"Boardwalk Empire" rising.

Casting has begun for the Scorsese-directed HBO series:
Read more

by Jeffrey Overstreet

Hamlet, Threepio, and Us

Anyone who can write an inspiring piece linking Rosencrantz and Guldenstern, The Hidden Fortress, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and R2D2, has my full attention.

Ladies and gentlemen, Mark Shea!

by Jeffrey Overstreet

Poetic Justice?

If you've been reading my blog for long, you know I'm a big fan of my wife Anne. I'm also a big fan of her poetry.

Apparently I'm not the only one.

She was just nominated for a Pushcart Prize.Read more

by Jeffrey Overstreet

Have You Done Your Critic Exercises Today?

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RMlioyKsaQg

by Jeffrey Overstreet

Don't Tell Me How to Feel. Make Me Want to See.

My pal Ron Reed posted this quote over at ArtsandFaith.com. I'd read it before in one of my favorite C.S. Lewis volumes, Letters to Children, but it's always a good reminder for writers, whether they're beginners or not...

In writing, don’t use adjectives which merely tell us how you want us to feel about the thing you’re describing. I mean, instead of telling us a thing was terrible, describe it so that we’ll feel terrified. Don’t say it was delightful; make us say ‘delightful’ when we’ve read your description. You see, all these words ‘horrifying’, ‘wonderful’, ‘hideous’, ‘exquisite’, are only like saying to your readers, “please, would you do my job for me?”

Clearly, Lewis is talking about storytelling. But I've been thinking a lot lately about how much this applies to the art of criticism as well.

Over the last year, I've been sorting through and revising old film and music reviews, and I can chart my progress as a critic by how hard I've worked to give readers a sense of a film or a recording. I'm appalled by how I've often settled for superlatives instead of specifics, or how I've rushed to announce the importance of something by announcing how it rates in comparison to the rest of films released that year. What good does that do? In a year's time, no one will remember what other films came out that year anyway, so the review becomes dates and unhelpful. Better to consider a movie's style, themes, strengths, and weaknesses. Even in my music reviews I've relied far too heavily on language I learned from advertising blurbs: "BRILLIANT!" "TIMELESS!" "THIS IS THE ROCK RECORD TO BEAT IN 2008!"

I am worn out with reviews that just announce the greatness of something by using lazy labels like "the best ___________ of the year" and "an instant classic" and "absolutely brilliant" and tags like that. There are a few critics whose reviews I can't bear to read anymore, simply because I get so tired of being clubbed by dramatic, celebratory terms. It's like composing an email in all-caps to make a point... it makes the reader shrink back from the shouting.

It's not unusual for a rave review to make me want to avoid the work in question; in fact, I've postponed listening to a few albums this year for that very reason. I want to have a chance to discover it without being distracted by wild claims of their surpassing greatness. How can I have an authentic, meaningful experience with that film or that recording if I'm just sitting there waiting for it to live up to such claims?

I much prefer personal essays or accounts that paint a picture or that employ creative language to give me tantalyzing details about the character and quality of a work. I'm fond of Andy Whitman's music reviews and the film reviews of Anthony Lane, Jonathan Rosenbaum, Roger Ebert, Steven Greydanus, and Kenneth R. Morefield (who guest-writes for this site from time to time), because I almost always learn something that helps me appreciate the film more fully, even if I disagree with their final judgment on those films. I don't come away feeling like I've been told how to feel about something.

So... as I work out the bugs on the new Looking Closer site (with the help of the resourceful Dave von Bieker), please bear with me as I re-post an archive of reviews that is full of unnecessary superlatives. Sure, I'm proud of a lot of those reviews. I learned a lot about the art of criticism in writing them, and I'm still learning (or at least, we should all hope so). But some of them I'm re-posting merely because they're part of the history of this site, not because I think they're Grade-A film reviews.

And if you catch me throwing superlatives around again without any substantial content, send me a note. I want to enable listeners and viewers to enjoy and appreciate the good stuff, not rattle them with adjectives that complicate their experiences.

by Jeffrey Overstreet

"Twilight in 15 Minutes"

This parody of Twilight takes only a few minutes to read, and it's much more entertaining than the film (in my opinion, anyway).

There are links strewn throughout that lead to even more funny stuff, many of which are just excerpts straight from the book. (Check out The Catalog here.) Yes, it's chock full of spoilers, so if you want the movie to surprise you, run away.

I suspect that Twilight's going to rank among the most-parodied films of all time.

by Jeffrey Overstreet

The Passion of Screenwriter Benedict Fitzgerald

Mel Gibson is still in trouble for how he handled The Passion of the Christ.

Screenwriter Benedict Fitzgerald is suing Gibson, claiming he was underpaid for his work on "Passion."

Fitzgerald's attorneys claimed Tuesday that his payments were eroded by Gibson's spending habits while filming the movie in Italy, including "tens of thousands" of dollars on his children's education and a $78,000 chiropractor bill.

by Jeffrey Overstreet

Through a Screen Darkly - Rewarding Films for Movie Discussion Groups

  1. Films for General Adult Discussion Groups
  2. Films for Ambitious Adult Discussion Groups
  3. Films to Discuss with Young Viewers

 

Note from Jeffrey Overstreet:

The following lists are recommended titles for groups to view and discuss.

They are not intended to represent comprehensive lists of films on their particular themes. Rather, they are films that I personally have found challenging and rewarding, and I have enjoyed discussions about them with other moviegoers.

I’ve compiled these lists with discerning adult viewers in mind. Some films contain elements that could be offensive to some viewers. I encourage you to read about the films ahead of time. Pay attention to what the film is rated, and why, and make sure that those in your discussion group do not go into the film unprepared.

Reviews of these films available at LookingCloser.org, or elsewhere, will help you determine which selections would be best for you and your viewing group. Proceed with caution, and a sense of adventure.

Each film in these lists may reveal multiple themes. They are listed under particular themes here only as suggested areas of focus. You may find other surprising connections and contrasts, and organize lists of your own.

These lists will be expanded and revised periodically.

Films for General Adult Discussion Groups

  • Alien; dir. Ridley Scott
  • Almost Famous; dir. Cameron Crowe
  • Amadeus; dir. Milos Forman
  • American Splendor; dir. Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini
  • The Apostle; dir. Robert Duvall
  • Babette’s Feast; dir. Gabriel Axel
  • Being There; dir. Hal Ashby
  • Big Night; dir. Campbell Scott and Stanley Tucci
  • Born into Brothels; dir. Zana Briski
  • Capote; dir. Bennett Miller
  • Chariots of Fire; dir. Hugh Hudson
  • Citizen Kane; dir. Orson Welles
  • The Color of Paradise; dir. Majid Majidi
  • Crash; dir. Paul Haggis
  • Dead Man Walking; dir. Tim Robbins
  • Dead Poets Society; dir. Peter Weir
  • The Decalogue (a series of 10 short films); dir. Krzysztof Kieslowski
  • Do the Right Thing; dir. Spike Lee
  • Dr. Strangelove; dir. Stanley Kubrick
  • Empire of the Sun; dir. Steven Spielberg
  • The Exorcism of Emily Rose; dir. Scott Derrickson
  • Fargo; dir. Joel and Ethan Coen
  • Fast, Cheap and Out of Control; dir. Errol Morris
  • Fearless; dir. Peter Weir
  • Final Solution, dir. Cristobal Krusen
  • Finding Neverland; dir. Marc Forster
  • The Fisher King; dir. Terry Gilliam
  • The Fog of War; dir. Errol Morris
  • The Fountain; dir. Darren Aronofsky
  • Gattaca; dir. Andrew Niccol
  • Ghost World; dir. Terry Zwigoff
  • The Gleaners and I; dir. Agnes Varda
  • Gosford Park; dir. Paul Thomas Anderson
  • The Gospel of John; dir. Philip Saville
  • Grave of the Fireflies; dir. Isao Takahata
  • Harold and Maude; dir. Hal Ashby
  • Henry V; dir. Kenneth Branagh
  • Hero; dir. Zhang Yimou
  • Hoop Dreams; dir. Steve James
  • Hotel Rwanda; dir. Terry George
  • House of Sand and Fog; dir. Vadim Perelman
  • In America; dir. Jim Sheridan
  • In the Bedroom; dir. Todd Field
  • The Insider; dir. Michael Mann
  • Insomnia; dir. Christopher Nolan
  • Italian for Beginners; dir. Lone Scherfig
  • Jean de Florette, and Manon of the Spring; dir. Claude Berri
  • The Last Days of Disco; dir. Whit Stillman
  • Last Orders; dir. Fred Shepisi
  • Limbo; dir. John Sayles
  • Lone Star; dir. John Sayles
  • Lord of the Flies; dir. Peter Brook
  • Malcolm X; dir. Spike Lee
  • Man Facing Southeast; dir. Eliseo Subiela
  • A Man for All Seasons; dir. Fred Zinnemann
  • The Man Without a Past; dir. Aki Kaurismäki
  • Mansfield Park; dir. Patricia Rozema
  • Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World; dir. Peter Weir
  • Metropolitan; dir. Whit Stillman
  • Million Dollar Baby; dir. Clint Eastwood
  • Millions; dir. Danny Boyle
  • The Mission, dir. Roland Joffé
  • Modern Times; dir. Charlie Chaplin
  • The Mosquito Coast; dir. Peter Weir
  • The New World; dir. Terrence Malick
  • Nine Lives; dir. Rodrigo Garcia
  • No Direction Home: Bob Dylan; dir. Martin Scorsese
  • Nobody’s Fool; dir. Robert Benton
  • O Brother, Where Art Thou? dir. Joel and Ethan Coen
  • Pan’s Labyrinth; dir. Guillermo Del Toro
  • Personal Velocity; dir. Rebecca Miller
  • Picnic at Hanging Rock; dir. Peter Weir
  • Pieces of April; dir. Peter Hedges
  • The Player; dir. Robert Altman
  • Ponette; dir. Jacques Doillon
  • Promises; dir. Carlos Bolado, B.Z. Goldberg, Justine Shapiro
  • The Queen; dir. Stephen Frears
  • Quiz Show; dir. Robert Redford
  • The Remains of the Day; dir. James Ivory
  • Rivers and Tides: Any Goldsworthy Working with Time; dir. Thomas Riedelsheimer
  • The Road Home; dir. Zhang Yimou
  • A Room with a View; dir. James Ivory
  • The Royal Tenenbaums; dir. Wes Anderson
  • Rushmore; dir. Wes Anderson
  • Saved! dir. Brian Dannelly
  • The Searchers; dir. John Ford
  • Searching for Bobby Fischer; dir. Steve Zallian
  • The Secret of Roan Inish; dir. John Sayles
  • Sense and Sensibility; dir. Ang Lee
  • Shadowlands; dir. Richard Attenborough
  • Shall We Dance? dir. Masayuki Suo
  • Shattered Glass; dir. Billy Ray
  • The Shawshank Redemption; dir. Frank Darabont
  • Signs; dir. M. Night Shyamalan
  • Sophie Scholl: The Final Days; dir. Marc Rothemund
  • The Station Agent; dir. Thomas McCarthy
  • The Straight Story; dir. David Lynch
  • Super Size Me; dir. Morgan Spurlock
  • Tender Mercies; dir. Bruce Beresford
  • The Thin Blue Line; dir. Errol Morris
  • Thirteen Conversations About One Thing; dir. Jill Sprecher
  • Three Kings; dir. David O. Russell
  • To Kill a Mockingbird; dir. Robert Mulligan
  • The Truman Show; dir. Peter Weir
  • Twelve Angry Men; dir. Sydney Lumet
  • Unbreakable; dir. M. Night Shyamalan
  • Unforgiven; dir. Clint Eastwood
  • The Up Series; dir. Michael Apted (28 Up, 35 Up, 42 Up)
  • The Virgin Suicides; dir. Sofia Coppola
  • Watership Down; dir. Martin Rosen
  • Whale Rider; dir. Niki Caro
  • What’s Eating Gilbert Grape? dir. Lasse Hallström
  • When Harry Met Sally; dir. Rob Reiner
  • The Widow of St. Pierre; dir. Patrice Leconte
  • Wit; dir. Mike Nichols
  • Witness; dir. Peter Weir
  • Zelig; dir. Woody Allen

Films for Ambitious Adult Discussion Groups

  • 2001: A Space Odyssey; dir. Stanley Kubrick
  • The 400 Blows; dir. François Truffaut
  • Andrei Rublev; dir. Andrei Tarkovsky
  • Apocalypse Now; dir. Francis Ford Coppola
  • Au Hasard Balthazar; dir. Robert Bresson
  • Babel; dir. Alejandro González Iñárritu
  • The Ballad of Jack and Rose; dir. Rebecca Miller
  • Barton Fink; dir. Joel and Ethan Coen
  • Before Sunrise, and Before Sunset; dir. Richard Linklater
  • The Big Kahuna; dir. John Swanbeck
  • Blade Runner; dir. Ridley Scott
  • Brazil; dir. Terry Gilliam
  • Brokeback Mountain; dir. Ang Lee
  • Caché; dir. Michael Haneke
  • Café Lumiere; dir. Hou Hsiao-hsien
  • The Celebration; dir. Thomas Vinterberg
  • Children of Men; dir. Alfonso Cuarón
  • Cinema Paradiso; dir. Giuseppe Tornatore
  • The Circle; dir. Jafar Panahi
  • Claire’s Knee; dir. Eric Rohmer
  • Code Unknown; dir. Michael Haneke
  • Crimes and Misdemeanors; dir. Woody Allen
  • Days of Heaven; dir. Terrence Malick
  • Diary of a Country Priest, dir. Robert Bresson
  • Dirty Pretty Things; dir. Stephen Frears
  • Distant; dir. Nuri Bilge Ceylan
  • Dogville; dir. Lars Von Trier
  • Donnie Darko; dir. Richard Kelley
  • Down by Law; dir. Jim Jarmusch
  • L’Enfant; dir. Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne
  • Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind; dir. Michel Gondry
  • The Five Obstructions; dir. Lars Von Trier
  • The Flowers of Shanghai; dir. Hou Hsiao-hsien
  • Full Metal Jacket; dir. Stanley Kubrick
  • George Washington; dir. David Gordon Green
  • Grizzly Man; dir. Werner Herzog
  • Hannah and Her Sisters; dir. Woody Allen
  • Husbands and Wives; dir. Woody Allen
  • The Ice Storm; dir. Ang Lee
  • Ikiru; dir. Akira Kurosawa
  • In the Mood for Love; dir. Wong Kar-Wai
  • Jesus of Montreal; dir. Denys Arcand
  • Junebug; dir. Phil Morrison
  • Lantana; dir. Ray Lawrence
  • The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou; dir. Wes Anderson
  • The Life of Brian; dir. Terry Jones
  • Lost in Translation; dir. Sophia Coppola
  • Love and Death; dir. Woody Allen
  • Magnolia; dir. Paul Thomas Anderson
  • A Man Escaped; dir. Robert Bresson
  • Mean Creek; dir. Jacob Aaron Estes
  • The Mirror; dir. Andrei Tarkovsky
  • Natural Born Killers; dir. Oliver Stone
  • Ordet; dir. Carl Dreyer
  • Paris, Texas; dir. Wim Wenders
  • The Passion of Joan of Arc; dir. Carl Theodor Dreyer
  • The Passion of the Christ; dir. Mel Gibson
  • The Pianist; dir. Roman Polanski
  • Punch-drunk Love; dir. Paul Thomas Anderson
  • Ran; dir. Akira Kurosawa
  • Rashomon; dir. Akira Kurosawa
  • The Return; dir. Andrei Zvyagintsev
  • Ride with the Devil; dir. Ang Lee
  • Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead; dir. Tom Stoppard
  • Rosetta; dir. Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne
  • Safe; dir. Todd Haynes
  • A Scanner Darkly; dir. Richard Linklater
  • Secrets and Lies; dir. Mike Leigh
  • The Seventh Seal, dir. Ingmar Bergman
  • The Son; dir. Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne
  • The Sweet Hereafter; dir. Atom Egoyan
  • Solaris; dir. Andrei Tarkovsky
  • Stevie; dir. Steve James
  • A Taste of Cherry; dir. Abbas Kiarostami
  • The Thin Red Line; dir. Terrence Malick
  • Thirteen; dir. Catherine Hardwicke
  • Three Colors: Blue; dir. Krzysztof Kieslowski
  • Three Colors: Red; dir. Krzysztof Kieslowski
  • Three Colors: White; dir. Krzysztof Kieslowski
  • Three Times; dir. Hou Hsiao-hsien
  • Tokyo Story; dir. Yasujiro Ozu
  • Waking Life; dir. Richard Linklater
  • The Wind Will Carry Us; dir. Abbas Kiarostami
  • Wings of Desire; dir. Wim Wenders
  • Winter Light; dir. Ingmar Bergman
  • The World; dir. ZhangKe Jia
  • Yi-Yi (A One and a Two); dir. Edward Yang

Films to Discuss with Young Viewers

For five-year-olds and up:

  • My Neighbor Totoro, dir. Hayao Miyazaki
  • The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, dir. John Lounsbery and Wolfgang Reitherman
  • Toy Story, dir. John Lasseter
  • Lilo and Stitch, dir. Dean DeBlois and Chris Sanders
  • The Wizard of Oz, dir. Victor Fleming, Mervyn LeRoy, Richard Thorpe, and King Vidor

For eight-year-olds and up:

  • Duma, dir. Carroll Ballard
  • The Black Stallion, dir. Carroll Ballard
  • The Little Princess, dir. Alfonzo Cuarón
  • Finding Nemo, dir. Andrew Stanton
  • The Secret of Roan Inish, dir. John Sayles
  • The Emperor’s New Groove, dir. Mark Dindal
  • Mary Poppins, dir. Robert Stevenson
  • Babe, dir. George Miller
  • The Muppet Movie, dir. James Frawley
  • The Iron Giant, dir. Brad Bird
  • Kiki’s Delivery Service, dir. Hayao Miyazaki
  • The Miracle Maker, dir. Derek W. Hayes and Stanislav Sokolov
  • The Secret Garden, dir. Agnieska Holland
  • Monsters, Inc., dir. Pete Docter, David Silverman, and Lee Unkrich
  • Cars, dir. John Lasseter
  • The Story of the Weeping Camel, dir. Byambasuren Davaa and Luigi Falorni

For ten-year-olds and up:

The Princess Bride, dir. Rob Reiner

Star Wars, dir. George Lucas

Watership Down, dir. Martin Rosen

Into the West, dir. Mike Newell

Spirited Away, dir. Hayao Miyazaki

Holes, dir. Andrew Davis

March of the Penguins, dir. Luc Jacquet

Microcosmos, dir. Claude Nuridsany and Marie Pérennou

To Kill a Mockingbird, dir. Robert Mulligan

by Jeffrey Overstreet

Through a Screen Darkly - Follow-Up Readings for Chapters in Through a Screen Darkly

Follow-up reading for Chapter One: How a Camel Made a Grown Man Cry

  • Curious about films referenced in this chapter?

Read Jeffrey’s reviews of Chariots of Fire, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, The Story of the Weeping Camel, and Amadeus.

  • What’s behind the creativity on display in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind?

Read Jeffrey’s interview with screenwriter Charlie Kaufman and director Michel Gondry.

Follow-up reading for Chapter Two: Viewer Discretion Advised

Follow-up reading for Chapter Three: A Feast of Movies

Follow-up reading for Chapter Four: Wonders of Heaven and Earth

  • Interested in finding more films that restore a sense of awe and wonder?

Read Jeffrey’s recommendations for a film festival on that very theme.

Also, read his full review of Wings of Desire.

Follow-up reading for Chapter Five: Coming to the Rescue

Follow-up reading for Chapter Six: A Personal History of Violence

Follow-up reading for Chapter Seven: The Least of These

  • Read Jeffrey’s full review of Born into Brothels, and recommendations of other films about need and conscience.

Follow-up reading for Chapter Eight: Suffering Fools Gladly

Follow-up reading for Chapter Nine: Laughing at My Reflection

  • Jeffrey shares further thoughts on portrayals of Christ and Christians in film in the bonus chapter entitled "The Greatest Story Ever Told by Accident."
  • Ever heard the satirical Christian rock of singer/songwriter/filmmaker Steve Taylor?

Read Jeffrey’s tribute to Taylor: Christian Culture's Court Jester.

Follow-up reading for Chapter Ten: One is the Loneliest Number

Follow-up reading for Chapter Eleven: Making Darkness Visible

Follow-up reading for Chapter Twelve: Judgments of the Heart

  • Read Jeffrey’s full review of Apocalypse Now. Also read and his commentary on Robert Bresson’s Au Hasard Balthazar in the bonus chapter entitled "The Greatest Story Ever Told by Accident."

Follow-up reading for Chapter Thirteen: Pours Forth Speech

Follow-up reading for Chapter Fourteen: Chasing the Light

 

by Jeffrey Overstreet

Greydanus on Twilight-mania; Ebert on the CelebCult

Steven Greydanus offers an insightful interpretation of the Twilight phenomenon. Now that's what I'm talking about!

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Roger Ebert: Death to Film Critics! Hail to the CelebCult!

 

by Jeffrey Overstreet