Archive for Film

Iron Man 3 and Mud

May 14, 2013 No Comments by

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 [...]

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A Sacred Wonder

May 06, 2013 1 Comment by

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 [...]

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Can I Get an Amen…Or At Least a Gun and a Wad of Cash?

Apr 03, 2013 No Comments by

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 [...]

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Teorema: God Will Save You from Your Dull Middle-Class Existence

Mar 25, 2013 1 Comment

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 [...]

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Christians Gone Wild!

Mar 06, 2013 No Comments

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 [...]

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Seeking Care

Feb 21, 2013 No Comments

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 [...]

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Les Mis and the Doctrine of Atonement

Feb 18, 2013 2 Comments

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, [...]

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Just Talk to Your Partner

Feb 12, 2013 No Comments

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.

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Living Beyond Epic Means

Feb 11, 2013 No Comments

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.

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Flight, Forgiveness, and Ray Lewis

Feb 06, 2013 No Comments

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.

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