Review: Darren Aronofsky's "Noah" beautifully, provocatively probes the paradoxes of faith

One of the many unfortunate misconceptions that exist about atheists is that, because we do not believe in a God, we are inherently disinterested in any stories or discussions about religion. This is, of course, untrue – I am fascinated by the tales and teachings of the major modern faiths, just as most people, religious or no, tend to be enraptured when hearing about ancient Greek, Roman, or Norse mythology. Whether or not one believes the stories to have actually, literally happened does not preclude one from finding or searching for meaning in them, or being interested in what these stories say about who we are (or were) as people. The stories we communally tell – especially those we pass down for hundreds and thousands of years, through countless generations all over the world – say a great deal about us, about our beliefs and patterns of thought. If a story, including one rooted in scripture, still holds mass sway in our world thousands of years after it was initially told, that is one worth exploring, worth taking seriously and picking apart, because for it to endure across the ages, it must touch upon something deeply rooted in the human condition, something that does not change with time, technology, language, or culture.

For Darren Aronofsky, Noah is one such story, and the brilliance of his film lies in his ability to treat this tale as the myth it is, using it as a means to explore not only some of the biggest questions about who we are and what we are worth as human beings, but to illustrate perhaps the greatest and most central paradox of religion itself. Even if I had not known ahead of time, it would be obvious to me that this is a massively significant passion project for Aronofsky; every single idea in the film feels deeply and seriously considered, as if all of it has been rattling around in Aronofsky’s brain for decades, constantly cascading against each other, desperate to take form. It is clear that in the story of Noah’s Ark, Aronofsky sees something immensely provocative, something both massively disturbing and quietly uplifting, and I think the highest praise I can lend the film is that those many thoughts and feelings and emotions come through as one powerful and unified interpretation, one that absolutely floored me from start to finish.

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The Weekly Stuff Podcast #81 - Infamous: Second Son Review & Discussion

It’s time for another episode of The Weekly Stuff Podcast with Jonathan Lack & Sean Chapman, a weekly audio show that explores the worlds of film, video gaming, and television. Remember to subscribe for free in iTunes by following this link!

On this week’s show, we offer an in-depth review and discussion of the first major post-launch exclusive for the PlayStation 4, Infamous: Second Son. Suffice it to say, we're both big fans of this surprisingly excellent game, and there is a lot to cover. The review is filled with spoilers, though, so be sure to have played the game before listening!

For those who have yet to complete Infamous, however, we spend the first hour or so of today’s show also discussing my frustrating and sad misadventures syncing (and losing) a bunch of hard-earned PSN trophies, while Sean talks about the many wonders of his shiny new laptop, and the stressful memories of his old laptop dying a long, slow death.

Enjoy!

Download and Stream 'The Weekly Stuff' Episode #81 as an MP3

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If you have questions, comments, or concerns about The Weekly Stuff, or would like to write in to the podcast to have your questions read on the show, please e-mail dinochow@jonathanlack.com.

The Weekly Stuff with Jonathan Lack & Sean Chapman is a weekly audio podcast, and if you subscribe in iTunes, episodes will be delivered automatically and for free as soon as they are released. If you visit www.jonathanlack.com, we also have streaming and downloadable versions of new and archival episodes for your listening pleasure.

Review: Lars von Trier's "Nymphomaniac: Volume I" is thoughtful, provocative, & frustrating

Given that the release strategy for Lars von Trier’s Nymphomaniac had divided the film in two, leaving us with only a half-finished picture to analyze until Volume II arrives theatrically on April 12^th (both halves are already available via VOD services, but I prefer not to view theatrical releases this way), I’m going to keep this one relatively short. More than any other recent film that has employed the multi-part structure – Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Twilight: Breaking Dawn, The Hobbit, etc., all of which are extremely strange bedfellows to mention alongside a von Trier film – Nymphomaniac is simply one long film carved right down the middle, not even building to any sort of climax or mid-narrative resolution. It simply cuts off once two hours have passed, leaving audiences stranded for several weeks before being able to make any definitive judgments on what the film has to offer. Nymphomaniac needed to be a single four-hour film with an intermission in the middle, not two truncated pictures with a small but frustrating gap in release, and as such, any thoughts I have to offer at this juncture are works in progress. Where von Trier is headed with any of this remains a mystery once the credits abruptly roll on Volume I, though what we have been offered so far is more than enough to pique and maintain my interest.

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The Weekly Stuff #80 - Sony News, Dark Souls II, Wii U Stories, & More!

It’s time for another episode of The Weekly Stuff Podcast with Jonathan Lack & Sean Chapman, a weekly audio show that explores the worlds of film, video gaming, and television. Remember to subscribe for free in iTunes by following this link!

It’s another rather slow week, so we brought on a ‘special’ guest host this week to liven things up – my little brother, Thomas, who argues with Sean about Zelda sequels – while we discuss Dark Souls II, more Wii U stories – including Mario 3D World co-op – and all the biggest movie and video game news of the last week, including Sony’s new Virtual Reality initiative, “Project Morpheus.” And at the end, the show descends into an absolute mess of tangents. Feel free to stop listening at any time.

Enjoy!

Download and Stream 'The Weekly Stuff' Episode #80 as an MP3

Subscribe for free to 'The Weekly Stuff' in iTunes!

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If you have questions, comments, or concerns about The Weekly Stuff, or would like to write in to the podcast to have your questions read on the show, please e-mail dinochow@jonathanlack.com.

The Weekly Stuff with Jonathan Lack & Sean Chapman is a weekly audio podcast, and if you subscribe in iTunes, episodes will be delivered automatically and for free as soon as they are released. If you visit www.jonathanlack.com, we also have streaming and downloadable versions of new and archival episodes for your listening pleasure.

Review: Wes Anderson's "The Grand Budapest Hotel" is an emotionally and intellectually resonant delight

If I see another film this year I enjoy and am moved by as much as Wes Anderson’s The Grand Budapest Hotel, I will, quite frankly, be stunned. It is always a joy to experience a new film by a director one regards highly among their personal favorites, but when a beloved filmmaker delivers something truly, astonishingly transcendent, even when judged only in relation to that filmmaker’s own canon, that is a special occasion indeed, and it is exactly what Anderson has delivered here. To say the man is working at the pinnacle of his aesthetic prowess would be a tremendous understatement. Cinema has never looked or sounded more breathtaking, immersive, or imaginative as this, and rarely has it been assembled and delivered with such energy and precision. Anderson seems less of a filmmaker here than a magician, and those who allow themselves to be cast under his spell are in for one of the most exuberantly plotted, tightly paced, and emotionally engaging cinematic experiences in years. From areas technical, narrative, intellectual, thematic, and character-based, The Grand Budapest Hotel has all I could ever want out of cinema, and a little bit more just for good measure. Calling it a triumph only scratches the surface.

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The Weekly Stuff #79 - Wii U Set-Up Saga & Miscellanea Spectacular!

It’s time for another episode of The Weekly Stuff Podcast with Jonathan Lack & Sean Chapman, a weekly audio show that explores the worlds of film, video gaming, and television. Remember to subscribe for free in iTunes by following this link!

After another unfortunate hiatus – illness, bad weather, and general life business kept us away from the microphone – we are back with what might be the least organized, most free-wheeling episode we’ve ever done. I say might only because there’s competition in those last 78 episodes – but none of those feature my 45-minute story about the struggles to buy, install, and set up a Nintendo Wii U (which surprisingly turned into one of the funniest unplanned segments we’ve ever done), so this episode might take the prize.

Yes, the first half of this episode is all about my experiences with Nintendo’s latest, lowest-selling video game console (along with some other random stories here and there), while we transition in the second half to discuss some interesting news stories that cropped up while we were away.

And you get to hear Sean receive and unwrap his copy of Dark Souls II live, so that’s something.

Enjoy!

Download and Stream 'The Weekly Stuff' Episode #79 as an MP3

Subscribe for free to 'The Weekly Stuff' in iTunes!

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If you have questions, comments, or concerns about The Weekly Stuff, or would like to write in to the podcast to have your questions read on the show, please e-mail dinochow@jonathanlack.com.

The Weekly Stuff with Jonathan Lack & Sean Chapman is a weekly audio podcast, and if you subscribe in iTunes, episodes will be delivered automatically and for free as soon as they are released. If you visit www.jonathanlack.com, we also have streaming and downloadable versions of new and archival episodes for your listening pleasure.

Thoughts on the 86th Academy Award Winners, and one final, emotional defense of Gravity

Two articles for the price of one tonight, as I briefly go over my thoughts on who and what won the big prizes at tonight's 86th Academy Awards ceremony, and then offer one final, passionate analysis of the film that meant most to me in 2013, and just narrowly missed out on the Best Picture prize. This is likely my last article about the films of 2013, and if you read through to the end, it has one of my favorite bits of writing from that year, something I had not previously released to the public. 

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