On Movies & Media

Let Us Now Praise the Great Voices of the Movies...

Mel Blanc may have been the king of voice actors for cartoons. But who are the great "unseen voices" of live-action moviemaking? James Earl Jones looms large. Is there any voice that gets your attention like Darth Vader's? Christine Cavanaugh gave us the voice of

Thanksgiving

How to Be Rebellious and Have a Better Black Friday

You could go out into traffic, join the long lines at Best Buy and Target and Wal-mart and [name your favorite box store here]. Or...

Frozen

Disney's Frozen Get Chilly Reception (From Some of My Favorite Critics)

"There’s nothing I’d like more than to tell you [that Frozen] is a musical fairy-tale triumph: a throwback to the days of Beauty and the Beast, like many critics are saying." That's how the great Steven Greydanus begins his review of Frozen. Can you sense the pending "But..."? Here it comes.

Creativity

Looking Elsewhere: November 11, 2013

This week, Looking Closer sends a Hi 5 to the Face out to Fast Company, NPR, Todd Fadel, Ridley Scott, Christianity Today, Sam Phillips, Matt Zoller Seitz, James Rocchi, Mike D'Angelo, John Sayles, and more!

On Movies & Media

A Dog Named Inigo, A Cat Named Scully... and Other Pets Named After Movie Characters

A few days ago, I asked people to speak up about the pets that they've named after characters from movies. Then it started raining cats and dogs.

On Movies & Media

U2: Rattle and Hum is 25 Years Old! Share Your Concert Film Memories...

Phil Joanou's groundbreaking concert film U2: Rattle and Hum opened during my senior year of high school, on the birthday of my lifelong friend and musical co-conspirator Todd Fadel. And I was so jealous. Todd would automatically have the most awesome birthday party ever. And he pretty

Steve McQueen

12 Years a Slave (2013)

It's a film I would encourage every American over the age of 16 (in general) to see. It's important. It's necessary. But it is also, in my opinion, limited and even undermined by certain aspects of McQueen's artistry.

On Movies & Media

What's "The Most Cinematic Movie" Ever Made?

What movies pop into your head if I say the word "cinematic"? Tell us about your favorites, and why they are "cinematic," here.

On Movies & Media

Did You Name Your Pet After a Movie Character?

Do you have a pet named after a movie character? If so, send me a snapshot, the name of the pet, the movie that the name comes from, and your name, and I'll include it in an upcoming post.

On Movies & Media

Farewell to Lou Reed

Rest in peace, Lou Reed. Here's the legend himself, appearing in Wim Wenders' film Faraway So Close, the sequel to my favorite film, Wings of Desire. In this scene, a fallen angel named Cassiel wanders into a club where Reed is performing the song "Why Can&

On Movies & Media

The Counselor (2013)

Like David Fincher's "Se7en," one of this movie's closest spiritual cousins, "The Counselor" ultimately delivers a diagnosis that tells the awful truth.

Seattle Pacific University

My Interview with World Vision Photographer Jon Warren (Plus: Some of His Favorite Images)

I love interviewing artists. And I've enjoyed a wild array of unforgettable interviews. But few of those opportunities have been as exciting as this one...

On Movies & Media

Gravity (2013)

Critics will go on and on comparing "Gravity" to groundbreaking works of art like "2001: A Space Odyssey," but... really?

Paula Huston

Who Won the Paula Huston Book Giveaway?

In which copies of "A Land Without Sin" are given away to two eager readers...

On Movies & Media

Grace Unremarkable

Here's another example of how Christianity Today is refusing to join the "circle the wagons" mentality of so much Christian media, and instead engaging art with critical discernment and an insistence on excellence.

Teaching

Overstreet on Tour: Nashville's Hutchmoot, Covenant College Creative Writing Class, Lee University Film Lecture

In October and November, I'll be speaking and teaching in Tennessee and Georgia. Will I see you there?

Museum Hours

What a Chipotle Commercial Has In Common With My Two Favorite Films of the Year (So Far)

Today, at Christianity Today, I have the privilege of sharing about the two movies that have moved, inspired, and impressed me most this year so far... along with a few comments about, of all things, a Chipotle commercial.

Paula Huston

Win a Free Copy of Paula Huston's New Novel: A Land Without Sin

It's easy. If you have a Facebook account, you can enter to win a copy of Paula Huston's celebrated new novel. Here's Tiny Newsman with the details...

This is Martin Bonner

A Film About Reno Without Casinos? A Film About Faith Without Preaching?

So many things make Chad Hartigan's film "This is Martin Bonner" remarkable. In my interview with this impressive young director, I focused on only a couple of things that set his sophomore effort apart from other recent films.

On Movies & Media

Constantine (2005): Remembering a movie I’d rather forget

My experience with the DC Comics character Constantine was unpleasant, at best. Some of you who were already reading my reviews back in 2005 may remember it...

Looking Elsewhere

Hi 5: Autumn Arrives, Eric Crissman Moves On

BREAKING NEWS: Summer is over and Autumn has arrived in Seattle! After an intolerable stretch of sunny days — perhaps the most relentless flood of sunshine the Emerald City has seen in decades — the clouds and rain have finally begun to move in and liberate Seattle from the conditions that confuse

Guest Review

The Sound of a Place: Guest Writer Brian Volck on Over the Rhine's New Album

I posted my own review of Over the Rhine's new album earlier this week. I could have left it that but, well, the doctor is in! And I want you to hear his own diagnosis!

Music Reviews

Meet Me At the Edge Of the World: Over the Rhine Arrives at a Place Called Home

I've been writing this review for months. I could go on writing it for months to come. But no, the time has come to tell you about the new double album from Karin Bergquist and Linford Detweiler. It's clear that changes have come. Over the Rhine's world has been turned around.

On Movies & Media

Wings of Desire's Cassiel Takes Flight: Otto Sander Dies at 72

The German actor Otto Sander died today. But he will live on in the movies he made, like the legendary submarine thriller Das Boot, and my all-time favorite film, Wim Wenders' poetic and glorious Wings of Desire.

On Movies & Media

The Late Gatsby: First Impressions

Luhrmann's films are the equivalent of opera ("popera"?), with the soaring kaleidoscopic imagery and light taking the place of soaring voices. The seventeen-layer cakeness of The Great Gatsby has a particular magic.