The search for new old, classic horror/thriller films has already paid off this week. After a so-so experience with Cat People and The Curse of the Cat People, the freaky meter jumped up a notch with The Innocents, a film I can’t believe I haven’t seen until now. Definitely check this one out. (more…) Read more
It’s October so as much as possible I’m trying to (re)visit some classic horror and thriller films, frequently taking queues from the Turner Classic Movies schedule. As they often do in October, they’re showing The Curse of the Cat People (1944). It’s the loosely related sequel to Cat People (1942), neither of which I had seen…until now. (more…) Read more
Even though he is not working from an explicitly religious or theological perspective, Stephen Prince’s writing on film is a must read for all film lovers interested in the theological and/or religious dimensions of film. I’ve written and raved here about the collection of essays he edited, Screening Violence, and I have just finished reading his Savage Cinema: Sam Peckinpah and the Rise of Ultraviolent Movies, part of which he includes in Screening Violence. I was equally thrilled by it.... Read more
On August 30, I published a post about the history of public displays of the Ten Commandments, and traced their beginnings to illuminated prints issued by the Fraternal Order of Eagles Youth Guidance Commission, led by Judge E.J. Ruegemer of St. Cloud, Minnesota. Well, eBay was watching as I searched for photos for the piece, and instantly offered me an ad for a sale of one of the Eagles’ prints from the 1950’s at a not-to-be-passed-up-price. (Damn you, eBay!) The... Read more
The willful suspension of disbelief. All sci-fi films demand it, and some even reward it. Few films actually address it in the narrative as explicitly, and even humorously, as Looper, the current, popular time-travel/sci-fi/crime drama. Despite the gaping plot holes and thematic schizophrenia, it’s still an engaging viewing experience…so long as you don’t think too hard or ask too many questions. (more…) Read more
Things around here at Pop Theology have been fairly quiet over the last few weeks. With my on-going world tour and Richard’s recent migration to Cajun country, pop culture theological reflection has been on a back burner of sorts. However, I am currently in one place for the rest of the month and am hoping to do a bit of pop culture catch up. To that end, I somewhat belatedly encountered a quite moving, news-making comedy performance, Tig Notaro’s standup... Read more
Of course, I’m biased, but I think the newest theology and film book, Light Shining in a Dark Place, is an interesting contribution to the growing hybrid study…and not just because I have a chapter in it either! (more…) Read more
A few weeks ago, I went to see the Colin Ferrell Total Recall remake (directed by Len Wiseman) and was struck by a comment from another audience member while the movie started: “I remember coming to see this when Arnold was in it.” The audience member was two rows behind me and, sadly, this would not be his last audible statement during the movie. The commentary pretty much went on non-stop for the next hour and a half. But what... Read more
With the events in Libya over the past week and the anniversary of 9/11, it seems serendipitous that I recently finished Amy Waldman‘s brilliant book, The Submission. I think it might just be one of the most important books of this young century (yeah, I said it!) and certainly for our time now. (more…) Read more
With every new election cycle, within some circles there’s always talk about what the Bible says about certain key talking points…on both sides of the aisle…be it aid for the poor or repealing abortion. Whatever the case, the Bible, as so often happens in pop, public discourse is treated as a monolithic, univocal entity. Little, if any, consideration is given to how it says what it says or why it does so in a particular way. Even if you are... Read more
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