Faith-based film gets a second chance with Pure Flix
New trailer for Same Kind of Different as Me better received than first
Same Kind of Different as Me actors Djimon Hounsou (left) and Greg Kinnear Pure Flix
After several years of false starts, the inspirational film Same Kind of Different as Me looks ready for release.
The movie, based on the 2009 New York Times best-seller, tells the true story of the friendship between Ron Hall, a wealthy but discontented art dealer, and Denver Moore, a homeless African-American man who endured years of abuse by white people. Hall and Moore wrote the book with WORLD Magazine senior writer Lynn Vincent, who also collaborated on the book Heaven Is for Real.
Greg Kinnear, Renee Zellweger, and Djimon Hounsou star in the movie, which has had a rocky road from production to the silver screen. Paramount delayed the film’s first release date from April 2016 to February 2017. The first trailer came out in August 2016 to loud boos from critics who said the story promoted harmful racial stereotypes such as the “white savior” and “magical negro.” Stuart Heritage of The Guardian did a shot-by-shot teardown of the trailer and remarked, “I want to sew this film into a sleeping bag and kick it into a lake.” The trailer got a few other bitter, expletive-filled reviews, and by December, Paramount had kicked it loose.
Pure Flix, the distributor of faith-based films such as God’s Not Dead, picked up the film and rescheduled it for release Oct. 20 of this year. Last week, Pure Flix put out a new trailer (see below). It’s seven seconds shorter and has different music but is otherwise identical to the one that made critics so mad. Maybe time has healed that wound—so far, reception to the trailer has been positive by comparison. MovieWeb announced it under the headline, “Same Kind of Different as Me Trailer Will Restore Your Faith in Renee Zellweger.”
Courtroom sketch of Taylor Swift conferring with her attorney Associated Press/Photo by Jeff Kandyba
Taking the stand
Taylor Swift is attempting to use her pop star powers for good by fighting off the legal jabs of a man accused of sexually assaulting her. The case stems from a 2013 meet-and-greet in Denver, where radio DJ David Mueller allegedly touched Swift inappropriately during a photo-op. Swift reported the incident to Mueller’s bosses, and he lost his job. He is now suing her for $3 million, claiming she lied and he only casually touched her on the ribs.
Swift countersued for $1, saying she wanted to set an example for victims of sexual assault in standing up for herself. During an hour of testimony Thursday, the singer poked fun at an attorney’s attempts to discredit her story. When asked why her bodyguard didn’t stop the alleged groping, Swift said someone would have had to be underneath her to see what happened, “and we didn’t have anyone positioned there.” Striking a more serious tone, she said, “I’m being blamed for the unfortunate events of his life that are a product of his decisions, not mine.” A few witnesses still have to testify in the trial, which is scheduled to last another week. —L.L.
Courtroom sketch of Taylor Swift conferring with her attorney Associated Press/Photo by Jeff Kandyba
The comeback Factor
After Fox News fired him over sexual harassment allegations, Bill O’Reilly is rebuilding his famous "No Spin Zone" on the internet with a web-based series. This week, the conservative commentator upgraded his No Spin News webcast, which for months had featured him in a golf shirt and little or no makeup expounding on daily news from what looked like a home office. On Wednesday, O’Reilly appeared in a suit and tie from a “prototype studio” looking decidedly more coiffed.
The series is available to premium subscribers to his website, though Wednesday’s show can be viewed for free. He said viewer reaction would determine the future of the new look, which is uncertain. Since departing Fox News in April of this year, other channels have salivated over O’Reilly’s cache of loyal viewers. CNN reported One America News Network and Sinclair Broadcasting were interested in him, and he has also appeared on Glenn Beck’s The Blaze. —L.L.
18th time’s the charm?
Depending on who’s counting, there have been at least 11 and possibly 17 television and film adaptations of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. So why do we need another?
“Every generation needs its own adaptation of this perfect novel,” Damien Timmer, managing director of the British studio Mammoth Screen, told RadioTimes.com. So Timmer hired playwright Nina Raine to pen a modern, edgy version of the classic for TV.
“Pride and Prejudice is actually a very adult book, much less bonnet-y than people assume,” Raine said. “I hope I do justice to Austen’s dark intelligence—sparkling, yes, but sparkling like granite.” The recent Netflix reboot of Anne of Green Gables had the same goal of bringing out a classic tale’s dark side, and it went over like a load of granite with critics. The new P&P is still in early development and probably won’t air until at least 2020. —L.L.
Down in the mouth
It starts with a sore throat and hint of a rasp, and before long it can spell doom for professional singers. The Guardian’s deep dive into vocal injuries proposes most of today’s stars, particularly Adele and her ilk, are singing all wrong. One controversial studio in Italy claims the cure requires a return to simpler times when pitch was preferred to power. —L.L.
Seatbelt safety
On this week’s “Culture Friday” on The World and Everything in It, executive producer Nick Eicher and John Stonestreet of the Chuck Colson Center for Christian Worldview discuss the irony of that one airline ad promoting same-sex relationships. —L.L.
I appreciate your honest film reviews. —Jeff
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