Auralia's Colors

"Auralia's Colors" ... in Dutch!

De kleuren van Auralia is here. I'm trying not to take it personally that it's described as a "Schitterend fantasy-boek." (What exactly does that mean?) UPDATE: Anne and I have plane tickets to Amsterdam in hand. In April, we will indeed be boarding my

On Movies & Media

NPR: "The New Christian Film Industry!" Christianity Today: "Make It Stop!"

NPR recently ran a story about the (supposedly) exciting new "Christian movie industry." The story contained this quote: "I think we're going to see significant production houses that will be funding $200 million films done by Christians," he predicts. "We're going

U2

Andy Whitman on U2's "Really Good Non-Reinvention"

Josh Hurst hosts a U2 love-in. Meanwhile, at artsandfaith.com, Andy Whitman of Paste, who is working on his review of the new album, lets this slip: Don't believe the hype. This is not U2's best album, but it is a really good non-reinvention. I think

On Movies & Media

An Enemy of Serious Film Criticism?

Here's Brett McCracken on Movieguide's ongoing campaigns of preposterous "film criticism." Earlier, Mark Moring's post at CT... in which the comments became lively, especially when Movieguide's Tom Snyder showed up to call Moring's post "a silly article&

On Songs & Albums

Buddy Miller Update

From Buddy Miller's MySpace page: Statement Regarding Buddy's HealthFollowing his show in Baltimore last Thursday evening, Buddy Miller was not feeling well. After consulting doctors at Johns Hopkins Hospital, tests revealed some heart blockage. It was determined that surgery was needed right away. He is now

On Movies & Media

Farewell to New Yorker Films

Man oh man, do I have a case of the Monday morning blues. More bad news for Americans who love to see great cinematic art. profile

On Movies & Media

I'd like to thank the Academy. For inspiring me to watch something else.

Tonight, every seat in my living room was full of movie fans. We had good food, good drinks, and an amazing chocolate-raspberry pie. But you know what we didn't do? We did not watch the Oscars. Nope. Hey, I hear that the show was better than usual. Glad

Buddy Miller

Buddy Miller's Emergency Surgery

Thanks to Josh Hurst for the news. It sounds like we should all say a prayer for Buddy Miller, and I'm sure we should pray for Julie too. Evidently, he's recovering from a heart attack and emergency surgery. http://www.tennessean.com/article/20090221/TUNEIN02/90221022/

On Movies & Media

Your Oscar Speech

Tonight, the millions who tune in to the Oscars will hear dozens of short speeches. A few people who have been blessed with incredible opportunities to do what they do best will go to the microphone, blink back tears, and thank the people who helped them do their work. While

U2

Your First Impressions of U2's New Album

While I'm waiting until March 3 so I can have my little U2 album-unwrapping ritual, I'd love to hear from you. Now that there's a way to hear the album early legally and with the band's blessing, what do you think of

Oscars

Oscar predictions... With a Twist

Here are a few of my Oscar predictions, just for the fun of it. Note: These guesses are almost completely divorced from what I think should win this year. I won't bother with a full line of predictions because, frankly, I really don't care. The Academy

On Movies & Media

UPDATE: Christianity Today Critiques Movieguide's "Hollywood Stimulus Plan"

In a display of uncharacteristically poor judgment, The Wall Street Journal has published the "Report to the Industry" by Movieguide's Ted Baehr and Tom Snyder. Did the editors there actually read the flimsy claims being made? Film enthusiasts and critics everywhere, Christian and otherwise, went... huh?

Roger Ebert

Ebert thinks back on his days with Gene Siskel

Ebert turns in a thoughtful remembrance of Gene Siskel. That night we had dinner together in a hotel in Cambridge, and had our longest and deepest philosophical discussion. We talked about life and death, the cosmos, our place in the grand scheme of things, the meaning of it all. There

On Movies & Media

Let the Right One In (2008)

This review was originally published at Good Letters, the daily blog for Image journal. • NOTE: The following (including the comment thread) contains spoilers about scenes in the film Let the Right One In. • Blood on her lips, eyes wide with lust, Eli stares at Oskar and commands him to run.

Michael Leary

Browser: Conan vs. Colbert. Peterson and Leary on "The Wrestler"

1. Stephen Colbert and Conan O'Brien have a dance off! 2. At The Rabbit Room, Pete Peterson praises The Wrestler. Earlier: Michael Leary has a problem with The Wrestler.

The Art of Adaptation

"Life of Pi" interests yet another talented director

First it was Jean-Pierre Jeunet. Then it was M. Night Shyamalan. Now, Variety reports, Ang Lee is considering Yann Martel's Life of Pi. Have you read it? Which director would you pick? It'll take someone with a poetic sensibility and a flair for fantasy. I'

The Passion of the Christ

Browser: Passion of the Rourke. Horton Hears Ken Morefield. Decemberists. Frost/Nixon nixed. Milk of Sorrow. Leonard Cohen. Laura Gibson.

1. A.G. Harmon on The Wrestler and its reference to The Passion of the Christ. 2. Ken Morefield on where Horton Hears a Who went wrong. Earlier: My own problems with that playful pachyderm.. 3. Frost/Nixon could have been done right, says Rick Olson. They carry it through

There Will Be Blood

Nothing Compares to You

Cinematical posted this scene today, and I'm going to post it merely to demonstrate that there is nothing... nothing... in Oscar's Best Picture category this year  to compare to the acting, complexity, and achievement of Paul Thomas Anderson's There Will Be Blood. Still one

The Auralia Thread

Robert Treskillard's Interview, and the CCSF Tour

Robert Treskillard, one of the bloggers for the CCSF Blog Tour, carried on an interview with me via email over the last several days, and today that interview is published on his site. Thanks for the thoughtful questions, Robert! More reviews are popping up here: Brandon Barr Keanan Brand Rachel

On Movies & Media

Today's favorite: Reunion Scenes

I once experienced a reunion that left me absolutely speechless. I was working in a video store when I got to know an interesting young couple. Regularly, they'd visit the store and ask, "So, Jeff, what should we watch tonight?" I'd recommend something, and

Overstreet's Books

CCSF Blog Tour Reads "Cyndere's Midnight"

Many thanks to the bloggers of the CCSF Blog Tour who are commenting this week on Cyndere's Midnight, the sequel to Auralia's Colors! I've already participated in several email interviews for this tour, and I'm delighted to find that some of the

U2

Behind the Scenes with Bono: Rock, Politics, Poverty... and His Christian Faith

Believe it or not, I still hear Christians who declare that Bono isn't a believer. In spite of his testimonies in public, in print, in music, and in deed. And here he is again, in a monster of an article about the band and its singer, talking about

U2

New Zoo Reviews: U2's "No Line on the Horizon"

Even the haters would have to admit: This is a pretty cool story. Yeah, the hype for U2's upcoming album has come to a boil. But is this just "hype"? Check out these reviews... The Guardian: No Line on the Horizon It starts out blustery and

On Movies & Media

Need a Date Movie for Valentine's Day?

Today I was a guest on the radio program "Along the Way." We discussed Christianity Today Movies' "Most Redeeming Films of 2008." But I was also asked to recommend some romantic movies for Valentine's Day. We didn't have time to discuss

On Movies & Media

How Will You Respond to Joaquin Phoenix?

Everybody and their cousin is posting the video of Joaquin Phoenix's appearance on The Late Show with David Letterman, in which the actor behaved very strangely, and the whole world suddenly erupted in expressions of sadness and concern for the actor. Sigh. Here we go again. Weren'