A Little Milton on a Monday Afternoon
My new friend Kelly Foster just emailed this to me.
It's a quote from John Milton's Areopagitica, which I haven't read since 1991, so it's time to revisit it:
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Christianity Today's Mark Moring interviews Andrew Stanton
In an excellent interview, inspiring excellent answers, Mark Moring talks with Andrew Stanton.
I saw the film last night, and I was not prepared for its magnificence. Stay tuned, I'll have much, much more to say. But also, brace yourselves. A lot of people aren't going to like this movie....Read more
Malick's "The New World - Extended Cut" arrives October 14!
One viewer's is pleasure is another movieger's pain.
Out of the blue, an announcement was just posted from Businesswire that Terrence Malick's already-legendary extended versionof his masterpiece, The New World, my favorite film of the decade so far, is coming to DVD on October 14.
This edition of the critically-acclaimed, Oscar-nominated epic recreating the turbulent first days of the new America now features more than 30 minutes of never-before-seen footage, heightening the viewing experience with more battles, more intensity and more visual splendor. Also included is a comprehensive, ten-part documentary, Making the New World, which captures the unique creative challenges filmmakers faced.Read more
Browser, 6/23: One-scene Wonders; N.T. Wright on The Colbert Report; Four Novels for Summer Reading; Sixpence's Christmas; Enough with the Pixar-bashing; Back to Blade Runner
The Browser: News & links to raise your eyebrows & furrow your brow.
Small wonders
At The Onion AV Club (via Cinematical), they're counting down their favorite one-scene wonders. What's you're favorite?
Personally, I cannot argue with their pick for #1.Read more
At Image: Kelly Foster on "Why I Watch Sex and the City"
I knew that if Image journal ran a piece on the Sex and the City controversy, that I would gain some perspective that I'd been lacking in the heat of the recent debate.
Sure enough, Kelly Foster's honest, personal testimony, "Why I Watch Sex and the City, has made me wish I'd waited a month or two before responding.
Andrew Stanton on WALL-E
I'm looking forward to a chat with Pixar's Andrew Stanton, writer and director of Wall-E, later this week.
But my favorite bit from The Boston Globe's conversation with Stanton is this:
ABC News Feature on Sam Phillips
I'm hesitant to link to a title as badly titled as this one.Read more
A Family Film Worth Celebrating?
Roger Ebert is just one of the film critics singing the praises of Kit Kittredge: An American Girl.
I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm going to go see a movie based on a dress-up doll for girls. Why? Well, there are the reviews. And then there's the fact that it was directed by Patricia Rozema, who directed the magnificent, underrated Mansfield Park.
Roger Ebert says:
Reader Mailstrom, 6/19
Welcome to Reader Mailstrom, a chronicle of stand-outs from the daily maelstrom of Looking Closer email. All letters are genuine unless I've clearly marked them as inventions or as amalgams of similar messages. Thank you for your messages!
Browser, 6/19: Veith on the Sex & the City hubbub; Image and the Diving Bell; New World quesadillas!
The Browser: News & links to raise your eyebrows & furrow your brow.
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Gene Edward Veith weighs in on the Sex and the City hubbub
Gene Edward Veith, after raising questions that threw fuel on an already vigorous conversation (debate? brouhaha? hubbub?) over Christianity Today's review of Sex and the City, has finally weighed in with his own perspective.
And I'm grateful. I've followed Veith's work for years and knew he would respond with insight.
Can we move on now?
Can we put that disrespectful, false headline behind us and try to show some respect for the ministry of Christianity Today?
Can Camerin Courtney go back out in public now without a bulletproof vest?
Can I go on without people claiming that I've declared a deep love for porn? (No, apparently that's going to continue, judging from the latest comments on Veith's first post. God knows me, so I guess I shouldn't worry about the ridiculous version of me that some of those folks have invented out of thin air.)
For what it's worth, this feels like the closest we'll come to "closure" on this argument. What a shame.Read more