film criticism

What united many of the films at Sundance this year? The same story that unites us all.

There is an interesting discussion on Andy Crouch’s recent essay about the “common good” brewing in the comments section of Alan Jacob’s response. I tentatively agree with a few of the points made in the back and forth that can be found at those two links. What I do find fundamentally constructive about Crouch’s overall theological […]

Here I am hunched over another impression of the brain with its wads of flat batting and weird yarn, thinking how can I read these films without a light board— (continue…) “Interpreting the Film” is a tragic poem about a different type of film, but a slight shift in the semantic domain of the word makes […]

There is often talk of framing our cultural experiences in terms found commonly in Christian spirituality. On account of this, we find film and theology groups that are structurally identical to group bible studies. We reserve watching certain films for certain spots on the Christian calendar, like annual Easter screenings of Gibson’s Jesus film. In […]

I recently saw an advertisement for an intensive film and theology course at a local seminary, and it jogged loose a few thoughts about how these courses are typically conducted. It is not my intention to lampoon this upcoming event, as I am happy to see any hint of good cinema becoming part of the […]

Wired (ht Jason Morehead) recently ran a short editorial about the geometric rate at which our ability to comment on products and experiences is increasing. Wired is an odd place to find such an editorial, as it has become notorious for product placement and a comment section that can degenerate pretty quickly. But there are […]

Will Osterweil has posted a description of a New Film Criticism over at The New Inquiry. It is full of such doozies as: “For most major film releases, marketing costs a quarter to a third of the production budget; this money goes to establishing a film’s ubiquity and “cultural relevance” while masking its inadequacies, inviting critics […]

Over at Film Journey, Rob Koehler has posted some interesting comments on what really matters in the festival world. He does this by opposing two general approaches to film criticism, which can be identified by the films that interest each type of critic: The difference between these two approaches–both quite simple on their face, yet […]

In a recent interview about her latest book, Marilynne Robinson began with the following few ideas: In Absence of Mind, your main argument is that the influential popular scientist-writers of our age (Wilson, Dennett, Dawkins, Pinker, et al.) fail to acknowledge the spiritual impulses, conscience, compassion, and other felt experiences, via the human mind, that […]