The Innocence Mission

A Christmas Album from Don Peris

  Last year's Christmas was aglow with new music from Over the Rhine (Snow Angels). This year's Christmas will glimmer with the enchanting guitar stylings of The Innocence Mission's Don Peris. And the proceeds go to bring shelter to those in need.

Music Reviews

Robert Plant and Alison Krauss - Raising Sand (2007)

If you haven't heard Raising Sand, you're in for a treat. Who would have thought that we'd ever see the collaboration by Robert Plant and Alison Krauss? Who was bold enough to dream they'd perform songs by Tom Waits and Sam Phillips

On Movies & Media

Steven Greydanus's Turbulent Mailbox

My friend and colleague Steven Greydanus also happens to be one of my favorite film critics. And like the interesting "Christian hate mail" I describe in my book Through a Screen Darkly, Greydanus gets plenty of amazing (and disgusting) mail in his mailbox too. You can check out

On Movies & Media

Podcast: Sheridan Voysey talks with me about great movies that can change lives.

You can now download the podcast of Sheridan Voysey's radio program where I discussed the power of movies with him a couple of weeks ago. (I mentioned this broadcast a few days back.) Of the many on-air conversations about movies I've enjoyed, this was one

On Movies & Media

Theme of the year? "The End is Near"

It seems that almost every year, there are one or two themes that emerge on the big screen... themes so persistent and vigorously investigated that you wonder if somebody somewhere called a meeting and planned for the films to correspond. Last week, I realized what I would argue to be

Overstreet's Books

Specials: Auralia Meets Graeme; Gaffney on CAFF; Chattaway on Faith/Film

I'm going back into a period of intense imagining, polishing up the sequel to Auralia's Colors. So, offline I'll be rather antisocial for the next few weeks, and my blogging may slow down a bit. By the way, did I mention that I'

On Songs & Albums

Pay What You Can for Paste Magazine!

This just in: Visit http://www.pastemagazine.com and follow the banners to name your price! Normally, a one-year subscription is $19.95, and it would cost more than $60 to buy each issue from the newsstand all year. But for a limited time, YOU get to chose how

On Books & Writing

A Conversation with National Book Award Finalist Sara Zarr

Can we handle the truth? In Sara Zarr's first novel, Story of a Girl, one young woman's life is almost spoiled by the truth... at least when it comes to the details of her biggest mistake. When young Deanna's misguided adventure with an older

On Movies & Media

Here We Go Again: Malick and "The Tree of Life"

I know, I know, I'm late to this party. But I'm not really. I reported on Terrence Malick's Tree of Life project ages ago, and was quickly corrected and informed that I was merely perpetuating rumors about a project that was abandoned long ago.

Overstreet's Books

The Nick and Josh Show

Lo and behold, my conversation with Nick (of the Nick and Josh Show) is now available for download. We talked about movies, Through a Screen Darkly, and then he asked me to share my impressions of a movie that clearly impressed him: Darren Aronofsky's The Fountain. I really

On Movies & Media

Looking Closer... looking back.

Moments like this just make me grateful to work with such thoughtful, brave, and dedicated collaborators. So I'm going to take a moment here and thank a few people who have invested in my work, inspired and challenged me, and played essential roles in the achievements that the

On Movies & Media

1:01 AM and I've Seen a Lot of Movies

I'm still here at the City of Angels Film Festival, held that the Directors Guild in L.A. I've had a marvelous time so far. It began with a reception for the festival's special guests, where I was deeply moved and flattered to receive

On Movies & Media

Thanks to "God and Culture" Show Host Paul Edwards

Many, many thanks to Paul Edwards for being a gracious host, generous with his time, and thoughtful with his questions on the God and Culture radio program in Detroit. You can listen in on our conversations... * here, on Tuesday's show, where I come on around the 1-hour

On Movies & Media

Prequel to Boring: Yawn Howard and Dan Brown, Together Again

You probably remember how, after all of the hype, The Da Vinci Code opened to enthusiastic cries of "Underwhelming!" and "Boring!" Yes, after all of the fright and hubbub amongst Christians who thought the movie might lay waste to the Christian church internationally, it turned out

On Songs & Albums

A New Interview with Bill Mallonee

I haven't read anything about the lead singer for Vigilantes of Love for a while. I met him at Cornerstone in 2003, and recorded an extensive interview. But my opportunity to publish it fell through, and it remains the best interview I've never published. Someday, I&

Speaking engagements

Many, many thanks to my three audiences during yesterday's talk-a-thon!

I am dizzy and exhausted after yesterday's triathalon of speaking engagements... Many, many thanks to the hundreds of students, staff, faculty, and other guests who packed the Otto Miller lecture hall at Seattle Pacific University... twice... yesterday afternoon. I had a fantastic time passing along the lessons I&

On Movies & Media

Frederica Matthewes-Green on "Idiocracy"

Here's Frederica Matthewes-Green on one of those DVDs you might not want to miss. But then again, you might. Idiocracy And yet it lingers in the mind. The day after you see it, you'll see it everywhere. As the months go by, you'll

Overstreet's Books

"Through a Screen Darkly" hits Australia

When I was a kid, I always liked the story about The Little Engine that Could. I'm reminded of that as I occasionally find mentions of Through a Screen Darkly on blogs. It just keeps chugging along, finding new readers everywhere. It's nice to see folks

Overstreet's Books

Next Sunday: Australia's having an Open House!

  I recently overheard someone referring to my new book as "Australia's Colors." Now, please... let me set this straight once and for all: Auralia's Colors has absolutely nothing to do with Australia. And speaking of Australia... I was welcomed to a radio program based

Overstreet's Books

A Moment, Yesterday...

So, there I was. Sitting at my desk, writing a movie review for Response magazine's website. Out the window in front of me, the courtyard was thrashing in October wind and rain. Leave of extraordinary colors were breaking free and forming a dance of intertwining cyclones. Students dashed

On Songs & Albums

St. Vincent - Marry Me

What have the women of Sufjan Stevens' band been smoking? Last year, Shara Worden burst onto the scene as My Brightest Diamond, with such fierce imagination and spirit that you wondered how she could have possibly been anybody's backup singer without blowing everybody else offstage. The debut,

On Songs & Albums

Bruce Springsteen with Arcade Fire

If you can ignore the dumbass psycho-fans shouting the most ridiculous things they can imagine into the camera's microphone... then you might get a bit of a thrill by watching Bruce Springsteen join The Arcade Fire for: Springsteen's "State Trooper": [youtube=http://www.

On Movies & Media

Looking Forward to "Where the Wild Things Are"

When I was a kid, one of my favorite storybooks was... Wait, let me start again. One of my favorite storybooks is Where the Wild Things Are. (Forget the part about "when I was a kid." It's still true. If a story is good, a reader

On Movies & Media

Jesse James, Stardust, Away from Her, Zodiac, The Lives of Others, Outsourced, Into Great Silence... a roundtable discussion.

In the latest discussion at The Kindlings Muse, Dick Staub stirs up discussion of new releases, DVDs and "films everybody should see." I had the privilege of being at that round table, along with Jennie Spohr, film producer and producer of The Kindlings Muse, and Stefan Ulstein, professor

"Christian" is a Bad Adjective

"Christian Fiction" and the Faith of J.K. Rowling and Sara Zarr

I know that many of my fellow Christians are so convinced that J.K. Rowling is a servant of Satan that they won't be persuaded by anything as insignificant as... oh... the author's own words about her faith. But I'm encouraged that the conversation