The Wolf of Wall Street (2013): a commentary
On Movies & Media,Blog,Film Reviews
January 6, 2014
"What? You liked The Wolf of Wall Street? How could you possibly recommend such a profane movie that revels in so much evil?" Written as a response to messages like that one, this post was originally titled "Respect The Wolf of Wall Street (The Movie, Not the Man)"
13 Comments22 Minutes
Listen Closer: Peter Gabriel, Joe Henry
January 2, 2014
A new year of musical invention begins with an all-star lineup of artists celebrating the music of Peter Gabriel. Also: Joe Henry, live at KEXP.
0 Comments2 Minutes
Overstreet’s Favorite Recordings: 2013 — Part Two (#10-#1)
December 31, 2013
What music meant the most to you in 2013? Here are my personal favorite albums of the year— a top ten list for a year that was overflowing with great music.
3 Comments31 Minutes
Overstreet’s Favorite Recordings: 2013 — Part One (#25-#11)
December 28, 2013
I've narrowed this year's list of my favorite records down to 25 titles that I would have happily included in a Top 5 list at the end of a typical year. I invite you to listen to standout tracks, counting down from #25 to #11.
0 Comments16 Minutes
Her (2013): a fictional review
On Movies & Media,Blog,Film Reviews
December 25, 2013
This review of Spike Jonze's film "Her" is Part Four of the new fiction series I call "All Thumbs Video."
2 Comments30 Minutes
Inside Llewyn Davis (2013)
On Movies & Media,Blog,Film Reviews
December 21, 2013
His name is Salieri, and in Milos Forman’s beloved film "Amadeus," he is played by F. Murray Abraham. Why am I talking about "Amadeus" when this is supposed to be a review of "Inside Llewyn Davis"? Stay with me. It’s important.
2 Comments13 Minutes
Looking Closer’s Last-Minute Christmas Gift Recommendations
On Movies & Media,On Songs & Albums,Blog
December 19, 2013
Many of you are scrambling to pick up gifts for friends and family, and I feel compelled to bring some possibilities to your attention... gifts that would enrich the lives of those who care about excellence, beauty, truth, and the arts.
0 Comments16 Minutes
Big Screen 2014: Been There… and Back Again… and Again…
December 18, 2013
There's a new "Gilligan's Island" movie in the works. What's more, those two sequels you've been dying to see are finally happening: a follow-up to "Rounders" and the mandatory "Shakespeare in Love 2." What will we do while we wait for these grand contributions to cinema? No worries. Here's what Hollywood has in store for us...
3 Comments6 Minutes
The Abomination of “Desolation”: Two Hobbit-Related Lists
December 11, 2013
"The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug" is here. But I didn't attend the press screening. Why? I'll explain. But first, here are five important bits from a review by my favorite movie reviewer...
7 Comments7 Minutes
Indiana Jones and the Pirate Muppets of Dagobah
December 6, 2013
Today, Disney took control of the Indiana Jones franchise. So I challenged my friends to see who could come up with the best title for Indiana Jones V. Here are a few of their suggestions...
1 Comment2 Minutes
Disney’s Frozen Get Chilly Reception (From Some of My Favorite Critics)
November 29, 2013
"There’s nothing I’d like more than to tell you [that Frozen] is a musical fairy-tale triumph: a throwback to the days of Beauty and the Beast, like many critics are saying." That's how the great Steven Greydanus begins his review of Frozen. Can you sense the pending "But..."? Here it comes.
8 Comments5 Minutes
How to Be Rebellious and Have a Better Black Friday
November 29, 2013
You could go out into traffic, join the long lines at Best Buy and Target and Wal-mart and [name your favorite box store here]. Or...
0 Comments2 Minutes
Looking Elsewhere: November 11, 2013
On Movies & Media,Blog,Looking Elsewhere
November 11, 2013
This week, Looking Closer sends a Hi 5 to the Face out to Fast Company, NPR, Todd Fadel, Ridley Scott, Christianity Today, Sam Phillips, Matt Zoller Seitz, James Rocchi, Mike D'Angelo, John Sayles, and more!
0 Comments9 Minutes
A Dog Named Inigo, A Cat Named Scully… and Other Pets Named After Movie Characters
November 8, 2013
A few days ago, I asked people to speak up about the pets that they've named after characters from movies. Then it started raining cats and dogs.
2 Comments4 Minutes
12 Years a Slave (2013)
On Movies & Media,Blog,Film Reviews
November 2, 2013
It's a film I would encourage every American over the age of 16 (in general) to see. It's important. It's necessary. But it is also, in my opinion, limited and even undermined by certain aspects of McQueen's artistry.
5 Comments22 Minutes
What’s “The Most Cinematic Movie” Ever Made?
October 31, 2013
What movies pop into your head if I say the word "cinematic"? Tell us about your favorites, and why they are "cinematic," here.
16 Comments16 Minutes
Did You Name Your Pet After a Movie Character?
October 28, 2013
Do you have a pet named after a movie character? If so, send me a snapshot, the name of the pet, the movie that the name comes from, and your name, and I'll include it in an upcoming post.
4 Comments1 Minutes
The Counselor (2013)
On Movies & Media,Film Reviews
October 26, 2013
This is not more of the trendy Tarantino revelry in nastiness and violence. This is a true horror film. Like David Fincher's "Se7en," one of this movie's closest spiritual cousins, "The Counselor" ultimately delivers a diagnosis that tells the awful truth. And the Counselor himself doesn't want to know it. He really, really doesn't want to know.
4 Comments19 Minutes
My Interview with World Vision Photographer Jon Warren (Plus: Some of His Favorite Images)
October 18, 2013
I love interviewing artists. And I've enjoyed a wild array of unforgettable interviews. But few of those opportunities have been as exciting as this one...
0 Comments1 Minute
Gravity (2013)
On Movies & Media,Blog,Film Reviews
October 17, 2013
Critics will go on and on comparing "Gravity" to groundbreaking works of art like "2001: A Space Odyssey," but... really?
98 Comments36 Minutes
Who Won the Paula Huston Book Giveaway?
October 9, 2013
In which copies of "A Land Without Sin" are given away to two eager readers...
0 Comments1 Minute
Grace Unremarkable
October 6, 2013
Here's another example of how Christianity Today is refusing to join the "circle the wagons" mentality of so much Christian media, and instead engaging art with critical discernment and an insistence on excellence.
5 Comments4 Minutes
Overstreet on Tour: Nashville’s Hutchmoot, Covenant College Creative Writing Class, Lee University Film Lecture
October 2, 2013
In October and November, I'll be speaking and teaching in Tennessee and Georgia. Will I see you there?
0 Comments2 Minutes
What a Chipotle Commercial Has In Common With My Two Favorite Films of the Year (So Far)
October 2, 2013
Today, at Christianity Today, I have the privilege of sharing about the two movies that have moved, inspired, and impressed me most this year so far... along with a few comments about, of all things, a Chipotle commercial.
0 Comments1 Minutes
Win a Free Copy of Paula Huston’s New Novel: A Land Without Sin
September 30, 2013
It's easy. If you have a Facebook account, you can enter to win a copy of Paula Huston's celebrated new novel. Here's Tiny Newsman with the details...
1 Comment2 Minutes
A Film About Reno Without Casinos? A Film About Faith Without Preaching?
September 28, 2013
So many things make Chad Hartigan's film "This is Martin Bonner" remarkable. In my interview with this impressive young director, I focused on only a couple of things that set his sophomore effort apart from other recent films.
0 Comments2 Minutes
Constantine (2005): Remembering a Movie I’d Rather Forget
On Movies & Media,Film Reviews
September 26, 2013
My experience with the DC Comics character Constantine was unpleasant, at best. Some of you who were already reading my reviews back in 2005 may remember it...
2 Comments13 Minutes
The Sound of a Place: Guest Writer Brian Volck on Over the Rhine’s New Album
On Songs & Albums,Blog,Music Reviews
September 19, 2013
I posted my own review of Over the Rhine's new album earlier this week. I could have left it that but, well, the doctor is in! And I want you to hear his own diagnosis!
0 Comments11 Minutes
Meet Me At the Edge Of the World: Over the Rhine Arrives at a Place Called Home
On Songs & Albums,Blog,Music Reviews
September 14, 2013
I've been writing this review for months. I could go on writing it for months to come. But no, the time has come to tell you about the new double album from Karin Bergquist and Linford Detweiler. It's clear that changes have come. Over the Rhine's world has been turned around.
9 Comments27 Minutes
Wings of Desire’s Cassiel Takes Flight: Otto Sander Dies at 72
September 13, 2013
The German actor Otto Sander died today. But he will live on in the movies he made, like the legendary submarine thriller Das Boot, and my all-time favorite film, Wim Wenders' poetic and glorious Wings of Desire.
1 Comment2 Minutes
The Late Gatsby: First Impressions
On Movies & Media,Blog,Film Reviews
September 11, 2013
Luhrmann's films are the equivalent of opera ("popera"?), with the soaring kaleidoscopic imagery and light taking the place of soaring voices. The seventeen-layer cakeness of The Great Gatsby has a particular magic.
2 Comments4 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”