Jeffrey Overstreet (Page 86)

100 film critics polled... and "Slumdog Millionaire" isn't in the top 10.

indieWIRE's annual poll of 100 American film critics has resulted in a very exciting list, one that's jam-packed with films I admired this year. I'm not among the many fans of Slumdog Millionaire, so I'm pleased to see that so many other

U2

Browser - "Snowpocalypse" edition: Over the Rhine, U2, WALL-E, Sam Phillips

Merry Christmas, everybody! I've just returned from Cincinnati, where I joined about 2,500 friends to celebrate Over the Rhine's 20th anniversary. We enjoyed three days of concerts, the reunion of Over the Rhine's original lineup, and music spanning their whole career. I'

Overstreet's Books

Hello, Cincinnati! And Happy 20th Anniversary, Over the Rhine!

I'm arriving in Cincinnati tomorrow afternoon. It'll be my first visit there, and I couldn't be more excited about attending ALL THREE 20th anniversary concerts for Over the Rhine this weekend. If you're going to be there, let me know. Maybe we

U2

U2's "No Line on the Horizon" arrives March 3.

The Washington Post: The quartet's 12th studio album was originally expected to be released by the end of this year, but the band announced in September that it would keep writing more tunes. Recording took place in Morocco, Dublin, New York and London. Interscope Records will release "

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What's Your Favorite Movie Poster of 2008?

I'm a big fan of movie posters. I surround myself with them at the office, and I have dozens at home as well. My favorites are the original Raiders of the Lost Ark poster, which hangs above the DVD collection, the original poster for The Dark Crystal, which

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"The Tale of Despereaux": Read the Book. (Don't Wait for the Movie.)

My review of The Tale of Despereaux is coming to Christianity Today Movies next Friday. For now, I'll just say this: Read the book before you see the movie. Please. Pretty please. You'll thank me for it. It's one of those classic books like

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"Sexiest Man Alive" to host Oscars

Story here. I was hoping for Eddie Izzard. Or Stephen Colbert. Or John Stewart again. Oh well. Now I know that my wife will watch the Oscars with me, for a change.

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Doubt (2008)

[This article comparing and contrasting Doubt and Frost/Nixon was originally published at Image.] • Be sure you get tickets for two of this month's new releases: Frost/Nixon and Doubt. Both films were adapted from celebrated stage plays by their original playwrights. Both are dramatic, intense, and powerfully

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Frost/Nixon (2008)

[This article comparing and contrasting Frost/Nixon and Doubt was first published at Image.] • Be sure you get tickets for two of this month's new releases: Frost/Nixon and Doubt. Both films were adapted from celebrated stage plays by their original playwrights. Both are dramatic, intense, and powerfully

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Frost vs. Nixon vs. Sister Aloysius

My comments on Frost/Nixon and Doubt are up at Image. An expanded version of this entry will be posted here soon.

Be inspired!

I am trying to complete Cal-raven's Ladder, which is a sort of Pilgrim's Progress tale alongside an exodus story, without any "inspirational speech to the people scene." There have just been too many of those scenes in adventure and fantasy films. Having said that,

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The Ballad of Jack and Rose (2005)

A review by Jeffrey Overstreet ● Writer / Director - Rebecca Miller; Director of photography - Ellen Kuras; Editor - Sabine Hoffman; Production designer - Mark Ricker; Producer - Lemore Syvan. STARRING: Daniel Day-Lewis (Jack Slavin), Camilla Belle (Rose Slavin), Catherine Keener (Kathleen), Paul Dano (Thaddius), Ryan McDonald (Rodney), Jena Malone (Red

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Babe: Pig in the City (1998)

Who would have guessed that the sequel to an adorable, perfect family film would become not only an existential classic, but a triumph of design, characterization, surrealism, and — for some moviegoers, including me — one of the best films of 1998? Babe: Pig in the City confounded, and quickly surpassed, my

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The Aviator (2004)

Why did Howard Hughes lose his mind? Perhaps it was caused by the long hours that he spent editing his own movies in that darkened, private screening room. Hughes sat watching the reels of his multi-million dollar movie Hell's Angels over and over and over again, ruthlessly seeking

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Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001)

When you were a kid, what did you like about Disney animated movies? Me, I didn't care whether or not the animation was photo-realistic, nor did I care much about whether or not the voices were provided by celebrities. I was interested in the imagination of the drawings,

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Atanarjuat — The Fast Runner (2001)

Atanarjuat takes you to a place you've never been, but its dramatic story has the timelessness of an Old Testament tale. The cast will convince you that they are genuine Inuit natives that have spent their lives in igloos north of the Arctic Circle. The naturalistic sets, the

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Army of Shadows (1969)

[This capsule review was posted in 2006 when the film received a U.S. theatrical release.] • Try to imagine what it would have been like if Robert Bresson had directed Steven Spielberg's Munich. If you can manage that, you'll have a pretty good grasp of what

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The Apostle (1997)

This review was originally published at Green Lake Reflections, the arts-review branch of a Green Lake Presbyterian Church's website, in 1997. It has since been edited and revised. ● In The Apostle, his directorial debut, Robert Duvall gives what is arguably 1997's best performance by an actor.

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Apocalypse Now Redux (2001)

[This review was originally published at Looking Closer in 2001 on the occasion of this film's release.] • Capt. Lt. Gen. R. Corman (G.D. Spradlin) The most critically acclaimed movie of the 2001 was made 22 years ago. Francis Ford Coppola's Apocalypse Now (1979) stands on

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The Anniversary Party (2001)

A review by Jeffrey Overstreet ● Writer / Director - Jennifer Jason Leigh and Alan Cumming Director of photography - John Bailey Editor - Carol Littleton and Suzanne Spangler Music - Michael Penn Producers - Joanne Sellar, Alan Cumming and Jennifer Jason Leigh Fine Line Features. 115 minutes. Rated R for profanity

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Anger Management (2003)

I was interested to see what Adam Sandler did to follow-up one of my favorite films of last year - Punch-drunk Love. Director Paul Thomas Anderson perceived a real actor behind Sandler's usual lowbrow-comedy shenanigans. Together they delivered the most original and exciting romantic comedy since When Harry

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Amistad (1997)

It's probably politically incorrect for me to do anything but praise Amistad. After all, it is one of the boldest cinematic portrayals of the plight of American slaves ever filmed. And it was directed by Steven Spielberg, who crafted such a memorable memorial to the victims of the

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Hope for Where We're Going: An interview with Louis Schwartzberg

Filmmaker Louis Schwartzberg talks with Jeffrey Overstreet about America's Heart and Soul, his greatest teacher, and a story that he unfortunately had to cut from the film.

America's Heart and Soul

Hope for Where We're Going: An Interview with Louis Schwartzberg

Filmmaker Louis Schwartzberg has collected 25 interviews with memorable, remarkable Americans and sewn it together in an array of breathtaking cinematography to inspire us with a vision of dedication, determination, and imagination. Click here for Jeffrey's review of America's Heart and Soul. Jeffrey Overstreet: First of

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First Word on "The Day the Earth Stood Still"

ComingSoon.net offers a review of Scott Derrickson's The Day the Earth Stood Still! The results are extremely relevant and timely, possibly even as much or more than it was 57 years ago. These days, humans aren't just destroying each other with violence and warfare, but