"Christian" Entertainment - Jeffrey Overstreet

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"Christian" Entertainment

A collection of 15 posts

Weekender: Fourth Weekend in January — Dark on Power of the Dog; Wilford on Licorice Pizza

Weekender: Fourth Weekend in January — Dark on Power of the Dog; Wilford on Licorice Pizza

After a few "Weekenders" away, here are a few highlights from the last few weeks.

Praising Paul, Apostle of Christ

On Movies & Media

Praising Paul, Apostle of Christ

Justin Chang and Steven Greydanus are impressed with "Paul, Apostle of Christ."

Movie's Not Christian — and Vox's Not Dead

On Movies & Media

Movie's Not Christian — and Vox's Not Dead

God's Not Dead, but he sure is misrepresented! Here's Alissa Wilkinson on just how misguided this series of films really is.

On Movies & Media

Concussion: another Christian football movie?

Facing the Giants, When the Game Stands Tall, Woodlawn ... ...Concussion? I've been hopeful about Concussion. It's a film about a problem that I care about very deeply. But I certainly didn't anticipate what I recently read about it in The New Yorker. Ian Crouch

Woodlawn: A step in the right direction?

On Movies & Media

Woodlawn: A step in the right direction?

So I've already received one note from a fan of so-called "Christian movies" who pointed to some positive reviews of Woodlawn in the mainstream press, and who then implied that this negates my protests about the Christian movie industry. (The Rotten Tomatoes "score" — which

War Room (2015): A guest commentary by Anonymous

War Room (2015): A guest commentary by Anonymous

The following post-viewing commentary on War Room was submitted by a Looking Closer reader and a Christian friend whose passion for excellence in the arts is an inspiration to many. And he has an incisive sense of humor. You've been warned. I'm honoring this friend'

Simone Weil on pagan mythology

Simone Weil on pagan mythology

Here's Simone Weil writing — in Waiting for God — on how, by resisting Christ in her pursuit of the truth, she came to realize that he is the truth waiting for her within everything — even pagan mythology: ...After this I came to feel that Plato was a mystic, that

War Room (2015): A Looking Closer Film Forum

War Room (2015): A Looking Closer Film Forum

When War Room, the latest movie by the Kendrick brothers (who also made Facing the Giants), scored the #1 spot at the box office — on a very weak moviegoing weekend, with little in the way of competition — the film's media campaign became celebratory, as if this was some

The "Most Christian" Movie of the Year?

In Selma — and I'm pretty sure about this — there is more gospel quoted, more gospel celebrated, more gospel embraced and openly lived out than in any so-called "Christian movie" released in 2014. (Except the one that was, you know, a Jesus movie.)

Saving Christmas (2014): A Looking Closer Film Forum

Saving Christmas (2014): A Looking Closer Film Forum

Featuring a guest review by my new friend N. D. Wilson, author of Boys of Blur, Death by Living, 100 Cupboards, and more.

Ragamuffin (2014) - A Guest Review by Martin Stillion

Ragamuffin (2014) - A Guest Review by Martin Stillion

"... if the goal of Ragamuffin is to get viewers to reconsider the life and music of Mullins, who’s been dead these seventeen years ... : I have some of his stuff playing on YouTube right now. If the goal was for the film to be a work of art in itself, then there’s a lot more work to be done."

Well-Made Movies Won't Be... Left Behind

On Movies & Media

Well-Made Movies Won't Be... Left Behind

Today, Matt Zoller Seitz, editor of RogerEbert.com, defended The Good Lie, a movie in which the central characters are Christians, as "a good movie." Why did he feel the need to defend it? Well, the success of The Blind Side inspired some backlash — opposition to movies in

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!

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

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.