"Darkly" inspires a small-world connection

Thursday, May 03, 2007

"Darkly" inspires a small-world connection

Jessica Poundstone, a friend of mine quoted in Through a Screen Darkly, had quite a surprise when her quote made its way to the attention of the very person she was talking about... Bill Frisell.

You gotta read it to believe it.

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What readers are saying about "Through a Screen Darkly"

"In Through a Screen Darkly, Overstreet invites readers on a full-length journey, out of the enclave of Christian subculture that limits viewers to straight-to-DVD releases and other 'safe' fare, into a rich feast of films, from Wings of Desire to The Motorcycle Diaries, that transform by looking deep and long where some hesitate to look at all. Giving new meaning to the phrase “Viewer Discretion Advised,” Through a Screen Darkly is a lesson in deliberate attentiveness."

- Image Update, Image journal's newsletter

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"Like a machete-wielding soldier facing a jungle, Overstreet ... cuts through the glamour of the silver screen to reveal deeper truths behind films both famous and little-known. He explores such themes as wonder, loneliness, humor, and abuse — and how movies can give us God's perspective on subjects we would normally avoid. . . . Overstreet brings readers beyond gut-level reaction to deeper understanding of movies and why some things rejected out-of-hand by most Christian reviewers shouldn't be.

"Overstreet's grand tour of the film industry is thoroughly enchanting, enlightening, absorbing. For many readers who were previously unfamiliar with him, the book will make him the reviewer of choice, the best source for what movies to see, what to avoid -- and how to watch a movie."

- Aspiring Retail Magazine

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"If viewing a film is to be a spiritual exercise, one must be open to conversion. Overstreet ... leads readers through his own cinematic conversion in this compelling volume. Overstreet's greatest gift is the masterful way he brings a spirit of discernment to the world of film. ... Two thumbs up!"

- Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

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"Jeffrey Overstreet is a spiritual bloodhound, rabidly tracking the voice of God through his own experience of the history of cinema. In Through a Screen Darkly, he leads the way for all of us, demonstrating how we can look closer and experience the divine invasion of film for ourselves."

-Scott Derrickson,Writer and Director, The Exorcism of Emily Rose

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"Inspirational.... Sometimes all of us forget that love for movies, that internal spark inside us that movies lit, and your book is going to remind many of us about it."

- Darren Aronofsky, director of Requiem for a Dream and The Fountain

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"Overstreet gives layers of description of dozens of films, ranging from The Empire Strikes Back to Taxi Driver to Wings of Desire. It's a clinic in art criticism. Through his earnest and illuminating instruction, we learn much about genre, sacramentality, cinematography, and more. His quest to 'apprehend beauty wherever I can find it' is clearly an impassioned romance, one he longs to usher us into as well. ... Overstreet's achievement in this book is his winsome articulation of the magnificence of art and its irreplaceable part in a fully human life. With an enlarging vision of the story in which our art has unfolded, his criticism will cut through our enigmatic darkness with yet more light."

- Eric Miller, Christianity Today

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"Jeffrey Overstreet has taught me a great deal not just about how to watch movies, but also how to glean truth, beauty and redemption from films of all types — even those that aren’t necessarily comfortable to watch. I am learning the art of looking closer, and this book takes that art — and that education — to even deeper, and thus more rewarding, levels."

- Mark Moring,Editor, ChristianityTodayMovies.com

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"Jeffrey Overstreet is a witness. While habituating the dark caves of movie theaters, he gives articulate witness to what I too often miss in those caves — the contours of God’s creation and the language of Christ’s salvation. In these theaters, assumed by many to be unholy temples in a wasteland of secularism, he writes what he sees and hears. I find him a delightful and most percipient companion — a faithful Christian witness."

- Eugene H. Peterson,Professor Emeritus of Spiritual Theology, Regent College, author of The Message and Eat This Book

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"God the Maker made us to be makers as well. That is why, as Chesterton said, 'Art is the signature of man.' Filmmaking is an art form that is the unique invention of the twentieth century. Nothing quite like it had ever existed before, and through it, millions have had powerful, even profoundly spiritual, experiences. Jeffrey Overstreet is a guide eminently qualified to show us how to see the way in which films both illumine the terrain of the human spirit and probe the eternal mysteries of God."

-Mark Shea, Senior Content Editor, CatholicExchange.com

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"Jeffrey Overstreet understands the art of understanding art and believes it is too important a task to leave to the experts. Through a Screen Darkly is a trustworthy guide as you sort through the enriching, exhilarating, messy, dangerous and important business of loving God and film."

-Dick Staub, Author, Christian Wisdom of the Jedi Masters and The Culturally Savvy Christian

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"Through a Screen Darkly constitutes a milestone in Christian reflection about contemporary film. This is not simply because it is full of insightful analysis and a generous, open spirit, but because its vision grows out of a passionate, personal journey. This is film criticism with a soul and a sense of urgency growing out of the conviction that faith and the imagination need one another — the better to open our eyes to the flickerings of God’s grace."

- Greg Wolfe, Publisher and Editor, Image, Author of Intruding Upon the Timeless: Meditations on Art, Faith and Mystery

Through a Screen Darkly - The Blog

Thursday, May 03, 2007