Overstreet Archives

A collection of 31 posts

Interviews

From the archives: a conversation with Don and Karen Peris of The Innocence Mission

Look what I found! An interview with one of my favorite bands that is now (checks notes) almost 25 years old.

Netflix

It's not too late: Ava DuVernay's 13th is shock treatment for America's conscience

From the Looking Closer Archives: Here's my original review of Ava Duvernay's astonishing Netflix documentary, which I originally wrote for Christianity Today.

Alex Garland

In 2003, 28 Days Later revitalized a genre, cautioned us about viruses and rage, and divided Christian film critics

From the archives at Looking Closer, here's my original review of 28 Days Later, along with reactions from critics I quoted in my Film Forum column at that time.

Silence

Silence According to Scorsese: an interview from the Looking Closer archives

As Fr. James Martin has just published a new interview with Martin Scorsese about his faith, I thought it a good time to revisit my own 2017 conversation with the director of Silence.

Steve McQueen

Only twelve years ago, 12 Years a Slave won Best Picture at the Oscars

My notes on this film were originally published at Looking Closer on November 2, 2013. It's time to republish them.

Satire

Galaxy Quest (1999)

More than a quarter-century later, this Star Trek spoof remains a gold standard for sci-fi satire. With the announcement of a new Star Wars spoof, maybe it's time to remember what's possible

Harvey Weinstein

All the Pretty Horses (2000)

For 25 years, I've wanted to see a movie that Harvey Weinstein destroyed. Here are my original notes on the wreckage of Billy Bob Thornton's Cormac McCarthy adaptation, and dismaying footnote.

Django Unchained

Blaze of Gory: Overstreet's Christianity Today commentary on Django Unchained

One from the archive: Here's the commentary that Christianity Today editors asked me to write in 2013.

J.J. Abrams

10 Cloverfield Lane (2016)

From the archives at LookingCloser.org, here's my original 2016 review of a thriller that I saw on a memorably surprising night as I celebrated my completion of my MFA in creative writing.

Pixar

The Incredibles: my original review, annotated

Coffee and Cigarettes

Still buzzing: Twenty years of Coffee & Cigarettes

Halle Berry

Worst superhero movie of all time? Twenty years later, Catwoman's still a candidate.

Andrew Adamson

Shrek 2 — still trolling the trolls two decades later

Wolfgang Petersen

Twenty years ago, Brad Pitt's Achilles fought Eric Bana's Hector. And we all lost.

Overstreet Archives

The 20th anniversary of the Looking Closer journal

Hellboy

What do you do when you're a Hellboy fan and you're assigned to write about it for readers of Christianity Today?

Coen Brothers

The Ladykillers — revisiting the Coens' first remake 20 years later

Overstreet Archives

20 Years of Eternal Sunshine: Part Two: My original review.

Interviews

20 Years of Eternal Sunshine: Part One: The Day I Met Charlie Kaufman and Michel Gondry

Steven Spielberg

Indiana Jones and the Fall of My Favorite Hero

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

Overstreet Archives: Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)

In 2003, I approached Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl with trepidation. The movie caught me by surprise. Below, I'll restore my original Looking Closer review to this site — it's been missing for many years. At the time, I was writing my

On Movies & Media

Overstreet Archives: Margot at the Wedding (2007)

Once in a while, I stumble onto a review that was published in another journal that I never included in my Looking Closer archive. So here, for the first time on this site, is my original holiday-season review of a film from writer and director Noah Baumbah called Margot at

Film Review

Overstreet Archives: A Very Long Engagement (2004)

A blast from the past: Here's my original review of Jean-Pierre Jeunet's World War One epic.

Adam McKay

Overstreet Archives: Anchorman (2004)

Digging back into the archives, we've discovered evidence that I reviewed Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy for Christianity Today on its opening weekend.