Sigur Ros live for ALL to see!

Today, at 3 p.m. ET, Icelandic experimental, indie band Sigur Ros is offering a live webcast of todays concert from Reykjavic, Iceland, the band’s hometown. They are teaming up with Bjork and the show is being presented by National Geographic Music.

What an awesome idea and a great opportunity to experience one of the most unique and visionary bands performing today. I assume that they will be playing songs from their new album, which you can sample at their Myspace page and is, like their previous albums, absolutely, stunningly, gorgeous.

I, for one, will be tuning in at 3 p.m.

Pixar has done it again!

I saw Wall-E last night. Its beautiful. Its complicated. Its subtle. Its visceral. Its inspiring. Its a miraculous work of art and one of the finest films I’ve seen yet this year - perhaps, the finest.

Yes, Pixar has done it again.

See it.

I’ll post more of my thoughts over the next few days.

Now Up at Into the Hill

My review of Coldplay’s Viva la Vida is now up at Into the Hill.

I think it is far and away the best album Coldplay has created to date and it’s clear that producer Brian Eno did some good work in motivating and pushing Chris Martin and Co. to new heights.

Time to Rejoice!

Mr. Jeffrey Overstreet has some wonderful news about a favorite filmmaker of mine!

It involves a Directors Cut, 172 jaw dropping minutes, several Native Americans, and one of our nation’s greatest legends.

Yepp, you guessed it Terrence Malick’s The New World is longer - and most likely, better - than ever!

How In Heaven’s Blessed Name Did I Miss This?!

My favorite modern author (perhaps my favorite author of all time) apparently has published a new short story.

Yes folks, a new Wendell Berry story is now available, thanks to a recent edition of The Threepenny Review. The story, Fly Away, Breath, ran in the Spring issue of this year.

But there’s more! In 2007 he had two other stories published. Whitefoot: A Story from the Center of the World ran in Orion Magazine, and The Requirement ran in Harpers Magazine.

According to the note at the bottom of the page, Whitefoot will be appearing soon as an illustrated children’s book! How fantastic!

For those of us who love the world of Port William and the people who dwell there, this is wonderful news. Like being assured that soon you will be able to see good friends or family who live far away. Indeed, to read Berry’s stories is to sit fireside, with a jug of something strong and a pocket full of biscuits, and to listen to the old, wise men tell stories of the past. To read Berry is to be whisked away, whisked away to a place very distant yet at the same time very much home, very real.

If you have yet to experience the joy and satisfaction of a Berry novel then you are surely missing out on a sumptuous feast. Do so, and do so quickly. Pick up a copy of Jayber Crow and be transported.

Again, I’m not sure how these stories slipped past me but I can say without a doubt that my weekend has become that much more delightful!

Hitchcock Today

In March 2008, Vanity Fair published an amazing photo spread celebrating and re-interpreting some of the great images from suspense master Alfred Hitchcock’s greatest films. In the photos are several of Hollywood’s best and brightest like James McAvoy, Emile Hirsch, Keira Knightley, Julie Christie, Charlize Theron, Renee Zellweger, Javier Bardem, Marion Cotillard, and many others. Photographers Julian Broad, Norman Jean Roy, Mark Seliger, and Art Streiber have done a really, really fascinating job of recreating these images in a way that both captures the aura and mystery of Hitchcock’s best work and ability to capture mood, while also capturing these current stars in an intriguing and new way. In some ways the spread is surreal. Great stuff.

I especially enjoy the images from Strangers on a Train, Lifeboat, and Psycho.

Thanks to Brett McCracken for bringing the spread to my attention.

Two Spies, a Prostitute’s House, and the Beauty of Transformation

I just finished reading the second chapter of Joshua and was struck by a few, seemingly, mysterious details. Details that are often left unconsidered, I think, when discussing this particular story. Let me explain.

As you know, the chapter tells the story of the Israelite spies who enter Jericho to, naturally, spy on the city and determine the best way to go about attacking the city. The relatively short and unspectacular chapter recounts their dangerous visit to the city, close call while behind the walls, and subsequent escape with the help Rahab the Harlot. It’s actually quite striking how little detail the narrator offers. There is no chase scene, no information regarding what details the spies discovered about the massive city, barely even any drama when recounting their escape and Rahab’s clever ploy to buy them some time. I have long thought that this particular part of the story could make for a fantastic film. The director could insert a magnificent chase scene through the forests around Jericho, complete with an in-the-middle-of-the-murky-woods fight scene straight from say, Gladiator. Perhaps there could be a few throat slashings, some intense hand-to-hand combat (just so Andrew Adamson doesn’t choreograph it). Said director could interpret the spies as the best of the Israelite best, the warrior elite, the Odysseus and Ajax of the Hebrews. They could be played by Russell Crowe and say, Guy Pearce for some indie cred. Gotta have that indie cred. Rahab could be played by some beautiful Hollywood royalty. Say, Megan Fox from Transformers. People seem to thing she is the next big thing.

Heck, Ridley Scott could direct.

It would be huge. Huge. Hollywood loves the period pieces.

Christianity Today responds again:

Christianity Today Movies editor Mark Moring has responded to the plethora of negative and slighting emails their readers have sent in, mostly angrily, responding to the site’s review of “Sex and the City.” Thanks to Jeffrey Overstreet for following up on this story.

Quoting one Mr. Clive Staples Lewis, Moring makes a fine case in defense of their critic and their decision to review the film. It’s sad to me that Christians attack one another for such things. Then again, I understand and respect the opinions of those who feel strongly enough to respond to CT in the way that they have. Ultimately, the crux of the matter seems to be founded upon what ones belief is regarding what exactly it means to be “in the world but not of it the world.” How should one examine the ways and actions of the world about us? And to what extent should we allow ourselves to participate in the things in which the world participates? And then also, what role does art have in all this, particularly cinema?

Mr. Moring does a fine job responding to these questions. Though, of course, such questions are not easily answered and a few paragraphs hardly do the job completely. For more, I suggest you check out Mr. Overstreet’s inspiring and beautiful book about just what makes film such a miraculous art form. It’s called Through a Screen Darkly. Find it and buy it and read it immediately!

Sex and the City: The Christianity Today response and today’s Christian response

Christianity Today film critic Camerin Courtney reviewed the new Sex and the City film, giving it 3 out of 4 stars, a half star higher than the site’s recent review of Prince Caspian. Naturally, CT’s readers responded in droves, as Jeffrey Overstreet noted in a recent blog post at Looking Closer. Jeffrey posted the link to CT’s posted mail bag and the responses are pretty varied. As one might expect many of the readers have denounced the film as simply “pornographic” and denounced CT as, for example, “unsalty salt.” Despite the fact that “unsalty” is not a real word, the debate is quite interesting. What do you think? What value might a film like Sex and the City have?

More from the Coen brothers!

Wow, they just keep on keepin’ on! Looks like more fantastic material from Joel and Ethan. And what a cast! Pitt. Clooney. Swinton. McDormand. Malkovich. and many more.

Here is the trailer for BURN AFTER READING, due in theaters this September.