Looking Closer - Page 340 of 344 -

Troy (2004)

May 25, 2004 By Jeffrey Overstreet

Troy, starring Brad Pitt, is a movie about a historic tournament clash of two GBA (Greek Basketball Association) Basketball teams. There are many all-star players on the court for this exhausting, energetic tournament, but Achilles (Brad Pitt), a point guard with a deadly jump-shot is the superstar. He’s also a free agent. The Spartans have had him in the starting lineup for many spectacular match-ups, but they’re not guaranteed that they’ll hang on to him for this championship match. Achilles… Read more

“There’s no profanity in my society…”

May 24, 2004 By Jeffrey Overstreet

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This letter came to me in response to my article at CT about profanity in the movies. My argument covered a lot of points, including the fact that artists often use their work to hold up a reflection to culture with all of its pros and cons. Thus, art often reflects foul language because, clearly, the culture which we have been challenged to love and transform does indeed include people with colorful speech. Here is the response: If you ask… Read more

The Most Prestigious Film Award in the World Goes to…

May 22, 2004 By Jeffrey Overstreet

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Michael Moore for Fahrenheit 911. That’s right, this year’s Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival goes to the guy who brought us Bowling for Columbine and who now is showing us what went on behind the scenes in the Bush administration during and after September 11th, 2001. The next year is sure to be packed with feverish debate over the film’s veracity, Moore’s credibility, and what his footage and interviews reveal. Clearly, beyond America’s borders, anything that makes Bush… Read more

“Surviving the Open Heart”

May 21, 2004 By Jeffrey Overstreet

Today I’m directing you to the excellent online poetry journal DMQ Review for some truly disquieting poetry. (more…) Read more

Thank You of the Week

May 21, 2004 By Jeffrey Overstreet

Linda Wagner has inspired a large crowd of writers through her work at the annual Seattle Pacific University writers’ conference. She changed my life one day, in 1994, when I was working in the Humanities office at SPU. She asked if the rumors were true, that I was writing science fiction and fantasy. When I said, yes, she told me she wanted to start a reading and critique group for Christian writers of sci-fi and fantasy. That grew into a… Read more

Yet Another Gaping Hole in The Da Vinci Code

May 21, 2004 By Jeffrey Overstreet

“But it’s fiction!” people keep saying to me, when I criticize The Da Vinci Code or Phillip Pullman’s The Golden Compass. “Why are you taking it so seriously?” Because most people are inclined to find fault with Christianity, and are quick to seize upon any detail they can use in order to sound educated in their critique of the faith. Most people haven’t really read the Bible, much less know anything about its history. Thus, when a conspiracy theorist like… Read more

Sticking Up for Them Cussin’ Characters

May 21, 2004 By Jeffrey Overstreet

When I post a review recommending a film that includes harsh language, I almost always hear from somebody somewhere who is aghast that I, a Christian film reviewer, would approve of anything that includes profanity… (more…) Read more

Movies That Buck the Trend

May 19, 2004 By Jeffrey Overstreet

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Here’s a new interview with Barbara Nicolosi, head of Act One: Writing for Hollywood. Get a load of this quote: (more…) Read more

Amid the 25-Minute Ovation, a Surprising Criticism.

May 19, 2004 By Jeffrey Overstreet

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While it’s true that Michael Moore received an 25-minute standing ovation at the Cannes Film Festival for his Dubya-bashing film Farenheit 911, here’s an interesting detail, courtesy of IMDB.com: Legendary French director Jean-Luc Godard became one of the few persons in attendance at the Cannes Film Festival who had negative things to say about Michael Moore’s controversial Fahrenheit 9/11 film (although he admitted that he had not seen it). Godard, who described Moore as “halfway intelligent,” told reporters that films… Read more