Y Tu Mama Tambien is being hyped as a “teen movie” for the arthouse crowd. Having seen it, I can say this without any doubt: while it is about teenagers, it is definitely not for teenagers. This is serious, and dangerous, artmaking — a story of two adolescent boys whose journey of sexual recklessness becomes a metaphor for political corruption in Mexico. The film contains some extremely explicit scenes of their lustful misbehavior. And while I think it goes too... Read more
David P. Gushee at Christianity Today considers “Our Teachable Moment.” This month the President will receive reports from commanders in the field about whether the troop surge in Iraq is accomplishing its goals. Until now, he has resisted calls to reconsider his strategy or to begin a withdrawal, despite eroding public support for the war. Such deep public distress about the war makes this a teachable moment for all of us, as Christians and as Americans. It’s not enough to... Read more
Here it is, the first show of a new monthly podcast from The Kindlings Muse: A conversation between Dick Staub, Greg Wright, Jennie Spohr, and me about the best films we’ve seen in recent months, and the most exciting new DVD releases. (more…) Read more
Tonight Anne and I read through the contract, line by line, for Books Three and Four of “The Auralia Thread.” And then we signed it. This is so hard to believe. Auralia has her epic. Many, many thanks to Lee Hough, my agent, Shannon Hill and everybody at WaterBrook, and to all of you who are making Auralia’s Colors “a contender.” For years, I wondered if I’d ever get the chance to shift from focusing on other people’s stories here... Read more
Darren Hughes calls Secret Sunshine “the truest depiction of evangelical Christianity I’ve seen on film.” Victor Morton doesn’t quite agree. (You have to scroll down for his review.) And J. Robert Parks has mixed feelings about it. … GreenCine Daily has even more reviews of the film from Toronto and from Cannes. Read more
(Photo posted at http://www.flickr.com/photos/perplemaggie/.) CAN YOU HEAR ME? I CAN’T HEAR MYSELF! MY EARS ARE RINGING, AFTER MORE THAN THREE HOURS OF STANDING NEAR THE FRONT OF A WILD-AND-CRAZY CROWD WHILE THREE LOUD, LOUD BANDS ROARED THEMSELVES HOARSE: GOSSIP, LCD SOUNDSYSTEM, AND THE ARCADE FIRE! MOSHING IS SO 1994, BUT APPARENTLY NOBODY’S NOTICED!! I’M EXHAUSTED!! TERRIBLE WALL-OF-SOUND ACOUSTICS!! EARSPLITTING FEEDBACK!! AND THEN THE ARCADE FIRE’S TSUNAMI OF NOISE!! BUT ARCADE FIRE MADE IT OH-SO-WORTH IT!! SET LIST: BLACK MIRROR /... Read more
It’s not hard to see who’s happiest about being included in this family photo! (Photo from Hollywood Elsewhere, where Jeffrey Wells is doing the usual… condemning a film that isn’t even finished yet.) Read more
By the beard of Gandalf, the battle between New Line and Peter Jackson has taken a dramatic turn… Whether this is good news or bad news for those hoping to see Jackson direct The Hobbit, it’s hard to say. But it probably does mean that the movie is not going to happen anytime soon. And the more years that pass, the less likely it is that we’ll see Ian Holm in the title role. (Since we’re told that Bilbo did... Read more
Good for TIME Magazine. The odd thing about Hitchens’ attack is not that he assaults an ailing icon — that’s both his specialty and his right — but that the evidence he cites actually proves him wrong. And while we’re on the subject: Read more
When I was a teenager, I memorized Steven Wright’s first comedy album: I Have a Pony. He has a new album this week. It’s called I Still Have a Pony. ¬† Read more
Looking Closer
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