Looking Closer
I’ll be on the Georgene Rice show in Portland at 4:15! Read more
I’ll be on the Georgene Rice show in Portland at 4:15! Read more
Last night, while Hollywood got ready for the Oscars, I had the incredible privilege of gathering with many of the most influential people in my life, and a whole lot of people I didn’t know at all, in a little bookstore in La Conner, Washington, called The Next Chapter. (more…) Read more
Somebody explain to me how you can watch Pan’s Labyrinth and Children of Men and think that Pan’s Labyrinth is the better work of cinematography? (more…) Read more
How do you start things off on a bad note? You take a gospel choir and have them parade around singing “Hallelujah” in honor of the nominees. Isn’t that just about the epitome of the industry’s self-congratulation? Taaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaacky! Otherwise, I appreciated the low-key intro by Ellen DeGeneres. —————————————————————————– I wish The Prestige had taken Best Art Direction. The art direction in that film was complex, colorful, and ablaze with detail and light. Pan’s Labyrinth was well-designed, but it was much... Read more
If you’ve been reading this blog recently, you know that Christian film critics sometimes get blasted for pointing out weaknesses in Christian films. I thought I’d ask the thoughtful, eloquent crowd of Christians over at ArtsandFaith.com what they think about this question: (more…) Read more
I’ve already linked to Christianity Today’s “Most Redeeming Movies of 2006” list (a list of the most inspiring, redemptive big-screen stories of the year). And I’ve linked to their critics’ “Cream of the Crop” list (a list of the films that CT critics found to be the most accomplished works of cinematic art). But there’s another list I forgot to mention: the Readers’ Poll!! A “critic of the critics” recently criticized CT Movies film reviewers for being “out of touch”... Read more
Steven D. Greydanus at Decent Films, one of my favorite film critics, has me scrambling to make plans to see a quiet movie that just might creep past moviegoers unnoticed. (more…) Read more
The marathon of radio appearances for Through a Screen Darkly is already well-underway, but I thought it would be good to start posting the dates and times here, to give readers a chance to call in to the show if you really want to cause trouble…. (more…) Read more
In about an hour, I’ll be at Luci Shaw’s arts-and-faith gathering, Open Windows, to talk to them about my experience reviewing films and writing Through a Screen Darkly. It’s a privilege to be invited to speak there, since I’ve learned so much from Luci and her husband John. I’m still an apprentice here. My Internet access here is intermittent, so forgive me if I’m slow in moderating comments to the blog today. I’m having a tough time finding places with... Read more
Does this sound presumptuous to you? The reality is [Mark, Peter, and Jeffrey] are guys who spend all day immersed in the culture of Hollywood, ostensibly “screening” movies while others work real full time jobs to support them.* That claim, and another extensive attack on CT film critics, was posted by a Christian talk-show host today. What follows is a response to the accusation, not an “attack” on his character. He smote us with that accusation. Allow me to hold... Read more
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