Time travel is the concept of moving between different points in time in a manner analogous to moving between different points in space, either sending objects (or in some cases just information) backwards in time to some moment before the present, or sending objects forward from the present to the future without the need to experience the intervening period (at least not at the normal rate). Although time travel has been a common plot device in fiction since the 19th century, and one-way travel into the future is arguably possible given the phenomenon of time dilation based on velocity in the theory of special relativity (exemplified by the twin paradox), as well as gravitational time dilation in the theory of general relativity, it is currently unknown whether the laws of physics would allow backwards time travel. Any technological device, whether fictional or hypothetical, that is used to achieve time travel is commonly known as a time machine.

Metromix Chicago recently presented their list of The best adventures through past, present and future. We think they missed a few: Here is their list and our additions. All summaries are provided by IMDb.
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Popularity: 24%

As one of the holiest times in Christendom approaches, families like ours often struggle with balancing the commercialization and secularism in popular culture with the true reason for the season. To help others, we have assembled our list of Christian Christmas movies.

Our list focuses on those movie with strong Christian values. For that reason, perennial Christmas favorites like It’s a Wonderful Life (1946), A Christmas Story (1983), or Miracle on 34th Street (1947) are not included.

A Christmas to Remember (1978) – A city-bred grandson moves to his grandparents’ farm during the Great Depression and grows up enough under their tough care to help his grandfather deliver a surprise gift on Christmas Eve to their community church with the help of a phantom stranger.

Bethlehem Year Zero (2004) – A novel approach to the Nativity presenting Jesus’ birth as television reporters and analysts might have covered it, had the medium existed in King Herod’s time. The field correspondents and studio pundits discuss the economic and political ramifications on society and speculate about the meaning of the Messiah’s appearance in their milieu.

Christmas Child: A Max Lucado Story (2004) – An updating of Max Lucado’s book “A Christmas Cross”, this film is about a successful Chicago journalist, whose marriage is at a breaking point as he is about to celebrate both his 40th birthday and Christmas; he is sent away during the Holidays to Texas for a story, and there reflects on his life and its meaning.
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Popularity: 4%

“Wait a minute. You aren’t seriously suggesting that if I get through the wire… and case everything out there… and don’t get picked up… to turn myself in and get thrown back in the cooler for a couple of months so you can get the information you need?”
– Steve McQueen, The Great Escape

Most guys enjoy a good prison break film. The stories capture the notions of freedom and the indomitable human spirit. One of my favorites is The Great Escape starring the uber-cool Steve McQueen. That said, few movies are set entirely in prisons, so I, like others, are kind of curious what the criteria were when Gunaxin assembled their list of The 15 Best Prison Movies. Was The Rock not included simply because it takes place at a decommissioned prison? And does not enough of Malcolm X take place in a prison? And what about Assault on Precinct 13, is it because it has more to do with holding cells than prisons?
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Popularity: 99%

“By dulling the blade of tyranny, I reconciled Rome to the monarchy.”
Release: 1977
Runtime: 10 hours, 50 min (13-part miniseries)
Genre: Drama, History
Language: English
MPAA Rating: N/A
Starring: Derek Jacobi, Siân Phillips, Brian Blessed, George Baker, John Hurt, Margaret Tyzack, Ian Ogilvy, Frances White, John Paul

Amazon Link: I, Claudius

SYNOPSIS: Do you think history is boring? I, Claudius is proof that history can be popular and entertaining as any soap opera. The 1977 mini-series, starring many well-known theatrical performers of the day, I, Claudius is one of, if not the, greatest productions proving that the lofty and the sordid were not mutually exclusive. The miniseries offers a politically astute version of history that reveals what happened when the togas came off.

This popular 13-episode BBC mini-series makes for irresistible viewing whether you have any interest in the early history of the Roman Empire or not. Covering the period from the later years of Augustus’s rule (27BC – 14AD) as the first emperor of Rome to the death of Emperor Claudius (October 13, 54AD), I, Claudius peers at the social and political underpinnings and developments of the Roman Empire through the eyes of Claudius, an often-overlooked member of the emperor’s family.

Historically, his family, the Julio-Claudians, kept Claudius out of public life until his sudden elevation to emperor at the age of 49. A young male connected to the family line of Emperor Augustus, Claudius suffers from a stammer, a limp, and various nervous tics, which made him appear mentally deficient (currently believed to be Cerebral Palsy or Tourette Syndrome). However, Claudius maintained a keen intellect, and observed the events around him with meticulous precision.

Based on two novels (I, Claudius and Claudius the God) by historian Robert Graves, I, Claudius delves into conspiracies, ruthless murders and cover-ups, betrayal, seduction and madness; where scheming men wore togas and struggled for power while the women got married and stayed in the background – sometimes in the best position of all when it came to moving their chess pieces around.

Claudius, (Derek Jacobi) who twitches his head and stammers over every other word, watches his friends and relations die off, one by one, poisoned by the ruthless and destructive Livia (Sian Phillips) as she grooms her son Tiberius (George Baker) to become the second emperor of Rome.

First, however, Livia must deal with the mercurial first emperor, Augustus (Brian Blessed), loved by all. This vital, vibrant figure is desperate to find an heir whom he can bestow the Imperial legacy: He is not particularly fond of Tiberius. It becomes almost comic as Augustus chooses new favorites, and one by one, Livia poisons or frames them for crimes they did not commit.

Young Claudius learns quickly to play the fool. He does a fine job avoiding Livia’s deadly notice, since the series cuts back and forth between Claudius the younger and his last days as an old, wizened, wise emperor in 54 A.D., poring over his biography and fretting over the fate of his maniacal son, Nero (Christopher Biggins).

There aren’t many things wrong with this series. In spite of its length, it rarely drags, and the story is so complex that it would not have been possible to do it in a shorter space of time. The main advantage in adapting the novels is that they contain very little actual dialogue, so the writer, Jack Pulman, was able to make the characters talk in a style that is comfortable for modern viewer. One could complain that it should have been shot on film rather than videotape, but at least the performances are uniformly excellent regardless of the format. The murders, double-crossings, and various affairs seem to be drawn from a fictional paperback found on drugstore shelves – not in the pages of a history book. Nevertheless, I Claudius stays true to the written accounts of Roman Emperor Claudius.

With superb theatrical performances by the entire cast, I, Claudius is an engrossing storyline about the true-to-life people and events that shaped the history of ancient Rome. Like popular prime-time soap operas, viewers are captivated by the intrigue surrounding the various characters without even realizing they’re learning history in the process. Given its historical accuracy, brilliant dialogue, and ingenious performances, I, Claudius is compulsive entertainment that moves at a breakneck pace.

Popularity: 2%

“He taught Russians to enjoy themselves.”
Release: 2002
Runtime: 1 hour, 36 min
Genre: Drama, Fantasy, Historical
Language: Russian, English subtitles
MPAA Rating: N/A
Starring: Sergei Dontsov, Mariya Kuznetsova, Leonid Mozgovoy, Mikhail Piotrovsky, David Giorgobiani, Aleksandr Chaban, Lev Yeliseyev, Oleg Khmelnitsky, Alla Osipenko, Artyom Strelnikov, Tamara Kurenkova, Maksim Sergeyev, Natalya Nikulenko

Amazon Link: Russian Ark

SYNOPSIS:The single-shot story involves an 18th century French diplomat, the Marquis de Custine (Donstov), who embarks on a sort of time travelling tour of the Hermitage, opining on Russian art and history with a Russian acquaintance (voiced by Sokurov himself, off camera). Among those they encounter on the way are Peter the Great (Sergeyev), Catherine the Great (Kusnetsova), and Tsar Nicholas II (Baranov) and his family at dinner.

In the beginning, Russian Ark’s invisible narrator speaks softy, “I open my eyes and I see nothing,” to a blank screen. The narrator speaks also of some unspecified accident and suddenly a group of revelers in 18th-century costume disembarks from their carriages at a side entrance to St. Petersburg’s palatial Hermitage (virtual tour), and the fantastic voyage begins.

Russian Ark is a single 96-minute tracking shot in which the narrator and a 19th-century Frenchman, apparently the Marquis Astolphe de Custine, accompany a lively group of characters across several centuries through 33 rooms of the world’s largest museum. Indeed, Russian Ark might have been inspired by the description of a Hermitage ball in an 1839 letter by the marquis himself: A procession “proceeding from one immense hall to another, winding through galleries, crossing the drawing rooms, and traversing the whole building in such order or direction as the caprice of the individual who leads may dictate.”

Russian Ark took over four years to finance and organize. Some 2,000 costumed actors, extras, and the Mariinsky Theater Orchestra, rehearsed for seven months. The camera peers through windows and strolls around the artworks. People slip and fall and sidle through our field of vision on cue.

This is, without a doubt, one of the most visually beautiful films I have ever seen. Often I realized I was looking at the paintings and costumes, rather that pay attention to the characters. The whole journey is a strange mix of stunning sets (the museum) and an ensemble of characters that are morose, manic, and cryptic all at once.

Some might argue that this picture is nothing more than a well-orchestrated guided tour. Maybe it is, but one has to feel while watching it, that there is more to the story even if they don’t necessarily “get it.” Nevertheless, after the initial intoxication of the non-stop camerawork has dissipated, the film feels progressive dry and confusing. The Heritage museum might be “the ark of the Russian soul”, but this film does not do Russia justice.

Trivia: Russian Ark was shot on high-definition digital video attached to a custom-built hard drive. There were evidently three short false starts and then the entire movie was shot straight through on a late December day with only four hours of sufficient existing light. The sound was subsequently layered and the images sharpened in digital post-production.

Goozlepipe Rating:Didn’t Like It

Popularity: 1%