Christianity Today - Jeffrey Overstreet

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Christianity Today

A collection of 17 posts

Agent Cooper goes to pieces

Agent Cooper goes to pieces

David Lynch’s cult-classic revival is exactly as imaginative—and as discomforting—as it always needed to be.

On Movies & Media

Guns and nukes are for cowards

Last week, I introduced Of Gods and Men to the high schoolers in my online film class. After we watched it, we wrestled with hard questions about how these monks chose to answer the threat of terrorism. One of them surprised me with his answer — boldly disagreeing with Roger Ebert

Arrival (2016)

Reader, I confess: I clicked “unfriend” last month. Several times. Understand, I wasn’t ending friendships. I was respecting them — by refusing to let Facebook’s limitations do them further harm. It troubled me to see conversations we might have enjoyed in person go so horribly awry on social media.

Doctor Strange (2016)

It’s easy to see why director Scott Derrickson’s adaptation for the Marvel movie super-franchise is such a success. First: Marvel is a machine that makes blockbusters. Second: Strange boasts standard-setting special effects. (Many say it’s inspired by Inception, but its wildest moments have equivalents in comics that

On Movies & Media

Are the Coen Brothers "filmmakers of faith"?

Last weekend, I accepted an invitation to St. Leo University near Tampa, Florida, to participate in a public discussion about — of all things — the movies of the Coen brothers. Brent Short, the school’s director of library services, organized this seminar, and we were joined by Erica Rowell (author of

On Movies & Media

How to Prepare for Scorsese's Silence...

A Man for All Seasons gives us Paul Scofield’s finest hour. As he sinks his teeth into Bolt’s delicious dialogue, I defy anyone to remain unmoved. I recommend we prepare for Martin Scorsese’s adaptation of Shusaku Endo's Silence by revisiting this classic. Directed by Fred

On Movies & Media

Before you vote, watch Vertigo...

The way that Vertigo shifts our sympathies from Detective Scottie Ferguson to Judy, his victim, convinces me that it’s as timely as ever. Oceans of ink have been spilled in the last few weeks on subjects like sexism, misogyny, and sexual assault. Last week, when recordings revealed a presidential

On Movies & Media

The movie I most frequently loan out to friends...

You try walking across Seattle alone. At night. Barefoot. My college roommate did all the time. I didn't understand it, just as I didn’t understand his quiet demeanor, his watchfulness from the edges, or his aversion to typical college-life distractions. His after-dark disappearances intrigued me. So I

You're invited to a weekly movie club...

What a rush. From 2001 – 2009, I wrote the "Film Forum" column for Christianity Today and served on the CT Movies team of film critics, publishing weekly reviews. Then, as my day job became increasingly demanding, my resources for writing began to diminish, and I had to give

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!

The Christian Message of David Fincher's Gone Girl . . . (Not Really)

On Movies & Media

The Christian Message of David Fincher's Gone Girl . . . (Not Really)

One of my favorite writers on the subject of art, faith, and culture — Alissa Wilkinson — has seen "Gone Girl," the new film by David Fincher. Let's ask her: "What's the message of the movie?"

Dead Poets Society (1989)

Dead Poets Society (1989)

Alissa Wilkinson, chief film critic for Christianity Today, asked me if I've ever changed my mind about a movie... and would I write about that? So I'm asking you. What's a movie you loved the first time, or hated the first time, and then