Reviewing a film for Via Affirmativa can be a daunting endeavor. I browse the new releases looking for a film to speak volumes into the topics of beauty, creativity or redemptive living. Indies usually do the trick.

Yet, shouldn’t I be able to glean, suck, pull, or wrestle an insightful nugget from any cheap flick? Isn’t the art of ‘seeing’ or interpreting just as powerful as the art of presenting or producing? I should be able to pick any movie and see God, see the divine, see wisdom, beauty or redemption somewhere, right? Even in a Romeo and Juliet type tragedy there are beautiful longings at play.

Yet tragedy seems to have sapped all my interpretive energy. As a resident of Minneapolis, the local news is a constant reminder of families still looking for their loved ones, still trying to make sense of the bridge collapse. The national news has moved on to new tragedies; mining accidents, hurricanes, and earthquakes that kill more than 500 with a single ground shaking hiccup.

Comedy. That is what I need. Not a smart comedy either. Something mindless and distracting. I quickly pull Wild Hogs off of the shelf and head to the register. I remember wondering as I walked out of the store, when is comedy appropriate? After 9-11 David Letterman and Jay Leno took a long break. There are times when laughter is insensitive. There are other times, like my evening with the Wild Hogs, where laughter seems to be necessary.

I have always enjoyed comedy as a genre of film, although I can’t say that I have always understood it. Much of comedy can be vulgar or exhibit over-the-top behavior (like the American Pie series). Yet, comedy holds a great power to take ‘taboo’ topics that get pushed under the social rug (like adolescent sex) and bring them to the surface by making light of them or poking fun at the seriousness with which we all hold certain topics—like sex.

Wild Hogs uses the comedy genre to rethink or revisit the often too serious and ‘under-talked about’ mid-life crisis. The DVD even comes with a serious tutorial for men entitled, “How To Get Your Wife To Let You Buy A Motorcycle.” I promptly watched it following the movie.

Tim Allen, John Travolta, Martin Lawrence and William H. Macy play characters that each have their own complex mid-life crisis. They each have fallen victim to a less than adventurous life plagued by a son who doesn’t respect his father, divorce, a demanding wife, and social inadequacy. That is at least until the four Wild Hogs throw away their cell phones and hit the road dressed in leather.

Each of the characters explores (and conquers) their own identity crises by learning what it means to be a ‘poser’ and what it mean to be a real bike rider, a real man, and a real friend. The film is not nearly as shallow as I expected and I laughed out loud several times. If you are a guy, then this is a great ‘date movie.’ It embraces the man who needs to find themselves without neglecting (completely) real family concerns and responsibilities.

The combination of Allen, Travolta, Lawrence and Macy works like a charm even though Travolta and Macy are the only ones who really seem to get into character—at least a character different from which they appear to be in real life and in other films. This movie is a must see if you are a ‘mid-life crisis guy’ wanting to explore new territory in a light hearted way.

As for me, it was simply refreshing to take a break from the evening news, laugh with my wife, and renew the old conversation of ‘why I need a motorcycle.’

Children of Men (new on DVD) is a sci-fi thriller set in the dystopian world of 2027. Women are barren; everyone is at war; and no child has been born for 18 years. It is not clear why procreation no longer works or why anyone is fighting, but that is not the point—those intentionally vague details lay beyond the film’s rather narrow focus.

Brutal, chaotic and relentlessly violent imagery of a war torn planet recalls real world news headlines of nearly every modern Western conflict such as the guerilla warfare of Somalia, the concentration camps of WWII, and the suicide bombings of Iraq. The similarities force the viewer to call to mind the present state of the world as a miraculous child is born into a 2027 world where children have long since vanished from normal decision making processes.

The goal: deliver the child through the anarchy to a ship named, ‘Tomorrow,’ which will deliver the child to a mysterious organization called, The Human Project. A somewhat depressing ending reflects the audience’s own emotional state as they are forced to re-examine the present world through a new viewfinder.

Ultimately, that is what Children of Men intends: to create a new vantage point by which we can engage and evaluate human action in a world of conflict. Creating a world in which children are absent increases human sensitivity towards preserving a child’s future in a violent world not unimaginable by today’s realities. What type of future do we want for our children? If ‘The Human Project’ was in our hands and we drove the ship of ‘Tomorrow,’ then, what would we do?

Children of Men is shameless in advocating a moral for its story, however, it stops short of giving the moral to the audience. It is an existential film that leaves the audience to imagine its own ending; it is a future setting that encourages participants to choose their own adventure in the present—an adventure that will preserve the best possible world for humanity’s children.

Children of Men succeeds on two levels: it is a fast moving action film that doesn’t disappoint—it leaves everyone guessing about who is trustworthy and who will make it to the end; it is also engaging enough to surpass any cheesy symbolism (i.e. The Human Project and a ship called, Tomorrow)—actually granting a new place to evaluate old problems. One child may indeed serve as a warning beacon to guide humanity in a reexamination of human action in a depraved world. It has happened before….

Elizabeth Webb, actor from NYC and friend of Via Affirmativa has recently released a new short film, “Further Adventures of Ruby and Lilly: Girlie Scrimmage.”

Check it out and meet Ruby (Elizabeth Webb) this summer at the Via Affirmativa gathering in Minneapolis.

The following is posted by Gary Bradley:

A friend of Via Affirmativa, Leo Jaramillo, and his friends have produced a film called “818.” They entered it in the L.A. Film Festival called “168,” meaning the film has to be completed in 168 hours (See: 168project.com). We at Via Affirmativa have an investment in this film so I wanted to keep you up to date on the status of the film. The following is an email from Leo. Hope you are as excited about this as I am.

I just wanted to update everyone on the on the status of our film, entitled “818.” The whirlwind has come and gone, and now we are 1.5 weeks away from the Festival. We are screening in the evening (which is a good sign) and just today we found out the nominations. We have 8 nominations.

Our film is nominated for the following:

Screenplay – Nick Bonora
Director – Josh Turnbow
Cinematography – Leo Jaramillo
Production Design – Josh Turnbow
Editor – Mikey Carr/ Josh Stone
Actor – Asher Book
Supporting Actor – Troy Ryan Zuercher
Best Film – Richard Lopez/Michael Carr

Tickets are available online for the festival on the 23rd & 24th of March. It will be held here in Glendale at one of those old beautiful theatres you see in movies with big red curtains, balconies and a stage with tons of gold embroidery. Our screening time will be March 24th @ 7pm.

We will be posting the high res, HD version on the website soon, and look forward to seeing you in LA on the 23rd/24th if you can make it. Our web site is http://www.commonhero.com/.