In her wildly successful “children’s” series JK Rowling has constructed a narrative that asks us to consider not just how we should live but matters of eternal consequence.

There are a growing number of filmmakers and actors for whom movie-making is becoming an ethical and a moral exercise. Some use their influence to support various causes, be it Susan Sarandon’s anti-war stance or Angelina Jolie’s role with the UN. But it’s the transmitting of social issues into the format of film that is most interesting. From the environment and global warming to corruption in the oil business, mainstream cinema is taking on some the most important issues facing modern civilisation.

The statistics are hard to ignore. Basically, smoking kills. Yet über spin doctor Nick Naylor (Aaron Eckhart) from Thank You for Smoking would have you believe differently.

It is ironic that a film which lampoons the human habit of excessive consumption has itself spawned a whole range of tie-in merchandise. Like every other children’s film that hits the multiplex, Over the Hedge is sure to have an assortment of collectible figures, colouring books and backpacks for sale. Because whether it’s our stomachs or our cupboards we never seem to have enough…

Scientology is a religion without a God. Officials in a number of European nations consider Scientology to be a cult; Britain and Canada have refused to acknowledge it as a genuine religion or charity. The High Court of Australia recognises Scientology as a religion though judicial authorities have longed viewed it with suspicion.

Every thriller needs a villain. And both the book and the film of The Da Vinci Code depict a sinister foe. The Church. Whether it's the misogynistic early Church Fathers, the corrupt and violent medieval Christians or the extreme followers of Opus Dei - Christians, and the Church in general, are portrayed as ruthless, hypocritical and cruel. *** warning spoilers ***

It has been said that a thriller is only as good (or bad) as its bad guy and Mission Impossible 3 has a rather nasty bad guy. Oscar winner Philip Seymour Hoffman is the very rich and very unpleasant Owen Davian. But even this isn't enough to lift this special effects-driven extravaganza from its B-grade sensibilities.

While The Da Vinci Code may have repelled some from Christianity and challenged others in their faith it’s not all bad news. The questions raised in the novel through its outrageous allegations have caused many to investigate the identity of Jesus and how the Bible was put together; in short the novel has made seekers of some of its readers.

The Resurrectionist is James Bradley’s long awaited third novel. This gothic-style drama takes the reader into the gruesome and seedy world of 1826 London where those who would study anatomy and disease must bargain with grave-robbers and villains.

One of the most evocative images of Australians at war derives from the WWII campaign in Papua New Guinea. Shot by famed cinematographer Damien Parer, the image is of a wounded serviceman, heavily bandaged about the head, being helped up the Kokoda Track. That he follows and is followed by numerous other weary and wounded points to the enormous toll this battle took on those who were engaged in it.

To our subversive (and often perverse) minds it is usually the anti-hero to whom we are drawn not the hero; it’s easier to cheer on the ‘villain’ than the good guy. But when a clever bank robber is facing off against one of modern cinema’s favourite sons – Denzel Washington – whose side are you going to be on?

The love story of the year may be a doco about penguins yet it has managed to stir up controversy in the US. The film traces a year in the life of emperor penguins who live and breed in the most hostile place on earth. Some reviewers have argued that the film proves Intelligent Design; how could such tenacious and astonishing behaviour be the work of chance?

Despite the restrictions provided by film classifiers, explicit sex is no longer solely the domain of x-rated or unrated movies. Over the last few decades filmmakers have tested the boundaries of censorship. And in the sex-obsessed West, nudity, graphic sex and alternative sexualities have become accepted material for mainstream movies and television.

The novels of Robert Drewe are peopled by men and women ill at ease with their environs. His characters are often searching for or escaping from something. But Drewe is rarely content to focus solely on the individual; grander themes of social responsibility and morality are usually at work behind the human drama. His novel Grace is no exception. Ostensibly a thriller – a woman on the run from a stalker – the surface narrative is imbued with reflections on the way our society treats refugees.

September 2001 was not the first time terrorism became prime time viewing. Twenty-nine years earlier, at the Munich Olympic Games, the world watched as eleven Israeli athletes were held hostage, and later killed, by the terrorist group Black September.

From his childhood Johnny Cash knew music as a balm and a channel. While his older brother Jack dreamed of becoming a preacher, Johnny's dreams were of music. With music he could reach out to the disenfranchised and the outcast. Growing up dirt poor on a farm in America’s South, Johnny Cash learned of suffering and hardship from an early age. And throughout his tumultuous life his attitude to life’s sorrows and regrets set him apart as a musician and a man.

Being a minister’s wife must be, I imagine, a difficult role. There are considerable expectations of what will be done and not done, ministry responsibilities and a sense in which one’s life is always under scrutiny. For Gloria Goodfellow (Kristen Scott Thomas) – the awkwardness is compounded. Married to Rowan Atkinson’s Walter Goodfellow, she is starved for attention and affection. But what’s worse she has lost her faith.

To describe Campsie, in Sydney’s South West, as multicultural is something of an understatement. Approximately half the population were born outside of Australia and about 100 nationalities are represented in the suburb. One of Campsie’s newest residents is Argentinean-born Moore College graduate Omar Anheluk and his family.

Everyone believes something – even an ‘unbeliever’. And according to church growth expert Dr Martin Robinson, knowing and understanding the ‘faith’ of the non-Christian is essential to evangelism and church planting.

Behind every lot of disobedient and naughty children is usually a pair of worn-out or troubled parents. And when the parental partnership has been fractured, through death or divorce, the children are often naughtier and the remaining parent wearier – at least it’s like that in the movies

The children’s fable about mass hysteria and foolish assumptions is almost entirely unrecognisable in this Disney animation. Set in a small town, this Chicken Little is a spoof on the cautionary tale but the laughs are painfully few.

The image of a faun carrying parcels in the snow was, for CS Lewis, the first glimpse of a world that would be Narnia. From this single mental picture he composed a magical land and a tale of suffering, forgiveness and redemption.

Truth is stranger than fiction. If the 1914 Christmas Day Truce were not a matter of historical fact you would suppose Hollywood dreamt it up. Although, by their reckoning, the truce would have ended the war with Tom Cruise/Hanks making a stirring speech after taking on the corrupt authorities.

Journalist and broadcaster Edward R Murrow was known as the ‘Jeremiah’ of the radio and television industry. Critical, earnest and determined, Murrow pioneered investigative journalism, taking on issues like racism, segregation and the exploitation of migrant workers. His work with CBS TV in the 1950s saw him confront Senator Joseph McCarthy exposing his dubious methods. However Murrow’s trademark integrity was not always appreciated.

After several years working in retail, the notion of Christmas music fills me with dread. The dulcet tones of Bing Cosby reminding shoppers of a winter wonderland when it’s 32 degrees outside is more perverse than celebratory. Most Christmas tunes you hear (unless you’re lucky enough to hear carols) are usually culturally irrelevant – think dashing through snow – or spiritually shallow – anything to do with reindeer. Well Colin Buchanan has changed all that with King of Christmas.