Anne Charms the Crowd Again
At every single one of Anne Overstreet's poetry readings, I sit there in a mix of amazement, wonder, and joy that I have the privilege of being more than just a fan. Read more
At last! Paul Thomas Anderson's got a new movie!
I've been waiting for news about the next Paul Thomas Anderson film for a long, long time.Read more
The Best of Youth (2003) - A Guest Review by J. Robert Parks
This is a guest review contributed by J. Robert Parks.
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How can I convince you to devote six hours of your life to a single movie? Especially when that movie is an Italian film starring actors you've probably never heard of. And unlike Hollywood's marketing obsessions, there's no sex, little violence, and no special effects. Why would anyone travel up to Chicago's Music Box theater (starting this Friday) for such a thing when spring is hopefully around the corner?
Well, let me put it this way. You may not find a richer, more engrossing story than The Best of Youth all year long. The narrative focuses on two brothers, Matteo (Alessio Boni) and Nicola (Luigi Lo Cascio). It's the end of the university year, and both are studying for their oral exams. Literature student Matteo, in a burst of anger and frustration, walks out of his. Medical student Nicola passes with a high grade, in part because his professor credits him with the "sympathetic factor"--the belief that a doctor's ability to be sympathetic to his patients is more important than what he knows. Surrounding these two figures are some of the most interesting characters I've seen in months of moviegoing-the bickering but loving parents, the older responsible sister, the younger sister who idolizes her brothers, the fellow student and friend, a beautiful but troubled young woman, an idealistic music student who protests against the government, a pretty photographer from Sicily. We watch all of them grow older and mature as the movie unspools their stories over the next several hours.Read more
Dogville (2004)
[This review was originally published at Christianity Today.]
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There is an unforgettable scene in Dogville. It is unconventional, risky, unsettling, and it sums up writer/director Lars von Trier's rage against human hard-heartedness. In a wordless moment, the camera, the actors, the stage and the silence offer us a sobering observation. All that comes before it has set the stage for this moment, when the movie makes its chilling revelation.
Like Jesus's parable of the Good Samaritan, Dogville tells a simplistic fable of man who takes care of a stranger while others abuse and take advantage of her. Alongside its biblical references, there are echoes of Greek tragedy, Mark Twain, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Flannery O'Connor. With its 1930s Colorado mountain town setting and the pleasant voice of its narrator (John Hurt in a brilliant unseen performance), the film's most obvious allusions are to Thornton Wilder's celebrated play Our Town.Read more
Want to See the New Russell Crowe Film for Free?
You could wait until next fall to see Ron Howard's new film, Cinderella Man, starring Russell Crowe. You could go to the theatre and pay nine bucks for the privilege.
Or, you could see pretty much the whole thing here, for free, and it'll only take about a minute.
Thanks, Ron! Now I don't have to sit through the extended version!
And what a performance by Paul Giamatti. Wow. Looks like that snub at the Oscars took a toll on his hairline.
Sam Phillips rules. But don't listen to me. Listen to Tom Waits.
Tom Waits was asked about his favorite records of all time.
And guess what he picked...Read more
Sin City - Peter Chattaway has seen it.
And he's "still processing it."
If this is how he "processes," I can't wait to read the final review.Read more
Glimpses of the Narnia characters
These WETA collectibles give you a glimpse of the characters we'll be seeing in the upcoming The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. Looking good so far.Read more
Dick Staub's new book: "Christian Wisdom of the Jedi Masters"!
My friend Dick Staub recently impressed the heck out of me all over again with his eloquence on the subject of art and faith when we joined a panel discussion for Christians in the Theatre Arts. In fact, the conversation between us, writer/actor Jeff Berryman, and actor Grant Goodeve was probably the most exciting dialogue on faith and art I've experienced. I wish I'd recorded it, because I want transcripts of everything those guys said.Read more