Podcast: Sheridan Voysey talks with me about great movies that can change lives.
You can now download the podcast of Sheridan Voysey's radio program where I discussed the power of movies with him a couple of weeks ago. (I mentioned this broadcast a few days back.)
Of the many on-air conversations about movies I've enjoyed, this was one of my favorites.
Theme of the year? "The End is Near"
It seems that almost every year, there are one or two themes that emerge on the big screen... themes so persistent and vigorously investigated that you wonder if somebody somewhere called a meeting and planned for the films to correspond.
Last week, I realized what I would argue to be this year's most prominent theme: The elusive nature of evil. No matter what folks try to accomplish, the dark side is getting the better of things, and escaping every strategy we devise... if we even get around to fighting back at all. The big screen seems to be a giant sandwich board shouting THE END IS NEAR. Read more
Specials: Auralia Meets Graeme; Gaffney on CAFF; Chattaway on Faith/Film
I'm going back into a period of intense imagining, polishing up the sequel to Auralia's Colors. So, offline I'll be rather antisocial for the next few weeks, and my blogging may slow down a bit.
By the way, did I mention that I'll send you autographed copies of Auralia's Colors if you want to give them as Christmas presents? Just follow the instructions.
Or, if you prefer not to have any ink scrawled on the title page, just pick them up at your local bookstore, or online at Amazon and Barnes and Noble and Auralia's favorite bookstores.
It's exciting to see some coverage of Auralia's Colors in the realm of "General Fantasy."
Here's Graeme's Fantasy Book Review.
Every so often I read a book and know within a few pages that I’m in for the duration. One book, eight books, it doesn’t matter how long the series turns out. I’m there at the start and I’ll be there at the finish. Tad Williams, Greg Keyes and Steven Erikson (amongst others) have all trapped me in a book buying frenzy, now it’s the turn of Jeffrey Overstreet with his novel ‘Auralia’s Colors’.
Thanks to the strange working practices of one of the UK’s largest delivery firms (naming no names), this book found it’s way to my desk rather than through my front door. I had my reading list all mapped out for the next few days but I’d finished my current book and thought I’d flick through ‘Auralia’s Colors’ on the way home. Fast forward a few days and the reading list is once again in need of re-shuffling. ‘Auralia’s Colors’ is a magical read, that’s all I can say. It’ s by no means perfect but it’s not far off.
For those of you who have read Auralia's Colors... have you posted your thoughts on Amazon to spice up the review list there? There are more Amazon reviews appearing all the time... some flattering, some discouraging. Here's a day-making response from WyoGirl:
So often I read a book and then pass it on to a friend because my shelves can hold no more books, but Auralia's Colors gets to stick around. This is a book I want my children to read when they are teens. Overstreet names his influences in his acknowledgements, but he neglects to tell us that while the spirits of his great writing teachers are felt in the writing, Overstreet's world is completely new. It must be his vast knowledge as a movie critic that allows him to create such a magical and imaginative world. This story is filled with heroes that tugged at my heart, namely Auralia and Ale Boy. But Overstreet surprises the reader with thieves capable of great integrity and Queens and Kings capable of massive thievery. This fast-paced, wildly creative tale filled with compelling symbolism and imagery is sure to enthrall readers.
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City of Angels Film Festival coverage
Wish I had time to write more about the films I saw at the City of Angels Film Festival, but I'm on deadline for some reviews now. I'll just link to Sean Gaffney's blog, where he talks about the television writers' panel discussion, which was a real highlight... as was the hilarious interview with Larry Wilmore (the Diversity Man on "The Office").
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The volatile territory where faith and film intersect...
Peter T. Chattaway's article on the wild, wild world of faith and moviegoing is up at Christianity.ca.
Pay What You Can for Paste Magazine!
Taking a cue from Radiohead, Paste is now letting you pay whatever you want for a one-year subscription. You name your own price for 11 issues of the magazine plus 11 free CDs (one in each issue!).
Visit http://www.pastemagazine.com and follow the banners to name your price!
Normally, a one-year subscription is $19.95, and it would cost more than $60 to buy each issue from the newsstand all year. But for a limited time, YOU get to chose how much Paste is worth. (You can give gift subscriptions at that same price, too... get your holiday shopping done in a snap!)
Have fun naming your price & thanks for reading!
For Paste,
-Rachael
A Conversation with National Book Award Finalist Sara Zarr
Can we handle the truth?
In Sara Zarr's first novel, Story of a Girl, one young woman's life is almost spoiled by the truth... at least when it comes to the details of her biggest mistake.
When young Deanna's misguided adventure with an older boy in a car is exposed for all the world to see, she is forced to live with the consequences. Her peers, her community, her family... no one can meet her gaze in quite the same way again.
But are the consequences appropriate for the crime? Why are girls condemned when it comes to sexual indiscretion, while boys run free? Why can't her father forgive her, and move through the crisis with her? Has the truth of the matter really been perceived at all? Wouldn't the truth, in totality, allow for the possibility of healing, and include all of those who bear some responsibility for what happened?
These are compelling questions, and challenging issues to explore in any medium. Writing about them for young adults is an especially difficult endeavor, as parents may flinch to find their teens reading about such tough stuff.
But Sara Zarr strikes the perfect balance, writing about this territory with the authenticity of having been there. She seems to have a photographic memory when it comes to the nuances of high school experience. And while Deanna's trials are fictional, Zarr writes about these emotions and exchanges with a knack for observation. With powerful restraint, she shows respect to her characters and to her readers, leaving certain details unspoken in trust of our own imaginations. But she brings characters to vivid life through charged conversations and situations in which the stakes are very high indeed.Read more
Here We Go Again: Malick and "The Tree of Life"
I know, I know, I'm late to this party.
But I'm not really. I reported on Terrence Malick's Tree of Life project ages ago, and was quickly corrected and informed that I was merely perpetuating rumors about a project that was abandoned long ago.
Forgive me if I'm a little gun-shy on this: But now, news sources all over the place are reporting that Heath Ledger and Sean Penn are "in talks" to star in this mysterious endeavor, with Malick at the helm. I'm sure that many will start speculating about the resemblance between this story and Aronofsky's The Fountain, but I trust Malick.Read more
The Nick and Josh Show
Lo and behold, my conversation with Nick (of the Nick and Josh Show) is now available for download.
We talked about movies, Through a Screen Darkly, and then he asked me to share my impressions of a movie that clearly impressed him: Darren Aronofsky's The Fountain.
I really enjoyed chatting with Nick, and I hope you enjoy the program.
Looking Closer... looking back.
Moments like this just make me grateful to work with such thoughtful, brave, and dedicated collaborators.Read more
1:01 AM and I've Seen a Lot of Movies
I'm still here at the City of Angels Film Festival, held that the Directors Guild in L.A.
I've had a marvelous time so far.
It began with a reception for the festival's special guests, where I was deeply moved and flattered to receive the festival's 2007 Spiritus Award for my writing about movies over the last several years. Dr. Michael Gose of Pepperdine gave me such a gracious introduction that I found it difficult to speak clearly when I stepped up to the microphone.
It's unsettling in a way, to see a group of Christians gathered to offer a gesture of appreciation for film criticism... I'm not used to that. I'm used to another kind of gesture. Anyway, I feel I should just pass the award on to those filmmakers and critics whose work has been so inspiring and made such a difference in my life. All I've done is respond in writing.Read more
Thanks to "God and Culture" Show Host Paul Edwards
Many, many thanks to Paul Edwards for being a gracious host, generous with his time, and thoughtful with his questions on the God and Culture radio program in Detroit.
You can listen in on our conversations...Read more