What does Indiana Jones mean to you?

One week from today, I’ll be seeing Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Time for me to put aside the heavier viewing fare and relive the joys of being a wide-eyed teenager.

The Hollywood Reporter reviews Prince Caspian

The Hollywood Reporter has what appears to be the first full review of Prince Caspian.

Michael Rechtshaffen calls it:

Auralia’s Colors nominated for a Clive Staples Award

It’s a sunny day, made even sunnier by the news that Auralia’s Colors has been nominated for the Clive Staples Award.

Many thanks to Rebecca LuElla Miller for kicking this off. I’m honored to see Auralia’s Colors included in anything associated with the famous “C.S.”

(Stay tuned. I’m looking for more information on the award. So far, I’ve only found this. Who’s on the jury?)

Film Forum: Unsettled, The Fall, Surfwise, Speed Racer, What Happens in Vegas, The Babysitters

This is collection of reviews that I found interesting and helpful. The collection will be revised as I find more notable assessments online. Feel free to submit more reviews, or even your own, in the comments below.

The Browser, 5/9: Evangelical Manifesto; Koehler on Cannes; Dude still abides!; Neil Young hates mp3s; book reviews; Marion Ravenwood

The Browser: News and links to lift your eyebrows and furrow your forehead

The Evangelical Manifesto

On the remote chance that you may not already have read it, I should post the news that An Evangelical Manifesto was published and presented earlier this week, on May 7.

The Steering Committee for the document includes…

“I’m in the middle of your picture / Lying in the reeds…”

The video for Radiohead’s “All I Need.”

Beautiful.

WATCH THE WHOLE THING. You probably haven’t seen a better movie this year.

Prince Caspian… pop star!

Boy, I don’t remember Prince Caspian ever doing THIS in the book, do you?

Thanks to CTMovies editor Mark Moring for passing along this link of pop-gladiator Ben “I’m Prince Caspian!” Barnes… “back in the day” when he was an aspiring pop star with a band called Hyrise.

And, from some of the rumblings I’m hearing, this video has almost as much to do with the novel Prince Caspian as the movie does. Wait, did I just say that in my out-loud voice?

Look, she’s not doing anything!

Sam Phillips, coming to perform at a Borders near (some of) you!

Nonesuch had just announced a bunch of album-release parties at Borders bookstores, where Sam Phillips will perform songs from her new album Don’t Do Anything.

It’s a fairly short list, but perhaps you’ll find that one of these locations is within your reach…

Hey, techies: Tomorrow, I’m interviewing THIS guy.

Larry Wall, inventor of PERL.

Any questions for him? Let me know.

The Browser, 5/8: O’Connor; Berryman; Joe Henry; Ebert; David Brooks; Elvis Costello; Ron Burgundy; superhero debates; Image on Lumet’s latest

The Browser: News and links to lift your eyebrows and furrow your forehead

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Do you have the equipment?

Flannery O’Connor blogged twice this week. That’s always worth a look. And what great quotes.

For the love of movies that never played at the mall…

In my experience of discussing movies online, few people have challenged me to dig deeper and look closer at movies than Ken Morefield.

That’s why I’m enthusiastic about having his as a “guest reviewer” so often at Looking Closer.

So I am delighted to discover that…

My Brightest Diamond’s new album arrives 6/17

Shar’s back!

UPDATE: You can hear the Son Lux remix of a track from this album at Pitchfork.

Ladies and gentlemen… Tom Waits.

This is even better than Iron Man.

Thanks to David Kern for the link.

It’s here! It’s here at last!

Not many novelists have so impressed me with their first novel that I would literally jump for joy in the bookstore to discover their second novel. But when I stumbled unexpectedly onto THIS yesterday, yes, I did jump, and it was for joy.

Emma Thompson returns to Merchant/Ivory country…

… or at least a region very much like it.

The Coen Brothers put Clooney and Swinton in bed together.

These pics promise a return to the wild and wacky side of the Coen Brothers’ world.

The Browser, 5/1: Sam, CTMovies’ angry readers, No Country, Assassination, and Hancock

The Browser: News and links to lift your eyebrows and furrow your forehead

Aragorn stars in a review of the Democratic candidates so far…

… here you go. It’s detailed. It’s hilarious.

And did I mention the cameo by ARAGORN?!

IMAGE: “The Secret” is screwy, and other recent observations.

I continue to find frequent, thought-provoking, inspiring thoughts at the new Image blog.

Are you ready to lose your neighborhood video store?

What’s your own favorite “neighborhood video store” experience?

Coldplay + Eno = A lot more comparisons to U2

Here’s a Telegraph article on the new Coldplay album.

At last, a new film from the director of “Italian for Beginners”…

The 2002 Dogme flick Italian for Beginners is one of my favorite romantic comedies, one I watch again and again, and my DVD has been loaned out countless times. (It’s amazing I haven’t lost it, actually.)

So I’ve been eager to see something, anything, new from director Lone Scherfig.

The Browser, 4/30: New Dark Knight trailer, new Hulk trailer, new Indy trailer, McKellen will be Gandalf, Del Toro as Che Guevara, Kidman may be Dusty Springfield, and Expelled producer declares “I’m definitely not a creationist!”

The Browser: News and links to lift your eyebrows and furrow your forehead

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“It is the birthday of Annie Dillard…”

I’m grateful to Garrison Keillor for reminding all of us that…

Listen to the new Coldplay song…

It’s here, for now.

Mel Gibson returns to acting

Edge of Darkness is about an angry man on a crusade against bad guys who killed one of his family members (his daughter, in this case).

2008 Christy Award nominations announced

It’s official today, so I can share the surprising news…

… and my thanks to the Christy Award Advisory board and the judges who enjoyed Auralia’s Colors. Wow… nominations in two categories? I’m really, really surprised and delighted. Thank you! It’s an honor to be nominated alongside these other writers… especially Stephen R. Lawhead, whose Pendragon Cycle books were inspiring to me when I was in high school and dreaming about writing fantasy someday! My wife Anne has been reading Scarlet, his new, nominated release.

And no, for those who have asked…. “Christy” does not mean “Jesus-y.” It’s a reference to the Catherine Marshall novel.

Ann Arbor, Mich.—The Christy Advisory Board is pleased to announce nominees in nine categories for the 2008 Christy Awards honoring Christian fiction. The Christy Awards dinner will be held Saturday evening, July 12, 2008, at The Rosen Centre in Orlando, Florida. Visit the Christy Awards online at www.christyawards.com for more information.

The Christy Awards 2008 Nominees

Del Toro speaks again on The Hobbit and that mysterious second movie

MTV has another interview with Guillermo Del Toro with even more intriguing hints and teasers about his journey into Middle-Earth.

The U2 Elevation prayer

David Wainscott has just posted some interesting audio: An audio file of the prayer and blessing for U2’s 2001 Elevation tour.

And when you think about how that tour blessed so many, and about the ministry that the band had for those in New York after the attacks on September 11th… I don’t think it’s presumptuous to say those prayers were answered.

Horton, Deckard, Sweeney, Amadeus, and a Red Balloon!

Free download!

Listen to Dick Staub, Greg Wright, Jennifer Spohr — and me! — as we discuss Horton Hears a Who, Expelled, Snow Angels, Blade Runner, Sweeney Todd, Once, Amadeus, Flight of the Red Balloon, and Lady Jane on this month’s Kindlings Muse movie podcast.

End of The Road (in Pittsburgh, anyway)

Working on his adaptation of Cormac McCarthy’s The Road, John Hillcoat has wrapped up filming in Pittsburgh and is moving on to Lake Erie, New Orleans, Mount St. Helens, and the Oregon coast.

“The book had a huge impact on me, it affected me more deeply and more profoundly than almost anything I’ve ever read,” Mr. Hillcoat said. “That’s partly because I’m a father of a gorgeous 6-year-old boy” and mindful of what’s happening in the world.

Growing up in Canada in the 1970s, the native Australian worried nuclear war was inevitable.

“Quite seriously, I never even thought I’d get to the age of 40 as a kid, as a teenager at least,” he said.

But he did and he’s making a movie that explores humanity and hope in a seemingly hopeless world and a father who teaches his son to “carry the fire,” as Mr. McCarthy so eloquently phrases it.

U2 throws out their new album?

Okay, there’s a story at U2.com that says this…

And then there’s a story at 411 (and beginning to pop up elsewhere) that says this…

For months, band members have been raving about their new material. And now they’re saying they’ve trashed it all and are going to start from scratch? Hey, I’m all for waiting until they’ve got something good, but I’m wondering why U2.com doesn’t report anything about starting over….

UPDATE:

The U2 news page @U2 doesn’t buy it:

The Internet is a great place to get news, but there are too many news sources that don’t have a clue what they’re doing. You’ve no doubt seen reports around the Interwebz that U2 is “scrapping” all their work on the new album to start from scratch. Except there’s no quote from the band to support that.

It began with this article on ContactMusic, with a quote from Edge attributed to CMUmusic.com (a web site that doesn’t even exist). The actual quote was given to the Associated Press, and can be read on U2.com. Edge says nothing about starting over.

The only thing Edge says is, “We’re starting to get serious now.” ContactMusic (and many others) took that quote and jumped to the conclusion that all of the previous work is being scrapped. Mighty huge jump, and not one any of us should make with them.

The Browser, 4/25: Del Toro wants puppets to invade The Hobbit?, Terrence Malick, Baby Mama, Standard Operating Procedure, Constantine’s Sword, more great Christian rock albums

The Browser: News and links to lift your eyebrows and furrow your forehead

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Hobbit hype rising: Del Toro speaks, O’Hehir worries…

See Reepicheep in action, and much more…

In this behind-the-scenes featurette, you’ll glimpse Reepicheep in action for the first time, as he introduces himself to Prince Caspian. And you’ll see a whole lot more than that…

Thanks to Mike Harris-Stone for the link!

Stephen Lamb wraps up Calvin-fest coverage

Stephen Lamb is *still* blogging about that amazing Calvin College Festival of Faith and Writing. He was able to attend the session I most wanted to see for myself. Alas, I was busy, so I’m copying Lamb’s notes about a conversation between Kathleen Norris and Scott Cairns. Man, I wish I’d been there…

IT’S OFFICIAL: Variety makes the Del Toro - Hobbit announcement.

It’s time to bring Bag End back to New Zealand. Here comes The Hobbit!

Del Toro’s moving to New Zealand for the next four years to work with Jackson and his Wingnut and Weta production teams. He’ll direct the two films back to back, with the sequel dealing with the 60-year period between “The Hobbit” and “The Fellowship of the Ring,” the first of the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy.

Radiohead, live on Conan O’Brien

For the “Green Show,” Radiohead played on Conan O’Brien *without* flying all the way to his studio.

Here’s “House of Cards.”

Peter Chattaway reviews Expelled

My friend and colleague Peter Chattaway has joined the growing list of Christian film critics who have very mixed feelings about Expelled: No Intelligence Necessary.

His review is published at BC Christian News.

He comments even further at his blog.

Here are some memorable moments:

Yoko Ono versus Expelled

This press release just arrived in my mailbox: