Out of the Woods, Into the Clearing: The Transformation of Innocence in Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers & The Night of the Hunter
This piece was originally published on October 26, 2018 at Grindhouse Theology. With their permission, it is being republished here. The concept of innocence is unusual coming from a Judeo-Christian viewpoint. Many branches of Protestant thought incorporate some formulation of sin…
Stories and Myths: Fatherhood in The Road (2009) and Life is Beautiful (1997)
It’s hard to be a father. Or so I assume, not being one myself. Though, having been a kid, I can only imagine how awful I was to parent. There are dirty diapers, temper tantrums, scraped knees, and that’s not…
Reflections on a Sense of the Self: Toy Story (1995) and Us (2019)
In the social jungle of human existence, there is no feeling of being alive without a sense of identity.” – Erik Erikson, Identity, Youth, and Crisis One of the first films that comes to mind when thinking of explorations of…
“What went we out into this wilderness to find?”: Frontier Isolation in Carnival of Souls (1962) and The Witch (2015)
[Warning: Ahead there be spoilers. Though, it must be noted, the terror of both Carnival of Souls and The Witchrelies more on atmosphere than shocking plot twists.] There are few experiences that can match the slow-motion, attenuated terror of growing up…
Film as Confession: Taste of Cherry (1997) and Sex, Lies, & Videotape (1989)
“Film is truth, 24 times a second.” –Jean Luc-Godard We live in a world of displacement. Through the efforts of cultural, societal, and technological change, we move and breathe day after day as those forced towards awareness. Being in the…
The Natural & Contrived Loves of The Lobster (2015) & Never Let Me Go (2010)
Yorgos Lanthimos’ seventh directorial feature, The Lobster, is a compulsive critique on societal expectations often assigned to an individual’s relationship status. It’s a dark comedy that is as neurotic as its Greek director (see Dogtooth and The Killing of a…
Splitting the Divine Hares of Harvey (1950) & Donnie Darko (2001)
“We must all face reality sooner or later, Dowd.” “Well, I have wrestled with reality for 35 years, Doctor, and I’m happy to state I finally won out over it.” —Dr. Raymond Sanderson & Elwood P. Dowd, Harvey “Why are…
Maybe Redemption Has Stories to Tell: Warrior (2011) & Good Will Hunting (1997)
Every movie is a story about redemption. Warrior (2011) and Good Will Hunting (1997) are no different, but what they tell us about redemption—and its source—could not be less similar. Good Will Hunting is a story about Will Hunting (Matt Damon), a…
Them! (1954) & Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008)
“We may be witnesses to a Biblical prophecy come true ― ‘And there shall be destruction and darkness come upon creation, and the beasts shall reign over the earth.’” ― Dr. Harold Medford, Them! The 1954 horror film Them! from…
The King’s Speech (2010) & Rope (1948)
There’s nothing like a trusted mentor and teacher to change your life for the better. That’s the idea behind one of my favorite movies, The King’s Speech (2010), based on a true story from the life of King George VI.…