Jeffrey Overstreet (Page 40)

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Listen Closer: Second Impressions of U2's Songs of Innocence

On Songs & Albums

Listen Closer: Second Impressions of U2's Songs of Innocence

Hey, U2 fans, music lovers, and iPhone users... you're invited! I'm joining Dr. Jeff Keuss and others on Monday night, October 13, for a live podcast conversation called "U2, Apple, and the Future of Music." It'll be at Hale's Ales

Listen Closer: Thom Yorke, Luluc, Lucinda Williams, Leonard Cohen, My Brightest Diamond, Sinead O'Connor

On Songs & Albums

Listen Closer: Thom Yorke, Luluc, Lucinda Williams, Leonard Cohen, My Brightest Diamond, Sinead O'Connor

It's time to check the New Music Seismograph! What albums are shaking the ground beneath my feet? Those who have followed my blog over the past decade or so know that I'm averse to "rating" art with a point system. (I mean, really... how

Left Behind (2014): A Looking Closer Film Forum

Left Behind (2014): A Looking Closer Film Forum

This post will be updated over the next few days, so check back as this thrilling — dare I say rapturous? — cinematic occasion unfolds!

The Christian Message of David Fincher's Gone Girl . . . (Not Really)

On Movies & Media

The Christian Message of David Fincher's Gone Girl . . . (Not Really)

One of my favorite writers on the subject of art, faith, and culture — Alissa Wilkinson — has seen "Gone Girl," the new film by David Fincher. Let's ask her: "What's the message of the movie?"

On Movies & Media

The Song "Shares the Weaknesses of Most Faith-Based Films"

I've received two emails this week asking for my opinion of The Song. This is what I can offer... The Song told me what it was in the advertisement that appeared for it in the sidebar of my blog. (By the way: Almost everything that is advertised in

The Hundred-Foot Journey (2014): A Looking Closer Film Forum

As I joined the line to buy tickets for a mid-afternoon matinee showing of Guardians of the Galaxy, I had a rare and unsettling experience. A large crowd had assembled at the ticket counter, and I quickly discovered that these moviegoers had come for the opening-day matinee of

On Movies & Media

This Post Contains R-Rated Subject Matter: Viewer Discretion is Advised.

Watching the trailers before Chef on Friday night, I was reminded by the smirking comments of viewers around me that the "This Motion Picture is Rated..." screen before a preview does as much, if not more, to intrigue viewers about the violence, language, or nudity included in the

Chef (2014)

What are the greatest movie moments that involve sandwiches?

Jennifer Johnson Gilnett

In Memory of My Friend, My Boss, My Mentor: Jennifer Gilnett

The last 13 days have been a harrowing experience of heartbreak and loss for me and many who are close to me. I haven't said anything about it here at Looking Closer, but I think the time has come. First, some context: Based on the mail that I

Dead Poets Society (1989)

Dead Poets Society (1989)

Alissa Wilkinson, chief film critic for Christianity Today, asked me if I've ever changed my mind about a movie... and would I write about that? So I'm asking you. What's a movie you loved the first time, or hated the first time, and then

The Trip (2010): Or, Up for a Celebrity Impressions Road Trip?

The Trip (2010): Or, Up for a Celebrity Impressions Road Trip?

It works as a buddy movie, as a "foodie" film, as a meditation on a mid-life crisis, as battle of brilliant improvisational comedians, and as a surprisingly dry and bittersweet comedy about celebrity.

U2's Songs of Innocence: Not Bad for Four Guys in Their Mid-50s!

On Songs & Albums

U2's Songs of Innocence: Not Bad for Four Guys in Their Mid-50s!

Okay, for the one reader out there who doesn't know: You can download the new U2 album for free right now on iTunes.

She's Growing Up So Fast! Auralia's Colors is 7 Years Old

The Auralia Thread

She's Growing Up So Fast! Auralia's Colors is 7 Years Old

My first novel Auralia's Colors — currently on sale at Amazon for a bargain price — is 7 years old today! She's growing up so fast. Why do I bother celebrating the 7th anniversary of my own book? That's easy. Thanks to WaterBrook Press (now WaterBrook

Q&O: What I'd Change in My Memoir. My Favorite Moviegoing Companion. Top Albums of 2014 So Far. Why You Rarely See Me Smile. More "Noah" Bashing. And More!

Darren Aronofsky

Q&O: What I'd Change in My Memoir. My Favorite Moviegoing Companion. Top Albums of 2014 So Far. Why You Rarely See Me Smile. More "Noah" Bashing. And More!

Who do you take to the movies? Why are you such a snob? What's your favorite album of 2014 so far? Why do you rarely smile in pictures? Questions are coming in, so... time for another Q & O = Question and Overstreet!

Best Use of Music in a Movie: Share Your Favorites

On Songs & Albums

Best Use of Music in a Movie: Share Your Favorites

On Twitter, the poet Amy Newman asked me to share my pick for "Best Use of Music in a Movie." When a poet as gifted as Amy Newman asks you a question, you answer it. Few people would be qualified to choose the "best use of music

Life Itself (2014): first impressions

Life Itself (2014): first impressions

"Drama holds a mirror up to life, but needn't reproduce it." Roger, Roger, Roger. Here I am watching a film about your departure, and I'm still jotting down things you said that will be worth quoting in my own film reviews. There is a

Snowpiercer (2014): A Few First-Impression Notes

Snowpiercer (2014): A Few First-Impression Notes

Terry Gilliam's Brazil + Jean-Pierre Jeunet's Delicatessen + Peter Weir's The Truman Show + Alfonso Cuaron's Children of Men + John McTiernan's Die Hard. Link those cars together and, wow, what a helter-skelter train!

Boyhood: The Podcast!

On Movies & Media

Boyhood: The Podcast!

Listen to my conversation about Richard Linklater's "Boyhood" with Christianity Today's Chief Film Critic Alissa Wilkinson and the Christ and Pop Culture Superfriends — Richard Clark and Wade Bearden.

From the Director of "Metropolitan" and "The Last Days of Disco"

On Movies & Media

From the Director of "Metropolitan" and "The Last Days of Disco"

I'm excited to find, among the new Netflix original series, "The Cosmopolitans," a new series from Whit Stillman.

Critics Vs. Audiences: Whom Shall We Trust?

On Movies & Media

Critics Vs. Audiences: Whom Shall We Trust?

When I shared some reviews that question the quality of a faith-based film, I received a scornful comment. So far, I've only received one. I anticipate more, based on experience. But if I only get one, I'll be just fine with that. The commenter — "

When the Game Stands Tall (2013): A Looking Closer Film Forum

When the Game Stands Tall (2013): A Looking Closer Film Forum

"When the Game Stands Tall" is getting a lot of attention in evangelical Christian culture because it's a match made in evangelical Christian movie heaven: It's about football, and it stars Jim Ca-jeezus.

The Flood Hits Home Video: Give Noah a Chance

On Movies & Media

The Flood Hits Home Video: Give Noah a Chance

Since Aronofsky's surprisingly (and maddeningly) controversial film "Noah" has finally arrived on home video (video on demand, streaming, blu-ray, and DVD), let me point you to my own review and the best reviews of the film I have come across to date.

Who Among Us Is Thirsty? — A Reflection on the Loss of Robin Williams

On Movies & Media

Who Among Us Is Thirsty? — A Reflection on the Loss of Robin Williams

I am sick at heart over the loss of one of my favorite imaginations.

Lucy (2014) : A Looking Closer Film Forum

Lucy (2014) : A Looking Closer Film Forum

I haven't seen "Lucy" yet ... but the clash of opinions about it among critics I respect has been entertaining and intriguing.

Overstreet's Favorite Films of 2014 — So Far

On Movies & Media

Overstreet's Favorite Films of 2014 — So Far

What are your top five favorite films of the year so far? Most reviewers post their "Best of 2014 So Far" lists at the end of June, because that's the year's halfway point. But since a lot of films that qualify as 2014 films