Elliot Perlman’s novel, Three Dollars – published in the late 1990s – was internationally lauded. A modern fable about the fragility of integrity in a consumer-driven society, it was internationally lauded. And it was a compelling read. I imagine Australian director Robert Connolly was among those who laughed at Eddie's self-deprecating wit and were moved by his relentless kindness. Yet somehow this incisive novel appears as but jumble of ideas on the big screen. How can a story that works so well in book form make such unimpressive viewing?

There are some – particularly within the US – who view the United Nations as a toothless tiger, bemoaning its constraints and corruption. Others are passionately committed to it despite its track record in Bosnia and Rwanda. UN interpreter Silvia Broome (Nicole Kidman) is a true believer. A former resident of Matobo (a fictional nation in sub-Saharan Southern Africa) Silvia has seen firsthand the failure of violence to end violence.

Set over the course of a single day, Saturday begins in the early morning of February 15, 2003 as a sleepless neurosurgeon, Dr Henry Perowne, gazes out his bedroom window. From his secure vantage point he sees a plane whose fuselage appears to be alight.

Insight can be found in the strangest of places. Even, of all things, in big budget action films. In the midst of Sahara’s unashamed superficiality is murmured an uncomfortable truth. Sneeze and you’d miss it. Put plainly it is this: “This is Africa. No one cares about Africa.”

Romantic comedies are a difficult genre. The romance needs to be slightly improbably without actually surprising us. And while it's ok to have a fat guy falling in love, his presence needs to be offset by enough fit and beautiful people. To make money romantic comedies need to be funny enough to distract their male audience from the knowledge they’re attending a chick flick and shrewd enough to disguise the fact that for the most part they are a rehash of a tired and clichéd style of film. Hitch is one of the better efforts of recent years.

In her epic novel, Jonathon Strange and Mr Norrell, English writer Susanna Clarke has recreated England in the early 19th century. Echoing the literary styles of Jane Austen and George Eliot, Susanna Clarke reconstructs England with her thorough and engaging prose. But more than that she reimagines English history as if magic were a fundamental part of existence.

At the heart of the biopic is a filmmaker’s quest to recognise and often honour the life of a specific individual. It’s an enormous undertaking given the complexity and messiness of life and the limitations of the cinematic form. Martin Luther is certainly given the hero’s treatment in the German and American production, Luther. Joseph Fiennes – who is more at home in the 16th century than any other it seems – stars as a very handsome Luther. But despite his leading man looks, Fiennes is suitably intense, impassioned and even contemptuous as the religious revolutionary.

Newcastle Diocese’s first cafe church is bringing people to Christ.

Sydney Anglicans have joined a religious coalition calling for a radical overhaul of abortion.

I’ll tell you a secret: I love reading books I can pick up and read from any point. Truth or Dare, an anthology in which 11 well-known writers share some of their personal secrets, is such a book. Incidentally so is the Bible.

Within almost every visionary there’s something of the eccentric or the obsessive. The drive to invent, create or to succeed at whatever the cost seems most fertile in those who are single-minded or even a little unhinged. Think Lawrence of Arabia, Alexander the Great, Alfred Hitchcock. Such people make compelling subjects for biographies and very long movies. Howard Hughes (1905 – 1976) was such a person. His life gets the big screen treatment in Martin Scorsese’s biopic The Aviator.

February 2005 letters to the editor

The keynote speaker at last month’s CMS Summer School at Katoomba, American pastor Dr Mark Dever, has challenged Sydney Anglicans to think again about their attitudes to church growth.

Imagine sitting in church on Sunday morning when a wall of water roars towards you, washing everyone away. This is what happened to a number of southern Indian congregations on Boxing Day.

I have a confession to make. While I loathe boxing I frequently seem to enjoy boxing films. When We Were Kings, The Boxer and even the hagiographical Hurricane have managed to hold my gaze and spark my interest. Clint Eastwood’s Million Dollar Baby is no exception.

Detective stories are a popular and well-established genre that rarely cross into the territory of capital ‘L’ Literature. There are a few exceptions where the quality of the writing matches the interest of the story. Mark Haddon’s award winner, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time is unusual in its literary merit. But this is not the only quality that distinguishes it from others in the genre – the victim in Haddon’s tale is not a person but a large poodle who has been killed with a pitchfork.

There’s a voyeuristic element to the relational pugilism in Mike Nichol’s Closer. Patrick Marber’s searing screenplay, based on his award-winning play, takes us into the lives of four people who fall in love, deceive, betray and suffer. It’s bitter stuff played with utmost competence. But beneath the superb performances and glossy production is the ugliness of selfishness and deceit.

EMU’s website states that their mission is to provide churches with songs of the Word – being biblical, Christ focused and contemporary. Their latest album, We Are His People, does indeed follow in the strong tradition of providing a useful resource for churches.

Everyone has a horror story from their school days, but it’s hard to imagine a school as grim as Fond de l’Etang, a boarding school for troubled boys. It is 1949 in France, and the boys are subjected to mental torture and beatings in the name of discipline by their repressive headmaster, Rachin. Les Choristes is set in a ‘correctional house’, one of France’s reintegration centres set up after the Second World War. It was a time of trauma – parents were suffering with the aftermath of German occupation and had other things to deal with than bringing up their children. It was the beginning of official child psychology.

Watching House Of Flying Daggers is like viewing a series of beautifully executed artworks arranged end to end. The yin of frenzied activity is carefully balanced against the yang of peaceful contemplation. Bamboo forests give way to desolate plains; violent battles are placed on a background of gentle music.

Where to Lord? covers six studies summarising what the Bible as a whole says about guidance. Questions we all have include: am I missing out on God’s personal guidance? How does God guide his people today? If God speaks, will I hear his voice? How do I know God’s will for my life?

Hamish Godbolt, 20, says a ministry training scholarship has meant the difference between completing his studies at the Anglican Youthworks college and dropping out.

My vision is often filled with all the negatives and I fail to see the harvest. Let us pray that the Lord will help us to see our country as he sees our country.

Ever since I have been a Christian I have had a heart for evangelism, and for years had a vision for women’s ministry. Three others have had this position before me. Every time someone else got the job I said, “Hey Lord, what about me?!” Finally the job became vacant and I applied. The minister said “What! How old are you Nola?” I said, “ What’s that got to do with it?” He said, “ I’ll talk to my wife and see what she says.” He did! His wife said, “I told you that years ago.”

Marriage has taken a beating over the last 30 years. Divorce, de-factos, more people marrying later or not at all. ANDREW CAMERON and TRACY GORDON argue for a return to relationships with God at the centre.