[This review by Jeffrey Overstreet was originally published at Seattle Pacific University’s Response.] – Imagine falling into a crack in the earth, and getting trapped there for several days, your arm pinned by an immovable boulder. Such a calamity would probably test your faith. Would you question the existence of God? Cry out to him? Give up on him? Danny Boyle’s film about Aron Ralston’s ordeal is supposed to be about the long hours of the climber’s struggle for survival... Read more
[This review by Jeffrey Overstreet appeared in abridged versions at Image and at Seattle Pacific University’s Response.] – Tom Hooper’s movie The King’s Speech is made of close-ups. And that makes sense. It’s about a speech impediment, one that almost prevented the Duke of York from fulfilling his duties when he became King George IV. (more…) Read more
My first impressions of Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives, winner of the 2010 Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival, are published at Image, on the blog called Good Letters. Read more
The new film from Werner Herzog is a documentary in 3D, taking us into the world’s oldest art gallery. (more…) Read more
Where have you discovered The Auralia Thread lately? How about Live at the Hollywood Bowl? My friend Chuck writes to say, I had the privilege of playing with the LA Phil at the Hollywood Bowl tonight and I had The Ale Boy’s Feast with me. Here are some pictures from on stage. Sorry for my phone’s photo quality… I think you’ll still get the idea. Wow. It’s the next best thing to being there! That’s only the first of two... Read more
Pieces of this review were originally published in Image and Response. – The Coen Brothers’ first Western gives us three important stories to consider. The first is the story of what happens when a young justice seeker, Mattie Ross, hires the ruthless manhunter Rooster Cogburn to track down the vigilante who shot and killed her father. It’s a compelling story. Can 14-year-old Mattie make a journey into the violent, lawless wilderness and achieve justice without losing her soul, her innocence,... Read more
This review was originally published in an abridged version at Good Letters, the blog for Image. – Fifteen years ago, I approached Toy Story with skepticism. A full-length feature animated on computers? I feared it would look fake and robotic, a poor substitute for the hand-drawn brilliance of Disney classics. But Toy Story won me over in its first five minutes. It had colorful characters, an adventurous spirit, and a big, warm, thrumming heart. It entertained kids and their parents... Read more
Despite my best efforts to remain unnoticed, it seems another reader has somehow found his way to a copy of Auralia’s Colors. My thanks to my friend Mary McCleary, who alerted me to a new review… (more…) Read more
Ever suffer from sequelitis? How about the reboot rash? (more…) Read more
Happy Fourth of July! Let’s begin with a few words from Wendell Berry… (more…) Read more
Looking Closer
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