Weekender: New Twitter. Doctor Strange’s Multiverse. Faith in musicals. SDG on The Northman.
Looking Closer has a new Twitter account! Also: Here are my first impressions of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of…
Arcade Fire’s big noise is back, and so are the sermons
Arcade Fire's seven-track tapestry of anxiety, alienation, and disillusionment sounds epic, but it can be a bit…
Catch the rare treasure Petite Maman on the big screen if you can
Like Jacques Doillon's Ponette and John Sayles's The Secret of Roan Inish, Céline Sciamma's new film is about very…
Conflicted about The Northman’s conflict
With full respect for arguments to the contrary, I'm of a mind to say that Robert Eggers's The Northman, while very…
Weekender: Allison Russell, Philip Yancey, and Enchanted Journey II: Ex-vangelical Boogaloo
In this edition of The Weekender, a miscellany of podcast highlights, insights on faith and race, a prayer worth…
Alas, it may be too late for you to see one of 2022’s most enthralling cinematic experiences
The greatest films are becoming the most difficult to see in a theater. Memoria — the third transcendent cinematic…
Jon Batiste’s “We Are” — a Looking Closer Top 20 of 2021 favorite — wins Album of the Year.
One of my favorite records of 2021 won the Album of the Year award: Jon Batiste's We Are.
Favorite Recordings of 2021: Part Three (#15–#1)
You are arriving at the summit of my 2021 Music Mountain. These are my fifteen favorite albums of 2021
Weekender: Fourth Weekend in January — Dark on Power of the Dog; Wilford on Licorice Pizza
After a few "Weekenders" away, here are a few highlights from the last few weeks.
Favorite Recordings of 2021: Part One (Honorable Mentions and #36–#26)
It has finally begun! On January 20, Looking Closer's look back at favorite recordings of 2021 has begun! Keep watch…
Newsic: New song from Tom Skinner, Thom Yorke, and Johnny Greenwood
This isn't an easy song to sing along with. It shouldn't be. But it represents a meaningful anger, a broken heart, a…
Joel Coen’s Macbeth adaptation is visually striking — but unaffecting
Did social distancing influence this Joel Coen production of the Scottish play? It has some great actors in it, but…
Weekender: 2022 film calendar; Luci Shaw’s latest poems; C’mon C’mon; Azor; Licorice Pizza
This week: An astounding 2022 preview. The upcoming poetry of Luci Shaw. And some initial thoughts on C'mon C'mon, Azor…
The Weekender: Christmas Edition 2021
This week: Malick's rollercoaster ride through the eons of history. Mia Hansen-Løve's film Bergman Island. All hail…