No, I’m not talking about the latest Pop Theology review between Richard Lindsay and myself. I’m talking about Ron Howard’s latest film, Frost/Nixon. But back to one of our Pop Theology dialogues: we felt that one of the true highlights of Oliver Stone’s latest film, W., is his effort to humanize a controversial political figure with whom he no doubt vehemently disagrees. One of my frustrations with that film was when Stone drifted into the war room and out of... Read more
Pop Theology contributor Richard Lindsay and I saw Gus Van Sant’s new film, MILK, last week. It tells the story of Harvey Milk, the first openly gay man to be elected to political office in the United States. We thought we would provide another dialogue review like we did with another interesting biopic this year, W.. Hope you enjoy. (more…) Read more
Here, for the first time, is the 2008 Pop Theology Holiday Television Viewing Guide. Now while there are certainly more extensive and complete lists out there (I have included two links after the jump), these are just a few of the programs I’ll be watching or recording throughout the holidays. You’ll notice that National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation is missing. That’s because it’s playing on Cinemax, and I have it on DVD to watch whenever I please over the next several... Read more
Perhaps one of the most significant ways to look at the life and ministry of Jesus is to view it as a proleptic vision of the coming kingdom of God. In a sense, Jesus’ life is a theatrical trailer for a coming blockbuster. The themes of this blockbuster are love, liberation, salvation, inclusion, forgiveness, and equality over against the oppressive power structures of the past and now. Jesus’ life and teachings image another way, a better way, of living. Of... Read more
Few books on film and religion are as insightful as Adele Reinhartz’s Jesus of Hollywood. Here, she blends film scholarship with scriptural analysis and cultural studies in seamless fashion. She not only gives close readings of the Jesus story as told in the Gospels, but she shows how close viewings of Jesus films can highlight the differences between the four scriptural accounts as well. In the process, she explodes many preconceived notions that we might have about the scriptural Jesus... Read more
After you’ve all finished stuffing yourself with turkey and football, head on over to Homebrewed Christianity to listen to their newest podcast featuring yours truly. A couple of weeks ago, Chad Crawford and I got together to discuss all things religion and film. Tripp Fuller put together the intro. It’s a good dessert to wrap up the feast. Follow the link after the jump. (more…) Read more
Looking ahead to today’s opening of the new James Bond film, Quantum of Solace, I decided to look back at Casino Royale last night since the new film picks up right were Casino left off. Casino Royale is a new Bond beginning in more ways than one, and for a generation of new Bond fans, will color their perception of future Bond films. (more…) Read more
Twenty-first century cinematic ministers fare little better than their predecessors. Southerners in contemporary cinema never get it easy either. Combine the two and you have a recipe for ridicule. The King (2006), directed by the British James Marsh, is an attempt to wrap a Southern gothic fairy tale in religious garb. Despite a great cast, including Gael Garcia Bernal, Paul Dano, and William Hurt, the extra religious layer burdens a film that is in no shape to shoulder it. (more…) Read more
One of the most interesting parts of Conrad Ostwalt’s book, Secular Steeples, is his comparison of secular and sacred apocalyptic films. One of the characteristics of secular apocalyptic films is that humans must and do overcome the apocalyptic threat before them through world unity, technological advancements, military might, etc. Contrary to this, sacred apocalyptic films wait for God to act decisively while humans must endure the violence around them. Lately, I have observed a string of video games that mirror... Read more
Our friends Tripp Fuller and Chad Crawford have a new podcast up over at Homebrewed Christianity featuring Phyllis Tickle and a capsule review of W. by yours truly. Follow the link after the jump. (more…) Read more
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