#182 – First Reformed and Essential Paradoxes
On this episode of the Reel World Theology Podcast: From its announcement, First Reformed has been one of the most requested episodes of Reel World Theology– even before the film came out. It only took the trailer and the people…
Review| Skate Kitchen
Great films are able to transcend their genre and the context that the protagonist’s story is unfolding in. Great storytelling gives viewers a sense of connection and resonance, even if they aren’t a part of that subculture or have anything…
Review| The Happytime Murders
Brian Henson, son of the late Jim Henson and producer/director of Happytime Murders, seeks to expand upon his father’s legacy of telling adult stories through the medium of puppetry. As much as the second-generation puppeteer is fairly confident the creator of…
Of The 1920s
The 1920s holds a special place within cinema history as German Expressionism makes its way onto American shores. Known for its angular, almost surreal, settings and its narrative gloom, German Expressionism gave silent cinema some of the most fantastical and…
#180 – BlacKkKlansman and Dealing With Our History
On this episode of the Reel World Theology Podcast: We talk for a very long time about how good a movie BlacKkKlansman is and what it can teach us about our past and our present. How do movies about racism…
The Shawshank Redemption (1994) & The Mist (2007)
Despite their Stephen King pedigrees and the guiding hand of writer-director Frank Darabont, few films initially appear to have as little in common as The Shawshank Redemption and The Mist. Released in 1994 to critical acclaim but little fanfare, Shawshank…
Review| Never Goin' Back
Adulting is hard. Jessie (Camila Morrone) and Angela (Maia Mitchell) put that into sharp focus in their small Texas town as they coast from one high to the next and try to get by working at their diner jobs. Of…
Review| Eighth Grade
Watching Eighth Grade is an experience. Kayla (played brilliantly by newcomer Elsie Fisher) is trying to figure out who she is as she makes the transition from eighth grade to high school. It is affecting, insightful, and relatable and as…
Of The 1910s
“Villains!” I shrieked, “dissemble no more! I admit the deed! –tear up the planks! here, here! –It is the beating of his hideous heart!” –Edgar Allan Poe, “The Tell-Tale Heart” “In [Thomas] Dixon’s book The Clansman, rape is actual, not…
The Battle for an Ugly World: Se7en (1995) & Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)
It’s hard not to be cynical. Don’t believe me? Watch the news. Sit through a few commercials. Scroll Facebook… This can be an ugly little world. Turn on the news and you’re likely to hear stories of violence and tragedy,…