Overstreet

Whoa, I didn't even think to check. If I saw that thread back in 2007, I sure don't remember it. Thanks! I hope I get a chance to see it, but this week is slammed, and I have some promising screener links to upcoming things I want to check out too. Argh.

I was startled tonight to discover that My Brother's Wedding, a film by Charles Burnett (Killer of Sheep), has just been added to Filmstruck's streaming service. Reading about it, I find that it's a hard title to track down. Has anyone here seen it? It sounds like it's worth a look:

My favorite faith-related films aren't about heroes passing tests, but about would-be heroes failing and God remaining sovereign and full of grace. Three Colors: Blue, for example. Or The New World. If I had to pick a story in which a person faces tests and succeeds, under incredible pressure, I'd suggest The Son. If you're interested, I have a whole book about this subject. Regarding your question "Is there a difference between faith based and spiritually based films?" — I don't know. I don't believe in "faith-based films," because all creative work is an act of faith. I don't know what a "spiritually based film" is. All creativity is an incarnational activity and thus involves spirit. I'm not sure what you mean by "overt or subtle themes." The more a work of creativity announces what it thinks it means, the less artful it is — and it usually ends up being wrong about what it means anyway. Art is an invitation to explore what an artist has made out of his or her own encounter with mystery. We do not go to art to get a lesson; we go to experience beauty and consider what we might make of it, which, if the art is good, will be an ongoing and inconclusive journey.

That Variety clip is so cool! Congrats, Ken! And good for you, Darren. Wow. I can't wait to read what you write up from that.

I nominate World of Tomorrow, Episode Two: The Burden of Other People's Thoughts, by Don Herzfeldt. In retrospect, I rate World of Tomorrow as one of my top 5 films 2015. And since I have no reason to disbelieve the reviews, which are hailing this as every bit as spectacular, I'm throwing a "Hail, Mary" pass to the end zone and trusting that this will be well worth our time and consideration. The question is, of course, whether or not it qualifies, being only 22 minutes long. It played festivals, but it's not getting a wide theatrical release. It's on Vimeo today.

Hoo, boy. I've been wondering how long it would take for this idea to take root somewhere... Variety:

I'm going to assume that Twin Peaks: The Return is not eligible. I understand, and yet this just shows how the increasingly cinematic qualities of some television productions are blurring the lines between the art forms. Nothing I've seen this year stays with me, in the way great art films stay with me, like that series.

This film is already on its way out of theaters in Seattle, but with a 95% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a synopsis like this one, it seems like a film this community should consider: Anybody here seen it?

I love it. I'm guessing it's influenced by The Plague Dogs.

This interview is so good, Darren. Thanks so much. I love what they say about not looking down on their characters from above.

I believe it's a wad of chewing gum. "That gum you like is back in style."

I'm much more comfortable reading this film as a critique of humankind's distorted, patriarchal religious ideas than as a critique of God Himself. This looks to me like "Okay, people who believe we should glorify God but exploit nature and all things feminine, here is your worldview mirrored back to you." I know that's not necessarily what Aronofsky is saying, but I don't put much stock in what artists say their own work means. There is too much in this film that doesn't make sense if this film is offered as a protest against the God that the artist believes in. It makes more sense to me if the art is challenging us with "Really? This is how you think the cosmos works? This is the god you believe in, and this is how you think it's best to serve him?" It feels more like an indictment of humankind and the way they engage with the god they believe in than a proposition about who God is and how he works.

Agreed. My immediate thought was "Oh, okay, so what is about to unfold... it has happened before. The circle of life." That is, of course, where the heart/diamond/thing came from.

I'll write about it on my blog and I'll share the podcasts there. I've already promoted the podcast on my Facebook and Twitter accounts. You might write to Tracy in UC at SPU, Greg, and format it as a Fac/Staff Bulletin announcement. If you write it up as a significant publication of an SPU faculty member, you could also mention in the blurb that the issue features Alissa Wilkinson (a grad of SPU's MFA program), Scott Cairns (director of SPU's MFA program), and any other SPU connections you find in there. You might also pitch it to Tracy as something to feature on the SPU home page.

The Criterion edition is so gorgeous. I gone from admiring the movie to loving it. And as a big Radiohead fan, I'm pretty sure I've discovered the inspiration for the cover art and title of A Moon-Shaped Pool.