I recently saw a couple of films back-to-back that couldn’t have been more different (I’m already in love with being in the center of the movie universe here in L. A.). Unless you’re hiding under a rock, you know the latest installment of the Iron Man franchise is currently in theaters. You might be less familiar [...]
I’m currently working on an article on images of trauma in film for the independent film journal, Cinemascope. The call for papers included a quote from French philosopher Jean-Luc Nancy, who argues that film is “always sacred and never religious” because the sacred is “elusive and indefinable, faraway from reality.” This strikes me as a [...]
Spring Breakers isn’t necessarily the year’s first must-see film, but it might be one of the first “you really might want to see it” films. But be warned, writer/director Harmony Korine‘s tale of spring-break gone terribly wrong is full of potentially offensive images and dialogue. It’s not for the faint of heart, but it’s certainly a [...]
At a dive bar in New Orleans this past January, Ryan and I got together to discuss possibilities for PopTheology.com for the coming year. As the drinks flowed freely and we watched my beloved Bengals blow another playoff game, our bar napkins filled up with penned ideas. Maybe it was my mounting gloom at the [...]
Three recent examples of conservative Christians in the news: of course, these are “newsmaker” Christians—people who have their own publicists and media machines. They may or may not be reflective of Christians or evangelicals as a whole, but they are reflective of what passes for religious commentary on culture in the public square. Christians Gone [...]
If you follow Pop Theology, you’ll notice I’ve been focusing on documentaries as of late. The five Oscar nominees are rich viewing experiences that incite a variety of emotional responses and will no doubt contribute, in very important ways, to ongoing dialogue around issues as diverse as the procurement of AIDS treatment drugs and the [...]
Very rarely does one come away from a movie musical with a new understanding of a theological doctrine. But, surprisingly enough, for all it’s melodrama and schmaltz, that’s where I ended up after seeing Les Miserables. I’ve made it clear on these pages that I have a problem with one important element of orthodox Christianity, [...]
Like so many horror films, my problems with romantic comedies often stem from the stupidity of the main characters. So much of the gruesome deaths…or the heart-breaking separations…results from dumb choices taken further to dumber actions. I found Celeste & Jesse Forever to be weighed down by such stupidity.
I knew what I was getting into when I selected The Queen of Versailles on Netflix instant. I guess I felt like watching a train wreck. I didn’t imagine it would be so riveting.
After the Super Bowl, Richard called me to vent some more about Ray Lewis. In the course of our conversation, he posed a difficult theological question about the fervently devoted Raven. Last night, I watched Denzel Washington‘s latest Oscar-nominated film, Flight, which put Richard’s question and Ray Lewis’ faith into (for me) fresh perspective.
