#026 – X-Men and Days of Future Milestones
On this episode of the Reel World Theology Podcast:
We celebrate the one year anniversary of the Reel World Theology Podcast with a huge panel discussing one of the biggest and most anticipated movies of the year, X-Men: Days of Future Past. The X-Men Universe has always been one of the most obvious stories to discuss the allegory of marginalization found, even today, in society. This film also gives us more developed characters than previous films and that has us wrestling with the themes of regret, fear, hope, and what it’s like to be faster than everyone else in the room…
#025 – Spider-Man and The Amazing Gwen Stacy
On this episode of the Reel World Theology Podcast:
Summer 2014 keeps bringing us more comic book movies, so we keep the superhero talk going by looking at the second installment in the Amazing Spider-Man universe. It certainly isn’t quite the same quality as the MARVEL Cinematic Universe, but it does feature MARVEL’s most popular and, to a certain degree, most relatable superhero. In this sequel, Spider-Man’s responsibilities start to seriously affect Peter Parker’s ability to function as a normal guy. From haunting visions of Gwen’s father, to never being anywhere he is supposed to be, Peter struggles with his ever-growing responsibility in both lives. With his relationship with Gwen uncertain and Oscorp finding ways to create new villains, both Peter Parker and Spider-Man may find that though they are extraordinary, they both need help. Identity, tough love, living in the moment, responsibility and the power of choice– we can certainly cover a lot of ground.
#024 – Captain America And The Hero We Need
On this episode of the Reel World Theology Podcast:
We finally get to experience the latest MARVEL Cinematic Universe offering, Captain America: The Winter Soldier. In the film, Captain America, the Black Widow and Sam Wilson (also known as The Falcon) join forces to uncover a conspiracy within SHIELD, while facing a mysterious assassin known as the Winter Soldier. For those who have seen the film, you know that this is probably a gross understatement of all the things going on in this movie. With all the underpinning of a top-notch Spy Thriller, this film is multi-layered and arguably the best offering that MARVEL has brought us to date. The narrative itself is dripping with post-9/11 allegory, while also tackling friendship, loyalty, selflessness, and what it means to be a good guy in a bad world.
#023 – Noah and A Flood of Biblical Interpretation
On this episode of the Reel World Theology Podcast:
We are finally sitting down to talk about the Darren Aronofsky directed, Noah. This film has garnered a lot of attention from various religious and non-religious communities for both it’s perceived and actual take on the Old Testament account of Noah. While some of it is warranted, we will try to figure out where the divisions have been and maybe where they should be. From “Rock Monsters” to homicidal prophets to magic forests to all out war on the ark, there are a lot of conversations happening because of this movie and we want to add something positive to it.
#022 – Divergent and Social Division
On this episode of the Reel World Theology Podcast:
We dive, again, into the world of young adult literature adaptations by conversating about the hugely popular film, Divergent. In the adaptation, up and comer, Shailene Woodley takes on our lead as Tris, who learns she’s Divergent and won’t fit in to a society that categorizes all it’s citizens into factions. When she discovers a plot to destroy Divergents, Tris and the mysterious Four (played by the surprising Theo James) must find out what makes Divergents dangerous before it’s too late. We will give our thoughts on the movie, as an adaptation of the widely popular Young Adult literature genre, and also explore the themes the book very intentionally raises about conformity, human nature, leadership, sacrifice, and identity.
#021 – Game of Thrones and Moral Ambiguity
On this episode of the Reel World Theology Podcast:
We try to tackle the enormity of A Song of Ice and Fire, or, Game of Thrones to those of you who haven’t had a chance to read the books. IMDB puts it simply by saying that this is about “Seven noble families fighting for control of the mythical land of Westeros.” As fans, we have known it to be so much more. Love, betrayal, violence, power, lust, hatred, revenge… and dragons; it seems to have everything you could want in a story— including an ever-growing and impressive cast. The TV show is heading into it’s 4th season in just a few weeks and it is more popular than ever. We are here to take a look back at the previous 3 seasons and ask some fundamental questions about the show (and the books) popularity, its criticisms from the more conservative side of the isle, and, finally, it’s exploration of the human condition.
We do give everyone the disclaimer that even though we have all read further in the books than the 3rd season leaves us, we DO NOT spoil anything coming down the pipes. So, viewers, listen away!
#020 – Monuments Men and the Value of Art
On this episode of the Reel World Theology Podcast:
We take a look at The Monuments Men, a George Clooney joint. With a near-all-star cast, this movie, about an unlikely World War II platoon tasked to rescue art masterpieces from Nazi thieves and return them to their owners, hasn’t made as much of a splash as I think it would have hoped, but, it does have a very clear message about the value of history, art, and human life. It also speaks about human legacy and what matters in the annals of time. We try to dissect where the film is pointful and where it is just fun— and with this cast, it certainly had a bit of both.
#019 – All About Her
On this episode of the Reel World Theology Podcast: We talk about Spike Jonze film, Her, about a man, in the “not too distant future”, who falls in love with his operating system. This film, starring Joaquin Phoenix, Scarlett Johansson, Rooney…
#018 – Award Shows and Every American’s Hustle
On this episode of the Reel World Theology Podcast: We tackle another fine offering from David O. Russell, American Hustle (rhyming unintentional!). Russell, has been a part of a number of really thought-provoking character-driven films, such as Three Kings, I Heart…
#017 – Redemption and Mr.Banks
On this episode of the Reel World Theology Podcast: We chat about Saving Mr.Banks, a movie about making a movie— and not just about the making of any movie, but one of the most beloved musicals of all time, Mary…