I had a remarkable encounter at my neighborhood's best coffee shop: Hotwire Online Coffeehouse.Hotwire sells copies of Auralia's Colors (God bless them!) And this morning, a woman who had purchased a copy asked me to sign her book for her as-yet-unborn daughter.Wow.Even more interesting: She'd already decided to name her daughter Aurelia.But after she finished the book, she changed the spelling of the name to match my character... Auralia.Good heavens.I hope little … [Read more...]
Introducing… The Curator!
August 29, 2008 by
Ladies and gentlemen... The Curator, an adventurous foray into examinations of art and culture, courtesy of the International Arts Movement, with my friend Alissa Wilkinson at the helm! The Curator is a web publication of International Arts Movement (IAM), which announces the signs of a ‚Äúworld that ought to be‚Äù as we find it in our midst, and seeks to inspire people to engage deeply with culture that enriches life and broadens experience.In keeping with IAM‚Äôs belief that artistic excel … [Read more...]
Browser, 8/24: Ebert on China; Stillman Still Winning Fans; A True Champion; Faith-Bashing on the Big-Screen
August 24, 2008 by
ROGER EBERT GIVES CHINA'S OLYMPICS A BIG THUMB'S UP Yes, there are criticisms to be made. China, like all nations, is far from perfect. Our Bill of Rights would create an upheaval in their society. There are all the stories about the "fakery" of the Olympics opening ceremony. True, but the ceremony was showbiz, which since time immemorial has shown us what cannot be. The amazing aspect is that so many aspects of the "fakery" were so quickly revealed, and no one lost his head because of treason. … [Read more...]
Norris Returns With “Acedia and Me”
August 21, 2008 by
Kathleen Norris's new book, Acedia and Me, is coming in just a few weeks.A new book by Norris is always a reason to celebrate, and I can't wait to get my hands on a copy of this one. I ordered mine from Eighth Day Books.Publisher's Weekly's Starred Review: … [Read more...]
Greydanus on “Brideshead Revisited”
August 20, 2008 by
I just realized that Steven Greydanus reviewed Brideshead Revisited, and somehow I missed it. He knows the book, and he gives the movie a lashing. Brideshead Revisited, directed by Julian Jarrold (Becoming Jane) from a screenplay by Jeremy Brock (The Last King of Scotland) and Andrew Davies (Bridget Jones‚Äôs Diary), gets a few things right. The allure of the opulent elegance of Brideshead (York‚Äôs Castle Howard, as in the miniseries) for middle-class artist Charles Ryder (Matthew Goode, Match … [Read more...]
Today’s Favorite – Spooky Places, Memorable Pubs
August 20, 2008 by
This weekend, I discovered a journal that I kept in college. In those pages, I wrote brief descriptions of my favorite big-screen moments, much the way the critics who write for FilmComment have done in their annual year-end issue.It was inspiring to read back through pages of pages of great moments from movies that range from great to disposable.I was inspired to spend more time inquiring about your own favorite moments.So, from time to time I'm going to post "Today's Favorite", and … [Read more...]
Film Forum: Tropic Thunder, Transsiberian, Star Wars – The Clone Wars
August 19, 2008 by
This is collection of reviews that I found interesting and helpful. The collection will be revised as I find more notable assessments online. Feel free to submit more reviews, or even your own, in the comments below.TROPIC THUNDERAnthony Lane - New Yorker: After the dazzle of the early scenes, something droops and flags in Tropic Thunder. ... As a jab at the movie business, Tropic Thunder is flailing and unfocussed, hardly in the league of The Player, and if you want an expos√© of the c … [Read more...]
A Fantastic New Film Blog: Daily Plastic
August 19, 2008 by
What could be better than a blog by Paste's chief film critic Robert Davis? … [Read more...]
The Faith of the Author of “The Assassination of Jessie James by the Coward Robert Ford” (I love prepositional phrases!)
August 17, 2008 by
An interview with Ron Hansen, the acclaimed novelist who wrote Mariette in Ecstasy and The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, has just been posted at The Christian Century.Hansen's work has also been published in Image.(H/T to Darrel Manson for the link.) … [Read more...]
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