We’re continuing the “Getting To Know You” portion of this blog. Two weeks ago, I wrote about my favorite movies. Last week, I tackled my favorite TV shows. This week, I’m doing something different. I want to talk about critics. Part of the reason I want to talk about this is because I believe that any good writer improves through reading better writers, no matter the subject. Part of it is that I feel that knowing the critics who influence... Read more
Growing up Baptist, Lent always fascinated me. Many of my friends were Catholic, and I was always intrigued whenever they would have to give something fun up in the weeks preceding Easter. I never really wondered why my family didn’t participate; mostly, I think I was just relieved that I didn’t have to give up chocolate. As I grew older, my relationship with Lent grew complicated. In my twenties, when I was a bit of a “cage-stage Calvinist,” I was dismissive... Read more
For the first year in decades, I didn’t watch the Super Bowl. It wasn’t a big loss. I’m not a fan of football. I really can’t stand Coldplay. Having two young kids means going to a party isn’t really feasible. And the only excuse I had for watching — the commercials — is a moot point, since everything ends up online within minutes anyway. So, I spent the evening catching up on last night’s “Saturday Night Live” and reading. One thing I... Read more
When a colleague and I talked about the work of Joel and Ethan Coen on a recent podcast, we spent a great deal of time discussing how the brothers are Old Testament filmmakers. Themes of impending judgement, an angry god and the folly of man crop up repeatedly in their work, and their protagonists are rarely shown much in the way of mercy. So imagine my surprise when “Hail, Caesar’s” very first shot was the image of the crucified Christ. I might be mistaken,... Read more
Note: Spike Lee’s “Chi-Raq” just became available on Amazon Prime this week. I thought it was appropriate to share this piece, which was edited from a blog post I did last year at my previous site. In Abigail Disney’s 2015 documentary “The Armor of Light,” Rev. Rob Schenck recalls meeting with the father of a young man killed during a mass shooting. The film doesn’t give us many details of their conversation, but Schenck says a question by the grief-stricken man haunted him. Where the hell... Read more
Maybe there really is a cinematic holy war going on. Just a day after The Satanic Temple announced its endorsement of horror film “The Witch,” Sony Pictures announced that Joseph Fiennes, the star of their new religious thriller “Risen,” has met with none other than Pope Francis. Both “The Witch” and “Risen” hit theaters on February 19 courting what I assume are very different audiences. A lot of movies do this — as Peter Chattaway said, the man playing Jesus... Read more
I haven’t seen “The Witch,” Robert Eggers’ upcoming horror film. I heard all about it several years ago when it debuted at the Sundance Film Festival and impressed critics with its shocking visuals and eerie presence. Now, it appears as if it’s also inspiring more than just reviewers. From a press release: Beginning February 10 in New York City, The Satanic Temple (TST) will launch premiere screenings of the highly anticipated historical horror film, The Witch,amid interactive performances and ritualized pronouncements of a “new... Read more
Welcome back to week two in a series I’m calling “My Essentials.” As I continue this adventure at Patheos, I feel it’s best if you know some more of my likes and the things that inspire me when writing about art and faith. Last week, we talked about my 20 favorite movies . This week, we’re going to cut that number back and talk about a different medium, but one that grows increasingly exciting with every new month. For years, TV... Read more
As I alluded to earlier, I had some minor outpatient surgery yesterday, and I’ve spent the past two days laid up on the couch. It hasn’t been horrible —the surgery went quickly, and while I’m a bit achy and sore, there’s no excruciating pain. Plus, I was given the doctor’s blessing to lay around watching movies all day. I caught up on some good ones. Given all my thoughts about the Coen Brothers recently, I binged on a few of... Read more
Hello everyone! I’m currently mending from some minor elective surgery, and laid up on the couch with some Blu-Rays, DVDs and books. I actually think I might publish a separate entry this week about what I watched, but for right now this is about as deep of a post as you’re getting until the pain meds wear off :-) One of my favorite hobbies I picked up over the past year is podcasting. I currently co-host two podcasts: a pop culture... Read more
Chrisicisms
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