I’ve been told more than once now that because the Scriptures contain stories of violent revenge and conquest, and since Christ is going to come again to unleash bloody justice upon unbelievers, that perhaps I should question my objections to a movie that invites us to find pleasure in the onscreen disfigurement, dismemberment, and destruction of Nazis. So, here’s my pitch for Tarantino’s next movie: (more…) Read more
You must read Daniel Mendelsohn – ‘Inglourious Basterds’: When Jews Attack I’ve read a lot of writing about Quentin Tarantino’s new film. Some folks seem to be having a lot of fun at the movie. I wish I’d had fun. Mendelsohn sounds like he saw the same movie I saw – the film that made me feel sad and a little sick – and not the joyride that so many other people seem to have enjoyed. I’d encourage you to... Read more
Hi ho, Jeffrey the Recovering Storyteller here. It’s my first real day off since completing Raven’s Ladder. I plan to rest. Write reviews. And see movies. 500 Days of Summer and District 9, to be specific. My friend, painter Laura Lasworth, loved the first one, and blogger Mark Shea, who I encountered in the grocery store parking lot yesterday, was very impressed by the second. Can’t wait to see them both. But first, some notes… (more…) Read more
Having turned in Raven’s Ladder, I’m excited, exhausted, and eager to enjoy what little bit of summer remains. I’ve spent these beautiful months laboring over a hot laptop to finish the third book in The Auralia Thread, and I hope to read some great books and see some great films (not to mention eat great meals and spend time with great people) to re-fuel. So, here’s an assortment of news, links, and highlights from my re-entry into “the real world.”... Read more
Today’s unexpected notes from the team at Christianity Today have been a tremendous blessing to me at the end of a trying week. I am deeply grateful. And thanks to those of you who left comments for me there as well. All I ever did was ramble on, ad nauseum, about an art form that I love. That it has come to anything at all is powerful evidence, to me anyway, that there’s a creative, resourceful God in charge of... Read more
Congratulations to Image journal for twenty years of standard-setting work. In the territory where art and faith intersect, no publication has produced a more profound body of work, nor boasted such an accomplished roster of writers and artists. Check out Bearing the Mystery: Twenty Years of Image, the beautiful, “best-of”, hardbound anniversary volume. I have a copy already, signed by several great contributors. (more…) Read more
Just an FYI: Due to my present overload of writing responsibilities and other various pressures and stresses, I’ve decided to surrender my participation at CT Movies. My latest Through a Screen Darkly column, “Feasting on Films”, will be my last contribution there for the foreseeable future (although I certainly won’t close the door, as circumstances may change). (more…) Read more
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MNDlQibnoSM Yes, I am saddened by the news about director John Hughes’ sudden death of a heart attack today. He was only 59, and might have had a comeback in him. I would have welcomed that. Some of his films were creative, hilarious, and even unusually thoughtful for pop comedies. (more…) Read more
At this point in his career, what’s left for Bob Dylan? (more…) Read more
[Update January 2013: This review was originally published when the film opened in May 2000, at The Phantom Tollbooth. I remember watching in dismay as my prediction at the end of this review came true. I’ve seen the film a couple of times since then, and my opinion of it has not changed. I explored it further, with less snark, in Through a Screen Darkly.] – Gladiator, one of the summer’s surefire blockbusters, has arrived. And people are going to love it.... Read more
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