January 2005 - Looking Closer

January 31, 2005

It Makes The Exorcist Look Like an After-School Special

I've seen the new comic-book action film Constantine, which opens on February 18. When it...

January 28, 2005

Clint Eastwood Denies Advocating You-Know-What

I'm not going to spoil the ending to "Million Dollar Baby." But for those of...

January 28, 2005

How to Watch The Passion

Some of the best words about The Passion of the Christ that I've ever read....

January 27, 2005

Over the Rhine – Drunkard’s Prayer – March 29 – Tour!!

I've just heard from Linford Detweiler of Over the Rhine. The new album is coming...

January 25, 2005

Should Christian Critics Be Applauding Certain Oscar Contenders?

UPDATE: Okay, I admit, I posted a somewhat reactionary entry earlier after reading Barbara Nicolosi's...

January 25, 2005

Rolling Stone rolls over — takes Bible ad.

See my earlier post... ...and then check out this rather spectacular "correction."

January 25, 2005

The Secret Meaning of The Life Aquatic

Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the most surprising email I've received today. Warning:...

January 25, 2005

Oscar Abominations 2005

THE OSCAR NOMINATIONS 2005: Click here. Isn't it interesting that 1 of The Passion's three nominations...

January 25, 2005

Bowman’s blessed by Bawdy Bono

U2 tickets go on sale tomorrow. And to celebrate, let me direct you to Kate...

January 24, 2005

U2’s fan site welcomes special guest: Philip Yancey!

Bono's got good taste in books. First he becomes a big fan of Eugene Peterson's...

January 21, 2005

Clint Eastwood speaks.

Eastwood addresses the controversial conclusion of Million Dollar Baby... ...in this in-depth interview,

January 21, 2005

Rolling Stone: Scared of The Bible

Rolling Stone says they won't print an ad for the Bible because they disagree with...

January 21, 2005

Bargain-hunting for an all-region DVD player…

Last I checked, I couldn't afford an all-region DVD player. That's probably a good thing,...

January 19, 2005

Terry Gilliam Talks About Christianity

The man who guards the Bridge of Death speaks: "With Life of Brian we were...

January 19, 2005

The New Yorker meditates on Miyazaki

The genius behind such films as My Neighbor Totoro and Spirited Away is the subject...

January 19, 2005

Assault on Precinct 13 (2005)

[This review was originally published in January 2005 at Christianity Today.] - Soon after the...

January 19, 2005

The 2005 Arts and Faith Film Critics Circle Awards – Nominations are in!

For those who don't know, the Arts and Faith Film Critics Circle is a fellowship...

January 14, 2005

Is Ebert’s Memory Failing?

UPDATE: It turns out that he was thinking of a scene from "Rick," a film...

January 14, 2005

What’s a Parable?

My friend Ron Reed happened to quote writer C.H. Dodd today in offering the definition...

January 12, 2005

Dennis Quaid: Doing What Harrison Ford Failed to Do

For the last two decades, Harrison Ford has been so narrowly focused on action-hero movies...

January 09, 2005

My Favorite Albums of 2004

Here are my favorite albums of 2004.

January 07, 2005

Frederick Buechner fans … the Buechner movie is available.

Looks like the film is finished. You can even watch the first fifteen minutes online....

January 05, 2005

Million Dollar Baby Joins My 2004 Top Ten

This always happens. No sooner do I turn in my Top Ten list of 2004...

January 04, 2005

The Top Ten Books of 2004 – by John Wilson

The editor of Books and Culture, John Wilson... ...has spoken.

January 02, 2005

The hero of Hotel Rwanda has some questions for us.

If you haven't seen Hotel Rwanda, you should. When you do, read this, a message...

January 01, 2005

Buechner (2005)

[These comments were originally published in an installment of Film Forum column at Christianity Today in...