Film Review Barbie, Pt. 2: Action figures, their accessories, and me In Part Two of my Barbie coverage, I establish some necessary context for my upcoming film review. My history with toy trends is a story of formative influences: Barbies for girls, armed men for boys.
Film Review Barbie, Pt. 1: While frightened men burn dolls, Christian women rave about Barbie's wisdom Greta Gerwig's brilliant blockbuster gets us laughing at the absurdity of real-world hierarchies (including injustices often reinforced in Christian circles to the harm of everyone involved).
Film Review Was Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer inspired by Raiders of the Lost Ark? Christopher Nolan seems to be remaking Steven Spielberg's "Raiders of the Lost Ark" in this profound meditation on America's self-righteous obsession with coercive violence and apocalyptic firepower.
On Movies & Media A scorecard for Star Wars: Visions — Season 2 A quick review of my personal Star Wars history and notes on this new animated series, which has a few delightful surprises... and a whole lot of storytelling that might've been ChatGPT'd.
Film Review Showing Up (2023) Kelly Reichardt's latest depicts the day-to-day challenges of artmaking with such truthfulness that artists may find it almost too familiar.
Film Review Peter Pan and Wendy (2023) David Lowery's "Peter Pan and Wendy" gives us a glimpse of the unconventionally meditative and innovative adaptation that might have been. But what it actually is? That might well be the result of studio interference, judging from these strangely incoherent results.
Film Review Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. (2023) Most people missed the long-awaited adaptation of "Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret." in the theater. That's a shame, as it's one of 2023's most enjoyable films so far.
Film Review They Cloned Tyrone (2023) The new Netflix sci-fi comedy features John Boyega and Jamie Foxx in their best performances in years.
Film Review Rye Lane (2023) This rom-com from newcomer Raine Allen Miller just might be the meet-cutest film of the year.
Film Review Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning (2023) Here's a preview of Overstreet's thoughts on the latest Mission: Impossible movie.
Film Review The Balcony Movie (2022) Pawel Łoziński offers us the privilege of meeting his neighbors in a documentary full of chance encounters and surprises.
Film Review How to Blow Up a Pipeline (2023) Daniel Goldhaber's film about desperate measures for desperate times is one of the year's most critically acclaimed films, and it's now available for rental on AppleTV+ and other streaming platforms.
Film Review Return to Seoul (2023) If we don't know the context we came from, or the biology from which we were born, we might face particular challenges in figuring out who we are. That's the idea that drives Freddie on an erratic journey of self-discovery and reinvention in this riveting film.
Film Review All the Beauty and the Bloodshed (2023) This Oscar-nominated documentary exposes corporate cruelty from a voice of experience and a heart of compassion.
Film Review Overstreet Archives: Jonah: A VeggieTales Movie (2002) A flashback to a curious moment at the crossroads of Christianity and the big screen: a VeggieTales movie that actually scored "fresh" on... wait for it... Rotten Tomatoes.
Film Review The Quiet Girl (2023) No, this isn't about a girl who doesn't speak. Cáit has plenty to say throughout. This is, instead, a movie about the extraordinary power of people who have the patience and generosity to listen — to the soft-spoken, the uncertain, and the insecure.
On Movies & Media Overstreet's Favorite Films of 2022 — Part Three: The Top Ten The day has finally come — I've seen enough films from 2022, and spent enough time reading about them, talking about them with thoughtful moviegoers, and writing about them that I'm ready to post my favorite films of 2022. (Just in time for the Oscars!)
On Movies & Media Overstreet’s Favorite Films of 2022 — Part Two: Top-Ten-Worthy Runners-Up This list of fifteen more represents all of the movies that I cannot believe I’m not including in my final Top Ten list.
On Movies & Media Overstreet's Favorite Films of 2022 — Part One: Honorable Mentions The Academy Awards are about to hand out a bunch of Oscars, and they're going to throw around the term "best" a lot. That's a relatively meaningless term. I want to know about the films that moved and inspired you. Here's Part One of a three-part post on my own favorite films of 2022.
Film Review Is this the "best first film" for very young children? This Oscar-nominated animated short is a rare wonder that will likely become an early-childhood treasure for young viewers and families.
Film Review Living (2023) The great Bill Nighy is masterful in a strangely simplified adaptation of "Ikiru."
Film Review Twas the season of "comfort food" movies... A flashback to the '80s: Here's a new reflection on a "comfort food" movie worth revisiting during the holidays.
Film Review Overstreet Archives: The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992) Ten years ago, I wrote about The Muppet Christmas Carol for another website, marking the film's 20th anniversary. Here, at the film's 30th anniversary, I'm bringing that review to Looking Closer.
Film Review The Wonder (2022) On the week that I watched The Wonder , I had a challenging encounter with a stranger that brought the movie's central tension vividly to mind. It seems that the best way I can highlight my admiration for the movie is to share my experience alongside my review.
On Books & Writing All-Stars: Steven D. Greydanus and 20+ years of extraordinary writing on film Star-gazing again, I'm pointing to one of the brightest in the cosmos of criticism: Steven D. Greydanus. I'd be hard-pressed to think of a critic who has had a more consistently inspiring influence on me over the last 20 years of my engagement with film and with film essays.
