On Movies & Media

Farewell to Horton Foote, screenwriter of "Tender Mercies," "To Kill a Mockingbird"

I'm a little late relaying this news, but I learned on Twitter earlier today that Horton Foote has died. In screenplays for such movies as “Tender Mercies,” “To Kill a Mockingbird” and “The Trip to Bountiful,” and in plays like “The Young Man From Atlanta” and his nine-

Overstreet's Books

Auralia Thread Update: New Title for the Gold Strand?

On Friday, I'll be turning in the (very rough) draft of the third book in The Auralia Thread. Then, my editor will plow through it and come up with many brilliant suggestions for sharpening the story for you. When she's finished, I'll go back

On Movies & Media

The Death of Satire

Novelist A.G. Harmon on satire: Have satirists all gone to film and TV? There are some candidates. The Office is a remarkable sketch of the work-a-day world, but there’s no real edge to it. However brilliant Jerry Seinfeld was, his show can’t qualify either. Nobody

U2

U2's next album is "Songs of Ascent", coming soon.

I'm actually more excited about hearing this album, due to Bono's description (which, as most U2 fans know, usually isn't, um, precise): The new disc will be called "Songs of Ascent," and it will be more mellow than the current album, "

U2

Breathe, U2 Fans. It's Here.

And just for old time's sake... my favorite five minutes of U2's history, right here:

Cyndere's Midnight

Auralia in King County's Journal Newspapers This Month

Many, many thanks to writer Cathy Herholdt, an inspired writer who has given Auralia and Cyndere a generous amount of wordage in the March editions of the Journal newspapers, which are popping up all over the King County area as we speak. Tell your friends, and pick up a copy!

Cyndere's Midnight

Auralia in King County's Journal Newspapers This Month

Many, many thanks to writer Cathy Herholdt, an inspired writer who has given Auralia and Cyndere a generous amount of wordage in the March editions of the Journal newspapers, which are popping up all over the King County area as we speak. Tell your friends, and pick up a copy!

On Movies & Media

What is "Munyurangabo"? And Why Do You Need to Know About It?

Of all the films I saw in 2008, two stood out above the rest. But neither of them are in my "Favorites of 2008" list. That's because they haven't been released yet. Since then, The Class has been released. It's showing now,

On Books & Writing

Yancey Considers Obama, MLK, and How Christians Can Influence Change

Philip Yancey on Obama and the dream of Martin Luther King: In no way do I discount the important policy differences between Obama and the majority of evangelicals. But at the least, can we use this moment for reflection and, yes, repentance for our share in the sin of racism

Sam Phillips

Browser: Never Let Them Spoil "Never Let Me Go"; Sam Phillips; Andy Warhol's Faith

Another of my favorite novels is coming to the big screen. Keira Knightley will star in Mark Romanek's adaptation of Never Let Me Go, an extraordinary science fiction novel by Kazuo Ishiguro, author or The Remains of the Day. But there's a problem here. The book

Today's Favorite

Today's Favorite: Dupery ("We're here to view the tapestries.")

What's your favorite scene of one character pulling the wool over another character's eyes in order to distract them so that he, she, or others can sneak past unnoticed? I love Fozzie Bear and Kermit the Frog posing as "The Pizza Twins" in The

U2

Andy Whitman on "No Line On the Horizon"

Here's Whitman's take on U2's No Line on the Horizon.

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

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.

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.

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

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