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I submit that this was the worst fake-out trailer of all time. When the audience realized the real subject of the movie, and saw the horrible execution of an already idiotic idea, there was almost a riot in the theatre.

Wow. Every time I see it, I feel physical pain. Not only does it lack a single original idea, but it parrots the genre cliches without even trying, without a single spark of enthusiasm, style, or bravado. What a spectacular waste.

But fake-out trailers are not always a bad idea.

Take this one for example… (more…)

On June 12, LookingCloser.org will celebrate the 30th anniversary of my favorite adventure film: Raiders of the Lost Ark.

How?

Here are the details: (more…)

Terrence Malick’s new film The Tree of Life played at Cannes this week, and there are suddenly dozens and dozens of reviews all over the Internet. The differences in viewers’ reactions are striking, sometimes even confounding. And many of their responses read more like reactions than reviews.

But some reviewers have taken the time to think deeply about the film, about what it might mean, about the risky decisions that the director made in juxtaposing scenes about the origins of the cosmos and scenes about a family in Smithville, Texas in the early 1950s.

I wonder if Malick pays any attention to reviews. I doubt that he does. He seems to be focused on the work.

Me? I do read reviews of my work, partly because I love those moments when readers discover ideas in the stories that didn’t occur to me as I was writing. I also learn from those reviews… sometimes… (more…)

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Here is my review of Terrence Malick’s The New World, which was published at Christianity Today.

I wrote a follow-up review for Image about the extended cut of the movie. You can find that here.

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Today is Kermit the Frog’s 56th birthday!

I just found out, and I’m surprised. Because I just finished a series of blog posts about Kermit and his extraordinary big-screen debut, The Muppet Movie.

The more I replay The Muppet Movie in my mind (I memorized the movie word for word when I was a kid), the more I realize how much it has influenced my life. It’s kind of a miraculous little movie. (more…)

There have been some wonderfully encouraging reviews and blog entries about The Ale Boy’s Feast. (I’m particularly grateful for these posts by Robert Joustra, Lindsay Stallones, and Rachel Starr Thomson.)

There have been some very silly ones too, including one from a blogger who declared that I must never have taken a creative writing class in my life.

But a picture is worth a thousand words, so you’ve got to see this… (more…)

In view of what Americans are learning tonight about the killing of America’s #1 most wanted enemy, and in the roar that’s sure to ensue…

I hear the call of Micah 6:8:

“He has shown you, o mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”

I want my heart to hope that all people, from the most respected to the most criminal, come to know God’s mercy. For we all deserve judgment.

And also remember… (more…)