I have meant to get this up for about a week, but better late than never I suppose. I want to get some links up to some excellent sites and thinkers in regards to art and film in particular. There are some particularly helpful reviews about Wall-e out there so this is a good way to introduce to you some of these different sites.
- The first link is to a podcast that I enjoy called The Kindlings Muse and in this episode several movies are reviewed with Wall-e being one of the first.
- One of the guys that was on that episode of The Kindlings Muse is Jeffrey Overstreet, who is an author and film critic as well as blogger. Here is a link to his list of the 20 top movies of 2008. The thing to note about Overstreet is his thoughtful and critical engagement with film from a Christian perspective. Here is a bit of what he wrote in one spot about Wall-e (which he ranked as #2 for 2008):
How many movies can you name that are as provocative for adults as they are entertaining for children? Perhaps a few—but are they also standard-setting achievements in animation? How many begin with twenty minutes of dialogue-free creativity, like the near-silent comedy at the beginning of this film? Andrew Stanton’s story is an imaginative fusion of Noah’s Ark and 2001: A Space Odyssey.
- Another site is “Past the Popcorn” – www.ptpopcorn.com and here is one review of Wall-e found there.
- Finally there is hollywoodjesus.com and here is one of the reviews found there.
So there is enough reading for you for today, but hopefully this can help you to think about constructive ways for Christian people to interact with art and film.
What thoughts or impressions do you now have of Wall-e? Is this way of engaging film new for you or not? How do you find it helpful?
WALL-E was pure perfection and the best film I’ve seen in years.