The Real Thing…
October 31, 2008
Looking at religious documentaries that expose a certain element of Christianity, we can trace a thread back at least to 1972 and the Academy Award winning film, Marjoe. Marjoe Gortner began preaching at the age of four, leading revivals and even officiating weddings. Urged on by his parents, until the age of fifteen, Marjoe left his “ministry” and returned in his young adult years when he realized the financial profitability of his preaching. Read on for a review and check out the featured video for an extended clip from the film. [Read more]
“Without Them, I’m Not Me…”
October 30, 2008
These are the words that Tammy Faye Messner (formerly Bakker) uses to describe her outrageous eyelashes in the opening of the documentary The Eyes of Tammy Faye (2000). I’ve said in several places that I feel like we are in a hey-day of religious documentaries. Any discussion of this genre must include this insightful film about one of televangelism’s most (in)famous figures. [Read more]
W.: A Pop Theology Dialogue
October 29, 2008
We are trying something new here at Pop Theology. I recently went to see W. with a few friends including Pop Theology contributor Richard Lindsay. We immediately thought that a conversation about the film might be a great way to approach it rather than just a simple review. As most everyone knows, Oliver Stone’s W. focuses on George W. Bush’s rise to the White House and then the run-up to the invasion of Iraq. While there is much to talk about here in terms of brilliant filmmaking from Stone and acting from Josh Brolin, Richard and I wanted to talk about some of the religious, spiritual, and theological implications of the film. [Read more]
Old Fashioned Television
October 28, 2008
Ironically, the greatest thing about the cable movie network AMC is its original television series like Breaking Bad and Mad Men. By far, the most popular of the two, Mad Men has garnered loads of critical acclaim and an audience that will no doubt increase as each season releases on DVD. The first season of Mad Men is already available on DVD. Pop Theology contributor Richard Lindsay offers an insightful look book on this hit series’ first season. [Read more]
One Dark Night
October 27, 2008
Along with the religion and film class in which I am a teaching assistant, I am also preparing for comprehensive exams, one of which is a closed book, timed exam on the history of religious cinema. I will do well to watch a religious film or two each day until that exam which, off course, this bodes well for Pop Theology as I hope to provide capsule review of each of these films as well. I recently watched John Huston’s famous The Night of the Iguana (1964). [Read more]
The Perfect (Moral) Storm
October 24, 2008
I am serving as a teaching assistant for my advisor’s Religion and the Cinema course. In preparation for an upcoming lecture on the representations of preachers, ministers, and evangelists in film, I have been watching loads of films that feature such characters in lead roles. As the lecture approaches I am trying to watch at least one of these films each day, all the while hoping that Netflix will not stall my account activity. One of the early, most famous of these films is Rain (1932), directed by Lewis Milestone. [Read more]
A Country Gospel: Pop Theology Turns 200
October 23, 2008
For Pop Theology’s 200th post, we celebrate 1973, the year of the Jesus musical. That year saw the release of Jesus Christ Superstar, Godspell, and the lesser-known The Gospel Road: One Man’s Journey on the Road to the Truth. While perhaps not as popular as the first two and certainly not as cinematically polished, directed Robert Elfstrom and writer/narrator Johnny Cash manage to blend a reverent retelling of the life of Jesus with lively country gospel music mixed in. [Read more]
A Sacred and Secular Negotiation
October 22, 2008
In the closing minutes of his new documentary, Religulous, Bill Maher transitions from an agnostic point of view to an atheistic one. He moves from saying, “I preach the gospel of I don’t know,” to saying, “For humanity to live, religion must die.” Such a transition signifies Maher’s narrow-minded view of religion and also his misguided understanding of secularization. Maher believes that the eradication of religion will help humanity flourish and put an end to many of the conflicts that divide us. This, one could argue, is one example of a type of secularization theory that has held sway in academic and religious thought. Thankfully, that idea, and its hold on our thinking, is losing its grip. Conrad Ostwalt’s book, Secular Steeples: Popular Culture and the Religious Imagination, represents a much-needed, fresh way of looking at the sacred, the secular, and the complex notion of secularization. [Read more]
Bad Movie Monday: The Happening
October 14, 2008
It’s been a while since my last bad movie Monday, what with the start-up of Monday Night Football and Heroes. With a little extra time on my hands this week, I picked up a free rental of M. Night Shyamalan’s latest film, The Happening (2008). [Read more]
Not So Ridiculous…
October 9, 2008
One of the great things about our Constitution is that it guarantees both the freedom of religion and the freedom from religion. Individually, we are free to practice whatever faith we choose or no faith at all. These two freedoms meet head-to-head in Bill Maher and Larry Charles’ new documentary, Religulous. [Read more]
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