Hello, all!
We’re nearing the end of the year, which is when critic life really starts getting chaotic. November and December typically present a smorgasbord of prestige-y movie offerings, including preview screenings, mailed screeners and links. It’s an exciting time, but also overwhelming (as I write this, the FedEx man just dropped off another package)! Because I’m about to embark on a particularly intense chapter for my book, the flood of new releases presents extra difficulty. I’m learning my limits as I try to keep what I refer to with a deep sigh as “work/work/book/life” balance. More on that below.
Also, as Twitter continues its increasingly dire slouch toward…somewhere…I’ve joined Hive. You can find me there at @abbyolcese. I’m also still on Twitter under the same username.
My November reviews:
The Banshees of Inisherin (The Pitch)
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (The Pitch)
Devotion (Paste)
Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio (The Pitch)
Disenchanted (Paste)
Book updates:
First, some background:
I’m working on my first book, currently titled Silver Screen Liturgy, which will be published by InterVarsity Press in (tentatively) 2024. It’s a collection of essays and discussion questions about movies to watch through the church liturgical year. The book is based on an article series I did for ThinkChristian between 2020-21, which you can find an example of here.
I’ve long been frustrated with the church’s response to secular art (particularly in the case of conservative evangelicalism, which would rather present insular “safe” alternatives to mainstream media rather than address the issues it tackles head-on). This book is an attempt to invite readers—primarily Christian, but everyone’s welcome—into critical conversation with mainstream films by presenting them in the context of liturgical seasons like Advent, Lent, Easter, Pentecost, All Saints Day and more. The hope is that it can help reframe the way we watch movies, and perhaps encourage a little media literacy as well.
Here’s where things are at currently:
Right now I’m wrapping up my chapter on All Saints Day, which covers the movies A Hidden Life and The Night of the Hunter. Both have me thinking a lot about what it means to stand up for what’s right and love vulnerable people, themes that for me take on extra significance during the holiday season. I actually feel like the viewing and writing process has made me more actively charitable in the last few weeks, which is a lovely side effect that I hope sticks around.
Next month will be a doozy: my Advent chapter has an essay for each week of the season, which means four essays on five movies (I’m including Paddington and Paddington 2 as one entry), each of which address the themes of Advent. It will essentially be a longer version of the piece I’ve linked above. If you’re a praying person, please keep me in your thoughts as I attempt this marathon—good vibes are also welcome :).
Music I’m writing to:
A Hidden Life OST: Appropriate, since I’m writing about the movie, but also I’ve been in love with this score since I first saw the movie at TIFF in 2019. It’s so beautiful!
NOPE OST: My favorite score of the year. Gets the blood pumpin’!
The Goat Rodeo Sessions: Helping Abby reliably get work done since 2011.
And finally, cats:
They aren’t very effective office assistants, but they’re very good at moral support, which counts for a lot.
That’s all for this month! Hope your holiday season is full of joy, adequate rest and tasty food.