Entertainment

Goodbye, Eli Stone

Barb Sherrill — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 07:01:26 -0800

So I found out yesterday one of my new favorite tv shows has been canceled: Eli Stone.

Sigh.

If you haven’t watched the show (and since low ratings is the reason the show got canceled, there’s a good chance you haven’t), Eli Stone is the story of a lawyer who had it all–high-paying, high-powered corporate job, beautiful fiancee, amazing apartment, a car to die for–until he started having visions.

And his first vision, of all things, was George Michael singing in his living room.

It's a quirky show.

Turns out, Eli’s visions were brought on by a brain aneurysm. It also turns out that Eli’s visions were brought on by God.

Eli’s visions caused problems in his life. Those around him thought he had gone nuts, and his visions asked him to take on problems and cases that often made no sense...at first. In fact, following his visions cost Eli a lot–his high-paying, high-powered corporate job, his beautiful fiancee, even his sanity at times–but in the process he found his soul.

I love this show.

There aren’t too many programs on television at the moment that even consider God part of the equation. A side note here: never get theology from a tv show. Admittedly, Eli Stone plays fast and loose with the concept of God. But what I thought was so interesting about this show is that encounters with God, often through visions that contain song-and-dance numbers, don’t initially make sense, are powerful enough to cause dramatic life change, demand obedience of Eli, and cost our hero everything.

Kind of like Moses with his burning bush...or Paul on that Damascus road.

And as I watch Eli respond to those nonsensical visions each week, I can’t help but be reminded that I’ve had an encounter with God as well.

And I have to ask myself, am I living like I’ve seen a burning bush, or a great light, or even George Michael singing in my living room?

Am I willing to obey God’s call, even if it doesn’t make sense?

No matter the cost?

Thanks for the reminder, Eli. I’m going to miss you.

Waterdeep’s Don & Lori Chaffer Release ‘Pink & Blue’ Children’s Album

Cara Davis — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 16:10:59 -0800

Waterdeep returns to the music scene with a diverse recording inspired by two rockin’ toddlers, Don and Lori Chaffer’s son Miles (5), and daughter Ruby (2).

Pink and Blue is a full-length album that will be packaged as two EPs: “The Pink CD” featuring Lori’s songs and “The Blue CD” featuring Don’s. Multiple online packaging options include a limited edition version which features an original piece of art by their children and a 40-page “grown-up” activity book written by the Chaffers.

The album features Waterdeep founding member, Brandon Graves, on drums, as well as Stan Sheldon (Frampton Comes Alive) on the bass. According to a press release, the album covers both a wide range of moods - from the fun-filled “Life of the Party” to the somber “My Second Try” - and a broad palette of musical elements - from unexpected pop grooves to familiarly vibey, acoustic timbres. The album will be available online at through online retailers and through www.waterdeep.com/store.

Waterdeep is currently on the road with Derek Webb, Sandra McCracken and Alli Rogers, with a 2009 tour in the works. Tour dates can be found at www.waterdeep.com.

Christy Reading "Wax On, Wax Off: Reflections on The Karate Kid"

Christy Tennant — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 08:50:45 -0800

DAVID BAZAN ROCKS (Gently)

Craig Detweiler — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 01:50:48 -0800

Fuller Seminary’s Travis Auditorium was sold out on Saturday for a solo show by acclaimed musician, David Bazan. Sitting center stage with his guitar, Bazan entranced his devoted fans with an hour of songs and stories. He is a poet of uncertainty, excavating his Christian roots in search of the authentic. His acoustic show packed plenty of punch with his signature dry wit. Performing on the heels of America’s historic presidential election, Bazan basked in the outcome. Amidst his downboat, introspective songs, David Bazan sounded genuinely happy.

He introduced a host of new tunes from his long-awaited debut on Seattle’s Barsuk Records. Acknowledging the countless recording devices in the room, Bazan bargained with his fans, “Don’t be a hero” and post things online before the album’s Spring release. Bazan performed the parabolic, “Weeds in the Wheat,” the haunting “Curse Your Branches,” and his jaunty new track, “Please Baby Please.”

He also treated the Fuller audience to vintage tunes from his days as Pedro the Lion like “Slow and Steady Wins the Race.” His song “Foregone Conclusions” sounded more Calvinist in the seminary setting. Yet, the lyrics rip into Christians who treat others as a project. In a room filled with pastors in training, the Pedro song, “Priests and Paramedics” anticipated countless hospital visits and funerals ahead. When paramedics cannot save another accident victim, the burden of explanation falls upon a priest. Bazan leans into the daunting problem of death.

As the priest got up to speak
The assembly craved relief
But he himself had given up
So instead he offered them this bitter cup
“You’re gonna die, we’re all gonna die
Could be twenty years, could be tonight
Lately I have been wondering why
We go to so much trouble to postpone the unavoidable

And prolong the pain of being alive.

The fragile peace brokered within heated conversations in Bazan’s songs echoes the dialogue in our Purple State of Mind project. John Marks gets frustrated when my own doubts about the faith leave him uncertain how to position himself as the unbeliever. Bazan’s newer songs are full of self-satire and confession. He talks about reasons for ending Pedro the Lion in “Fewer Broken Pieces.” Bazan also performed a song from his synthesizer driven side project, “Headphones.” He makes peace with generational angst:

I guess that’s what you get 
For being born in the seventies 
But i won’t hold it against you 
If you don’t hold it against me

Bazan/Pedro/Headphones is not for everyone. The poignant, conflicted songs appeal to those inclined toward introspection. They draw you inward, toward self-examination. For Christians still waking up to the half-truths foisted upon them, Bazan’s bracing honesty is quite liberating (and threatening!). He closed the evening with a “post Christian” prayer from Leonard Cohen, “Hallelujah.” It was an apt benediction to an evening of thorny honesty.

Review: Ballast

Brett McCracken — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 23:52:11 -0800

I knew from the trailer of this film that I would love it, and sure enough, I did. There is a moment in the trailer when the main character, James, is lying down with a dog, accompanied with the oft-trite words “life affirming” (Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly). In this case, the words could not be more appropriate. This film, in all of its squalor, destitution, and grim grayness, is an affirmation of life in all of its imperfect, painstaking glory.

Of course, the movie begins with death. One twin brother kills himself with pills, the other shoots himself in the chest. The latter survives. The film progresses from there—quietly, mysteriously, showing us the fallout of these opening events on the lives of a mother and son, and the suicide survivor Lawrence. We know little of the whos or whys about any of these people, just the whats. It’s a very phenomenological film—confronting us with the realities of things, eschewing a direct contemplation of their meanings.

It’s a very quiet, restrained film. There is no music, no non-diagetic sound. Sometimes all sound is removed for emphasis. The end credits are loudly silent. The camera-work is fluid and handheld, with lots of jump cuts and fragmentary editing, though none of it is pretentious or jarring. It’s beautifully shot, humanely and sympathetically focusing on Mississippi delta mud and puddles and sometimes faces and sunbeams.

But Ballast is more than just a stylistic exercise. It’s a story of how we pull our lives together and make things work, even when everything seems to be going against us. One definition of the word “ballast” is “something that gives stability (as in character or conduct).” And this film is about that. It’s about how unstable characters—each on the brink and about to fall over—manage to get their bearings and build back their lives.

Ballast is a beautiful picture of the durability and persistence of humanity. At first glance it looks like some sort of cruel examination of poor, hapless black people beat down by the system. It is that, in part, but there are no victims or villainous oppressors here, and there are no excuses. The characters are flawed, frustrated, but determined to somehow forge ahead.

I love how this film slowly moves toward hope. Two-thirds of the way through, we start seeing the sun for the first time. Toxic plotlines of the first half of the film (drugs, guns) are largely abandoned and forgotten in the second half. Director Lance Hammer doesn’t bother explaining why his characters make the decisions they make; he doesn’t have to. We already know. Ballast reveals truth about humanity in the way a telescope reminds us of the existence of stars; we never doubt its existence, we just forget how glorious it looks up close.

Brooding Heroes: The Quantum of Somberness

Joshua Sikora — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 15:00:00 -0800

I liked The Dark Knight and James Bond's latest flick wasn't half-bad. I love the re-imagined "Battlestar Galactica." I've got nothing against change. Some updating here, some polishing there--it's nice to see classic franchises rejuvenated with bigger budgets, bolder choices, and deeper characters. But, I have to ask: Where has all the fun gone?

There were certain things you could count on in a James Bond film--and no, I'm not talking about counting how many women he beds before the credits roll. Remember the over-the-top villains? The extravagant underwater lairs or futuristic space stations? The campy sidekicks like Jaws or Oddjob. And Q! The best part of any Bond flick was always Q and his gadgets.

All of the fun, all of the charm--even Bond's own suave charm--are absent in his latest outing. Instead, we get brooding. Anger. A "hero" driven by revenge. No, this is not refreshing to see in a Bond film, where plots long ago became an afterthought. The bland revenge-tale told here is just as recycled and familiar--but Bond now wears it like a badly-tailored suit.

Honestly, I don't mind taking these old franchises in new directions. Compared to the original show, the new "Battlestar Galactica" is a revelation. It's fantastic storytelling that brings new life to an interesting original premise. Sometimes, this added depth is an improvement.

But please don't lose the fun. And for the love of all that is good in the world--please don't lose the heroes. Based on the success of The Dark Knight, Warner Brothers is considering taking their next Superman film in a "darker direction." Batman was born for the night. Must we re-imagine big blue and make him as impotent a hero as Bond has become?

Franchises that have existed for decades prove most interesting in retrospect--they're like time capsules that reveal a wealth of information about who we were as a people at any given time. I think the latest re-births of our steadfast heroes will say far more about us in the long-term, than it will about the fictional characters that are bearing the weight of our current dark and tragic mood-swing.

I just hope that we don't lose the souls of these characters. If Bond dies from his current depression, it will not be a great loss. But if we kill Superman, because we need him to take on some dark weight also--well, that would truly be a tragedy. Some heroes exist to show us who we are. Others point us towards who we should be. I hope we don't confuse the two.

Top Ten Most Unflattering Portrayals of Christians in Film

Brett McCracken — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 23:25:31 -0800

Because top ten lists are fun, and because the cultural perception of Christians seems to be in the news these days, I thought it would be interesting to comprise a list of the most unflattering portrayals of Christians in cinema. Next week I will do the same for the most flattering portrayals.

Keep in mind that I am not slamming these films; several of them are actually very well made. I’m only pointing out that, for secular audiences watching these films, Christians come across as crazy,annoying, dangerous, stupid, or some combination therein. Thankfully most of these films were not seen by very many people. But even so, I think it’s important to be mindful that they exist—that for some people, this is the only picture of Christianity they have.

10) Why Should the Devil Have all the Good Music? (2004)
Though less hostile than most documentaries about Christians, this incoherent exploration of a much-too-broad topic leaves the viewer as confused and cynical as the disparate talking heads that sound off inthe film.

9) Night of the Hunter (1955)
This classic kicked off the “fundamentalist Christian as psychopath” trend that has been a favorite in cinema ever since. “Leaning On theEverlasting Arms” has never sounded as disturbing as when Robert Mitchum sings it.

8) My Summer of Love (2004)
More tragic than comical, this indie film portrays a group of British evangelicals as positively bonkers and dangerous to family dynamics, as one of the church’s leaders (Paddy Considine) pays more attention to prayer meetings than he does his own struggling family.

7) The Virgin Suicides (1999)
Repressive Christian parents (James Woods and Kathleen Turner) in suburbia drive their innocent daughters to suicide. Because not being able to go to prom just does that to you…

6) Citizen Ruth (1996)
It’s pretty gutsy to satirize abortion, but Alexander Payne did it successfully in this film, which lampoons both the firebrand evangelical pro-lifers and the equally insane pro-choice feminazis.

5) Saved! (2004)
This film relentlessly points out evangelical absurdities, featuring acommand performance from Mandy Moore as the Christian school queen bee who spreads Jesus’ love by throwing bibles at people.

4) Jonestown: The Life and Death of People’s Temple (2006)
To the uninitiated, People’s Temple appears to be just one more crazy sect of fundamentalist Christianity. Which makes this true story of delusion and mass suicide one of the most damaging witnesses to American Christianity in the twentieth century.

3) Hell House (2001)
A truly scary documentary about a Pentecostal church in Texas that uses Halloween, buckets of fake blood, and scenes of abortion, suicide, and AIDS to scare hordes of lost kids into accepting Jesus.

2) Religulous (2008)
The newest film on the list, Bill Maher's Religulous offers a parade of crazy Christians, including a tongues-speaking Robert Tilton (aka the farting preacher), a Jesus actor at Orlando's Holy Land Experience, and a menargerie of other elements of fringe Christianity.

1) Jesus Camp (2006)
In addition to its portrayal of six year olds speaking in tongues and praying over a cardboard George W. Bush, this film boasts the honor of having grade-A ironic footage of Ted Haggard talking smack about gays just months before his own admission of having solicited a male prostitute.

October Reviews

natebell — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 23:06:00 -0800

It’s that time again.

Rachel Getting Married is a smallish drama about a black sheep in a fractured family of four, fresh out of rehab, who returns home to attend her sister’s wedding. Despite the ragged digital video, the film is actually a disciplined study in human brokenness, keen and discerning. Jonathan Demme, the director, is a filmmaker sensitive to fragile shifts in tempo, and he fully exploits his felicity with actors. (Notice how quickly a dishwashing competition turns sour.) Good performances are plentiful (especially by Hathaway as the returning sister and Bill Irwin as the father of the bride), though almost everyone is guilty of a little too much emoting.

City of Ember is the latest family-film from that veritable family-film factory—Walden Media. This costly adventure tale, set 200 years from now in a subterranean city lit by electricity, follows the attempts of two teenagers (Saoirse Ronan and Harry Treadaway) to find an exit to the outside world. Wrought with intelligence and feeling, and niftily designed as a network of pipes and tunnels, the film holds the attention thoroughly and honestly, without resorting to melodrama or sentimentality. Bill Murray has a funny role as a corrupt mayor, and there are a few nicely executed special effects including a beastly half-seal, half-earthworm creature destined to give kids nightmares. Gil Kenan (Monster House) directed.

Happy-Go-Lucky, an English import from Mike Leigh (now there’s a name you can trust), revolves around a single and singular character—Poppy, a loudly dressed, optimistic, unconquerable grade school teacher (played with total conviction by Sally Hawkins). A great deal of pleasure and fascination comes from watching this oddly endearing individual rub against various characters who in turn either succumb to her contagion of cheerfulness or are forced to confront their latent unhappiness. The encounters between Poppy and her perpetually irate driving instructor (the customarily excellent Eddie Marsan) yield the heftiest dramatic payoff, although they are merely parts of what constitute a whole philosophy, a whole outlook on life. Leigh, for whom human behavior is a source of constant inspiration, sees something beautiful in this character, and asks that we kindly do the same.

Changeling is Clint Eastwood’s reenactment of an 80-year-old news item—the disappearance of a small boy, followed several months later by the appearance of similar boy claiming to be the lost child. This reunion turns out to be a source of deep distress for the mother of the missing lad (Angelina Jolie), especially since the police keep insisting that she’s off her rocker. This is an intensely involving scenario, especially in the capable hands of a director like Eastwood. But as it goes deeper into darkness, the screenplay takes so many unbelievable twists and turns (including a heavy-handed stay in a loony bin operated by merciless Nurse Ratched types) that the film emerges as something of an ordeal. This, however, doesn’t mitigate the nagging desire to know What Happens Next. L.A. buffs will take special interest in the careful reconstruction of the downtown milieu, with its City Hall and corrupt police force.

Synecdoche, New York is the directing debut of screenwriter Charlie Kaufman, a christened auteur whose busy, buzzing intellect has a tendency to short circuit the emotional content of his films. With no higher power to mold and temper the free-form messiness of his ideas, the indulgences run wild. In summary, the labyrinthian narrative concerns a depressed, hypochondriac theater director who embarks on an epic autobiographical production, a decades-spanning project that includes casting actors to play himself, his wife, the box office lady, and others. Layers give way to layers. Some of the ideas stick, but Kaufman makes unreasonable demands on audience participation, and the final expected epiphany never comes.

Let the Right One In, a Swedish indie, chronicles the romance between a towheaded 12-year-old and the dark-haired object of his affection, a child vampire who just moved into the neighborhood. The fantastical premise is handled with an admirable bent toward realism by director Tomas Alfredson, at least until a CG cat attack and a gore-drenched conclusion. A subplot involving school bullies resolves messily, if not satisfyingly. Still, the snowy, woodsy settings are photographed with elegance, and the kids (one fair, one dark) are believable and affecting.

Several of France’s most respected graphic artists collaborated on Fears of the Dark, an omnibus of six black-and-white horror vignettes bound together by a common theme of fear. This particular brand of animation—stripped-down, supple—may well prove dangerous in the hands of a depraved director, and indeed a couple of them go beyond horror into sheer unpleasantness. There is nevertheless a high degree of technique on display (so much is apparent as early on as the opening credits, which owe a debt to Saul Bass), and an innate understanding of the mechanics of horror—the last and best episode deals credibly with the challenge of having to find one’s way through a pitch-dark house.

From the NY Times: Theatre Director Resigns Amid Gay-Rights Ire

Christy Tennant — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 07:51:38 -0800

Check out this article in the New York Times today: "Theatre Director Resigns Amid Gay-Rights Ire."

As a theatre professional for many years, I can attest to the difficult balance Christians face in that community, and others where there is a higher-than-usual proportion of homosexuals.

I have many gay friends, whom I love and have much to learn from. Unconditionally, I love them. I think of my friend Mark, who has been in a long-term relationships for nearly twenty years with his partner. Mark has taught me a lot about grace and love, mercy and kindness. I am grateful for him, and for many others, whom I count as dear friends. With Mark, and with all of my friends (gay or straight), I "hate what is evil" - be it tendencies to gossip, slander, drink too much, fornicate, or be prone to fear and anxiety - all equal sins in the eyes of God. And I cling to what is good in each person I meet. Yes, my friends are all sinners, which is probably why they are my friends. Jesus was a friend of sinners. And, moreover, I am a sinner, saved by grace, and I need to be shown the same grace that I try to show my sinful friends.

But this article really kicked me where it counts, because when push comes to shove, and I have to pick a side, my highest allegiance is to Christ, and the plumb line by which I measure truth and goodness is the Bible. Just as I am not permitted to rewrite the laws of nature so that I can get away with gossipping or tell little white lies, we also can't redefine what the Creator has deemed to call marriage: one man, one woman. When the rubber hits the road, and I have to choose a side, I will choose to stand on the side of what the Bible teaches about marriage.

What's interesting here is that, in this case, it seems to be the very people who preach tolerance who are being absolutely intolerant of this man's right to put his money where his faith is. Clearly this director is not a bigot. Clearly he loves homosexuals and heterosexuals alike. Clearly he has worked well with gay theatre professionals for years - no director would have been promoted like he has, with the career longevity he has enjoyed, if he did not work well with people of all stripes of the rainbow. But in this issue, when the time came to vote, he voted (with his wallet and his ballot) for a measure that stood on the side of biblical definition of marriage. And for that, he has been harshly punished.

He gave $1,000 to support the ballot opposing legalizing same-sex marriage in California. Political donations are a matter of public record, and his donation was brought to light by online activists angry about the outcome of the vote (it passed).

My giving record is not a matter of public record, but I'll go public right now. For the past nine years, I have given more than 1/10 of my income to organizations that teach that there is only one path to God, and that path is through Jesus Christ. I have supported financially the work of missionaries who spread the Good News that Jesus Christ gave his life to save every sinner who would trust in Him for salvation. I have done and continue to do my part to advance the message that Jesus Christ is the way, the truth and the life, and no one can come to the Father except by Him. I stand whole-heartedly on the belief that the Bible is the divine and inspired Word of God, and that it is all-sufficient for instruction, correction, power and godliness. I am stating in no uncertain terms that when what seems right to me does not line up with what is written in the pages of scripture, it is I who must conform, not scripture.

But this does not make me a bigot, and it does not make me intolerant. I would welcome people who disagree with what I have said above to come into my home and eat with me. I would prepare a feast to honor them, and I would enjoy talking with them about their lives, hopes and dreams. I would listen and learn from them. I would love to invite people like Melissa Ethridge and Susan Egan, who are quoted in this article, into my home, that I might lavish them with lovingkindness, after the model of the lovingkindness Christ has lavished on me, whose offenses against Him far outweigh any homosexual's offenses against me. Christ invites me, a horrible sinner, to dine with him. I would love to do the same.

But, sadly, I doubt I will have that opportunity.

Believe me when I tell you that Scott Eckern's heart is broken right now. Believe me when I tell you he is in agony, over relationships with people he loves who are now against him, and for the reputation he now has of being a bigot, when that couldn't be further from the truth. Disagreeing with someone does not make you his enemy. I have many friends who do things I disagree with, and wish they didn't do, but I don't love or respect them any less. In fact, I think sometimes I love them even more, longing for them to know the relief of being set free from bondage to sin.

Please join me in praying for Scott Eckern today. Pray for God to redeem this horrible situation in his life, and that he will receive abundance from the God of all comfort, and the God of all peace.

And friends, I fear that the challenges for Christians in this area are only going to get worse. Now more than ever we must reflect on the fact that God's ways are not the ways of the world. We must gird ourselves with love, so that when injustice occurs, we will respond by offering the cup of love, not the cup of wrath (only God may offer that cup). We should love all, and as much as it is up to us, live at peace with everyone. I reiterrate, I love my gay friends, and recognize that they, sinners like me, are made in God's image and are just as much in need of grace as I am.

But when we are forced to choose a side, and we choose the side that abides by God's design, we need to be prepared to be on the receiving end of injustice. The pendulum is swinging, my friends. May God have mercy on all of us, on both sides of the fence.

Prince Caspian on DVD December 2nd

Conversant Lifestyle — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 16:10:18 -0800

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian

Fully-Loaded With Never-Before-Scene Extras And
A Perfect Gift for the Holidays!

Return to the magical world of Narnia in the second installment of C.S. Lewis’ timeless epic, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, coming to market on December 2, 2008 from Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment. Packed with exclusive featurettes, interviews and deleted scenes, the entertainment title of the year is available on DVD and Blu-ray Hi-Def, as well as a special two-disc Collectors Edition perfect for holiday giving. The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian packaging also includes a special DisneyFile, a digital copy of the movie that can be viewed on a variety of portable devices for the whole family to enjoy anytime, anywhere.

From the creators of The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Prince Caspian features even more groundbreaking special effects and breathtaking action than its predecessor. William Moseley, Georgie Henley, Anna Popplewell and Skandar Keynes return as Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy, the Pevensie siblings, along with Academy Award® nominee Liam Neeson (1993 nominee for Best Actor, Schindler’s List) as Aslan the Lion and Academy Award winner Tilda Swinton (2008 winner for Best Supporting Actress, Michael Clayton) as the White Witch. They are joined by Ben Barnes (Stardust) as Caspian, heir to the Narnian throne, with Sergio Castellitto (Arthur and the Invisibles), Eddie Izzard (FX: The Riches), Warwick Davis (the Harry Potter films) and Peter Dinklage (The Station Agent) appearing as new residents of Narnia. The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian is fantasy adventure that will delight the entire family.

Lewis' seven-book Chronicles of Narnia series is regarded as one of literature's most enduring classics, selling over 100,000,000 copies in more than 35 languages, making it the second biggest book series the world over.

In The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, the Pevensie children face a perilous mission and a greater test of their faith and courage. They find a world in which 1,300 years have passed. The White Witch is gone, the realm is ruled by a cruel tyrant and Aslan has been missing for over a thousand years. The four children embark on a remarkable journey to restore magic and glory to the land. Accompanied by Trumpkin, a valiant dwarf, Reepicheep the talking mouse and a suspicious Black Dwarf named Nikabrik, they raise an army of Narnians to rise up against the evil king Miraz.

BONUS FEATURES:
DVD
•    Special audio commentary by director and actors

Collector’s Edition DVD
All of the above, plus:
•    Special audio commentary by director and actors , a behind-the-scenes interview with the cast and crew, a tour of the film’s locations and sets, inside view of the technology and production behind the movie, bloopers, deleted scenes and much, much more!
Blu-ray Hi-Def Exclusives
All of the above, plus:
•    Enhanced Disney’s BD-Live Network exclusives, interactive Narnia game, downloadable features and much, much more!
•    Circle-Vision Interactive: Creating the Castle Raid – Walt Disney's famous Imagineers introduced the world to Circle-Vision in the 50's and 60's, which immersed Disneyland visitors in 360-degree film tours of America, and later, China and Canada. Now, through HDRI camera technology and the rapidly-evolving interactive capabilities of Blu-ray, the Disney team has taken the first step towards advancing this unique and memorable experience. Only on THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: PRINCE CASPIAN on Blu-ray Disc can fans take a 360-degree look behind the scenes of the castle raid sequence and get unique access to the secrets of how this latest adventure to Narnia was pulled off. It's all a part of CIRCLE-VISION INTERACTIVE: CREATING THE CASTLE RAID. First, start off in the CIRCLE-VISION preview lobby, and choose to get a private tour of the castle raid from Director Andrew Adamson, Producer Mark Johnson, or a number of other key filmmakers and artists who brought the latest adventure to NARNIA to life. Then, select one of the exclusive CIRCLE-VISION experiences to be virtually transported to the set in the Czech Republic. The moment you enter these panoramic worlds, you will be able to turn in any direction, and fully-explore how this compelling sequence was painstakingly created. Discover a myriad of progression reels, developmental animatics, 13 audio commentaries, pop-up facts, slide shows, and a treasure trove of behind-the-scenes footage with cast and crew that is revealing, interesting, compelling, funny and exclusively accessed through this new-reimagining of a classic idea. It's all a part of CIRCLE-VISION INTERACTIVE: CREATING THE CASTLE RAID, only on THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: PRINCE CASPIAN on Blu-ray Disc.