Jesse Owens is synonymous with greatness and triumphing over unimaginable odds at the 1936 Olympic Games in Nazi-controlled Berlin. But, contrary to popular opinion, he wasn’t alone. In fact, Owens was only one of 18 African American Olympians to compete in those games. The new documentary, Olympic Pride, American Prejudice, tells the story of those American heroes. (more…) Read more
Tony Jones and Ryan Parker continue their discussion of Preacher on AMC, which is shaping up to be every bit the character-driven drama as it is supernatural, thriller, Western. They get nit-picky about the presentation of religion, but love the struggle at the heart of Jesse’s character. And how about that chainsaw scene?! Listen after the jump. (more…) Read more
Jackson is not only one of the best documentaries to premier at this year’s L.A. Film Festival, it’s sure to be one of the best of the year, period. From first-time writer/director Maisie Crow, it’s an assured film that is simultaneously fierce and kind in its depiction of two sides of a desperate crisis and in the questions that it asks and (implicitly) answers. (more…) Read more
Critics and moviegoers at this year’s L.A. Film Festival are praising the diverse lineup. Three-quarters of the festival’s world premiers are directed by women or people of color. Eighty percent of the entries are from first-time filmmakers. These are welcome statistics indeed. Two of these films, though set in drastically different locations, use scandalous relationships to explore highly contested spaces, female and gay sexuality and agency. The View from Tall and Play the Devil are sometimes technically uneven, but they are consistently... Read more
“There is no period so remote as the recent past.” – The History Boys It’s always hard to remember how difficult it is to make things change. Those of us who celebrated the Supreme Court’s decision last year to allow all same-sex couples to marry across the country may find it hard to remember, or to believe depending on one’s age, that gay folks were politically radioactive just a few short years ago. For those who want to learn or... Read more
God in My Head: The True Story of an Ex-Christian Who Accidentally Met God by Joshua Steven Grisetti is a new Patheos book club book. I confess, when I started reading it, I almost put it down after a few pages. I’ve got a stack of books I’m anxious to get to, and somebody’s story about having a conversation with God during a drug-fueled trip to the dentist wasn’t the most compelling of the lot. But a funny thing happened... Read more
Benjamin Drew Griffin praises Chance the Rapper’s latest release, Coloring Book, which itself is full of praise. More after the jump. (more…) Read more
We had to wait a while for the latest issue of The Goddamned, one of my favorite series running. The wait, again, was worth it as Jason Aaron and R.M. Guéra manage to keep the storytelling and rich theological/spiritual themes at a high level. (more…) Read more
Tony Jones and Ryan Parker tackle a new show on #KillerSerials, AMC’s Preacher. Adapted from Garth Ennis’ cult classic comic series, this new killer serial promises loads of religious talking points with a colorful cast of characters and a narrative that revolves around themes of revenge, sin, forgiveness, and the presence/absence of God. Take a listen after the jump. (more…) Read more
Susanna Clarke’s fantasy novel Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell begins in a peculiar place for a story about magic. As it commences in 1806, magic has ceased to be done in England for 300 years. There are magicians, but they meet in societies and discuss magic. They are theoretical magicians, not practical magicians. And in fact the doing of magic has become a bit disrespectable—associated with parlor tricks and fortune-telling done by grimy street performers. Thus, the “Learned Society of... Read more
Pop Theology
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In