them?

Scary movies get me out of my head. Actually, I especially like scary movies of the psychological or suspense varieties, which replace the usual worries in my head with "pleasurable" anxiety. But sometimes, my experience is mixed. As much as I "liked" Silence of the Lambs, I'm not in a hurry to see it again.

Wanna Not See Something Really Scary?

If you haven't seen any Hitchcock lately, you might check out Psycho, Rear Window, or The Birds. If you want to go out, you might try the new Paranormal Activity. This ultra low-budget film knows the classic truth Hitchcock exploited so well, that what you don't see is the scariest. Come to think of it, my film Inside Darkness is about fear of the unseen and unknown. Maybe scary movies distract us from what's really, invisibly scary.

Why do you love, hate, or love and hate scary movies? What will you be watching on Halloween? Share your thoughts with a comment below.

Zola Jumped In

2009-07-23T08:17:00.000-07:00

So here's what I've been working on. I just finished a new draft of the script and am now seeking collaborators (including musicians and dancers this time) and financial supporters.

Zola Jumped In is a contemplative, ritualistic experience of a 15-year-old girl turning to a gang, a neighborhood church, and pregnancy for a sense of belonging and purpose.

The main action takes place at a mysterious nighttime fire ritual. Zola is anxious that her boyfriend hasn't yet shown up. As the ritual proceeds to storytelling then water and oil rituals, the African American Zola remembers the year's events leading to this night: her little brother is killed by Latino gang members, a little girl is killed in retaliation, she is raped by her mother's boyfriend, she is initiated into a gang and into a faith community, and she becomes involved with a Latino boy from the church. The nighttime ritual is the completion of her initiation into the church.

Or is it really just the beginning? As the night concludes with a ritual meal, we see Zola's life during the months after the ritual: she learns why her boyfriend never showed up to the ritual, in response she tries to get rid of her unborn baby, and she struggles to live out the life of hope she's embraced.

The film refuses to condemn gang members or even gang life. It also resists any temptation to hold up religion as an easy answer. The rituals and relationships of both ways of life are touched with fear and grace.

Richly Ritual Dreams

2009-04-22T18:41:00.000-07:00

Richly Beautiful...

My dream for Mud Puddle Films is to help you to dream. My belief is that as long as I continue to tell stories that matter deeply to me and to you, and to tell them in a way that is rich and beautiful, then we will be the better for it.

...and Beautiful Ritual

Our current project, Zola Jumped In, is about a girl who, when the little brother she raised is killed, turns to a gang, a neighborhood church, and pregnancy for a sense of belonging and purpose. The movie will be overflowing with ritual, emotion, music, poetry, and dance.

A Mission into Mystery

The Board of Directors just adopted a new mission statement:

In the Dominican tradition of truth seeking, Mud Puddle Films creates contemplative cinema that opens minds to mystery, hearts to hope.

The Board of Directors is also preparing to launch a campaign to invite Mud Puddle Films' friends to contribute in a special way to continuing this mission, including the Zola film.

What kinds of movies does your soul need? What else do you need so that your mind continues to be opened to mystery, your heart to hope?

Add a comment: What are your dreams, for yourself, or for Mud Puddle Films and its Torch3M partners, Black & White Music and Spiritual Magic?

Easter and the May Election: One Heart, Mind, and Pocketbook of Mercy?

2009-04-19T09:50:00.000-07:00

My preaching for the 2nd Sunday of Easter (Jn 20, Acts 4).

We usually think of Thomas' doubt as a sin against Jesus, and perhaps it was, but more immediately, it's a failure to trust his brothers and sisters. He doesn't believe in the resurrection. But that's because he doesn't believe his brothers and sisters. He fails to rely on them.

The early believers' reliance on each other is the theme of today's first reading:

The community of believers was of one heart and mind,
and no one claimed that any of his possessions was his own,
but they had everything in common...
There was no needy person among them...

Total sharing of possessions? This is astonishing isn't it? Maybe even scandalous for those who put their faith in capitalism. In this age of bailouts and tea parties, as we recover from tax day and get ready for the special election in a few weeks -- yes, another election -- six budget-oriented propositions from the state legislature -- in the midst of all this, can this scripture passage and other church teaching help us find Jesus' call to us? When do we share, and when do we insist on holding on to what's ours? Is anything really ours?

In Pacem and Terris, Pope John XXIII wrote:

The right to private property...derives from the nature of humanity. This right is an effective means for safeguarding the dignity of the human person and for the exercise of responsibility in all fields; it strengthens and gives serenity to family life, thereby increasing the peace and prosperity of the state. However, it is opportune to point out that there is a social duty essentially inherent in the right of private property. (No. 21-22)

So the Church teaches that we have the right of private property but that, with this right, comes a responsibility to help others.

The United States bishops, in their landmark 1986 document Economic Justice For All, don't advocate exact equality of wealth:

Some degree of inequality not only is acceptable, but also may be considered desirable for economic and social reasons, such as the need for incentives and provision of greater rewards for greater risks. However, unequal distribution should be evaluated in terms of several moral principles we have enunciated: the priority of meeting the basic needs of the poor and the importance of increasing the level of participation by all members of society in the economic life of the nation...In view of these norms we find the disparities of income and wealth in the United States to be unacceptable. (No. 185)

Neither exact inequality nor great disparity, especially when there is poverty. The bishops even provide guidelines for a just taxation system as one way of reducing poverty:

First, the tax system should raise adequate revenues to pay for the public needs of society, especially to meet the basic needs of the poor. Secondly, the tax system should be structured according to the principle of progressivity, so that those with relatively greater financial resources pay a higher rate of taxation...Thirdly, families below the official poverty line should not be required to pay income taxes... (No. 202)

So a just system of taxation is first of all one that reduces poverty.

It's clear that our tradition emphasizes the common good and that private ownership is to be directed toward the common good, giving special consideration to the poor. It's probably not so clear, though, how that applies to the six propositions we'll be voting on in a few weeks. Will the first proposition's goal of a rainy day fund to prevent future budget panics and increased taxation harm the poor by taking away the legislature's latitude to care for the poor? Three other propositions redirect funds, at least temporarily, from spending on education, children's health and human services, and mental health, to the general fund. One of these, the lottery proposition, wants to use the revenues for the general fund instead of for education, paying for education by other means. This brings up the question that rarely gets raised: Is the lottery a regressive tax, a tax on the poor? Poor people play the lottery more than the rest of us. And the cost of a lottery ticket is a higher percentage of their income.

In addition to the official voter's guide, ballotpedia.org might be one of the best resources for information. The California Bishops are planning on putting on their website some references to relevant Church teaching. The League of Women voters shares the Church's commitment to the poor, and along with their typically thorough analysis, they've explained the "no" stance they're taking on the four measures I've just referred to. They don't take a stance on the other two.

Today's first reading isn't just talking about economics. The U.S. bishops, in Economic Justice For All, write that the phrase "all things in common" "suggests not only shared material possessions, but more fundamentally, friendship and mutual concern among all its members." (No. 185) We're called to rely on each other in all sorts of ways. That's essential to being human -- relying on one another.

Like Thomas, we haven't seen the resurrected Jesus. We have to rely on those who have gone before us in faith. We have to rely on each other. Or, maybe the deeper truth is that we get to rely on each other for our faith. Our faith is itself something communal. In a sense, our faith is in the community. It's a faith in Jesus' presence in the community.

In fact, in today's gospel story, Jesus entrusts the community with forgiveness of sins:

He breathed on them and said to them,
"Receive the Holy Spirit.
Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them,
and whose sins you retain are retained."

This 2nd Sunday of the Easter season is even called Divine Mercy Sunday.

May our commitment to one another in Christ, our divine link to one another, lead us to grow in our generous sharing of Christ's mercy, even if it means sharing our material goods. Of course, it's even scarier for most of us, yet even more life-giving, to share our hearts and our faith. May we rely on each other ever more deeply this Easter season, for it is in one another that we experience resurrected life.

Oscars: A Snob's POV

2009-02-18T18:41:00.000-08:00

As usual, I won't be watching the Oscars this year, even though my new digital video recorder would save me from all those commercials. To paraphrase the title of a recent release, "I'm just not that into you, Hollywood." As much as I've been itching for a good night at the movies, I just haven't been able to bring myself to bother with some of the nominated films and performances. Even with Cate Blanchett, the Curious Case of Benjamin Button only barely peaks my curiosity.

Still, I have to admit I'll be the first to go online Monday morning to see who won. Will the amazing Kate Winslet win for (what's for her) an average performance in an average movie? Could Robert Downey Jr. possibly win best supporting actor for his blackface comedic role? (I know -- he's a darkhorse.) What about Marisa Tomei for playing the opposite of her famously snubbed comedy win for My Cousin Vinney? And in a thin field, will the greatly entertaining but overrated Slumdog Millionaire actually take the big one?

It's exciting for this filmmaker (though hard for me to fathom) that so many people are so into the Oscars. I'm not that into Hollywood, but the night will be worthy of the excitement if at least one of those foreign language nominees turns out to be a hidden gem.

ROMING FRIARS -- The Travel Diary of Two Troubadours in Rome

2009-02-18T17:34:00.000-08:00

SABINA -- Tuesday, October 14

We arrived at Santa Sabina right in time for pranza, the midday meal. John Paul and I were prepared to abstain from our usual abstinence from pasta, which is always the first course at this main meal of the day. And always superb. Today's main course was a beautifully flavored bisteca, a thin piece of beef. You have to take what you want up front, though. The brothers, who take turns serving the family-style meal, come around between courses to remove the serving dishes. Or someone from the next table over might "borrow" yours. After pranza, everyone gathers for a drink in the other room then disappears for a siesta -- life is good here.

The 33 friars that live at our priory at Santa Sabina, the beautiful 5th-century basilica that hosts our worldwide Dominican headquarters, come from 17 countries. And a meeting of our Intellectual Life Commission at Santa Sabina and the Synod of Bishops at the Vatican rounded out the international flavor at the priory even more. All these important people who are so relaxed and hospitable. And they're all genuinely enthused about John Paul's and my concert. Most of the brothers speak at least some English, many quite a lot. It's with a mixture of shame and gratitude that I report that we're able to communicate in English most of the time.

Our main hosts here at Santa Sabina are Prakash from India and Chrys from the United States. Prakash will soon be taking Chrys' place as the Socius for the Apostolic Life. After 40 years in Pakistan and 6 years in Rome (actually, mostly traveling), Chrys is returning to the United States to do campus ministry at NYU.

We ended the day upstairs on the belvedere overlooking the city, with St. Peter's Basilica prominent in the distance. This was the first of several of Chrys' famous impromptu belvedere soirees. Yes, life is good in Italy.

LUKE -- Wednesday, October 15

Martin from South Africa told us that watching a sunset and sunrise would help with jet lag, so John Paul and I dutifully rose at 6:00. No obvious sunrise, but at least we were up for the slow brightening of the skies. Then a breakfast of healthy bran flakes that contained an even healthier dose of chocolate shavings, topped off with hot milk from the cappuccino machine. The cheese tray and local fruit (apples and persimmons) were out for breakfast as well.

Luke, from our Dominican province in California, took time away from the busy beginning of the school year at the Angelicum, the international Dominican university where he teaches, to take us on a walking tour of the city. Luke kept running into Dominicans and other people that he knows. (He apparently manages to get away from the Angelicum on occasion.) We saw the tombs of our beloved Dominican brothers of old, theologian Thomas Aquinas and artist Fra Angelico, as well as our sister Catherine of Siena. She and Fra Angelico are at Santa Maria Sopra Minerva (that is, St. Mary's built on top of an old temple to Diana). And we were introduced to some of the many great drinking fountains of Rome.

After pranza back at Santa Sabina (and a siesta, of course), we were on our way back into the city when we ran into a large group of lay Dominicans from Nigeria. Prakash graciously gave them a tour of the church. They were all dressed alike and looked like a choir, so I couldn't resist asking them to sing for us. They couldn't resist singing, and singing some more. When their leader was finally able to stop them, we said goodbye and made our way to St. Peter's Basilica for the first time.

PETER and BENEDICT -- Thursday, October 16

But we got a better look at St. Peter's this morning. Prakash, John Paul, and I made the very brisk 30-minute walk to the basilica, where we met Luke for mass at one of the many side chapels. Prakash and Luke had to go about their day, but John Paul and I stayed to meander. We got hugely lucky and replaced two no-shows for the exclusive tour of the scavi, the tomb of St. Peter deep down under the archeological layers of the basilica.

After pranza (and the obligatory siesta) back at Santa Sabina, we returned to St. Peter's to see a movie with the current successor to St. Peter (and 9,000 others) at the Pope Paul VI hall. It was the premiere of a new documentary about another one of Peter's successsors, Pope John Paul II. We recognized the great British actor Michael York sitting ten feet away from us and soon discovered that he was the narrator. Unfortunately, after his first two words, a dubbed Italian narrator drowned out our English link to the film. I hope Michael York realized that he hadn't come all that way to hear himself. Pope Benedict sat about thirty feet away from us in a really big chair and shook hands with York and others afterwards.

We got home in time for a late cena (supper), where we were joined by the gracious Raymond from Slovakia. (Before we left Rome, he'd bought 15 of our "Black &White" CDs and 10 of my "Inside Darkness" DVDs to sprinkle all over Europe during his frequent travels.)

I watched a little Fox news and, for a slightly different perspective, Al Jazeera, before retiring.

PRAKASH -- Friday, October 17

It's not everyday I sit in on an international diplomacy meeting, at least not before breakfast. After morning mass, Prakash wanted to introduce me to Raphael, who works a block away at the U.S. Embassy to the Vatican. So I was invited to join them in Prakash's office and listen in on their meeting. Prakash is the General Promoter for Justice and Peace, so he wanted to ask Raphael to do whatever he could about the recent upsurge of persecution of Christians in India and Iraq. Raphael was sympathetic. In fact, he had managed the refugee program in Iraq and wants to return to refugee work. But his compassion had to find its way through the cracks of his "embassy-speak." Raphael joined us for breakfast, where he was challenged by our American brother Paul Philibert's perceptive questions about the United States' apparent lack of commitment to the United Nations. By the way, the Dominicans are an official NGO at the United Nations.

I spent the day helping Prakash prepare for the meeting. Oh yeah, I came to Rome for a reason: a few of us Dominican friars involved in mass media were asked to join members of our curia to design a new tool to educate Dominican women and men about the Dominican commitment to social justice…

ST. GELATO -- Saturday, October 18

…and John Paul had come with me to Rome so that we could sing our "Black & White" concert at Santa Sabina. But once we got here, Prakash was impressed with John Paul and asked if he wouldn't mind joining the meetings. John Paul graciously gave up his planned resting and touring to contribute. Scott, our old friend and brother from the United States, was at the meeting as well.

The meetings were challenging (though not so challenging as to prevent the sacrosanct siesta). Also, without any discussion about language, the meeting fell into English. I think it was obvious that we uncultured Americans would have been lost otherwise. One question we addressed was how we could speak to Dominicans who were suspicious of our social justice ministry as leftist ideology. But we made a breakthrough late in the afternoon. For a few months, we'd been assuming the meeting would be about designing one or more videos, but at some point late this afternoon, the idea emerged to also invite all Dominicans to contribute their own short video. This would be more than a few of us telling everyone else what they should think and do. After all, dialogue is the Dominican way. Prakash, who organized the meeting, has a terrific way of sitting back and letting the rest of us talk. He graciously trusted us to take his initial idea wherever the Spirit lead.

John Paul and I were rewarded late tonight when Prakash escorted us to a local gelato shop. Finally: gelato!

ERIC -- Sunday, October 19

We worked out the details of our project today. It will be called "The Gospel in Action: to bring good news to the poor." Eric from the French province was particularly enthusiastic, articulate, and talkative. He works for the well-respected weekly Dominican television show "Le Jour de Seigneur." We got a lot of mileage over the week from an incident during a meeting when one of the brothers told his own ringing cell phone to shut up, and Eric, talking as usual, dead-panned "Who, me?"

We were invited to celebrate the successful completion of our meeting with a rosary on the belvedere. I'll have to say, I wasn't too thrilled with the idea of ending the long day with a long rosary. But it turned out that "rosary" was code for "drinks."

DOMINIC and CARLOS -- Monday, October 20

We began the day with mass in St. Dominic's cell. This is where he slept and prayed and studied 800 years ago.

We complemented our media and justice meeting with a field trip. Max showed us around Vatican Radio, a huge operation founded in the 1930's and divided into many language groups. Max is in charge of German production. Then we went to H2O, a new Catholic news agency with an impressive internet presence.

Then, finally, our concert. Francesco, the rector at Santa Sabina, designed a beautiful, large poster and distributed copies all over the city, at least at our four parishes. A special invitation was made to the Dominican Family -- friars, sisters, and lay Dominicans. Carlos, the Master General of the Order, was there to introduce us (and thank us afterwards). Robert, an Italian/English brother, translated, and John Paul and I sang our hearts out. Our program tracing the history of black and white music in the United States took on new meaning when performing for a non-American audience. Several of the brothers encouraged us to come to their home provinces to sing.

A handful of us celebrated at a local spot with beer, supper, and profiterole, a superb confection of pastry, chocolate, and cream. Eric's fellow French Dominican was there and received quite a lot of attention for his resemblance, personality-wise, to the bumbling Pink Panther, Detective Clousseau. Among other stories, there was the time he chased down on his bicycle a Santa Sabina art thief.

CHRYSOSTUM -- Tuesday, October 21

Chrys guided us down through Santa Sabina's own scavi this morning. Minerva and perhaps Isis were worshiped here at one time. Not anymore, I dare say.

We had pranza with Luke at the Angelicum today. Actually, at the adjacent "Convito," where he is rector for 50 diocesan priests who have come from all over the world to study at the Angelicum. Luke asked us to sing a song for them (the first of several mini-concerts he talked us into today), and one Nigerian was especially effusive with his gratitude.

Luke had somehow arranged for us to sit up on the platform with the pope (and 500 others) at tomorrow's weekly audience, so we went off to the North American College (where many diocesan seminarians from the United States come to study) to pick up our tickets.

We searched for John Paul's favorite gelateria from a previous trip to Rome. We never found it, but we found some gelato that sufficed, to say the least. Why is gelato so much better than American ice cream? What is gelato? Wikipedia says that gelato, like high-end ice cream, has less air and is therefore more dense than a lot of ice cream. Also, it's typically made with whole milk rather than cream, is often made fresh daily, and is served only semi-frozen. In other words, gelato is so good because it's Italian.

We completed our touring for the day at San Clemente, another Dominican church (this one run by the Irish friars), also with an impressive scavi. We introduced ourselves to the friar at the front desk, and he invited us to take the tour free of charge.

Tonight, we had a "rosary" on the belvedere for Chrys, who finally moves back to the United States tomorrow.

CLOUSSEAU -- Wednesday, October 22

The papal audience this morning. Perched in the popemobile, Benedetto slowly weaved through the 25,000 people present so that everyone had a chance to see him from fairly close. Then he gave a 20-minute homily in Italian. He gave 5-minute versions in several other languages, after each of which pilgrim groups of that language were introduced.

After pranza, we bid farewell to the community at Santa Sabina and a couple of the brothers playfully imitated our dramatic call and response opening number from the concert. More singing was asked of us as well.

And, later that afternoon, Brother Clousseau had us singing in the garden at his priory. He ministers as one of the ten fulltime Dominican confessors at the great Santa Maria Maggiore. He's in the middle of designing a Clousseauian contraption that will blow fresh air into his confessional. John Paul, Eric, and I had a farewell gelato before returning to Santa Sabina for our last night.

After supper, John Paul and I chatted with Ed, just back from a trip that included his home province of Chicago. Ed is the Vicar for the Master General and the one who made our concert happen. His gracious presence and foundational organizing has been felt throughout our trip despite his absence.

Prakash and Cont, the editor of our international newsletter, sat down with John Paul and me to interview us, continuing to treat us as if we were important. Prakash has to be one of the kindest, gentlest friars among so many kind and gentle souls in our wonderful Dominican family. He, more than anyone, has made our time at our international headquarters feel like time at home.

To continue Chrys' tradition, we drank a last rosary on the belvedere before retiring.

SUNDANCE 2009

2009-01-27T19:05:00.000-08:00

DAY 1

My 8th annual Sundance experience! A chance to get away and get inspired, to watch great films and write about them, to meet other filmmakers and film lovers, to hand out my postcards, and to work on my new script.

But I missed my annual 3-hour wait to get into the opening night movie, so I headed over to the big Eccles theater first thing in the morning and got into the follow-up screening of Mary and Max. It's the first time they've opened Sundance with an animated film. While surely the human face captured on film can carry more nuance, the claymation here is extremely expressive partly because of its context, an involving and intimate story. It's actually based on the Australian filmmaker Adam Elliot's own childhood pen pal relationship with an autistic adult.

Chatted with some chatty Australians while waiting in line for my next film. They're two young men who have been traveling all over the world and happened to land in Park City for skiing at Sundance time. I easily managed to get a ticket so that I could join my old high school friend Lauran for The Anarchist's Wife, an eye-opening tale of the Spanish Civil War. I always forget how recently Franco died (1975). Again, real life -- the story is based on the passionate marriage of the grandparents of writer and co-director Marie Noelle.

Next came my political thriller Inside Darkness at the Park City Film Music Festival, one of the handful of simultaneous festivals up here. The festival was just getting started, but by the end of the screening the small room was filled. I didn't miss the chance to hand out my postcards.

DAY 2

The commute was quite easy this morning. The short but dangerous walk across the highway took me to the brand new Jewish temple, which has been dressed up as Sundance's newest venue. Once again, I had absolutely no trouble getting into the film. I was confident enough that I'd get in that I turned down a $20 ticket from a festival go-er. Ultimately, the poor woman returned to sell me the ticket for the regular price of $15. Supply and demand so rarely works in favor of the person without a ticket at Sundance.

The Missing Person was a terrific contemporary noir starring the ever-inventive and mysterious Michael Shannon. (I think you'll know who he is before long.) He plays a drunken private eye who slowly, suspensefully, and humorously unravels the mystery behind his task of following a man without a name. And by the end, he confronts a fascinatingly murky moral challenge that removes his amoral mask of gin and jokes. Director Noah Buschel was enticingly evasive in the Q&A. (Postscript: You didn't have to wait long to hear about Michael Shannon. He was just nominated for the best supporting actor Academy Award for Revolution Road.)

Not such an easy commute to the heart of things. Sundance is in full swing now, and packed buses slowly navigate their way through Park City's congested little streets. But I just made it to the panel on distribution media of the future. The founders of YouTube and Netflix, and the head of Hulu.com, the new NBC company that streams already-broadcast studio TV shows and movies for free. These kinds of seminars at Sundance are always a bit mindblowing. The panelists envision a future that increases the consumer's power to find what they want to watch and to watch it when they want it on the device they choose: mobile, laptop, "TV." Oh, even movie theaters and DVDs. Hopefully, viewers' access to films, etc. will translate into filmmakers' access to viewers. That is, it's one thing for Hulu.com and Netflix to be providing studio stuff and YouTube to be providing clips of puppies, but it will be another thing for people like me to be able to more easily make our films available to niche audiences.

This evening, I preached at St. Mary's, the Catholic Church where I stay every year. Quite a weekend: the beginning of Christian Unity Week, followed by MLK day and Barack day. I reminded people that electing a president is the beginning, not the end, of our responsibility to effect change. I had some modest success with my DVDs and email list after the service.

DAY 3

Sunday morning movie worship at the Egyptian. Oskar Rohler's Lulu and Jimi was a wild, musical, and sometimes fantastical ride with a lovesick white German girl (the glowing Jennifer Decker) in the '50s and her African-American heartthrob (the charismatic and suave British actor Ray Fearon). Thoroughly enjoyable if sometimes arbitrarily plotted. Dark humor mingled with just plain darkness. (One time I was the only one laughing. Oops, was this supposed to be one of the serious moments?) Once again, the director couldn't be there because the film is opening in Germany next week, but actor Fearon was there and was quite charming, even confessing that his daughter talked him into doing Britain's Dancing with the Stars.

The panel on experiments in indie distribution included Lance Hammer, writer-director of last year's Sundance hit Ballast. Hammer canceled his deal with IFC to pursue theatrical self-distribution. He is planning for the distribution of his next project even as he writes the script. Cora Olsen, producer of last year's Good Dick, has been negotiating a variety of deals, including working with one of the aggregators that works with Itunes. Also on the panel was Indiewire blogger Matt Dentler. Scott Kirsner from www.cinematech.blogspot.com moderated.

Emily Abt's Toe to Toe might sound like an attempt to do a lacrosse Bend it Like Beckham, but it was an intense experience of the relationship between a wealthy and troubled white prep school senior with her out-of-her-element, Princeton-aspiring, African-American teammate. The drama tried to cover a bit too much territory, but it was very engaging and provocative, exploring problems of parenting, sexuality, racism, sexism, and educational opportunities. The film was inspired by the fact that 87% of American interracial friendships end at age 14.

I haven't been disappointed with any of the films yet, but Endgame is my favorite so far. Pete Travis quite suspensefully directed screenwriter Paula Milne's political thriller, based on the nonfiction book The Fall of Apartheid by Robert Harvey. William Hurt's South-African accent seems a bit off (I might be off though), but he managed not to rely too much on his trademark, multi-purpose smirk as he played a professor who risks participation in peace talks with ANC leader (and later President) Thabo Mbeki. Mbeki is played brilliantly by the always convincing Chiwetel Ejiofor. It's very moving and inspiring to watch these characters slowly gain each other's trust. Mark Strong plays the nation's chief of security, who moves from trying to force Hurt to work only for the government's interest to trying to convince the new President to negotiate. Yet the most compelling character of all is the public relations officer for Consolidated Gold who initiates and organizes the talks against all odds. He all but drops out of the movie during key moments, and Johnny Lee Miller plays him in a self-effacing way. But that's the point. He is a man who began the talks with stated financial concerns but obviously has deeper concerns by the end of the film at least. It's an apparent conversion but so subtly portrayed. In fact, the real person quit his job to work in politics.

DAY 4

After taking a quiet morning to work on my new script, I went to a couple seminars. Where Are the Big Ideas for The Small Screen? gave Craig Brewer (of Sundance Hustle and Flow fame) a chance to talk about his new web series about Memphis musicians. More interesting to me was discovering Cory McAbee, a multi-faceted artist who did Stingray Sam for big screen (it's at Sundance) and web both. Moderator Suzanne Stefanae of AFI talked to us filmmakers as if the people on the panel were the only people in the world who were making things for the web besides homemovies. Still, it was encouraging, and it was also good to be reminded once again that blogging is the best way to create an audience.

Editor and USC professor Norm Hollyn plugged his book The Lean Forward Moment and moderated a discussion with a few Sundance filmmakers about how they worked together with every department to tell their stories in a clear and focused way, to create lean forward moments. To illustrate the possibilities of orchestrating all the elements to serve each moment, he showed the scene from The Godfather when Al Pacino has dinner with the man who tried to kill his father. The use of the train noise to express Pacino's inner turmoil is terrific. Stories of discovering shooting opportunities on the set and discovering unforeseen ways to use the footage in the editing room are always inspiring.

Did you notice that all my movies yesterday dealt with black/white relations? Well, today, Martin Luther King Day, found me using my first advance-purchased ticket (I actually got lucky this year with tickets) to see a brutal drama about child soldiers in an unnamed African country. For Johnny Mad Dog, French writer-director Jean-Stephane Sauvaire went to Liberia to interview former boy soldiers, and they talked him into letting them play the child soldiers in the movie. He worked with them for a year before shooting and established a foundation to help them continue to re-integrate into society. He says the process was therapeutic for them and that their work together was mostly funny (I think he meant fun), yet it still sounds like an awfully precarious venture for them. At any rate, their acting was terrific. The lead girl was less convincing but had a seriousness that made it work just fine. The movie, which actually premiered at Cannes back in May, was expertly crafted, with mostly hand-held close shots. I would have like to have seen more about how they're taken from their families and forced to fight, as well as more moments of interaction between fights, yet the fighting was hardly gratuitous and continuously revealed character.

Fr. Willie Raymond, Fr. David Guffey, and Tony Sands from Family Theater Productions are also staying at the church rectory. They bring their Angelus Student Film winners to Park City every year during Sundance.

DAY 5

The Inauguration was on large screens up and down Main Street. I found a warm and intimate spot inside the Filmmakers Lodge, where someone from Sundance asked if there were any filmmakers he could interview about the arts, politics, and the inauguration. Sniffing a chance to promote my films, I volunteered. I don't know what I said, and I haven't been able to find it online, but the bottom line for me is that the arts are as important as breathing. In fact, it was when Aretha sang ("Land where my fathers died" means something a bit different out of a black American's mouth than my mouth) that I was able to momentarily let go of my fears that we're not going to turn away from war and finally open to this great moment in our nation's life. I cried. Joe the Cellist and his companions also made me weep, at least until the art-deaf TV announcer started talking during the music. (By the way, did you know that our great Americana composer Aaron Copeland was gay?) I was brought back to my war fears by the image (at least on CNN) of a black sailor who looked all of fifteen.

The theme of child soldiers continued with Ross Katz's Taking Chance, a true story in which a Marine Lieutenant (played by Kevin Bacon) inexplicably volunteers to escort a 19-year-old Marine's remains home. The overbearing music notwithstanding, the movie was a deeply beautiful and moving ritual. I went to the screening because I wanted to give the Marines a chance to show me something positive about themselves, and I was floored by the ritualized and deeply-felt respect given by the Marines to their dead. And there was just enough questioning of our war in Iraq to take down my defenses. I wept throughout, at least until the falsely-written climax. In one insightful moment, the dead Marine's commander wrote to the parents that it was ironic that if the world had more people like their son we wouldn't need a Marine Corps. If we took half the care with the living that the Marines take with their dead, there would be no war at all. More specifically, are there rituals we can create for diplomacy and peace that rival our rituals for the dead, a cult of life rather than death? (Postscript: A former Marine tells me he gave the filmmakers a hard time for not playing "Taps," which he says is played at all military funerals.)

Perhaps I was still recovering from Taking Chance, but Lee Daniels' Push (written by Damien Paul) didn't grab me as fully as it seems to be grabbing so many others. I suppose many people have it even worse than Push's teen protagonist, but the unrelenting parental abuse seemed almost like a caricature. Bizarrely, Daniels asked us before the movie to view it through the protagonist's laughter. But I don't remember much laughter. There were her occasional fantasies in the midst of the worst abuse, but I found the technique a bit distracting and distancing (perhaps the point). Mo'Nique's climactic monologue was brilliant and gave us the opportunity to forgive her. But the other characters (and the filmmakers) miss the chance. Push is powerful, but it could have been more so if it hadn't shied away from the depth of pain and humanity in the "wicked" characters. (Postscript: Mo'Nique was given a special jury award for her performance.)

Steven Soderbergh was supposed to talk tonight but instead showed a rough cut of his new film, The Girlfriend Experience. I was disappointed he didn't talk the whole time, and even more disappointed in the movie. His little 1.7 million dollar experiment involved all fairly capable non-actors except for the bland porn star lead "actress." The movie has unscripted (and often inane) dialogue and a nonlinear editing scheme (which he invented after the first day of ?mediocre shooting). But I'm just jealous. I wish I had his talent and money and cache so I could be so prolific and experimental.

DAY 6

No problem getting into the movies today. It's B-Day. People with A packages, tickets for the first half of the week, have gone, and people with B packages are just arriving. Besides, it's less crowded this year overall. I suppose individuals are watching their expenditures, and perhaps films distributors are watching their cash as well. Perhaps the inauguration has even cut into the crowds.

One Day in a Life deftly deepens from entertaining frivolity to revelatory authenticity. Director Stefano Tummolini co-wrote with lead actor Antonio Merone. In one day at a Roman beach, a man meets a variety of people who free him from his isolation and pain. The Italian title translates as "Another Planet," perhaps as in "men are from Mars, women are from Venus, straights are from Jupiter, gays are from Saturn, and everyone is their own planet, revolving around the same sun of life." I asked one of the actors if Italians are generally as open and direct as these characters, and she said that, yes, Italians aren't as polite as Americans. Their directness was quite pleasing and humorous. My deepest impression, though, was that the filmmakers made even the most annoying characters likable.

Palestinian filmmaker Najwa Najjar's Pomegranates and Myrrh is an enlightening though somewhat earnest depiction of a young Palestinian woman's move from Jerusalem and her family to her new husband and his family, who own an olive grove. When her husband is imprisoned for resisting Israeli confiscation of the land, she struggles to maintain her fidelity to her husband and to the land. A stronger performance (including dancing) from the lead actress would have elevated the film. The Q&A got intense a couple times, with one man calling the film self-pitying and an Israeli woman reacting to an American man's suggestion that American news depicted the Palestinians as the bad guys.

The big guys hosted a panel. "How to Talk to the Big Guys" had representatives of Panavision, Kodak, and major post-production facilities encourage low-budget filmmakers to apply for grants and other special consideration. I've been told of this generosity all along but never so clearly, especially by the powers that be. I suppose the big guys want to make sure they have the business of future high-budget filmmakers. Also, Kodak wants to make sure HD and Fuji don't take all their business.

Called it an early day and went home to rest and write.

DAY 7

Peter and Vandy stars two actors I really like, Jess Weixler (who won an award here a couple years ago for her performance in the wickedly funny Teeth) and Jason Ritter. But Weixler especially was hampered by the script's episodic, nonlinear, and stage roots, all of which contributed to a lack of dramatic focus for her character. It all seemed a bit "acty" to me. Still, some funny and insightful moments, including the chance to see early parts of their relationship while already knowing that they break up -- an interesting and sometimes poignant experience. Also, there is the Thanksgiving scene, with the dysfunctional and wildly different responses to the little girl's questions about the missing boyfriend. Jay DiPietro adapted his own play and directed.

John Hindman's Arlen Faber was a more standard romantic comedy, starring the reliable Jeff Daniels and charming Lauren Graham. Daniels plays a fantastically successful self-help author (God and Me) who has inexplicably isolated himself for 20 years until he's literally brought to his knees by back trouble. Enter chiropractor Graham. Endearing and much less preachy than you might expect, the only real fault I experienced was the inconsistency and unbelievability of Daniel's character. Sadly, Olivia Thurlby and Kat Dennings didn't have very big roles. I got my picture taken with the terrific 7-year-old supporting actor Max Antisell.

I went to the wrong theater then ran in the thin mountain air to the right theater for Alberto Cortes' Heart of Time, another romance, this one in the jungles of Chiapas, Mexico. A good look at the life of the Zapatistas, who are struggling to preserve their way of life. Unfortunately, afternoon fatigue, the run over, and the front-row seat all contributed to some napping during the movie. The nonprofessional acting didn't help either.

Had a real meal finally -- split an expensive and bloody steak with my acting/directing teacher Deb Lemen. Then we saw An Education, a highly-pedigreed film that includes Alfred Molina, Emma Thompson, and Peter Saarsgard, as well as a script adapted by Nick Hornby. Saarsgard offers a cultural and worldly education to the much younger Carey Mulligan, a high school student. Of course, she gets much more of an education than she bargained for, as do her blindsighted parents. Extremely well-made by Danish director Lone Scherfig. But the star is the newcomer Mulligan, who brilliantly combines sophistication and innocence, passion and intrepidation.

DAY 8

Spent the morning writing, then just walked across the highway for a waitlist ticket for Chris Rock's doc Good Hair. Then I was able to come back to the rectory for an hour and a half before the movie. I was the last waitlist person to get in. I would have liked a deeper and more hard-hitting discussion of the pressure African American girls and women feel to have un-African hair, but it was quite entertaining and enlightening at the same time: toxic relaxers, outrageously expensive weaves, hours of care. In the Q&A, Rock said that it's not uncommon for a woman with a $30K salary to spend $6K annually on her hair. Maybe it's not so bad to be balding.

I was also the last person to get in to The Greatest, another accomplished and engaging performance by the young Carey Mulligan. Susan Sarandon and Pierce Brosnan are also in Shana Feste's grief fest about a family and pregnant girlfriend grieving a young man's tragic death. It seemed so well done, but I didn't cry as much as I would have liked. I think what kept me at a bit of a distance was the filmmaker's challenging goal of not focusing on one character. Also, it didn't help that I stood most of the time in order to see the screen well. Still, there were some very moving moments, especially Sarandon crying each morning when she wakes up and remembers, and Brosnan finally crying after so much denial. Some funny moments, too.

DAY 9

Sundance king Sam Rockwell stars in Moon. He plays a solo engineer at a lunar mining plant who starts seeing things two weeks before his three-year contract is up. I'm tempted to say more but don't want to spoil a nifty twist that comes halfway through. Let's just say Rockwell gets to use his full range. A very good, low-budget sci-fi that raises some great moral questions. I hope Duncan Jones (director and story) and Nathan Parker (writer) make another low-budget sci-fi.

Took a break from movies this afternoon to have lunch with my good friend Daniel from Salt Lake City. He's the "magic" part of our Torch3M: Dominic Movies, Music, & Magic.

After preaching about Jonah and the whale and Sundance, I saw David Russo's Immaculate Conception of Little Dizzle. It's a sometimes funny, often raunchy, frequently visually dazzling movie about addictive cookies that make men poop blue fish. How's that for a logline?

After a week of sunny and relatively warm weather, it's turned to rain. Did you know when water freezes it makes ice? And that ice can make you fall on your rear?

DAY 10

Camped out at Eccles for three award-winning films on this last day of the festival. Sebastian Silva's Chilean film The Maid won the World Cinema Dramatic Jury Prize. I loved it. Catalina Saavedra is terrific as the live-in maid whose emotional immaturity leads to her confusion about her role in the family. And, one by one, she sabotages the maids hired to help her out. But things don't turn out the way I thought they would.

The rain has turned to snow, which covered the people in the waitlist line for Ondi Timoner's We Live in Public, which won the Documentary Jury Prize. It's about "the greatest internet pioneer you've never heard of," Josh Harris, who cashed in on the dot com explosion then blew all his money on wild experiments, including living with his girlfriend on a perpetual internet video stream. The director sees these as anticipatory of our current life with Facebook and other internet phenomena. Yet it's hard to watch what may have been revolutionary but what's as tiresome as the worst reality TV. I don't quite grasp Harris' genius. Surprisingly, he was present at the screening (no, after the screening -- he says he can't watch) and participated in the Q&A. He now lives in Ethiopia but says he wants to create the "wired city" with Microsoft.

Push won both the audience and jury prizes. I had a ticket, so I watched it again, hoping I'd find more in it this time. It's still not one of my favorites, but it no longer seems over-the-top in its depiction of Precious' life of abuse. And I realize now how accomplished the film is visually and in its acting. But I still didn't feel as emotionally involved as I'd like, and I think it has mostly to do with the fantasy sequences. It's a bit troubling to realize more and more just how much my new script has in common with Push: an overweight, African-American girl pregnant through rape. Really, though, it can also be encouraging -- such stories are important. And Push challenges me to be as real and creative as I can.

So that's another Sundance. The only films I really didn't like were Soderberg's new experiment and We Live in Public. My favorite films, in order:

1) The Maid
2) The Missing Person
3) Endgame
4) Push
5) Johnny Mad Dog
6) Taking Chance
7) One Day in a Life
8) Mary and Max

Films I still want to see:

1) Sin Nombre
2) The Killing Room
3) Prom Night in Mississippi
4) World's Greatest Dad
5) Amreeka
6) Cold Souls
7) Five Minutes of Heaven
8) Stingray Sam
9) 500 Days of Summer
10) La Mission
11) Paper Heart
12) Lymelife
13) Adam

Links of some folks I met:
Movie blogs: www.cinemastrikesback.com, http://wearemoviegeeks.com
Film composer: www.zeltiamontes.com

My Favorite Films of 2008

2009-01-11T12:23:00.000-08:00

Some of these films I've seen at festivals, and they might not ever show up in your local theater. At the top of my list are two festival films from last year's list but which only came to theaters in 2008.

1.The Pool (USA). Set in India, a poor, 18-year-old man/boy's tentative quest for a better life. The story is so simple, the acting so natural. Even a surprise ending. And none of it maudlin.
2.4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days (Romania). A young woman helps her friend get an illegal abortion in communist Romania. Long, contemplative takes root this thriller.
3.Lion's Den (Argentina). A possibly innocent young inmate's baby is taken from her. Fascinating, complex character.
4.The Wave (Germany). Thriller based on the true story of a high school autocracy project gone awry.
5.Red (USA). Brian Cox's tour de force as an old man who sinks to extreme means to get an apology from the teens who killed his dog.
6.Momma's Man (USA). A young family man visits his parents and can't seem to bring himself to leave. More thoughtful and less humorous than it sounds.
7.The Wrestler (USA). Terrifically told and acted story of an aging wrestler. I don't like pro wrestling but I loved this, including the humorous and poignant backstage moments.
8.Happy-Go-Lucky (UK). A cheery young woman deals with life's less cheery. An absolutely winning performance from Sally Hawkins.
9.Worlds Apart (Denmark). Some caricaturing, but mostly very thoughtful and moving look at a 17-year-old Jehovah's Witness's romance with an older outsider.
10.Hunger. (UK). The most challenging film on this list for content and storytelling techniques both. A story of brutality against IRA prisoners in 1981 somewhat abruptly switches from a couple main prisoners to Bobby Sands' 1981 prison hunger strike. The brilliant use of long takes is not for the impatient.

Other standouts: One of my favorites from Sundance 2007, Teeth, got released in theaters early 2008. Also, Frozen River, I've Loved You So Long, Shotgun Stories, Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist, and Kisses.

A Racist Good Samaritan

2008-11-03T10:02:00.000-08:00

I got a flat tire yesterday but was rescued by a good Samaritan from the Auto Club. I asked him to tow me to my usual mechanic, but he warned that the big companies like to sell new tires even when they're not needed. He filled my tire and discovered that the problem was actually with the valve. He towed me to a local mechanic, who fixed the problem in ten minutes and charged me only ten dollars.

On the way to the mechanic, my good Samaritan brought up Tuesday's election. I asked him who he liked. He said, with neither venom nor apology, that he was going to vote for McCain because he's more American than Obama. And because Obama's black. I was astounded by this bald expression of racism. I asked him why he thought McCain was more American. He didn't know how to respond but said it didn't matter because there's no denying that Obama is black. I couldn't manage any further response to this Latino non-citizen, who knew I was Christian -- he'd picked me up at St. Agatha's Catholic Church and asked me if I was a priest. (At St. Agatha's, the more deeply rooted African Americans and the more recent Latino-American members seem to get along fine, although I'm reminded that black/Latino relations in Los Angeles are notoriously strained.)

Today's saint, Martin de Porres, was born of an African (and probably Latina) mother and a white father, who was embarrassed by Martin's African features and eventually deserted his son. Yet just as the outcast Samaritan brought healing to the man at the side of the road, the outcast Martin became a fantastically devoted minister to the poor in Lima.

Racist feelings are nothing to be ashamed of. Probably all of us, especially in the United States, carry this disease within us. But it's certainly our duty to recognize our racism and ask God to continue to free us from our twisted fears.

I'm also not suggesting that we don't take race into account when we vote. Why shouldn't someone vote for Obama (or black Green Party candidate Cynthia McKinney, who has a Latina running mate), at least partly because he's black? And perhaps it's even appropriate that "white" (and male) -- to the extent that "white" actually exists -- is, for some voters, one negative factor among other factors to be taken into consideration. That's not racist if it's the recognition of the benefits of diversity.

Writer Dominic DeLay, O.P. is the writer and director of the new election thriller Inside Darkness, about three presidential candidates -- a white evangelical woman, a black Catholic man, and a white agnostic man -- trapped in a dark cell.

ELECTION, PART 2: Inviting Everyone to the Feast

2008-10-11T21:38:00.000-07:00

This is the second of two parts on the election.

In the first part, I summarized the pamphlet put out by the United States bishops called "Forming Consciences for Faith Citizenship," which you can read online at faithfulcitizenship.org. In the language of last Sunday's readings, we might say that the bishops are encouraging us to tend to the rich vineyard of church wisdom and our consciences in order to deepen respect for the dignity of every human person, each made in the image and likeness of God.

In this second part, we'll let Catholic principles guide us through the ballot. First, some brief comments regarding the presidential election and candidates in general. Then, with some apologies for skipping over state and local candidates as well as Los Angeles measures, we'll look at the state propositions. If you're not a California voter but your state is currently grappling with issues of prison reform, caring for the environment, same-sex marriage, or informing parents of their daughter's planned abortion, then you might find the discussion of the California ballot helpful. In fact, there might be some help for anyone struggling with how to prepare to vote, especially for often confusing initiatives. In the language of today's readings, are we going to accept or reject the invitation to feast on our Church's rich wisdom and to make a place at the table of justice for everyone?

Okay, first the sexy issue, President and Vice President of the Unites States. How many of you know who's running? Did you realize that in California there are six pairs of candidates on the ballot? The online version of the voters guide, which you can find at the Secretary of State's website, includes Presidential candidates' personal statements. These can also be obtained by calling the Secretary of State. I've recently discovered a really helpful website called factcheck.org that gives brief, very engaging video responses to the Republican and Democratic candidates' statements in the debates and elsewhere. Many of us are addicted to the endless television, radio, internet, and newspaper chatter about the Democratic and Republican candidates. Might it be helpful for you this week to instead read and reflect on Catholic teaching? Then, to take a few specific questions with you to your media surfing? And to choose your programs, websites, and newspapers carefully?

How do the candidates' past actions and current statements reflect respect for the dignity of every person? The United States bishops end their "Faithful Citizenship" pamphlet with 10 priorities, including the call to end the violence of abortion, assisted suicide, human embryo destruction, the death penalty, imprudent resort to war. Also, support for families, immigrants, the poor, and those without healthcare. The bishops also call us to oppose all forms of discrimination, to care for creation, and to cooperate with other nations to pursue peace and justice. The bishops very explicitly steer clear of bullying us into voting for one party or on one issue. And they say "decisions should take into account a candidate's commitments, character, integrity, and ability to influence a given issue" (#37).

Okay, how to deal with the 12 state propositions. I have a simple (but not easy) and relatively time-saving 3-step method.

1) I like to start, even before I read what the proposition is about, by finding out who's for and against, especially who's giving a lot of money to their cause. You can find some complex information about contributions on the Secretary of State's website. I found even more helpful the major donors and other supporters for each proposition listed on a nonprofit, nonpartisan site called ballotpedia.org. Neither site can be counted on for up-to-the-minute information.

2) Secondly, I like to have this information about the major donors and other supporters on hand as I then look at the "Quick-Reference Guide" near the beginning of the official voter guide. I write down any questions about facts that I have. What would this proposition actually do? Are there conflicting assertions from the pro and con sides? Here's where it gets hard, right? How do I find reliable answers to my questions? Where not to look is probably ads and partisan voters guides, although if there is a particular group that you trust, their guide might give some insight. The main place I look is the short pro and con rebuttal arguments in the voter's guide. You may not agree with all the principles and conclusions of the League of Women Voters, but they are famous for their thorough analysis. I also take note in this informational step whether the proposition involves the expense of a bond and whether the proposition is a constitutional amendment, which is stated at the top of the "Quick-Reference Guide."

3) The third and most important step I take is asking whether the proposition would advance the Catholic principle of the dignity of every human person. Indeed, the sacredness of all creation. The California bishops have their own list of important issues, which include restorative justice and access to high-quality education. The California bishops quote the U.S. bishops' statement "Responsibility, Rehabilitation, and Restoration": "We are convinced that our tradition and our faith offer better alternatives that can hold offenders accountable and challenge them to change their lives; reach out to victims and reject vengeance; restore a sense of community and resist the violence that has engulfed so much of our culture." The California bishops have offered statements on propositions 4, 6, and 8. In fact, they are even urging Catholics to vote in a particular way on these propositions. Of course, our obligation is to study and pray with Church teaching and vote according to our conscience.

There are four propositions that call for the selling of bonds, which generally will ultimately cost taxpayers twice as much as their value. On the one hand, these difficult financial times may mean we need to spend less. On the other hand, bonds allow the state to put off most of the expenditure until hopefully better financial times.

Proposition 3 is $1 billion in bonds for children's hospitals. As far as I can tell, the nonprofit California Children's Hospital Association has so far spent $2 million of the $5 million it has raised to support this initiative. I didn't find any donors against Proposition 3, although its major opponent is the National Tax Limitation Committee. Its claim that hundreds of millions of dollars from a previous bond are still unspent went unanswered in the official voter's guide. A Catholic question for voters, and these aren't rhetorical questions, might be simply to ask whether the cost, which could lessen money available for the poor and others, is outweighed by the benefits of providing more care for poor and other children.

Proposition 12 is $1 billion in bonds for farm and home loans to veterans. I can't find record of any donations for or against. The official arguments against are concerns about the cost and about the need to at least limit the benefits to veterans who were injured in combat or perhaps to those who served in a combat zone. Again, a Catholic question is whether the cost to care for veterans in this way outweighs the potential costs to other needy beneficiaries.

Proposition 1A is $10 billion in bonds for a high-speed commuter train from Anaheim to the San Francisco Bay Area. $200,000 has been contributed to support 1A by the California Alliance for Jobs, a lobbying group that represents construction companies and workers. I don't find record of contributions against. 1A is also supported by the Planning and Conservation League, a nonprofit lobbying arm of the California environment movement. Once again, do the potential costs to other needy beneficiaries outweigh the environmental and economic benefits?

Proposition 10 is also an environmental measure and is $5 billion in bonds for various alternative and renewable energy projects, especially rebates to purchase clean energy vehicles, most especially commercial trucks. $4 million has been contributed in support of 10 by the Clean Energy Fuels Corporation, which is the largest provider of natural gas for transportation in North America. Of course, natural gas is a relatively clean, though not renewable fuel. Once again, is this the best use of tax dollars to benefit the environment and those in need? And, once again, these aren't rhetorical questions.

Proposition 7 is another environmental measure and requires government-owned utilities to increase the percentage of their electricity that comes from renewable energy. Wealthy citizen Peter Sperling has donated $5 million for. PG&E and Edison have each contributed $14 million against. A coalition of environmental groups are also against. They say that 7 would actually slow down progress and would threaten smaller providers. I'm sorry to admit that I'm finding it very difficult to determine how likely that is.

Proposition 2 spells out standards for confining some farm animals. The Humane Society has donated nearly $4 million in support. Food companies have donated less against. Opponents raise questions about danger and the resulting need for more costly, imported eggs. Proponents say current practices are actually more likely to cause disease and that California family farmers support 2. The California Veterinary Medical Association, the Center for Food Safety, and other groups support 2. A Catholic question might be whether 2 promotes care for animals and people both.

Three propositions involve prisons and law enforcement. Proposition 5 would expand the program that diverts nonviolent drug offenders from prison to treatment, including youth for the first time. Businessmen George Soros and Jacob Goldfield each gave $1 and a half million in support. Opponents say many dangerous offenders will be released from prison early. Proponents say that judges can incarcerate rather than treat even nonviolent offenders if needed. A Catholic question might be how we can both provide rehabilitation opportunities for drug offenders and protect the general public.

Proposition 6 would require increasing the funding of law enforcement to at least $1 billion a year. 6 also increases sentences for gang crimes, methamphetamine sales, and other crimes. $1 million was donated to support 6 by billionaire Henry Nicholas, who, as it happens, was last year indicted for felony drug conspiracy. The California Sheriffs and District Attorneys also support 6. The California Teachers Association and League of Women Voters are among the opponents. The League of Women Voters claims that 6 would harm current, more effective approaches to youth violence and make 14-year-olds eligible to be tried as adults. The League of Women Voters also says that "poor residents in public housing will be subject to annual criminal checks, and the whole family will have to move if there has been a criminal conviction." In their statement, the California bishops say they "oppose Proposition 6 because it advances a retributive rather than a restorative justice model for dealing with crime." A Catholic question might be how best to promote the restorative model of justice.

Proposition 9 is a constitutional amendment and strengthens participation of victims in parole hearings and the payment of restitution. Once again, Henry Nicholas is the major donor: $5 million. His sister was murdered in 1983, and he is a strong proponent of victims' rights. The California Teachers Association, California Federation of Teachers, California Democratic Party are among those against 9. Also, the League of Women Voters, which says that while the initiative would expand the rights of crime victims, it would undo many of the rights of prisoners and parolees. A Catholic question might be how to protect rights of both victims and prisoners. Also, how can we better provide healing for victims and rehabilitation for prisoners?

Proposition 4 is another constitutional amendment. It requires a waiting period and parental notification before a minor's abortion. James Holman has loaned $1 and a half million in support. Planned Parenthood has contributed $4 and a half million against. It looks like most or all medical associations, as well as the California School Counselors Association, are also against 4. Proponents argue that similar laws in other states have reduced not only abortions but also teen pregnancy. Opponents argue that dangerous, illegal abortions would increase. It's difficult to find the data to properly sort through these conflicting arguments. Opponents claim that Planned Parenthood urges girls to talk to their parents and that most girls do. Proponents also argue that 4 will protect girls from being coerced by predatory, older men to have abortions, while opponents claim that Planned Parenthood diligently reports abuse.

The California bishops urge Catholics to vote for 4 and say that "it is a sensible policy to encourage a minor girl faced with a serious decision like an unexpected pregnancy to go to her parents or family for their love, their wisdom, and their counsel." Opponents say Planned Parenthood clinics encourage girls to talk with their parents but that government can't effectively force communication. A Catholic question might be how whether 4 would lead to less abortions and also protect girls from both the trauma of abortion and the physical dangers of illegal abortions. Whether 4 will help or not, we can also ask how we can give financial support to pregnant women. And further, how we can help poor women in general, who are more likely to have abortions.

Proposition 8 amends the constitution by stating: "Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California." The Knights of Columbus have contributed over $1 million for, and a third of the $18 million contributed has been from individual Mormons. Several individuals have each donated $1 million to defeat 8. Proponents argue that 8 merely restores the majority vote Californians already cast but that was overturned by a court ruling. Opponents argue that same sex marriage is a matter of equality for all. Proponents can point out that California law states that "domestic partners shall have the same rights, protections, and benefits" as spouses (Family Code 297.5), but opponents say this isn't put into practice. Also, domestic partnership and their rights are not equally recognized in all states. 8 would also mean California won't recognize same-sex marriages from other states.

The California bishops ask Catholics to vote for 8 and say that "the marriage of a man and a woman embraces not only their sexual complementarity as designed by nature but includes their ability to procreate. The ideal for the well being of children is to be born into a traditional marriage and to be raised by both a mother and a father." Opponents often admit that children might best grow up with their father and mother but point out that many same-sex couples give loving homes to children who don't have both a father and mother. Also, marriage could give them the kind of personal, social, and legal support that would benefit their children. In a recent statement, the California bishops seem to be reconciled to the existence of same-sex domestic partnerships. Should they and we be actively seeking legal protections for such partners?

In 2003, the U.S. bishops said: "When marriage is redefined so as to make other relationships equivalent to it, the institution of marriage is devalued and further weakened. The weakening of this basic institution at all levels and by various forces has already exacted too high a social cost." Opponents wonder precisely how same-sex marriage devalues the institution of marriage. It seems to me that really the main concern of proponents of 8 is that allowing same-sex marriage will encourage more people to be engaged in homosexual relationships.

Of course, the Catholic Catechism reminds us that all people should be treated with compassion and dignity, that homosexual persons "be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity" (no. 2358). Indeed, a Catholic question might be how best to show this compassion. Also, how can society give parents and children greater support?

Finally, Proposition 11, another constitutional amendment, would establishe a commission to take over the legislature's task of redistricting. Something called Gov. Schwarzenegger's California Dream Team has donated $2.5 million for. Charles Munger $1 million. The California Democratic Party is among the much less generous opponents. The AARP and the nonprofit, nonpartisan groups Common Cause the League of Women Voters are for the measure. The League of Women Voters believes, among other things, that the measure provides protection from diluting the voting strength of a racial or linguistic minority. That would certainly be a significant Catholic question. Still, opponents include the NAACP Defense Fund and the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund.

How can we invite everyone to the feast of God's love? Through study and prayer. And ultimately, by trusting God's guiding hand. We'll need it on November 4.

ELECTION, PART 1: Tending the Vines of Reason and Charity

2008-10-05T09:52:00.000-07:00

"He looked for the crop of grapes, but what it yielded was wild grapes." (Isaiah 5:1-7)

"...they seized him, dragged him outside the vineyard, and killed him...For this reason, I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that will yield a rich harvest." (Matthew 21:33-43)

How have we failed to properly cultivate the vineyard, and who have we killed along the way? This is the first of a probably two- or three-part series on the election. Next time, I'll focus on the California ballot, especially the statewide propositions.

What if the Christians among us consider scripture and the rest of Church teaching as the vineyard? To help us prepare to vote, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has published a pamphlet called "Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship." You can read it online at faithfulcitizenship.org. My suggestion is that you read it this week and put aside your ballots.

You'll have plenty of time to read what the bishops have to say if you abstain from most or all media coverage of the elections, especially your favorite biased election chatter show for junkies. I definitely recommend putting aside -- no, recycling -- all those partisan political mailings that are starting to pour in. And if you've come across a pamphlet called "Voter's Guide for Serious Catholics," you might want to respectfully recycle that as well. It's a well-meaning but unapproved and misleading guide put out by a private company called Catholic Answers.

When you read "Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship," you might jot down some of the teachings that are new to you or that you don't normally take into consideration. You might note as well the teachings you disagree with or are unsure about. Your notes can help you focus your further research and reflection. Here's an introduction to the bishops' pamphlet:

The pamphlet begins by reminding Catholics -- all people of faith, really -- of our responsibility to vote: "Our nation's tradition of pluralism is enhanced, not threatened, when religious groups and people of faith bring their convictions and concerns into public life" (#11). "As Catholics, we should be guided more by our moral convictions than by our attachment to a political party or interest group. When necessary, our participation should help transform the party to which we belong..." (#14). "...no party and too few candidates fully share the Church's comprehensive commitment to the life and dignity of every human being from conception to natural death" (#16).

"The Church is principled but not ideological. We cannot compromise basic principles or moral teaching. We are committed to clarity about our moral teaching and to civility. In public life, it is important to practice the virtues of justice and charity that are at the core of our Tradition. We should work with others in a variety of ways to advance our moral principles." (#60)

The bishops state that they're not instructing Catholics how to vote on specific candidates or measures. They remind us that the most basic moral teaching of the Church is that we are obliged to follow our conscience. (Catholic Catechism, #1778). Our conscience is not a mere feeling but a judgment of reason. And we are obliged to work throughout our lives to form our conscience through study of church teaching, close examination of facts about our choices, and prayerful reflection. (#17-18)

At the foundation of the Church's teaching is our recognition of the dignity of every person (#10). And the most immediate corollary is "the inviolable sanctity of human life from the moment of conception until natural death" (#20). Accordingly, "There are some things we must never do...A prime example is the intentional taking of innocent human life, as in abortion and euthanasia...direct threats to the sanctity and dignity of human life, such as human cloning and destructive research on human embryos, are also intrinsically evil...Other direct assaults on innocent human life and violations of human dignity, such as genocide, torture, racism, and the targeting of noncombatants in acts of terror or war, can never be justified." (#22-23) Are all of these ways in which we kill Christ, the vineyard owner's son?

While numbers are a concern to most of us, and probably should be, it's noteworthy that the bishops don't use number of deaths, explicitly anyway, to compare the relative importance of, say, abortion and unjust war. Also notable is that the bishops' lists, which vary, of those things that "we must never do," leave out the notion that, while some actions may not always be wrong, those actions in certain circumstances are always wrong. I think that at least this omission by the bishops is a mistake. For example, simply because the determination of whether a war is unjust requires a prudential judgment doesn't mean that that judgment, once made, can be ignored. We must never support unjust war.

"The direct and intentional destruction of innocent human life from the moment of conception until natural death is always wrong and is not just one issue among many" (#28). But the bishops warn against the "misuse of these necessary moral distinctions as a way of dismissing or ignoring other serious threats to human life and dignity" (#29). Similarly: "As Catholics we are not single-issue voters. A candidate's position on a single issue is not sufficient to guarantee a voter's support. Yet a candidate's position on a single issue that involves an intrinsic evil, such as support for legal abortion or the promotion of racism, may legitimately lead a voter to disqualify a candidate from receiving support." (#42) Still, "there may be times when a Catholic who rejects a candidate's unacceptable position may decide to vote for that candidate for other morally grave reasons..." (#35). And, "a voter should not use a candidate's opposition to an intrinsic evil to justify indifference or inattentiveness to other important moral issues involving human life and dignity" (#34). The bishops aren't making it easy on us. They're making us think for ourselves.

Also, "sometimes morally flawed laws already exist. In this situation, the process of framing legislation to protect life is subject to prudential judgment and 'the art of the possible.' At times this process may restore justice only partially or gradually. (#32). "...decisions should take into account a candidate's commitments, character, integrity, and ability to influence a given issue..." (#37).

Related specifically to abortion, "we promote a culture of life by supporting laws and programs that encourage childbirth and adoption over abortion and by addressing poverty, providing health care, and offering other assistance to pregnant women, children, and families."

Among other issues, the bishops remind us of the option for the poor and vulnerable (#50) and discuss war: "...The Church has raised fundamental moral concerns about preventive use of military force" (#67) "...The United States has a responsibility to work to reverse the spread of nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons, and to reduce its own reliance on weapons of mass destruction by pursuing progressive nuclear disarmament. It also must end its use of anti-personnel landmines and reduce its predominant role in the global arms trade...We support a 'responsible transition' that ends the [Iraq] war in a way that recognizes the continuing threat of fanatical extremism and global terror, minimizes the loss of life, and addresses the humanitarian crisis in Iraq, the refugee crisis in the region, and the need to protect human rights, especially religious freedom. This transition should reallocate resources from war to the urgent needs of the poor." (#68) The bishops might have done well to mention our war in Afghanistan as well.

The bishops also remind us of Church teaching about our treatment of those convicted of murder and other crimes: "Society has a duty to defend life against violence and to reach out to victims of crime. Yet our nation's continued reliance on the death penalty cannot be justified. Because we have other ways to protect society that are more respectful of human life, the USCCB supports efforts to end the use of the death penalty and, in the meantime, to restrain its use through broader use of DNA evidence, access to effective counsel, and efforts to address unfairness and injustice related to application of the death penalty." (#69) "...An ethic of responsibility, rehabilitation, and restoration should be a foundation for the reform of our broken criminal justice system. A remedial, rather than a strictly punitive, approach to offenders should be developed." (85)

Finally, the bishops state 10 goals for our participation in public life, noting, though, that they address matters of different moral weight and urgency:

1. Address the preeminent requirement to protect the weakest in our midst -- innocent unborn children -- by restricting and bringing to an end the destruction of unborn children through abortion.

2. Keep our nation from turning to violence to address fundamental problems -- a million abortions each year to deal with unwanted pregnancies, euthanasia and assisted suicide to deal with the burdens of illness and disability, the destruction of human embryos in the name of research, the use of the death penalty to combat crime, and imprudent resort to war to address international disputes.

3. Define the central institution of marriage as a union between one man and one woman, and provide better support for family life morally, socially, and economically, so that our nation helps parents raise their children with respect for life, sound moral values, and an ethic of stewardship and responsibility.

4. Achieve comprehensive immigration reform that secures our borders, treats immigrant workers fairly, offers an earned path to citizenship, respects the rule of law, and addresses the factors that compel people to leave their own countries.

5. Help families and children overcome poverty: ensuring access to and choice in education, as well as decent work at fair, living wages and adequate assistance for the vulnerable in our nation, while also helping to overcome widespread hunger and poverty around the world, especially in the areas of development assistance, debt relief, and international trade.

6. Provide health care for the growing number of people without it, while respecting human life, human dignity, and religious freedom in our health care system.

7. Continue to oppose policies that reflect prejudice, hostility toward immigrants, religious bigotry, and other forms of discrimination.

8. Encourage families, community groups, economic structures, and government to work together to overcome poverty, pursue the common good, and care for creation, with full respect for religious groups and their right to address social needs in accord with their basic moral convictions.

9. Establish and comply with moral limits on the use of military force -- examining for what purposes it may be used, under what authority, and at what human cost -- and work for a "responsible transition" to end the war in Iraq.

10. Join with others around the world to pursue peace, protect human rights and religious liberty, and advance economic justice and care for creation.

We Catholics and other people of faith -- indeed, all Americans -- tend a rich vineyard. Let us be faithful to our task of thoughtfully, prayerfully tilling the soil of our conscience as we prepare to vote., marriage

Parables, Cartoons, and Other Official Statements

2008-07-20T11:02:00.000-07:00

Dominic's preaching for Sunday, July 20, 2008
Monastery of the Angels in Hollywood and St. Agatha's in South Central
Mt 13:24-43; Wisdom 12:13, 16-19; Rom 8:26-27

But Jesus doesn't explain why the farmer let the weeds grow, the weeds being, according to Jesus, the followers of the evil one. Of course, I knew as a boy who had to pull weeds many a Saturday that they were from the devil.

Actually, I get frustrated when Jesus explains his parables anyway. I was taught that parables can't be explained, especially in an allegorical way, as Jesus does, where every element of the story symbolizes something. I was taught that parables are about one main thing but in a Zen kind of way, where you're supposed to sort of swim around in the story and let it act on you rather than pin down a precise meaning. In fact, I was sort of disappointed in the artist's explanation of the mural here in the monastery chapel which I received the other day. I saw some different things, but he's reduced it to some very specific meanings. What does he know? He's only the artist.

Why does Jesus tell parables to begin with? In today's passage, it's said that Jesus spoke to the crowds only in parables in order to "announce what has lain hidden since the creation of the world." Then why does he hide the announcement inside a parable? Last Sunday, Jesus said he uses parables "because they look but do not see, they listen but do not hear or understand." And a parable is going to help? Help confuse them maybe, which is precisely why, he says in other places in the gospel, he tells parables: "so that they may look and look, but never perceive; listen and listen, but never understand" (Mk 4:12).

One commentator says parables are something like our political cartoons, attempts at expressing in figurative ways things that can't be fully expressed in words. It sounds like today's passage from St. Paul's Letter to the Romans: "the Spirit himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be expressed in speech."

While I don't want to ignore Jesus' allegorical interpretation of his own parable, and neither do I want to insist that parables rather have only one meaning -- maybe it depends on the parable, on the context -- I noticed that there is a thread running through all three of today's parables. Let God deal with the weeds, the smallest seed becomes the largest plant, and the yeast causes the whole mass of dough to rise. All three parables speak in their own way of God's power. More specifically, of the already-successful reign of God. Nothing can stop it. Nothing can stop God.

Don't worry about the weeds. Let God deal with them. (I sure wish I'd realized as a boy that Jesus was giving me a good excuse not to pull weeds.) Let God deal with them. And he will. He has. In Christ. Besides, we might make a mistake and pull the weeds up with the wheat. In fact, if this is a certain weed, it looks suspiciously like wheat, so we might even get the two mixed up. No, separation, a word from which the word Pharisee is derived, is the way of the evil one. Especially activist, judgmental separation. How competent are we really to issue judgments about people, including judgments about ourselves?

As it happens, speaking of political cartoons, a recent cartoon and the reaction to it seem to tell a similar story as the weeds and wheat parable. I suspect many of you are aware of the cartoon on the front cover of the most recent New Yorker and the subsequent hullabaloo. Satirist Bill Blitt has Barack Obama in traditional Muslim attire doing a terrorist fist bump with his wife Michelle, who's dressed in camouflage -- no, stylish, floral print camouflage -- and combat boots, an assault rifle slung over her shoulder. They're in the Oval Office, a flag burning in the fireplace and a portrait of Osama bin Laden over the mantel. All of these images, of course, are poking fun at specific rumors about the presidential candidate and his wife.

But an Obama spokesperson issued a statement about the cartoon, saying that "most readers will see it as tasteless and
offensive. And we agree." McCain's campaign also said the cartoon is "tasteless and offensive." Meanwhile, others find the cartoon immensely clever and an extremely effective response to the silly accusations that Obama is Muslim, as if that's a bad thing. Yes, the cartoon may be mainly preaching to the choir, the liberal readership of the New Yorker. And who knows, maybe it's possible that, even with their cartoonish nature, the images may plant in some people's minds the very notions they're meant to dismiss. But perhaps most likely, just like with Jesus' parables, we'll hear or not hear what we want or don't want to hear.

It's interesting that Obama and McCain felt they had to issue a judgment on the cartoon. And the Obama campaign took this judgment further by claiming that most readers will judge the cartoon offensive. But how do they know what the rest of us think of it? What would happen if we all didn't feel we had to make judgments on so many things and so many people -- again, including ourselves -- in order to maintain our credentials as upstanding citizens and Christians?

I heard Bishop Gene Robinson of the Episcopal Church interviewed on the radio the other day. Because he is publicly in a gay relationship and some people in the Episcopal Church find scandal in his being a bishop -- in fact, there is serious division over this -- he was not invited to this summer's Lambeth Conference, the international meeting of those in the Anglican communion that takes place every ten years. But it turns out that some of the scandalized stayed away from the meeting anyway because Bishop Robinson's supporters are there. It also turns out that Bishop Robinson went anyway. He says that all in the Church need to "hold on to each other" as they work out their differences. Is he right? Once again, are separation and judgment the way of the evil one?

The farmer says to leave the weeds, to let them grow. It's interesting to note that the word forgive is related to the word leave. In today's passage from the Book of Wisdom, God's mercy is praised: "you gave your children good ground for hope that you would permit repentance for their sins." Ground for hope. Good ground indeed.

One commentator goes so far as to suggest that leaving the weeds is a way of turning the tables on the devil. You put weeds in my field? I'll show you. I'll let them grow so that I'll have not only wheat but fuel as well. Forget ethanol. I've got weeds.

If we're lucky, God will use those weeds to burn only the sin and not the sinner. And if there are any weeds left over after our purgation, maybe God will invite us to a heavenly bbq. Except we might be surprised by who else is invited.

"Lord, Lord, What's Up With This Ballot?" -- Dominic's Sunday Preaching

2008-05-30T10:57:00.000-07:00

The idea of people hypocritically saying "Lord, Lord" makes me think of politicians who are good at saying the right words but give little evidence that they mean to put their words into practice.

But then the rest of us are just as hypocritical if we criticize them but fail to do our part, beginning with voting. I'll have to admit, here I am busy making a movie about politicians but then Tuesday's primary election caught me by surprise. I thought we'd already had our primary. And now I have to sort through all those prospective judges, and I haven't been able to find help from newspapers or online.

But the most frustrating thing about Tuesday's ballot, of course, is something there's too much help with, the unhelpful kind of help. While there are only two propositions on the ballot this time, there are so many words and "Lord, Lords" out there from the sponsors of the competing propositions 98 and 99, that it's hard to get underneath the words to the heart of the matter.

In recent years, there have been Supreme Court decisions allowing local governments to use its eminent domain power to take ownership of private property but then transfer its use to a private developer. The government paid the homeowner -- that's not the problem. The debate arises because property is supposed to be taken by eminent domain only if the property is needed for a public use. So should the local government be allowed to transfer the property to a private developer? The governments claim that the private developers will generate jobs and tax revenue. The Supreme Court's decision is that these sorts of benefits -- jobs and tax revenue -- fit the definition of public use.

Both propositions 98 and 99 seek to restrict the use of eminent domain. But it gets confusing. Proposition 98 has brought rent control into the argument, saying that government-imposed ceilings on rent is a kind of seizing of private property. Opponents of 98 say that it eliminates rent control, but phasing out is probably a more helpful term. As long as a current renter doesn't move from housing that became rent-controlled before January 2007, their rent-control will remain intact. But if you move or aren't already in rent-controlled housing, then you won't have rent control. Proposition 98 may also limit measures that require developers to provide for affordable housing.

Proposition 99 was also created to restrict the use of eminent domain, but its focus is narrower, seeking extra protection for homes, not all private property, specifically homes occupied by their owners for at least a year. And 99 doesn't seek to phase out rent control. What's really important but hasn't been stated explicitly in any commentaries that I've read, is that California law already allows seizure of private property only for a public use. The two propositions are merely trying to get more specific.

With ballot propositions, I find that just as important as what the propositions say is who is supporting them. That can hint at possible hidden motives. Proposition 98 is supported by the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, which exists to limit taxes, and the California Farm Bureau. Proposition 99 is supported by the American Association of Retired People, the Coalition to protect California Homeowners, and the League of Women Voters.

But still more important is who is paying for the propositions. Most of the $5 million contributed to Proposition 98 came from apartment and mobile park owners. Roughly half of the $7 million contributed to Proposition 99 came from the League of California Cities Non-Public Fund.

In other words, the elimination of rent control would appear to be the main motive of the authors of and most of the contributors to Proposition 98, and the defeat of Proposition 98's eminent domain restrictions may be the main motive of the authors and the large contributors to Proposition 99.

The California Bishops' website has a somewhat helpful page on these two propositions. While the page's descriptions of the measures are lacking, it has a few boxes that highlight Catholic social teaching about private property and the common good. In Pacem and Terris, Pope John XXIII wrote, "The right to private property...derives from the nature of humanity. This right is an effective means for safeguarding the dignity of the human person and for the exercise of responsibility in all fields; it strengthens and gives serenity to family life, thereby increasing the peace and prosperity of the state. However, it is opportune to point out that there is a social duty essentially inherent in the right of private property." (No. 21-22)

The Second Vatican Council, in Gaudium et Spes, says, "By its very nature private property has a social quality which is based on the law of the common destination of earthly goods." And the United States Bishops' letter Economic Justice For All, says that "the common good may sometimes demand that the right to own be limited by public involvement in the planning or ownership of certain sectors of the economy. Support of private ownership does not mean that anyone has the right to unlimited accumulation of wealth...For example; these limits are the basis of society's exercise of eminent domain over privately owned land needed for roads or other essential public goods." (No. 115)

In other words, the Church teaches that private property is a right, but a right that is meant to benefit the common good. Thus, governments may, at times, need to use private property for the common good. And landlords may, at times, need to be required to limit rent increases so that people with limited means can exercise their right to housing. Or if rent control measures aren't used, other provisions have to be made to provide people with housing.

Of course, the voter doesn't have to decide between the two propositions. We can vote no on both of them.

The challenge of trying to figure out the meaning and possibly hidden intentions of the propositions brings to mind St. Paul's distinction in today's passage to the Romans between faith and the law. While we apply God's word to concrete situations through law, we are challenged to practice the law from the heart.

Moses tells the people in today's first reading: "Take these words of mine into your heart and soul. Bind them at your wrist as a sign, and let them be a pendant on your forehead." A lot of people wear those plastic wrist bracelets to remind themselves and others of important issues and sentiments. I suppose we could all wear pendants on our foreheads, as long as we don't merely wear them but let them be imprinted on us.

Maybe tattoos would be better. We should all have tattoos on our foreheads. Or better, tattoos on our hearts and souls. Although I hear tattoos on the soul are very painful and especially hard to get off. But God's law of love is already written on our hearts. We need only to follow this deepest knowledge of our hearts.

While we seek to build our earthly houses on the rock of law, more important is that we seek to build our lives on the rock of safety and salvation, Jesus -- to put his words into practice.

Faithful Feet and Hopeful Hands: the feast of Corpus Christi and my trip to Taiwan

2008-05-25T12:03:00.000-07:00

My visit to my 23-year-old nephew Kurt in Taiwan these past two weeks has been about feet. We did a lot of walking. As Kurt and I walked a lot together, we talked a lot too, especially about whether or not he should return to the United States the long way around. He and three friends are teaching English in Taiwan this year, and his friends want him to finish off the year by traveling through Asia and Europe with them. But Kurt felt this might be an extravagance that flies in the face of so much poverty in the world. He'd like to do some service during the trip, but will he be in any one place long enough to do much good?

Kurt's been doing a lot of reading and thinking about important things and about the kind of lifestyle he wants to lead. One of the many writers he's been reading is the beloved Buddhist teacher Thich Nhat Hanh, who warns us about how we sometimes walk through life: "Although we walk all the time, our walking is usually more like running. When we walk like that, we print anxiety and sorrow on the earth." Kurt wants to walk through life in a life-giving way.

As Kurt and I walked together these past couple weeks, our feet took us into a lot of new experiences. Especially with food. Food is always my first interest when I travel. As Moses said to the Israelites, who were on their feet for forty years, God "fed you in the desert with manna, a food unknown to your ancestors." Well, God certainly fed me these past couple weeks with some food unknown to my Irish ancestors.

My favorite foods were at the wonderful night markets, where we'd stroll from booth to booth sampling whatever struck our fancy. I especially liked the stuffed rolls and dumplings, served steaming hot with spicy garlic sauce. I thought I was adventurous, but I couldn't bring myself to try the stinky tofu, let alone the snake blood served on Taipei's old Snake Alley. Kurt and his friends have even discovered an exotic eatery in Taipei called Subway, which they dutifully frequent in order to fully experience Taiwanese culture.

But new foods weren't the only new things I encountered on my journey. I'm always interested in the plumbing when I travel out of the country. (I did try to go to a museum one day, but I couldn't find the right bus.) I was intrigued by the showers in Taiwan, which aren't divided from the rest of the bathroom. This gives you a lot of room in the shower. It also assures that the toilet will get showered as much as you do.

Really, the whole island of Taiwan is one big shower. You never know when it's going to rain. And it's not even the typhoon season yet. The abundant rain is like manna from heaven, even if the acid content is on the high side. While I walked in the rain, everyone else in Taipei was on a scooter, sometimes a whole family on one scooter. Scooters everywhere. Scooters that spew a lot of pollution. Many people wear decorative masks for protection.

I didn't participate in the scooter culture, but when Kurt and I spent a few days on the Visayan Islands in the central Philippines, we spent plenty of time being taxied by motorcycle, the operator, Kurt, and me all on one bike, Kurt and me holding on to our backpacks with one hand, holding on to the bike with the other, and holding on to each other with our third hand.

Even more fun were the omnipresent Filipino "tricycles," motorcycles with a little passenger cart attached, which Kurt and I seemed to fill yet which quite a number of Filipinos were able to occupy without complaint. These tricycles were all proudly decorated, often including a dedication to God.

Still more fun were the buses we took along the beautiful Philippine coastline, windows wide open (when there were windows). But the inside of the buses was as entertaining as the outside was beautiful. Lots of people, and some animals, filled the seats and aisles. The conductor surfed the aisles, often in front of the always-open back door, while punching holes in peoples' tickets in intricate, indecipherable patterns and somehow keeping track of where every one of the passengers was supposed to get off.

We had an incredibly relaxing time in the Philippines, where life was turned down quite a few speeds from Taipei (and L.A.). We even discovered the beach where God lives, where we were cradled in God's hands in the gentle, warm wavers. Perhaps God cooks there, too. They serve pancakes for dessert as well as for breakfast, thick, cake-like pancakes filled with mangos and bananas.

God was not only recognized by the tricycles and the village patronal feast days in the Philippines, but also in the churches and temples of Taiwan. We celebrated Pentecost at a mostly English mass. It was Mothers' Day there, too, at least in that parish, and the mothers processed with banners that proclaimed "love" in many languages. The intercessions asked God's help in a Pentecostal range of languages. (Speaking of languages, I tried my hand at some Chinese in Taiwan, although the tonal quality of the language makes it very difficult. If you don't pronounce a word just right, you run the risk of saying something quite different than you intend.)

Longshan Temple is a particularly beautiful temple in Taipei. It was originally intended to be Buddhist, but it incorporates many Taoist deities and other religious elements. It's quite an experience to watch all the early evening worshippers offer incense and food. I even saw tiramisu being offered.

One night, Kurt and I happened on a huge outdoor ritual celebrating the Buddha's birthday. And right next to that ritual was a transcendent concert by the internationally known Taiwanese drumming and dance group called U-Theatre, whose members dedicate themselves to a life of meditation.

While this trip was about feet, about journey and discovery, even pilgrimage and dancing, at some point I became more deeply aware that all of these new experiences -- this manna of food, culture, people, and ritual -- came from God's hands.

This is the same God who extends his hands on the cross to hold out to us the gift of himself: "The bread I will give is my flesh, for the life of the world...Unlike your ancestors who ate and died nonetheless, the one who feeds on this bread shall live forever." Thich Nhat Hanh suggests to us Christians that Jesus knew that if his disciples would eat one piece of bread in mindfulness, they would have real life.

But there is a lot of death in the world. And over there I was not only close to the death of the storm in Myanmar and the earthquake in China, even the death in Iraq, Afghanistan, and other warring places, but also close to the death and dying of poverty that is experienced in every corner of the world.

During our long walks and talks, Kurt awakened me to the complexity and extent of the need to manage God's resources so as to avoid the death and collapse suffered by past societies that failed to reverse their environmental degradation. Speaking of feet, it's not just carbon footprints we need to be concerned about. It's whether we tread lightly on or trample all our resources, from food to fuel to forests to fish. These themes are spelled out very persuasively in a book Kurt's been reading called "Collapse."

As we talked about the environment, Kurt once again found himself questioning the proposed two-month journey home. Would the benefits of such a trip justify the ecological impact? He'd like to do some research along the way for his proposed career building environmentally-friendly homes. But he wonders if he has enough experience to benefit from such research.

Food, fuel, forests, fish. And people. Take the Filipinos. After more than three centuries of occupation by the Spanish, the Philippines were taken over by the United States, which quickly slaughtered as many as one million Filipinos, mostly civilians. Then the United States occupied the country for decades more.

The death and dying, our greedy grabbing from God's hands, was most poignantly and clearly made apparent to Kurt and me one evening in the impoverished Philippines. A little girl approached us with her hand out. And as soon as Kurt reached in his pocket for some change, she called three other children over. Kurt now saw four little hands extended to him, God's hands. And with God's hand Kurt pulled out his change and thankfully had a coin for each of the four small hands. Once again, Kurt wondered if a two-month trip back home would be unduly lavish.

I saw God's hands in other places during my trek. The hands of Kurt's Taiwanese friend Hamy prepared a delicious meal for us one night. Groups of Taiwanese took to the streets to extend their hands for relief money for their somewhat estranged Chinese sisters and brothers suffering from the earthquake. I even met a Canadian resident of Taiwan who has a large tattoo of a hand blending into a wave, with a Chinese inscription that says, "In God's hands."

There is a park in Taipei called the 2/28 Peace Park, commemorating the uprising of the people on February 28, 1947, an uprising which finally led to justice in recent years. Of course this was, like in the Philippines, after centuries of occupation by various nations. The central monument in the park has two hand imprints in which visitors from everywhere have placed their hands. When I put my hands there, whose hands did I touch?

At mass, we practice recognizing the hand of God feeding us, and we practice allowing our hands to be God's hands as we share the eucharist with each other. And because our food is God, our sharing is not only practice but nourishing, transforming power. With God's help, we are capable of creating a world where everyone is fed, a world where all the resources God gives us are sustained and shared.

Kurt finally decided to take that trip with his friends, to shake hands with and learn from people of many nations at the risk of leaving some ecological footprints. By encountering many people, Kurt will encounter the fullness of the one body of Christ. And as Thich Nhat Hanh recommends, Kurt will try "to walk in a way that [prints] peace and serenity on the earth...to walk as if [he is] kissing the earth with [his] feet."

We are on the journey with Kurt and with our sisters and brothers everywhere. Taking each other's hopeful hands, God's hands, we process together into the future with faithful, reverent, and joyful feet.

Reverend Wright and One Hand Clapping

2008-05-03T10:34:00.000-07:00

I've had a lot I've been stirring around in my preacher's stew this past week and surprised myself by writing a poem for you as my preaching for today. In the stew is this bittersweet feast of the Ascension of Jesus into heaven, the anticipation of next Sunday's outrageously joyful feast of Pentecostal diversity and the coming of the Holy Spirit, and Jesus' commission to make disciples of all nations -- how are we as a nation doing as a disciple of Jesus?

Another ingredient in my preacher's stew this past week has been a preacher I just happened on on YouTube this week. You've probably never heard of him. His name is Jeremiah Wright. For some reason, there has been a lot of national attention paid to him recently, and he has taken the opportunity to tell people about black Christians in the United States, their history and their hopes.

I watched all three of the main videos of Reverend Wright and learned a lot. Sure, he has a style that's a bit more aggressive and seemingly unconciliatory than I'm usually comfortable with. Perhaps that's even traces of racism in my soul. More importantly, I thought he generalized to a fault sometimes. For example, there's his tendency to contrast blacks and whites with fairly broad stokes. But then maybe a white person like me might be inclined to feel this way. I don't want to be left out of the black experience. After all, my black Dominican brother and I don't call our concert the "Black OR White Concert" but the "Black AND White Concert: A Friendship in Song."

Reverend Wright also regularly distinguishes between Americans and the American government, which also feels a little inaccurate and unproductively "us and them" to me. I am the government. We are the government. But then what do I know about the exclusion of African Americans from their own government? Blacks haven't even been allowed to vote for long and many still have trouble doing so.

But the bottom line is that I learned a lot from Reverend Wright this past week, and I encourage you to go to YouTube and check these videos out. Most of us don't get to regularly hear a black preacher, and this is a moment of opportunity. The three main videos are Reverend Wright's talk at the National Press Club, including the Q&A, his talk to the NAACP, and his interview with Bill Moyers, that white Southern journalist with such depth and integrity. I believe it's in all three of these videos that he talks about the black and white experience of music, including, in one of the speeches, handclapping, which made me think of the awesome invitation in today's psalm: "All you peoples clap your hands." By the way, I also discovered a brief video of a Catholic priest and friend of the Reverend Wright's in Chicago, a Father Flager, a white man, who defends his friend in no uncertain terms in an interview with a young, uninformed journalist.

One other ingredient in my preacher's stew I want to mention before sharing my poem with you is a play I went to last weekend called "Lady." Lady is the name of the dog that goes hunting with three childhood friends. One is now a conservative senator, whose campaign manager was his regretful liberal friend whose son has decided to sign up for the Marines after talking with the senator. Watching these two characters, I got it better than I've ever gotten it before, the mindset of some who wanted to go to war in Iraq. "We had to do something," the senator tells his friend. "Even if it wasn't going to be the best choice, we had to do something." And his friend responds: "We should have waited. Simply waited." Of course, doing something immediately and compulsively and waiting indefinitely aren't our only options in life. But there seemed to be something profoundly true in this call to wait, especially as we wait for the coming of the Spirit.

So, with that long introduction over, here's the short poem I wrote for you:

Once there was a choir. Now that choir had a lot of different sorts or voices: sweet voices, sour voices, voices that were blue. That choir had strong voices, gentle voices, both of which were true. Some voices were angry, some were peaceful, some were filled with hope. Some voices were afraid, some were bold, some sang the whole range or scope.

And in that choir, there were many hands. That choir had hands that were downbeat clappers, hands that were upbeat clappers, and hands that clapped with their own sense of time. Some hands were syncopated, some hands raised and elated, some still clapping way past their so-called prime.

That choir also had many ears. Ears that liked to hear dissonance, ears that liked the familiarity of home, and ears that liked it loud. Some ears were open, others not so much, maybe a little proud.

Now that choir, with its many voices and many hands and many ears, was quite a crazy throng. Yet the more voices, hands, and ears that joined in, the richer and livelier their song. All belonged. None were wrong -- not completely. All were true, if not always neatly. And together they could sing anything that came along.

How could this be, you might wonder? How could they keep from endless blunder? They had a secret which everyone knew. A secret easy to forget but true. That secret, that secret was in the soul. But that secret, their secret, was out of control.

Because that secret, though strange and odd, that secret was from God. That secret was...strong and blustery. But that secret was never wrong, always trustworthy.

Did I tell you God was in that choir? That God has hands and a voice? Did I tell you God even has ears? That God sang in that choir and rejoiced?

But that's not the secret. Do you know it? Can you hear it? Is it dancing between your clapping hands? It's the Spirit.

That Spirit is God's. That Spirit is ours. It blows where it wills. It comes down like lovely spring showers.

But right now that Spirit is quiet. That Spirit waits. So we wait, too. While that Spirit re-creates.

A Sweet Little Movie: "The Band's Visit"

2008-02-10T09:24:00.000-08:00

Last night I saw "The Band's Visit," the Israeli movie that was loudly disqualified from Academy Award consideration for best foreign language film because just over 50% of its dialogue is in English.

Writer/director Eran Kolirin's debut feature is a grand celebration of little human moments -- funny, touching, probing. It's about an Egyptian police band that arrives in Israel to discover that no one has come to pick them up. They take a bus to the wrong town -- a desolate, lonely town -- where they spend the night with curious and bored Israeli hosts.

At the center of the story is the distinguished, middle-aged conductor of the 8-member band, played by Sasson Gabai (think Ben Kingsley), who is worried about the band's future. The much younger restaurant owner, played by Ronit Elkabetz, turns her brazen sexual charm into high gear for the evening, which unfolds in surprising ways for both of them.

Then there's the young rookie in the band, a lady's man who counsels one of the locals step by step on a date. And the assistant conductor just might find inspiration in the unlikeliest place to finally finish the concerto he's been writing for years.

Somehow, the film gets us laughing at all these characters and at the same time seeing them as real, full-blooded people. Of course, without needing to say anything, the film also explores the tensions and affections between Arabs and Israelis.

The film just opened in Los Angeles and New York, and hopefully will spread throughout our own lonely and hopeful land.

My Favorite Movies of 2007

2008-02-05T19:09:00.000-08:00

It looks like a theme for me this year is the contemplative experience: simplicity and stillness.

1. Into Great Silence. A nearly three-hour experience of monastic contemplative life, sublimely pieced together. Sounds dull to me, too. I was riveted.
2. The Pool. Set in India, a poor, 18-year-old man/boy's tentative quest for a better life. The story is so simple, the acting so natural. Even a surprise ending. And none of it maudlin.
3. The Savages. Adult brother and sister find themselves taking care of their estranged father. So funny and touching both.
4. Gone Baby Gone. A young private eye gets in over his head, procedurally and morally.
5. The Golden Door. Immigrants journey to the U.S. at the turn of the 20th C. A visual feast of the imagination.
6. The Lookout. A young man reconciles himself to a car accident in this simple, elegant character study.
7. Once. Two unavailable musicians meet, collaborate, and chastely love. An exquisite scene when he teaches her one of his songs.
8. 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days. A young woman helps her friend get an illegal abortion in communist Romania. Long, contemplative takes root this thriller.
9. Happy Desert. A 15-year-old girl in Brazil falls into prostitution. Heartbreaking yet transcedent.
10. August Evening. Two undocumented workers, a middle-aged man and his daughter-in-law, stick together as they both grieve the loss of their spouses. His acceptance of life as it comes to him is deeply moving.

Other favorites from 2007: In the Valley of Ellah, Grace is Gone, A Mighty Heart, Breach, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, Wristcutters: A Love Story, Snow Angels, Bug, Echo

SUNDANCE 2008

2008-01-28T21:00:00.000-08:00

GETTING TO SUNDANCE

We finished shooting my new film "Inside Darkness" on a Thursday night, and early the next morning I was on a plane for my annual pilgrimage to the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. "Inside Darkness" is the 45-minute piece I've been working on about three presidential candidates mysteriously trapped in a room together (no, it's not a comedy). It will be shown in 2-3 minute episodes on the Internet and also distributed as a DVD with discussion questions and other extras.

The 6-day shoot ended with a creative miracle. The schedule of the theater where we shot and the schedule of one of the actors had put us behind. The last day looked like it was going to be a long one, but late in the afternoon our cinematographer, the talented and dedicated Jayson Crothers, came up with an idea for abbreviating and combining the last two scenes.

As Karen Landry, who plays the Republican incumbent, put it, the revision was elegant. She and the other actors, Scott Alan Smith and Russell Andrews, are very very good. Joe Rassulo, who very capably and enthusiastically produced with me and read my script a million times, brought them and other quite talented crew members to the project. Everyone was working for little money, relatively speaking. And we all worked very well together. What a pleasure, a great experience.

I arrived in Salt Lake City, but before heading to Sundance, John Paul and I sang our Black & White concert at the University of Utah's Catholic Newman Center. We've been singing these concerts that chart the intersection of black and white music in America. We weave the songs together with stories of our lives and our friendship as Dominican friars and priests.

The next day, our classmate Daniel (of the Spiritual Magic of Fr. Daniel) shuttled us to Park City for a concert at St. Mary's Catholic Church, where I stay and also preach every year during the festival. Sunday morning, we finally entered the Sundance sanctuary and saw a movie: "The Wackness," a fun and sometimes insightful comedy about a teen who trades weed for therapy (from Sir Ben Kingsley, who was there for the Q&A). John Paul headed back home to San Diego, and I was just starting...

JESUS AND HITLER

My favorite film of this year's festival is a thriller called "The Wave." It's based on the true story of a California high school's experiment in autocracy in the 1960's. The film is set in current Germany, though, where the students are especially tired of the subject of autocracy. They've been taught all their lives about the evils of Nazism and are certain that such a movement could never happen in their country again. Their upstart teacher, who would have preferred to teach the unit on anarchy, gets their attention of his bored students, though, with a participatory experiment.

Of course, it goes bad. But not without some thought-provoking benefits, including a sense of belonging and purpose for the students, especially the misfits ("Breakfast Club" meets "Fight Club"?) I'm told the true-life teacher was there for the Q&A on opening night. The true story is even less plausible than the film. In real life, the movement spread over three high schools and swept up 800 students in just five days.

To pursue the theme further, I saw a documentary called "Durakovo: Village of Fools," about a Russian village where youth go to get indoctrinated into the country's widespread Christian nationalist movement. "God, tsar, and fatherland" -- that's the motto of the village and the movement, and they want to get rid of all foreigners and Western influences.

The leader of the village is a fat man with a swimming pool, sauna, and two overworked cellphones. He's a mean and unpredictable man whose whims are obeyed with fear. Okay, so he doesn't sound so much like Jesus but more like a Hollywood producer.

This is all fascinating (and frightening -- it all sounds a little bit like Christian nationalism in the U.S.), but my fear of documentaries was also fed -- I prefer the strong story and aesthetic usually found only in fiction films.

These two films made it into my annual Sundance homily. The gospel story for the Sunday at the end of the festival, with the brothers leaving behind their fishing nets and families to follow a stranger, sounded a little bit like these movies. Is there a difference? Then there's the darkness that happens inside that room where I trap the presidential candidates in "Inside Darkness."

FATHER FIGURES

My second favorite film at the festival was "Red," with the always-powerful Brian Cox as an old man seeking an apology from the boys who killed his dog. I guess I like thought-provoking thrillers. The old man is amazingly controlled and balanced in his initial reaction. He doesn't want revenge or even jail for the boys. And even more than an apology, he seems to want the boys to learn a lesson and mature.

But one of the boys is particularly vicious (perhaps a weakness of the film -- can a kid, or anyone, be that evil?), his father isn't much better, and the old man has some hidden wounds of his own, so one thing leads to another. I was really disturbed, even sickened a bit, when a good part of the audience applauded and cheered when the old man goads the bad seed boy to attack him so that he can attack back. What was especially disturbing was that I wanted to cheer, too.

Were the filmmakers cheering as well? I'd like to think they were rather bating us, implicating us in the old man's revenge so that we would be chastened later. The old man holds the boy down and seems to be within his rights as he warns the boy to repent. But then the old man bashes the boy's head into the sidewalk. No cheering this time. Did we really see this calm, measured, upright man do that? What else might he be capable of? What might we be capable of?

My third favorite film was "Captain Abu Raed," an audience favorite and Jordan's first fiction feature in fifty years. It's a really tender and touching about another old man, an airport janitor who finds a pilot's hat in the garbage one day. When a boy in his poor neighborhood sees him wearing the hat, the boy asks the old man to tell him stories about his adventures around the world as a pilot. The old man insists he's not really a pilot, but the boy will have none of it, so eventually the old man finds himself telling stories to all the local children about his fictitious adventures as a pilot.

When one boy tries to tell the other children that the old man is a janitor, the old man invites him into the group rather than excluding him. But when the boy manages to convince the other children that the old man is a janitor and not a pilot, the other children disown the old man. However, the old man forgives the boy with gentleness and grace. "Malish," he tells the boy. "It's okay."

In fact, at great risk to himself, the old man decides it's time to act on protecting the boy from his abusive father. Besides a few performance flaws by the mostly inexperienced actors (which should have been caught by the apparently inexperienced director), the only flaw in the film is its lack of acknowledgement that the old man should have come to the rescue much sooner. Or is this lack of guidance for the audience a strength?

A MIDDLE EASTERN SUMMIT ON A SUMMIT IN THE MIDDLE OF UTAH

"Under the Bombs" is another good Middle Eastern film, this one from Lebanon. Just four days after the official ending of Israel's bombing of Lebanon two summers ago, while the bombs were still dropping, they started shooting this improvised fictional story of a mother looking for her little boy during the bombing. The improvisation led to a more episodic, less dramatically and engaging structure, but it also led to an immediacy and to an authentic intimacy between the mother and her taxi driver. The mother was played with force and depth by Nada Abou Farhat, who has a striking, unadorned beauty.

I didn't get to see "The Strangers," an Israeli film that lots of people told me was a favorite of theirs. It's a story about a Palestinian and Israeli meeting on the subway in Germany and falling in love. It was shot during the actual World Cup to lend the film a feeling of authenticity. It got very real when Israel's bombing of Lebanon began, and the writer/director decided to continue the film with the lovers trying to insulate themselves from the war by escaping to Paris.

The writer/directors of all these two films and "Captain Abu Raed" were on a Middle Eastern panel that included the directors of "Be Like Others" (in Iran, homosexual relationships are banned, so many gays and lesbians tragically become transsexuals), "Slingshot Hip Hop" (Palestinian hip hop artists), "Dinner with the President" (the filmmakers' request of dinner with Pakistani president Musharraf is granted), and "Recycle" (a Muslim scholar and his boys collect cardboard in Zarqa, Jordan, where the infamous terrorist al Zarqawi grew up).

I saw this last one and was disappointed. When will I learn not to expect a good story from a documentary? This was just too elliptical for me. What is the filmmaker trying to say about terrorism, Islam, and poverty?

The greatest thing about the panel was that these people were all on it together, Israeli included.

BLACK IN THE U.S.A.

Quite a few films involved the black experience in the United States. My favorite of these was "Sugar," made by the same people who did "Half Nelson," the Ryan Gosling movie that was my favorite film anywhere in 2006. "Sugar" is about a 20-year-old man from the Dominican Republic who comes to the United States to try to work his way up the minor league ranks to the big leagues. I wasn't thrilled about the baseball theme, but I liked "Half Nelson" so much and a ticket was available, I decided to give it a try.

Apparently, the baseball stuff was quite authentic as movies go. What was really compelling was the way the system devours these young players and their dreams, a system depicted not as malicious or even particularly greedy. It's a bit jarring and somewhat anticlimactic, yet refreshing, when the movie becomes about something other than the young man's baseball ambitions.

I also liked "Ballast" very much. It's set in the Mississippi Delta and is about a young boy, his mother, and his uncle trying to figure out what each other means to them after the boy's father kills himself. Non-actors do a pretty good job in this understated, quiet, slow, and simple film without any music.

"Trouble the Waters" won the documentary jury prize. It's a very informative, sometimes maddening, and ultimately uplifting view of the post-Katrina struggle of a young black woman, Kim Rivers, and her husband using the crisis to move beyond drug dealing and self-concern despite lack of government help. She had just bought a video camera for $20 before Katrina and caught the absurd and shameful story of her and her husband among those without transportation out before the hurricane hit.

Her grandmother was left behind in the hospital and died, and her brother and his prison mates were abandoned by the guards. The directors stumbled upon Kim and her footage after being thrown out of the local National Guard headquarters, where they had planned on shooting a film about the Guard returning from Iraq to destroyed homes.

Kim's upbeat but in-your-face attitude grew on me until I watched with awe and admiration as she rapped along to a recording about self-empowerment. Then I realized it was her that was on the recording.

As important and disturbing as Kim's hurricane footage is, it needed to be trimmed more. Also, the story was a bit disjointed. I think its jury prize was less about the movie and more about kicking the government in the rear for still not rebuilding the 9th Ward in New Orleans. Then again, I'm the guy who lacks respect for documentaries.

"North Starr" shouldn't even have been accepted into Sundance -- it's littered with homemade philosophy from one of the characters, unevenly played by the writer/director, and hampered by an implausible climax. Yet I don't regret watching it -- it has some very evocative themes and images. It's about a black rapper who escapes from Houston to a redneck town, where he is greeted with love and hate. The highlight was the music, especially when the main character raps, accompanied by a white country band.

Despite my docuphobia, a handful of "black in America" documentaries are calling out to me from the festival lineup: "Traces of the Trade: A Story From the Deep North" (the filmmaker and nine members of her extended family -- she invited 200 -- journey from Ghana to Cuba to uncover the shame of their being from our country's largest slave-trading family), "The Order of Myths" (the director's film about Mardi Gras in Mobile becomes an expose of the persistent segregation of the celebration, with the current white queen being from the family that enslaved the family of the current black queen), "Made in America" (the deep roots of South Central L.A.'s poverty and gangs), "The Art Star and the Sudanese Twins" (white feminist Vanessa Beecroft adopts black Sudanese twins and controversially uses them in her performance art), and "The Black List" (portraits of 20 contemporary influential African Americans).

TWO OTHER FAVORITES

"Frozen River" won the jury prize for dramatic feature. It's a simple, straightforward story with a great premise (a white woman joins a young Mohawk woman in human smuggling in order to get enough cash to buy a new trailer for her family to live in), fascinating location and cultural context (a Mohawk reservation and its environs in the dead of winter on the Canadian border), and a very strong lead performance (Melissa Leo).

Further drama comes from the young Mohawk woman's desire to get her baby back from her mother-in-law. The actor who played this character was weak, and the visual element of the film was weak as well, so I'm surprised that it won the big prize. Still, it was a solid little movie.

"Sleep Dealer" won both screenwriting awards, the general award and the special science-related award. The special effects sometimes showed their low budget, but the futuristic story was very involving and insightful -- another thought-provoking thriller. In Oaxaca, Mexico, a young man's homemade radio surveillance rig gets him in trouble with the American high-tech, militarized company that owns the water supply (one of the documentaries at Sundance, "Flow," reveals plans for the privatization of water supplies).

The young man escapes to Tijuana to earn money for his poor family. There, he is literally plugged in as a virtual "node" worker for a construction site somewhere across the border -- talk about outsourcing. Meanwhile, his new girlfriend uses her own node implants to upload and sell on the Internet her new memories of her boyfriend. And a certain buyer is especially interested...

TWO NOTABLES

A couple movies that didn't make it my top tier are especially noteworthy, the first one another Internet movie of sorts. I sent to see "Downloading Nancy" because it stars the great Maria Bello, but I didn't realize what I was getting myself into. She plays a neglected housewife who cuts herself and searches the Internet for a man to abuse her.

The subject matter and lack of any traditional "redemptive" progression (no one here is trying to get better) made for difficult viewing. I thought about following those who walked out (did I want to put myself through this?) but was glad I stayed for the hints of tenderness that finally came.

I would never have sought out the documentary (it's a documentary) "Man on Wire," but I had a ticket to the first award winner screening of the last day. Now this was a documentary with a story. And even a little style. Philippe Petit is the French tightrope walker who crossed between the World Trade Center towers in the '70s, and the movie plays out like a kind of heist movie, using re-enactments to show how he and his team managed to sneak to the top of the towers and prepare the rigging for the walk.

The heist element gives way at times, though, especially at the climax, to the poetic and surprisingly moving footage and still photos of his art, accompanied by Eric Satie's beautiful and melancholy music -- so very French. Petit was at earlier screenings and was asked if he had any phobias. Spiders.

THE WAIT-LIST SUBCULTURE

Each year, tickets have been harder to come by in advance and I've gotten more and more relaxed about it. This year, I went to Sundance without any tickets and without even reading about the movies.

On Monday morning, I did think to go to the main box office, where each morning they release some tickets for the day to some of the previously "sold out films," having determined by tarot cards and deep prayer the approximate number of passholders and entourage members will show up at the screenings. I showed up at 8:00 a.m. for the 8:30 opening time, whereas some people had camped out in the lobby for the night, but I actually got quite lucky. I was even able to pick up some tickets for the rest of the week to films that had never sold out to begin with.

But my bread and butter is the wait-list line. Sure, John Paul and I waited three hours for a movie the first day and didn't even get again. But it only happened to me once more the whole week. Besides, the wait-list line is a great place to meet people. I met lots of great people this year. It's funny, too, how you often run into the same people again (and sometime again). It's fun to get to know the volunteers, who stay at the same venue for the entire festival, and often from year to year.

I almost panicked at one point when I realized having a few tickets already was going to keep me from the wait-list line for a small part of the week -- what would I do with myself? What do the upper classes of Sundance do, the people with tickets or even, gulp, passes?

Ticketing and other tips:

Step One: Register online in the fall. The only deal on passes is possibly the Adrenaline Pass, which allows the intrepid to see any movie that starts AFTER 10 P.M. and the first screening at each theater in the morning (usually 8:30 or 9:00). The package deals are pretty expensive, too, and a lot of luck is involved in getting tickets to the movies you really want to see. I like to register online in the fall to get randomly assigned a time slot for getting back online to choose individual tickets. But nowadays you're not even guaranteed a time slot, and even if you get one, the tickets will have been picked over by then. So it makes sense to register -- just don't sweat it or get your hopes up.

Step Two: If you're up, check out the box office one or more mornings during the festival for the new tickets released as I described above. They release tickets for the first screenings of the next day as well. At least one year, a woman had an underground ticket exchange going outside the box office.

Step Three: The wait-list line. In addition to the high success rate if you get there early and the joy of meeting other wait-listers, the wait-list line allows you to choose movies that you've been hearing or reading about since the festival started. The best way to start up a conversation with someone in line or on the bus (or at the cold bus stop) is by asking a person if they've seen something especially good yet. Besides, it's hard to digest that catalogue ahead of time. And those hyperbolic, high-falutin' film descriptions sometimes don't even give you a good feel for the tone of the film.

Wait-list tickets are only $10 instead of $15. If you get really lucky, someone will come up and hand you their tickets, especially if you're at the front of the line. Keep your eyes open, too, for people selling their tickets. The best place for this is also at the front of the wait-list line. If you're really intense and you're with someone, you can even decide ahead of time, so that you don't miss your opportunity, whether you're going to accept or buy just one ticket if it's offered, leaving the other person to wait and wonder. Also, if you both get in, is it more important to sit together if possible than to get a good seat?

They hand out wait-list numbers two hours before the screening (one hour before the first screenings of the day). Then you can get out of line and relax until a half hour before the show, when you get back in line in your original order. This year, they insisted you would lose your privileged place in line if you were late for this half-hour call. If you want to be at the front of the line (which very occasionally still won't get you a seat), show up when the previous show starts, usually three hours before your screening. But don't bother coming before that because there won't be anywhere to line up.

It's easier to get into the first screenings of the day and the screenings midweek. Also, the last day, when they show all the award-winning movies (all the important people are gone by then). It can also pay off to wait at the larger theaters like Eccles and the Racquet Club.

If you get into a movie, you might consider coming out of the movie and, after the next movie starts, getting in line for the movie after that -- relax, buy some chili or a sandwich, chat people up, or, if you're weird like me, lie on the floor for a few Z's. Very occasionally you can come out of a movie and get into the very next one. Also, free and frequent shuttles will take you to the other venues.

If you want to stay for the Q&A (one of they great joys of film festivals, especially at Sundance, where the highly-talented and often famous writers, directors, actors, etc. are most likely to show up), figure on about 45 minutes from the time the closing credits end to the time you arrive at a new venue.

With each successive screening of a film (there are four), there are fewer people from the film available for Q&A, but usually the director will at least be there, except sometimes on the last day. The premiere screenings are especially fun, although wait-listing is harder for those, especially for the movies with pre-festival "buzz." I like to sit close and on the side where the microphone is, so that I'll be able to see people for the Q&A.

There's also the fringe festivals that have popped up around Sundance. Slamdance is the biggy, hosted at Treasure Mountain Inn a block up Main from the Egyptian Theater. Slamdance can be hard to get tickets for, but you can walk in at the other festivals.

Tromadance is a mainstay and usually takes place at a bar at the bottom of Main. The Park City Film Music Festival and sometimes other festivals and special screenings (sometimes free) take place in the mall across the street from the Egyptian. The last couple years Lisa Thompson from the Filmmakers Alliance (a great L.A. group I've joined) has put together CinemaSlam at this same venue.

There are also a couple official Sundance venues, the Filmmaker Lodge and New Frontiers, with free panels. Get there an hour early if possible.

Relax and take what and who comes your way. It's all good on the mountain.

St. Andrew, Fish, and Cash

2007-11-30T06:04:00.000-08:00

One of the brothers, our Dominican province's director of development, recently told us that, as he asks people to contribute to our "Lighting the Way" campaign to pay for our new philosophy and theology school in Berkeley, he prays to St. Andrew. Andrew, of course, is the one who apparently had the misfortune of having to ask that poor little boy to give up his bread and fish so Jesus could feed the thousands.

Then again, Andrew was giving this boy a grand opportunity: he participates in Jesus' great sign of God's power and abundance. Jesus gave Andrew the opportunity to participate as well, by doing the asking. And the boy and Andrew are both famous for it.

Andrew is the one who gave his brother Simon Peter the opportunity to follow Jesus. After spending the day with Jesus, the first thing Andrew did was find his brother and tell him that they found the Messiah.

This is our calling, too -- to give others the opportunity to follow Jesus. How can they follow unless they are asked?

Our director of development told us about Andrew because he and our provincial are encouraging us once again -- giving us the opportunity -- to invite people to support our new school. And we have so many other ministries to invite people to participate in through donations, prayers, and other means.

In fact, we are currently inviting people to support our Mud Puddle Films ministry that I currently direct, to help make our next movie happen. I suppose I should dare to ask, to invite: we've got $25,000 and need only $5,000 more. Perhaps you'll feel called to contribute to this ministry, our new school, or one of our many other important ministries.

Meanwhile, here we are at the eucharist, where we contribute what little we have, where we simpy -- but fully and lavishly -- give ourselves, and Jesus feeds us with his very self, the love of God.

Into Great Silence -- movie review

2007-04-08T10:07:00.000-07:00

The movie "Into Great Silence" is a gentle wind of grace that is blowing through festivals and theaters across the world. I watched it on Holy Saturday and found myself immersed in nearly three hours of riveting silence. No story, no dialogue, no main characters, no dramatic twists and turns. The movie isn't about anything. It's not even about the contemplative Carthusian monks of the Grande Chartreuse in the French Alps. Rather, this movie is an actual sharing in their contemplative experience. It's a bold, foolish, and lavish "waste" of time with the one who delights in our very being. The woman anxiously filing her fingernails behind me during the previews finally stopped once the movie began, and I doubt she was thinking of her fingernails afterwards except perhaps in gratitude for their divinely-sustained imperfection. For a breathtaking preview, more information, and a local screening schedule, go to www.zeitgeistfilms.com.

"Into Great Silence" embodies the kind of contemplative outreach that I'm trying to do with Mud Puddle Films. Our lavishly four-part cycle of feature-length films, "Last Notes red green blue or black," is an indirectly similar attempt to offer a contemplative experience to general audiences.

Go see "Into Great Silence." Rather, experience it. Take a nap first. Prepare your bladder. And have a bite to eat before rather than distract yourself and others with the activity and noise of popcorn. Afterwards, you can talk with each other about your favorite moments in the film, your own experience of contemplative prayer, and the many hindrances and invitations to silence in your life. Or better, you can arrange regular times to sit in God's silence, alone or with each other. Take this invitation into the great silence, and return to the silence whenever possible, especially during this Easter season of mystery and joy.

My Favorite Movies of 2006

2007-01-28T19:07:00.000-08:00

I couldn't do just ten. Although it wasn't the greatest year in movies, the first five are outstanding, and there are quite a few that are very good, some of which had limited or no theatrical release.

A+
Half Nelson (Ryan Gosling is a god -- if you have the stomach for it, also see him in The Believers, about a Jewish neo-Nazi)

A
Little Children (Kate Winslet is a god, too)
CSA: Confederate States of America (what if the South had won? -- terribly and terribly funny)
A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints (edited to great effect)
The Death of Mr. Lazarescu (neo-realist black humor from Hungary)

B+
Down in the Valley, Brick (modern day high school film noir), Sophie Scholl, War Tapes (3 American soldiers in Iraq videotape themselves), Forgiven, Wristcutters: A Love Story (as funny and dark as it sounds), Neo Ned (a neo-Nazi man gets together with a black woman who thinks she's Hitler), Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Khazakstan (okay, perhaps he's unfair to some of these folks, but he didn't put words into their mouths and the satire is frightening and important), Marie Antoinette (not her best, but Sophia Coppola is a master of mood)

B
Infamous (almost as good as Capote), Stranded, Volver (not Almodovar’s best, but Penelope Cruz singing Volver is heaven), Kukumi, Paradise Now, The Last King of Scotland, For Your Consideration (I for one wasn't disappointed, and the end is tragic and funny at the same time), Princesas, No. 2, Quinceaneros

Sundance 2007 -- Day 10

2007-01-28T18:51:00.000-08:00

On the last day of the festival, they show all the award-winning movies. I had tickets to the directing award and the dramatic award. Jeffrey Blitz, who did the spelling bee documentary a few years ago, won best director for Rocket Science, which he also wrote. He must have been inspired by his previous movie because this one's about a stutterer who, at the invitation of a pretty and supremely confident girl, joins the high school debate team. It's funny and kept me guessing all the way through.

The big winner, dramatic jury, was Padre Nuestro, a United States film noted for being in Spanish. A young Mexican thug steals an immigrant youth's letter of introduction to the father he's never met. The thug pretends to be the son while the real son looks for the father. All three main characters have plenty to dislike about them, which distanced me a bit from the film emotionally. Also, the thug was played by a weak actor, who is a star in Mexico. Still, I was fairly engrossed. Writer-director Christopher Zalla explained that this isn't an "immigrant" movie, that he wanted to show these characters as real, multi-dimensional people. One man in the audience said he rather found the characters' often unsympathetic portrayal to be a put-down to immigrants. I'd have to side with the latter's view.

So the award-winning movies weren't my favorite. I saw 17 movies, all pretty good, and they didn't make my top 10:

1) The Pool (18-year-old boy in India dreams of a simple life)
2) Snow Angels (divorce and tragedy in a small town)
3) Teeth (h.s. girl's anatomical uniqueness is empowering; scary, funny, thought-provoking; award-winning performance by actress Jess Weixler)
4) Grace is Gone (the always natural John Cusack can't bring himself to tell his daughters their mother died in Iraq)
5) Ezra (France/Nigeria; child soldier recounts his experience to a truth and reconciliation commission)
6) Expired (Emily Watson falls for a difficult man, both humorously and frighteningly played by Jason Patric)
7) Little Chenier (Park City Film Music Festival; young man looks out for his younger, mentally disabled brother in rough Cajun country)
8) Eagle vs. Shark (New Zealand; young woman chases a self-absorbed nerd -- Napolean Dynamite meets Little Miss Sunshine)
9) Joshua (Vera Farmiga's son may be evil)
10) Broken English (Parker Posey looks for a man but needs to find herself)

There are a slew of Sundance 2007 films I still want to see:
Drained
Enemies of Happiness
Fay Grim
For the Bible Tells Me So
Interview
Waitress
Good Life
The Ten
Adrift in Manhattan
Away From Her
Banished
Black Snake Moan
Delirious
Hounddog
Legacy
Longford
Manda Bala
The Nines
The Savages
Save Me
Smiley Face
Four Sheets to the Wind
The Good Life
Starting Out in the Evening
Blame it on Fidel
Once
An American Crime
King of California
Angel-A
The Go-Getter
Red Road

Sundance 2007 -- Day 9

2007-01-28T18:47:00.000-08:00

Enjoyed a slow morning before getting in line for Waitress, written and directed by Adrienne Shelly, who was murdered just after finding out her film was going to Sundance. 40 years old, with a husband and 2-year-old, Shelly broke onto the indie scene together with filmmaker Hal Hartley, starring in his first two films, The Unbelievable Truth and Trust. She came to be a significant presence in independent filmmaking, as an actor, writer, and director. They say she directed with a really clear vision, knowing just what she wanted. Waitress star Keri Russell says that often actors who direct aren't intimidated by what they think is a mysterious art and can speak directly to the actors: "Don't do that thing you do with your hands."

I found most of my address book on my computer and last night found some of my new addresses in the garbage, so I fixed my address book again. Then lost it all again. And I didn't get into the film. They were even turning away ticket holders. This happens occasionally because they can only guess how many passholders will come -- they can go to any movie they want. Hard to complain, though. This was the first time this year waiting didn't pan out for me. I also ran into Grant, my Canadian Sundance friend who works at the library theater each year for the festival. Plus I got to eat the Prospector Square soup for the first time this year.

I headed over to the library theater at 2:30 to wait for the 8:30 show, sort of, and I didn't even know what the film was going to be. The Grand Jury Prize for World Cinema was scheduled, but they wouldn't know who the winner would be until minutes before the start time. I found wireless access inside the actual library and once again fixed my address book. I think I understand finally not only the necessity of backing up constantly but also the proper way to do the backup. When I got kicked out of the library at 6:00, I noticed that the waitlist line for the 8:30 movie wasn't long, so I waited for a number.

Once I got my number, I went over to the 7:00 awards ceremony for the Park City Film Music Festival, thinking I probably wouldn't make it back for the film. But at 7:30, they still hadn't started, so I decided to go back to the movie. How could I go a day at Sundance without seeing at least one movie? But before I went, Leslie, the director of the Film Music Festival, informed me that Last Notes red won a Silver Medal for Excellence in Film Music! And the Cajun film I liked, Little Chenier, won the audience award.

While waiting to get our waitlist tickets, and waiting to hear what movie we were going to see, I chatted up my Canadian friend Grant, who was finally able to announce that the Jury Prize winner for World Cinema was Sweet Mud from Israel, written and directed by Adama Meshugaat. It's about a 12-year-old boy growing up on a kibbutz in 1974 (precisely how old I was in '74). The film had some really simple and fun moments, especially in the first part, but by the end it felt unfocused to me. And unfairly judgmental of the kibbutz.

Sundance 2007 -- Day 8

2007-01-27T09:20:00.000-08:00

Today was mostly about trying to get people to my screening tonight. But first I had another Sundance ticket to us. I've seen all but three of my 14 movies here by waiting in line. Pool is a beautiful movie, superseding Snow Angels as my favorite so far. Pool was directed by Chris Smith and written by Smith and Randy Russell, based on Russell's short story. I believe the short story wasn't set in India, but Smith, after having spent a week there, wanted to go back and do a film there.

They spent five months in India, soaking up the setting and way of life and shooting. The two leads are non-actors, but the filmmakers finally had to resort to professionals for a couple of the other roles. After seeing forty-five minutes of the film already edited, Bollywood star Nana Patekar agreed to be added to the cast. The film follows a poor, 18-year-old man/boy's tentative quest for a better life. The story is so simple, the acting so natural. Even a surprise ending. And none of it maudlin.

I noticed a couple guys putting up posters, over everyone else's, at one of the few kiosks around town. They had posters from several different movies instead of just one. I asked them if they were hired. They said they were advertising all the HBO films, that is, the Sundance films HBO either helped finance or bought after completion. When they left to get more posters, the crew from Tromadance (one of the side festivals) came and papered over the HBO posters, and everyone else's, with their flyer. I tipped them off that I'd overheard the HBO duo say they were coming back, but the Troma crowd said they could always come back and do yet another papering over.

I treated myself to a real meal this afternoon instead of my usual string cheese and fruit on the run. I was waited on my a young woman from Lima. There a ton of college-age South Americans who come and work really really hard here during the ski season, their summer. I've met others on the bus, some who said they might come to my screening. I hung out a lot at the Film Music Festival venue this afternoon talking to people about my movie. I told Jeffrey from the New Frontier on Main that I thought there might be 50 people at the screening. But that I'd be happy if there were 20-30. No, if I survived. He said he stopped making films because screening his films for an audience was so painful.

I found myself recommending people watch Little Chenier, the Cajun thriller, before my movie. So it was really cool to meet the brother and sister filmmakers, Beth and Jase. They confirmed their film's Cajun authenticity for me. They grew up near Little Chenier at the nearby metropolis of 200,000. Their actors, including some pretty well-known actors, came to the bayou and lived together for awhile to soak up the culture, which is now in danger because of Katrina devastation. The closing credits of their film even show horrific before and after shots of the place where they shot. I wanted to watch their film again but finally relented to the demands of last-minute work at inviting people to my screening.

Well, we started my screening with probably 30 people, some of whom I'd invited to stay after the preceding short and to feel free to leave after getting a taste of my film. And leave they did. And I think some who came just for my film left, too, although they weren't necessarily very committed viewers, just people who had just happened by. Still...

There were 11 people left at the end, mostly from the church. Also Margaret, whom I met here last year. A very short Q&A followed the screening. They were either drained by the movie, confused, disappointed or combinations of the above. One of them signed my email list on the way out. But I already have her email. A huge success. And I finally got the inevitable Sundance cold. Oh, and I lost a ton of work on my email address book this afternoon, including the addresses of people I've met here this week. As I walked to the bus stop, I saw that even the poster kiosk war had been lost, by everyone.

Seriously, though, I do think Last Notes red green blue or black are pretty interesting and evocative. And I think some people could really get into the mystery of it and comparing all four films. Now it's time to think about the next step with them. And to go dig through the garbage to try to find my new email addresses.

Sundance 2007 -- Day 7

2007-01-25T21:23:00.000-08:00

Eagle vs. Shark, New Zealand, written and directed by Taika Waititi, starring Loren Horsley, who also helped with the original story. A kind of Napolean Dynamite for twenty-somethings. Very funny. Also touching at moments, especially the animated interludes, which evocatively amplified, without having to resort to words, the themes of loneliness, longing, not belonging, and love with a parallel, wordless story about two apples. Also, some cool pixilation (stop motion with real people).

I keep up in a small way on digital advances with the annual panel about new cameras. Even Directors of Photography (DPs) can't keep up on everything and need to rely on experts they can trust. Sundance regular Nancy Schrieber, DP for the popular The Nines at Sundance this year, shot each of the three parts in a different format: Super 16, Standard Def, and 35mm 3-perf. Andrew Wagner, director of Starting Out in the Evening used HD. He found that not using expensive and time-limited film allowed him to concentrate on the performances, especially by continuing to roll between takes. One director claims that digital saves him and hour and a half every day because people get coffee when you say cut and reload. Lynn Hirschman, director of Strange Culture, says a third of her finished film comprises footage from between takes. Thomas Kist, DP of the remake of Interview even likes to shoot on a disk instead of a tape so that with a push of a button you can go back one take and show the director. He also feels there's less pressure about time w/ digital, the actors don't feel like the film's always going to run out any second (although Nancy says the number of shooting days is the more important factor regarding feeling rushed). And he lit so that the actors were free to move around. Lisa Wiegand, DP of Chasing Ghosts, likes all of this freedom, yet she also likes that film forces you to make choices while you're shooting, especially versus multiple-cameras on a digital shoot.

After the panel, Jeffrey Winter, the director of the New Frontier at Main, which hosts all the digital-oriented panels, and remembers me from year to year, wanted to chat with me a bit after the panel. He asked me to help him get the word out to Dominicans and San Diego churchgoers about one of the films his distribution company is putting out, about Jesus appearing in a tortilla. He's a really nice guy. I'm happy to help.

In the evening, I saw Zoe's Cassavette's film Broken English. It was funny but slight. However, Parker Posey, who was in perhaps every scene but two, lifted the film to indie heights of quirk. She's amazing -- there's constantly something happening on her face. I was really disappointed Parker wasn't there for Q&A.

Sundance 2007 -- Day 6

2007-01-24T22:49:00.000-08:00

I actually had tickets today -- no wait list lines. Before my morning film, I met a literary agent who works with "emerging" writers and writer-directors. She seems real nice and called me honey. Never Forever is written and directed by Gina Kim, stars Vera Farmiga, and is produced by my contrarian friend Andrew Fierberg (who, by the way, I saw up at the Film Music Festival last night and handed him a card). The film is about a woman who secretly gets pregnant with another man to please her suicidal, impotent husband. Yes, of course she falls in love with the other guy. No, this isn't going direct to Lifetime as far as I know. There was a sophistication to the film, especially Farmiga's subtle performance and Michael Nyman's interesting, sparse, and beautiful string music -- and some cool, artsy songs -- a nice change from the ubiquitous use of pop songs in movies.

So I was really involved in the movie, but I also found myself frustrated. I couldn't really buy her actions and motives, her husband was a bad actor, I didn't know why she was married to him, and I didn't know what she saw in her lover except the sex. And the ending was a bit facile. The writer-director is brilliant and said some really interesting things after the film, but I didn't see them on the screen. I got to chat briefly with the composer, though. And when I asked Vera if I could take her photo, she pulled me into the picture with her.

One of the most interesting -- and frustrating -- things about the morning was that senior programmer John Cooper introduced the movie by saying that he left it on the floor of his office for a long time because he didn't recognize the writer-director's name. So much for expecting a fair shake at Sundance. Of course she did get her film in the festival, but ironically it turned out to be pretty mainstream.

Joshua was written by David Gilbert and George Ratliff, directed by Ratliff, and stars my new friend Vera and Sam Rockwell. The simple premise: their son may be evil. Vera goes crazy (what a busy morning for her) and Rockwell is beside himself. Once again, the music was really interesting, simple strings and piano, sort of in Bartok's style. And it was incorporated into the film really well. The boy plays some of the score on the piano, including a really creepy version of Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star. The movie was really suspenseful and sometimes funny, but again, what is such a mainstream type of film doing at Sundance?

Ran into twenty film students from San Anontio and invited them to my screening Friday night. Saw Little Chenier at the Park City Film Music Festival. What a charming and suspenseful little movie by Bethany Ashton, about a young man (Jonathon Schaech) looking out after his mentally disabled brother in Cajun country. It felt so authentically Cajun, and the music was really integrated well. Great surprise. Three excellent musical scores today.

Sundance 2007 -- Day 5

2007-01-23T22:21:00.000-08:00

I always love the case study they do each year. This year's was on Broken English, written and directed by Zoe Cassavettes (yes, John and Geena's daughter) and starring the always interesting Parker Posey. I haven't seen the film yet, but I'm going to try to get in later in the week. On the basis of her first film, a short, shown six years ago at Sundance, Zoe got an agent. The agent found Zoe scripts to direct, but she wasn't interested in them and realized she didn't want to direct someone else's script.

Six years later, she's finally got her first feature completed. Andrew Fierberg, the contrary producer I liked from the panel the other day, teamed up with Mark Cuban's HDNet, which has $2 million budgets for its films. They did just a 20-day shoot, had rain most of the time (it's supposed to take place during the summer), and had plenty of other obstacles. But Zoe and her team are impressively easygoing. I really like her straightforwardness. She's very down-to-earth.

Checked out a couple shorts at the Film Music Festival. Goalkeepers is a sweet film about Israeli and Palestinian boys brought together to play soccer (coached, at least a bit ironically, by a young German man). Sustainable Table shows the horrors of pesticides and mass-produced livestock. The film comes from Chapman (my film school). Nobody but a couple of the festival staff came to these films. I've got my work cut out for me getting people to my screening Friday night.

Back on the Sundance side of the street, I saw Ezra, about a child soldier recounting his experience before a truth and reconciliation commission. His testimony turns into a kind of trial. The film was not obvious or sentimental. There are some 300,000 child soldiers in the world today.

Sundance Special -- Internet Communities

2007-01-23T10:02:00.000-08:00

Time to reflect on the two panels I've gone to about how filmmakers can use the internet to find audiences. One of the panels was moderated by Wired magazine editor Chris Anderson, who is known for using the term long tail to describe the many smaller, niche markets on the web that together often do more business than the large markets. For example, a large proportion of amazon.com's business comes from selling relatively esoteric titles. So even the individual filmmaker, who may have one or two main niche audiences, can hope, with plenty of (web) networking, to reach a respectable audience.

I personally am not so interested in viewing clips online, except when I miss Jon Stewart of Stephen Colbert. And probably no one, especially me, is interested in viewing feature-length works online. But I can and should get some clips from my four-feature cycle Last Notes red green blue or black online beyond my site, beginning with youtube, myspace, and facebook.

But how do I get people to view my clips among the millions of other clips? I can first of all build and use my email list. I can also communicate with some of the most powerful (well-linked even if not the most popular) film blogs and see if they'll recommend my clips.

And what do I want people to do then? Come to my site? Regularly? Jeremy Lair of brightcove.com and Rick Wong of dave.tv help people put together their own online tv station with community profiles like myspace.

Do I try to really go for my "vote for which movie you want to come to your area" campaign? Do I go ahead and start selling the films? Sell DVDs? Sell downloads so people can make their own DVD? Rent the films online, such that the download expires in a couple weeks? Probably all of the above. But only 5% of online users buy. Give the rest something for free. For example, I can also have extended clips on my site.

In addition, people could be directed to Steve Starr's company revver.com, which shares revenue with filmmakers and even enable some to earn their living entirely online. Revver is the company that made lonelygirl popular (created by a fellow Occidental College alum). Revver also pays people who share my films. There may be other collections or collectives to be part of. What about a Chapman collective? A religious one? Catholic? Dominican?

I might even consider creating works just for the web, perhaps even a daily serial like lonelygirl. That would certainly allow me to practice the craft of filmmaking regularly. Not just practice, but share my work.

But I also want to use the net to invite people outside the net, to come to screenings. For example, I can work a deal with a theater in a particular city: if I can guarantee so many seats filled some morning or late night, then they give me the screens and sell their popcorn. Or I can have house screenings all over like documentary activist Robert Greenwald. I could tour with my films, which would be a great way to build an audience for future films. Jon Alpert, who has been taking social action films around New York City for thirty years, has a cool van with a large tv screen on the side.

Also on the panels were Ken Rokowski, who has a regular newsletter and podcast on the subject, Katy Chevigny of artsengine.net (watch A Girl Like Me, a 16-year-old girl's re-do of the old experiment showing black kids preferring white dolls), Michael Turpin, who does social media marketing, and Mark Jeffrey of popcurrent.com. I also met the self-described viral queen, Paula Silver of Beyond the Box. She was interested in my movie.

Sundance 2007 -- Day 4

2007-01-23T09:01:00.000-08:00

Saw Grace is Gone in the morning, starring John Cusack as a pro-war veteran who can't bring himself to tell his young daughters that their mother just died fighting in Iraq, so he takes them on a road trip to an amusement park. Other than his funny walk and makeup, Cusack gives his typical, natural performance. Shelan O'Keefe is very touching as the 12-year-old daughter who knows something is wrong but hopes she's wrong. The father's liberal brother provides some brief discussion of war politics and morality, but I wanted a bit of struggle over the meaning or meaninglessness of the mother's death. The movie encourages me to make sure Sounds of Darkness, my own wartime script, allows the characters to feel deeply.

Went to an interesting panel of some of my favorite writer-directors at the Filmmaker Lodge. David Gordon Green sounds like he really has fun and enjoys all parts of the process, even pitching to money people. They all said it's hard to get money for each project, even though their films have been very successful. They all found it important to work with people they like, or at least that are easy to work with.

In the evening I went to a local church for a screening of The Power of Forgiveness, by Martin Doblmeier, who also used the local churches a few years ago during Sundance to show his film Bonhoeffer. His touring with the movie is an interesting distribution model that I'd like to consider. Though inconsistent, the film has some powerful moments, including the friendship and activist partnership of a man whose son was murdered and the grandfather of the 14-year-old murderer. Holocaust survivor, writer, and Nobel Peace Prize winner Elie Wiesel is maddening with his strict calculus of forgiveness. Compare that with the now well-known, unconditional Amish approach.

Sundance 2007 -- Day 3

2007-01-21T22:31:00.000-08:00

Finally saw David Gordon Green's movie this morning. Snow Angels is a really touching film about a separated couple (Kate Beckinsale and Sam Rockwell) and the son (Michael Angarano) of another separated couple who face tragedy on top of their already-existing struggles. Interestingly, the movie starts with gunshots then takes us back three weeks. Green just has a real knack for finding high drama in very realistic situations. A good place to be on Sunday morning, since I'd done church Saturday night.

I met several interesting people today, a National Geographic digital media producer, and a Cal Berkeley professor who runs undergroundfilm.org, and a development researcher, who helps projects already in pre-production to use public response to the script and other aspects of the film.

Also finally made it over to the New Frontier on Main (formerly the Digital Center) for one of the free noon panels: a very challenging look at the possibilities for filmmakers on the web. Old fogie that I am, I didn't realize everything that's going on -- more about his after I chew over it some more. Ultimately, a good panel devolved into a commercial by the reps from You Tube and My Space. I realized they should probably have sophisticated users and not company people on these panels.

Then to the Filmmaker's Lodge for the free panel about how movies aren't free. Some pretty good insights into how to make a film on a low budget. I appreciated producer Andrew Feuerberg's contrarian spirit, putting the desire for name actors in perspective (it doesn't necessarily bring financing) and encouraging us to make our movies instead of waiting forever for everything to line up just right. The others on the panel often myopically talked as if we were up in the mid-range of indie budgets like them.

I saw my Brooks students again before my next movie. One was even wearing my IChooseRed.org armband and said lots of folks asked him about it. They're driving back to California tomorrow (or was it late tonight?) and say they might actually come back next weekend (and maybe see my film).

My last event of the day was Hot House, a documentary about how Palestinian prisoners in Israel become more educated and committed to their cause while in prison. Some come to embrace diplomacy, while others are drawn more deeply into violent resistance. On woman who planned a "successful" suicide bombing and has four young children at home, is serving 16 life sentences. She could only smile when told that she killed eight children.

Sundance 2007 -- Day 2

2007-01-20T19:02:00.000-08:00

This morning's movie, Tuli, is a rich view of village life in the Philippines. There is much ado about traditional pre-pubescent male circumcision. But it turns out the real story is about Daisy, who dangerously resists pressures and looks for love her own way -- with her childhood girlfriend. I'm glad I saw the film, but its inconsistent and unfocused script, the occasional flatness of the digital photography, and the frequent use of tie-her-to-the-railroad-tracks, Dudley Dooright, melodrama piano music were no small flaws. Still, director Auraeus Solito has made a nice rural complement to his superior inner-city Manila film from last year's festival, The Blossoming of Maximo Oliveros.

After checking out the casual scene at Slamdance (by far the most prestigious side festival here), I checked in with the gang at the Park City Film Music Festival, which is located in a prime spot on Main Street. The festival continues to grow. I'm really glad to have Last Notes red playing there. And I've got all week now to gather people in to my Friday night screening.

I got a chance tonight to invite a whole lot of folks, since I preached at the Mass at St. Mary's, where I stay every year -- the best Sundance lodging there is. Usually I preach about one of the Sundance films, but I didn't think the folks would appreciate vagina dentata, even if it is Latin. Still, the second reading is 1 Cor 12, many parts, one body.

I'd go back up to the festival tonight but it means standing in the snow to catch a bus, then paying for a taxi to take me home, if I can even get one on a Sundance Saturday night. Things are crazy on the weekends during the festival. Jim, one of the priests at St. Mary's, spent a good hour on the road today to make the 6-mile round trip to pick me up. I'll stay home and work this festival from my laptop: blogging, trying to get press attention, planning which movies to see, and maybe even developing my primitive, 2-day-old, extremely late-in-coming MySpace page.

Sundance 2007 -- Day 1

2007-01-20T05:42:00.000-08:00

Hours before leaving for Sundance 2007, I found out my feature Last Notes red was accepted by the Park City Film Music Festival, one of the unofficial Sundance sideshows. So it was off to Kinko's for a late night run of some slap-dash flyers to go with my IChooseRed.org red armbands, IChooseGreen.org stickers, blue buttons, and black yo-yos.

I also ran off a few copies of my Sounds of Darkness script, which I'd just finished earlier in the day -- three presidential candidates trapped by an unseen captor (I want Jane Fonda to be the Republican incumbent). Thought maybe I'll find someone who knows someone who knows someone...

On the plane, I met Shawn Barry, a white funk and reggae musician who's playing Park City during the festival. Also, Alex, who I found out late in the conversation, went to my alma mater, Occidental College in L.A. She just started with a post-production company in L.A. I'm missing her company's party right now because I'm trapped in the wait-list line for David Gordon Green's new movie.

Speaking of wait-list lines, though, my first wait-list line story began at 7:30 this morning in the twelve degree weather. You see, this year they're passing out numbers two whole hours before the show so that you can go eat or something before the show, just so long as you're back and lined up, in order, a half hour before the show. So I thought maybe people might line up two hours before the two hours before the show. Needless to say, I got number one...

...and I got in. I ran into an old Sundance friend Barbara and her entourage, who helped me cause a minor stir with my giveaways. Expired was written and directed by Cecilia Miniucchi and stars Samantha Morton and Jason Patrick. A sweet meter maid falls for a difficult, to say the least, co-worker. The movie was very real and raw, and at the same time had some really nice humor. Jason Patrick played his part with such charm you just can't bring yourself to hate him. Very touching. The ending was open-ended, which I'm ashamed to say annoyed me. But the director, when asked what happens next, invited us to decide for ourselves. Isn't that the approach I go for -- inviting people to think for themselves? Mmm...maybe I'll change the ending of Sounds of Darkness.

Since I mentioned that second wait-list line, where I met some lively young students from Brooks School of Photography, I actually had a ticket in my hands. But I was waiting for my friend Daniel. Poor guy, he drove the hour in from Salt Lake City, found parking, then walked half a mile in the cold, only to have me tell him it was too late to get him a ticket. But I'd already sold my ticket. I didn't want to repeat the near divorce I'd witnessed a couple years ago when husband and wife were temporarily split by the vicissitudes of the Sundance wait list -- she got a ticket, and it looked like he wouldn't.

Daniel kindly waited in line while I got a number for myself for the next film, then he had to drive on back to Salt Lake City. But we were able to scheme about yet another great opportunity suddenly before me. I am going to be able to sell my DVD of short films at the huge annual Catholic gathering in Anaheim in March. A real coup. And our hope is that Daniel, also a Dominican priest, will be able to do his magic at the booth and advertise his touring show.

The movie: Teeth. The leader of her high school's purity campaign is horrified to discover her anatomical uniqueness (Google vagina dentata -- misleadingly rhymes with akuna matata). But maybe she can turn this to her advantage. Very funny and provocative. The symbolism invites repeated viewing and meditation. I think (and hope) this will become a cult classic, though it probably won't see the light of theaters. A terrifically clever performance by actress Jess Weixler.

San Diego Film Festival -- Sept 2006

2006-09-30T22:53:00.000-07:00

Friday night, I suffered through a "networking" party to meet folks and hand out my promotional yo-yos, etc. Actually, chatted with some nice folks, but the in between times just standing there can be pretty painful. I did have my picture taken with Marilyn Monroe. Grace Kelly and Veronica Lake were there, too. A shout out to Leo Hamel & Company Fine Jewelers for the photo, coming soon. Meanwhile, check out Grace Veronica to the right.

Actually, I ran into Martin from Video Gear in San Diego. Great guy. His business is doing really well. He says that the little monitor he bought for me to rent for "Last Notes" is his hottest item. People attach it to a crane, or, like me, use it to follow the camera operator around.

Martin directed me to an information table for a foundling group called San Diego Filmmakers who get together monthly. Martin and the San Diego Filmmakers staff encouraged me to consider staying in San Diego rather than thinking I have to move to L.A. to find good filmmaking support. That would sure be nice, but I still think I need to be around high-caliber groups like Film Independent in L.A.

I saw a couple films Saturday. They even rolled out the red carpet for me. And the ticket takers actually used my yo-yos. Guatemalan Handshake had a real nice offbeat sense of humor, a really good feel. Writer/director Todd Rohal (photo on right) has a great, easy-going attitude and some folksy plans for distribution. He wants to tour with the film, renting theaters for a night that would include music and other entertainment. I don't think he necessarily joking when he said they might include a sword swallower. Producer Jason Orfanon was real affable, too.

"Danika," starring Marisa Tomei started off with a bang, but then kept repeating the same surprise. And some of the cliched dialogue inadvertently produced chuckles. First Look is smartly distributing theatrically abroad but only DVD here.

L.A. Film Fest

2006-06-25T18:52:00.000-07:00

Jason and I have finally finished (well, you're never really finished) the web site for "Last Notes red green blue or black." So Daniel and I are working the lines at the Los Angeles Film Festival for a couple days. Daniel does a little magic, introducing my movies' theme of choice, then turns it over to me. I open my little case and invite them to choose between red, green, blue or black: a red armband that says "ichoosered.org", a green sticker that says "ichoosegreen.org", a blue button, or a black yo-yo.

A goofy, gangly man emerged from the parking lot asking talking to no one in particular: "Where am I going?" I couldn't quite convince myself he was Jeff Goldblum before he had followed my directions toward the theater. Darn! He could have been the first person at the festival to wear a red armband. Or, with his playful personality, he probably would have chosen the black yo-yo.

Like the Newport Beach Film Festival, the $100 opening night movie and party was too expensive, so I watched from the bleachers. While celebrities and would-be celebrities meandered down the red carpeted, blocked-off street, media folk (and would-be media folk?) stood on the other side of a fence and interviewed them, and the rest of us stood on the other side of a second fence and gawked. The adjacent street was walled off from the sidewalks for an after-party.

Seems like a tougher crowd than Newport Beach where people seemed less suspicious of us. I was even kicked out of one gathering. I guess it sort of looks like I'm selling something when I open my case of chotzkes. (Does anyone know how to spell that word? I really have to take that Yiddish class soon.)

During our two days at the festival, Daniel and I saw five movies (okay, six -- we saw a "real" movie at the local cineplex -- I'm not admitting to the title). My favorite was "Stranded," an Australian film written by Kathleen O'Brien, directed by Stuart McDonald, and starring the lovely, lively Emma Lung as a 17-year-old torn between her nutty family and lonely independence. The acting was superb. McDonald said they rehearsed with acting games developed by Philippe Goulet. Also, McDonald added some real visual flair and depth. The ending felt a little contrived but I wish "made-for-TV" in the United States could mean the same as it does in Australia.

Stranded was accompanied by a similarly themed but much darker short film, the moody "Gypsies, Tramps & Thieves: by Andrea Janakas (pictured with the tie) from the American Film Institute. Two teenage girls spend an evening trying to escape their humdrum, upper middle class lives. The movie was a bit frustratingly elliptical even for me, yet the ambiguity was probably what allowed the movie to develop its mysterious, teenage-achy mood. The young lead actor (pictured in green) was superb.

Newport Beach Film Festival

2006-04-23T09:46:00.000-07:00

THURSDAY

The huge, crazy, interactive Last Notes section of Mud Puddle Filmsstill isn't quite finished, but I couldn't invest time and money in another festival without handing out my publicity chotzkes: blue buttons that say "IChooseBlue.org," red armbands that say "IChooseRed.org," green stickers that -- well, you get the idea, and black yoyos. My great friend Daniel, a fellow Dominican friar and priest, is with me. He's a magician, so we thought we'd get people's attention with his illusions, then hand out my stuff.

At $125 per, Daniel and I couldn't afford the opening night movie and gala, so we just worked the line. They made those poor wealthy people wait outside for over an hour, so we had a chance to meet some great people, including local film composer Rick Sherman and a fun group of students from the local community college, which has its own section of shorts playing at the festival. Then we went to the only non-festival movie that hadn't started yet, a flimsy but fun teen take on "As You Like It," whose name I'm too embarrassed to mention.

FRIDAY

Today, we started at the old-time, art deco Lido Theater. No lines to work -- I guess a weekday at the Newport Beach festival, unlike at Sundance, is really a weekday -- but we chatted up the volunteers (and armed them with my "IChoose" paraphernalia). The theater manager wouldn't allow the enthusiastic popcorn young popcorn vendor to wear my flair, though.

Strike Up the Tent is a nicely-done, moving film based on writer/star Julian Adams' great great grandfather's affair with a Yankee during the Civil War. The battle scenes were quite painful. Is it sacrilegious to question whether the Civil War could have been avoided? I asked Julian what his family thinks about the war, and he said it was fought, at least initially, for the same reasons the American Revolution was fought, unfair taxation. Sounds like I'm going to have to do some studying. I'm already reading a book called Team of Rivals, about how Lincoln put together a cabinet made up of his enemies -- research for my new script about three presidential candidates trapped together.

For our next two films, we left the classic, single-screen Lido for the multiplex. Art and Life is an awesomely inspiring look into the life and projects of Peter Sellars (not Sellers), the world-renowned theater director and activist. He teaches a class at UCLA called "Art is Moral Action," where he encourages his students to maintain fidelity to their artistic vision and trust that in a couple hundred years people will get it. Film director Marina Goldovskaya is a fascinating artist herself, a Russian documentarian who also teaches at UCLA.

I told the film's producer George Herzfeld that Daniel and I are both artists who are now inspired to do a little research so that we can verbalize to our very verbal and sometimes skeptical Dominican brothers just why we're artists. Meanwhile, we continued our chotzke shtick. Still no crowds, but we continued to chat up volunteers when no one else was available. Three young T-shirt sellers had a chance to be amazed at Daniel's slight-of-hand. We met a couple young filmmakers from Awkward Pictures. They gave us business cards with awkward pictures of themselves. Two of their one-minute films are at the festival. I checked them out online and really like them -- very clever -- but some of their other films on the site may not be appropriate for all ages and sensibilities. And met another composer, Kevin Dippold.

Tim Boughn's script for Neo Ned won Slamdance's screenwriting award, and after several years looking for production money, Van Fischer has directed an enchanting -- yes, enchanting -- film about a Neo-Nazi's romance at a mental hospital with a black woman who thinks she's Hitler. Jeremy Renner and Gabrielle Union give terrific performances. Renner took a goofy, naive, offbeat approach to this violent character, and Union underplayed to great affect. The movie has attracted distributors who are squeamish about finding an audience. The filmmakers are building their case, though, by winning audience awards left and right. Interestingly, they've also realized they need to give a better, truer feel for their film in festival programs, which have been frightening people off with the Neo-Nazi photo and language. Go to the film's message board at www.neoned.com to let distributors know of your interest.

SATURDAY

Today was all day back at the Lido, where the crowds were still disappointingly thin. Wah-Wah is a somewhat touching story of a white British boy in colonial Swaziland who fights to keep his family together. The political backdrop is mostly wasted, but the performances by Gabriel Byrne, Emily Watson, Miranda Richardson, and young Nicholas Hoult are extremely convincing.

Sweetland is a simple and quite involving story about a slowly evolving American love between a Norwegian immigrant farmer and his German mail order bride, who is quite suspect to the small, insular community because the first war with Germany has just ended. Elizabeth Reaser gives a very committed performance, which includes lots of competent-sounding, un-translated German.

We saw famous documentarian Haskell Wexler on our way out of the theater. His new film, Who Needs Sleep? is an expose on the dangerously long hours worked on film sets and was prompted by a recent death. I don't know of any deaths from watching too many films at festivals, but we needed afternoon sleep or a walk, and some food besides string cheese and nuts, so we walked down to the pier instead of staying for the film.

We returned for one last movie called One Last Thing..., about a teenaged boy whose dying wish is to spend time with his favorite super model. The only reason we went to this film is so we could work the crowd at the after-party. But, as with Neo Ned, the brief synopsis was misleading. The film is surprisingly deep and touching. Cynthia Nixon does really well outside of that little TV show of hers. We talked with writer Barry Stringfellow and director Alex Steyermark after the screening. Barry did a magical job of translating feelings and insights from the loss of his own father. The film is one of theater owner Mark Cuban's HDNet projects, assured of distribution, this one in just a couple weeks.

We concluded our festival experience with the evening's after-party, which hosted hundreds of filmmakers (and film lovers) of all ages, including the makers of Edward Furlong's comeback film Jimmy and Judy, Jason Ritter's short Placebo, An American Vampire in America, and What Are You Anyways?, an animated, autobiographical short about growing up mixed Japanese and Caucasian in a small Canadian city.

Our goal was to get the whole party buzzing about my film and our chotzkes, and I think we came close to our goal. The party confirmed our feeling that the festival has a super-abundance of kind people. Besides, Daniel says he loves to do magic for people under the influence. To find out about how to see Daniel's magic in more sober settings, check out his website. And don't forget to take a brief tour of my cycle of films Last Notes at www.mudpuddlefilms.com and vote for it to come to a theater near you.

Sundance Dispatch #5: Signing Off

2006-01-30T12:00:00.000-08:00

Went to a Tromadance panel, Tromadance being one of the feistier and more enduring side festivals here. The panel was called "Making Movies in the Age of $15 million Indepenent Films." Lloyd Kaufmann moderated. Apparently, he's been making very small films for 30 some years. His newest is "Poultrygeist." Also, he wrote a book called "Make Your Own Damn Movie." I think I'll check that one out, damnit.

The World Dramatic Grand Jury Prize-winner was a dramatically flat, brutal, content-void, artistically uninteresting French film called "13Tzameti." Then again, my Dogme 95, back-stretching buddy Thomas Vinterburg was on the jury, so maybe I missed something.

Terri, the old high school classmate who just happened to give me a ride the other day, got herself out of bed early on Sunday to drive across town to hear me preach. Even more noteworthy since she's Mormon. I asked the assembly to speculate with me about why Jesus' first preaching was so "spellbinding" and authoritative, how we can tell the difference between true and false prophets, and what truth each of us is called to preach.

The Dramatic Director Grand Jury Prize-winner, "A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints," is spellbinding and authoritative. It's based on writer-director Dito Montiel's rough teenage years in Queens and is the most moving film I saw at the festival this year. Also the most aesthetically interesting. In fact, it was the aesthetic flourishes which are especially moving. Occasionally, the film brings in music while bringing in and out background sound or dialogue. During one emotionally charged scene, there are several brief fades to black.

The Documentary Grand Jury Prize-winner - and Documentary Audience Award-winner - is "God Grew Tired of Us," about several of the "lost boys of Sudan" who were allowed to emigrate from their 10-year-old refugee camp in Kenya to various cities in the United States. This is another very moving work. Funny, too (and sometimes embarrassing) watching these young men encounter my culture: trying to get on the elevator, trying to get off, going to the grocery store, making stew out of mashed Ritz crackers and milk, wondering what Santa Claus has to do with the birth of Jesus. Then there were the more serious challenges, such as not having time off work to get an education or to be with family and friends.

This is the one documentary Elvis Mitchell singled out when I talked with him. I hope I've redeemed myself by seeing two documentaries. I'm still trying to tease out reasons in addition to aesthetics that I'm not so inclined to watch (or make) documentaries.

The Dramatic Grand Jury and audience agreed as well: "Quinceanera." I'd already seen this nice little film, so I went back to the rectory and collapsed.

My favorite Sundance 2006 films:

A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints

Forgiven

Wristcutters: A Love Story

Princesas

No. 2

Quinceaneras

Sundance 2006 films I'd like to see that may not come to theaters:

Adam's Apples

Eve and the Fire Horse

Forgiving the Franklins

Stephanie Daley

Son of Man

In Between Days

House of Sand

Old Joy

Sherrybaby

And even a few documentaries:

Songbirds

American Blackout

Iraq in Fragments

Into Great Silence

-dominic
1/30/06, noon

Sundance Dispatch #4

2006-01-26T09:28:00.000-08:00

At the "Finding Your Audience" panel, I was most inspired by someone from the audience, the very mustached maker of "Genghis Blues," the documentary from a couple years ago about throat singers, the guys (are there women throat singers?) who can make more than one sound at once. He encouraged me to just keep finding ways to get my movies seen, allowing connections to have a cumulative affect.

John Paul was a good sport and accompanied me to another panel as well, "Creative Independence." But these were high-powered independent filmmakers like Alexander Payne ("Sideways"). Until someone gives me a lot of money to make a movie, I guess I don't have to worry about losing creative control. Then again, there's always the important question of my responsibility to my Dominican province and to my vocation as a Dominican priest filmmaker.

I connected with Scott Hellon. I met him at Sundance last year and finally got around just before this year's festival to watching his feature, shot at the University of Arizona with non-actors. A moving and impressive film with 60 speaking roles. He's finding funding in Tucson to support his full-time filmmaking, equipment purchase, and his new feature (Point of View Pictures).

John Paul left and Daniel arrived yesterday. We discovered a free panel at Starbucks, yet another unofficial part of Sundance. The panel asked about the power of film to change the world. Jeff Dowd, the inspiration for the Dude in "The Big Lebowski," surprisingly challenged us to create spiritual movies that show an authentic experience of religion. He thinks the right movie could start a new religion. Actually, I wouldn't mind shedding light on an old one.

"Princesas" ranks up there with "Forgiven" now as my favorite Sundance films so far this year. It was a beautiful, simple neo-realist story about the friendship that develops between a middle class prostitute in Spain and a Dominican (the country, not my religious community) prostitute, one of the unwelcome immigrants undercutting the business of the local prostitutes.

I continue to run into people from Chapman film school: three separate pairs of filmmakers. It's great to connect with them again and encourage each other.

I fell into bed exhausted last night and am still pretty darn tired this morning. But then I didn’t come here to sleep. Still, I'm looking forward to tomorrow's screening of "Wide Awake," a filmmaker's depiction of his life with insomnia.

-dominic
1/26/06, 9:28 am

Sundance Dispatch #3

2006-01-24T10:30:00.000-08:00

John Paul arrived yesterday, so I'm initiating him into the Sundance experience. He's my great friend and Dominican classmate whom I work and live with in San Diego. Another classmate and great friend, Daniel, will arrive tomorrow about the time John Paul leaves. Looking forward to having Daniel entertain the troops in ticket lines with his magic.

John Paul and I saw three movies in a row yesterday at the Racquet Club. We had tickets for the first and third, but had great look with getting tickets for the middle show.

"Quinceaneros" was another delightful and moving family film. Gay, Anglo, male life partners made this film (conceived only a year ago!) about two struggling Latino cousins who find family with their old, saintly uncle. And they rub elbows with the Anglo gay couple who own their uncle's house. The main problem John Paul and I had with the movie was that their was no dissenting voice to the racist threesomes the gay couple and their other gay Anglo friends have with their "Latino boys."

One of the writer/directors talked about how when they thought their plane might crash all he could think about was how sad it would be to miss his chance to show his movie at Sundance. (His partner, whom we only later found out was his life partner, played Sudoku while waiting for the plane to crash.)

"At Your Door" was a pretty tight, micro-budget thriller about a Los Angeles man who has to decide whether or not to lock his wife out of the house after she's been contaminated by a dirty bomb. Pretty good, but a few too many credibility problems.

"Forgiven" was the best film I've seen so far, really strong, about a DA whose campaign for U.S. Senate is threatened by the release of someone he convicted of killing a cop. Phenomenally well-acted scenes of operatic emotion. Russell Hornsby was especially amazing as the released prisoner.
Paul Fitzgerald wrote, directed, and starred. The script was really really strong.

-dominic
1/24/06, 10:30 am

Sundance Dispatch #2

2006-01-23T13:00:00.000-08:00

After my Nineveh preaching at the old church downtown, an entertainment lawyer named Lorin introduced himself. A really interesting man who's worked with the Paulist priest filmmakers. He's at Sundance with small international distributors. I'm definitely looking forward to keeping in touch with Lorin.

After preaching at Heber, a town about a half hour away from Park City, I saw a really touching New Zealand film, "No. 2," about a Figian matriarch who wakes up one day and orders her grandchildren to prepare a feast for her so that she can name her successor. The matriarch was played by American Ruby Dee, Ossie Davis' widow. He died the first day of shooting, but she faithfully returned to the shoot two weeks later. Ruby Dee was there for Q&A after the screening! I sat next to Margaret, an extremely warm and outgoing lawyer (legal services to the poor, not entertainment law for the rich).

Talked to some great folks while waiting in line for "Puccini For Beginners": a group of high school TV students from Florida, a schoolteacher from smalltown Kentucky, and my San Diego neighbor Laurie again! The film, about a very complex hetero-homo-bi love triangle, was slight but quite fun and funny. Nice performance from Elizabeth Reiser.

This morning, a woman saw me trying to flag down the bus to get into town, and she kindly stopped and took me in out of the cold. Turns out she was in my high school class in Concord, California!

While waiting for the excellent panel of editors, I had a nice chat with Hila, whom I'd met the other day. Although she's now a permanent U.S. resident, she's an Israeli who grew up on a kibbutz on the Sea of Galilee. We talked about her two years of mandatory military service packing an M-16. She complained that, with the glamorous commercials and the very restricted educational benefits, Americans have no idea what they're getting into when they join the military. She also says the Israeli soldiers are much better trained, including emotionally.

-dominic
1/23/06, 1:00 pm

Sundance Dispatch #1

2006-01-21T11:00:00.000-08:00

Welcome to Sundance, via these humble dispatches anyway

Time for my annual pilgrimage. Met so many great folks, beginning with the journey itself, on the plane. Then, my van driver out to Park City, about 45 minutes outside of Salt Lake City, turns out to be an Assyrian, which basically means he's a Roman Catholic from Iraq. The Assyrians have no homeland anymore and are scattered throughout Iraq and the rest of the world as well. Calvert has been in the U.S. for 30 years.

So, anyway, somehow he's suddenly telling me that Nineveh, where Jonah goes in the Sunday's first reading, was Assyria. Actually, the city is now called Mosel (?). Apparently, the Assyrians, people and animals alike, still fast for several days in memory of "evil" Nineveh's all out conversion at Jonah's preaching. I think I have a homily for the old church in downtown Park City on Sunday.

Like last year, I get in line for four hours for the opening night film, which I didn't necessarily care that much about (it's a star movie that will come out in the theaters), but I didn't have anything else to do. So I see two different groups of people I waited in line with for opening night last year! A couple behind me in line live two blocks away from me back in San Diego. Only this time we didn't get in, except for the weeping young woman at the front of the line who'd been in line for 10 hours.

The next morning, I met on the bus a fella from the line. He's spent the last 13 years working at various resorts all over the U.S. Park City is his regular winter gig. I think there are some scripts or homilies there.

Behind me in my first line of the day were 7 young female undergrads from my alma mater, Chapman University film school! I was really impressed with them. Several were even prepared with their business cards.

Didn't get into that movie either! Finally saw a movie at 5:30 in the
Library: "Special," with Michael Rapapport, a lonely guy who enrolls in a drug trial and discovers he has super powers. Or does he. The ambiguity about that was masterful!

Then got really lucky and got into the next film, "Open Window," with Robin Tunney. A tough film, involving rape. I liked the ending a lot (don't worry, I'll say no more), but I think she could have tightened the drama by cutting out her parents. But maybe it's kinda hard to cut out Cybill Shephard and Elliot Gould from your independent film.

-dominic, 1/21/06, 11 a.m.