Winners of the "Movies that Changed You" contest

Last updated on: October 17, 2012 at 4:56 pm By Jeffrey Overstreet

This was an extremely subjective contest, and thus it was difficult to pick winners from the many honest, interesting testimonials. Some talked about how it revealed to them what art at its best can do. Some of the contributors talked about how the movie affected them emotionally. Several talked about how the film were demonstrations of scriptural principles, or how it powerfully illustrated things that they deeply believe. And movies certainly do these things. They lift up our emotions. They... Read more

Specials: Phillip Pullman Attacks Narnia, Again. March of the Value-less Penguins

Last updated on: October 17, 2012 at 4:41 pm By Jeffrey Overstreet

Today’s specials: Once again, ladies and gentlemen, the author of The Golden Compass attacks C.S. Lewis’s The Chronicles of Narnia as “racist” and “misogynistic.” If you think Pullman’s accusations are interesting, wait until you read the comments following the article. UPDATE: Neb‘s comment in reply to this post was so good, I’ll include it here in the post: Pullman amazes me yet again with his abundance of sour grapes. I’ve read the Narnia chronicles, and I’ve read the “His Dark... Read more

Go see "Good Night and Good Luck"

Last updated on: October 17, 2012 at 4:37 pm By Jeffrey Overstreet

In the best American film about telling the truth under pressure since The Insider, George Clooney proves here that he’s not just another celebrity who fancies himself a director. He’s in the early stages of what looks like a very impressive career, and he’s obviously learned a lot about what goes on behind the cameras of great films. Good Night and Good Luck is a tightly constructed, efficient film that knows exactly what it wants to be and do, and... Read more

Are Audiences and Critics More Accepting of Christian Films If the Christians in Them are Black?

Last updated on: October 17, 2012 at 12:07 pm By Jeffrey Overstreet

Are audiences and critics more accepting of Christian films if the Christians in them are black? It’s an interesting question, in view of the fact that Mel Gibson (The Passion) and Scott Derrickson (The Exorcism of Emily Rose) have taken beatings in the press for their religion-oriented films… The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe is under near-hysterical scrutiny from the mainstream press as some kind of Christian stealth bomb (and the evangelicals zealously mounting Bible-thumping missionary campaigns in connection... Read more

Contest 2: Write a Looking Closer review!

Last updated on: October 17, 2012 at 12:16 pm By Jeffrey Overstreet

The previous Looking Closer contest has wrapped up. I’ll be reviewing the entries and announcing a winner on Monday. Stay tuned to see who gets the big Ben-Hur DVD release. I’ll be sharing some of the entries here, in which participants shared the moments at the movies that most transformed them. Time for another contest to begin! Here’s what you do: Write a “Looking Closer”-style review, no less than 500 words, no more than 1200 words, of a significant, challenging,... Read more

A New James Bond

Last updated on: October 17, 2012 at 12:27 pm By Jeffrey Overstreet

I first saw Daniel Craig giving an extraordinary lead performance in a BCC Mystery special called The Ice House almost a decade ago, where he played a cop and an alcoholic. He made his first strong big-screen impression as an assassin priest in Elisabeth, and an even stronger impression as the dangerous son of Paul Newman in The Road to Perdition. Now, he’s won the dubious honor of playing James Bond. Well, for the first time, I’m actually interested in... Read more

Would C.S. Lewis love "Serenity"?

Last updated on: October 16, 2012 at 5:56 pm By Jeffrey Overstreet

Would C.S. Lewis love “Serenity”? Is there a connection between Captain Malcolm Reynolds and Ransom? Bruce Edwards thinks so, and tells us why. Read more

Time for another "Drunkard’s Prayer"

Last updated on: October 16, 2012 at 5:56 pm By Jeffrey Overstreet

It just came to my attention that there’s an alternate version of Over the Rhine’s song “Drunkard’s Prayer” available for download on their site… free! The page says: It’s always a challenge to figure out what to put on a project. Brent played a beautiful saxophone solo, but in the end we went for a simpler version of the song. Did we make the right choice? Karin and Linford, the right choice is to record multiple versions of each song,... Read more

New York Times considers the marketing of Narnia

Last updated on: October 16, 2012 at 5:57 pm By Jeffrey Overstreet

from The New York Times: The spiritual character of “Narnia” is being reinforced with the debut on the charts last week of a Christian pop album of music inspired by the film. But prospects for a previously announced secular soundtrack now seem cloudy, executives involved in the process say. Disney executives say that at the very least the CD will be delayed beyond its planned Oct. 25 release. Mitchell Leib, president of music for Disney’s Buena Vista film unit, said... Read more

John Milton’s Paradise Lost… the Movie

Last updated on: October 17, 2012 at 12:45 pm By Jeffrey Overstreet

Milton did a better job of “justifying the ways of God to man” than these filmmakers could do of justifying the adaptation of this epic poem into a movie… Hyde Park Entertainment and Vincent Newman Entertainment have partnered to produce a feature version of John Milton’s epic poem, Paradise Lost, based on an adaptation by Phil DiBlasi and Byron Willinger. Read more