On Movies & Media

A collection of 1451 posts

On Movies & Media

"Watchmen": Five Reviews from Critics that Matter to Me (They Disagree)

Post your review, or a link to your favorite, below. Here are five from voices that matter to me: * Robert Davis * Steven D. Greydanus * Russ Breimeier * Andrew O'Hehir * Roger Ebert

On Movies & Media

Doing our due Dillinger

The names Johnny Depp and Christian Bale are almost a guarantee of a quality motion picture. The name Michael Mann just about seals the deal. And this Untouchables-flavored trailer only throws fuel on the fire. But then, these two lines have grabbed my attention: "Robbin' banks is gettin&

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-play

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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 was made

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 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

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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&

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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

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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

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

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?

Film Reviews

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.

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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

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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

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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'

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Is This Appealing?

WARNING: This trailer pertains to a Quentin Tarantino film. That is to say, it's not for the squeamish. It is a marketer's job to make a product appealing, to cultivate an appetite for what they're selling. This leads me to some questions... 1. What

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Michelle Pfeiffer has Kevin Kline Syndrome

And now for a long and rambling note about something relatively unimportant and open to debate... Reading this review of Cheri, an upcoming Stephen Frears film that stars Michelle Pfeiffer, I felt a momentary surge of hope. But I've learned not to keep that hope in check... It

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The Reviews of Steven D. Greydanus

Movie critics (and this includes me) are too easily tempted into being snarky, sarcastic, and arrogant. We rush to be the first to call things "the best" this, and "the most" that, and the ___________ of the year, and the __________ to beat in 2009, and a _____________ like

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Roger Ebert on truth-telling, religion, politics, and "The Reader"

Ebert has just published one of his most thought-provoking, personal, revealing commentaries. I hope you'll read the whole thing.

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Michael Leary on "Redeeming Films"

Michael Leary of film-think links to CT Movies' 10 Most Redeeming Films of 2008. And then he responds: ... If we want to use "redeeming" with all of its Christological force as a certain way of looking at films, then we will have to go far off the

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Al Pacino to Shout Again... as King Lear!

Director Michael Radford, who cast Al Pacino as Shylock in The Merchant of Venice, has cast him again... this time as Lear. This is interesting, since Anthony Hopkins and Ian McKellen have also played Lear within the past several months. (Remember this report from last May?)

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Casting News So Extraordinary, I'm May Not Sleep Tonight

Shusaku Endo's Silence is the most harrowing novel I've ever read (yes, even harsher than The Road), and one of the most moving and profound. I've been reading about Martin Scorsese's plans to make a film version for several years now, trying

Film Forum

The Class (2009): Looking Closer's Film Forum

I'll be reviewing The Class soon. But for now, let me encourage you to see it as soon as you can. It's one of two 2009 releases I've seen that will probably end up in my Top 10 of 2009 next December. Here'

Film Forum

Fireproof (2008): A Looking Closer Film Forum

What is Film Forum? Well, with so many film reviews published, and so little time to read them all, I make a note of any review that I find particularly thoughtful, persuasive, or worth wrestling. Be sure to check back, as I've only just begun to read reviews

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Forget the Oscars. Things are already looking "Up."

You can watch a new clip from Pixar's Up here.