Looking Closer
I came across this link through Andrew Sullivan, who never ceases to offer challenging and insightful views (even if I often disagree with him.) (more…) Read more
I came across this link through Andrew Sullivan, who never ceases to offer challenging and insightful views (even if I often disagree with him.) (more…) Read more
Nick Cave released two new albums on the same day, in the same package, recently, and when I put it on, my stereo caught fire. (more…) Read more
Congratulations to Greg Wright for completing and publishing Peter Jackson In Perspective. This exploration of Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings films is probably the most thorough and insightful interpretation of the films yet published. Wright examines what Jackson and his screenwriters got right, what they misunderstood, where they triumphed, and where they fell short. Reading this book should give Tolkien fans a deeper appreciation of both the books and the films. This is the perfect Christmas gift for the... Read more
Each member of U2 interviewed in USA Today: “This is a gigantic and preposterous analogy,” [Bono] warns. “In the days after Hiroshima, people were never so close to their families and never so hedonistic. The world was a much more fragile place when they saw what the splitting of the atom could do. Suddenly, the world had a sell-by date, perhaps. This album was no time for philosophizing. This is about who do you love, how do you love, why... Read more
My friend Kate Bowman knocked one out of the park in Catapult magazine last month. (more…) Read more
Mainstream reviews of Kinsey are commenting on the “hysterical, right-wing, Christian protest” of the film. (more…) Read more
Here are more paragraphs from recently published Christian film reviews. Get out your red pen and respond in the comments section. Remember, the goal here is to emphasize the need for better film writing, not to ridicule anybody or put down any particular online review site. The first ste of excerpts is from a new review of Sideways. I won’t say who wrote it. I won’t say who published it. I’ll just say it proved very difficult to read because... Read more
U2 begins their fourteenth album by counting to fourteen in Spanish: Uno, Dos, Tres, Catorce!! The numbers correspond to the U2 albums on which Steve Lillywhite worked as a producer. And that’s only one of the ways in which How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb symbolizes the completion of U2’s stylistic adventures and Bono’s prodigal-son journey from innocence into darkness and back again. Granted, for the counting-theory to make sense, you have to count U2’s Best-Of collections in the fourteen.... Read more
I finally caught up with Alexander Payne’s latest film, Sideways, tonight and liked it much, much better than his last film, About Schmidt. (more…) Read more
Film critics are beginning to groan about this being an interesting but less-than-satisfying year for movies. I’ve got to agree. Usually, the Oscar season reveals a handful of movies that are worth revisiting time and time again. This year, there’s been one disappointment after another, with only a scattered few titles worthy of multiple viewings. And most of those are still significantly flawed. Usually, there’s at least one film that has me shouting from the rooftops at the end of... Read more
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