Hour 21: A Film and Interactive Media Blog

  Amazing Grace (2006) “I need an answer, Wilbur. Do you intend to use your beautiful voice to praise the Lord or change the world?” "Mr. Wilberforce, we understand that you are having problems choosing to do the work of God or the work of a political activist.” "We humbly suggest that you can do both.” -Amazing Grace (2006) It is providential how God's grace enters our lives at the precise moment it is needed. Unexpectedly changing our perspectives in the midst of routines that have trapped us in cycles of complacency and forgetfulness. Now, imagine for a moment that God-given grace arriving centuries after the diminishment of an entire race, down to nothing more than slaves to be bought and sold. In reality though, the mind's eye is not required for this experiment. For, it was never an imagined state, mournfully it was a tragic reality of everyday life. So, all that is required of us, is a look back into the annals of history. Where, someone's seemingly obv...

  Spider-Man: Brand New Day (2026) “Tell me who you are.” “This isn't you.” “Are you Peter Parker or are you Spider-Man?” -Spider-Man: Brand New Day (2026) Until Spider-Man: Brand New Day, I never really gave it much thought, the true cost of heroism. Sure, we all know the parameters, it's almost become routine at this point. “With great power, comes great responsibility”. I guess that is the benefit, if you can call them that, of our unasked for struggles. They force us to grow, to change and to realize that we cannot do this all on our own, heroism is never just a singular endeavor, it requires support, we cannot do it on our own. This may seem callous, but it's true, just because we have the ability to save someone's life, doesn't mean the weight of every life has to be on our shoulders. Another truth arises from that point. When we measure our differences without support, they are isolating, aren't they? More often than not, we do not choose our dif...

Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender (2026) "Aang, as an Airbender, it's important to know when to show restraint. Even if you have the power to win. You are the Avatar, a lot of people are going to rely on you.” "Who are you?” "We're The Denied.” -Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender (2026) Embarking on a sequel to one of the most respected animated series in recent history is not a small task. Though, Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender manages this seemingly insurmountable climb of expectations and anticipation with grace and strength. Aang's return ushers in a joy that is both reminiscent of the past, and a mirror to a fractured future. The Avatar might be the master of all four elements, air, water, earth and fire. However the interconnected unity within Aang is but a hope in a world torn asunder by disunity and human frailty. Still, hope is not without merit, especially considering what Aang and his four closest friends, Katara, Zuko, Sokka and Toph, have accompl...

The Odyssey (2026) "It was the song of all the promises I failed to keep." "Give up control, and live." "What if we violated all that is ever sacred between peoples? What if we turned a fight into a hunt?" -The Odyssey (2026) Sing, and remember the epic of the heart, words spoken and unspoken, truths told and lies revealed. This is story, this is The Odyssey. Truth for a truth, the 2026 retelling of The Odyssey is the very idea of story, encapsulated in one of its most refined forms. This Homeric epic bears upon its shoulders the nature of mythmaking, and the capacity of truth and lie. Odysseus’s journey home is many things, though most of all it is a desire for reconnection amidst a fight for wholeness and truth. This visual oration of The Odyssey seeks that truth through the interconnected structure of different oral storytellers and perspectives that all eventually converge to reveal a marvelous whole. This film is the Homeric structure come t...

Little House on the Prairie (2026), Season One "Hope is everything, it's the only thing. Don't give up on him. Don't give up on us.” “I don't come by friends easily…. I don't let myself come by friends easily.” "I thought we were friends.” -Little House on the Prairie (2026), Season One In a world where danger waits around every corner and pessimism invades every thought, Little House on the Prairie (2026) is a beacon of light in this earthly forest of anxiety and fear. It is a brilliant light that transforms danger into strength, pessimism into curiosity, anxiety into enthusiasm and fear into the hope of an adventure yet to come. Isn't it wonderful when the anticipation of hope enriches the fountain of life. Even so, hope is often mistaken for naivete. This cannot be further from the truth, hope is not a false notion of the world, and a neglect of its multitude of dangers. The captivating nature of hope only seeks to nourish human flourishing, it ...

  Supergirl (2026) “Maybe this is home.” “Without the antidote there is nothing she can do.” “We will be with you.” -Supergirl (2026) Embattled by trauma and entwined with regret, Kara Zor-El is not your average Kryptonian survivor. Unlike her more renowned cousin, Kara must come to terms with the aspects of herself that are defined by a planet that no longer exists. Her life then, is a series of questions, brought on by a tragedy and a wish to rewrite history. What is the power of flight if it reminds you of your failure to stay? What is life if regret dominates every day, and what is a hero if sacrifice continually calls your name? "He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that free from sins, we might live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.” -1st Peter 2:24 (NRSV-CE) The emotional capacity of a story lies in its ability to invite you into the human struggle of an everyday lived experience. That is to say, storytelling grants us access ...

  The Signing of The Declaration of Independence by John Trumbull, 1818, oil on canvas Happy 250 th birthday, or should I say, Happy 4th of July weekend everyone! Here’s one from the archives, a post on Ken Burns’s documentary series, The American Revolution.  May we all have the opportunity to live up to the sacrifices, and experience the freedoms granted to us through the accomplishments of so many. God bless America Ken Burns's The American Revolution (2025) documentary series “We the people.” -The United States Constitution “I wish the Constitution which is offered had been made more perfect. But I sincerely believe that it's the best that could be obtained at this time. And as a constitutional door is opened for amendment here after, the adoption of it is in my opinion desirable.” - George Washington “Our government daily acquires strength and stability. The union is complete. Nothing hinders are being a very happy and prosperous People. Provided we have wisdom ri...

  Disclosure Day (2026) “Don't be afraid of what you don't know.” “If you are hearing this, if you are seeing this. You are not alone." -Disclosure Day (2026) “For of course, it is no very new idea that the Eternal Son may, for all we know, have been incarnate in other worlds and so saved other races than ours.” -C.S. Lewis, “Will We Lose God in Outer Space”, April, 1958. The Christian Herald Vol 81 It's fortuitous that Disclosure Day is difficult to encapsulate in a singular phrase or word. Though my inability to articulate the film's motivating narrative, doesn't come from a lack of vocabulary. If asked me for superlatives they would be flowing out of my digital pen with ease. Right now however, I will stay my hand, because the enriching enchantment of Disclosure Day is born out of the process of discovery? Not the reveal of facts. Wonder, that's the word. If I were asked to distill Disclosure Day down to a single word that would be it. Though, if...

Outlaws (1997) "Where are you Marshall?” "Damn it! I told that fool doctor, stealing your kid, weren't going to be good for anyone's health.” “It's a shame he didn't listen.” -Outlaws (1997)      One minute, one minute. It is remarkable what one minute can do. A single moment in time can encapsulate an entire world and open the door to cinematic and interactive experiences you never knew before. In an instant you are brought from ignorance into the joy of knowledge, this is not a discovery of a lack, but a finding of something deep within. What we find is the connection between the story and its audience.      As I write these words, it strikes me yet again: the capacity of a choice to affect our wonder and capture our imagination. As a 9-year-old you really don't have the wherewithal to appreciate the connective power of a single image or story. That is to say, my dad gave me, my brother and four sisters a tremendous gift, by allowing us to experience sto...

  This post is in loving memory of Gilbert “Gil” Kelly. Thank you Papa for showing me, day in and day out, what family truly means. You loved us grandkids equally. Even so, our relationship with you was uniquely our own. I for one, would not be who I am today, were it not for your willingness to drive me back and forth from Raritan Valley Community College for two years, on almost a daily basis. That was an immeasurable gift. You helped me start my college journey. You believed in me, even when I thought my disability would hold me back, you knew I could accomplish great things. Also, I don't know what came first, the chicken or the egg, in terms of my love of visual storytelling, but having a grandfather who played video games in the '90s was pretty awesome. PGA Tour, 1994 on the Sega Genesis for the win, along with all the racing games you could find for the system. Love you, Papa. Say hi to Danny for me, and I'll see you both again, on the other side of eternity. Streets...

  Star Wars: Maul - Shadow Lord, season 1 (2026) "You have been indoctrinated since you were a child. Now, you must adapt.” "It's all right, it's all right. I won't let him do this to anybody else.” “Fear is natural, we just can't allow it to control us.” -Star Wars: Maul - Shadow Lord, season 1 (2026) Pain that is not transformed is transmitted. Star Wars: Maul - Shadow Lord is a driving echo of this sad truth. If we are unable to confront our trauma, we often give it to others unwittingly, even when our deepest hope is that our pain ends with us. Maul - Shadow Lord is a poignant reminder that revenge only amplifies our mental anguish. It does not rid us of it. In his attempts to keep at bay his inner demons, Maul actually fortifies them, giving them space to occupy a prime place in his mind. Outwardly Maul's ultimate goal of vanquishing his former master, Darth Sidious, is admirable. Though, revenge, however justified, only keeps the door open. In...

  Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu (2026) “They feared him, now they cheer for me.” "Goodbye, kid." "The old protect the young, then the young protect the old. This is the way.” -Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu (2026) Family is a pivotal anchor for the Star Wars thematic canon. You could even say that family is the central thesis of that galaxy far far away. Even so, you would be hard-pressed, in the confines of those stars, to find a family that is not racked by misfortune and sorrow. Though, fear not, we all know there is hope out there. All we need to do is find a way towards that light. The credo, “This is the way” resounds through Din Djarin’s life. The loss of family and home are but two of the many tragedies he has endured throughout his time in this mortal coil. So, no wonder a strict code, born out of honor and strength, would dominate his ideas of safety and security. Our safety, however, does not always denote truth, and in turn, our perception of...

  Mixtape (2026) "Because the music goes somewhere, and you're going with it." "You know how to jet?" "To what?” -Mixtape (2026) What is the capacity of a moment, and how do you define it? A consistent reminder of time is that we never have enough of it. It always seems to slip away, never really granting us a sufficient duration of our human capacity for experiencing life to its necessary fullness. Though, when you really think about it, time is not the enemy here. The enemy, with all its nuance and variety, finds itself not in time, but in our misunderstanding of it. Time isn't meant to be sped through, Its rhythms and tones should be savored, as much as they possibly can be. Mixtape offers us something special in the realm of reverie and appreciation. Allowing you and I to come to terms with the necessity of presence in the flow of our everyday lives. While Mixtape does chronicle the supposed final hours of a high school friendship, Stacy, Va...

  Solo Mio (2026) "Keep your eyes open in Rome.” "Is everything okay?” "I wish I handled it differently. I mean, I should have been honest and just talked to you.” -Solo Mio (2026) I can't remember a time when I have felt such a refreshing and filmic spring breeze. That's not to say this film is vapid or empty by any means, it's simply a refreshing take on the stalwart romantic comedy genre. Where most romantic comedies find their end, Solo Mio discovers its purpose. Matt Taylor is left at the altar, after the whirlwind of a seemingly perfect relationship, sees him alone at his own destination wedding. He's already paid for honeymoon now burning a hole in his metaphorical pocket. Solo Mio, finds the perfect balance between joy and reverie as Matt has to unexpectedly take advantage of his non-refundable honeymoon. This film is a delight from end to end. Not only because of its humor, but its heart as well. Matt's journey from heartbreak to who...

  Christy: Where There is a Will, There is, The Way “It's my story, honestly, it is.” - Fighting for Survival by Christy Martin and Ron Borges, Chapter 1 “Somebody told me once, I fought like I was trying to destroy everybody who had done me wrong. They said I fought like I had demons in me. Maybe it's true. Maybe I do.” “I go to a restaurant and I realize I don't know what to order. I don't know what to cook for myself at home. I don't know what clothes I want to wear, or what I want to watch on television. I have no idea who I actually am. Every aspect of my life has been controlled by this man. Every decision. Everyone I talk to.” “Look at me! Look at me, Jim. You stabbed me. You shot me. You left me for dead on the bedroom floor. But like most else - you came up short.” -Christy (2025) As a journey through the medium of true to life narrative filmmaking, Christy hits harder than most, and not in the way that you may think. Christy Salters' journey from I...