On Movies & Media

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007)

This review was originally published at Christianity Today. • Would you book passage on a doomed ship if you knew Johnny Depp, Keira Knightley, and Orlando Bloom would be along for the ride? Millions of moviegoers will say "yes" and climb aboard for Pirates of the Caribbean: At World&

On Movies & Media

For book clubs, for film-discussion groups, or just for some summer reading...

I've been fairly quiet lately about the progress of Through a Screen Darkly. But, having just started taking notes for my next book about film, I suppose it wouldn't hurt to share a couple of recent highlights. I just delivered some copies of Darkly to a

On Movies & Media

Evan All-Mushy?

  Yikes. The hype for Evan Almighty is so big, you can hardly visit a Christian media website these days without the banner-ads knocking you senseless. Well, sure, the charities that may gain from the movie are probably quite honorable. But wouldn't it be nice if all of this

On Movies & Media

The Funniest Movies Ever Made?

This Observer article finds several comedy experts reminiscing about their laugh-out-loud favorites. And the collection gets four cheers from me for giving credit to four both of my all-time favorite comedies: Midnight Run and Raising Arizona (both in my all-time Top Ten movies, period) and Fletch and This is Spinal

Family

Thanks, Dad.

Dad, Happy Father's Day! But before you settle in with a good book, let me say a few words of thanks... Here you are in your dorm room at Seattle Pacific, back in your university days. What a journey it must have been, from a childhood in Mossyrock,

On Movies & Media

"Wall-E" has a Trailer

And here it is. Wow. What a powerful little teaser. Gives me flashbacks to the '80s... Short Circuit and E.T., specifically. And this one's directed by Andrew Stanton, who gave us Finding Nemo. I can't wait. As I work on stories in The Auralia

On Movies & Media

Frederica Matthewes-Green on "Through a Screen Darkly"

"What books were to previous generations, movies are to the present one; their ability to teach and shape our view of reality is unparalled by any other medium. Christians can't afford to be ignorant of the content and power here, and Through a Screen Darkly provides and

Overstreet's Books

Wonderosity

Leif Hansen is a curious fellow. Curious in that he asks a lot of questions. So it's a good thing that he's got a podcast, and special guests to field his questions. Wonderosity is Hansen's podcast, where he wonders as he wanders out under

On Movies & Media

O'Hehir on "Unborn in the U.S.A."

Here's Andrew O'Hehir on "the abortion movie nobody wants to see (but everyone probably should)." Unborn in the USA [The filmmakers] just want to depict the pro-life movement in its own terms, as it stands on the cusp (probably) of its greatest victory. If

On Movies & Media

Knocked Up (2007) - two guest reviews

No, I haven't seen Knocked Up yet. I'll probably wait for the DVD, due to my all-consuming, deadline-driven book project right now. But some Looking Closer readers have seen it, and lo... two of them have submitted their own reviews: Carissa Turner Smith and Darryl Armstrong.

On Movies & Media

A Brush with Seattle Greatness

Late last night, after a long day of work on Cyndere's Midnight, the sequel to Auralia's Colors, I wearily wandered over to the three-dollar-a-ticket discount theater several blocks from my house and caught the 9:30 show of Away from Her. Which was wonderful for many

On Movies & Media

Coming to Save the Summer: Remy the Rat

I saw Ratatouille today. Finally... a summer movie that delivers. That enchants. That makes you glad to be a moviegoer. And how could you have expected anything less? It's a movie from the mind of Brad Bird and the animation wizards at Pixar. Of course it's

On Movies & Media

Nappaland Reviews "Through a Screen Darkly"

Nappaland has published the latest recommendation for Through a Screen Darkly. Much to my delight and surprise, the good responses just keep coming in.

On Movies & Media

Stranger than "Stranger Than Fiction"

My favorite thing about Marc Forster's vividly romantic comedy Stranger Than Fiction was the romance that never actually caught fire... the combustible pairing of Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson. Ever since that movie, and both times I've seen it on DVD, I've become distracted

On Movies & Media

"The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus": Starring Tom Waits?

In El Pais, Terry Gilliam reports (if I'm not misreading the French) that his next project is The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus, starring Tom Waits and Heath Ledger. (This, according to Film Ick.) Excellent. Waits had an unforgettable cameo ("I'm like a moral traffic light,

On Songs & Albums

Vintage T-Bone Burnett

Interested in some vintage T-Bone Burnett music? Check it out. Rhino is releasing a deluxe package of Proof Through the Night and Trap Door (or, to be exact, The Complete Trap Door). Thanks to Jim Bricker for the alert!

On Movies & Media

Specials: Cairns and Overstreet Poetry! "Knocked Up." "All About Adam." "The Golden Compass." "Spidey 3." Helen Mirren. Aronofsky.

Here are a few links I've been saving up this week... Scott Cairns and Anne Overstreet both have poems in the new issue of Relief! Order your copy today! Ross Douthat on Knocked Up and its (surprising?) lack of talk about abortion. (Updated: Even more.) (Oh, and I

U2

Music bits: U2 Album Progress. Whitman's aves. Hartse on Feist. The Believer.

A quick blitz of music links: * U2's progress on their new album. * Andy Whitman rates the best albums so far this year. * Joel Hartse reviews Feist's The Reminder. * A summary of The Believer's annual Music Issue.

On Songs & Albums

The Police, Unplugged

MTV's decided to dust off Unplugged. Billboard reports it will feature appearances by Mary J. Blige, The Police, Bon Jovi, Kenny Chesney and John Mayer. Well... I'd tune in for The Police, anyway. But how about The Arcade Fire? Or The Decemberists? Nick Cave? Feist? Lucinda

On Movies & Media

Your Favorite Moments of "Silent Acting"

Last week, Elvis Mitchell interviewed Sarah Polley on NPR's "The Treatment." They talked about Polley's new film, Away from Her, which stars Julie Christie. This led them to talking about how Polley was enthralled with Christie's performance in Doctor Zhivago. Mitchell then

Concerts

Over the Rhine's "Trumpet Child" Tour Kickoff

From the Over the Rhine MySpace page: Beginning this Saturday, June 2nd at Midnight Eastern Time (that's either Friday Night or Saturday morning - depending on your preference), you'll be able to buy tickets for the 8/31 Coney Island show exclusively at OvertheRhine.com. At

The Innocence Mission

Sufjan Stevens Plays The Innocence Mission

In this Pitchfork blog entry on Sufjan Stevens, there's a link to video of Sufjan Stevens (hooray!) performing a cover of The Innocence Mission's "The Lakes of Canada" (hooray!!!)

On Movies & Media

Victor Morton on "the Russian Abortion Film"

I agree with Victor Morton. Let's not condemn a movie before we see it. Let's respect trust that the jury celebrated this film for good reasons, and find out what those reasons were. I, for one, can't wait to see 4 Months, 3 Weeks,

On Books & Writing

John Wilson (Books and Culture) on the New Michael Chabon Novel

John Wilson reviews The Yiddish Policemen's Union: The Yiddish Policemen's Union

On Movies & Media

Film, Faith, and Justice: A Film Festival

Here's my good friend Martin Stillion writing about this year's Film, Faith, and Justice film festival in Seattle. Sounds like I missed a challenging event. (Wanted to go, but deadlines took over.)