I’ve been sick, the kind of sick where you just want to lie around on the couch all day and sleep off and on to interminable reruns of Law & Order. (In other words, sick enough to not go see controversial movies in the theater.) Yesterday, though, I needed a break from reruns and watched Dragonfly instead. (Insert favorite Kevin Costner joke here.) The movie begins with the death of Joe’s (Costner’s) wife, Emily (Susanna Thompson). Joe, a skeptical doctor, knows that he will never see his wife again. There is no afterlife. Then he starts receiving messages from what he has to assume is his dead wife.
Dragonfly isn’t the best of movies, but it’s far from the worst of them. It was entertaining and spooky enough to keep this sick chick awake for two hours. But what I really wanted to tell you about was its director, Tom Shadyac.
Shadyac was the director of Dragonfly as well as being the director of a couple of Jim Carrey movies, most notably Bruce Almighty. His next project is the sequel to that funny, at times hilarious, movie about God and prayer and free will, called Evan Almighty, which follows Evan Baxter (Steve Carrell) being persuaded by the Almighty (Morgan Freeman) to build an ark.
This is where Shadyac excels. As a Christian, Shadyac works to bring a message of hope and redemption — without being overtly or overly preachy — to film audiences. And while at least one of his movies slid into maudlin territory, his treatment of faith in his other movies is gentle and thought-provoking. To learn more about this intriguing director and writer, check out Christianity Today‘s interview with Shadyac.
Can’t wait to see Evan Almighty! Thanks for the link to CT’s interview.
Comment by Cheryl Russell — May 23, 2006 @ 7:47 am |
We need more Tom Shadyacs in the world. He certainly delivers quality entertainment that can be enjoyed by all! Thanks Tom for your thoughtfulness and hardwork that goes into your productions. I will spread the word about the upcoming Evan Almighty! Hey, I appreciated being able to work the charter flight with you from LAX to the east coast! Thanks for handing out peanuts!
Comment by Gary Hundley (SWA flt attendant) — June 23, 2006 @ 4:40 pm |