Harry Potter

Looking Elsewhere: November 20, 2005

Sunday's specials: SATAN WILL BE "WHATEVER YOU WANT HER TO BE" Thanks to Chattaway for catching this alarming quote from Tilda Swinton, who plays the White Witch in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe: But when the issue of religion surfaced at Thursday's

On Movies & Media

Walk the Line (2005)

Imagine a film about the life of Tom Cruise that pretends that his marriage to Katie Holmes was a thrilling triumph, and all of that stuff about Nicole Kidman and Mimi Rogers was just an unfortunate prologue. Now imagine if that film only made a couple of sketchy, passing references

C.S. Lewis

Looking Elsewhere: November 19, 2005

Thursday's specials: DEFENDING LEWIS Hooray for GetReligion, as they expose the bloodthirsty journalists trying to get their knives into C.S. Lewis. I'm confident that the "deeper magic" of Lewis's stories will rise up and conquer character assassinations. DEFENDING POTTER You'

On Movies & Media

Animation up for Oscar

Movie City News lists the competitors. Which film do you think deserves the Oscar? I think I'm leaning toward Wallace and Gromit, even though I prefer the story of Corpse Bride. And Howl's Moving Castle really is extraordinary to look at, even if it's

Steven Greydanus

Driscoll's anti-Catholic rant

---THIS POST HAS BEEN UPDATED. Check out the input from Steven Greydanus.---... at least, that's the allegation made in a student editorial in SPU's student newspaper The Falcon on the issue of division within the church. If the student's report is accurate, well,

Narnia

Looking Elsewhere: November 17, 2005

Wednesday specials: THIS YEAR'S DEMILLELecter will get some lovin'.DOES ASLAN HAVE A THEME? Listen to clips from the first Narnia soundtrack here! WALTER SEZ: GO SHOPPING! After stirring things up with his controversial post about Wendell Berry, now Adam Walter's stirring a different pot.

Aerial

Kate Bush raves

I sat spellbound a few nights ago basking in the glow of Aerial, the new double-album from Kate Bush. Apparently, I'm not the only one. This is a delightful surprise in an otherwise unremarkable year in music so far.

On Movies & Media

Annual Harry Potter debate

I saw Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire yesterday and am hard at work on my review. You can warm up for this year's edition of "Christians for Harry Potter versus Christians against Harry Potter" by reading Russ Breimeier's new article, posted today

On Movies & Media

Veering off the line

Over at GetReligion, Terry Mattingly's paying attention to see if "Walk the Line" will tell the true story of Cash's redemption. And apparently, they're disappointed. Cash was in a spiritual war and he knew it. ... It seems that the filmmakers did not

Concerts

Bruce Cockburn live in Seattle

I promised a report on the live Bruce Cockburn show in Seattle on Wednesday, so here it is at last. Bruce played an intimate set in the beautiful Nordstrom Recital Hall, a smaller venue adjoining Benaroya Hall in downtown Seattle. He was meditative, less talkative than usual (probably because this

Over the Rhine

Looking Elsewhere: November 9, 2005

Wednesday's specials: YOURS, MINE, OUR FAITH Huh. Peter T. Chattaway mentioned today that, lo and behold, Dennis Quaid's a Christian, and now I wish I'd had a different list of questions when I attended the film junket for In Good Company. He grew up

On Movies & Media

Gondry's new video

Wow. When videos as wild as this one actually get produced, and as perfectly as this, well... it should just send other music video directors and bands home with their heads hanging.

On Movies & Media

Bortz on Africa

Jason Bortz, whose short documentary on aid to Africa called Scratching the Surface was recently in the spotlight at Christianity Today, has written a piece for The Other Journal about his experience. Check it out here. Going was surprisingly far less difficult than I thought it would be. In fact,

On Movies & Media

A new column

In Phase Three of my plans for world domination, this month I'll begin publishing a monthly column--Response onScreen--in SPU's online version of Response Magazine. I'll post the link when the first edition goes live near the end of November. It will focus on new

On Movies & Media

Thursday: The Squid and Bruce Cockburn

Last night I saw one of the year's best films--The Squid and the Whale--which is a deeply saddening film about the consequences of divorce and joint custody on children. Noah Baumbach first got my attention in 1995 with a delightfully rowdy comedy about college and dating called Kicking

On Books & Writing

CNN, John Wilson, & Jesus novels

UPDATE: Now, read John Wilson's commentary on Anne Rice at Books and Culture. John Wilson, editor of Books and Culture, was quoted today in a new CNN article covering Anne Rice's new focus on Christian faith, her new novel Christ the Lord, and the latest novel

On Books & Writing

Evangelism through fiction

Christianity Today looks into a popular new book from WaterBrook Press: Dinner with a Perfect Stranger. Now author and speaker David Gregory uses a similar, if more succinct, device in the July release of his evangelistic, inspirational novella, Dinner with a Perfect Stranger. Classified as "Christian Living/Spiritual Growth&

On Movies & Media

The Arts and Faith Top 100

Film critics and cinephiles at the Arts and Faith Conversation have revised their list of 100 Spiritually Significant Films, and the picture has changed dramatically. Michael Leary offers a fantastic commentary on the list over at The Matthews House Project. How many of the Top 100 have you seen? What

Over the Rhine

Over the Rhine: Grammy time?

If you love Over the Rhine (and how could you not?)... and if you believe in justice... well, then do what you can to bring them the honor they deserve. The Grammies are not known for being awarded to the artists that deserve them, but once in a while something

On Songs & Albums

Wilting flower

Sheryl Crow's Wildflower is mind-boggling. That is, it is full of simplistic, dismissive questions about religion; exhortations to "live it up" as if there's no tomorrow; plaintive questions about her general bewilderment about spirituality and the afterlife; and lines that shrug off any idea

Narnia

Looking Elsewhere: November 11, 2005

Wednesday's specials: Good news! I've just snared a deal for a new monthly film column. Can't tell you where yet, but I'll give you the details soon. THE NEW ISSUE OF IMAGE IS READY FOR YOU Click here to peruse the contents

On Books & Writing

Elements of Style, the opera

I heard this on NPR during my carpool commute in to the office today. The Elements of Style ... the opera. You won't believe your ears.

Robert Rodriguez

Sin City (2005)

[2015 Update: Revisiting this post a decade after I wrote it, I find that it's the sort of review that I hope I've learned to write better. You'll see that I've let my frustrations with the film overwhelm my capacity to assess

On Movies & Media

Woody Allen has "ganed no wisdom"

CNN talks to Woody Allen: Allen, who will be 70 on December 1, says age hasn't brought wisdom. "I've gained no wisdom, no insight, no mellowing. I would make all the same mistakes again, today," he tells the magazine. I think this statement is

The Bible on the Big Screen

Looking Elsewhere: October 31, 2005

Narnia: A new story, a Newsweek review, and Douglas Gresham speaks. Also: Wilco. Criterion. Jesus movie.