24 Frames (2018)
On Movies & Media,Film Reviews
March 11, 2019
In which Overstreet returns to writing about movies for Good Letters with a celebration of Abbas Kiarostami's final, enigmatic, meditative movie.
2 Comments5 Minutes
Overstreet Archives: The Matrix Trilogy (1999 – 2003)
March 10, 2019
In the first post of a new treasure hunt in this website's archives, Overstreet digs up his original reviews of The Matrix and its sequels.
0 Comments64 Minutes
The best book-to-movie achievements… and the worst
On Movies & Media,On Books & Writing
March 2, 2019
In which I talk about the art of book-to-movie productions, a lot of great movies, and a few terrible movies, with David Kern and Steven Greydanus. Listen to our lively, in-depth exploration of the art of adaptation!
0 Comments1 Minutes
Three professors profess their love for The Secret of Kells
March 2, 2019
Listen as Jeffrey Overstreet welcomes Dr. Christine Chaney and Dr. Brian Bantum from Seattle Pacific University to a conversation about the many wonders of the movie The Secret of Kells.
1 Comment2 Minutes
A tale of two podcasts: my visits to Forma and Libromania
On Movies & Media,On Books & Writing,Journal
January 15, 2019
In which I find myself as a special guest on two separate podcasts, both of them hosted by David Kern, for conversations about Madeleine L'Engle and the best movies of 2018.
0 Comments2 Minutes
Good with crayons? Enter Auralia’s Coloring Contest.
January 14, 2019
As the four volumes of The Auralia Thread reach their decennial anniversaries, here's a challenge for imaginations of kids young and old: the first-ever Auralia's Coloring Contest.
0 Comments5 Minutes
Widows (2018)
December 14, 2018
Widows starts with a bang and then devolves into an overstuffed, over-serious, and even predictable thriller.
0 Comments13 Minutes
Madeline’s Madeline (2018)
December 3, 2018
Josephine Decker's wildly imaginative new film is worth seeing for its experimental ambitions, even if, in the end, it's all a bit too much.
0 Comments12 Minutes
First Man (2018)
November 19, 2018
Putting Ryan Gosling's feet on the moon, Damien Chazelle has found firmer footing than he did in the eager-to-impress La La Land. This film is modest by comparison, but I find it haunting and enigmatic.
0 Comments12 Minutes
The Hate U Give (2018)
November 15, 2018
Preachy, but elevated by an excellent lead performance, The Hate U Give is the kind of after-school special that all of America needs right now.
0 Comments10 Minutes
A Star is Born (2018)
On Movies & Media,Film Reviews
October 29, 2018
Bradley Cooper's big remake of A Star is Born strums all those predictable chords so hard, all the strings start breaking.
1 Comment9 Minutes
Join me for two special screenings of Prospect in Seattle
October 26, 2018
At two special Seattle screenings of the sci-fi thriller Prospect, I will interview filmmakers Zeek Earl and Christopher Caldwell. You're invited!
0 Comments1 Minutes
Puzzle (2018)
October 2, 2018
This film looks like a movie made from far-too-familiar pieces. Instead, Puzzle is a delightful and rewarding surprise.
0 Comments10 Minutes
Dead Poets Society and the Legacy of Dr. Luke Reinsma
September 19, 2018
Four years ago this week, I wrote about how I had changed my mind about "Dead Poets Society." This week, I re-post it as a tribute to my favorite professor.
0 Comments18 Minutes
A great film about linguistics has arrived…
September 18, 2018
"There is nothing novel about isolationism," says Dr. Kathryn Bartholomew, professor emeritus of languages and linguistics. "It’s the contrary, hospitality, that surprises and delights us." Can you guess which recent sci-fi film inspired this observation?
0 Comments1 Minute
Three Identical Strangers (2018)
September 8, 2018
Three Identical Strangers is about the joys of brotherhood, the importance of free information and effective journalism, the difference between nature and nurture, and the dangers of science unchecked by conscience.
0 Comments11 Minutes
Crazy Rich Asians (2018)
August 23, 2018
Crazy Rich Asians is a Cinderella story in which someone much richer than most of us discovers that wealth is relative, and she might not measure up to the standards of China's super-rich.
0 Comments12 Minutes
Eighth Grade (2018)
August 16, 2018
If "Love is attention," like they say in Lady Bird, then the secret of Eighth Grade is the love it shows its central character: 13-year-old Kayla.
0 Comments19 Minutes
Mission: Impossible — Fallout (2018)
August 9, 2018
While Mission: Impossible—Fallout played, I loved every minute of it. But afterward, I had an itch that I couldn't scratch. I wrote this to scratch it.
0 Comments20 Minutes
Hearts Beat Loud (2018)
On Movies & Media,On Songs & Albums
July 24, 2018
Just what the summer movie season needed: a light, fun, frivolous 90 minutes in a record store with Nick Offerman.
0 Comments10 Minutes
Won’t You Be My Neighbor? (2018)
July 17, 2018
I'm not likely to see a more memorable, meaningful movie all year. Neither are you.
0 Comments22 Minutes
Leave No Trace (2018)
July 10, 2018
From the director of Winter's Bone, Leave No Trace is a powerful portrait of a father and daughter that asks us what price we're willing to pay in order to live with integrity and freedom.
0 Comments18 Minutes
Incredibles 2 (2018)
June 24, 2018
Incredibles 2 suffers a bit from a predictable twist and from themes that get, like Elastigirl, bent out of shape. But it's still the most sensational action movie of the year so far.
2 Comments21 Minutes
First Reformed (2018)
June 18, 2018
The most invigorating subject of discussion at the movies this year is also a difficult and, for me, frustrating film.
3 Comments27 Minutes
Ocean’s 8 (2018)
June 15, 2018
Ocean's 8 should've been a blast. It's a missed opportunity in so many ways.
0 Comments12 Minutes
Pope Francis: A Man of His Word — a Looking Closer film forum
May 26, 2018
Can a documentary about the Pope give us a complex, nuanced, truthful vision that is more than just a vehicle for a message?
0 Comments2 Minutes
Looking Closer with Jeffrey Overstreet
(now the ears of my ears awake andnow the eyes of my eyes are opened)
– e. e. cummings, “i thank You God for most this amazing”