There is a link to this post on the side-bar of the Looking Closer blog. This is the post where I’ll catalog every film I see in 2007. (Click here for the 2006 Viewing Journal, and here for the 2005 journal.)* = indicates first-time viewing. 2007 (more…) Read more
You meet the most interesting people at the Glen Workshop (which, by the way, is open for registration again). Sara Zarr had just scored a book contract when I first met her, and now the book is here — Story of a Girl. And Sara’s just been interviewed about it for School Library Journal. If you know a young adult who needs a good read, check out Sara Zarr! Read more
Yet another friend of mine, Jason Morehead, is raving about Shut Up and Sing! I think it would be too easy to simply focus on the “free speech” angle of the film, though that is certainly an important one, especially in this day and age of a presidency that has seen fit to take elaborate measures to censure free speech. The film should ultimately be celebrated as a testament to such American values as love, friendship, family, and loyalty as... Read more
U2’s video for “Window in the Skies” is here, and it’s a whole lot of fun. (more…) Read more
Something very special is happening right now over at the Looking Closer Journal blog. I’m enjoying the many comments of readers who are sharing their favorite movie moments of all time. I’d love to know which moments stand out for you. (more…) Read more
Yesterday, I read the Hollywood Reporter special roundtable conversation with directors David Lynch, Emilio Estevez, Nancy Meyers, Guillermo del Toro, Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris. I love the idea of David Lynch participating in a round-table discussion of ANYTHING, because he’s always inhabiting a very different reality from the rest of us. Today, Jeffrey Wells has noted the same conversation in his blog. And in doing so, it occurred to me… why not blog about it, and pass along one... Read more
It’s exciting when we see Christians engaging popular culture and demonstrating discernment. We are called to “wise as serpents, and innocent as doves,” right? (more…) Read more
I was asked for my thoughts on Sofia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette this week, and realized that I haven’t posted any remarks about the film at all. First of all… I loved it. So far, all of the negative reviews I’ve read have made it very clear that the reviewers were interested in something else entirely… a traditional historical epic, or something more exciting and dramatic and suspenseful. Those that loved it are busy discussing what Coppola has done: She’s crafted... Read more
UPDATE 2007: Now that I’ve met Alejandro González Iñárritu, I’m a bigger fan of the man. He’s thoughtful, devoted to his family, eloquent, approachable, and passionate about excellence. But that doesn’t make me like 21 Grams any more than I did before. I greatly admire Amores Perros, the first film in his “human beings are miserable all around the world” trilogy. And Babel is even better, one of the best films of 2006. But 21 Grams was severely over-acted, and... Read more
The book is finished! Proofreading is done. The front and back cover are complete. I’m told that printed copies do, at long last, exist. (more…) Read more
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